A Complete Unknown

THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN THE LACK OF OSCARS FOR "A COMPLETE UNKNOWN" WAS THE LACK OF NOMINATIONS FOR FILMS THAT WERE BETTER THAN "ANORA": "IT ENDS WITH US" & " HARD TRUTHS" & "THE OLD OAK." I THINK THAT THE ACCUSATIONS THAT BLAKE LIVELY HAS MADE AGAINST JUSTIN BALDONI HURT HIS CHANCES FOR BEING NOMINATED FOR EITHER BEST ACTOR OR BEST DIRECTOR- & IT MAY ALSO HAVE HURT MS. LIVELY'S CHANCES TO BE NOMINATED FOR BEST ACTRESS (ESPECIALLY AMONG THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T WANT TO BELIEVE HER ACCUSATIONS). I DON'T KNOW IF THE OSCAR VOTERS GAVE ANY THOUGHT TO NOMINATING EITHER KEN LOACH FOR DIRECTING "THE OLD OAK" OR TO MIKE LEIGH FOR DIRECTING "HARD TRUTHS." IRONICALLY, MARIE-JEAN BAPTISTE WON BEST ACTRESS AWARDS FROM THE NY FILM CRITICS, THE LA FILM CRITICS, & THE NATIONAL SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS (HER CO-STAR, MICHELLE AUSTIN, ALSO WON BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS FROM THE NTL SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS) , BUT WAS INEXPLICABLY SNUBBED BY THE OSCAR VOTERS. PERHAPS MS. JEAN-BAPTISTE'S EMBITTERED CHARACTER WAS HARDER FOR THEM TO TAKE THAN MIKEY MADISON'S EASY-GOING ANORA. OF COURSE, IT WOULDN'T BE THE FIRST TIME THAT OSCAR VOTERS CHOSE EASIER-GOING CHARACTERS OVER CHARACTERS THAT WERE MORE DIFFICULT. FOR EXAMPLE, JAMES WOODS' PERSONIFICATION OF PURE EVIL AS BYRON DE LA BECKWITH IN "GHOSTS OF MISSISSIPPI" LOST TO CUBA GOODING'S CHEERFUL CHARACTER IN "JERRY MAGUIRE," JOAN PLOWRIGHT'S CANTANKEROUS PERFORMANCE IN "ENCHANTED APRIL" LOST TO MARISA TOMEI'S SCREECHINGLY FUNNY PERFORMANCE IN "MY COUSIN VINNY," MICHAEL CLARKE DUNCAN'S TORTURED PERFORMANCE OF A TORMENTED DEATH ROW INMATE IN "THE GREEN MILE" LOST TO MICHAEL CAINE'S AMIABLE PERFORMANCE IN "THE CIDER HOUSE RULES," & RICHARD HARRIS ("THIS SPORTING LIFE") & PAUL NEWMAN ("HUD") BOTH LOST TO SIDNEY POITIER'S HAPPY-GO-LUCKY HANDYMAN IN "LILIES OF THE FIELD" BECAUSE THEY PLAYED UNSYMPATHETIC CHARACTERS (WITH ALL DUE RESPECT TO MR. POITIER, HE GAVE MUCH BETTER PERFORMANCES IN "A RAISIN IN THE SUN" & "A PATCH OF BLUE" , BUT HE WASN'T EVEN NOMINATED FOR THOSE FILMS. HE ALSO GAVE A VERY POWERFUL & IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE IN "THE DEFIANT ONES"- FOR WHICH HE WAS NOMINATED- & HE MAY HAVE WON IF DAVID NIVEN HADN'T GIVEN AN EVEN GREATER PERFORMANCE IN "SEPARATE TABLES").

I'M AFRAID THAT I HAVEN'T YET SEEN ALL OF THE FILMS THAT WERE IN THE RUNNING FOR BEST PICTURE. IN FACT, THE ONLY OTHER BEST FILM NOMINES THAT SAW WERE "THE SUBSTANCE" & THE WINNER, "ANORA." HOWEVER, OF THE THREE NOMINEES, "A COMPLETE UNKNOWN" WAS DEFINITELY THE BEST BECAUSE IT SHOWED HOW PEOPLE'S LIVES CAN BE CHANGED BY THE CHANGES IN THE CULTURE & ALSO HOW THE RISE TO FAME AFFECTS NOT ONLY THE ONE WHO BECOMES FAMOUS, BUT ALSO THOSE AROUND HIM. "ANORA" HAD A VERY INTRIGUING PLOT & A CHARISMATIC PERFORMANCE BY MIKEY MADISON, BUT IT'S ESSENTIALLY A CINDERELLA STORY SET IN MODERN-DAY BRIGHTON BEACH & "THE SUBSTANCE" SEEMED TO BE TWO DIFFERENT FILMS: ONONE HAND, IT CONVEYED A VERY GOOD MESSAGE ABOUT HOW WOEN AREN'T ALLOWED TO AGE IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY, BUT I ALSO FELT THAT THE FILMMAKERS WANTED PEOPLE TO BE AMUSED BY THE TERRIBLE THINGS THAT WERE HAPPENING TO MS. MOORE'S CHARACTER (THAT WAS CERTAINLY THE IMPRESSION I GOT WHEN I HEARD THE LAUGHTER AT THE MOMA SCREENING). HOWEVER, DEMI MOORE DID GIVE A VERY ENDEARING PERFORMANCE, SO MAYBE SHE SHOULD HAVE WON THE OSCAR FOR RISING ABOVE MEDIOCRE MATERIAL.

I ALSO THOUGHT IT WAS A BRILLIANT IDEA FOR MR. MANGOLD TO CAST MONICA BARBARO AS JOAN BAEZ BECAUSE SHE DISPLAYED THE SAME PASSION AS JOAN BAEZ DID WHEN PERFORMING HER SONGS, & ALSO PORTRAYED THE CONFLICTING EMOTIONS THAT MS. BAEZ MUST HAVE FELT IN HER RELATIONSHIP WITH DYLAN. THIS WAS ESPECIALLY TRUE IN THE SCENE WHEN SHE GETS OUT OF BED IN AN ANGRY MOOD & CALLS DYLAN "AN ASSHOLE," BUT, WHEN DYLAN STARTS TO SING, YOU SEE HER FACE SOFTEN, & THEN SITS BESIDE HIM ON THEIR BED & STARTS SINGING ALONG WITH HIM. DIRECTOR MANGOLD MADE THE MOST OF THIS SCENE BY HAVING A TWO-SHOT OF THEIR BODIES CLOSE TOGETHER, & THEN SWITCHES TO A TWO-SHOT OF A CLOSE-UP OF THEIR TWO FACES WHILE THEY ARE SINGING.

DIRECTOR JAMES MANGOLD- WHO ALREADY CREATED A POWERFUL DEPICTION OF JOHNNY CASH'S LIFE IN "WALK THE LINE"- HAS NOW DONE THE SAME WITH HIS DEPICTION OF BOB DYLAN'S LIFE IN "A COMPLETE UNKNOWN," & TIMOTHEE CHALAMET PORTRAYAL OF DYLAN SEEMS LIKE REINCARNATION OF DYLAN'S YOUNGER SELF. BEFORE I HAD SEEN THIS FILM, I HAD REGRETTED THAT I HAD NEVER SEEN CHALAMET IN ANYTHING BEFORE. BUT PERHAPS SEEING HIM IN THIS FILM WAS THE PERFECT INTRODUCTION TO THIS BRILLIANT ACTOR. HE PERFECTLY CAPTURES DYLAN'S BROODING INTENSITY, BUT ALSO CONVEYS A CHILDLIKE ADULATION OF WOODY GUTHRIE WHEN HE SEES HIM IN HIS HOSPITAL ROOM. THIS SCENE IS ALSO ENHANCED BY THE PHYSICAL & EMOTIONAL FRAGILITY CONVEYED BY SCOOT MC NAIRY AS GUTHRIE & THE BROTHERLY MENTORSHIP DEPICTED BY EDWARD NORTON AS PETE SEEGER.