How Is Oscar Isaac Good At Singing? And Other Assorted Thoughts
I don't really have a strong single topic this week, so here's a bunch of stuff.
Inside Llewyn Davis is one of the best movies.
This may sound like an opinion, but it’s not. It’s a definitive fact. Any list of “great movies” requires this Coen Brothers’ gem, and if you haven’t seen it, you should remedy that grievous error immediately.
Once described as “the loneliest movie,” Inside Llewyn Davis is a black comedy/epic/Odyssean journey starring Oscar Isaac as a folk singer. We follow the struggling artist for about a week or so as he encounters musical troubles, romantic troubles and life troubles. It’s all a bit troubling.
Isaac is a damn good actor. This movie proves that, as does Ex Machina or Dune or Drive or whatever else you’ve seen him in. What’s infuriating is that he’s also a dynamite singer. He’s incredible as the titular character in Inside Llewyn Davis with a sultry, almost wintry voice that sounds as if it’s been to hell and back.
One might think that this is some cinematic trickery, but I can definitively state for the record (humblebrag incoming) that Isaac showed up at a Marcus Mumford concert the other night, played two songs and set the place ablaze.
The two performed “Fare Thee Well” and “Hang Me, Oh Hang Me”—two certified bops—and then the actor came back out during the encore to fuck around with the band. That’s what we call a good concert.
It’s kind of infuriating that Oscar Isaac is as good a singer as he is. It’s unfair. Like what the hell.
Everyone should get one thing. Look at Harry Styles.*
* I actually think Styles is fine as an actor, but the joke was right there.
Anyway, you should go see Oscar Isaac sing hits from Inside Llewyn Davis when you have the chance.
Best Picture Race Thoughts
I’ve been thinking a lot about the upcoming Best Picture race, as one does, and it’s becoming clearer and clearer that The Fabelmans is going to win. Certainly, there’s plenty of time before all’s said and done and I’m certainly going to change my predictions thousands of times before March. I never would have predicted CODA until its remarkable end-of-season run—I still don’t think it should’ve won, but that’s a different story—and yet everything is gearing up for a Steven Spielberg win. If we’re looking at odds, The Fabelmans and Everything Everywhere All at Once are the two leading contenders, and yet I just don’t see it for the A24 sci-fi action-comedy. It’s just too out there for the older voters. I didn’t fact-check this, but I’m pretty sure that a movie with hot dog fingers has never won an Oscar.
The next few movies are Women Talking, The Banshees of Inisherin, Babylon and TÁR. The first two on that list feel a bit too independent and specific to reach the broadest of audiences, Babylon is a three-hour epic that may alienate portions of the academy and TÁR is too thought-provoking and hot-buttony to take home the top prize. A movie from Spielberg on the significance of movies almost makes too much sense.
We still have the new Black Panther and Avatar films, but we haven’t had a BIG movie like that win in quite some time, and the voters’ push toward smaller, more personal movies makes me think that the two of these will be overlooked, despite being nominated.
Meh.
I like Jimmy Kimmel, but this feels really lazy and uninspired. He’s done it before and it feels more like a concrete way to ensure minimal surprises *ahem* Will Smith.
I wish they made more of a choice here, whether it be getting Hugh Jackman back or going for the Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez rumor. Hosting this show must be a burden, so I get it, but we’ve done this one before. Give us something new.
[Remembers the Kevin Hart and Amy Schumer sagas]
Okay, this is actually fine. Good job getting Kimmel.
Random Things
I’ve been on a Park Chan-wook kick lately, as I recently watched both Decision to Leave and Stoker. I’m planning to get through his Vengeance Trilogy relatively soon and The Handmaiden is one of the more captivating movies I’ve ever seen. There will be more PCW content here soon enough.
The tagline for The Whale being “People are amazing” is either purposefully glib or just sucks. What a nothing movie full of mostly unrealistic terrible people.
Paul Mescal should be in the Best Actor race.
I don’t really care about Avatar, but I’m so interested to see where this next movie goes. Like, James Cameron has been working on this for HOW long? This is what he wants to do for the rest of his life?
Tenet could’ve been such a fun movie, and it’s a slog.
I know See How They Run came out not too long ago, but I feel like we need more Saoirse Ronan. Give me Foe now.
More people need to see TÁR.
I think I like James Gray more as a movie historian and interviewee than I do as a movie-maker. Actually, I really like The Lost City of Z. That’s a great one.
All Quiet on the Western Front (the new one on Netflix) was fine.
When Harry Met Sally is still a perfect movie.
Movies I Need To See Soon
Here’s a bunch of stuff that is out or about to be out. This list is more for me than for you (in no real order):
Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
The Fabelmans
Till
Ticket to Paradise
The Menu
Prey for the Devil
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Amsterdam (even though it looks terrible)
Bones and All
She Said
Pearl
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
The Wonder
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
Glass Onion: Knives Out
Causeway
My Policeman
Black Adam (lol)
I’ve got my work cut out for me.