Last weekend was the Golden Globes, the Oscar nominations are going to be announced in a few weeks - Oscar voters are currently voting, in fact - and as a result it’s a great time to think about what movies from the past year were the best.
If you’re anything like me, you really should catch up on all of the big hits and acclaimed films. If you’re exactly like me, you had plenty of chances to do so, but spent most of that time watching old Japanese crime movies.
That said, the problem with awards season is that they’re not always giving the awards to the best films. For example, the Best Picture from 2018, as judged by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, was Green Book, which I did watch in 2019. I also didn’t like it very much, thinking that the main character was extremely boring and his journey from being an irritating fellow who loved hot dogs and was somewhat racist to an irritating fellow who ate pizza in a gross way who was not racist at all was perhaps not the most revelatory. Even with good acting – Mahershala Ali happens to be one of the best American actors working today – I didn’t think it was all that special. Yet, my personal favorite film from 2018, Widows, didn’t win any of the major awards, in spite of being great in every way.
Then again, it’s rare that people actually agree what the best films are anyway. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, one of the films in awards contention this year, has received a range of reaction from people I know, stretching from outright hatred to complete adoration. Mention The Revenant in the Yorkton This Week office and a certain editor will rage against it, while I liked it a lot.
But part of the appeal of awards season is that argument, whether or not the awards bodies got everything right or not. The other part of it is finding movies that you missed, didn’t get around to, or need a way to convince someone else in the house to watch.
Will Knives Out, something I’d argue was one of the best films of the past year, win any awards? I don’t know, but I definitely think everyone should watch it. Will my other favorite, Godzilla: King of the Monsters? No, it won’t, I know that already, even if it was a film made for me and my love of giant monsters. Will 1917, the film that took home the Golden Globe for best motion picture – drama, live up to the hype? Not sure, but I’m excited to find out. I’m also excited to watch Parasite, the Korean film that is getting a ton of positive buzz.
It’s a good incentive to catch up on all the great films of the past year, because if nothing else awards season reminds you of all the films you’ve been meaning to watch all year.
Or you could just forget about all that and watch old Japanese crime movies. I recommend Violent Panic: The Big Crash. It’s from 1976, and the ending is a genius piece of chaos as social commentary. Not the easiest film to find, but worth it.
