Oscar Nominations with Wesley Morris (The New York Times)
Jan 28, 2024
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Wesley Morris, critic at large at The New York Times, discusses this year's Academy Award nominations. Topics include the omission of Greta Gerwig from Best Director, the 'perversely effective' nature of Killers of the Flower Moon, Bradley Cooper's Maestro upending the biopic genre, the indie film boom of the late '90s, the rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Todd Haynes' new film May December, Ava DuVernay's Origin, the Academy's relationship to diversity, and the erosion of the 'middle' in film and culture.
Greta Gerwig's film Barbie explores consumerist girlhood within a capitalist society, challenging traditional biographical storytelling and offering a fresh perspective on Leonard Bernstein's flaws and complexities.
Historical dramas like Killers of the Flower Moon and Oppenheimer serve as reflections of the movie industry's health and politics, shedding light on the struggle for change and the resistance faced in the pursuit of justice.
The lack of true representation and recognition for black American directors, especially women, in the Academy Awards exposes deep-seated issues within the film industry, emphasizing the need for change and amplification of diverse voices.
Deep dives
Greta Gerwig's Impact on Barbie: Subverting Corporate Interests
Greta Gerwig's film Barbie successfully integrates and subverts corporate interests, exploring the complexities of consumerist girlhood and the struggle of living within a capitalist society. The movie tackles the toxic nature of consumerism and addresses themes of motherhood, feminism, and the evolving concept of girlhood into womanhood. Gerwig's direction goes beyond being a love letter to Barbie by creating a portrait of an asshole - a musical genius with insatiable desires and shamelessness. Barbie challenges traditional biographical storytelling by focusing on Leonard Bernstein's energy and humanity, rather than reiterating his musical genius. It offers a fresh perspective on the artist's flaws and complexities, making it entirely Gerwig's movie.
Historical Dramas as Mirrors of the Movie Business
Historical dramas such as Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Zone of Interest serve as an X-ray of the movie industry, reflecting the health and politics of the current cultural moment. While Killers of the Flower Moon veers away from Martin Scorsese's typical priorities in favor of exploring the politics and thematic urgency of a specific period in history, Oppenheimer falls short in creating a truly engaging narrative. However, both films play significant roles in fostering cultural conversations. These historical dramas shed light on the struggle for change, the cost of change, and the resistance faced in the pursuit of justice.
The Oscars as a Reflection of Entrenched Problems
The Oscars continue to reflect the deep-seated issues within the film industry. Despite recent efforts to increase diversity and expand the Academy's membership, true representation is still lacking. Black American directors, especially women, continue to be underrepresented and overlooked. The Academy Awards reveal the industry's priorities, showcasing the function and depiction of marginalized groups throughout history. These persistent patterns emphasize the need for change and amplification of diverse voices in shaping the future of cinema.
Shift in Cinema: The Podcast explores the changing landscape of movies
The podcast episode discusses the evolution of movies from the late 90s to the present day. It highlights the rise of independent filmmakers in the late 90s and early 2000s, such as Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, and Quentin Tarantino. The episode mentions the pivotal year of 1999 as a great movie year, but also acknowledges the shift that occurred with the release of Iron Man in 2008, marking the beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It delves into the impact of capitalism and catering to international markets on the type of movies being made, and laments the loss of a middle ground in filmmaking, the disappearance of movies that don't strive for awards or accolades. It emphasizes the need for new filmmakers who can bring fresh perspectives and tackle subjects that are currently overlooked.
Reflections of Filmmakers: The podcast discusses the sentiments of filmmakers regarding the changing industry
The podcast episode features conversations with filmmaker Ava DuVernay and critic Wesley Morris about their experiences and thoughts on the state of filmmaking. They reflect on the challenges faced by filmmakers of color and the lack of representation in the industry. DuVernay expresses her disillusionment with the system and institutions, noting that despite some progress, there is still a long way to go in terms of meaningful change and true representation. Morris shares his concern about the disappearance of certain types of movies, like abortion comedies or films about reproductive rights, and wonders where the new generation of filmmakers with fresh perspectives and bold ideas is. The episode ends on a note of hope, with DuVernay emphasizing the importance of sustainability and building something beautiful and smaller in one's own likeness.
Wesley Morris has served as critic at large at The New York Times since 2015, covering film, politics, and pop culture. He joins this week to discuss this year’s Academy Award nominations.
At the top, we discuss the omission of Greta Gerwig from the Best Director category (6:07), former Secretary Clinton on Barbie-gate (10:12), the ‘perversely effective’ nature of Killers of the Flower Moon (16:30), and the ways in which Bradley Cooper’s Maestro upends the traditional biopic (21:45). Wesley then reflects on his early adventures in moviegoing (30:43), the indie film boom of the late ‘90s (35:15), the rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (36:23) what the Best Picture nominations of 1988 can tell us about 2023’s slate (38:05), and the erosion of the ‘middle’ across film and culture (41:02).
On the back-half: Todd Haynes’ beguiling new film May December (44:10), Ava DuVernay’s Origin (45:53), the Academy’s fraught relationship to diversity (53:05), the function of Wesley’s work in 2024 (1:05:58) and a reading of his moving, personal review about Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers (1:10:54).
For questions, comments, or to join our mailing list, reach me at sf@talkeasypod.com. This conversation was recorded at Spotify Studios.
