Two films that should win Best Picture, but won't: Dune Part 2 and Wicked
Hi folks!
I’m still on a cruise, so this will be another article about movies nominated for Oscars this year.
Movies are supposed to be colorful and fantastic and mesmerizing, right? Well, these two fit the bill.
Dune Part 2
I just rewatched Denis Villeneuve’s first two installments of the Dune franchise. I love this director. He creates staggeringly beautiful worlds and sets and fills them with astounding and intriguing characters.
And it’s not just because Dune is rich with such things. It is, but Villeneuve did the same thing in Arrival (2016) and Bladerunner 2049 (2017). The dude just makes beautiful movies. Don’t miss his earlier ones either. Prisoners (2013), Enemy (2013), and Sicario (2015) are all excellent.
Dune Part 2 is nominated for Best Picture, Cinematography, Production Design, Sound, and Visual Effects. I feel like it could win for any of these. The movie just looks spectacular.
I was particularly impressed by the bizarre, stark, and mesmerizing scenes on the Harkonnen home world of Giedi Prime. I’ve honestly never seen anything quite like the images Villeneueve gives us of this planet and its people.
And the movie is epic, too, with huge events, both personal and societal. It’s a story that spans a galactic empire. Hard to pull off, but Villeneuve does a great job, sez me.
Wicked
As I’ve mentioned previously, I am not “wired” to enjoy musicals. On the other hand, I do love South Park, and the creators of that show love musicals, so…
Also, my lovely wife is a huge fan of Broadway musicals. So, I’m slowly changing my mind on them. One of the first she took me to was Wicked — on Broadway — with the original cast.
I just loved it. The music had me in tears. We immediately bought the CD. I still listen to that soundtrack. Yeah, yeah, yeah… manliness… blah blah blah. Fight me. I love that show and I don’t care who knows it.
I was expecting to seriously dislike this movie adaptation, for several reasons. First, adapting plays into movies is difficult. Also, they made it so long! This is just the first half of the thing! Wicked: For Good is scheduled for release right before Thanksgiving this year (2025).
And even worse, one of its two main stars, Cynthia Erivo, got caught up in some woke, racist, entitled, whiny behavior on social media prior to the film’s release in which she berated a fan for making a version of the movie poster that more resembled the original artwork for the Broadway musical.
It was ugly. I figured (perhaps unreasonably) that the stain would impact the quality of the production, that someone like that couldn’t be a part of a great movie.
Wrong. Quit assuming things, Adam. Also, to Erivo’s credit, she did make an apology that sounded credible to me. Sometimes we freak out on the Internet. I get it.
The movie Wicked is just great. Loved it. It stayed very true to the source material while also paying lavish homage to the colors and settings and visual themes of the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz. All the extra content just filled in the gaps in very pleasing ways. If you love the Broadway musical as I do, you’ll love this movie, too.
I was very pleasantly surprised. I didn’t expect them to do such a great job. And perhaps the biggest surprise? Ariana Grande (as Galinda) stole every scene. I mean, it’s a pretty great role. Kristin Chenoweth stole every scene in the Broadway musical playing that role too.
But honestly, I didn’t think a mere “pop star” (or whatever Grande is) was going to be able to pull it off. I was wrong again. She crushed it.
Well done, folks.
Wicked is nominated for 10 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Visual Effects, and Best Production Design. Also, Erivo and Grande are up for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. I hope they don’t walk away empty handed.
Best Picture odds
The betting markets have both these films as huge underdogs to win Best Picture. I’m shocked, and will have more to say about that later this week!
Naturally,
Adam