Of the three best picture Oscar-nominated movies (Mank, The Trial of the Chicago Seven) that have a chance to knock off Nomadland, the odds on favorite to be selected as the year’s best movie, Shaka King’s Judas and the Black Messiah was undoubtedly my favorite. It’s ironic since the other two films have a better chance of earning the night’s biggest prize. But much like the other five nominated pictures, there isn’t anything particularly remarkable about this trio. As a whole, it wasn’t a great year for movies. There were some great acting performances during the year. Judas and the Black Messiah was no exception, earning not one but two nods for Best Supporting Actor.
Category Archives: 2021
Land (2021)
Land, the nondescript and forgettable title of Robin Wright’s directorial debut, has a Clint Eastwood-ish trailer. If you watch any movie directed by Clint Eastwood, it makes it look like it’s a Best Picture nominee. While many of these films earn an Oscar nomination, many more (The 15:17 to Paris, J. Edgar, Hereafter, Changeling, Invictus) not only do not but aren’t even worth a watch. Land is better than those previously mentioned films, but it likely will be just as unmemorable. It is by no means a bad movie. It is, however, a dime-a-dozen movie, and it certainly did not do its enthralling trailer any justice.