93rd Academy Awards: Surprises in lead acting categories while ‘Nomadland’ took best picture and director as expected.

The 93rd Academy Awards (aka the Oscars) concluded a moment ago and I am glad that I was able to find an online platform to watch the live broadcast of the whole ceremony that ran a little over 3 hours. ‘Nomadland’ took the top honor by winning the best picture. The movie which I find mediocre also won for best director and best actress. Here are the full list of winners along with my opinions for several categories (the winners are in bold):

Best Picture
The Father
Judas and the Black Messiah
Mank
Minari
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7

Opinion: Expected. ‘Nomadland’ have had a clean sweep in the major precursor awards in this category. I don’t get the hype of this movie and I also do not enjoy it thoroughly (I find it dull). I would have prefer ‘The Father’ or ‘Minari’.

Best Actor
Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Anthony Hopkins, The Father
Gary Oldman, Mank
Steven Yeun, Minari

Opinion: Wow…I’m actually very happy for Anthony Hopkins. His performance in ‘The Father’ is fantastic and I’m glad that he won it which may came as a shock to many people. First, he won it before. Secondly, many felt that this should be awarded to Chadwick Boseman posthumously. Fortunately, most Academy members didn’t think that way (same goes to me). Hopkins delivered the best performance out of the five.

Best Actress
Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holiday
Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman
Frances McDormand, Nomadland
Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman

Opinion: Looks like BAFTA is a good indicator for the outcome of lead acting categories at the Oscars. Anthony Hopkins and Frances McDormand both won at the BAFTA and the result repeated itself at the Oscars. It is still quite a shock here since many are predicting Carey Mulligan to win (including myself). Frances is good but I don’t think she deserved to win three best actress Oscars for her performances which look more or less the same. Even the legendary Meryl Streep only had won two before (and one supporting). I felt it was too much for Frances.

Best Director
Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
David Fincher, Mank
Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland

Opinion: Good. More Asian filmmakers should be recognized (and not just Black or woman or LGBT). Without Chloe’s direction, ‘Nomadland’ would not even be in the spotlight in this awards season.

Best Supporting Actress
Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy
Olivia Colman, The Father
Amanda Seyfried, Mank
Yuh-Jung Youn, Minari

Opinion: Very happy for Yuh-Jung Youn. She deserved it. She also gave the best (and most hilarious) speech for the evening despite not being well versed in English. Such a lovely person. I would want her to become my grandma…haha. Poor Glenn Close…lost again at the Oscars. She needs to get into a brilliant film and win best actress soon.

Best Supporting Actor
Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7
Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah
Leslie Odom Jr., One Night in Miami
Paul Raci, Sound of Metal
Lakeith Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah

Best International Feature
Another Round
Better Days
Collective 
The Man Who Sold His Skin
Quo Vadis, Aida?

Best Animated Feature
Onward
Over the Moon
Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon 
Soul
Wolfwalkers

Opinion: No surprise here. ‘Soul’ had a clean sweep just like ‘Nomadland’ in this awards season. A simple yet thought-provoking film, ‘Soul’ captivated me and is no doubt the best animated film in 2020.

Best Documentary Feature
Collective
Crip Camp
The Mole Agent
My Octopus Teacher
Time

Best Original Score
Da 5 Bloods
Mank
Minari
News of the World
Soul

Opinion: ‘Soul’ winning score is expected. As soon as the movie started, I already knew this score is going to get some trophies. The score is simply amazing.

Best Original Song
“Fight for You,” Judas and the Black Messiah
“Hear My Voice,” The Trial of the Chicago 7
“Husavik,” Eurovision Song Contest
“Io Si (Seen),” The Life Ahead
“Speak Now,” One Night in Miami

Best Original Screenplay
Judas and the Black Messiah
Minari
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7

Opinion: Didn’t watch ‘Promising Young Woman’ but I have heard of the many positive words for the daring debut of the writer of this film (who is also the film’s director) with her unconventionally wild and fresh script.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
The Father
Nomadland
One Night in Miami
The White Tiger

Opinion: Some predicted ‘Nomadland’ to win in this category too but I’m rooting for ‘The Father’. Looks like most Academy members had the same opinion as mine. The screenplay for this film is beautiful!

Best Cinematography
Judas and the Black Messiah
Mank
News of the World
Nomadland
The Trial of the Chicago 7

Opinion: Most predicted ‘Nomadland’ too but ‘Mank’ prevailed in the end. Well, I agree too as I believe there are a lot more works on black-and-white film in terms of capturing the light to complement and enhance the film. On the other hand, lighting work from ‘Nomadland’ mostly comes from the nature itself only (the beautiful backdrop sceneries) and doesn’t require much effort.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Emma
Hillbilly Elegy
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank
Pinocchio

Best Costume Design
Emma
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank
Mulan
Pinocchio

Best Film Editing
The Father
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7

Opinion: Would have prefer ‘The Father’ but ‘Sound of Metal’ is fine for me too.

Best Sound
Greyhound
Mank
News of the World
Soul
Sound of Metal

Opinion: It is so obvious that the movie centered on sound (and even part of its title is called ‘sound’) will win this.

Best Live-Action Short
Feeling Through
The Letter Room
The Present
Two Distant Strangers
White Eye

Best Animated Short
Burrow
Genius Loci
If Anything Happens I Love You
Opera
Yes-People

Best Documentary Short
Colette
A Concerto is a Conversation
Do Not Split
Hunger Ward
A Love Song for Latasha

Best Visual Effects
Love and Monsters
The Midnight Sky
Mulan
The One and Only Ivan
Tenet

Opinion: Expected. The visual effects of ‘Tenet’ are splendid especially on its extensive use of backward shots which are critical to the story of the film (which also got the audiences confused too..haha).

Best Production Design
The Father 
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank
News of the World
Tenet

Opinion: Not much to comment but I have read many positive words on the production values in ‘Mank’ which delivered successfully to match the look and feel of the old Hollywood era intended in the film.

That’s all; the conclusion of the awards season for Hollywood films in 2020. Congratulations to all the winners! Most of the results are very much predictable while there are still some surprises especially in the lead acting categories as mentioned earlier. I find it weird that the Academy decided to announce best picture winner first before the best actor and actress categories. The arrangement felt weird.

(Images in this post are from various online sources)

‘Hi, Mom’, the box office-hit China film that surprised me.

You would be surprised that the current highest grossing film of the year is not ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’. The film so far grossed over US$ 360 million (that’s a good showing in the time of pandemic now when most cinemas are closed and many restrictions in place worldwide). The present highest grossing film of the year actually belongs to a comedy film from China and it is called ‘Hi, Mom’ ( 你好, 李焕英). The film opened during Lunar New Year festival early this year in China and had only recently been released in oversea markets (including Singapore and Malaysia).

It has grossed over US$ 820 million and is also currently the second highest grossing non-English film of all time (behind ‘Wolf Warrior 2’, another Chinese film released in 2017 that has grossed over US$ 870 million). I first get to know of this movie when its trailer is shown when I was watching another movie last month. I didn’t find it appealing. Even after knowing all the positive comments on this film and how much money this film has made, I am still a bit reluctant to watch it….until yesterday when there seems to be no other interesting films in cinemas now for me to watch.

Fortunately, I made the right decision to watch it yesterday. I’m usually not into films from China but ‘Hi, Mom’ did surprised me. The movie tells the story of a woman who travels back in time to befriend her own mother in an attempt to make her life better. The story is fast paced and engaging, further fueled up by impressively natural and consistent performance from the two lead actresses, Jia Ling and Zhang Xiaofei. There are many scenes that are dramatic and hilarious too that do get me entertained. As the film progresses into the last 30 minutes, things get very emotional due to a plot twist and a touching ending. The film is then revealed to be made as a tribute to the director’s own mother (who passed away) and to all the mothers in the world.

The film provoked all sort of emotions from funny to sad (it’s a roller coaster ride of meotions) and I really didn’t expect the film to deliver so well in this area, and with so much depth. The movie is filled with so much love and heart and instantly reminds us to continuously and unconditionally love our mothers whether they are near or far away. The editing and cinematography of the film are brilliant too. Out of 10 points, I rate ‘Hi, Mom’ a total of 8.4. So far, it’s the best film I have watched this year.

(Images in this post are from various online sources)

The 93rd Oscars is now only a week away.

By now, we have known the result of the Golden Globes, Critics Choice, SAG and BAFTA honoring the best of films in 2020. These are 4 of the 5 major annual Hollywood film awards which ends with the most prestigious Academy Awards, or famously known as the Oscars. The 93rd Academy Awards will be held on 25th April 2021 and is now only a week away.

The race in certain categories remain wide open (particularly best actress category) despite the conclusion of 4 major precursor awards and that will make up for an interesting night at the Oscars. There is not a single clear frontrunner for best actress winner this year. The five nominees in this category are Viola Davis from ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’, Andra Day from ‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday’, Vanessa Kirby from ‘Pieces of a Woman’, Frances McDormand from ‘Nomadland’, and Carey Mulligan from ‘Promising Young Woman’.

I have only watched ‘Nomadland’ and hence couldn’t really choose my pick. Viola Davis won the SAG, Andra Day won the Golden Globes, Frances McDormand won the BAFTA and Carey Mulligan won the Critics’ Choice. Vanessa Kirby is the only one left out, but she did won at Venice Film Festival. Now, everyone is cracking their head. It is very rare that all the 4 major precursor awards picked different person for the win. No frontrunner at all. If Frances wins it again, she would have won a total of 3 times which is a bit too much. Andra and Vanessa are a bit too new to the scene and Viola had won best supporting actress before. I would place my bet on Carey Mulligan then.

As for best actor, I’m actually rooting for Anthony Hopkins. His performance in ‘The Father’ is fantastic. Many people felt that the award should be given to Chadwick Boseman out of respect (he passed away not long ago) and that he performed well in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Although I didn’t watch that film, but I had this feeling that Hopkins acted the best out of the five nominees (the other nominees are Riz Ahmed from ‘Sound of Metal’, Gary Oldman from ‘Mank’ and Steven Yeun from ‘Minari’). There is hardly any more chance for Hopkins to be nominated again in the future too (and win) since he is now already 83 years old. Hopkins did won at the BAFTA, perhaps due to the home advantage. Can’t we have two winners on the Oscar’s night?

Not much comment on best supporting actor and actress categories. Daniel Kaluuya is expected to take supporting actor from ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ (he won all the 4 precursor awards) and Yuh-jung Youn from ‘Minari’ is the frontrunner now for supporting actress (after winning at SAG and BAFTA). The film ‘Soul’ is 100% certain to take home the best animated film and best original score (and I agree). Best director is going to be handed to Chloe Zhao from ‘Nomadland’ since she won all the 4 precursor awards too in this category. Her film ‘Nomadland’ is expected to win the coveted best picture too although I find the movie boring (has beautiful scenery but lacks drama). My personal choice would be ‘The Father’; a simple yet astounding and heartbreaking film. But I’m sure it won’t win. Films need momentum and publicity to win awards, and not depend solely on the quality of the film itself. That’s the sad truth in Hollywood.

(Images in this post are from various online sources)

Exploring the Rail Corridor for the first time at Bukit Timah.

The Rail Corridor was formerly a railway line that was used for commuting and transporting goods between Singapore and the rest of Malay Peninsula at the beginning of the 20th century. When the railway land is returned to Singapore in 2011, the government opted to transform this continuous open area into landscaped community spaces and renamed it as Rail Corridor that runs from Woodlands train checkpoint all the way down to Tanjong Pagar railway station.

Refurbishment work is still on-going to the whole stretch of Rail Corridor except for its central section close to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve which is completed and is opened to the public last month. The highlights of this section are the two steel truss railway bridges and the Bukit Timah Railway Station complemented with new landscaping features added throughout the very much accessible path.

People started sharing beautiful pictures of them posing with the bridges and news of the spot crowded with people also came out last weekend. I decided to explore it this weekend (yesterday on a Saturday’s late afternoon) and the crowd level appears to be manageable now. It’s a nice 4km walk from the access point near Hillview MRT all the way down to the another access point near King Albert Park MRT along the Downtown line. Here are some of the shots I took:

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The weather is good too during the time of my visit except for a few times when the sun ray appears to be so strong until there is very strong lens flare from my iPhone 12 Pro’s camera. I completed the entire 4km walk in an hour while observing people of all walks of life at there jogging, cycling, posing for photos and admiring the landscape.

Singapore has very small land mass but never lacks area reserved for nature. The island is filled with plenty of parks, nature reserves, reservoirs, wetlands and gardens and this Rail Corridor is among the latest additions to that. They can turn something common and uninviting into a new popular attraction in the country. This is simply brilliant and is something where other countries can emulate too.

RIP to Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II.

Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh passed away today peacefully at Windsor Castle, at the age of 99. The news of his death filled the cover page of almost all the major news platform currently. British royal family is the world’s most famous royal family, headed by Queen Elizabeth II who is currently 95 years old. The death of Princess Diana in 1997, wedding of Prince William in 2011, the Queen’s diamond jubilee celebration in 2012 and Prince Harry’s royal exit in 2020 are some of the major headlines that not many people would not know.

And if I look back to my country’s history, Queen Elizabeth II was even the monarch of my country before it gained independence in 1957. Her Majesty started her reign in 1953 and this is her 69th year on the throne, making her the world’s oldest reigning current monarch. She is arguably one of the most respected figures in the world. The history of her and her royal family (including all the famous dramas in the past stated above) were really quite fascinating. I also did watch a recent award-winning and highly popular TV series called ‘The Crown’ which is based on the royal family.

Always a step behind Queen Elizabeth II in every functions or royal events, Prince Philip stood by the Queen for over 70 years. Born into the Greek and Danish royal families on 10 June 1921, Prince Philip was being educated in France, Germany and the United Kingdom before he joined the British Royal Navy in 1939. He married Elizabeth in 1947 and was granted the title of Duke of Edinburgh. Retired from royal duties in 2017, Prince Philip was the longest serving consort of a reigning British monarch. He would have turn 100 years old in two months time.

In his seven decades of service, Philip often accompanied the Queen on royal engagements, and conducted thousands of his own solo appearances. He once referred to himself as “the world’s most experienced plaque unveiler,” while the Queen lauded him as her “constant strength and guide.” The duke was known for off-the-cuff remarks that often displayed a quick wit but occasionally missed the mark, sometimes in spectacular fashion.

He supported a number of philanthropic endeavors and was associated with around 800 organizations. By the way, he had visited Malaysia too for at least three times in the past together with Queen Elizabeth II, once in 1972 for a royal tour, once in 1989 for Commonwealth Head of Governments Meeting, and lastly in 1998 for the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur.

Word of condolences started pouring in from world leaders across the world a moment after the news of his death broke out. Buckingham Palace will make further announcement soon in regards to the funeral arrangement which will be restricted in many ways due to the current restrictions from the country due to the pandemic. Rest in peace, Prince Philip.

(Images in this post are from various online sources)

It’s April Fool today, Good Friday tomorrow and Easter this Sunday.

It’s the start of another month! The first quarter of the year is gone in a blink of an eye. The possibility of leisure travel or even an opportunity to travel back home is still no where in sight. I am starting to get quite annoyed with plenty of news reporting on talks of cross border quarantine-free arrangements or travel bubbles in recent months but none of them truly materializes. It looks like there would be at least half a year or even a year to go before those things can resume. And in the end, we have to extend our wait again…I miss traveling badly.

There is no sign of slowing down for this pandemic. Originally thought that it would last only for few months at most, now I had a feeling that this pandemic is more likely to end in another two to three more years. Damn! Vaccination also will not help much to the global population as it is not for certain group of people, not 100% effective, uncertainty from various type of vaccines produced and many poor countries not having access to it. All the years wasted which would have been much better with leisure travels, family companion, large-scale events and concerts.

Ohh..and from next week onward, working from home is no longer an option for my company anymore. I have been working from home during the 2-months circuit breaker early last year, and then continued to work in alternate arrangement (work in office a week then work at home in the next week, and so on and so forth) until this year’s March. I have been used to it and to be honest, I quite like this arrangement. However, from next week onward, it will be like back to normal except that most meetings now are still conducted online. Bye bye to ‘work from home’ lifestyle which we have been adapted to for almost a year now!

It’s the first day of April today and so it is April Fool’s Day! Stay alert, if not you may be got pranked today by your friends or colleagues! That will be fun too anyway. Haha…By the way, it’s a long 3-days weekend this week as it is Good Friday tomorrow and is a public holiday here in Singapore. Who doesn’t love a long weekend so that we all can rest a bit more, and have more time to do our own things beside than work such as having a quick staycation. However, staycation is hardly in my mind now because it is very costly in Singapore and is not worth it. I would rather save some money for travel in the future when the passport can finally be used.

Easter will fall on this Sunday too. So, Happy Easter to those who are celebrating! Alright, that’s it for my post today. Have a great month ahead everyone! Cheers!

(Images in this post are from various online sources)