Zlog | Best Picture | Drink Zaddy’s

Based on the shitshow that 2020 was, it felt kind of fitting that right off the bat the list of films nominated for the top prize at this year’s Academy Awards, overall, seemed pretty “meh” (for lack of a better term). Judging by the trailers, most seemed super depressing or just straight-up boring—sorry Mank but a black and white flick rarely holds our attention these days. It’s kind of cool to see that the lineup this year is more diverse than ever (a whopping two women directors are nominated?!?), but really the bar is so low for the Academy that we’re not too impressed.

Anyway, we sucked it up and decided to watch all of the nominees for “Best Picture” so that you don’t have to. Lots of Zaddy’s were consumed and ultimately zero regrets were had. Feel free to use the below intel to fill out your Zaddy’s Oscar ballot and shoot your shot at winning some merch!!

The Father

Holy hell this movie was a real bummer marathon from the get-go. We got suckered in because we’re always down for a little Olivia Colman, but from the top, it’s a barrage of painful and unsettling moments brought on by Alzheimer’s, which if you have experience with, you never really want to watch a montage of it. That being said, the acting was hella good and the film did a fantastic job at making you feel like you were losing your mind. 6/10

Image via thewrap.com

Judas and the Black Messiah

This movie rocked and everyone should watch it. It was crazy learning about the benedict arnold, Bill O’Neal who betrayed Fred Hampton and ultimately got him killed. We also had no idea about how Hampton’s assasination went down, so this movie is definitely an important historical watch. Lakeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya knocked it out of the park. 9/10

Image via variety.com

Nomadland

When we saw a trailer of a gritty Frances McDormand struggling on the open American road we said “no thank you.” But thank God we stuck this one out. It’s not only beautifully shot, but it feels super raw and unscripted. We feel like this is an important watch right now, especially as corporate America continues to chew up and spit out so many vulnerable people. We won’t be mad if this wins “Best Picture.” 9/10

Image via nytimes.com

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Great flick about a trial we knew nothing about. Sacha Baron Cohen’s accent was ridiculous and we spent the first half of the movie trying to figure out where the hell he was from. The guy who plays Kendall Roy from Succession sounded like Zoolander every time he spoke, so it kinda took us out of it. This also def doesn’t pass the Bechdel test, which is a bold move in 2021. 7/10

Image via chicago.suntimes.com

Sound of Metal

We highly recommend this movie to everyone, and if we were the Academy (whoever the F they are), we would probably have to give it to this one. Riz Ahmed unsurprisingly crushed it—he never ceases to amaze us—and the heart wrenching tale did an incredible job of showing the complexities and beauty of Deaf culture. 9.5/10

Image via indiewire.com

Promising Young Woman

This was actually the movie we were most excited for when watching the trailer—sign us up for any feminist, revenge thriller/comedy! This movie definitely raises important issues surrounding sexual assault, but we kind of wanted it to be bloodier or something throughout the middle of the film. Then the ending completely redeemed it for us. 8/10

Image via awardsdaily.com

Minari

Minari was incredible and Zaddy cried his damn eyes out quietly on the end of the couch during the kid running after grandma scene (don’t worry, that’s barely a spoiler). Going into it, we assumed a rural Arkansas fam drama might be slow as molasses, but the cinematography, writing, and acting was nothing short of superb so we were enthralled the whole time. Hands down one of the best movies of the year. 9.5/10

Image via vulture.com

Mank

Citizen Kane is one of those movies that everyone raves about since it’s a “classic,” but after watching it for the first time you realize that it’s boring as all hell and wildly overrated. So we definitely didn’t want to watch a film about the making of this movie. That being said—as much as we wanted to hate it—we ended up finding the characters and story pretty interesting as the film went on (and we learned who Marion Davies was, which feels important for future trivia nights). Also, the GOAT Gary Oldman can literally play a brick wall and be entertaining. This film was a straight up “no” for Zaddy though, and if it wins it will be because the Academy is narcissistic and loves a film about themselves and the Hollywood “Golden Age.” 6/10