THE SHORT OF IT
A weekly vodcast discussing and supporting independent filmmakers of short films and content creators.
THE SHORT OF IT
Sarah G. Vincent | Film Critic, sarahgvincentviews.com
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Sarah G. Vincent is a freelance writer and film critic, who writes for sarahgvincentviews.com, Boston Movie News, In Between Drafts, and AwardsWatch. She is a regular contributor on Reel Reviews on NBC-10/NECN and WGBH on WGBH News’ Rooted and Morning Edition and made a guest appearance on WBZ-TV/CBS News Boston. She is a Tomato-approved critic and a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics, Critics Choice Association, Online Association of Female Film Critics, African American Film Critics Association, and formerly the Alliance of Women Film Journalists, whose website features some of her reviews.
I'm driving over here and I hear this news report on um should I say the name of the I'm not gonna say the name of the station that's not important at the time So basically people who eat meat are more susceptible to pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, liver cancer um by these numbers 22%, 9%, 16%. But then those who eat vegetables are susceptible to a different kind of cancer because they're lacking the nutrients from the meat. Cool.
SPEAKER_01So what what what? Yeah, so it's I I mean what if you put them together? Or does that just increase both kinds of things? Then you're off the charts. You just might as well just start digging your grave. You cannot eat fruits, vegetables, and meat together at the same time, right? So your husband who bought a big giant slab of beef and put it in your freezer is is he gonna be in trouble?
SPEAKER_03Or like well, as long as we don't serve it with vegetables, like we just gotta like carnivore that thing, just like you know. Which are the worst cancers? The vegetable cancers or the meat cancers? So cancer. Probably the meat cancer, because I know that prostate cancer is really, really bad.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um if you just eat tofu and vegetables.
SPEAKER_01They didn't talk about tofu. Tofu is awesome. We should get into that. I love tofu. Okay, yeah.
SPEAKER_03You know what else we should get into? What? We should just take a break right now. By the way, um, this is the short of it, and we're calling this the short of it, short, short. Shorty?
SPEAKER_01Shorty, short, short, short, short.
SPEAKER_03Short, short of it, short, short of it, short. Um, I'm Tony. Roshaw. And um we're coming to you um just very quickly today because we have some really exciting news to tell you. Oh, do you want to know where we are? Because our viewers are gonna be like, where are they? Yeah, yeah, this is our new studio. It's not, but we are building a new studio in season two. We're gonna be in a whole new studio. Look at these pictures. This is the way it's coming up right now. Um, and we're really excited about this. But the breaking news is we're not gonna talk about anything just depressing. We're going to talk about what our guest today, Sarah Vincent, calls her Super Bowl because we're talking Oscars baby.
SPEAKER_00Welcome to the short of it. Thank you. I'm not even a filmmaker, I'm honored.
SPEAKER_03That's okay, because um you were probably the most qualified person when we thought about doing this. I was like, I know exactly who we're going to invite to be on. So thank you for being with us for this kind of quick version of the short of it. Um, so let's just jump right into it. Um, obviously, the big talk, the huge talk with probably like 700 nominations is Sinners, right? All things sinners. And um, so let's start with the best supporting actor. And we know that uh Del Roy Lindell, this is his first nomination. Um, he has been around for 700 years, we can probably say something like that. Um, but he's got tough competition, particularly Sean Penn for um one battle after another. What what's your take for this category?
SPEAKER_00So I am gonna say what I want and two possibilities of what could happen, and you can hold me to those two. So, what I want in my ideal world, Delroy Lindo gets it. In my sub-ideal world, I'm okay with Benicio del Toro. I think the Oscars are gonna go one of two ways. They're either going to like completely surprise us and pull like uh Jacob Alordi or a Stellin Skarsgard. Like they're gonna be like, you know what? Let's just like I don't want to deal with any controversy. I don't want Sinners to win it, everyone's pitting one battle versus the other. And Sinners, let's just have a so I'm gonna say that sometimes the Oscars can surprise and might just randomly throw someone in. And Stellin Skarsgard's a pretty good bet because he's been around forever, and I don't remember if he's ever gotten an Oscar, but Jacob Alordi is also hot, like so it could be helpful as maybe they'll be like, he's hot. I like him.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_03Best supporting actress. I mean, Tiana Taylor, this is her year. Like, this is her year. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Any surprises there? So I would have loved if Tiana Taylor had won for 1001. Like, I love that movie. I think she's amazing in it. No one cared about the movie when it came out. And I was like, she's really good. Um, I do think she's going to win. I'm not a fan of one battle after another. So I'm like, this is how this is how it works, right? Like, I have to, I get her to win, but I don't get her to win on the movie I want. So what I want is Woon Me Masaku. There's also the possibility that Amy Madigan might get it. Now, if this was pre-pandemic, I would say it was in pre-pandemic times, they would give it to a starlet. So that would be someone like El Fanning, but this is post, so I do think it's gonna be either Tiana or Amy Madigan.
SPEAKER_01Okay. That's a weird comparison, isn't it? Like yeah, Amy Madigan, I mean, uh, she's great, but it's it doesn't even touch the the perform the other performance. Like yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Sometimes they just reward people for being around a long time.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I was well, I I heard on the news this morning that it it this is like political. This is not, you know, it used to be about the craft. Now it's it's just kind of like, you know, who are people talking about? Who's the favorite? Or like you just said, you know, who deserves it because they've been doing the work the longest. Um so uh best actor. Now we know that Timothy Chalamet is in a little bit of hot water right now. Um, because he made some comments about, and I'm paraphrasing that um opera and ballet are just no one cares about them. And then he goes, no offense, right? So um, but do you think I know that the voting has already happened, so it's gonna be really weird to you know make that a consideration, but he's not he's not making a lot of friends right now, and of course, Michael B. Jordan, yes, he played two characters. I mean, like, come on, this is a no-brainer. Yeah, intimate.
SPEAKER_00I think of the no-brainer in my ideal world, Michael B. Jordan wins. I hope he wins. Um, I think that, you know, in my sub-ideal world, if he didn't win, I again, I really don't want one battle after another to win. And I like honestly, for me, the real one battle after another, like the real movie that should be in everyone's consciousness is The Secret Agent. And after Michael B. Jordan, Wagner Mora is like the best. Um, and I but I wouldn't be surprised, and I think it's a long shot, but it's possible they could want to give it to Ethan Hopp.
SPEAKER_03Oh, yeah, another one that's been around for a while. Has he been nominated before?
SPEAKER_00I feel like he has, but I don't recall. But he's sort of a lot of people really loved Blue Moon, and so you never know if the Oscars sometimes they take a left turn, and so I'm I'm not predicting, I'm being bold. I'm not predicting they I think one battle after another could potentially just sweep, but if they decide I don't want to like fall into that like dynamic of one battle versus sinners, they might decide to like do a left turn, so you never know.
SPEAKER_03You never know, you never know. So speaking of Michael B. Jordan and formerly Tellboy Lindo, come on, Paftus. What the beep, what Sarah, like help me out with this one.
SPEAKER_00That was horrible. All of it was horrible. It wasn't good. In my book, if you invite people over, you have to show them hospitality. And this was just complete exploitation. And they actually they obviously didn't realize what they were risking because like now Warner Brothers is pissed, and like disability advocates are pissed, and like everyone should be pissed because they're not protecting this guy, they put a microphone beside him. Um, then they choose to delete some things and they choose not to delete others, yeah. And they're not protecting anybody in this circumstance. And it's one of those things where it's like, okay, America's lapping Britain, that's really sad. I I don't like like you know, everyone talks about you know, Britain is so like, you know, we all think of them as like way more mannered than us, and that we're a little on coof, and sometimes we're proud of that. Like, that's sometimes our charm. But this was one example of well, I guess the allegations about Meghan Markle are true, that they just, you know, they're they have their like favorites that they like to kick and they're going on their default settings. So, I mean, colonizer's gonna colonize, so I guess it's a disappointment, but it is what it is. I it'll be interesting to see how it impacts them in the long run if a lot of studios are going to like say, I don't know if I want to be there because you're irresponsible.
SPEAKER_03My my here's my theory about it. Frankly, no one was talking about the BAFTAs. I don't know the last time the BAFTAs has been in the news. And if you want to get someone to talk about you, you do something so that they can talk about you, right?
SPEAKER_01Because it's yeah, it's still happening. Well, there's no other explanation, is there? I mean, they they took out the the free Palestine, they edited that out, right? And then but they left like what person in their right mind would leave that in. It embarrassed the dude. It was horrific. Like there's no other reason, is there? Is there I mean I can't think of one reason why and they did take out the slur.
SPEAKER_00I think there was a slur against the LGBTQ community, and Alan Cumming is a member, and so it's like, oh, okay, so you know how to do it, but in other circumstances you don't. You do. So you do, you're not stupid, no one's stupid.
SPEAKER_03Like I said, uh you don't have to spell my name right. As long as you're talking about me, that's what matters. And um I'm pretty sure that's gonna be on people's minds come this Sunday. Um let's go on to best pitcher now. Um, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, and Entertainment Weekly all have one battle after another um to win, and um which and I never understood this. Like how why does the best pitcher and best director, why isn't that it just never aligns, but I guess it's just what you usually have to do. But the best picture, um you know, it would be great to see sinners. I think I would jump out of my seat if that were to happen.
SPEAKER_00That'd be great.
SPEAKER_03It looks like one channel after another is so wrong.
SPEAKER_01Like that is I mean, and there are lots of parts of that that I enjoyed, but there are lots of parts of that that are just really offensive.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, like uh and they like they give us this incredible strong black woman, and then her power is sex, like well, yeah, because as I told you many times, black people only like to have sex.
SPEAKER_00It's the Jezebel stereotype all over again.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, like why did they do like why? Yeah, why?
SPEAKER_00Well, to be fair, they did say, and this is where I say, well, but we this is why we don't let actors write unless they're deliberately writing. It's my understanding that some of the actors were improving during parts of it, and so they're like, well, you know, it's not like we did it, they wanted to do this, and I'm like, yes, but an actor is not necessarily a sociologist or a this or a that. And to be fair, I haven't read the book, so maybe it's a fair translation of a fairly unadaptable book. I've only heard that it's a completely unadaptable book, but for me, at the end of the day, I felt like there were more problems with one battle after another than there weren't. Um I do think it would be fair to give best directing, not because I actually think the movie's really amazing. It's just that road scene. That road scene like literally changes your brain chemistry. It's sort of like a no-brainer that was the most amazing thing when you see it on screen. But it's like three hours later, and you, you know, at that point, maybe it's like a Stockholm syndrome, which by the way doesn't exist, but like maybe it's Stockholm syndrome where you're like, oh, thank God something happened that like is honestly a lot of people love this film, and a cynical side of me is feels like because I was present when everyone first saw Sinners, and I was present when everyone saw um one battle after another. And fame and fortune. Both crowds were very enthusiastic about the films, but I do get a sense with one battle after another that there was sort of a relief of like, oh, finally there's a movie that can like be opposite sinners because this is gonna be embarrassing to be like into vampires and this and that, and there's all sorts of reasons to maybe be a little bit like embarrassed that you love sinners as much as you do, and there's revisionist history. Oh, I didn't love it as much. You did. I was there, so like people did, so you know, I get it's fair enough. Like, people can have different tastes and everything. So I think it was more like people really love um Philip Thomas Anderson. I've had a minute where I'm like, who is he again? And uh and you know, so they're just like sort of relieved that their fave is here and he's someone who's safe, he's establishment in many ways. And I know that sounds unusual considering it's a three-hour movie that is not safe, but he is like film-wise, artsy fartsy-wise, a safe bet. Ryan Kugler's still a little commercial, they're vampires. So I think that's what's going on, in my opinion. Um, I would love to be wrong. And also, if you are gonna be artsy fartsy, again, I say unto you, the secret agent does everything that one battle after another people think it does. And I think they're true revolutionaries because you have to, so I if you haven't seen Secret Agent, it's really worth it. Yeah. For me, when I my problem with watching one battle after another was this idea of revolutionaries that's very much out of Fox News. And that's fine, like, because you know, there is a nexus between like popularization and this 1960s version of revolutionaries. But the reason I like Secret Agent is these people are considered targets with the government, and they're like, I'm a dentist, like I'm a librarian, I'm just you know, gay guy, I'm a teenager, and they're all like marked for death. And I think that's more the reality of what it looks like in everyday everyday world. Now, movies don't have to be reality, they can be fantasy, but what does this fantasy say about us at this day and age where we're so left that we're now spouting these Fox News proponents? It it boggles my mind. And like honestly, no one at the time who was watching it felt that way. There were only one person walked out, but that that was because they were like, Well, women can't fight like that. Sean Penn would be able to beat her. And me, who was like, This is like offensive, but I mean, you know, I and I was the only one. I kind of kept to myself and I was just listening to what everyone was saying, and they were just sort of swept away by the spectacle. And, you know, to be fair, Americans are kind of like not very serious. Like, we want our revolution to be funny and amusing, and we don't really want to talk about the issues. And so, you know, the immigration thing is in the background, everything that's like a real issue. What are the real issues in the movie? What are they fighting for? It's all sort of in the background. They're not like they're important, but they're backup dancers to like Leonardo's like farce. Um, and it takes it so it's not we're just so deeply unserious, and that's fine, and that's maybe why we survive. But like the secret agent is just, I feel like watch that if you really want to get a sense of what does it look like to be a revolution. It's much more boring and sad.
SPEAKER_03And yeah, yeah. Um, I think Ryan Kugler, um, who is favored by uh Rolling Stone, um, but Paul Anderson is also favored by Vanity Fair and um uh Entertainment Weekly. Um I really appreciated what Kugler did. Wood Cinners. That was a very complicated movie to direct. It was like, you know, and we're both directors, so you know, we can appreciate what goes into it, but that that was a lot, and um and you know, the the finished product is just seamless. Full disclosure, I hated the ending of sinners. I didn't get it. I just walk into this. I I just didn't get that, but that's me. I'm not that smart, I never claimed it's so rocking. Well what didn't work what didn't work for you? I I just I felt like the movie had already ended, and you and I talk about this a lot, like multiple endings, and so them walking back into this like cute joint of the 1990s or wherever they were. Um I was just like okay, all right, like yeah.
SPEAKER_01I like that they kept yeah, they were they kept going. Like they didn't they weren't eradicated, yeah. Okay, yeah. And it's a I saw it in the theater, and I the experience of that and the musical, the the way they intertwined the two sort of um cultures and the cult music of the cultures. Oh, the dance so extraordinarily brilliant.
SPEAKER_03Oh my gosh. I was like blown away. Yeah, absolutely. And also centers is up for original screenplay, Kougler, cinematography, autumn, archapah. Um, I hope I'm saying that name right. I mean, brilliant cinematography.
SPEAKER_01I think I'm just telling us, doesn't he?
SPEAKER_03Yes, he does. Um best original song, best casting, best original score, best makeup and hairstyling, best production, visual effects, sound. So, you know, sinners will do well on Sunday. Um but it's it's the big ones that you know we'll see very quickly. Um, and we all haven't seen all the documentaries, but the predicted winner, the perfect neighbor, that uh it's streaming on Netflix. I remember watching it and I immediately called you and I said, you need to watch this now. I'm doing the old phone, like nobody the perfect neighbor. Um, and we were talking about this, not the most polished produced documentary per se. It really was that very like almost cinema verite, the camera they use the police cameras for everything. So you kind of felt like you were in it, like you were there running around and everything. And so horrific, horrific story, but um you know it is predicted to win uh the best documentary.
SPEAKER_00I like the idea of it. So I like the idea of it winning as a documentary. So I will full disclosure, I went to the Critics Choice um documentary awards, I met them and I told them, I don't want to see your documentary. Yeah. I'm rooting for you, I love you, I'm black, I don't need to see your documentary, I I don't want to see it. And they're like, would you please see it? And I did finally see it this weekend, and in all honesty, it ruined my weekend. Like I just there's some documentaries I don't want to see. And so, on one hand, do I think it's a successful documentary? I've heard nothing but good things about it from you know, people who don't watch movies all the time. Um, and so I think that's wonderful. I think it succeeded in what it set out to do, which is to make sure that this woman paid for what she did and she didn't get away with it. So as far as I'm concerned, it's a successful documentary, obviously. But as a film critic, I wasn't like wild about it because and then also as a lawyer, because I am also a lawyer, I was very frustrated because there's never so because it is a sort of like adheres to this found footage genre, and I understand why people are find it appealing. Like we've been groomed on cops, we like reality TV shows. I do too. Like, I'm not saying I don't. Um, but like when I watch a documentary, after hearing her talk unchallenged. Even when she's arrested and taken away for that long. And let go. Yeah. And then they have to come back, right?
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And then there's never a section in the movie where we debunk her. And I really like movies. So for me, it's like a personal taste matter. I need context. I need more context for my documentaries. So while if it wins, I'll be delighted and I'm still working my way through some of the documentaries. Some of the documentaries aren't even able available to see for someone like me. Like I understand that. Like it's challenging for people to see some things and they're like, it's never been released here. What are you talking about? It's not available on streaming. But even for me, some of these documentaries, like come like cutting through the rocks or cutting through rocks, that's not available to be seen anywhere that I'm aware of. And I've been trying to find it. Um, but I'm still have to see come see me in the good light and the Alabama solution. Um, and then maybe next time when I see you, I'll have like an idea of like who did I really want to win. Um, but I need context in my documentaries. I need a moment where because I don't there, I think it's totally possible, even though it's insane. But I think it's totally possible for someone to watch that movie and be like, but wait. No, I know, but like it's because people like will see what they want to see. And so I wanted a moment of like context because this is just a documentary that shows what happens after. It doesn't show what happens during, it doesn't show what happens before. It's a he said, she said. Oftentimes people can end up bullying a group of people, can end up bullying someone. And so I can see people like who want to, who are determined to skewer it. And there's and I just wanted more. So the end does give some context about what happened to her. And I think maybe people think it's sufficient that a court of law said that she was guilty. But there are people who are like won't be convinced by that. And maybe they won't be convinced by anything, but I did want a moment where we're like, she was never a doctor because she says she's a that's one example. She said she's a doctor in one point, she's not a doctor. Like I looked it up afterwards. I was like, isn't she a doctor? No one ever followed up on that. And so there are lots of things like that where I'm like, I don't want things put out there that someone can misinterpret because you don't know what someone's gonna think because documentaries last for a long time, 50 years from now, 60 years from now. So I have a problem with found footage in documentary, not in horror. I have a problem with watching a kid. I and I'm not saying it wasn't done respectfully, it was, but I'm hearing a kid heartbroken, he says that about his mom. Like I I I have so I'm a stickler on like ethics of like uh what you know, kids being on camera. And I so I found the whole thing like very this is my personal taste disturbing, not because I I think it's ridiculous that you need to have a documentary to get justice. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01For sure. Like that that brilliant, yeah. Mic drop. Um you did mention come see me in the good light, though. I must enthusiastically talk about that. What a beautiful film. I was very reluctant to watch it because I knew it was gonna make me sad, and there's too many things right now making me sad, but it ended up being extraordinarily uplifting because of the relationships, and it's all about relationships and love, and not just you know, the them as a couple, but all of their friends, and just how passionate um Andrea was about her work and being in the world, and uh it just oh my god, but I I mean I obviously sobbed at the end, but um I I just they did such a tremendously good job with that that um that would be a good I think that would be a very, very good winner. Um yeah, you guys should see it. I know it's the queers, but you know. Oh, that's a draw.
SPEAKER_00Oh, okay, great. No, it's not gonna be one of those lifetime movies where someone elegantly dies.
SPEAKER_01Um that which I respected so much because I was dreading this that scene where everybody's by her bedside and none of that. And and I was so grateful for that because they just let her live on, you know, in the other people's memories as who she was. And oh my god. Yeah, really, really pretty, great film.
SPEAKER_03Well, um, I just have to say, I'm really looking forward to the Billy Crystal Meg Ryan tribute for Rob Reiner. I think that that's gonna be extraordinary. I'm really looking forward to that. Sarah, um, thank you so much for joining us. You can read some of Sarah Vincent's work at Sarah VincentViews.com.
SPEAKER_00That's Sarah G VincentViews.com. Sarah G VincentViews.com. It's too long.
SPEAKER_03Yes. Okay, we got it. Um, thank you so much, and we're gonna see you next week as we see what happens on Sunday at the Oscars.
SPEAKER_00Yes, I'm looking forward to it. All right, thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you.
SPEAKER_01Do you have a close? Um close, so we're just not gonna say anything.
SPEAKER_03Bye. Um so you know, full disclosure, I haven't even seen half of these movies, but um, you know, it's uh this is this is the biggest Hollywood night of the year, and um oh, and we should mention that we're gonna have Ashley on next week to talk about fashion. Ooh, Oscar's gonna have her favorite picks from the Oscars. So we're gonna talk about that and we're gonna um see how many of Sarah's predictions come true. Sweet. Um I could be Jordan, that's all I gotta say.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, you know, I'm with that. Alright? Yeah, welcome. Well, that's the short short of it. He is.
SPEAKER_03The short of it is brought to you by the Den Beauty Lounge. Visit the Den Beauty Lounge dot glossgenius.com for more information and book your appointment today.
