OVP: Film Editing (2019)

OVP: Best Film Editing (2019)

The Nominees Were...

Michael McCusker & Andrew Buckland, Ford vs. Ferrari
Thelma Schoonmaker, The Irishman
Tom Eagles, Jojo Rabbit
Jeff Groth, Joker
Yang Jinmo, Parasite

My Thoughts: The 2019 Oscars are something of a conundrum for me.  In one way I'm really just thankful they happened-the Oscars were slightly early this year, something that was a one-time thing, but in hindsight that was a blessing because had they been at the end of February/early March like they usually are it's near certain we would've had to cancel or postpone them as a result of the Coronavirus (isn't it weird to think there was a time earlier this year where we could have huge crowds without any issue...isn't it weirder that's still the case in Florida?).  But the Oscars this year, because of that abbreviated timeline, saw record numbers of films that just kept repeating & repeating, with little creativity in terms of the actual nominees, and Best Editing that was completely the case, with five films that dominated everywhere else, and not a non-Best Picture nominee in sight.

Perhaps the closest we get to something unique is Jojo Rabbit (it feels weird, doesn't it, that 1917 got snubbed for this film?).  The movie, though, doesn't require a particularly steady hand in the editors chair, and is a weird nomination against showier competition.  There's nothing intriguing here other than Jojo's relationship with Adolf, and that's not an editing trick since there's an actual actor playing him.  The movie runs too long in the back-half, and the editing is occasionally a bit choppy between Jojo & Elsa (too many shots back-and-forth between the walls), so this is not only a strange nomination, but one that's completely unearned.

Joker is less strange, but it's not deserved either.  There is, again, nothing impressive about what the editors are doing, but even then that's not a reason to not love the film (normal-looking films can be an achievement).  Instead, again, the editing is used choppily, and the movie stays too long on the doom & gloom; the film's pacing makes it feel like you're watching a snuff film killing joy, and it's so dark as to be uncomfortable & gloomy.  Even if Phoenix can act (he can), there's no soul or depth in a movie that's always about despair, and it's at least twenty minutes too long (it could've gotten all of its points across in much less time).

I disliked Ford vs. Ferrari (probably more than Joker), but I can at least see the point of the film being included here.  While the scenes off the race track are routine to the point of cliche, the race sequences have a pizzazz I can't deny.  Racing movies are kind of boring if you don't like such sports in real life (spoiler alert: I don't), but I can respect when they're done correctly, and Ford definitely does that, making the scenes feel both riveting and capturing some of the mundaneness of racing around a track for miles on end (while still moving the plot along).  I hated the script of Ford, but the editing in the car racing is strong & well-constructed.

Parasite proves that a film can take routine & make it sing, though.  Parasite should be in the same category as Jojo Rabbit in regards to Best Editing; after all, on-paper there's no action or visual tricks that the editors have to get around to make this movie work.  But that's the genius of Parasite-there's no fat on the movie, and as a black comedy thriller, it needs good pacing to work.  Think of the most important scene (with the housekeeper), and how crucial editing is.  With quick succession we have to know & remain interested in what ten different people are doing, where they're at, and do that seamlessly.  Parasite does that without ever abandoning the story, keeping the audience's cumulative jaws on the floor while never breaking to give us expository dialogue (and ensuring we don't need this).  This happens at several key moments in the movie-we have to understand visually what's happening through editing, without having some character explain the story to us.

If there's an obvious nomination here, it's The Irishman.  Marty never makes it easy for Thelma, but here he truly hands her a doozy.  She's forced to both deal with a 3-hour film, and to try & cobble together scenes that literally have the actors playing different ages of themselves.  While I can't blame Schoonmaker for the visual effects, she does a near-perfect job on the former.  I saw this movie in theaters, and never looked at my phone once to figure out the time, crafting together a gigantic, Godfather-style epic with incredible care, without ever sacrificing story or poignancy in the movie's final moments.  I loved the film, and Schoonmaker is a genius for being able to make this story of interchanging eras feel cohesive.

Other Precursor Contenders: The Eddie Awards have nominees for both Drama and Comedy/Musical, and so all five of these films are represented in their lineup.  The Drama category went to Parasite, and Jojo Rabbit disappeared in favor of Marriage Story, while Comedy/Musical was handed to Jojo over Dolemite is My Name, The Farewell, Knives Out, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.  BAFTA went for a nearly exact copy of Oscar, just skipping Parasite for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and giving the trophy to Ford vs. Ferrari.  These precursors point to Hollywood or maybe Knives Out in sixth place, which I guess makes sense, but why no 1917?  Did all of the precursors buy that this "wasn't edited" due to Deakins' single-shot cinematography?  Cause that's crazy coming from an industry who should know better.

Films I Would Have Nominated: First off, I'd have found room for Transit in this lineup-a movie that has to play with different forms of reality & out-of-sequence events and does so while being moody & still giving us a sense of the film...that's an achievement.  The same goes for A Hidden Life; it's hard to give an editing prize to a 3-hour long Terrence Malick film, but it covers so much mood & history during World War II it's impossible to deny it conveys story without a lot of dialogue.  But Oscar ignored both of these films, so I can't expect them to be included.  There's no excuse for skipping Ad Astra, though, which again crafts mood & a shifting sense of perspective as we go deeper into space with great care, and it should have been cited here to go with its sound nomination.

Oscar's Choice: Ford vs. Ferrari took the prize, probably in hindsight in a close race with Parasite.

My Choice: I'm going to give this to The Irishman just barely over Parasite, probably getting a little distracted by the technical achievement even though both film's editing makes their picture sing.  Ferrari is the bronze, followed by Joker and then Jojo.

Those are my thoughts-what are yours?  Do you agree with me that Irishman is the best of this bunch, or are you sticking with Oscar & Ferrari?  How did Jojo Rabbit do so well in the precursors-what am I missing here?  And why did 1917, so obvious for this lineup, miss?  Share your thoughts below!

Also in 2019: Visual Effects, Makeup & Hairstyling, Animated Short, Live Action Short, Previously in 2019

Past Best Film Editing Contests: 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016