Last month at the Sundance Film Festival, Amazon spent almost $50 million buying up films. Some of them will receive theatrical releases while others will go straight to Amazon Prime Video. Why do I mention this? Hollywood's creating movies that will receive tons of support on streaming services, and some of them won't ever see the light of a theater in mainstream America. Sure, they'll get token releases in New York and Los Angeles for awards consideration. That doesn't help the overwhelming majority of viewers, though.

We’ve reached a point where box office statistics are no longer the only way to measure a film’s penetration. Some movies can even do the seemingly impossible. A certain title has earned 10 Academy Awards nominations and has current box office of $0. And that film wins the category of Best Overlooked Film.

Yes, Roma is our choice in the category this year. In fact, it earned more points than the second and third entrants combined. Since it hasn’t and probably won’t report box office, it clearly falls into the category of Best Overlooked Film by our criteria. As a reminder, our rules state that any film that earns less than $25 million domestically is eligible. We…may need to tweak that. Amazon and Netflix are messing up everything with their disruptive style of film distribution.

Ignoring the odd ramifications of choosing an Oscar favorite as Best Overlooked Film, our staff’s love for Roma is readily apparent. It has strong support against all categories, already winning Best Character AND Best Scene. I’ll let you in on a secret. It’s going to win other stuff, too.

A few years ago, Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity dominated The Calvins like no film ever before. History is repeating itself this year, as we seem to like Roma almost as much. It's a touching tale of a Mexico City family struggling with the ramifications of failing marriage. Their maid, Cleo, is the glue that holds the children together during these turbulent times, and she's an anchor for the wife and grandmother, as well. Roma features genteel storytelling that proves that everyday living is the greatest challenge of all.

The struggles of minorities are prevalent in cinema over the past 12 months. A couple of our favorites from the year attack the same premise from different angles. I’m speaking of BlacKkKlansman, which takes a sledgehammer to bigotry, and If Beale Street Could Talk. The former film is a box office hit that isn’t eligible in the category. I mention it as a comparison to the latter title, which fell far beneath the radar but warmed our staff with its heart and earnestness.

The anchors of If Beale Street Could Talk are Tish and Fonny, childhood sweethearts. They’ve been separated by fate, as Fonny has run into trouble with the law through no fault of his own. Due to the color of his skin and the accusation of an unreliable victim, he must leave a pregnant Tish to fend for herself. The story tracks her struggles in dealing with family members, some of whom are touchingly supportive. There’s true beauty on display in If Beale Street Could Talk, as people under duress refuse to turn on one another and instead remain loyal to the end. Yes, one exception exists, but it’s there to prove the rule.

In the days before the world knew his name, Matt Groening told stories of his life in Hell. His stated belief was that middle school was the deepest pit of the abyss, and he gained a reputation due to the sheer volume of people who agreed with him. Our third selection, Eighth Grade, explores this ideology in painstaking, bittersweet detail.

Kayla Day is an introspective student who chronicles her life via video. A couple of years before, she’d left a time capsule for her future self. It was filled with hopes and ambitions about personal growth. Since then, little has changed. She remains an awkward adolescent whose attempts to hang out with older kids go awry. Eighth Grade is a tender look back at the worst time in many people’s lives. And it's the ideal small indie movie that does one thing exceptionally well.

Several of the films that we select in this year’s iteration of The Calvins approach the same topic from different angles. The world seems more conflicted and angry than ever before. Our fourth film, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, examines the life of Mr. Rogers, the host of the most beloved of all PBS shows. It shows how he dealt with the problems of the day through the power of positivity.

Conversely, Blindspotting, our fifth choice, examines how the racist nature of society impacts two childhood friends. The white guy is a born troublemaker and bad influence, while the protagonist is a well-intended African-American struggling to find his place in a world that seems to hate him. It’s an exploration of how positivity works in a decidedly negative society.

BOP goes dark with our sixth and seventh selections. Bad Times at the El Royale is a multi-character mystery with a series of surprises that absolutely no one could predict ahead of time. Is it a murder mystery? A government investigation? How does that cult factor in? I’ve seen the film, and I still can’t answer these questions.

Meanwhile, Thoroughbreds chronicles the (paid) friendship of two teen girls, one of whom is mentally ill. The allegedly sane one wants her stepfather dead. The two of them bond over plotting the crime. And they bring a bumbling drug dealer into the plot. I mention this because it was Anton Yelchin’s final performance before his tragic death. As always, he’s terrific here. Thoroughbreds is billed as a dark comedy, which is NOT how I would describe it, but it’s almost hypnotic in its watchability.

Our final selections in Best Overlooked Film feel like some of the most authentic choices here based on the original intent of the category. Shoplifters is a Japanese saga that shows that the poor family that steals together stays together…and adopts (kidnaps?) together. Can You Ever Forgive Me? is an unsettling story about an immoral writer named Lee Israel who blurs the line between plagiarism, identity theft, and grand larceny. Lee Israel was a jerk. Finally, 22 July is Norway’s equivalent to United 93. It recounts the fateful day of the 2011 Norway Attacks. Oh, and it’s a Paul Greengrass film.

Narrowly missing selection but still more than worth a screening are Mid90s, Sorry to Bother You, Destroyer, Suspiria, Overlord, Disobedience, and The Wife.

2019 Calvin Awards
Calvins Intro
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Cast
Best Character
Best Director
Best Overlooked Film
Best Picture
Best Scene
Best Screenplay
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best TV Show
Best Use of Music
Breakthrough Performance
Worst Performance
Worst Picture

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