This was not supposed to be the first article on the blog, but ive been busy lately. How ironic.
So, the annual mail i send out to people about my picks of the Oscar nominees has become a full blooded blog post. My favorites, my dark horses and the ones I absolutely do not want to see pick up the most coveted award in Cinema.
Its been a great year for cinema. As a matter of fact, Last year's winner 'The King's Speech' and last year's heavy favorite 'The Social Network", despite being fine films in their right, did not leave you with the after effect that some of this years films left. While the eerie 'Black Swan' and the cryptic "Inception' were my two favorites (of the nominated films), I preferred a win for "The King's Speech' over 'The Social Network' as i dont like it when a film that is made in a year when the topic is a 'fad' wins, or i dont like it when a film wins mainly for the broad plot or the effort gone into making the sets and the scenery. Dont get me wrong, Fincher is a fantastic director & he proved it again this year but you dont bestow the title of 'Best Picture' on something that, quite frankly, isnt.
It is for this reason that previous winners, like Lord of the Rings : Return of the King, Gladiator, Titanic and especially the biggest farce in Oscar History Slumdog Millionaire are those i felt were definitely undeserving of the award. Hence my pleasure when Avatar didnt win. Yes, the final Lord of the Rings film was a masterpiece in sound effects, costume, background score, cinematography, etc but it is after all an adaptation of a famous novel. There werent any nominations for acting now were there, and acting is one of the main aspects and selling points of a film. I go to watch a film to be entertained, yes. But slapstick comedies also entertain. Truth is, apart from Mystic River, none of the other nominees were amazing films. Mystic River was fantastic and two of the three main characters won the Academy Award for acting. As a movie experience, Lord of the Rings is way ahead, but as an achievement in film making, it lags far behind.
There are 10 nominations this year, as there were last year.
I have not seen them all, and frankly War Horse and Extremely Loud and Incredible Close are movies i wont rush into watching. The Tree of Life was a film i looked forward to for a long time and while i was disappointed at first, i will watch it again.
Moneyball was a very good film. But then, it is just that, very good. Brad Pitt is very good, Jonah Hill (surprisingly) is also very good. It is one of those nailed on 4 star movies out of 5, and as a fan of football or soccer it was an interesting watch.
Midnight in Paris was for me better than most of Woody Allens recent films. Vicky Cristina Barcelona was overrated, Scoop was good and Match Point was also a fine film. When the trailer came out for Midnight in Paris, i was not expecting much as it had Owen Wilson playing the main character but halfway into the film you see that it is a role that suited him to a T. From the start till the end Midnight in Paris takes you on a tour of the Paris of now and two generations before, with some great portrayals of the famous artists of those periods. The fine cast and the light tone of the movie struck a chord with me and, while it wont win best picture, it still succeds on so many levels. Great work Woody.
When Fincher made The Social Network last year, you wondered why, as Fincher's forte is so far off. Well Fincher's genre shift pales in comparison to the one made this year by the legendary Martin Scorsese. No double crossing, no gangsters, no Queens and hell, no abuse even. Just a little boy trying to fix things so he can get a message from his father. Another film set in Paris (lovely), Hugo is a Scorsese film for all generations, and i never thought i would be saying that ever. It doesnt have a trademark, like his previous films, but it is definitely one of the best of the year and Marty's best director win at the Golden Globes was deserved. Ben Kingsley is great and Asa Butterfield as Hugo and Chloe Grace Moretz (who has so many films coming out) are perfectly cast. I would extend the perfectly cast comment to Sasha Baron Cohen as well, who cuts out most of the crap as the Station Master. How i wish i could watch this in 3D.
The Help. Ever since Easy A i have been a fan of Emma Stone. This film dealt with racism in the times when black women were 'helps' in the houses of the whites and the subject matter did put me off, at first. However, this is a film carried from start to finish by the acting. Emma Stone is great but not worthy of a nomination as her role is straightforward. But the other actresses shine. It is a well acted, directed film and richly deserves a place as a best picture nominee.
The Descendants is a very well made film. It takes care of all the little things, which is a sign of an accomplished film maker. George Clooney has fronted a lot of films that have been nominated for best picture, without success, and i expect it to continue here. Not because the film isnt good. It is heartwarming and despite dealing with serious content about fractured relations and sickness it comes out to be a fun watch. Alexander Payne's film is purely Hawaii, from the characters to the low cost airlines to the background score, and it is these little things that add to a film's positives.
Michael Hazanavicius take a bow. In this age where millions are spent on stuff like robots and aliens and explosions and vampire makeup,etc which drift further away from story telling and acting here is a film in which all the emotions are conveyed without the use of a single word. It is just the actors on camera. Yes this was how it used to be a long time ago, but this IS a tribute to that time. And what a wonderful tribute it is. The whole idea behind making a tribute is to be authentic and to respect the original. And The Artist does that. Jean Dujardin is a natural. So is Berenice Berjo, who steals the scene whenever she is on screen. Her acting is a little over expressive, but it fits hand-in-glove with the more refined execution of Dujardin. In a silent film, how do you keep the audience interested? While the background score is first rate, it is the effortlessness in the execution of the actors that makes this such a memorable watch. The first half an hour is possibly the best of the year. The next half an hour is when there are signs of a change for the worse in the fortunes of the actor and is done well enough. The final half an hour or thereabouts does get cliched, but the ending does make you all happy again and it leaves you satisfied, that you have seen a work of art. Film making is an art and The Artist is a masterpiece.
So, despite it being something different and having that as its unique selling point, The Artist would be a worthy winner of the Best Picture accolade. The Descendants, Midnight in Paris, Hugo and The Help are all fine films as well.
I thought ill end this with a few films which should have made the top 10 this year.
Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive was a brilliant film. Ryan Gosling is in a role that isnt one you would find him in as a stunt man and driver and part action star, and when actors do that and pull it off, it makes for compelling viewing. Drive won Best Director at Cannes and wouldnt be out of place in the nominations.
Melancholia was my film of the year, as Lars von Trier is only capable of making masterpieces of filmmaking. He is a film maker, and they are rare. As always, you spend a long time after the film reflecting on what happened. More on von Trier later.
A mention to Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Ides of March, Warrior & My Week With Marilyn, all films above average and films which would have found themselves nominated in most other years.
Normally there are nominated films which i wish stayed far away from the award, but this year, all the films i've seen were worth the nomination. As i said, a good year for cinema.
