With a little over a week until this year's Academy Awards, I have once again completed my goal of seeing all Best Picture nominees before the show. In the past few years, I have attempted to do so not only to add some culture to my cinema viewing, but also to understand how every film works in the category. It may not seem like there's depth, but when you get down to statistics, there are certain themes, actors, and directors that go into each nominee year after year. Like horse races, it's intense to see who pull ahead. Some years it isn't the hard to figure out. Others, you'll get a left field winner that becomes the true underdog story of the year.
For one reason or another, I just have found myself invested in the Oscars since I was young. Back when I didn't watch more than possibly one nominee. There was a sense that the film you liked got the credit it deserved. I still feel that way, even though my track record hasn't been the best. In fact, I haven't locked in a winning choice since 2003's Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Last year I was sure that the Social Network would beat the King's Speech, only to be proven wrong. The rush I felt leading up to that moment was an all time high. This year I am hoping for the first time in nine years to pick the right one. I have come close, but the confidence I display every year just proves that I would go broke in Las Vegas.
But I have seen all nine nominees, and what do I think of them? For the most part, this hasn't been my favorite year. Of the ones nominated, I'd only consider 4 to be movies that I would watch over and over. I'm also disappointed that movies like Drive and 50/50 didn't make the cut, but have since come to terms with it. This is a diverse bunch of movies that I feel are very reflective of the year in cinema, even if it isn't the best selection.
I will now count down my choices in order of least favorable to most likely winner. Again, I acknowledge that this is mostly based on opinion, but these are my thoughts on the choices. I don't think that it means that my least favorite won't be one of the more prized choices. It just means that I didn't like it as much as the other ones.
9. Moneyball
I really try and give sports movies a try, but sometimes the logic goes over my head. As much as I enjoyed Aaron Sorkin's work in the Social Network, it just sounds cold and factual here. At no point did I really care for any of the characters, nor did I feel like there was an interesting plot. For the most part it felt like watching Brad Pitt play the game of trading players back and forth to find the perfect team. I guess that's a good idea, but it doesn't make for an interesting movie when the important cast is constantly being changed. I felt no emotional investment and a lot of the lingo went over my head. I don't really know that this is a sports movie as it is a movie about trying to make money with an elitist group of players.
8. The Help
When this movie first came out, I assumed that it would be a good summer movie. Nothing more. However, as the months rolled on, it kept coming up. I am not entirely sure why that was, so I finally gave it a try. For the most part, I wasn't a big fan of the story of segregation. Maybe it's because I am not personally involved with that time, but this felt like an average movie about segregation. If we are going to reward this movie for anything, let's just give the Best Actress statue to Viola Davis. This movie essentially feels like it was only nominated because of a few great performances. Otherwise, I don't feel like this is a revolutionary or impacting segregation movie as much as it is a happy, cleaned up version meant to make everything seem much more safe and cheerful.
7. The Tree of Life
I must admit right now that I wasn't a big fan of this movie. While I didn't hate it, I felt at times like it was a little too incompetent and trying to be more grandeur than coherent. However, as time has progressed, my opinion of the movie has gotten a little more favorable. Because it is not a traditional narrative with a lot of interesting shots and a plot that never feels solid, it's one of the most successfully ambitious films of the year. If it doesn't keep your interest, it will at least make for interesting conversation later with movie fans. By being different, this is the real underdog on this list and while it probably won't walk away with a statue, it will definitely be one that will be referenced for years to come as well as spawn some terrible imitations.
6. War Horse
I was loathing the day when I had to finally get this one off of my list. While the Tree of Life produced an interesting narrative through memories, the thought of a movie centralized around a horse seemed too baffling, even if it was by Steven Spielberg. However, what came out was a pretty decent movie. Even though it features every Spielberg trope imaginable, it just proves that he's a master at pulling off some of the grandeur and interesting marks. While I don't find everything that happened to be all that interesting, it succeeded in making me care for the horse and root for him as he charged across the battlefield in the third act. This is by no means Spielberg or composer John Williams' best, but it's a good film nonetheless that while maybe a little too much, is fitting on this list.
5. Hugo
While this film may have ranked higher than a few of the choices to come, I feel that this is a very bias nominee. While I admire director Martin Scorsese, this movie feels more like a love letter to cinema that only got nominated because of the fact. It's a solid movie, but one that feels like the narrative was sacrificed to tell a story about Georges Melies. It's an interesting one and a very captivating film, but I have trouble calling this one worthy of a nomination because it just doesn't feel as textually solid as the others. However, with some fine performances from the cast and a dazzling look, I am somewhat fine with placing it among the top 5 for sheer ambition. Scorsese proves that he can still make a really good movie, even if the tale isn't the main point.
4. The Descendants
One of the most common misconceptions of the past year was that I hated the Descendants. I don't. Like the Help, I think that it is a coherent tale of life in Hawaii, but at the same time, I don't feel that it's one of the best. If anything, I am adamantly sure that this could be the year George Clooney finally gets a Best Actor statue. Other than that, I am fine with it's nomination, but the clout placed behind it is just baffling. It's an average melodrama that just happens to be entertaining. However, the reason I place it this high is because Clooney is a solid actor and really makes this movie work despite it's flaws. In fact, I am willing to give this movie a second try just to see if I was judging it too harshly in comparison to the superior Clooney vehicle Up in the Air.
3. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
I know that most people are probably going to tune out because I rated this dark horse so high. In fact, I probably wouldn't have seen it had it not been nominated. I wouldn't even expect it to be nominated if there were only 5 slots. However, as far as this list goes, this one left a pretty big impression on me. Up to this point, I had yet to see a movie themed around 9-11 that really connected with me. While I feel emotionally distant from the events, it's the idea of closure and being alone that really clicked. Placing it in 9-11 feels secondary in comparison. I also really enjoyed the pseudo-father/son relationship developed between Thomas Horn and Max von Sydow in the film. This film may not resonate with some because at times it's emotionally sappy, but for me, I felt a strong connection and went along for the ride. Definitely worth checking out if you're interested in emotionally powerful movies, even though it probably won't win. At best I can see von Sydow getting some buzz, even though I'm sure Christopher Plummer in Beginners will take the Best Supporting Actor statue.
2. Midnight in Paris
Easily my favorite Best Picture nominee among the bunch. As a big Woody Allen fan, I was happy to see this film feature a lot of his witty, artistic roots that felt vacant since the early 00's. It's probably one of my favorites of his and the plot itself is infection. In a time when most of the nominees are adaptations, it's refreshing to see a tale that pays homage to the rich history of writers from the past while bringing them into a relevant story. I love this movie and am mostly rooting for it to win Best Original Screenplay. It features probably some of Allen's best characters in years as well. Almost every famous author has the absurd Allen charm and is just a reminder of why Allen is considered one of the greats, even if his work doesn't always look that way.
1. The Artist
While Midnight in Paris is probably one of the best movies of the year, the Artist is in fine competition to be the better choice. With a lovable cast, a dog named Uggie, and a juicy score by Ludovic Bource, I found myself mesmerized by the entire thing. It featured plenty of comical beats and a lot of sad moments, but Jean Dujardin managed to deliver all in probably the true breakout performance of the year. Don't let the silent film gimmick get you. There's plenty of charm going for this tale that shouldn't be missed. I am confident that it will win Best Picture. It's one of those rare films that works in spite of it's flaws. I love this movie and will probably chastise you if you don't see it on the big screen.
Want to see the Best Picture movies but haven't? Check your local rental service or check out this event happening at AMC theaters the next two weekends.
Also, what are some of your thoughts? Should the Help be ranked higher? Is Moneyball really better than I make it out to be? Let me know what you think and I look forward to finding out who the winners are on February 26.
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