This is a post discussing the best and worst parts of this year's nominees for Best Picture, as well as some of the contenders that did not make the big dance. We'll start with the nominees and then move on to the films that were left out.
*Note, the films that I haven't seen were not written about, and will be as I see them. Please check back for updates before the telecast.
The Nominees:
Argo
Positives: A tense, well-acted drama. Great performances from Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Victor Garber, Scoot McNairy, Kerry Bishe, Kyle Chandler, and nominee Alan Arkin. The film also found humor in a tense situation, and director Ben Affleck knew when to inject it to not make the film too light hearted. Great score, editing, and a great job of filming certain scenes just how they happened in the real life situation.
Negatives: Took many liberties with the real story and the actual escape was not nearly as close as the film made it seem. Also casting Ben Affleck as Mexican-American Tony Mendez is a bit of a stretch.
Lincoln
Positives: An amazing cast of veteran actors who turn in some of their finest work as historical figures. Daniel Day-Lewis is a revelation as Lincoln, and took a performance that could have been filled with over acting and turned it into his own. Great supporting performances from Tommy Lee-Jones, Lee Pace, David Strathairn, Jared Harris, and Hal Holbrook just to name a few. The film does a great job of actually gaining suspense from an event (passing of the 13th amendment) that everyone knows the outcome of.
Negatives: While Day-Lewis' performance was an exercise in not over doing it, Sally Field just should have screamed "please give me the Oscar" with her performance. She seemed to scream and cry when it had no place in the scene. I understand she was supposed to be a fragile and broken mother, but she wanted her come back a little too much. In addition, since the film was about the passing of the 13th amendment, I could have done without the ending showing the aftermath of the theater, since we didn't see the beginning of Lincoln's life, it didn't seem pertinent to show the end of it.
Silver Linings Playbook
Positives: Great performances from nominees Jacki Weaver, Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, and Jennifer Lawrence, as well as Chris Tucker making a surprising comeback. De Niro's performance in particular is great to see since we have seen him in so many mediocre to bad movies the last decade.
Negatives: Other than the performances, the film was a mess. It felt as though they were writing the script as they filmed the movie, and every time it got stale, a new thing was injected that felt oddly placed. Mental illness, gambling, dancing, and each seemed to give way to the next instead of all being worked in the story together. In addition, things were very convenient and certain characters knew of conversations they weren't present for.
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Positives: Let me try to find one...oh, I have one, it was only an hour and a half long.
Negatives: It was a worthless film, that had no plot, point, or meaning. It was a waste of time. Even my wife hated it, and she likes everything.
Amour
Positives:
Negatives:
Life of Pi
Positives: A fantastical, amazingly well done film. Beautiful and amazing to look at.
Negatives: A bit long, I think it is a love it or hate it film, I loved it, but couldn't begrudge those who don't.
Zero Dark Thirty
Positives: Very solid acting from nominee Jessica Chastain, as well as Kyle Chandler, Jason Clarke, and Joel Edgerton. A very tense film that like Lincoln and Argo, gains great suspense from an event we knew the outcome of in advance.
Negatives: Very few, torture as a means of success became controversial, but I as a viewer am not judging the morality of a screenplay so it takes nothing away for me. There is nothing about Zero Dark Thirty that I would change.
Les Miserables
Positives: Nominees Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway do a great job with their iconic roles. In addition, Russell Crowe is not nearly as bad as some critics would lead you to believe. Eddie Redmayne delivers a great supporting performance. Tom Hooper's direction is visual and unique for a property that has been done in every way, shape, and form.
Negatives: Too long for a musical. The comedic relief in the form of Sasha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter is terribly done, unfunny, and worthless to the plot of the film. Cutting it entirely would have solved both problems.
Django Unchained
Positives: An amazingly acted film, Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, and nominee Christoph Waltz are fantastic. The most unique film of the year. Tarantino's direction is unique and stylized as only his films can be. The screenplay is electric and as good as you would expect from Tarantino.
Negatives: Tarantino purposely made an unrealistically violent spaghetti Western. The songs in the film sing directly to what the characters are doing on screen, and all other aspects of the film are purposefully cheesy and over the top. This turned many people off, especially those who don't believe it was on purpose.
The Other Contenders:
Flight
Positives: A well acted and smart adult drama. Nothing too flashy, and it more accurately portrays alcoholism than most films that turn it into a caricature of what it really is. Great visuals as well.
Negatives: Spoiler alert, not a happy ending like most want from this type of redemption story. Kelly Reilly's story line also gets dropped really quickly once her relationship with Washington's character ends.
Dark Knight Rises
Positives: A sweeping, amazing epic. Director Chris Nolan knows how to cast and shoot a comic movie like no one else can. Despite its three hour run time, the film feels short and concise and only includes what is needed. Michael Caine and Tom Hardy give great supporting performances.
Negatives: It could be the best film of the year, but if not better than The Dark Knight, it would never be taken seriously in awards season, and that appears to be what happened.
The Master
Positives:
Negatives:
Moonrise Kingdom
Positives:
Negatives:
Looper
Positives: A great twisty time travel epic. Went the extra mile to make sure two actors playing the same character at different stages actually look right. Great supporting performances from Jeff Daniels, Emily Blunt, and young Pierre Gagnon. The script is fantastic and Joseph Gordon-Levitt does a great job with his first big leading role.
Negatives: Bruce Willis is Bruce Willis, and he will always be the Bruce Willis/John McClane that we know him to be. After his mid career failed attempt at going out of his comfort zone (The Story of Us, Breakfast of Champions, Alpha Dog) he came back to just being the wise cracking action hero we know and love. He doesn't weaken the movie, but he doesn't add anything either.
Prometheus
Positives: A prequel to a beloved sci fi franchise that completely turns the series on his head without compromising it. Well acted, and doesn't tread familiar ground even though its the (give or take a few) 7th film in the Alien world.
Negatives: It was love it or hate it. I personally loved it, but many didn't. It took much backlash from religious groups and while many expected horror, suspense was the more fitting description.
Skyfall
Positives: Much better than Quantum of Solace, gets back to some Bond basics like Q and Moneypenny. An emotional climax not usually seen in popcorn movies. Great performances.
Negatives: Went back to some of the cheesy Bond stereotypes like the car with machine guns and an ejector seat.
The Sessions
Positives:
Negatives:
The Impossible
Positives:
Negatives:
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Positives: Great score, and a sweeping epic in the vein of LOTR.
Negatives: Never found the correct tone. The film couldn't be sure if it wanted to be whimsical and fun like most of The Hobbit book is, or dark and dramatic like the LOTR trilogy. Turning a 250 page book into 9 hours of film is looking like a mistake as well, as there was much obvious filler in the first film.
-Maximus
No comments:
Post a Comment