Best Picture 2009

Playoff hockey has been keeping me from watching and writing as often as I should so bear with me for a bit, I definitely get back on track here soon. Sadly, this is the last of the 10 Best Picture nominee groups I'll do for a very long time. I am glad they opened up this category to allow for other films that wouldn't ordinarily get nominated because there are some really good ones lately. Now on to the movies!

2009 Best Picture

The Hurt Locker

I like this movie for an Oscar win. This movie is almost like a TV show or play with its different episodes/acts. I think that kind of vignette format works really well here. It captures the different things that the EOD unit can go through and deal with, without getting bogged down in telling a story with one or two events. It allows everything about the movie to stay fresh and you don't get worn down by the constant tension. The movie is a thriller and the edge-of-your-seat tension is heavy but done in such a way that you can almost feel the sand fly by you when a bomb goes off - it's that real. My issue with this film is the plausibility of some of the events that go on. For a civilian that hasn't experienced the military life, I'm sure the movie comes off as a strong one and wholly believable, but I've been there and experienced the craziness firsthand and the believability has to be suspended for me to really enjoy it. When the main guys turn into expert snipers or Renner's character goes off base alone to find any info about a little boy's murderers, it's just too ludicrous for me to even try to get past. It dampens what is otherwise a very good movie.

Avatar

I can't believe that there were people that were very vocal about this movie actually winning Best Picture, let alone being nominated. It deservedly won some technical awards and is a landmark film for special effects, but it's a borderline terrible movie when you get past the aesthetic. And to be honest, the big blue Na'vi still look a bit stupid and out of place in a live action movie. The story borrows heavily from many other movies and I'd compare it as an updated, better looking version of Fern Gully. The story itself is nothing new or compelling, the characters are all of the stock variety, there's no tension because everything is spelled out for you, you're never in doubt of what's going to happen next, and the political messages throughout the movie are grating to anyone with half a brain. Good special effects does not forgive bad characters and storytelling.

The Blind Side

I think this would have been better served as a movie of the week or a Lifetime movie because that's about as much substance as this movie has. While the actual inspiration for the story is compelling, The Blind Side manages to botch it by pandering to a white, suburban, middle-class audience. How this was even nominated is beyond my comprehension. It praises Bullock's character as saving the young, virtually homeless, large black kid all the while ignoring and treating him like a second-class citizen in a movie that's supposed to showcase his overcoming a rough life. The movie teeters on the brink of devolving into a sappy, cloyingly saccharine pap fest and Bullock's performance is a big reason why. It's just not a movie I can ever see myself watching again even if it's on whatever station I left my TV on.

District 9

This is one of the best recent sci-fi movies in a long time. It's certainly way better than Avatar and signals an independent sci-fi movement with movies such as Moon and Monsters. I love how the movie is built around the faux-documentary style which gives it a realism that serves the movie so well. The effects are real looking and the story is one that can and should resonate with the regular viewer. It's one of discrimination and the parallels to the apartheid are obvious and though some critics felt this part of the story was heavy handed, I think they are wrong because it really let the viewer bring their own thoughts and feelings into the movie. Wikus is portrayed brilliantly as the innocent man that turns into an alien and we can identify with him which engrosses us entirely in the film. And his growing relationship with the aliens as he begins to change is incredibly compelling, especially with the xenophobia as the backdrop to the film. An outstanding piece of science fiction cinema.

An Education

What I didn't like about this movie was the way all the adults acted completely unlike adults seemingly to make Carey Mulligan's character Jenny look way more mature and grown up than she really was. I think it severely hurt the movie because the viewer is unable to fully give themselves to the story presented. Jenny does well in school and is trying to get into Oxford and her dad keeps pushing her to study for the entrance tests but then when she meets a much older man and he visits the home and charms the family, the dad easily okays that she give up school and marry him. Many times I wanted the adults to be more than empty characters for Jenny to interact with but was routinely letdown. The movie really lacked drama where there should have been some and undercut the drama that was there by too neatly wrapping up the ending and basically saying she did a foolish thing but that in the end it was no big deal. Mulligan's performance was good but the rest of the movie left me wanting, no, begging for more.

Inglourious Basterds

Tarantino can't really do much wrong in making his movies and this one is no exception. It's phenomenal and such a wild, fun experience to watch. I love that the foreign speaking parts all go to foreign actors because it gives the film some authenticity and makes for some much stronger scenes and acting. The story is fantastic in each sense of the word and the alternate history idea is one that's fresh and rarely done. The characters are memorable and excellent, although I question casting his buddy Eli Roth as the Bear Jew since it was easily the weakest character and performance in the movie. There's not much else to say besides this is a really cool movie that everyone should see.

Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire

The acting from the two main characters really helped push this movie to a higher level, no pun intended. I think without those two, it wouldn't have received as much attention and praise as it did. The story is your basic sort of empowerment story: girl is constantly put down by her own mother and made to do everything for her and the mom resents her when she starts doing well in school and eventually breaks free of her tyrannical reign and becomes her own person. There are times when the movie underwhelms as during the school scenes when we feel as if we've already seen this done a million times before. The real compelling story is between Precious and her mother and the movie is fun to watch at these times. There is also these weird daydream scenes that Precious imagines that really feel out of place in the movie with the way they are shot and look. I can understand what the director was going for but I think it fails and detracts from the overall pace of the movie.

A Serious Man

On the first watch, I hated it. I felt the movie really had no point, suffered from any real drama, and was overall pretty boring to watch. On my second viewing for this blog, I loved it! This movie is a total grower and probably does need multiple viewings to "get it" unfortunately. Obviously, I don't think this is a movie for everyone. The Coen Brothers have crafted an incredibly subtle movie. I love subtle humor a lot and for whatever reason I must not have been paying as close attention as I should on my first viewing. But with the second, I thought it was hilarious in such a reserved and understated way. Nothing hits you over the head and says laugh; it's bleak, dark, weird humor. The movie is ultimately about a Jewish man from Minnesota's life crumbling around him leading him to question his faith. Most of the other characters seem very one-sided but it works for me because the movie is about how the main character reacts and deals with the issues these characters present. This is a wonderful movie that I don't think everyone will like.

Up

Sometimes I wish Pixar would reign in the sappy moments in its movies a bit. The sappy scene in the beginning where Karl and his wife grow old seems very forced and sudden and as I said in my Toy Story 3 review, I don't like being told to feel a certain way especially right from the start! I understand that it sets up the basic premise of the movie since his wife wanted to go on a trip to South America but I feel it could have been done in a different manner that didn't yank on the heartstrings so hard and still remain poignant. There are plenty of times they do it right as the story progresses. Otherwise, it's a fantastical story that is quite funny at times and visually fun to watch. The relationship between Karl and the boy is fun to watch develop as they teach each other about life, which is really something when Karl is pretty old. Up has a great mix of adventure, humor, drama, and mystery.

Up in the Air

This movie had some great acting, good characters, and a decent story. Clooney again charms the pants off the viewer but the movie feels both like it's missing something and trying too hard at the same time. It's able to capture the zeitgeist of the economic collapse and the massive job loss that happened really well. But as we follow the unlikely likable Clooney through the movie, we get hit over the head with these out of place documentary like interviews with real people that totally kills the flow and feel of the movie. And as we start to root on the romance between Clooney and Farmiga, we get THAT ripped out from under us in a way that made me angry. It was clearly done to get Clooney's character to "change" his outlook on life, but it felt so contrived and preyed on the audience's feelings that it brought the movie down with it. I wish the movie would have stuck to either being a comedy or drama because the mixing of the two at times didn't quite work and undercut the movie. With all my griping, though, it's still a decent movie worth a watch.


I love that this year was a pretty historic year for Best Picture nominees. First winning female director, first black director nominated, animated feature, sci-fi nominated again, and a Tarantino film. The expansion to 10 nominees was the best thing the Academy could have done for the sagging Oscar ceremonies. It gets people to watch movies they may not have initially seen and gets them tuning in to see movies they are rooting for. It's brilliant and I'm glad they decided to expand. I'm sad that I have to go back to just 5 nominees in 2008 knowing that movies such as The Dark Knight missed out on what would have been easy nominations. I like the choice of The Hurt Locker for the win and I'm especially glad they didn't reward that huge mess Avatar. I chose District 9 because it's an instant classic sci-fi movie to me and it blew me away in theaters and was still amazing on subsequent watches. I'm glad this year is finally ending because school and NHL playoffs has severely disrupted my reviewing process. But fear not, as I will get back into my groove soon enough. Also....please leave comments!

Oscar Winner: The Hurt Locker
My Winner:  District 9
Inglourious Basterds
The Hurt Locker
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air
Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
An Education
Avatar
The Blind Side