Here we are, finally up to date with Oscar. I've never been more relieved to have caught up because I'm absolutely ready to get back to 1999 and start knocking off all these films and performances that I've stared at for years on my list. This year has started to devolve into controversy, one that I agree with that we need more minorities getting opportunities to give fantastic performances, but I only agree that they should be nominated on merit not just because they are black or it's a black film. Oscar will adapt, though, and this will be a moot point soon hopefully.
2015 Best Picture
Spotlight
The main thing I love about Spotlight (which might be my favorite
film of the year) is that it's so straightforward with it's story and
that it cuts out any extraneous bullshit. Spotlight is all about
the story much like a journalist going after the truth. The direction is
mostly unobtrusive and let's the scenes and characters do all the work
of selling the story and that's pretty damn refreshing to see in today's
movie world where Director's are trying to outdo each other with camera
tricks and movements. The only time I noticed the direction was when
the film would randomly have the bottom of the picture go black as if
narrowing in on the scene. I thought that maybe this was an indicator of
a very serious scene and to pay attention. It doesn't happen often but
it was noticeable to me, at least. That's probably my only big gripe for
this whole film, too. The acting is all superb across the board. It's a
true ensemble film and everyone was pitch perfect, which is awesome to
see everyone on top of their game at the same time. Hell, I even really
liked the score in this one which added to the tone of the film. I also
really liked how the film didn't sugarcoat the story at all which is a
pretty touchy and controversial subject. Taking on Catholic priest
molestation's of young kids and not backing down on what is said and
shown is pretty incredible and I'm glad the story wasn't whitewashed.
I'm not sure what else to say about Spotlight because it is so
straightforward and so good. This is what I hope wins Best Picture and
it's one of the three serious contenders so it's got a good shot to win.
Spotlight screams Oscar film to me and I'd be so glad if it could be an Oscar winner.
The Big Short
This might very well be your 2015 Best Picture winner and I'm completely okay with that. The Big Short
is a really interesting film. It takes on a very heady subject in the
2008 housing market collapse and loans and sub prime mortgages and on
and on. That's the kind of stuff that will make anyone's head spin and
probably put you to sleep, too. Not exactly exciting stuff. But what's
so great about The Big Short is that it takes that subject matter
and makes it easily digestible and somewhat fun to learn about and does
it all in a very unique and different way. I don't think there's ever
been a Best Picture nominee quite like The Big Short and that's a
huge compliment for the film. It's a really fresh take on a boring
subject told with humor and great acting, you can't beat that. And when I
say it's funny, I mean that it's hilarious! There's so much great
subtle humor to go along with the funny lines and absurd nature of the
subject. Bale and Gosling are on fire in this when it comes to the
comedy. Throw in the celebrity cutaways to better explain complex topics
and you've got one great comedy going, except it also touches on the
dramatic just as well as it does the comedy which makes The Big Short
so damn good. I've heard some people say that the film is too glib with
the subject and the audience but, no, screw that. It's not a shallow
film at all and is certainly not insincere with it's subject. How many
people out there would be able to understand and follow the story with
all it's economics talk without having those funny asides where things
are explained to you? Not too many I'd wager and I'm glad they decided
to teach us as well as entertain us. I'd say the film doesn't treat us
as stupid, just that we simply don't know and probably didn't care back
then. I think all the 4th wall breaking stuff really helps elevate the
film and really makes it more enjoyable. The acting is also phenomenal
across the board as everyone brings their own little special brand to
the big picture. Although I will say that Brad Pitt needs to stop
playing the dour, moral compass types in the films he produces. He might
be the weak link in the entire film, not that he's awful it's just that
I don't if it was a good fit? A minor quibble anyway. I'd really like
more films to come out that are exactly like this: funny and smart with
great acting. So if The Big Short does indeed win Best Picture, it will be a pretty inspired pick by the Academy.
Bridge of Spies
Honesty time: this is the last review I need to write for 2015 and I'm finding it hard to really care enough to write something good. I was a tiny bit shocked when I saw this announced for Best Picture. I don't see Bridge of Spies as a Best Picture type film. I should clarify that actually I do see it as a Best Picture type film, something that I can see the Academy going for always because it's Spielberg doing a historical drama with Tom Hanks. However, I don't see it as being one of the best of the year. It's good enough, I don't think Spielberg and Hanks will ever make a bad film together but there's nothing about it that really jumps out and grabs me by the throat and makes me want to champion it as some kind of great film. Hanks is fine in his performance, typical Hanks work. Rylance is the best thing about the film and he does give a really good performance. Everything else all told, though, doesn't do that much for me. It looks very gray and depressing which I know invokes the feel of the Cold War but just leaves me cold. The Score is nominated for an Oscar but I prefer Spotlight's to it instead. It's also co-written by the Coen Bros, but even with that fun fact it doesn't seem to help. The ending feels too hokey and should have ended on the bridge instead of the feel good coming home for Hanks thing we got tacked on. That's the difference between this and The Martian where the feel good ending doesn't feel earned or even needed in this film. I know I'm sounding overly negative and want to say that the film is good enough for a watch, it's just for Best Picture I want something more than Spielberg's B or C game. This would be the first film I'd replace with a few others that didn't make it so that should tell you exactly what I think of Bridge of Spies.
Brooklyn
I got into an internet argument about Brooklyn because it's a film that I really enjoy probably more so because of Saoirse Ronan's performance but because I think it's just a pretty well done film all around. The argument was about other people just completely glossing over this film as just a boring, girl grows up, America is awesome, first world problems type of film or even pointing to a brief description of the film and saying it's too basic. You could distill any film down to a description and make it sound boring or basic! I didn't buy any of the arguments being thrown my way for liking this one and I don't agree at all that it's boring. Sure, the idea is one we've seen countless times but I think it differentiates in the execution of the story. My big selling point is Ronan's performance and the fact that it's very much about expectations in this young Irish girl's life instead of being some boilerplate love story. I think Ronan's character fights off expectations for her life throughout the film and that's pretty big for a young woman in the 50s to do things her way. She works hard, educates herself, has big dreams and aspirations, falls in love on her own terms, stands up for herself when others try to shame her. The messages here are pretty strong but they are not spelled out in bright lights, you have to look into Ronan's performance to find them. As for the film itself, I'd say my one issue is with the Italian boy that Ronan gets married to is a bit hokey. The whole dynamic of their relationship is this guy moving way too fast and being a total hopeless romantic. If I could, I would tone down his character and make him a little more believable and less stock 50s character. I actually think that the film is best when it's focused on Ireland and those scenes help make the film way more compelling overall. I also like that we got the more difficult, less emotionally satisfying (for me) ending and that it didn't shy away from keeping true to itself. I can accept that people might not like Brooklyn as much as me, but I can't accept people casually dismissing the film as boring or bad without really giving it a serious watch. This won't win Best Picture but I think it's a worthy inclusion on this list.
Mad Max: Fury Road
How awesome is this choice?! This was what the change to more than five nominees for Best Picture was all about: to get more big blockbuster type movies that both critics and audiences both loved and that made a lot of money. It's almost astounding that the Academy actually did nominate this one and I hope this signals changes in what can make it in this category. Mad Max is a fun movie. There's no other way to put it more simply. How many other Best Picture nominees can be said to be pure, unbridled fun as far as the movie watching experience goes? Very few! What's also great about Mad Max is that it's a pretty terrific film on top of it's subject matter. It would be one thing if a poorly directed, shitty story got in because it was popular, but Mad Max has some great directing from George Miller and a story that, while being kinda bare bones, is endlessly entertaining. It's a film with an incredibly strong female lead performance from Charlize Theron that eschews the CGI wasteland for more practical effects and is just a wild ride from start to finish. Yeah, you can call it a glorified car chase in the desert all you want but there's a whole lot more going on in this film than just a car chase. But it's still a wildly entertaining car chase at that. I think this is the type of action film that more people want to see: one that doesn't insult the audience's intelligence while still being entertaining and richly rewarding. That's part of what makes Mad Max so good is that it just wants to tell it's action story and have as many crazy explosions and stunts as possible all while doing it in a professional way that gives you all the bang for your buck. There's been a lot more written out there that says exactly why Mad Max is so good and worthy of being an Oscar nominated film, all I can say is that watching it is a ton of fun and I'm not made to feel dumber for having enjoyed watching explosions. I will always be okay with a film like this getting nominated as long as it's as expertly crafted and intelligent as Mad Max is, simple as that.
Room
Room is essentially two different films: one where we see the captivity and the conditions the characters are having to endure and how they are able to stay alive and sane throughout the experience, and the other is what it's like after they've escaped and are living in the world again with the reality of their situation weighing down on them. To me, the first part is more thrilling of a watch and kinda tilts the film in favor of the beginning because it's more compelling in execution and story. It's also where Brie Larson does the heavy lifting and really shines in her performance. The room is also made to look so huge like it is a whole word to the two occupants. It feels like there's a lot of space watching it even though it's a claustrophobic environment and you can't wait to escape yourself and get some air. Then at the end when they return to see the room and we go inside and it looks like this tiny, tiny little box that's less a room and more of a prison. That was really effective for me. It helps, too, that you are waiting to see how the escape happens and just how they can get out of the room. It's really terrific and sets the mood so well that when they finally get out, it's almost a let down that we still have all this time left with them in the film. The second part is where Jacob Tremblay really shines and takes over Larson's role, essentially. He adjusts a lot better and is filled with wonderment while she is shell shocked and having to deal with missing so many years of her life. Tremblay didn't know what he was missing and Larson did, which is the big difference. I also think that the focus on them adjusting back into real life is not as compelling but that could be because the story uses most of it's energy in the first half. The acting and story are mostly top notch and it's nice to see an indie do so well, too. It won't win Best Picture but it is a pretty good film.
The Martian
There's a whole lot to like about The Martian. I feel like I'm starting to sound like a broken record but it's a smart, funny film that has great ensemble acting (even if Damon does dominate) in a year that seems to be full of those types of films. Just like what everyone liked about the book, I love that the science in this film is actually legit and knowing that what was happening on film could potentially happen in real life made The Martian a lot more enjoyable. It's funny how if the science in sci-fi films is real that we like it more than other fantastical sci-fi films. I also like that we are getting more and more hyper realistic science fiction films like Gravity and Interstellar coming out as I prefer them to say an Armageddon or something. The film survives on Damon's charm which is probably what got him a Best Actor nomination since his character is so likable. Without Damon, I think the film might sink because you need someone capable in his role to carry out all the things necessary for him to get back home. If you don't believe in Damon, I'm not sure you can believe in the film as a whole. The direction is a bit pedestrian but that doesn't matter all that much as the story comes first and the story is very good. As I said above, the supporting acting is also very good from a wide variety of actors and actresses of all colors. This was truly a global film and I wish that could have been emphasized more. Maybe the cynic in me would have preferred a less feel good ending but I'm okay with it for the most part. If Damon were to stay stuck on Mars maybe the film would have a different feel to it, one that might even be more powerful but him coming home is more than okay honestly. Sometimes it's nice to just have those feel good moments in film. The Martian is a thoroughly enjoyable genre film that defies expectations and gives us a truly great film watching experience.
The Revenant
This was at some points,
your front runner for Best Picture, though it has been eclipsed as of
right now. However, I wouldn't be totally surprised if it does indeed
end up winning because it is truly a tremendous feat of filmmaking and a
really great film. Whenever a film does make it to the top of the heap
like this one, there's always lots of people who then turn on it and
start picking at what they don't like about it and how it doesn't
deserve to win because of these small, stupid "issues" that people come
up with out of nowhere. One of the big ones I've read about is how
there's not much to the story (funny how that comes up a lot this year)
and that it's a very sparse film as far as story goes. Well, that's
absurd to me. As if you need a large, complex plot to be considered
good. There's nothing wrong with the story The Revenant tells.
It's a film about survival and revenge and it tells a pretty great story
to me about those subjects. It has world class acting from Leo who
hopefully gets his Oscar because he really does deserve it. The
direction is so good and interesting and the cinematography is flat out
gorgeous. The shots of the wilderness are just perfectly sublime. That
was another issue that people had were the lingering nature shots and
that the film could have been shorter. But I feel like nature and the
wilderness setting was very much a character in The Revenant. Leo
was battling not only his injuries and the man who left him to die, but
nature as well and Innaritu giving the setting it's due didn't feel
pretentious or too much to me. This film could have failed at so many
points but it succeeds because of the director and the actors working
perfectly together. It runs kind of long but I could have sat and
watched 5 more hours of this and be entertained. The Revenant is an intense, epic, glorious film that would be a very good pick for Best Picture.
When you look at this year, it's pretty fantastic going right down the list. Of course, the Academy gets dinged for not including some films but what they did include is a pretty good lineup. Even still, with two empty spots sitting there, there is no reason Sicario or Straight Outta Compton didn't make the list. I think maybe if it weren't the whole crazy preferential balloting only nominate 5 that the Academy does, you'd see those two on it or at least a couple other films making it on. My favorite is Spotlight followed ever so closely by The Revenant and The Big Short. Those are easily the top 3. Next after a little gap is Mad Max, followed closely by Brooklyn and The Martian and Room. Coming in last would be Bridge of Spies. That top 7, though, is all very close to one another. I think this is a pretty strong year, even with all the controversy.
Oscar Winner: Spotlight
My Winner: Spotlight
The Revenant
The Big Short
Mad Max: Fury Road
Brooklyn
The Martian
Room
Bridge of Spies
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