On Oscar Eve morning, here is my
favorite blog post of the year. It’s when I get to invite thoughtful
fellow movie-lovers to give their take on the Best Picture nominees. This
year, I’m glad to welcome back my wife Emily, mother-in-law Barb, brother
Jason, sister Sarah, and my sister’s boyfriend Tyler.
Each participant saw all the movies,
ranked them, and also made their picks for the main Oscar categories.
After all is said and done, here’s how our picks shook out.
Movie (Average Rating)
1. Lincoln (2.3)
2. Argo (2.7)
3. Amour (3)
4. Django Unchained (4)
Silver
Linings Playbook (4)
6. Zero Dark Thirty (5.5)
7. Beasts of the Southern Wild (6.9)
8. Life of Pi (7.3)
9. Les Miserables (8.5)
As the presumed contest is between
Lincoln and Argo (with Argo the likely winner), it makes sense that Lincoln and
Argo are vying for our top spot as well. Les Miserables ranked 8 or 9 on
all of our lists, and Lincoln, Argo, and Silver Linings Playbook placed top 5
on all of our lists.
As for the acting categories, here’s
where our votes would go:
Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln: Barb, Emily,
Jason, Sarah, Tyler
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master: Ben
Actress
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings
Playbook: Barb, Jason
Emmanuelle Riva, Amour: Ben, Emily,
Sarah, Tyler
Supporting Actor
Robert de Niro, Silver Linings
Playbook: Tyler
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, The Master:
Ben
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln: Barb, Emily
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained:
Jason, Sarah
Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, The Master: Ben
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables: Barb,
Emily, Jason, Sarah, Tyler
Director
Michael Haneke, Amour: Ben, Jason,
Sarah, Tyler
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln: Barb, Emily
Original Screenplay
Amour: Ben
Django Unchained: Barb, Jason, Sarah,
Tyler
Moonrise Kingdom: Emily
Adapted Screenplay
Argo: Barb
Lincoln: Ben, Tyler
Silver Linings Playbook: Emily, Jason,
Sarah
As per the real race, Supporting Actor
is the race that is all over the map. Otherwise, we have some pretty clear
consensus around Day-Lewis and Hathaway (with yours truly being the only
dissenter), a clear win for Riva, and a split between Haneke and Spielberg.
And now, on to the write-ups!
Thanks everyone for your thoughtful reflections.
Barb
First let me say how honored I am to be
spending my fourth consecutive Oscar weekend in Washington D.C. with my two favorite movie
critics. I love tradition.
1. Argo. An intriguing movie
based (however loosely) on real events. Action-packed,
suspenseful, humorous and highly entertaining. What's not to love? Great performances, and comic relief, from both Alan Arkin and John Goodman. Ben Affleck got screwed.
2. Lincoln. Daniel Day-Lewis is
amazing, and a shoo-in for Best Actor. I'm so glad they
decided to focus on a particular part of Lincoln's presidency, the passage of the 13th Amendment, rather than trying
to do too much. It allowed us to have an in-depth view of a
very important part of our nation's history. Plus, I liked all
the bickering. Strong supporting cast, particularly Tommy Lee
Jones. I had more of a problem with Sally Field's role. I just can never
see her as anyone but Sally Field.
3. Silver Linings Playbook. A bunch of misfits, just limping along doing the best they can and trying to stay positive. And can't we
all relate? My kind of movie, for sure. Great performances and
supporting cast. Didn't you just love Robert De Niro? Also, this movie
was a bit lighter than our other eight nominees.
4. Amour. A heartbreaking
story of love, loss and commitment. Although painfully difficult
to watch, I thought it was a very realistic look at end of life
issues. We see Anne go from a strong, intelligent, self-sufficient woman to someone totally dependent on others.
Georges struggles with wanting to care for, and hang on to Anne,
while witnessing her pain, loss of dignity and self, and clear
desire not to go back to the hospital. The ending gives us all food for
thought. Outstanding performances by Jean-Louis Trintignant and
Emmanuelle Riva. One of the best movies I'll never see again.
5. Zero Dark Thirty. If you can get through the gruesome torture scenes without leaving the theater, this is a very good movie. A totally absorbing, fast-paced drama based (however loosely) on the operation that found and killed Osama bin Laden. Jessica Chastain
is outstanding as the intense, single-minded CIA agent, Maya,
who spends her entire career in search of bin Laden. I also liked that
this movie did not tiptoe around the human cost of war: the destruction
and death of innocent people, including many children. At times, very
tough to watch.
6. Django Unchained. Typical Tarantino... his opinions smack you right in the face. I actually liked this movie much more than I thought
I would. Superb cast, interesting story of anger and revenge,
and humor tossed in when you least expect it. I did think it was a bit
too long, and a lot too bloody, but that's Tarantino.
7.
Life of Pi. I'm glad I had not read the book, and knew little about the story before seeing this film. It made the ending much more interesting, and really pulled things together for me. The heart
of this story takes place when Pi and the magnificent Bengal
tiger are at sea. One of the most visually beautiful movies I have ever
seen, made even more spectacular in 3D.
8. Beasts of the Southern Wild. Life in the 'Bathtub'... something most of us could
never imagine. A story with many contradictions: self-reliance and
dependency; strength and vulnerability; childlike optimism and stark
reality; the magical presence of the prehistoric aurochs and facing
your fears. Stunning performance by newcomer
Quvenzhane Wallis.
9. Les Miserables. Although I enjoyed Les Mis, I'm just not sure it was meant to be a movie. There were some strong performances, and
Anne Hathaway should certainly walk away with an Oscar.
Should Wins:
Best Director: Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver
Linings Playbook
Best Supporting Actor: Tommy Lee Jones,
Lincoln
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway,
Les Miserables
Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay): Argo
Best Writing (Original Screenplay):
Django Unchained
Ben
What a topsy-turvy Oscar year!
We’ve seen frontrunners come and go and come back, major snubs, and all
kinds of debate swirl around this year’s movies. Holding up last year’s
lineup to this year’s clearly shows a greater overall depth of vision.
It’s a pretty great group as well because audiences actually went out and
saw many of these movies and they touched a nerve in our overall culture.
It’s great when movies can be critically acclaimed, make money, and actually
make a difference. While I enjoyed watching everything this year (even
the often misguided Les Miserables), I actually found the rankings pretty
clear. I played around with my 1 and 2 and 4 and 5, but otherwise feel confident
in my lineup.
1. Lincoln. Sometimes you watch
a film that feels like an instant classic-and Lincoln is just such a movie.
The combination of screenwriter Tony Kushner, director Steven Spielberg,
and actor Daniel Day-Lewis is pure alchemy. Everything that could go wrong
in a historical biopic by Spielberg goes absolutely right. This is an
erudite, gripping, thoughtful, and often humorous movie that never pounds you
over the head with its import or sentimentality. Truly profound and
important.
2. Amour. A very close second and
another destined-to-be classic. I cried through (no lie) at least half of
this movie, and I’m still haunted by it weeks later. French actors
Emmanuelle Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant are beyond amazing in their turn as
an older woman who begins a rapid health decline and her husband who must take
care of her. Director Michael Haneke takes a clear-eyed view of this
couple and what the love of the title truly means at the end of a person’s
life. A very sad and beautiful film about something we must all go
through.
3. Argo. For me Argo was the
most straight-up entertaining movie of this year’s nominees, which is why I
think it’s on the path for the win. There certainly wasn’t another movie
where I was as glued to my seat. The prominently “snubbed” director Ben
Affleck (I do think he deserved a nomination, but if the snub came at the
tradeoff of a nom for Michael Haneke, I’m not complaining) combines a
political thriller and a “hooray for Hollywood” celebration into one hell of an
entertaining movie. It’s really fun to watch how some Hollywood hucksters
work with the U.S. and Canadian government to solve a major diplomatic crisis.
Maybe we all can get along? Another reason this will win is because
Hollywood loves to celebrate themselves, and here they actually save lives!
4. Silver Linings Playbook. Silver Linings Playbook plays like a classic Hollywood screwball
comedy updated for our current times. Damaged central characters, an
expansive supporting cast, and a healthy dose of feel-good emotions make this
just the kind of movie we needed to see right now. Jennifer Lawrence is
as good as you’ve heard as the dark and damaged Tiffany, and Bradley Cooper
surprised me greatly at his moving and sensitive performance as bipolar man
stuck between reliving his past and choosing a path forward. Not a
perfect movie, but charming and vibrant.
5 Django Unchained. While my overall feelings towards Quentin Tarantino run
more towards mild appreciation than love, this was my favorite surprise of this
year’s nominees. In this movie, Tarantinto finally uses his trademark
violence for a real purpose- to play out an entertaining revenge fantasy based
on the visceral anger at the institution and history of slavery. Was there a
more powerful image this year than the blood sprayed over the cotton fields? I
think not. Tarantino forces us to confront the horror of slavery, and to
cheer when the wronged get their bloody revenge. I haven’t even mentioned
the amazing performances yet. My personal favorite was Samuel L.
Jackson’s scary and funny performance as a collaborationist slave.
6. Life of Pi. The meticulous care
Ang Lee and his crew put into this movie is simply astonishing.
What takes up the bulk of the movie, an tale involving a young man
and a tiger named Richard Parker, is one of the best adventures ever put on
film. Unfortunately, Life of Pi is bookended with clunky scenes that
belong in a far lesser movie, but that wasn’t enough to take away the charm and
emotion I remember from Life of Pi. Besides Amour, this is probably the
most tears I shed at any nominee.
7. Zero Dark Thirty. If Django was my biggest pleasant surprise of the year, Zero Dark
Thirty was a bit of a letdown. Not that it wasn’t engaging and good, it’s
just that my expectations were incredibly high. I loved Kathryn Bigelow’s
Oscar-winner The Hurt Locker, and I was hoping for a similar level of
psychological depth. What we get instead is a clinical and procedural
movie following the long path to finding Osama bin Laden. The last
section is undeniably gripping, but I wanted a lot more psychological depth in
what came before, especially when an actress as strong as Jessica Chastain is
playing the lead.
8. Beasts of the Southern Wild. This is a movie I wanted to love, but I was left rather mixed on
it on both of my viewings. First the good. Director Benh Zeitlan
creates an original world called “The Bathtub” that is portrayed with absolute
care, and the Louisiana-style score is moving . Young Quevanzhane Wallis is
magnetic as Hushpuppy and Dwight Henry is excellent as her troubled father.
I liked parts of this movie a lot, but I find its racial/economic
politics a little troubling, as it flirted with the “noble savage” archetype.
While I don’t think this ultimately belongs in the Best Picture lineup,
I’m still glad it’s here because it’s the kind of movie that the industry
should promote.
9. Les Miserables. Perhaps the most divisive movie on the list-as I’ve heard both
raves from superfans and nasty dismissals from critics. I fall somewhere
in between. Some of the cast is great, particularly Anne Hathaway and
Eddie Redmayne. I also do enjoy the stage show and score and some of the
songs are done really well. Nevertheless..... what works on stage
sometimes seems a bit ridiculous on screen, as actors go through enormous
emotional and time changes over the space of a few minutes. And,
although those close-up shots undeniably worked well for Anne Hathaway’s
big number, they got pretty annoying when used for the whole movie. I
haven’t even gotten to Russell Crowe yet. To put it bluntly, this movie
certainly doesn’t belong in any best of the year list, especially when movies
as distinctive as The Master and Moonrise Kingdom were left off.
Should Win:
Best Director: Michael Haneke, Amour
Best Actor: Joaquin Phoneix, The Master
Best Actress: Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Best Supporting Actor: Philip Seymour
Hoffman, The Master
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, The
Master
Best Original Screenplay: Amour
Best Adapted Screenplay: Lincoln
Emily
It’s been a great year for movies and
for Ben’s Talking Pictures, which made its long-awaited debut in the Twittersphere! (Are
you following @BensTalkingPics?) The rankings for me this year
were a bit of a challenge; it’s a diverse collection of nominees, and
not one in the bunch I didn’t enjoy.
1. Amour. For me, Amour was by
far the most affecting movie of the year, perhaps because I
generally find life transitions heart-wrenching. Was it slow? Mundane? Agonizing? Yes. Yes. Yes. But Michael Haneke’s
quiet meditation on love, life, and end-of-life is so important
and rare in our fast-paced, youth-obsessed, death-averse culture.
Beautifully written, directed, and acted - I am pulling for Emmanuelle
Riva in the Best Actress category.
2. Argo. A riveting story
well told and well orchestrated by the notoriously snubbed
Ben Affleck. Yes, from what I’ve read, the writers should’ve given more credit to the Canadians; and no, it didn’t
need to become an action movie during the final scenes. But I was consistently entertained and on the edge of my seat. As a period
piece of sorts, I was hoping for a Best Costume Design nomination
– gotta love those 1979 looks!
3. Lincoln. You have to hand it
to Steven Spielberg for making a well-received movie about a character so
pre-conceived in American consciousness. Of course, much credit is also due to Daniel
Day-Lewis for bringing President Lincoln so masterfully to life. I
appreciated how the film humanized the history books, and focused
intently on a slice of Lincoln’s life and work - with very little fanfare
over his often overshadowing death. I was also a big fan of Tommy Lee
Jones’ performance here.
4. Silver Linings Playbook. Probably the most fun watch of the Best Picture nominees. I
especially loved the character of Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) and
his sincere, if sometimes thwarted, efforts to be his best self each
day. The world would be a better place if we all tried so hard. A few
parts seemed a little derivative, for example, the dance contest
scene reminded me a bit of the Little Miss Sunshine pageant scene. That said, it’s probably the movie I’d most enjoy watching again.
5. Life of Pi. If you thought it sounded relaxing to float
on a raft with a kittycat, think again. Another story well told and so
visually stunning (the phosphorescent jellyfish!), even despite my
inability to appreciate 3D effects. I was drawn to the themes of Pi’s
deep faith and sense of respect and responsibility toward nature (e.g.,
the hungry Richard Parker). Extra points for the sloth cameo and
the meerkat island.
6. Beasts of the Southern Wild. A creative and interesting allegory on climate change and the marginalized communities most adversely affected. I loved the artistry of this movie. And what a phenom Hollywood has discovered in Quvenzhané Wallis; it was fun to see
her nominated. Even though the film was a little off-putting in
its romanticization of poverty, its many impressive elements
have me looking forward to more from the young director Benh
Zeitlin.
7. Zero Dark Thirty. I wasn’t sure if I was going to see this because of the torture,
which was, indeed, torturous to watch. But I had such respect for Kathryn
Bigelow after The Hurt Locker that I decided to take the plunge. It
was refreshing to see a female protagonist in a military movie, and
Jessica Chastain is so consistently good. The final section of the
movie (i.e., the bin Laden part) was particularly well done. It didn’t
quite live up to the achievements of The Hurt Locker, but I’m glad
I saw it.
8. Les Miserables. Even though it’s in my last slot, I did enjoy seeing this classic story on film and, let’s be honest, struggled to
resist singing along. Anne Hathaway was as fantastic as everyone
says in her short time on screen, and I liked Hugh Jackman’s performance
as well. On the downside, I thought it was a little long and didn’t
really take a lot of artistic risk (I know, I know, live singing…). I
think I would have liked a little more outside-the-box kind of
interpretation.
Haven’t seen:
Django Unchained. Thanks to Ben for
letting me contribute on the blog even though I didn’t see this one. If you’re
like me and get upset by violent movies, it’s probably best to steer clear of Quentin Tarantino. But I heard people liked it.
Should wins:
Best Director: Ben Affleck (okay…
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln)
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Actress: Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Supporting Actor: Tommy Lee Jones,
Lincoln
Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway, Les
Miserables
Adapted Screenplay: Silver Linings
Playbook
Original Screenplay: Moonrise Kingdom
Jason
2012 was an excellent year at the
movies and I'm glad to be able to participate once again in the annual family
blog. A great barometer for my love for a film is whether I'd spend the
time seeing it again. Two of the movies on this list I've already seen
twice and I plan to take a second watch of a few more.
I definitely enjoyed every film that is
up for best picture this year. It's such a diverse group of films that
cover such a wide range of topics, and I think that's a good thing.
1. Zero Dark Thirty. Admittedly, excellent war (war on terrorism included) films are my
go to genre, so I may be biased towards my favorite movie of the year. I
felt the directing, acting and pacing of this film were all incredibly well
done. Jessica Chastain was fantastic as Mia and with the exception of Kyle
Chandler, the rest of the casting seemed spot on to me. The actual raid
on UBL’s compound is my favorite thirty minutes on film this year and it’s a
shocker that Bigelow wasn’t nominated for directing. I actually got a chance to see ZDT twice (once by myself and once
with my wife) and I liked it even more the second time. I picked up on some
of the nuances with the intelligence gathering details and interactions between
the characters.
2. Django Unchained. I think you could
call me a Tarantino fan boy, there isn’t a movie he has done that I haven’t
enjoyed and Django was no exception. I can’t imagine any
actor working today who wouldn’t want to be in a Quentin film. His mastery
of striking violent visuals, stereotypical characters whom always surprise you
with something out of the ordinary and of course the amazing dialog.
Foxx, Washington, DiCaprio, Jackson and Waltz (who is nominated) all
could have been nominated in their respective categories and that tells you
something about the quality of the script and the direction.
3. Argo. What a fun, humorous, perfectly paced, suspenseful and
well-acted film Argo is. It’s one of those rare movies where it is tough
to find a single person who didn’t enjoy and love it. The cast is perfect
as Arkin, Cranston, Goodman and Affleck all do a great job with their
respective parts. I also enjoyed the acting of the cast playing the
hostages, even though most of them were complete unknowns to me. The historical attention to detail regarding the clothing, the
vehicles and even the extreme clever use of post processing to make the film
look like it was filmed in 1979 just added to film’s grandeur. I do find it interesting that there has been so much negative
press around ZDT and Lincoln because of a lack of historically accuracy, yet
people don’t seem to care that Argo took very creative liberties with the story
from Tony Mendez’s book (a la the plane on the runway with police chasing it
scene).
4. Lincoln. Spielberg plus
Day-Lewis…enough said. I loved Lincoln and got a chance to see it twice.
I’m not sure there is anything more than I can say about Day-Lewis’s
performance that people don’t already know. The script was extremely well
paced, especially given the material by itself could have been very dry at
times. I loved the scenes in the House of Reps and think we should bring
back direct insults and hyperbole to our government (imagine the ratings boost
for CSPAN, I would definitely tune in to watch Pelosi tell Bachmann off!) The whole cast was excellently cast and I particularly enjoyed (as
a lot did) Tommy Lee Jones.
5. Silver Linings Playbook. My second favorite genre after war films is films about real
people in everyday situations so obviously SLP is right up my alley. When I first saw the preview for SLP, I immediately thought
that this was going to be a standard rom-com (my absolute least favorite type
of movie). Once the reviews started rolling in, I knew this was a film I
would really enjoy. An acting nomination in each category not only says a lot
about the skills of the actors, but a lot about the ability of the director to
get the most out of his talent. Cooper, Lawrence, De Niro (hasn’t been
nominated since 91 and hasn’t won since 80, wow!) and Weaver all nailed their
characters.
6. Beasts of the Southern Wild. Beasts is the critical darling of the year and very deservedly so.
I love it when a small film with first time actors (Winter’s Bone) makes
such an impact on the film community. Here is another example of how great
directing can elevate both the actors and the film itself from something that
could have been ordinary into something fantastic. Wallis was great as
Hushpuppy and I also really enjoyed Dwight Henry as her father Wink. A big part
of this film is the setting and Benh Zeitlin really does a nice job making you
feel what it’s like to be in the middle of a flood.
7. Amour. Taking a topic like
the one addressed in Amour has been done many times, but never quite so
powerfully as done in this film. A powerful film takes very strong actors and both Riva and
Trintignant are amazing in their respective roles as the wife with health
problems and the husband who has to play the caretaker. I’m very
surprised Trintignant wasn’t nominated for his role as I felt he was every bit
as good as Riva. Haneke did a great job at the directing helm, as 95% of the
movie takes place in the couple’s Parisian apartment. There isn’t a shot
or scene that is wasted and at points I almost felt like I was watching a
documentary.
8. Life of Pi. I never read the book
so I went into this movie not knowing exactly what to expect. I felt like
the beginning and most of the end were a bit of throwaway material, but the
middle of the film is just spectacular. Richard Parker (a CGI tiger) is one
of my favorite characters from the movies this year, the special effects work
was incredible. Ang Lee is one of the best directors out there and he didn’t
disappoint with Life of Pi. The shipwreck scene was extremely intense and
realistic, Lee was definitely teaching a master class in that moment. Overall, I really enjoyed this film but because of a lack of
actors (not the film’s fault, just part of the story) I couldn’t rate it as
highly as others on this list.
9. Les Miserables. I’ve seen Les Mis on
Broadway a few years ago and remembered really liking parts of it but not
appreciating other sections. Interestingly enough, that’s exactly how I
felt about the film version. In terms of acting, Jackman, Hathaway, Redmayne and some of
the lesser-known revolutionaries were excellent. Obviously Hathaway’s
performance is Oscar worthy and I don’t see there being any surprises in her
category Sunday evening. Much has been said about Crowe’s singing chops and I agree
that he isn’t the best singer. It’s a shame they couldn’t have found an
actor with Crowe’s on screen presence who also could have picked up the singing
parts effectively. The main scene with Cohen and Carter felt like it belonged
straight out of Sweeney Todd and regardless of whether it fit well in the film,
I’m a little tired of seeing both of them in the same types of roles. The low point of this film was the directing. I did not like
the constant handicam shots as well as the gratuitous close-ups of the actors
as they sing (and have snot coming out of their nostrils;) Overall, Les
Miserables was a decent movie, but I don’t believe it should have been up for
an Oscar.
Who Should Win:
Best Director: Michael Haneke,
Amour
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis,
Lincoln
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence,
Silver Linings Playbook
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph
Waltz, Django Unchained
Best Supporting Actress: Anne
Hathaway, Les Miserables
Best Original Screenplay: Django
Unchained
Best Adapted Screenplay: Silver
Linings Playbook
Sarah
What a year for movies! In my
opinion, the nominees this year were a much stronger bunch than 2011’s crop.
Compared to last year’s nostalgia theme, the themes were overall darker
(mental illness, political revolution, torture, slavery, end of life
decisions,) Unlike about 75% of last year’s nominees, I don’t think at
any point while watching these I thought “Hmm, how charming, wish I could have
been around for that event/time period.” However, although the themes were
overall dark, the emotional impact was totally different, from the quiet, deep
sadness of Amour to the thrill ride of Django.
1. Amour. I saw this movie right before writing this list, and I wish
I had more time to process and reflect on it, as I’m sure it will haunt me for
quite some time. It was extremely moving and even compared to Django’s
bloodbath and Zero Dark Thirty’s torture scenes, was the hardest to watch,
perhaps because unlike slavery or war, growing old and/or watching the decline
of a partner is something almost inevitable. At times I even felt
like I was seeing something I wasn’t supposed to by witnessing this completely
believable and unflinching portrayal of a lifelong love coming to an end.
2. Argo. When I think about what movie was probably the most tightly
and skillfully made, I had to go with Argo. I think Ben Affleck was
absolutely snubbed for best director nomination- the directing was nearly
impeccable. Perfectly paced, a great mix of humor and tension, good
acting, and attention to detail. I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t appreciate
this movie.
3.Lincoln. The trailers for Lincoln made me worried it would be a dry
historical drama, but it was anything but. Daniel Day Lewis (also my pick for
best actor of the year) nailed it with his depiction of a president of arguably
the most challenging period in American history. I liked the focus on one
aspect and period of his presidency instead of doing a sweeping biopic with a
drawn out theater scene. The supporting cast was also fantastic,
especially Tommy Lee Jones. My only real complaint was that Sally Field
was a little over the top as Mary Todd.
4. Silver Linings Playbook. So being a mental
health social worker, plus a fan of quirky dramas about families and how they
function, I was looking forward to seeing this movie probably more than any
others. And it did not disappoint! Just like “The Fighter,” the
characters were authentic, imperfect, and hilarious. I loved the message
too that our ideas about who is “crazy” (i.e. people getting mental health
treatment) and who is “normal” is pretty blurry.
5. Django Unchained. If I was ranking the
movies based on how much fun I had watching it, Argo and Django would be in a
tight race for number one. Bloody, perfect use of soundtrack,
funny, over-the top, controversial, pushing the envelope- everything you can
expect from Tarantino and more. As I’ve lived in the south now for over a
year, and saw the movie with a primarily African American audience, that really
added to the experience for me, as Tarantino played with the idealization of
the antebellum south and plantation life. I read an interview
Tarantino where he said “If I’ve done my job right, modulating this movie and
doing it the right way, then the audience will burst into applause. They’ll
clap with Broomhilda. They’ll laugh when Django and his horse do the little
dance. That means I’ve done it the right way.” And he did- even
though the end got extremely gruesome, I still found myself rooting for Django
at the end. And I LOVED Christoph Waltz in this movie.
6. Beasts of the Southern Wild. The most unusual and
creative movie of the bunch. The acting was incredible, especially
6 year old Quvenzhané Wallis and Dwight Henry as her father. It
took some risks, and at times I felt uncomfortable with the portrayal of the poor
people as savages. However, it was a beautiful narrative and is a movie
I’d like to watch again to take in all the acting and set design.
7. Zero Dark Thirty. This movie was very
compelling, but I felt empty at the end. I felt like I had just watched a
really interesting political thriller, but that’s it. I wasn’t sure
what/if any message Kathryn Bigelow wanted to get across- or maybe that was the
point- the audience was supposed to feel like Maya at the end- a little
emotionally numb and possibly let down after all the anticipation of catching
bin Laden. I understood the depictions of torture and I think they were
necessary in telling the story of what all went into post 911, but I struggled
with the film’s arguably untrue depiction of their success in leading to Osama
bin Laden’s death.
8. Les Miserables. The Good: The women!
I loved Anne Hathaway’s performance, as well as Samantha Bark as Eponine.
I also thought Hugh Jackman did an incredible job, and I enjoyed some of
the musical numbers a lot (especially On my Own, I Dreamed a Dream, and Do you
Hear the People Sing?). I got the good chills that any good, famous, epic
musical should give.
The Bad: Russell Crowe. His
performance was really stiff, and his singing, while not as bad as I initially expected,
was distracting for me. I also thought the close ups were overdone- it
worked really well in some parts, like during the show stealing “I dreamed a
dream” but was overused- I wanted more big epic sweeping shots.
9. Life of Pi. I enjoyed some things about this movie. It was very
beautiful, and his relationship with his tiger was memorable. I
really enjoyed the twist ending and what it says about the power of storytelling
and memory. But it went on a little long for me, and I cringed at how awkward
the narration pieces were at the beginning and end.
Who Should Win
Best Director: Michael Haneke, Amour
Best Actress: Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Best Actor: Daniel Day Lewis, Lincoln
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz-
Django Unchained
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway-
Les Miserables
Best Adapted screenplay: Lincoln
Best Original Screenplay: Django
Unchained
Tyler
When I look at all the films together,
I tend to look for certain themes that are prevalent. It could just be random chance that they fit together, or just trying too
hard to look for cohesion, or it could be at least
partially that these themes permeate our culture and shift our attention just enough so that people value (and make) the films that reflect this
(maybe Moonrise Kingdom would have been nominated in last year’s nostalgia-fest). If some underlying currents really do play a role in the reception of these films, then of course it
would not be surprising that in a big election year, many
of the films would be overtly political and relevant, even though none take place in contemporary settings (even many of the practices in
ZD30, we have been assured, are
now a thing of the past). They are
particularly relevant because many of the topics are
themselves still controversial (the use
of torture, repercussions of installing/propping-up
U.S.-friendly dictators, the handling of Katrina, Occupy 19th Century Champs-Elysees, etc.), but they all are timeless in that they are examinations of the
role of the individual to affect massive political
institutions.
1. Lincoln. When I first saw the trailer for Lincoln, I was expecting a
rather stiff and uninteresting movie that would be required
viewing in all middle and high school U.S. history classes for the next two decades. I’m glad I was wrong. Lincoln has a great screenplay full
of both poetry and procedural scheming, has great pacing (the family parts dragged but
were tolerable), has a wonderful cast, and was directed in a
very classical Spielberg-Ian sense (which I have some reservations about but still fitting). What I loved the most, however, was the
immediacy and the modernity of the politics. “History”
is simple, has unambiguous good and evil sides, teleologically evolves towards
justice, and this evolution takes place
as the result of a few noble heroes. Of course Lincoln works within these conventions of “History”, but it is also
refreshingly realistic. Major advances in civil rights
sometimes require backroom deals and bribery, are always hotly contested, and
are not always pursued with the purest of intentions. The bitter
messiness we see today will one day become bland textbook
filler. After viewing this film, I realized that the main theme, the progressive-pragmatist dilemma (exemplified
most directly in Thaddeus Stevens, but of course also Lincoln himself)
would not look much different than the themes of a movie about Obama. Lincoln is my favorite this year because it is an entertaining and
thought-provoking film that takes great steps to
unravel our disconnect between “History” and now.
2. Django Unchained. Django is an
inversion of Lincoln in many ways. There are the obvious differences, like the
use of violence, the creative licenses taken with history, and the
complete lack of Rick Ross to underscore the vote-counting action, but it is the
approach of the two heroes, while both fighting the institution of
slavery, that is as divergent as possible. Django’s power comes from his superhero level gunslinging abilities, but he completely lacks all
institutional power. When artificially given some institutional power (being a free-man in charge of other slaves), he is actually left even
more powerless. I could write way more than anyone would ever want to read about Django himself, but I won’t. Of course Jackson’s “Uncle Tom”
character also begs for a lot of analysis, or for that matter, the role of every character
in relation to slavery, from those that have a complex
mixture of racist spite and business sense (Mr. Candy claims he would have, after all, been willing to sell his troublemaking slave Hilde outright), to those who don’t enforce the brutality firsthand but benefit from the
stolen wealth slavery creates, to those that go out of their way to support the institution even though it could be (as
it was for many White farmers) financially bad for them. Of course one could just watch for
the Tarantino-ness: the entertaining dialogue (like the
hilarious KKK-bashing homage to Blazing Saddles), the tense interrogations (which were not as good as the Waltz scenes in Inglourious but
still good), the crazy soundtrack choices, and the over-the-top violent action expected in a Tarantino film. Even though this
movie retells one of the oldest and most
tired narratives (might makes right and right makes might), a mainstream movie that creates a space for an audience to cheer on
a Black man murdering lots of people as comeuppance for supporting a huge American
institution is still quite radical (even if only a White
filmmaker is allowed to do it). This movie was not only full of Tarantino’s
great style, it allowed for, or possibly demanded, a lot of thought.
3. Amour. This movie was filled with pain, desperation, anxiety, fear,
guilt, and yet it was also filled with warmth. I saw on the
poster that the director also did Cache, and while Amour often looked similar, the old couple did not have the alienation, suspicion,
and secrecy between them as the husband and wife in Cache. Instead, they are the result of a
long loving relationship, where they seem to know each other almost too well, making
Anne’s transition from the woman he knew so well into
a helpless desperate shell all the more tragic. In some ways the film was darker than I expected it to be, but it was also much more
positive and warm. There are many stories about falling
in love, many stories that just end with “happily ever after”, some stories about falling out of love, but stories about how love changes or
remains the same over time is an underserved area, and
Amour is a wonderful film about what love means when we and the person we love are at our most vulnerable.
4. Silver Linings Playbook. As with Amour, this
film does not really fit the theme I’m focusing on in the others, but it really
is a great accomplishment. I didn’t know until after watching it
that Silver Linings was directed by the same guy that did The
Fighter, but it makes perfect sense. Here Russell stays in the clearly delineated
boundaries of a standard rom-com, but never rests on any cliches, instead creating a world for believable characters to live out the
experiences of a rom-com in a way that feels completely
refreshing, exciting, and almost plausible. The acting is superb all around,
the dialogue is funny but never silly (and the dance
contest/Eagles game double-bet is the perfect amount of silly), and
the characters all have this great balance where they feel exhausting yet you don’t want your time with them to end.
5. Argo. In the first 5
minutes of the film, Argo reminds us of America’s role in toppling a democratically-elected leader and the
propping up of a U.S. oil-interest-friendly puppet leading to the Iranian revolution. While simply relaying these
historical facts is considered by some to be radical liberal
propaganda (have they asked Chuck Hagel what he thinks of this film yet?), the film is not heavily political. It actually fits more with many of
the films from last year, which attempted to show the power of The Movies. Argo was a very
well-made Hollywood period thriller. It was
funny, tense, well written, had a great cast, and is definitely the best heist
film (ironic since Affleck’s last movie, about bank robbers, was
certainly not a heist film) I’ve seen in a long time. I felt
this movie only goes deeper than a standard thriller because Affleck wants us
to view both the U.S. foreign affairs apparatus and the bright-eyed Islamic radicals in relation to the fantastical escape
and hopefulness offered by Star Wars and its ilk.
6. Zero Dark Thirty. After starting out
with real 9/11 tapes I was actually surprised that the rest of the film was
pretty emotionally reserved and didn’t really
rely on any other cheap ploys. After the much talked about “torture is bad but not really that bad and hey at least everyone
we tortured was actually a bad guy and we got some real info” scenes, the rest of the film
played out like a well done procedural or X-Files story (where Chastain is Mulder of course), eschewing the
Hollywood-ness of Argo and Lincoln and giving it a great gritty approach, even if
the content is not as documentary as originally claimed.
Bigelow has made a lot of (sometimes contradictory) comments on this film, but one consistent point is that the film cannot be propaganda
because it is not didactic. It is up to the viewers to draw conclusions. While I disagree that
this is true of the way torture is portrayed, I
certainly agree in a general sense. The film itself felt very emotionally hollow
to me, which works well since the film made me feel that all the
work and deaths that happened in the search for Bin Laden
lead to a very hollow victory. Hollowness and ambivalence are hard emotions to get excited about, so it makes it hard to judge this
film, but I think it does a great job at forcing the
audience to decide whether her crusade made a difference in bettering the world
or not, and ending the movie with a backseat Graduate scene on the empty cargo plane was a great (if obvious) choice.
7. Beasts of the Southern Wild. Beasts of the
Southern Wild was of course also very politically charged. The struggle of these extremely
disenfranchised characters in modern America is of course relevant (and I kept thinking of Trouble The Water as I watched this). In a way this
movie is a lot like Django, in that it is about those on the
bottom rung of society, who have epic struggles that at best would result in an improvement for themselves and their loved ones, with no
widespread change at all. This film is full of beautiful
and gruesome imagery, and it does a great job at sweeping you up into the film, even though the catharsis it provides feels shallow. I definitely
teared up multiple times in this movie, because for
some reason terrible tragedies that only “grown ups” can really understand being narrated with innocence and naivety by children is my
kryptonite. Beasts for me was a beautifully packaged experience, but it didn’t resonate with
me after I left the theatre, and in fact filled me with many reservations
upon reflection. To me the strangest feeling was that it was in constant flux between a Christian Children’s Fund commercial and a
“look how exotic but wonderful the lives of these noble savages are” anti-interventionist film.
8. Les Miserables. I had seen a high
school abridged version of the musical, but I never saw the original/travelling production, and certainly never had all the words of the soundtrack
memorized. Movies of plays tend to have an odd feel, but I thought the direction,
though far from perfect, kept the feel at a consistent point
between a staged production and a “real world” production. The choice to do
live recordings was a great one, as I think without it the close-up solo songs could not work. Normally slow solos are
the lowlights in musicals for me, but I appreciated the way the camera just sat there close to the face and allowed the song to unfold,
which made them stand out more
against the heavily choreographed stuff
(like Borat in the inn). This movie’s nomination is not surprising, but it just doesn’t rise to the level of some of the
more adventurous pieces this year. This film was made
for fans of the musical, and seems to stand up against those lofty expectations as best it could, but I feel that with a slightly
different treatment, it could stay true to the musical while
allowing the highly relevant themes about class and power to resonate better.
9. Life of Pi. I didn’t really like
this movie very much. It had very good visuals, although unfortunately I only
saw it in 2D. Most of the nominees were long and felt short, but
this movie felt much longer than it was. I hate scary
movies where the people make really stupid decisions that I would not make (or that their characters wouldn’t make), and now I realize that
this also applies to shipwreck movies. I did really like the scene in the hospital where he
told the “alternative” story, and I can see why this would
work so well as a book (I never read it). The film however, especially the awkward writer/interviewer, just did not.
Who Should Win
Actor: Daniel Day Lewis, Lincoln
Actress: Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
S. Actor: Robert De Niro, Silver
Linings Playbook
S. Actress: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Original Screenplay: Django Unchained
Adapted Screenplay: Lincoln
Director: Michael Haneke, Amour
And there you have it, folks. Keep up on your Oscar contenders and join me
next year!
10. Anna Karenina: I was both excited and apprehensive to see a film version of my favorite novel of all time. While director Joe Wright didn’t give me the Anna I envisioned, he did give his own daring conception of Anna and the stifling world around her. His choice to film the movie in an abandoned theater was brilliant, given a fascinating theatricality to the whole affair. My major caveat is that I wanted even more of Levin and Kitty’s stories.
9. Oslo, August 31st: There isn’t a misstep or false moment in this portrait of Anders, a drug addict on leave from his treatment program to go for a job interview. It’s portrait of lost opportunity and possible rebirth is profound, deeply personal, and occasionally formally experimental. Director Joachim Trier (who made the wonderful Reprise in 2008) is one to watch.
8. Django Unchained: Following the Kill Bill movies and Inglourious Basterds, here is another revenge fantasy from Quentin Tarantino, and this one is his best film since Pulp Fiction. A daring and bold takedown of all the myths of the old South, this movie is both tremendously fun and genuinely moving. It’s close to 3 hours, and not a minute too long. 
7. Silver Linings Playbook: Director David O. Russell gives us a big-hearted movie about Pat Solitano, a bipolar man who is struggling to reclaim his old life. A kind of modern screwball comedy, this movie has it all: laughs, tears, and a great climax. Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence have the most chemistry between two stars I’ve seen in a long time. 
6. The Kid With a Bike: Movies about goodness are perhaps the hardest to pull off, as they so often descend into sentimentality. Leave it to the Dardenne brothers, the Beligan filmmakers who are modern masters, to portray with great sincerity nothing less than the saving of a lost soul. Young Thomas Doret and Cecile de France give beautifully naturalistic perfroamnces.
5. Moonrise Kingdom: This movie crept up my Top 10 list until it landed at 5, and it seems the movie most likely to climb even higher as the years proress. I was actually skeptical of this movie before I saw it, as I felt like director Wes Anderson had become repetitevely twee in The Life Aquatic and The Darjeeling Limited. Anderson returns to the heights of his best movies with Moonrise Kingdom. It is as impeccably and artistically constructed as any of his movies, filled with humorous dialogue, and also achingly poignant and romantic. I can’t stop thinking about that last scene.
4. Argo: This year’s Best Picture winner was probably the most flat-out entertaining of the year. Ben Affleck directs this true (with some Hollywood license) story of an escape from revolutionary Iran aided by the wonders of Hollywood. The performances are great, the directing top-notch (sorry for that Best Director snub Ben!), and I hardly moved a muscle for the entire movie.
3. The Master: Easily the most divisive movie on my list. Strange, gorgeous, off-putting, fascinating, confusing, and epic are all words I can use to describe this movie. I’ve now seen it twice and its mysteries continue to haunt me. It takes the beginning of a Scientology-like cult as it starts, and becomes something even more haunting and mysterious. As in There Will Be Blood, P.T. Anderson shows us the darker side of a period American history (this time post-WWII), forcing us to hold up a mirror to the worst in our culture, even while giving us haunting and beautiful images.
