Mad Rankings: Oscar Road

Here we are! Back for my favorite blog of the year, ranking the Best Picture nominees.  It will be the seventh blog for my mother-in-law Barb and me, and 6th for everyone else. My sister-in-law Kirstin also joins the blog with a quick ranking of the movies she saw this year as well.  We're hoping this tradition keeps up so the newest member of the family, Jason and Kirstin's newborn Hana, can join us in 15 years!

First, some history. Our consensus best picture winners from the past 6 years:

2009-The Hurt Locker

2010- Black Swan

2011- The Artist

2012- Lincoln

2013- 12 Years a Slave

2014- Boyhood

This year, we loved post-apocalyptic warriors, Wall Street oddballs, and Irish immigrants. Topping the list are the battles of Mad Max and Furiosa.

While Mad Max had the most outright love, with 4 of us putting it #1, The Big Short was our biggest consensus movie, placing #2 or #3 on everyone’s list.

Movie	Average Rank	Jason	Barb	Sarah	Tyler	Ben	Emily
1. Mad Max: Fury Road	2	1	6	1	1	1	2
2. The Big Short	2.83	3	3	3	2	3	3
3. Brooklyn	3	7	2	2	4	2	1
4. Spotlight	4	4	1	5	5	4	5
5. Room	4.67	5	7	4	3	5	4
6. Bridge of Spies	6.33	8	4	6	7	6	7
7. The Revenant	6.5	2	8	7	6	8	8
8. The Martian	6.67	6	5	8	8	7	6

For our big category votes this year, it may be our first year with no unanimous choices.  The consensus of the group goes to Leo, Director George Miller, the Adapted Screenplay of The Big Short, and Original Screenplay to Inside Out. We split between Brie Larson and Saoirse Ronan for Actress, Mark Rylance and Christian Bale in Supporting Actor, Rooney Mara and Kate Winslet in Supporting Actress.

Best Actor

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant: Barb, Jason, Emily, Tyler

Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs: Ben, Sarah

Best Actress

Brie Larson, Room: Jason, Sarah, Tyler

Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn: Ben, Barb, Emily

Best Supporting Actor

Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies: Barb, Jason, Ben

Christian Bale, The Big Short: Emily, Sarah, Tyler

Best Supporting Actress

Rooney Mara, Carol: Sarah, Ben

Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs: Tyler, Emily

Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl: Barb

*Jason abstaining- has only seen Spotlight.

Best Director

George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road: Ben, Jason, Sarah, Tyler, Emily

Alejandro G. Innaritu, The Revenant: Barb

Best Original Screenplay

Inside Out: Ben, Sarah, Emily, Tyler

Spotlight: Jason, Barb

Best Adapted Screenplay

The Big Short: Ben, Sarah, Jason, Tyler, Barb

Brooklyn: Emily

Ben

After a somewhat slow start, 2015 turned out to be a really great year in movies and a solidly good year for Oscar.  With one exception (which unfortunately is favored to win), I thoroughly enjoyed all the Best Picture nominees this year.  That said, I do wish I could swap out my 4-8 and add in these 5: Ex Machina, Carol, Sicario, Inside Out, and Creed. Now THAT would have been a lineup.

1. Mad Max: Fury Road: There’s a moment about 30 or 40 minutes into  MM:FR when the action finally dies down for a minute, and the audience in the theater I was in let out a breath and gave a communal joyful laugh.  Did a director really just keep us all glued to the screen that whole time? Emphatically yes, and it didn’t stop there.  MM:FR is a master class in using the visual medium to tell a story, so much so that it almost functions as a silent film. The (many) action scenes are easily some of the best ever put on film, the design is astonishingly distinctive, and the movie tells an important environmental, anti-authoritarian, and feminist story with Charlize Theron giving a great action star performance.  I’m astonished and gratified a movie this singular made it to 10 Oscar nominations. It’s one for the all-time great lists.

2. Brooklyn: A perfect adaptation from one of my favorite books of recent years. I can’t think of a single way this movie could have been better.  Emotional without being manipulative, sweet without being saccharine, specific and yet universal.  The movie perfectly captures the tension of the pull from home and the desire to make a new life. The ensemble cast is great, and at the center of it all is the luminous Saoirse Ronan, coming into her own as an adult actress and holding your attention every second she’s on the screen.

3. The Big Short: A film about the appalling financial crisis of last decade could have been serious, dour, and relentlessly dry.  How to fix that? Hire comedy director Adam McKay to turn it into an angry comedy, with a mix of visual styles and tones that seems like an entirely new genre of movie. Add in one of the best casts of the year, with Steve Carrell, Christian Bale, and Ryan Gosling giving perfectly pitched performances. This feels like a movie of the moment, funny and angry and alive all at the same time.  

4. Spotlight: Spotlight is a compelling, engaging story about the Boston Globe’s intensive research into the sex abuse scandals of the Catholic Church. For (mostly) better or (occasionally) worse, it’s an understated movie that builds power along the way. I loved the way the great ensemble cast worked together, sharing the screen and the story and fully inhabiting their roles. Why isn’t it a tad higher then? At times I felt like I was watching a really good TV show, and wanted just a little more cinema artistry.

5. Room: Room is really two movies, the first focusing on Ma and her son held captive in an abductor’s shed, and the second (spoiler alert I guess) focusing on their adjustment to life outside.  I was most impressed with the first half of Room, particularly director Lenny Abrahamson’s skill at keeping the movie visually interesting in such a tight space.  It also has moments of skilled tension-building and immerses us in the lives of the two protagonists. While I think the second half of the movie is fully necessary, and has some terrific scenes, it also leads the movie into more conventional waters.  The chemistry of Brie Larson and young Jacob Tremblay are great and vital to the success of the movie.

6. Bridge of Spies: The Cold War-era Bridge of Spies is a really good movie in an old-fashioned sense, well-made with a strong script (co-written by the Coen Brothers!) and very good performances. Tom Hanks give another effortlessly good performance, and Mark Rylance blew me away in his supporting role as Russian spy Rudolf Abel.  Without hitting you over the head, it also draws important parallels to our current political climate.  The fact that nothing about it feels particularly innovative keeps it from placing higher on my list.

7. The Martian: A fun romp in outer space, with a charismatic movie star performance by Matt Damon. It also has a fun cast of supporting characters back on Earth and in the rescue spaceship. My favorites were Jessica Chastain as the team leader and Donald Glover as the goofy but brilliant NASA employee.  The whole thing does get a bit long, though, and feels more like a summer popcorn flick than a Best Picture.  For me, it didn’t approach the awe and emotional depths of 2013’s Gravity.

8. The Revenant: Well, here we get to the probable winner, and it’s (by a long shot)  at the bottom of my list, the one movie that failed to emotionally move me in any noticeable way. First the good.  Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (Children of Men, The Tree of Life, Gravity, Birdman, Y Tu Mama Tambien, …...) is one of my absolute favorite cinematic artists, and he doesn’t disappoint here. Throughout its running time, The Revenant is a wonder to look at, even in its many brutal moments. I also enjoyed the first 30-45 minutes or so, especially the initial attack and flee from the fur trading site. And then it keeps going and going, becoming a familiar and frankly monotonous story of survival and revenge. I’m still waiting to talk to someone or read a review where anyone convinces me of any message or point this movie coherently makes. As for Leo, he’s solid in a part that calls for him to suffer, but I wish he was winning his Oscar for a movie that called more on his natural charm. If this goes on to win, it will be my least favorite Best Picture winner since Braveheart 20 years ago.

Should Win:

Director: George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road

Actor: MIchael Fassbender, Steve Jobs

Actress: Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies

Supporting Actress: Rooney Mara, Carol (Although the category fraud is ridiculous. She’s obviously a lead!)

Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short

Original Screenplay: Inside Out

Emily

Thanks, Ben, for another year of getting me to see all the movies. Since I don’t get to talk about them below, I also want to say that I really enjoyed Inside Out, Ex Machina, 45 Years, and Creed (especially Michael B. Jordan, who should have been nominated). Looking forward to Oscar night and hearing what Chris Rock has to say about our extra White list of nominees. (Did you see how SNL imagined the evening?) Okay, so here’s what I thought:

1. Brooklyn: Gorgeous movie and performance by Saoirse Ronan. Broad appeal in a personal but universal story, and themes of home, love, family, identity, decisions, and navigating change. Loved a lot of the visual elements - looking over the sea from Ireland and New York and the drab-to-vivid transition in her costuming (that green bathing suit!).

2. Mad Max: Fury Road: I couldn’t have imagined ranking an action movie so highly, but make it a pro-environment, pro-feminist action movie? Okay, you won me over. So high-speed and intense that the crowd in our theater burst into relieved laughter after the very extended opening chase scene. Awesome effects to say the least. And frighteningly, a lot to ponder in a year full of water crises.

3. The Big Short: Loved what was going on with this edutainment filmmaking genre. Imagine all the things we think we’re not smart enough to understand becoming things that we find out we actually can. Great performances, especially by Christian Bale. Did you know that he was wearing Michael Burry’s actual clothes?

4. Room: A powerful and at times, highly anxiety-inducing, movie (that truck scene!). Fantastic performances by Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay. Interesting to see the story shown through a child’s eyes, as he awakens to life in a huge, unimaginable new world. Also, it wins my award for best scene of the year. Is it too late to campaign Seamus the Dog for Supporting Actor?

5. Spotlight: An engaging account of top-notch investigative journalists (in unstylish late 90s/early 2000s khakis) up against a powerful system with influence around every corner. Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams (and Roger Sterling!) were all very believable as journalists and gave strong performances.

6. The Martian: A celebration of science being cool, well-led by Matt Damon as the astronaut/botanist who maintained the levity of the movie through near-death experience after near-death experience. I also liked Jessica Chastain as the crew leader, and the overall representation of women and non-White people in science.

7. Bridge of Spies: Interesting combo of Spielberg directing and Coen Brothers co-writing… who knew? A story of diplomacy, integrity, and two people staying true to what they do – with an especially superb performance by Mark Rylance. Maybe lower on my list because it isn’t really my genre, but I did find it enjoyable.

8. The Revenant: I just think I had my eyes closed for too many scenes, which is too bad because the scenery was stunning. Strong performance by Leo, who always does well on the edge of hypothermia (this time, cozy inside a horse carcass). Overall, though, I felt it was a bit long and without a very clear moral argument. That said, I was still engaged in the story.

Should Win:

Director: George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road

Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant

Actress: Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Big Short

Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

Adapted Screenplay: Brooklyn

Original Screenplay: Inside Out

Barb

I am honored to be part of benstalkingpictures.blogspot.com Oscar blog for the 7th consecutive year. Another great year at the movies! I love a good story, and this year's nominations provided plenty of them.

1. Spotlight: An outstanding cast tells the story of the Boston Globe's Pulitzer Prize winning investigative reporting unit's (Spotlight team) months long investigation into sexual abuse by priests. As we witness, it's not easy taking on an institution like the Catholic Church. I was totally swept up in this story.The suspense builds, as these talented investigative journalists seek to uncover the truth, in spite of the obstacles encountered and the complicit silence of the Catholic Church. There is a reason this film was nominated, and won so many awards, for best ensemble cast.

2. Brooklyn: The heartfelt story of a young Irish immigrant's journey to America in the 1950's, beautifully portrayed by Saoirse Ronan. Ronan quietly, and with grace and charm, allows us to see the ambivalence many young immigrants must have felt caught between what was familiar and comfortable, and what was seen as the land of opportunity. Ronan has the ability to convey this conflict, often without ever saying a word. A beautiful movie.

3. The Big Short:  Another great story and another outstanding cast. The story of the wall street visionary's who predicted the housing crisis, bet against the housing bond market and amassed huge fortunes with the financial crisis of 2008. Quirky, entertaining characters (Chrisitain Bale as Michael Burry, Steve Carell as Mark Baum, Ryan Gosling as Jared Vennett and a host of others), provide enough comic relief that it keeps you from getting so disgusted with the banking industry that you walk out of the theater. How could this have happened? Believe me, there is enough blame to go around. I know not everyone liked the celebrity cameos breaking down various financial terms and Wall Street facts and figures, but I loved them. I had no idea what a synthetic CDO or subprime loan was. Great cast and an entertaining movie.

4. Bridge Of Spies: I guess I'm going to have to quit saying I'm not a Tom Hanks fan. He's done some outstanding work lately, and this may be one of his best performances. The fascinating true story, set during the Cold War, of a rather ordinary man sent on a very extraordinary mission. Insurance lawyer, Jim Donovan (Hanks), is asked by his government to defend Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance) accused of espionage against the United States on behalf of the USSR. He  is later asked to arrange a prisoner swap between Abel and a downed U.S. pilot, despite having no experience in espionage. What transpires is a heart-pounding sequence of events before this exchange is accomplished. What I liked most about this movie is the unspoken bond that develops between Donovan and Abel. Donovan and Abel have a mutual respect and trust of one another. After all, aren't they both just doing their job? A very entertaining movie.

5. The Martian: After being left behind on Mars, and presumed dead, Mark Whatney (Matt Damon),  must find a way to survive. Although he must use all his creativity and skills as a trained NASA botanist to meet each new challenge, he must also rely on a group of talented scientists, both on the ground and on the Hermes, to bring him home. As with many other movies this year, this has an outstanding ensemble cast. I loved the use of the video diaries. We are privy to not only his plans for survival, but also his emotions and loneliness. Although predictable, I thought the rescue was exciting nonetheless.  Also, I really liked the potato greenhouse.

6. Mad Max: Fury Road: I need to see this movie a second time. First let me say I had no clue who Mad Max was and knew nothing about the movie before seeing it. I wasn't prepared for the non-stop action, but it was awesome. I was intrigued by many of the characters (whose stories I later googled). I loved Doof Warrior and his non-stop electric guitar. I also liked that the primary hope for the future was in the hands of courageous, strong women, led by the fearless Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron). Although I can appreciate George Miller's immense talent, this is not typically my kind of movie. That being said, I liked it. I do regret not seeing it on the big screen.

7. Room: Outstanding performances by both Brie Larson (Joy/Ma) and 11 year old Jacob Tremblay (Jack). Abducted and forced to live in a dilapidated room for seven years, while being repeated raped and abused by her abductor, a young woman attempts to create a world that is as safe, happy and as normal as it can be for her young son. She allows young Jack to believe that only 'Room' is real, and everything else only exists on T.V. Larson does such an outstanding job allowing us to see how difficult this is as she struggles with her own loneliness and despair. In desperation, they make their daring escape, at which time Jack experiences life outside 'Room' for the first time. I felt the rest of this movie was pretty predictable. Although Jack initially struggles to adjust, it is much more difficult for Joy. The losses she has suffered, and the lingering effects of 'Room', will live on even in this new world.

8. The Revenant: Just because this is last on my list doesn't mean I didn't like it. I did. The story of frontiersman Hugh Glass'(Leo DiCaprio) epic journey for survival and revenge. Knowing what the cast and crew had to endure to make this movie made me appreciate it all the more. With the brilliant cinematography of Emmanuel Lubezki, we see a wilderness that is both brutal and beautiful. If I had one complaint about this movie it is that it was a little too long (I feel that way about a lot of movies). Leo should finally get his Oscar.

Should Win:

Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant

Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies

Actress: Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

Director:  Alejandro Innaritu, The Revenant

Original Screenplay: Spotlight

Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short

Sarah

1. Mad Max: Fury Road:  The Oscars have gotten a lot of criticism- rightfully so- for a big lack of racial diversity.  I am happy, however, that this year compared to last year, there was more recognition for women’s stories, and no way to better symbolize that than Mad Max.  Action movies are normally quite the testosterone fest- awesome to know it doesn’t have to be that way!  I never would have guessed that an action movie would be my favorite of the year but I loved Mad Max- even more the second time I watched it.  Not only did I love the epic narrative but the production design was incredible- love the contrasts of the blue night scenes and the fiery daytime action sequences.  The attention to detail was incredible in the creation of this dystopia-  A real highlight is the war guitarist with the weird red onesie- couldn’t get enough of that guy!

2. Brooklyn: Brooklyn was a very beautiful , seemingly subdued but emotionally captivating,  journey of a young woman.  Brooklyn did an incredible job of capturing what it is like to adapt to a new culture and the overall immigrant experience.  My job is working with a mostly immigrant population, and I think the movie rings true to what my clients have told me about having one foot in both worlds- missing the culture of their native countries while trying to take advantage of opportunities and adapt to the American lifestyle.  And what beautiful colors in the set design and costumes!

3.The Big Short: I don’t think I‘ve ever seen anything quite like the Big Short before- what creative storytelling.  I’m not sure if it's the funniest sad movie, or the saddest funny movie I’ve seen in a long time and that attests to how well they were able to use humor to dissect the financial crisis.  Love the cameos from Selena Gomez and Anthony Bourdain.

4. Room: I’m a horribly claustrophobic person, so the fact that i was able to enjoy this movie I think is a testament to the directing and portrayal of Ma’s character trying to create the most normal of worlds for her son in a horrific scenario.  The scene where Jack escapes was more heart racing than even the best action sequences in Mad Max, Bridge of Spies, or the Revenant.  Would’ve loved to seen a supporting actor nominee for young Jacob Tremblay!  The second part of the movie after getting out of the room was maybe not quite as strong as the first but still an engaging portrayal of how people transition to “normal life”  after horrific trauma.

5. Spotlight: I enjoyed Spotlight, but I think I liked it slightly less than I hoped.  One of my original critiques was that none of the performances, maybe other than Mark Ruffalo, stood out- but then again- in this story where the team (both the team of actors and the actual journalists)  had to work together behind the scenes on a very emotionally charged issue without one person taking all the credit- so on that level it was successful.  I appreciated how Spotlight indicted all of us- not just those who abuse others, but also the many levels of complacency and cover up in our institutions.

6. Bridge of Spies: I would call Bridge of Spies “Classic Spielberg with a twist”- some zippy one liners and goofy characters, like Abel’s fake family members- I didn’t realize until after I watched it that the Coen brothers helped write it, so there’s the twist!    I overall thought that worked well but it did make the tone a little bit off at times

7.The Revenant:  I was kind of dreading seeing the Revenant due to all the buzz about the bear scene and the overall violence, and i guess it wasn’t as hard to watch as I thought?? Cinematography- wow!  I almost felt like I could see my breath in the theater. Also, I’m glad that Leo will likely finally get an Oscar, He was certainly committed to the role,  but personally liked him better in Wolf of Wall Street and the Departed and wish this movie wasn’t going to be his big win.  I actually thought Tom Hardy was more the standout here.  I thought the movie was too long and left me feeling a little empty at the end- I didn’t feel very emotionally invested.

8. The Martian: As I was working on doing my rankings this year, as I listed the movies, I kept forgetting what the last nominee was..   Not because it was a bad movie- I did enjoy it, maybe even more than my 6 and 7 spot.  However, I just don’t see it deserving of best picture.   Some of the casting was a little weird- I love Kristin Wiig but not sure she was a great choice for the role and it was a little distracting.  I also wish they would've shown a little more about what impact being stranded on Mars would have on someone’s mentality

Should Win:

Director: George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road

Actress: Brie Larsen, Room

Actor: Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs

Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Big Short

Supporting Actress: Rooney Mara, Carol

Original Screenplay: Inside Out

Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short

Jason

1. Mad Max: Fury Road:  Visionary, intense, beautifully shot and let's not forget the special FX that aren't CGI! Mad Max was the most fun that I had at the movies all of last year and I believe it climbed into my top 10 of all time!

2. The Revenant: I love a good frontier, survival style movie so Revenant makes it high up on my list. Leo was spectacular, Tom Hardy was a great surprise as Fitzgerald and the rest of the supporting cast was excellent.  

3. The Big Short: I read the book so I was very curious as to how Adam McKay and company would take the story of hedge funds, credit default swaps, compliance officers, and real estate foreclosures and make it entertaining for the big screen. Fortunately for us, they did an amazing job. The "Margot Robbie in a bubble bath drinking champagne" scene was the funniest moment of the year for me, that's one way to make the topic more entertaining!

4. Spotlight: A fascinating look into how a team of dedicated journalists under the pressure of the Internet becoming the driving force in media create a story that literally changes one of the most powerful organizations in the world. Tom McCarthy and the cast take a movie that's literally all talking and create a gripping atmosphere.

​

5. Room: I really enjoyed this small film (literally for the first half) about the bond between a mother and her child. Brie Larson was amazing and I thought Jacob Tremblay got robbed for a nomination. Kudos to the director Lenny Abrahamson as it can't be easy to film in just one small Room and make it visually interesting for the audience.

6. The Martian: Beautifully shot by Ridley Scott (robbed of a nomination), perfectly played by Matt Damon and an all-star supporting cast created a fantastic movie. The cross between science fiction, science and a good survival story worked very well.

7. Brooklyn: Brooklyn was a great film with a fairly standard but well told story. It was cool to see that her boarding house is four blocks from where we live and it's fun to imagine what our neighborhood was like during the time period of the film. Saoirse was exceptional in her role and in other years I think she could have won the Oscar.

8. Bridge of Spies: I thought this was a fairly standard Spielberg picture with an interesting story that I had never heard about before. Mark Rylance was superb and Tom Hanks did a great job as well. Overall, this was an entertaining and informative movie, but I can't put it into the same category of best picture like the others higher on my list.

Should Win:

Actor: Leo DiCaprio, The Revenant

Actress: Brie Larson, Room

Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies

Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs (I've only seen Spotlight, so I'm totally guessing here)

Director: George Miller, Mad Max

Original Screenplay: Spotlight (caveat, I thought Straight Outta Compton's screenplay was brilliant)

Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short

Tyler

1. Mad Max: Fury Road: Very few filmmakers are afforded this level of control and risks on a big budget film. It’s a miracle that George Miller was able to leave the world of pigs and penguins and create this masterpiece. The action is creative, plausible, exhilarating, and chaotic, yet easy to follow. This is the film version of a good speaker who has a real point to make, and will try to be as clear as possible; there is no need for shaky cameras or giant formless robots. The storyline didn’t need to be a standout, but I think it was great at creating the heart, motivation, and sense of stakes supporting the insane action.

2.The Big Short: The most eccentric attribute of this film is the fourth-wall-breaking scenes. A few parts come from our pseudo-narrator character Ryan Gosling in the middle of the action, but the rest come from completely separate scenes of celebrities and academics explaining some of the banking concepts necessary to follow the story and understand the crisis. I found these entertaining and clear, and a really good method for translating a book like this to the screen. The biggest benefit of this though is the freedom it gives the other scenes, where the characters are able to speak about the subjects believably instead of awkwardly jamming in vocabulary and banking concept lessons. With that freedom, the great acting, direction, and screenplay all come together to really tell a story that is both personal and global, hilarious yet conveying the real tragedy of that crisis and the institutions that have seemed to learn almost nothing from it.

3. Room: It seems this type of storytelling is often overlooked, so I’m glad this great and unique film is getting so much attention. The two main characters are unnervingly believable in their roles as long-term captives. The intimacy they have with each other and the small room that is their whole world is astounding. It’s certainly not a narrative driven piece, as the only real action in the entire film happens for a few minutes right in the middle. The rest is just a fascinating story about tragedy and resilience. The dynamic of a mother doing whatever she can to protect her child, and a child is old enough to imagine the whole world but not able to experience any of it is heartbreaking.

4. Brooklyn: This film was beautifully shot and well acted, with a very delicate treatment that certainly made it still feel like a book. The story of being torn between two worlds, the obligations to family, the comforts of a familiar culture, added a lot of depth the love triangle story. The one part I found odd is that I never really got the sense of what she was looking for in America, or what she found other than the Italian guy. Being reminded that small-town Ireland can be cruel doesn’t seem like enough motivation to solve her dilemma, so I’m not really sure why that caused the film’s resolution. Maybe it’s not just the immigrant story, but the story of youth; forced to make important decisions without ever really getting to know what lies in store.

5. Spotlight: I’m still not quite sure what kind of film this is (or if I should even try to categorize it in these terms). One one side it wants to serve the purpose of a documentary, alarming us all to the troubling ideologies and structures of the Catholic Church, but it doesn’t really examine these much beyond “everyone just trusts them” and “good people will do terrible things to preserve the reputation institutions they put above all else”. On the other side, it wants to be a movie about journalism, about sacrificing your status or job to get the right story, about biting the political and economic institutions that feed you, and maybe I just feel this is all undercut because we know these people are now lauded journalists who are the heroes of a major motion picture. I’m really focusing on the themes because I have very little to say about way it was presented as a film. Spotlight was really well acted, directed, and edited. It kind of felt like I was watching a really well done episode of a network procedural, which may be exactly how this story should be told, but I was hoping for a little more depth.

6. The Revenant: Pretty, gruesome, and pretty gruesome. The untouched west makes for beautiful landscape shots, but I thought the carefully-crafted fight shots were even more impressive in how natural and untamed they felt. Outside of the cinematography, I was a little underwhelmed by the “Tarantino film played straight” revenge storyline. The acting was great, but I felt the ending was unsatisfying, even though I recognize that the revenge was supposed to be unsatisfying.

7. Bridge of Spies: I knew very little about this movie before watching except that Tom Hanks was in it. The moment he starts his first Atticus Finch monologue about how our justice system requires the spy gets the best defense possible, and that orchestration swell almost drowns him out, I realized it was a Spielberg film. I think the story is interesting enough to be told, and I’m glad we have a film hero with commitment to the Constitution/American idealism and top-notch negotiating skills when we are all trying so hard in vain to find that in our election cycle. I just wish we could have seen it with the full Coen brothers treatment instead of just their part in the screenplay. Lincoln felt fresh and new because of the way it explored the details; this historical retelling was just a little too by the book for me.

8. The Martian: This movie is nothing like the other recent realistic space action drama Gravity, as it lacks the immediate intensity and interesting cinematics of that film. It has been a long time since I’ve seen Apollo 13, but The Martian often felt like a rehash of that (I guess future NASA hasn’t seen Apollo 13 in a while either; slingshotting to save fuel! what an idea!). Matt Damon was great, but there was just too much dullness throughout that didn’t serve any purpose and should have been left on the editing room floor. I can see that the Robinson Crusoe on Mars (which I just discovered is actually a film!) thing would work well for a book, but poop potatoes and duct tape were not enough to sustain the whole movie. The B-plot about the crew abandoning him was fine, but the parts where mission control were very weak, where they should have been used to clarify the stakes, put us on the edge of our seats, and instill a bit of that sinking dread that makes the Apollo 13 payoff.

Should Win:

Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant

Actress: Brie Larson, Room

Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Big Short

Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

Director: George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road

Original Screenplay: Spotlight

Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short

Kirstin

My sister-in-law Kirstin also saw 4 movies and sent in her rankings!

1. Spotlight

2. The Big Short

3. Brooklyn

4. The Martian