Best Picture nominees:
American Sniper
Birdman, or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) *
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash
***
American Sniper - A really good portrayal of late sniper Chris Kyle, both about how he was a professional and how difficult it was to come back to his home life. Since the movie was seen as pro-war, I am surprised it got a Best Picture nomination. Bradley Cooper should have won Best Actor, but I think the backlash prevented this.
Birdman, or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) - A bizarre single-shot Inarritu film about an aging actor trying to act in a play and his weird fantasies. I was perplexed by this movie and thought it should not have even been nominated, much less win.
Boyhood - An interesting experiment following one actor from childhood to his late teens by filming one actor a few weeks at a time for several years. I thought this would win Best Picture because of its uniqueness.
The Grand Budapest Hotel - The usual funky Wes Anderson movie with bizarro plot, but charming, fun, and full of silly miniatures.
The Imitation Game - The story of cryptoanalyst Alan Turing and the machine he helped build to unencrypt the German Enigma machine. Film was criticized for downplaying Turing's homosexuality. I enjoyed the problem-solving aspect of the film.
Selma - The story of the Selma to Montgomery Civil Rights marches. While inspirational with the protests to get equal voting rights for all Americans, I found this movie fairly boring, and I found it strange that all of the principals were played by British actors.
The Theory of Everything - A tour-de-force performance for Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking, from his early university years to his total paralyzation. He is the best part of the movie, which is a little thin.
Whiplash - A stunning film about a young drummer trying to make it in his college ensemble which is led with an iron fist by maniacal conductor J.K. Simmons. Good music, good twists and turns, and excellent acting, with J.K. Simmons taking the Supporting Actor Oscar.
***
My rankings of the Best Picture nominees:
1. Whiplash
2. American Sniper
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
4. Boyhood
5. The Imitation Game
6. The Theory of Everything
7. Birdman, (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
8. Selma
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Monday, July 25, 2016
2015
Best Picture Nominees:
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight *
***
The Big Short - The early front-runner for Best Picture. This was the story of what caused the financial crisis of 2008, when anyone could buy a house, even if they couldn't afford it. For such a dull subject, the movie was pretty exciting and annoying that it went so far.
Bridge of Spies - Spielberg flick about the U.S trading spy pilot Powers for a German spy as negotiated by a non-governmental attorney. Three-time Tony winner and outstanding actor Mark Rylance won the Supporting Actor Oscar.
Brooklyn - A tour-de-force performance by Saoirse Ronan (now 21) as a young Irish immigrant who falls in love in America, goes back home, and tries to deal with where she belongs. Very engaging. Loved this movie.
Mad Max: Fury Road - I didn't want to see this movie, but it was already on Pay-TV by the time the nominations came around. I was surprised by the special effects and performances by mostly unknown Australian actors. Pretty amazing follow-up to the original films from 30 years ago. It won the most awards (mostly technical) awards at this year's telecast.
The Martian - Film version of the Andy Weir book with Matt Damon in the title role. Intriguing sci-fi film that did really well at the box office but didn't garner any awards.
The Revenant - The early leader for Best Picture and I HATED this movie. Very gory, didn't have a lot of redeeming value and Leonardo diCaprio chewing the scenery the whole time. Leo's big chance to finally win an Oscar and listen to his political rantings in his acceptance speech. Inarritu also won his second consecutive Director award for whatever.
Room - I loved the book, and they did an excellent job with the movie, especially Jacob Tremblay as the kid and Brie Larson as the mother (who won the Best Actress Oscar).
Spotlight - Spotlight was the last movie I saw of the eight, and once it was over, I knew it should win Best Picture. A great ensemble cast tackling the cover-up of molestation by priests through the Spotlight feature with the Boston Globe.
***
My ranking of the Best Picture nominees:
1. Mad Max: Fury Road
2. Room
3. Spotlight
4. The Big Short
5. The Martian
6. Brooklyn
7. Bridge of Spies
8. The Revenant
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight *
***
The Big Short - The early front-runner for Best Picture. This was the story of what caused the financial crisis of 2008, when anyone could buy a house, even if they couldn't afford it. For such a dull subject, the movie was pretty exciting and annoying that it went so far.
Bridge of Spies - Spielberg flick about the U.S trading spy pilot Powers for a German spy as negotiated by a non-governmental attorney. Three-time Tony winner and outstanding actor Mark Rylance won the Supporting Actor Oscar.
Brooklyn - A tour-de-force performance by Saoirse Ronan (now 21) as a young Irish immigrant who falls in love in America, goes back home, and tries to deal with where she belongs. Very engaging. Loved this movie.
Mad Max: Fury Road - I didn't want to see this movie, but it was already on Pay-TV by the time the nominations came around. I was surprised by the special effects and performances by mostly unknown Australian actors. Pretty amazing follow-up to the original films from 30 years ago. It won the most awards (mostly technical) awards at this year's telecast.
The Martian - Film version of the Andy Weir book with Matt Damon in the title role. Intriguing sci-fi film that did really well at the box office but didn't garner any awards.
The Revenant - The early leader for Best Picture and I HATED this movie. Very gory, didn't have a lot of redeeming value and Leonardo diCaprio chewing the scenery the whole time. Leo's big chance to finally win an Oscar and listen to his political rantings in his acceptance speech. Inarritu also won his second consecutive Director award for whatever.
Room - I loved the book, and they did an excellent job with the movie, especially Jacob Tremblay as the kid and Brie Larson as the mother (who won the Best Actress Oscar).
Spotlight - Spotlight was the last movie I saw of the eight, and once it was over, I knew it should win Best Picture. A great ensemble cast tackling the cover-up of molestation by priests through the Spotlight feature with the Boston Globe.
***
My ranking of the Best Picture nominees:
1. Mad Max: Fury Road
2. Room
3. Spotlight
4. The Big Short
5. The Martian
6. Brooklyn
7. Bridge of Spies
8. The Revenant
2013
Best Picture nominees:
12 Years a Slave *
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Nebraska
Philomena
The Wolf of Wall Street
***
12 Years a Slave - A really good job on a not-well known story about a free black man who is kidnapped and sold into slavery and how he survives and makes it back to freedom. Lupita Nyong'o becomes the first Kenyan-Mexican actress to win an Oscar.
American Hustle - Following the success of Silver Linings Playbook, this David O. Russell film also received a Best Pic nom. Same actors, same noms, funky costumes and makeup.
Captain Phillips - Based on the true story of a ship captain who is hijacked by Somali pirates and his cool actions under fire. Breakthrough performance of Barkhad Abdi as one of the pirates in his first role ever.
Dallas Buyers Club - Story of an AIDS patient who obtains the drug cocktail that seems to work on the disease, which eventually gets approval for use. Amazing performances by Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto who won both acting awards for their portrayals.
Gravity - Interesting tour-de-force performance by Sandra Bullock who is stranded in space, trying to get back to earth. Won the most Oscars this year, including Best Director.
Her - Weird Spike Jonze film about an operating system that becomes sentient and has a relationship with her user. Have special disdain for this movie as my laptop crashed when I got home from the theater.
Nebraska - Funky black-and-white film about a crotchety old man who thinks he has won the lottery and his middle-aged son who helps him be a real winner. Standout performance by 83 year-old June Squibb as his foul-mouthed wife.
Philomena - Charming story of Philomena Lee whose son was taken from her after birth and then lied to by the Irish government. Judi Dench is utterly charming as Philomena, who doesn't want revenge, just wants to meet her son.
The Wolf of Wall Street - The one movie I was hoping not to be nominated, but since it was both a Scorsese and diCaprio film, it HAD to be nominated. This film seemed to be without redeeming value, but apparently since it is a true story and people WANT diCaprio to win an Oscar, it HAD to be nominated.
***
My rankings of the Best Picture nominees:
1. 12 Years a Slave
2. Gravity
3. Nebraska
4. Philomena
5. Captain Phillips
6. Dallas Buyers Club
7. Her
8. American Hustle
9. The Wolf of Wall Street
12 Years a Slave *
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Nebraska
Philomena
The Wolf of Wall Street
***
12 Years a Slave - A really good job on a not-well known story about a free black man who is kidnapped and sold into slavery and how he survives and makes it back to freedom. Lupita Nyong'o becomes the first Kenyan-Mexican actress to win an Oscar.
American Hustle - Following the success of Silver Linings Playbook, this David O. Russell film also received a Best Pic nom. Same actors, same noms, funky costumes and makeup.
Captain Phillips - Based on the true story of a ship captain who is hijacked by Somali pirates and his cool actions under fire. Breakthrough performance of Barkhad Abdi as one of the pirates in his first role ever.
Dallas Buyers Club - Story of an AIDS patient who obtains the drug cocktail that seems to work on the disease, which eventually gets approval for use. Amazing performances by Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto who won both acting awards for their portrayals.
Gravity - Interesting tour-de-force performance by Sandra Bullock who is stranded in space, trying to get back to earth. Won the most Oscars this year, including Best Director.
Her - Weird Spike Jonze film about an operating system that becomes sentient and has a relationship with her user. Have special disdain for this movie as my laptop crashed when I got home from the theater.
Nebraska - Funky black-and-white film about a crotchety old man who thinks he has won the lottery and his middle-aged son who helps him be a real winner. Standout performance by 83 year-old June Squibb as his foul-mouthed wife.
Philomena - Charming story of Philomena Lee whose son was taken from her after birth and then lied to by the Irish government. Judi Dench is utterly charming as Philomena, who doesn't want revenge, just wants to meet her son.
The Wolf of Wall Street - The one movie I was hoping not to be nominated, but since it was both a Scorsese and diCaprio film, it HAD to be nominated. This film seemed to be without redeeming value, but apparently since it is a true story and people WANT diCaprio to win an Oscar, it HAD to be nominated.
***
My rankings of the Best Picture nominees:
1. 12 Years a Slave
2. Gravity
3. Nebraska
4. Philomena
5. Captain Phillips
6. Dallas Buyers Club
7. Her
8. American Hustle
9. The Wolf of Wall Street
2012
Best Picture Nominees:
Argo *
Amour
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
***
Argo - The story of saving hostages from Iran by using an elaborate Hollywood movie story. It is a fun story, but a little overdramatic (airplane being chased by gunfire).
Amour - French art film about an old couple caring for each other. It is slow moving and depressing but sweet in a way. The lead actress won a nomination at age 85, the oldest ever.
Beasts of the Southern Wild - A funky drama-fantasy about a young girl dealing with her life in the swamps. Amazing performance by 9 year-old Quvenzhane Wallis, who should have won the Best Actress Oscar (but I guess getting nominated was an honor enough... NOT!).
Django Unchained - Ultraviolent Quentin Tarantino film about a former slave taking revenge. A run romp, but not Best Picture material.
Les Miserables - Based on the musical and performed "live," (as in while they acted it and not recorded afterwards). Most of the roles were played by real singers, except the roles of the Thenardiers with tone-deaf Helena Bonham Carter and Sasha Baron Cohen.
Life of Pi - Based on the Yann Martel novel, it follows Pi Patel who is shipwrecked on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger, and a few other creatures. I didn't like it as much as the book, but this did win the most Oscars (mostly technical) of any film this year.
Lincoln - Spielberg's take on part of the Lincoln presidency, following his last few months in office. Tour-de-force by Daniel Day-Lewis (and I agree) resulting in an Actor Oscar.
Silver Linings Playbook - A quirky love story with Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper participating in a dance contest and getting over their many foibles.
Zero Dark Thirty - The story of the tracking down and assassination of Osama bin Laden by US Forces. Dramatically acted and astonishing that they had such a complete movie only about a year after the actual event.
***
My ranking of the Best Picture nominees:
1. Les Miserables
2. Zero Dark Thirty
3. Beasts of the Southern Wild
4. Life of Pi
5. Argo
6. Silver Linings Playbook
7. Lincoln
8. Amour
9. Django Unchained
Argo *
Amour
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
***
Argo - The story of saving hostages from Iran by using an elaborate Hollywood movie story. It is a fun story, but a little overdramatic (airplane being chased by gunfire).
Amour - French art film about an old couple caring for each other. It is slow moving and depressing but sweet in a way. The lead actress won a nomination at age 85, the oldest ever.
Beasts of the Southern Wild - A funky drama-fantasy about a young girl dealing with her life in the swamps. Amazing performance by 9 year-old Quvenzhane Wallis, who should have won the Best Actress Oscar (but I guess getting nominated was an honor enough... NOT!).
Django Unchained - Ultraviolent Quentin Tarantino film about a former slave taking revenge. A run romp, but not Best Picture material.
Les Miserables - Based on the musical and performed "live," (as in while they acted it and not recorded afterwards). Most of the roles were played by real singers, except the roles of the Thenardiers with tone-deaf Helena Bonham Carter and Sasha Baron Cohen.
Life of Pi - Based on the Yann Martel novel, it follows Pi Patel who is shipwrecked on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger, and a few other creatures. I didn't like it as much as the book, but this did win the most Oscars (mostly technical) of any film this year.
Lincoln - Spielberg's take on part of the Lincoln presidency, following his last few months in office. Tour-de-force by Daniel Day-Lewis (and I agree) resulting in an Actor Oscar.
Silver Linings Playbook - A quirky love story with Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper participating in a dance contest and getting over their many foibles.
Zero Dark Thirty - The story of the tracking down and assassination of Osama bin Laden by US Forces. Dramatically acted and astonishing that they had such a complete movie only about a year after the actual event.
***
My ranking of the Best Picture nominees:
1. Les Miserables
2. Zero Dark Thirty
3. Beasts of the Southern Wild
4. Life of Pi
5. Argo
6. Silver Linings Playbook
7. Lincoln
8. Amour
9. Django Unchained
2011
Best Picture Nominees:
The Artist *
The Descendants
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse
***
The Artist - The first black-and-white movie to win Best Picture since Schindler's List and the first (mostly) silent film in many years, also. A very creative gimmick that garnered most of the big awards, but not my favorite film of the year with a lot of really good films.
The Descendants - Another year, another George Clooney film. Kind of a fun dramedy, most notably for the breakout performance of Shailene Woodley.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - An interesting take on a boy coping with the loss of his father in the 9/11 attacks and the adventure he goes on to try and deal with his sorrow. The lead, played by Thomas Horn, a young actor with no acting experience (instead, a Jeopardy Kids winner) holds his own with big actors and is very engaging.
The Help - A film that grows on me each time I see it. Impressive performances by "The Help," resulting in a Supporting Oscar for Octavia Spencer (but Jessica Chastain is equally as good) and almost a win for Viola Davis (but lost out to perennial nominee Meryl Streep). The film is at times funny and touching.
Hugo - A fun film about an orphaned boy who lives in a train station in France, with a side plot about filmmaker Georges Melies. A little over-the-top and not as good as many of the other pictures.
Midnight in Paris - Normally, I don't really go for Woody Allen movies, but this one was really magical, showing "what really happens" in Paris after midnight. Something about traveling back in time and meeting with the artists and writers of the Belle Epoque. Owen Wilson, who makes his living playing oddballs, is really charming in this movie.
Moneyball - As a lifelong Oakland Athletics fan, I was interested in this film based on the same-titled book about sabermetrics. The As looked at stats to determine the best team, and often selected washed-up players and little-known rookies. They ended up winning 20 consecutive games and going to the playoffs, and now lots of other teams follow these statistics. For what should be a boring topic, Brad Pitt and company make an engaging story.
The Tree of Life - A confusing and weird film encompassing the universe and the growing up of a young boy in an abusive family. This film bored me, but I assume it was nominated because it had Sean Penn, Brad Pitt, and Jessica Chastain, the latter two appearing in some of the better films nominated this year. Also, director Terrence Malick releases few films, so he needed to be recognized.
War Horse - Based on an award-winning play, the film follows an amazing horse, who begins life as a plow horse (despite being a thoroughbred) and then is conscripted to be a war horse. The horse gives a great performance, plus Tom Hiddleston, who appears this year in Thor (as Loki) and in Midnight in Paris as well.
***
My rankings of the Best Picture nominees:
1. Midnight in Paris
2. The Help
3. Moneyball
4. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
5. The Artist
6. War Horse
7. The Descendants
8. Hugo
9. The Tree of Life
The Artist *
The Descendants
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse
***
The Artist - The first black-and-white movie to win Best Picture since Schindler's List and the first (mostly) silent film in many years, also. A very creative gimmick that garnered most of the big awards, but not my favorite film of the year with a lot of really good films.
The Descendants - Another year, another George Clooney film. Kind of a fun dramedy, most notably for the breakout performance of Shailene Woodley.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - An interesting take on a boy coping with the loss of his father in the 9/11 attacks and the adventure he goes on to try and deal with his sorrow. The lead, played by Thomas Horn, a young actor with no acting experience (instead, a Jeopardy Kids winner) holds his own with big actors and is very engaging.
The Help - A film that grows on me each time I see it. Impressive performances by "The Help," resulting in a Supporting Oscar for Octavia Spencer (but Jessica Chastain is equally as good) and almost a win for Viola Davis (but lost out to perennial nominee Meryl Streep). The film is at times funny and touching.
Hugo - A fun film about an orphaned boy who lives in a train station in France, with a side plot about filmmaker Georges Melies. A little over-the-top and not as good as many of the other pictures.
Midnight in Paris - Normally, I don't really go for Woody Allen movies, but this one was really magical, showing "what really happens" in Paris after midnight. Something about traveling back in time and meeting with the artists and writers of the Belle Epoque. Owen Wilson, who makes his living playing oddballs, is really charming in this movie.
Moneyball - As a lifelong Oakland Athletics fan, I was interested in this film based on the same-titled book about sabermetrics. The As looked at stats to determine the best team, and often selected washed-up players and little-known rookies. They ended up winning 20 consecutive games and going to the playoffs, and now lots of other teams follow these statistics. For what should be a boring topic, Brad Pitt and company make an engaging story.
The Tree of Life - A confusing and weird film encompassing the universe and the growing up of a young boy in an abusive family. This film bored me, but I assume it was nominated because it had Sean Penn, Brad Pitt, and Jessica Chastain, the latter two appearing in some of the better films nominated this year. Also, director Terrence Malick releases few films, so he needed to be recognized.
War Horse - Based on an award-winning play, the film follows an amazing horse, who begins life as a plow horse (despite being a thoroughbred) and then is conscripted to be a war horse. The horse gives a great performance, plus Tom Hiddleston, who appears this year in Thor (as Loki) and in Midnight in Paris as well.
***
My rankings of the Best Picture nominees:
1. Midnight in Paris
2. The Help
3. Moneyball
4. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
5. The Artist
6. War Horse
7. The Descendants
8. Hugo
9. The Tree of Life
2010
Best Picture Nominees:
127 Hours
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech *
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone
***
127 Hours - Gritty story of hiker Aron Ralston who saved his own life when he amputated his own arm caught under a boulder using a crappy pocket knife. The entire film (with a few odd snippets) is carried by James Franco. Entertaining, but hard to watch.
Black Swan - Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman play ballerinas competing for the lead in Swan Lake in the ultra-competitive world of ballet. Nudity and weird psychological visuals made this a must-see, but I found it odd.
The Fighter - This biographical boxing picture about half brothers is engaging, especially with the portrayal of Dicky Eklund, a has-been crack-addicted former boxer, by Christian Bale, and overbearing mother Melissa Leo, plus Amy Adams and Mark Wahlberg, is engaging and fun to watch. Bale and Leo won the Supporting Oscars, deservedly so.
Inception - Christopher Nolan "follow-up" to Memento with a genre-bending film about dreams inside of dream inside of dreams. Hard to follow, but a fun idea.
The Kids Are All Right - The "gay" nominee for 2010. This was probably the best bet for a win in recent years, because it is a good story, and really well acted, but did not win any Oscars (boo, hiss).
The King's Speech - The story of English King George VI who had a terrific stutter and needs to make a speech, and how he took classes from an unconventional therapist and make a speech to his British subjects. Colin Firth does a great job and this was an acceptable Best Picture winner.
The Social Network - The "true" story of Facebook, which was possibly stolen from the Winklevoss twins and the shenanigans and anti-social behavior of Facebook's founder, Mark Zuckerberg. Jesse Eisenberg does a masterful job and Armie Hammer should have received a nod for his portrayal of twins.
Toy Story 3 - Third animated feature film to be nominated for Best Picture (easier now with up to 10 nominees). The original Toy Story was best, but Pixar always does a good job.
True Grit - A remake of the 1969 film of the same name, directed by the Coen brothers. The standout performance is Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross, and is she actually portraying someone her actual age (in the 1969 version, Mattie Ross is played by 22 year-old Kim Darby). She got a well-deserved Supporting Actress nod.
Winter's Bone - Previous Disney Channel actress Jennifer Lawrence received acclaim for this dark indie film about survival in the meth-ridden Ozark woods. Good film not seen by many folks (but enough to meet the 8.9% threshold apparently).
***
My ranking of the Best Picture nominees:
1. The Social Network
2. The Kids Are All Right
3. The King's Speech
4. True Grit
5. The Fighter
6. Inception
7. Toy Story 3
8. 127 Hours
9. Winter's Bone
10. Black Swan
127 Hours
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech *
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone
***
127 Hours - Gritty story of hiker Aron Ralston who saved his own life when he amputated his own arm caught under a boulder using a crappy pocket knife. The entire film (with a few odd snippets) is carried by James Franco. Entertaining, but hard to watch.
Black Swan - Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman play ballerinas competing for the lead in Swan Lake in the ultra-competitive world of ballet. Nudity and weird psychological visuals made this a must-see, but I found it odd.
The Fighter - This biographical boxing picture about half brothers is engaging, especially with the portrayal of Dicky Eklund, a has-been crack-addicted former boxer, by Christian Bale, and overbearing mother Melissa Leo, plus Amy Adams and Mark Wahlberg, is engaging and fun to watch. Bale and Leo won the Supporting Oscars, deservedly so.
Inception - Christopher Nolan "follow-up" to Memento with a genre-bending film about dreams inside of dream inside of dreams. Hard to follow, but a fun idea.
The Kids Are All Right - The "gay" nominee for 2010. This was probably the best bet for a win in recent years, because it is a good story, and really well acted, but did not win any Oscars (boo, hiss).
The King's Speech - The story of English King George VI who had a terrific stutter and needs to make a speech, and how he took classes from an unconventional therapist and make a speech to his British subjects. Colin Firth does a great job and this was an acceptable Best Picture winner.
The Social Network - The "true" story of Facebook, which was possibly stolen from the Winklevoss twins and the shenanigans and anti-social behavior of Facebook's founder, Mark Zuckerberg. Jesse Eisenberg does a masterful job and Armie Hammer should have received a nod for his portrayal of twins.
Toy Story 3 - Third animated feature film to be nominated for Best Picture (easier now with up to 10 nominees). The original Toy Story was best, but Pixar always does a good job.
True Grit - A remake of the 1969 film of the same name, directed by the Coen brothers. The standout performance is Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross, and is she actually portraying someone her actual age (in the 1969 version, Mattie Ross is played by 22 year-old Kim Darby). She got a well-deserved Supporting Actress nod.
Winter's Bone - Previous Disney Channel actress Jennifer Lawrence received acclaim for this dark indie film about survival in the meth-ridden Ozark woods. Good film not seen by many folks (but enough to meet the 8.9% threshold apparently).
***
My ranking of the Best Picture nominees:
1. The Social Network
2. The Kids Are All Right
3. The King's Speech
4. True Grit
5. The Fighter
6. Inception
7. Toy Story 3
8. 127 Hours
9. Winter's Bone
10. Black Swan
2009
In 2009, the Academy decided to change how nominations took place. Since 1944, it had been 5 Best Picture nominees. They felt if they expanded it out to 10 nominees, then maybe a blockbuster might make the list and improve the ratings of the Oscar telecast.
The way nominees are chosen is that every member of the academy lists their top five choices for Best Picture. The top choice from each voter are tallied and any movie that received 20% plus one of the votes is an automatic nominee. Any movie that doesn't reach a certain threshold is eliminated after this first round and the second choice votes are redistributed (if they met the threshold). This continues, round by round, until there were five movies that meet the 20%+1 level, or until all the five choices on each eliminated ballot are gone through and then the highest chosen movies fill out the list.
In the new system, the level needed to be a nominee is 8.9%, and the minimum threshold to stay on the ballot is 5%. However, in the new system, the mininum number of nominees is five, but the odds are that from now on, probably at least seven movies will be nominated each year.
***
Best Picture Nominees:
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker *
Inglourious Basterds
Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air
***
Avatar - The first of the blockbuster nominees. This movie ended up outgrossing Titanic (largely due to more expensive ticket prices and more expensive 3-D viewings). An interesting new story with new beings. A lot of motion capture acting, hence the name. This was the favorite to win, but ended up winning three technical awards.
The Blind Side - A heartfelt story about a black football playing teen adopted by a white family who ended up making it to the NFL. Based on a true story, this featured Sandra Bullock in a role that ended up garnering the Best Actress Oscar. This is a great story and fun to watch.
District 9 - A (relatively) low budget South African film about aliens that land and have a difficult time of it and how they interact with humans. Another blockbuster but not as good as Avatar.
An Education - A coming of age film about a young girl from University who has an affair with a con man, and grows up quite a bit. Some good performances by Carey Mulligan and Rosamund Pike.
The Hurt Locker - Story of bomb defusers in the military and how they deal with their stressful lives. Marked the jump up to stardom by Jeremy Renner, and also the first (and only) win by a female director. This film put me to sleep, so makes me think it was an opportunity to give a female director of a good film Best Director award for a film that not typically directed by female directors.
Inglourious Basterds - Quentin Tarantino take on World War II, with an alternate history of attempted coups on Hitler. Marked the breakout of Christoph Waltz, who won the Supporting Actor Oscar. Tarantino films are hit or miss, but this is slightly more a hit for me.
Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire - Good acting by most of the cast, which garnered nominations for Mo'Nique (who won the Supporting Actress Oscar) and Gabourey Sidibe, in her acting debut. I enjoyed this movie, but I'm not a big fan of Mariah Carey or the story.
A Serious Man - A Coen brothers comedy (I guess) about the travails of a Jewish man en route to a divorce. This movie also put me to sleep. I'm not sure about this 10 Best Picture rule. Seems to be including a lot of films that no one has seen (or should see).
Up - The second animated feature to be nominated for Best Picture, this is a fun picture about a flying house, grumpy old man, a helpful kid, and talking dogs. It's also charming and I would love for this to have won Best Pic.
Up in the Air - George Clooney vehicle about a company-downsizer-for-hire who is always on the road. A comedy, somewhat charming, but probably not exactly Best Picture fodder, either.
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My ranking of the Best Picture nominees:
1. The Blind Side
2. Up
3. Up in the Air
4. Inglourious Basterds
5. District 9
6. An Education
7. Avatar
8. The Hurt Locker
9. Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
10. A Serious Man
The way nominees are chosen is that every member of the academy lists their top five choices for Best Picture. The top choice from each voter are tallied and any movie that received 20% plus one of the votes is an automatic nominee. Any movie that doesn't reach a certain threshold is eliminated after this first round and the second choice votes are redistributed (if they met the threshold). This continues, round by round, until there were five movies that meet the 20%+1 level, or until all the five choices on each eliminated ballot are gone through and then the highest chosen movies fill out the list.
In the new system, the level needed to be a nominee is 8.9%, and the minimum threshold to stay on the ballot is 5%. However, in the new system, the mininum number of nominees is five, but the odds are that from now on, probably at least seven movies will be nominated each year.
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Best Picture Nominees:
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker *
Inglourious Basterds
Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air
***
Avatar - The first of the blockbuster nominees. This movie ended up outgrossing Titanic (largely due to more expensive ticket prices and more expensive 3-D viewings). An interesting new story with new beings. A lot of motion capture acting, hence the name. This was the favorite to win, but ended up winning three technical awards.
The Blind Side - A heartfelt story about a black football playing teen adopted by a white family who ended up making it to the NFL. Based on a true story, this featured Sandra Bullock in a role that ended up garnering the Best Actress Oscar. This is a great story and fun to watch.
District 9 - A (relatively) low budget South African film about aliens that land and have a difficult time of it and how they interact with humans. Another blockbuster but not as good as Avatar.
An Education - A coming of age film about a young girl from University who has an affair with a con man, and grows up quite a bit. Some good performances by Carey Mulligan and Rosamund Pike.
The Hurt Locker - Story of bomb defusers in the military and how they deal with their stressful lives. Marked the jump up to stardom by Jeremy Renner, and also the first (and only) win by a female director. This film put me to sleep, so makes me think it was an opportunity to give a female director of a good film Best Director award for a film that not typically directed by female directors.
Inglourious Basterds - Quentin Tarantino take on World War II, with an alternate history of attempted coups on Hitler. Marked the breakout of Christoph Waltz, who won the Supporting Actor Oscar. Tarantino films are hit or miss, but this is slightly more a hit for me.
Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire - Good acting by most of the cast, which garnered nominations for Mo'Nique (who won the Supporting Actress Oscar) and Gabourey Sidibe, in her acting debut. I enjoyed this movie, but I'm not a big fan of Mariah Carey or the story.
A Serious Man - A Coen brothers comedy (I guess) about the travails of a Jewish man en route to a divorce. This movie also put me to sleep. I'm not sure about this 10 Best Picture rule. Seems to be including a lot of films that no one has seen (or should see).
Up - The second animated feature to be nominated for Best Picture, this is a fun picture about a flying house, grumpy old man, a helpful kid, and talking dogs. It's also charming and I would love for this to have won Best Pic.
Up in the Air - George Clooney vehicle about a company-downsizer-for-hire who is always on the road. A comedy, somewhat charming, but probably not exactly Best Picture fodder, either.
***
My ranking of the Best Picture nominees:
1. The Blind Side
2. Up
3. Up in the Air
4. Inglourious Basterds
5. District 9
6. An Education
7. Avatar
8. The Hurt Locker
9. Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
10. A Serious Man
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