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.
***
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.
***
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
My Top 25 favorite Best Picture Nominees
As I go through and do these posts, I am also ranking my favorite Best Picture nominees since 1991. When I reach 25 (I do not include all films in my list, so although I have posted more than 5 years of nominees.), I will list films that I like to include as Honorable Mentions at the bottom of the list, and of course, I reserve the right to reorder the list as my likes change over time.
1. Lord of the Rings - Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
2. Silence of the Lambs (1991) *
3. Beauty & the Beast (1991)
4. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
5. Schindler's List (1993) *
6. Lord of the Rings - Return of the King (2003) *
7. Sense & Sensibility (1995)
8. Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers (2002)
9. Moulin Rouge! (2001)
10. Dances with Wolves (1990) *
11. The Blind Side (2009)
12. The Piano (1993)
13. The Green Mile (1999)
14. Ghost (1990)
15. There Will Be Blood (2007)
16. Up (2009)
17. Whiplash (2014)
18. The Crying Game (1992)
19. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
20. Midnight in Paris (2011)
21. The Help (2011)
22. Les Miserables (2012)
23. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
24. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
25. The Reader (2008)
***
Honorable Mentions:
Howards End (1992)
***
Most on the List by Year:
1991 - 2
1993 - 2
2001 - 2
2003 - 2
2008 - 2
2009 - 2
2011 - 2
Most of the List by Decade:
1990s - 10
2000s - 11
2010s - 4
1. Lord of the Rings - Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
2. Silence of the Lambs (1991) *
3. Beauty & the Beast (1991)
4. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
5. Schindler's List (1993) *
6. Lord of the Rings - Return of the King (2003) *
7. Sense & Sensibility (1995)
8. Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers (2002)
9. Moulin Rouge! (2001)
10. Dances with Wolves (1990) *
11. The Blind Side (2009)
12. The Piano (1993)
13. The Green Mile (1999)
14. Ghost (1990)
15. There Will Be Blood (2007)
16. Up (2009)
17. Whiplash (2014)
18. The Crying Game (1992)
19. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
20. Midnight in Paris (2011)
21. The Help (2011)
22. Les Miserables (2012)
23. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
24. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
25. The Reader (2008)
***
Honorable Mentions:
Howards End (1992)
***
Most on the List by Year:
1991 - 2
1993 - 2
2001 - 2
2003 - 2
2008 - 2
2009 - 2
2011 - 2
Most of the List by Decade:
1990s - 10
2000s - 11
2010s - 4
2007
Best Picture Nominees:
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men *
There Will Be Blood
***
Atonement - A WWII story about how the accusations of a young girl change the lives of those around her and whether later in life she can atone for her earlier mistake. Well-deserved Supporting Actress nomination for 13 year-old Saoirse Ronan.
Juno - The story of a quirky pregnant teenager, Juno, portrayed by 20 year-old Ellen Page, nominated for Best Actress. Kind of a weird movie, just the kind of comedy that gets nominated for Best Picture by the Academy.
Michael Clayton - A George Clooney vehicle and thriller about Mr. Clooney as a fixer, who is tracking down a co-worker who has had a change of heart in a class action lawsuit. Tilda Swinton, not of the mainstream movie crowd, receives a nomination and wins Best Supporting Actress for this movie. She should have previously won for Orlando, but it was not mainstream enough.
No Country for Old Men - A weird, Cormac McCarthy book-based film about tracking down of a psychopath (Javier Bardem) by cop Tommy Lee Jones. Bardem is pretty amazing and wins Best Supporting Actor. The film suffers from a weird undramatic ending.
There Will Be Blood - Lots of great acting and storytelling in the adaptation of Upton Sinclair's Oil! Usually, I don't like Daniel Day-Lewis, but he is very strong in his role as an unrelenting oil tycoon. He won Best Actor.
***
My ranking of the Best Picture nominees:
1. There Will Be Blood
2. No Country for Old Men
3. Juno
4. Michael Clayton
5. Atonement
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men *
There Will Be Blood
***
Atonement - A WWII story about how the accusations of a young girl change the lives of those around her and whether later in life she can atone for her earlier mistake. Well-deserved Supporting Actress nomination for 13 year-old Saoirse Ronan.
Juno - The story of a quirky pregnant teenager, Juno, portrayed by 20 year-old Ellen Page, nominated for Best Actress. Kind of a weird movie, just the kind of comedy that gets nominated for Best Picture by the Academy.
Michael Clayton - A George Clooney vehicle and thriller about Mr. Clooney as a fixer, who is tracking down a co-worker who has had a change of heart in a class action lawsuit. Tilda Swinton, not of the mainstream movie crowd, receives a nomination and wins Best Supporting Actress for this movie. She should have previously won for Orlando, but it was not mainstream enough.
No Country for Old Men - A weird, Cormac McCarthy book-based film about tracking down of a psychopath (Javier Bardem) by cop Tommy Lee Jones. Bardem is pretty amazing and wins Best Supporting Actor. The film suffers from a weird undramatic ending.
There Will Be Blood - Lots of great acting and storytelling in the adaptation of Upton Sinclair's Oil! Usually, I don't like Daniel Day-Lewis, but he is very strong in his role as an unrelenting oil tycoon. He won Best Actor.
***
My ranking of the Best Picture nominees:
1. There Will Be Blood
2. No Country for Old Men
3. Juno
4. Michael Clayton
5. Atonement
2006
Best Picture Nominees:
Babel
The Departed *
Letters from Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine
The Queen
***
Babel - A confusing movie with multiple plot lines taking places in multiple places in the world. I think the title refers to everything happening that no one understands. First Best Director nomination for Inarritu. Good musical score and nice acting by Rinko Kikuchi.
The Departed - Based upon a Chinese film, this stars Mark Wahlberg as a cop, and Leonardo diCaprio as a criminal who are actually in reversed roles (good is bad, and bad is good). Dramatic and enjoyable.
Letters from Iwo Jima - Excellent Japanese-language film from Clint Eastwood about Iwo Jima from the Japanese point of view. Companion piece to Flags of Our Fathers (the American version).
Little Miss Sunshine - A fun comedy with an all-star cast about an average girl in beauty pageants and her quirky family. This movie was so different from the rest of the nominees and probably why I enjoyed it. Not too serious.
The Queen - Fictionalized account of how the royal family deals with the death of Lady Diana. Tour-de-force for Helen Mirren, who won the Best Actress Oscar.
***
My rankings of the Best Picture nominees:
1. Little Miss Sunshine
2. Letters from Iwo Jima
3. The Departed
4. Babel
5. The Queen
Babel
The Departed *
Letters from Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine
The Queen
***
Babel - A confusing movie with multiple plot lines taking places in multiple places in the world. I think the title refers to everything happening that no one understands. First Best Director nomination for Inarritu. Good musical score and nice acting by Rinko Kikuchi.
The Departed - Based upon a Chinese film, this stars Mark Wahlberg as a cop, and Leonardo diCaprio as a criminal who are actually in reversed roles (good is bad, and bad is good). Dramatic and enjoyable.
Letters from Iwo Jima - Excellent Japanese-language film from Clint Eastwood about Iwo Jima from the Japanese point of view. Companion piece to Flags of Our Fathers (the American version).
Little Miss Sunshine - A fun comedy with an all-star cast about an average girl in beauty pageants and her quirky family. This movie was so different from the rest of the nominees and probably why I enjoyed it. Not too serious.
The Queen - Fictionalized account of how the royal family deals with the death of Lady Diana. Tour-de-force for Helen Mirren, who won the Best Actress Oscar.
***
My rankings of the Best Picture nominees:
1. Little Miss Sunshine
2. Letters from Iwo Jima
3. The Departed
4. Babel
5. The Queen
2005
Best Picture Nominees:
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Crash *
Good Night, and Good Luck
Munich
***
Brokeback Mountain- Probably one of the most unusual Best Picture nominees in a while, but not out of the mainstream, with actors Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Anne Hathaway, and Michelle Williams starring, and directed by Ang Lee. It is sort of a gay love story. It was favored to win Best Picture and that was nearly assured when Ang Lee won Best Director. As "outspoken" as the entertainment industry is, they could not bring themselves to make this the Best Picture.
Capote - A tour-de-force for Phillip Seymour Hoffman about Truman Capote during the time of his research for In Cold Blood. Hoffman deservedly won Best Actor.
Crash - To me the title says it all, crash. It's about everything that leads up to a car crash, a huge ensemble cast and not very watchable, but maybe seemed the least objectionable to Academy voters.
Good Night, and Good Luck - The story of Edward R. Murrow and his battle with Eugene McCarthy. This movie is in black-and-white and this was a George Clooney special pet project for which he received a directing nod. It's a nice enjoyable little film.
Munich - A graphic depiction of the retaliation by Israel against those who slayed their athletes in the 1972 Olympics. Basically, a special squad sought out and killed those responsible. A dramatic story told by Steven Spielberg. A good film, but mostly a "filler" that was destined to win no Oscars.
***
My rankings of the Best Picture nominees:
1. Brokeback Mountain
2. Good Night, and Good Luck
3. Munich
4. Capote
5. Crash
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Crash *
Good Night, and Good Luck
Munich
***
Brokeback Mountain- Probably one of the most unusual Best Picture nominees in a while, but not out of the mainstream, with actors Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Anne Hathaway, and Michelle Williams starring, and directed by Ang Lee. It is sort of a gay love story. It was favored to win Best Picture and that was nearly assured when Ang Lee won Best Director. As "outspoken" as the entertainment industry is, they could not bring themselves to make this the Best Picture.
Capote - A tour-de-force for Phillip Seymour Hoffman about Truman Capote during the time of his research for In Cold Blood. Hoffman deservedly won Best Actor.
Crash - To me the title says it all, crash. It's about everything that leads up to a car crash, a huge ensemble cast and not very watchable, but maybe seemed the least objectionable to Academy voters.
Good Night, and Good Luck - The story of Edward R. Murrow and his battle with Eugene McCarthy. This movie is in black-and-white and this was a George Clooney special pet project for which he received a directing nod. It's a nice enjoyable little film.
Munich - A graphic depiction of the retaliation by Israel against those who slayed their athletes in the 1972 Olympics. Basically, a special squad sought out and killed those responsible. A dramatic story told by Steven Spielberg. A good film, but mostly a "filler" that was destined to win no Oscars.
***
My rankings of the Best Picture nominees:
1. Brokeback Mountain
2. Good Night, and Good Luck
3. Munich
4. Capote
5. Crash
2004
Best Picture nominees:
The Aviator
Finding Neverland
Million Dollar Baby *
Ray
Sideways
***
The Aviator - The story of Howard Hughes. Several hammy portrayals, including diCaprio as Howard Hughes, a nutty recluse; Cate Blanchett as Katherine Hepburn (for which she won the Oscar), and a large cast.
Finding Neverland - The story of J.M. Barrie (the author of Peter Pan) and the fantastic life he led in giving a good upbringing to the children of his platonic friend Silvia Llewellyn Davies. Standout performance of Freddie Highmore (now playing Norman Bates on Bates Motel).
Million Dollar Baby - Outstanding performance by Hilary Swank as the ill-fated boxer trained by Morgan Freeman and Clint Eastwood. Probably the best movie directed by Clint Eastwood and a good soundtrack by him as well, but not nominated.
Ray - The story of Ray Charles, with a tour-de-force acting performance by Jamie Foxx, who wins the Best Actor award.
Sideways - Comedic film about two men who go on a weeklong wine-tasting binge in Santa Ynez. Funny, but not really a Best Picture.
***
My rankings of the Best Picture nominees:
1. Million Dollar Baby
2. The Aviator
3. Finding Neverland
4. Sideways
5. Ray
The Aviator
Finding Neverland
Million Dollar Baby *
Ray
Sideways
***
The Aviator - The story of Howard Hughes. Several hammy portrayals, including diCaprio as Howard Hughes, a nutty recluse; Cate Blanchett as Katherine Hepburn (for which she won the Oscar), and a large cast.
Finding Neverland - The story of J.M. Barrie (the author of Peter Pan) and the fantastic life he led in giving a good upbringing to the children of his platonic friend Silvia Llewellyn Davies. Standout performance of Freddie Highmore (now playing Norman Bates on Bates Motel).
Million Dollar Baby - Outstanding performance by Hilary Swank as the ill-fated boxer trained by Morgan Freeman and Clint Eastwood. Probably the best movie directed by Clint Eastwood and a good soundtrack by him as well, but not nominated.
Ray - The story of Ray Charles, with a tour-de-force acting performance by Jamie Foxx, who wins the Best Actor award.
Sideways - Comedic film about two men who go on a weeklong wine-tasting binge in Santa Ynez. Funny, but not really a Best Picture.
***
My rankings of the Best Picture nominees:
1. Million Dollar Baby
2. The Aviator
3. Finding Neverland
4. Sideways
5. Ray
2008
Best Picture Nominees:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
***
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Film was based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, but almost a 3-hour film. Reminded me of Forrest Gump which goes on and on. Breakout for Taraji P. Henson, who mostly jumped to TV's Empire.
Frost/Nixon - The story of the big interview with Nixon by British journalist David Frost, based on a play. Anthony Hopkins hams up the whole thing with his special American accent.
Milk - Special tour-de-force for Sean Penn (again) as Harvey Milk, a murdered (gay) supervisor from San Francisco. This won an Oscar for Penn and Best Screenplay, but wasn't quite as good as Brokeback Mountain a few years ago.
The Reader - A little seen movie about a illiterate woman who had prisoners at Auschwitz read to her and then later carries on an affair with a German teenager who also reads to her, and then her trial and the aftermath. I enjoyed the early scenes in this movie, and the second half isn't nearly as good, but Kate Winslet does a good job.
Slumdog Millionaire - I loved this movie because it combined game shows, Bollywood, and a classic love story (and wasn't in Hindi). I was surprised that it won Best Picture, because it wasn't your typical epic or director's pet project or lifetime award, just a fun movie.
***
My ranking of the Best Picture nominees:
1. Slumdog Millionaire
2. The Reader
3. Milk
4. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
5. Frost/Nixon
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
***
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Film was based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, but almost a 3-hour film. Reminded me of Forrest Gump which goes on and on. Breakout for Taraji P. Henson, who mostly jumped to TV's Empire.
Frost/Nixon - The story of the big interview with Nixon by British journalist David Frost, based on a play. Anthony Hopkins hams up the whole thing with his special American accent.
Milk - Special tour-de-force for Sean Penn (again) as Harvey Milk, a murdered (gay) supervisor from San Francisco. This won an Oscar for Penn and Best Screenplay, but wasn't quite as good as Brokeback Mountain a few years ago.
The Reader - A little seen movie about a illiterate woman who had prisoners at Auschwitz read to her and then later carries on an affair with a German teenager who also reads to her, and then her trial and the aftermath. I enjoyed the early scenes in this movie, and the second half isn't nearly as good, but Kate Winslet does a good job.
Slumdog Millionaire - I loved this movie because it combined game shows, Bollywood, and a classic love story (and wasn't in Hindi). I was surprised that it won Best Picture, because it wasn't your typical epic or director's pet project or lifetime award, just a fun movie.
***
My ranking of the Best Picture nominees:
1. Slumdog Millionaire
2. The Reader
3. Milk
4. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
5. Frost/Nixon
2003
Best Picture Nominees:
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King *
Lost in Translation
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Mystic River
Seabiscuit
***
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King - Finally! While I still like the first picture the best, the final picture in the trilogy gets the Best Picture win. Again, this follows the Awards' way of rewarding movies for perceived slights or the culmination of a career.
Lost in Translation - Sofia Coppola's semi-autobiographical quirky movie about aging movie star Bill Murray making whiskey ads in Japan. Murray should have won Best Actor here, but (see above) lost out to Sean Penn.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of The World - This movie was based upon three novels following a Royal Navy ship and its crew. It was a great historical epic and I'm sad that no sequels were made, because I enjoy a good rollicking period piece on a ship.
Mystic River - A movie that I was not interested in seeing. Following Boston boys from childhood to adulthood and criminality. I feel it was on the lists solely because it was a Clint Eastwood movie.
Seabiscuit - The story of a successful race horse who beat War Admiral (winner of the Triple Crown) in the late 30s. Seabiscuit had good heritage but was not seen as a winner, though won many races. An enjoyable movie, but probably not Best Picture material.
***
My rankings of the Best Picture nominees:
1. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
2. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
3. Lost in Translation
4. Seabiscuit
5. Mystic River
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King *
Lost in Translation
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Mystic River
Seabiscuit
***
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King - Finally! While I still like the first picture the best, the final picture in the trilogy gets the Best Picture win. Again, this follows the Awards' way of rewarding movies for perceived slights or the culmination of a career.
Lost in Translation - Sofia Coppola's semi-autobiographical quirky movie about aging movie star Bill Murray making whiskey ads in Japan. Murray should have won Best Actor here, but (see above) lost out to Sean Penn.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of The World - This movie was based upon three novels following a Royal Navy ship and its crew. It was a great historical epic and I'm sad that no sequels were made, because I enjoy a good rollicking period piece on a ship.
Mystic River - A movie that I was not interested in seeing. Following Boston boys from childhood to adulthood and criminality. I feel it was on the lists solely because it was a Clint Eastwood movie.
Seabiscuit - The story of a successful race horse who beat War Admiral (winner of the Triple Crown) in the late 30s. Seabiscuit had good heritage but was not seen as a winner, though won many races. An enjoyable movie, but probably not Best Picture material.
***
My rankings of the Best Picture nominees:
1. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
2. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
3. Lost in Translation
4. Seabiscuit
5. Mystic River
2002
Best Picture Nominees:
Chicago *
Gangs of New York
The Hours
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
The Pianist
***
Chicago - This is based on the 1975 musical with an all-star cast. This was also a true musical but with movie stars who can sing as opposed to an updated version of the stage show.
Gangs of New York - An historical epic about the gangs of New York, with extremely hammy performances by Daniel Day-Lewis and Leonardo diCaprio. Fortunately, it did not win any Academy Awards.
The Hours - Based on a novel of the same name, this movie follows three ladies in different times of history reading Mrs. Dalloway. Well-acted by big name actresses, but largely forgettable years later.
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Just one year later, the second film in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Few multi-film series end up being released so quickly between each other and have such success. This is probably my least favorite of the three, but still love all the movies in this entire series. This was the highest grossing movie of 2002, probably because there was no Harry Potter film this year.
The Pianist - This is the story of a Jewish pianist from Poland who survives World War II mostly by hiding and through special favors. It was directed by Roman Polanski (who, regrettably won Best Director), who has been hiding out in Europe for 40 years after serving just 42 days after raping a 13-year old. Other than meeting my "obligations," I avoid Roman Polanski movies as I do not like to support rapists.
***
My rankings of the Best Picture nominees:
1. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
2. Chicago
3. The Hours
4. The Pianist
5. Gangs of New York
Chicago *
Gangs of New York
The Hours
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
The Pianist
***
Chicago - This is based on the 1975 musical with an all-star cast. This was also a true musical but with movie stars who can sing as opposed to an updated version of the stage show.
Gangs of New York - An historical epic about the gangs of New York, with extremely hammy performances by Daniel Day-Lewis and Leonardo diCaprio. Fortunately, it did not win any Academy Awards.
The Hours - Based on a novel of the same name, this movie follows three ladies in different times of history reading Mrs. Dalloway. Well-acted by big name actresses, but largely forgettable years later.
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Just one year later, the second film in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Few multi-film series end up being released so quickly between each other and have such success. This is probably my least favorite of the three, but still love all the movies in this entire series. This was the highest grossing movie of 2002, probably because there was no Harry Potter film this year.
The Pianist - This is the story of a Jewish pianist from Poland who survives World War II mostly by hiding and through special favors. It was directed by Roman Polanski (who, regrettably won Best Director), who has been hiding out in Europe for 40 years after serving just 42 days after raping a 13-year old. Other than meeting my "obligations," I avoid Roman Polanski movies as I do not like to support rapists.
***
My rankings of the Best Picture nominees:
1. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
2. Chicago
3. The Hours
4. The Pianist
5. Gangs of New York
2001
Best Picture Nominees:
A Beautiful Mind *
Gosford Park
In the Bedroom
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
Moulin Rouge!
***
A Beautiful Mind - A fictionalized account of Mathematician John Nash, who was brilliant but suffered from schizophrenia. Total Oscar fodder, but I still enjoyed the movie.
Gosford Park - A large ensemble film directed by Robert Altman and a precursor to Downton Abbey (written by Julian Fellowes). Reminiscent of Upstairs, Downstairs, and also a murder mystery. Years later, I enjoyed both of the above series because I like the dichotomy of the upstairs and downstairs separate class systems.
In the Bedroom - A dramatic film about family relationships and how those relationships ruin lives. Hard to watch, but well-acted.
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring - As a HUGE fantasy/sci-fi fan, I am biased when one of these films is nominated for Best Picture. This is the first of three films. A great story, amazing special effects, and was the 2nd highest grossing picture of the year (behind the first Harry Potter movie).
Moulin Rouge! - At the time, I was not overly fond of this movie, because it meshed modern times (and modern music) with the era portrayed in the picture. The movie has grown on me over time, because of the way they mash-up music and update the 1952 movie.
***
My ranking of the Best Picture nominees:
1. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
2. Moulin Rouge!
3. A Beautiful Mind
4. Gosford Park
5. In the Bedroom
A Beautiful Mind *
Gosford Park
In the Bedroom
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
Moulin Rouge!
***
A Beautiful Mind - A fictionalized account of Mathematician John Nash, who was brilliant but suffered from schizophrenia. Total Oscar fodder, but I still enjoyed the movie.
Gosford Park - A large ensemble film directed by Robert Altman and a precursor to Downton Abbey (written by Julian Fellowes). Reminiscent of Upstairs, Downstairs, and also a murder mystery. Years later, I enjoyed both of the above series because I like the dichotomy of the upstairs and downstairs separate class systems.
In the Bedroom - A dramatic film about family relationships and how those relationships ruin lives. Hard to watch, but well-acted.
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring - As a HUGE fantasy/sci-fi fan, I am biased when one of these films is nominated for Best Picture. This is the first of three films. A great story, amazing special effects, and was the 2nd highest grossing picture of the year (behind the first Harry Potter movie).
Moulin Rouge! - At the time, I was not overly fond of this movie, because it meshed modern times (and modern music) with the era portrayed in the picture. The movie has grown on me over time, because of the way they mash-up music and update the 1952 movie.
***
My ranking of the Best Picture nominees:
1. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
2. Moulin Rouge!
3. A Beautiful Mind
4. Gosford Park
5. In the Bedroom
2000
Best Picture nominees:
Chocolat
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Erin Brockovich
Gladiator *
Traffic
***
Chocolat - A charming, if not wide-ranging comedic movie with Johnny Depp (before he went bonkers with the whole Pirates of the Caribbean series) and Juliette Binoche as a chocolatier who changes lives with her chocolate arts. Being allergic to chocolate, I found the picture cloying.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - A Chinese-language martial arts film with cool special effects and a good romantic story. Went on to become the largest grossing foreign film (at the time).
Erin Brockovich - A tour-de-force for Julia Roberts in her portrayal of the real-life Erin Brockovich, who battled for people in Central California who were being poisoned by PG&E dumping of chemicals. Another example of a David vs. Goliath film, where David is a tough-as-nails lady.
Gladiator - The story of a Roman general who is sentenced to death, captured by slavers, and works his way up by winning matches in the gladiator arena, eventually changing the system. Lead actor Russell Crowe won Best Actor in his own tour-de-force.
Traffic - In a year of wide-ranging epics, another wide-ranging epic about drug trafficking in the US, from the fields to the dealers to the kingpins. This is based on a British miniseries, which is substantially longer and better.
***
This year was an example of films that I was not terribly jazzed about. None of these five movies are ones that I get really excited about seeing again.
My ranking of the Best Picture nominees:
1. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
2. Erin Brockovich
3. Gladiator
4. Traffic
5. Chocolat
Chocolat
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Erin Brockovich
Gladiator *
Traffic
***
Chocolat - A charming, if not wide-ranging comedic movie with Johnny Depp (before he went bonkers with the whole Pirates of the Caribbean series) and Juliette Binoche as a chocolatier who changes lives with her chocolate arts. Being allergic to chocolate, I found the picture cloying.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - A Chinese-language martial arts film with cool special effects and a good romantic story. Went on to become the largest grossing foreign film (at the time).
Erin Brockovich - A tour-de-force for Julia Roberts in her portrayal of the real-life Erin Brockovich, who battled for people in Central California who were being poisoned by PG&E dumping of chemicals. Another example of a David vs. Goliath film, where David is a tough-as-nails lady.
Gladiator - The story of a Roman general who is sentenced to death, captured by slavers, and works his way up by winning matches in the gladiator arena, eventually changing the system. Lead actor Russell Crowe won Best Actor in his own tour-de-force.
Traffic - In a year of wide-ranging epics, another wide-ranging epic about drug trafficking in the US, from the fields to the dealers to the kingpins. This is based on a British miniseries, which is substantially longer and better.
***
This year was an example of films that I was not terribly jazzed about. None of these five movies are ones that I get really excited about seeing again.
My ranking of the Best Picture nominees:
1. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
2. Erin Brockovich
3. Gladiator
4. Traffic
5. Chocolat
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