After my success last year, I thought I'd take another shot at predicting who is going to walk away with those little, but heavy, golden statues on Monday (Australian time).
The main categories this year are littered with biopics or serious films based on true events. The Oscars have always leaned toward awarding dramas and biopics with little consideration given to comedies and action films, which can still feature great performances and entertain us but for some reason are not considered 'worthy' of the big awards. Comedies can take out Best Screenplay awards without being nominated for Best Picture, Actress or Actor. While in the early years of the Oscars we see a few comedy films that have won, the chance of a comedy film winning anything else seems to be dwindling away to nothing. Many films touted as comedy films that have won awards are really just dramas with some black humour added (looking at you American Beauty, As Good as it Gets et al). Bridesmaids was the only recent notable exception in nominations for out and out comedies. Action and fantasy films usually scoop the technical awards but hardly get a look in elsewhere - a fun exception being when Lord of the Rings: Return of the King memorably won Best Picture as well as 10 other awards in the presentations for films of 2003. However, this year could not be further from awarding any light films (Grand Budapest Hotel being a surprising and pleasing exception), so it has been a heavy month of trying to watch all the Oscars contenders for me.
My tip for the winner of each category is highlighted in blue in each list.
Best Film
Nominees: American Sniper, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Boyhood, The Theory of Everything, Selma, Birdman, The Imitation Game, Whiplash
There has been much talk that this year's crop of Best Picture nominees are some of the lowest grossing films of the year - meaning that not many people went to see them. However, that is usually the case due to the aforementioned bias against comedy, action and fantasy films.
I think this one is a 3 horse race between Boyhood, Birdman and The Imitation Game. Grand Budapest Hotel is ruled out because it's a comedy. Whiplash is just too niche. The Theory of Everything was nice but lacked bite. Selma was oh so worthy but ultimately it's a bit dull (afflicted with the same problem I had with Lincoln - wordy speeches that nobody would ever say). American Sniper is too political (even though the movie actually isn't that political) and the 'fake baby controversy' won't help it. I loved The Imitation Game, it's been the film I've enjoyed the most out of this category. I don't know why it isn't a more serious contender but it just doesn't seem to have the sentiment. Maybe just too British.
My money is on Boyhood. Birdman has had rave reviews and was daring in its construction, but is Hollywood going to vote for a movie that makes fun of Hollywood? No, I don't think so. Boyhood has a unique structure, strong performances and a great screenplay. I think it will just get there.
Best Actress:
Nominees: Julianne Moore (Still Alice), Reese Witherspoon (Wild), Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl), Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything), Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One Night)
I haven't seen Marion Cotillard (sorry girl, I love you but the film was in cinemas in Brisbane for about 2 days in total so it was too hard) but have seen all the others. Felicity Jones was nice as Steven Hawking's wife, but the script never gave us a chance to understand why she was so strong and cheerful through such difficulty, which would have probably given her a better chance to win. Rosamund Pike should probably win for her extraordinary portrayal of a psychopath, but this one is between Reese and Julianne. Julianne has the form in all previous award shows and the subject matter of an intelligent woman going through early onset Alzheimers is award bait. I would prefer Reese to win for her totally raw and uncompromising performance as a lost young woman walking her way back to life, but I think Julianne has this one in the bag. It will be seen as 'her time'.
Best Actor
Nominees: Bradley Cooper (American Sniper), Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything), Steve Carell (Foxcatcher), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game), Michael Keaton (Birdman)
These are 5 very good performances in very similar roles. Virtually all of these characters are men of very few words, most are socially awkward or outcasts and all are struggling against something trying to stop them achieving their goals. All but Michael Keaton were playing a real person, and some would argue that Michael Keaton was really just playing a version of Michael Keaton. All were fascinating to watch in their roles as they used facial expression and body language only to express what these men could not say. However, the award will definitely go to Eddie Redmayne, who takes it to the limit of physical contortion to play Professor Stephen Hawking over a roughly 30 year timeframe as his body wastes from Motor Neurone disease. He convincingly portrays Hawking as both an intelligent, funny charmer and a bit of a rogue, being especially trying to his wife at times.
Best Supporting Actress
Meryl Streep (Into the Woods), Patricia Arquette (Boyhood), Laura Dern (Wild), Emma Stone (Birdman), Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game)
This is one year Meryl Streep is not going to win - as good as she is in general (I haven't seen the film) it is not the usual type of role to be nominated for in this category. Apart from that it is another strong field. Laura Dern's role is probably just too brief. I'm not a Keira Knightly fan usually but thought she was a great peppy shot in the arm for the otherwise too blokey Imitation Game. Emma Stone is raw and sassy as the ex-junkie daughter in Birdman but again I think it was a little brief. Patricia Arquette is exquisite in Boyhood though, taking you on a roller coaster ride of mothering through a series of bad choices of men while trying to make a living for her family and have a career. Her final words in Boyhood have stayed with me for a long time afterwards. So poignant.
Best Supporting Actor
JK Simmons (Whiplash), Ethan Hawke (Boyhood), Edward Norton (Birdman), Robert Duvall (The Judge), Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher)
I've missed two performances in this category this year, including JK Simmons. So I'm going with the weight of sentiment in choosing this winner rather than making my own assessment. Kinda sad for the other guys though - Mark Ruffalo could have had this any other year, and Edward Norton is hilarious in Birdman.
Best Director
Alejandro G Inarritu (Birdman), Richard Linklater (Boyhood), Bennett Miller (Foxcatcher), Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game)
Tough one to call. There are two groundbreaking technical achievements in this pack, two directors who drew excellent performances and built great tension in moody historical dramas, and one who continues to further his wacky vision and obsession with centring shots (search for Wes Anderson - Centred on Vimeo and watch this awesome video). Since I didn't really like Birdman as a film, I'm going with Richard Linklater for his amazing vision to film a movie over a 12 year period with strong continuity, great screenplay and involvement from his actors.
And the rest of the categories I dare to attempt:
Best Cinematography - hands down this will go to Emmanuel Lubezki for Birdman. How on earth they achieved these continuous long takes we may never know!
Best Animated Film - I've seen none of them but feel it will be How to Train your Dragon 2 based on what I've read and heard about it.
Best Original Screenplay - I'm going with the out-of-the-box choice here of The Grand Budapest Hotel for the snappy dialogue.
Best Adapted Screenplay - Extremely difficult to call as any could win. I'm going to go with Whiplash.
Best Production Design - The Grand Budapest Hotel has to have this one.
Visual Effects - It will be a crime if X-Men: Days of Future Past doesn't win this for the Quiksilver scene alone. Go Aussie!
Let's see how I go!
Sunday 22 February 2015
Sunday 15 February 2015
Movie #9 - Foxcatcher
Sunday morning and we were planning to go and see The Interview for a giggle. Then I realised "The Oscars are on next Monday - eek! Better go see the rest of the movies I haven't seen". So after a quick comparison of options for the remaining films on the list, we decided to go and see Foxcatcher which obviously hasn't been as popular as the other films. Couldn't be further from The Interview!
Foxcatcher is another 'based on true events' story that seem to be very popular with the Oscars voters this year (competing with American Sniper, The Imitation Game, Selma, The Theory of Everything). It comes directed by Bennet Miller, the guy who brilliantly reinvented sports films with Moneyball a few years back. This one also puts sport into the background of a character study and mood piece, although the mood is a lot darker here.
We are introduced to Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) who, despite winning a gold medal in wrestling at the 1984 Olympics, seems to be pretty down on his luck and a loner. His older brother Dave (Mark Ruffalo aka The Hulk), also a wrestler and gold medallist at the same Olympics, seems to be the only close friend he has as he struggles to make enough money to survive as well as train for the next World Championships and Olympics. We don't need too many scenes of Mark's lower lip jutting out to know that he's going to say 'yes' pretty quickly when he's approached by multimillionaire philanthropist, philatelist, ornithologist and amateur sports enthusiast John du Pont (Steve Carell) to join a wrestling team he's putting together. John has set up his family's estate, known as Foxcatcher Farm, to be the ultimate training facility and he even puts Mark on the payroll and lets him stay in the Chalet full-time. He allows Mark to pick a team of guys to train and compete with, and John particularly wants Dave to come and be his assistant coach, an offer which Dave initially refuses as he doesn't want to uproot his young family.
Within minutes of meeting John du Pont, you will be ill at ease. He is a strange individual, sometimes warm and friendly but more often than not cold and detached. He looks down his rather large nose at everyone (great makeup effects on Carell) like a king surveying his peasant subjects. At once superior and inferior. He pulls people to him then shuts them out if they get too close. He is obviously trying to please his snobbish mother but seems not to know how. He is delusional over his abilities as a coach and athlete (he became a wrestler after age 50). It's a magnetic, creepy performance by Carell, who comes across like a tightly coiled spring where you never know what he's going to do next.
The story follows a very linear path from Mark firstly enjoying du Pont's patronage and then becoming disillusioned, bringing big brother Dave along for the roller coaster ride of emotions as they hurtle towards the 1988 Olympics. Channing Tatum is good as Mark, if a little too simian for my liking, but Mark Ruffalo is really excellent as Dave the peacekeeper and key to Team Foxcatcher's success. If not for JK Simmons in Whiplash, I think this would have been his year at the Oscars for Best Supporting Actor. He really looks like a wrestler, even in everyday conversation he stands with his hands out and shoulders hunched, ready to rumble, but is actually a very nice guy.
The outcome of this triangular relationship all with the same goal in mind is best left for you to discover. It's a little slow-moving and probably won't need multiple viewings due to the linear structure, but it's a compelling film and interesting view into the mind of a man with a lot of money and very few friends and also the sad state of overlooked sports in America.
I give this 7 out of 10 for great performances and being something a little different than the norm.
Foxcatcher is another 'based on true events' story that seem to be very popular with the Oscars voters this year (competing with American Sniper, The Imitation Game, Selma, The Theory of Everything). It comes directed by Bennet Miller, the guy who brilliantly reinvented sports films with Moneyball a few years back. This one also puts sport into the background of a character study and mood piece, although the mood is a lot darker here.
We are introduced to Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) who, despite winning a gold medal in wrestling at the 1984 Olympics, seems to be pretty down on his luck and a loner. His older brother Dave (Mark Ruffalo aka The Hulk), also a wrestler and gold medallist at the same Olympics, seems to be the only close friend he has as he struggles to make enough money to survive as well as train for the next World Championships and Olympics. We don't need too many scenes of Mark's lower lip jutting out to know that he's going to say 'yes' pretty quickly when he's approached by multimillionaire philanthropist, philatelist, ornithologist and amateur sports enthusiast John du Pont (Steve Carell) to join a wrestling team he's putting together. John has set up his family's estate, known as Foxcatcher Farm, to be the ultimate training facility and he even puts Mark on the payroll and lets him stay in the Chalet full-time. He allows Mark to pick a team of guys to train and compete with, and John particularly wants Dave to come and be his assistant coach, an offer which Dave initially refuses as he doesn't want to uproot his young family.
Within minutes of meeting John du Pont, you will be ill at ease. He is a strange individual, sometimes warm and friendly but more often than not cold and detached. He looks down his rather large nose at everyone (great makeup effects on Carell) like a king surveying his peasant subjects. At once superior and inferior. He pulls people to him then shuts them out if they get too close. He is obviously trying to please his snobbish mother but seems not to know how. He is delusional over his abilities as a coach and athlete (he became a wrestler after age 50). It's a magnetic, creepy performance by Carell, who comes across like a tightly coiled spring where you never know what he's going to do next.
The story follows a very linear path from Mark firstly enjoying du Pont's patronage and then becoming disillusioned, bringing big brother Dave along for the roller coaster ride of emotions as they hurtle towards the 1988 Olympics. Channing Tatum is good as Mark, if a little too simian for my liking, but Mark Ruffalo is really excellent as Dave the peacekeeper and key to Team Foxcatcher's success. If not for JK Simmons in Whiplash, I think this would have been his year at the Oscars for Best Supporting Actor. He really looks like a wrestler, even in everyday conversation he stands with his hands out and shoulders hunched, ready to rumble, but is actually a very nice guy.
The outcome of this triangular relationship all with the same goal in mind is best left for you to discover. It's a little slow-moving and probably won't need multiple viewings due to the linear structure, but it's a compelling film and interesting view into the mind of a man with a lot of money and very few friends and also the sad state of overlooked sports in America.
I give this 7 out of 10 for great performances and being something a little different than the norm.
Sunday 1 February 2015
Movie #5 - American Sniper
Much like the subject matter of this movie, I'm on a mission. A mission to see all the Oscar nominated films (Best Picture, Actor and Actress categories only) before the Oscars, so I can try to predict the winners. Apart from that though I was also interested to see this movie that has caused a little bit of controversy in the United States - is it pro-war, neutral or anti-war? As someone who was watching out for this carefully, I have to say I found that the ultimate message was anti-war. So don't let the fact that it's directed by Clint Eastwood and there's a hoo-ha about it being pro-war and pro-US put you off, as it's actually an excellent film.
The film tells the true story of Chris Kyle, a Texan who joined the military at the age of 25 after his first career choice, a bronco rider, didn't work out after an arm injury. With the shooting skills learned from hunting with his father from a young age, Chris is right for the Navy Seals and becomes a sniper - the guys who sit on rooftops that can pick off anyone attacking the main military force's operation. Chris Kyle, the real person, was credited with 160 confirmed kills from a probably 255 kills during his military career of about 10 years. While still in training, he meets Taya (Sienna Miller, who is almost unrecognisable here, not sure what she has done to herself though), falls hard and they marry before he is even deployed on his first overseas mission.
While the film appears to deviate from or leave out some parts of Chris Kyle's true story, it hews close enough to the key events to be a worthy document of his life. The film switches between Chris' time in Iraq through four tours, his wife at home raising their two children, and his time at home between tours. While Chris' 'absence' from life at home even when he is home must surely be exaggerated (why would Taya remain in love with such an empty shell), it certainly serves to show that the impact of war on those in the military and their families is extreme.
Bradley Cooper is very good as Chris Kyle. He worked out and ate a bunch (every 50 minutes) until he gained the size of the real guy, making a more believable character, but more importantly he nails a mix of Texan charm, gung-ho patriotism and brooding intensity over the horrible things he has to do at times. Chris' belief is that his role is essential in protecting American soldiers and the homeland he loves so much and he seems, on the surface, to be able to use that to ignore any criticism of his job and America's wars. However, Cooper does a great job of showing the deeper feelings of trauma or sadness, even if they are only seen for a few fleeting seconds before he firms again.
There are really no other name actors in the cast of fellow soldiers and the people trying to help Chris Kyle 'become human again' after his honourable discharge from the Navy in 2009, when he started to work with injured vets to find meaning and purpose after the horrors they experienced. The only other big role is that of an enemy sniper, a Syrian former Olympian who was plying his trade in the same area in Iraq against the Americans, who becomes Chris' nemesis and obsession to take down.
Clint Eastwood is assured in both the action scenes (no shaky cam here thank God) and the family drama, with excellent pacing throughout. While we can't agree with his pro-gun stance in his personal life, I truly don't think this has been made as a pro-war film. If you don't walk out of here thinking "What a mess these wars make" I'd be very surprised. It's tense, it's interesting and it's a quality film that deserves to be seen before it's judged.
I'm giving this 7 out of 10.
The film tells the true story of Chris Kyle, a Texan who joined the military at the age of 25 after his first career choice, a bronco rider, didn't work out after an arm injury. With the shooting skills learned from hunting with his father from a young age, Chris is right for the Navy Seals and becomes a sniper - the guys who sit on rooftops that can pick off anyone attacking the main military force's operation. Chris Kyle, the real person, was credited with 160 confirmed kills from a probably 255 kills during his military career of about 10 years. While still in training, he meets Taya (Sienna Miller, who is almost unrecognisable here, not sure what she has done to herself though), falls hard and they marry before he is even deployed on his first overseas mission.
While the film appears to deviate from or leave out some parts of Chris Kyle's true story, it hews close enough to the key events to be a worthy document of his life. The film switches between Chris' time in Iraq through four tours, his wife at home raising their two children, and his time at home between tours. While Chris' 'absence' from life at home even when he is home must surely be exaggerated (why would Taya remain in love with such an empty shell), it certainly serves to show that the impact of war on those in the military and their families is extreme.
Bradley Cooper is very good as Chris Kyle. He worked out and ate a bunch (every 50 minutes) until he gained the size of the real guy, making a more believable character, but more importantly he nails a mix of Texan charm, gung-ho patriotism and brooding intensity over the horrible things he has to do at times. Chris' belief is that his role is essential in protecting American soldiers and the homeland he loves so much and he seems, on the surface, to be able to use that to ignore any criticism of his job and America's wars. However, Cooper does a great job of showing the deeper feelings of trauma or sadness, even if they are only seen for a few fleeting seconds before he firms again.
There are really no other name actors in the cast of fellow soldiers and the people trying to help Chris Kyle 'become human again' after his honourable discharge from the Navy in 2009, when he started to work with injured vets to find meaning and purpose after the horrors they experienced. The only other big role is that of an enemy sniper, a Syrian former Olympian who was plying his trade in the same area in Iraq against the Americans, who becomes Chris' nemesis and obsession to take down.
Clint Eastwood is assured in both the action scenes (no shaky cam here thank God) and the family drama, with excellent pacing throughout. While we can't agree with his pro-gun stance in his personal life, I truly don't think this has been made as a pro-war film. If you don't walk out of here thinking "What a mess these wars make" I'd be very surprised. It's tense, it's interesting and it's a quality film that deserves to be seen before it's judged.
I'm giving this 7 out of 10.
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