The Best Films of the 2000s and more.
Posts tagged Academy Awards
OSCAR SMACKDOWN: 2007 Best Picture
Jul 18th
The Oscar Smackdown takes a look at all five films that were nominated in a particular year and evaluated for their relevance in the category. After all five are examined, I’ve listed the film that has won and the film that I would’ve chose. The final thoughts at the bottom are a general overview of the category. The year in question will be the year that the films were released, not the “year” the ceremony was held. Links to longer articles can be found after each film.
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Atonement (2007)
The strongest thing that Atonement has going for it is its art direction which is often breathtaking. The lead performances from Keira Knightley and James McAvoy are very commendable, but it’s Saoirse Ronan who steals the show as the jealous younger sister to Knightley. As far as the script and film as a whole, it’s rather underwhelming and hinges upon an ending that no doubt divides audiences. It’s a worthy film, but a very predictable choice for a Best Picture nominee, which contributes to the fact that it doesn’t stand apart from the typical overly dramatic nominees of the past. |
OSCAR SMACKDOWN: 1995 Best Picture
May 19th
I was recently asked to take part in OSCAR SMACKDOWN over at The Final Oscar. The year: 1995. The films: Apollo 13, Babe, Braveheart, Il Postino, and Sense & Sensibility. The mission: view all five films and rate them based on the film alone, not with its ranking with the other nominees. Be sure to check The Final Oscar on May 24th for the results of the other participants and to see what theoretically should’ve been Best Picture of 1995.
Apollo 13
***** 5 Stars
There are few films that can be instantly classified as a ‘classic’ upon its release; Apollo 13 is one of them. Basing the film on the distressed NASA mission had inherent drama in it, and Ron Howard utilized it to a T. A perfect cast who put in perfect performances, stunning visual effects, and one hell of an attention to detail makes this film absolutely awe-inspiring and unforgettable.
Working Relationships: Scorsese & DiCaprio
Apr 26th
Martin Scorsese is part of a small club of living directors who have reached a legendary aura for their contributions to cinema. He keeps great company with names like Spielberg, Eastwood, and Coppola. Though the Hollywood New Wave had existed just before his mainstream debut of Mean Streets (1973) he and the aforementioned directors gave the new wave a violent shove into what we now know as modern cinema.
Leonardo DiCaprio was introduced to the world in 1991 as the charming addition to the beloved television show Growing Pains, (or Critters 3 depending on which circles you run in.) He quickly garnered star power as a teen idol, but just as soon proved himself a credible actor with a turn in Lasse Hallstöm’s powerful small town drama What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) for which he earned an Academy Award nomination at the age of nineteen.
Both men built illustrious careers choosing risky and adventurous projects. Scorsese’s long list of credentials resembles a study list for a university film course: Taxi Driver, Raging Bull ,and Goodfellas. Similarly DiCaprio continued to reinvent himself with independent features like The Basketball Diaries, and Baz Luhrmann’s modern take on Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet. But then the late nineties put both men at a crossroads.
Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
Mar 16th
Starring: (voices) Peter Sallis, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter
Director: Nick Park
Country: UK, USA
Genre: Animation
Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Awesomeness.
Wallace and Gromit have been around since the 80s, but it took them over 15 years to reach the big screen in their feature film debut. The wait was absolutely worth it. The years of developing the characters and type of humor paid off in a huge way. Each character in the film, including the minor townsfolk, are so well thought out and sculpted so well to shape the nuances of their personalities. What’s great about how it’s written is that you don’t need to have known Wallace and Gromit for fifteen years before seeing the film. You can get the sense of their history while learning about them for the first time. Plus it’s quirky great fun for all ages, that doesn’t play down to anyone’s intelligence. The art direction and cinematography is better than most live action films, and the visual style is on par with the greatest of caper films. Quite a brilliant feat of filmmaking.
Rataouille (2007)
Mar 7th
Starring: (voices) Patton Oswalt, Brian Dennehy, Janeane Garofalo
Director: Brad Bird
Country: USA
Genre: Animation
Best Animated Feature – Academy Awards
So often filmmakers ask audiences to suspend their disbelief in order to accept an amazing and unlikely story. But Ratatouille asks one of the biggest favors of an audience, perhaps ever. Remy is a rat. A rat with aspirations to become a beloved French chef. There’s something psychological that triggers revulsion when the mind mixes rats and food, but leave it to Pixar and Brad Bird to gain our trust and give us the best return on on our investment.
Bird’s script is as immaculate as its main character’s impeccable palate. It utilizes a traditional sense of storytelling with progressive themes without sacrificing a whimsical sense of fun. The character development is intricately measured allowing for the characters to overcome more than just physical obstacles. Remy and Linguini undergo such layered transformations that would be inspiring even for a live-action film.
The success of this film can be ascribed to the intense dedication that Pixar has for researching its films’ subjects, the shear craftsmanship of the script, or it could be chocked up to pure movie magic.
Best Picture Nominee – Avatar
Feb 22nd
I was recently asked to contribute to LAMB Devours the Oscars over at the LAMBs. They are providing a 33 day commentary on each category and Best Picture nominee until the night of the awards show. Please visit their website to view all of the other nominees and categories and the wonderful bloggers who have taken the time to write about them. Thanks!
–This Guy Over Here.
Best Picture Nominee: AVATAR
It’s always nice to see a low-budget independent film with little-to-no buzz finally get the attention it deserves. James Cameron has been suffering for attention nearly his entire career; finally his ship has come in. Oh wait, that horrid pun made me smell my own ironic humor. Get it? Because “ship” could mean “Titanic” and that was his other juggernaut of a film. Do you get it?
On February 2nd, 2010 Avatar was officially graced with nine Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. This fact should be completely disassociated with the fact that on January 26th, 2010 it became the highest grossing film of all time with eight hundred quadrillion dollars. It was nominated because of its spectacular spectacle… right?
