Matt's Big Oscar Challenge: The Missing List

Just thought I'd finish off for now with a little bit of housekeeping as I look at the films on the challenge that have evaded me.

I'm actually pretty surprised that I managed to watch as many Best Picture nominees as I did and this was primarily due to a lot of nefarious viewing earlier this year. In fact, of the 520 films that have been nominated for Best Picture over the years, there are only four that I failed to watch. These four films are:

1) The Patriot: Nominated for Best Picture at the 2nd ceremony; The Patriot stars Emil Jannings as a Russian Tsar. The Patriot is the only Best Picture nominee for which a full film reel no longer exists and its status as a lost film meant that I could cross it off of my list early on.

2) East Lynne: Frank Lloyd's 1931 film is an adaptation of Ellen Wood's novel of the same name and stars Ann Hardy and Conrad Nagel in the lead roles. Despite not being a lost film, only one print of the movie currently exists at the University of California's Media Lab. Maybe one day I'll be able to fly out there and make an appointment to view it but for now at least I'll have to chalk that one up as a film that I'm unable to see.

3) Flirtation Walk: Frank Borzage's musical film was nominated at the 1934 ceremony and starred Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler. Of the four films I'm unable to see, Flirtation Walk is the one that I'm a little mad about missing as there's no reason why there was no copy available to me. However, it's a film that I'm going to keep searching for and one day may be able to add it to this blog.

4) The White Parade: Nominated in the same year as Flirtation Walk, Irving Cummings' film focuses on trainee nurses and stars Loretta Young in the lead role. Like East Lynne, only one copy of The White Parade exists and once again its available to view at the same media lab. Maybe I should start a Kickstarter campaign to get myself over to L.A. but again I'm not too worried about not seeing this film.

So that's truly it for now, thanks everybody who's followed me on this wild journey and I'll attempt to write my list of all the Best Picture winners in due course.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge: Reviewing the Ceremonies 82-87 (2010-2015)

So that really is it, after five long years and over five hundred films I've finally come to the end of my Big Oscar Challenge. Don't worry though there's more on the way as at some point I plan to create a list ranking every Best Picture winner and also I'm currently in the process of moving the blog onto a snazzier Wordpress format. But for now at least let's look back at the Academy's most recent decisions in the Best Picture category.


Ceremony 82 (2010)
Winner: The Hurt Locker
Nominees: Avatar, The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, A Serious Man, Up, Up in the Air
Did the Right Film Win? Yes
The Hurt Locker felt like a timely winner in the Best Picture category primarily due to what was happening in Iraq and Afghanistan at the time. Although some of the fellow nominees have their plus points I feel that The Hurt Locker's win is more than justified.

Ceremony 83 (2011)
Winner: The King's Speech
Nominees: 127 Hours, Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids are All Right, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, True Grit, Winter's Bone
Did the Right Film Win? No
As much as I love the story in The King's Speech, it feels like a film that doesn't truly reflect the time period in which it was made. Instead I would of rather had The Social Network or Inception as the winner this year as both have something to say about modern technology and both are more visually spectacular that this year's eventual victor.

Ceremony 84 (2012)
Winner: The Artist
Nominees: The Descendants, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, War Horse
Did the Right Film Win? Yes
I feel like this was a year of right place, right time for The Artist which is a film that I had problems with but was the best of a rather tired bunch of nominees. Of the alternatives I would say that The Descendants is possibly a better film and The Help feels more like classic Oscar bait. But in the end I'm glad that this movie about movies won over the academy as it is still a joy to watch.

Ceremony 85 (2013)
Winner: Argo
Nominees: Amour, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty
Did the Right Film Win? Yes
Not as good of a collection of films as the past couple of years but a couple of gems in amongst the more obvious Oscar picks. Argo for me was a quality selection for the win with only Amour or possibly Beasts of the Southern Wild being adequate replacements.

Ceremony 86 (2014)
Winner: 12 Years a Slave
Nominees: American Hustle, Captain Phillips, Dallas Buyers Club, Gravity, Her, Nebraska, Philomena, The Wolf of Wall Street
Did the Right Film Win? No
Although some people loved 12 Years a Slave I think it's possibly Steve McQueen's worst film to date. Meanwhile the brilliant Gravity shone from a technical standpoint and was also an incredibly easy watch given its reduced time limit. Additionally I think that Captain Phillips would've been another fine alternative as I was gripped from beginning to end by Paul Greengrass' fraught tale.

Ceremony 87 (2015)
Winner: Birdman
Nominees: American Sniper, Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, Selma, The Theory of Everything, Whiplash
Did the Right Film Win? No
Although Birdman was an enjoyable enough film I thought that it won primarily due to the fact that it focused on older actors and the movie business as a whole. Compare that with Boyhood, a film that documents the first years of the 21st century and prevents a tale that is truly universal. More than that I can't believe that Richard Linklater was overlooked for directing a film that took him a massive twelve years to complete.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 480-481: 2015 Oscar Nominees Part Four

So we're finally at the end of a very long journey and the two films to end it off certainly form a unique double bill.

Feeling every inch the Oscar film is The Theory of Everything which ticks almost every box that a Best Picture candidate could. It's based on a true story, has a lead character with a disability and is set in the recent past; in other words it's The King's Speech all over again. To give it its dues, The Theory of Everything is a charming retelling of the life and career of Stephen Hawking; adapted from the book written by his first wife Jane. In fact the script, adapted by Anthony McCarten, makes sure that this is as much Jane's story as it is Stephen's. The film traces their relationship from an initial meeting at a party to their eventual separation as she struggles to deal with Stephen's deteriorating illness. Although we all know it's coming I felt that director James Marsh took his time in portraying Hawking's motor neurone disease, starting with a few odd twitches here and there. Stephen's collapse before his eventual diagnosis is extremely well-shot as are the future sequences in which he is given a number of tests that prove the inevitable. As the film progresses we understand the strains that Jane was put under and how she struggled to raise three children as well as cope with Stephen's condition. So when the charming Jonathan comes into their lives it appears as if Jane's head is turned however he later comes to be an aid to her and Stephen. The one thing that I didn't particularly like was the way in which Stephen's second wife Elaine was portrayed. Obviously, as this is based on Jane's book, Elaine was going to ever look great but she was presented as this home carer who steam-rolled her way into Stephen's affections. It's also interesting to note that the film ends with Stephen and Jane together at Buckingham Palace without their second spouses in sight. It's an oddly happy ending for a couple who don't actually end the film as husband and wife.

I feel The Theory of Everything's most memorable aspect is Eddie Redmayne's turn as the author of A Brief History of Time. Although he's appeared in several movies before, I feel that Redmayne's performance in The Theory of Everything is a star-making one. In fact it put me in mind of Daniel Day-Lewis' turn in My Left Foot for which he won the first of three Best Actor Oscars. If the bookies are right then Redmayne could easily emulate this honour and I feel that his award is more than deserved. Redmayne copes ably with Hawking's deteriorating condition and he has obviously studied hard to get his body movements just right. Redmayne shone most in the latter scenes in which he was forced to communicate Stephen's thoughts via either facial expressions or the now-famous keyboard. Similarly fantastic was Felicity Jones as Jane who perfectly portrayed a young woman who stood by her man despite what was about to come. Jones was great at showing the anguish that Jane was experiencing especially when Jonathan came into her life. Great support was given by Harry Lloyd, Christian McKay and David Thewlis as several of Hawking's Cambridge colleagues. Even though it hasn't been Oscar-nominated, Benoît Delhomme's superb cinematography deserves a mention as I found it told the film's story perfectly. I was especially a fan of how several scenes were shot as home camera footage such as Stephen and Joan's wedding and the family's trip to France. If I'd seen it before the Oscar nominations came out then there would be absolutely no doubt in my mind that The Theory of Everything would be represented in the Best Picture category. After having watched it I feel that the nomination is deserved as the film is easy to watch, contains two stunning central performances and is beautifully shot. It also has everything you would expect the Academy to look for when selecting their choices for Best Picture.

A film that you might not say that about is our final Best Picture nominee Whiplash. The film is certainly hard to put into a certain box and I would probably describe it as a thriller set in the world of jazz-drumming. The hero of the piece, if you can call him that, is 19-year-old Andrew Neimman a loner of sorts who has devoted his entire life to mastering the drums. His devotion has paid off as he finds himself at Shaffer Conservatory music school where he is soon recruited to play for the institute's prestigious studio band. The leader of this band is conductor Terrence Fletcher; a character that will stick in your head long after the film finishes. In the film's first scene we see Andrew practising on the drum kit only for the menacing Fletcher to make a memorable first appearance in the film. The film then sees Andrew attempt to impress Fletcher as his teacher taunts him with the insulting line 'not quite my tempo'. With the drumming consuming Andrew's life he soon discovers that he has very little time for anything else. One of my only criticisms with the film is that he starts dating a girl only to dump her about twenty minutes later. However I will forgive director and writer Damien Chazelle as everything else about his film is near perfect. Chazelle based Andrew's experiences on his own as he was once a jazz drummer with a teacher who pushed his band to breaking point. Originally shooting Whiplash as a short film, he eventually got the backing to turn into a feature and I'm more than glad he did. There's a certain realism in Chazelle's writing especially in the scenes in which Fletcher berates members of the band for their physical shortcomings. As Fletcher and Andrew attempt to take each other down,  the final scene is beautifully realised and is the most intense drumming sequence I believe I've ever seen captured on film.

Whiplash is basically guaranteed to win at least one Oscar as JK Simmons is a dead cert to scoop a Best Supporting Actor prize for his performance as Fletcher. Character actor Simmons turns Fletcher into a drill sergeant like creation as he continues to push his players to breaking point. I felt that Simmons' performance was simply captivating as Fletcher became more maniacal as the film progressed. At the same time Simmons made sure that Fletcher wasn't just a one note character and he brilliantly portrayed his sadness at the news that one of his former students had died. Although his character could be perceived as unlikeable, I felt that Miles Teller gave a compelling turn as the insular Andrew. Teller and Simmons bounced well off one another which gave their scenes together an extra layer of authenticity. It does help that Teller looks like a normal college student as it makes him easier to care about despite his lack of social skills. Outside of Simmons' win I hope that Whiplash picks up another couple of awards; particularly in the editing and sound mixing categories. Of this year's Best Picture nominees, I felt that Whiplash's editing was the most effective as Tom Cross quickly cut between the facial expressions of the characters, their instruments and the sheet music in front of them. Similarly, in a film all about music, the use of sound was brilliantly handled as the titular jazz track became more ominous every time we heard it. Additionally I think that Chazelle's film should scoop the Best Adapted Screenplay award although it's most likely to go to The Imitation Game. Whilst Whiplash's story is quite slight, what makes it work is the fantastic cinematography, editing and sound mixing. But more than anything else this is JK Simmons' film and his interpretation of Chazelle's script has led to the creation of one of the most memorable characters in recent history; maniacal band leader Terrence Fletcher.

So that's your lot and if I were to make a prediction about what film will scoop Best Picture at The Oscars then I think I'll go for Boyhood. The sheer achievement alone is enough for Linklater's movie to scoop the prize but I also found it to be incredibly realistic and emotionally profound. Personally I'd be happy if Boyhood won; but my personal favourites were definitely The Grand Budapest Hotel and Whiplash. However I'll be happy as long as American Sniper doesn't win any awards at all because my opinion it's the worst of this year's Best Picture nominees by quite a long margin.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 478-479: 2015 Oscar Nominees Part Three

We're back once again with the third post looking back at this year's Oscar nominees and this time we focus on the sort of film the Academy love most, a good old biopic.

We start with The Imitation Game, which focuses on Alan Turing; who was a key figure in cracking the German's Enigma Code and ultimately helped the allies win the war. The film focuses on three periods in Turing's life; his unhappy teenage years at Boarding School, his work on the Enigma Machine during the war and finally his decline in the early 1950s where he was ultimately arrested for conducting a homosexual relationship. Graham Moore's screenplay, based on Andrew Hodge's biography of Turing, paints the character as somebody who was hard to like at times. His obstinate attitude, lack of humour and contempt for those with inferior intelligence all led to him clashing with his co-workers and superiors. He had particular trouble with Commander Alastair Denniston who constantly tried to have his project shut down after an earlier clash with Turing. Thankfully Turing later found a friend in codebreaker Joan Clarke, whom he came to admire for her intelligence. She taught him to cherish his colleagues and he eventually proposed to her so he could stay on at Bletchley Park. I enjoyed how Moore began to intersect the three time periods as the film went along to make the audience understand just why Turing was as obsessed with his Enigma machine as he was. His naming the machine Christopher, after a particularly close school friend, made it somewhat of a personal project that he wanted to continue even after his arrest for indecency. William Goldenberg's editing of these three time periods was completely seamless and I believe he's certainly in contention of winning an Oscar for his work.

Other than Goldenberg's editing, I didn't find The Imitation Game to be particularly cinematic and at times it felt more like a BBC Sunday night drama than a multi-Oscar nominated picture. Although Morten Tyldum's direction was solid, there was no really striking visuals in The Theory of Everything. What the film did have going for it was a stunning central turn from Benedict Cumberbatch; who essentially played Turing as a more sympathetic version of Sherlock. Cumberbatch made you feel for Turing throughout the film, especially in the scenes in which his secret homosexuality was used against him. Cumberbatch's performance was particularly moving in the 1950s when Turing agreed to chemical castration rather than be separated from his beloved machine. Even though Cumberbatch won't win Best Actor, of the three performances in that category I've seen thus far, his is definitely the most moving. Nominated alongside Cumerbatch was Keira Knightley; whose Supporting Actress nomination was more than deserved thanks to her plucky portrayal of Joan. Knightley turned what could've been a one-note character into somebody to root for and made sure that her character could more than hold her own against the boys. The film also benefited from a glut of fine supporting turns from the likes of Charles Dance, Rory Kinnear, Matthew Goode and Mark Strong. Despite some fine performances and an involving story; The Imitation Game does have the same cinematic style as most of its fellow nominees. I believe that part of the reason it has garnered as many nominations as it has is due to the involvement of the God-like Harvey Weinstein who has made sure that as many Academy members see the film as possible. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, I believe that more visually spectacular and unique films have been overlooked thanks to Weinstein's campaigning for The Imitation Game. At the same time I'm glad that Turing's story has been told on screen as it was one that I hadn't heard before and one that moved me deeply.

The real-life drama double bill continues with Selma; which tells the story of the Martin Luther King-led marches on the titular Alabama town in 1964. The purpose of the marches were to eliminate restrictions on black people's rights to register to vote. These struggles are perfectly represented in an earlier scene in which a black woman, attempts to register but is blind-sided with questions which would be impossible for anyone to answer. Obviously the marches themselves were met with opposition, not least from the Governor of Alabama George Wallace who tried to quash King's efforts. One of the main criticisms levelled at the film was the way the relationship between King and President Lyndon B Johnson was portrayed. Whilst in actuality Johnson was one of King's key supporters; the film portrayed him as someone who went out of his way to quash the planned marches. Although I didn't feel that Johnson was the film's key antagonist it was certainly suggested that he was a thorn in King's side and he later allowed J. Edgar Hoover to tap his phone in an effort to split him from his wife. Despite the historical inaccuracies I felt that Selma really started to get going after the first march which depicted the brutal beating of many of the protesters. I felt that the way that this march and its aftermath was filmed drew me into the film with the subsequent two marches having a different tone to them. I do believe that if I was an American then I'd know more about this story than I do so it was an interesting watch despite the fact that I'd sort of guessed the ending. But I did feel like Selma was geared towards an American audience who have a greater grasp of the feelings of both the Selma natives and King's group.

Oddly for such an American film, the three lead parts are all ably played by British actors. The brilliant David Oyelowo gave a captivating turn as King as he perfectly captured the charismatic nature of the man. Oyelowo was totally convincing throughout and I felt he perfectly portrayed the reasons why people were so willing to follow King into potentially violent situations. At the same time he was able to show a more vulnerable side to the character in particular his doubts about being a competent leader. As President Johnson, Tom Wilkinson gave a solid if somewhat unremarkable turn as a leader who didn't like being forced into a corner. Meanwhile Tim Roth's George Wallace was every part the slimy villain as he hid behind minor laws to stop black people from voting. In supporting roles, Oprah Winfrey and Wendell Pierce shine in a cast that also includes a rousing cameo from Martin Sheen. As I've already mentioned the cinematography added to the stirring mood of the marches and I also enjoyed Jason Moran's fantastic score. However, just like The Imitation Game, Selma at times felt like a historical TV feature drama rather than a cinematic release. At times Paul Webb's script featured too many scenes with men in rooms talking to each other and it was only during the silent marches that the film came alive. One of the main controversies surrounding the film is the fact that it hasn't been nominated in any categories outside of Best Picture and Best Song for John Legend's 'Glory'. With no black actors in any of the four categories this year I feel that at least Oyelowo deserved a place in the Best Actor category as his turn was certainly better than Bradley Cooper's in American Sniper. Apart from that though I think that Selma is somewhat of unremarkable historical film which people will quickly forget in years to come.

Next time I look at the final two Best Picture nominees from 2015.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 476-477: 2015 Oscar Nominees Part Two

In this second look at the 2015 Best Picture Nominees I explore two films that I watched before Awards Seasons begun and have returned to them in order to compare them to the competition.

First up the movie that is currently just ahead of Birdman in the bookies' rankings to take the Best Picture prize. That film is Boyhood and is without a doubt the most ambitious of this year's nominees primarily as it took twelve years to complete. Director Richard Linklater's aim was to tell the story of a young boy and his parents from first grade all the way through to graduation. Rather than do this using a number of different actors; Linklater used the same actor to play Mason Evans Jr. from age six to age eighteen. The actor in question was Ellar Coltrane who thankfully was able to stay motivated enough to commit to a project that would loom heavy over the majority of his adolescence. Boyhood's other central players were Patricia Arquette, Linklater's daughter Lorelai and his regular contributor Ethan Hawke. It's achievement enough for Linklater to have completed this project but what makes Boyhood so special is the fact that it's a memorable film full of believable characters. With Mason's parents having separated before the film starts, he and his sister Samantha live with their mother Olivia whilst Mason Sr. appears sporadically throughout the story. Olivia's luck with men isn't great as she hooks up with her aggressive former professor and a similarly angry war veteran. Meanwhile we see Mason and Samantha grow up before our eyes with the former discovering a love of photography and finding love with his first high school girlfriend. One of Boyhood's strengths is that not every scene captures a big life event for Mason and instead some of the moments we witness are quite arbitrary. But at the same time it gives us a greater understanding of the character and as he grows up we see where he's got his inspiration from.

Although the dialogue in Boyhood isn't improvised, Linklater's discussions with the cast influenced his decisions of where to place certain scenes in order to ensure authenticity. The result is a film where you feel like you're eavesdropping on a family's life on a yearly basis. If I were to pick up an issue I have with Boyhood then it's in the performance of Coltrane himself who I found to be increasingly annoying as the film progressed. In the early part of the film Coltrane's natural innocence meant that Mason felt like any other boy and as a result you felt his pain during Olivia's marriage to the drunken professor. But as Coltrane became more aware of the camera I felt that his acting wasn't up to scratch and at some points I found Mason a little bit too whiny for his own good. Indeed, when his high school girlfriend split up with him I had very little sympathy for Mason due to the fact that Coltrane had done little to make me care for this older incarnation of the character. Luckily, Coltrane is backed up by brilliant on-screen parents; with both Hawke and Arquette nominated for Supporting Oscars. Hawke's manchild act totally lent itself to deadbeat dad Mason Sr. and I felt he and Coltrane brought out the best in one another. Meanwhile Arquette, currently favourite to scoop the Best Supporting Actress prize, gives a heartwarming portrayal of a woman just trying to do the best for her kids. As this is a Linklater film, the soundtrack is also incredible with each song summing up a different year perfectly. Linklater himself is more than likely to get the Best Director Oscar and with good reason as he deserves to be rewarded for pulling off this cinematic feat. Whilst I don't think Boyhood is as perfect as others do, it's an emotional rollecoaster that almost every audience member can relate to and it also brilliantly sums up what it's like to grow up in the early 21st century.

As I've basically watched every Oscar-nominated film now I feel that I know what sort of film the Academy normally go for. Therefore I was incredibly surprised when The Grand Budapest Hotel was one of the eight movies nominated for the 2015 prize. The film's director Wes Anderson is somebody whose films I've sometimes really liked and other times found overly quirky. Thankfully The Grand Budapest Hotel fell into the former category and is arguably Anderson's best film to date. I feel that the reason it may have found its way onto the Oscar shortlist is due to its caper-like plot and its 1930s setting. The focus is on Monsieur Gustave; a legendary consierge at the titular establishment who makes it his life's work to tend to his guests' every need. However he does overstep the mark sometimes and ends up bedding many of his wealthy, elderly clients. Told from the point-of-view of former lobby boy Zero, who in 1968 owns the hotel, we learn of what happens when one of these clients dies and leaves Gustave an expensive painting in her will. Gustave is soon charged with murder and art theft; eventually being incarcerated in the hellish Checkpoint 19 Interment Camp. Zero is then forced to use all of his skills, along with the help of his pastry chef love Agatha, to break Gustave out of jail. At the same time the greedy family's go-to assassin Jopling is on the hunt for anyone who may be suspicious of their motives and ends up bumping off several of the film's characters.

Like with most of Wes Anderson's films, The Grand Budapest Hotel is beautifully designed with the establishment itself feeling like more like a palace than a guest house. The characters are also designed to within an inch of their lives with every costume bringing out their distinctive personalities. From Gustave's resplendent purple attire to Jopling's evil leather get-up; every character has an outfit that suits their personality. Anderson's eye for detail also extended to the look of the film as each time period was awarded a different aspect ratio. Indeed the fact that Anderson wrote instructions to projectionists about the film was probably one of the reasons that he found favour with the old-fashioned members of the Academy. The Grand Budapest Hotel once again sees Anderson reunited with regular cast members Bill Murray, Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzmann. However these three all have minor roles as the film really begins to Ralph Fiennes as the wonderful Gustave. It's amazing what a comic talent Fiennes is and he deals with Anderson's dialogue beautifully meaning that the script never feels overly quirky. Praise must also go to relative newcomer Tony Revolori who proves to be a great foil to Fiennes a the loveable Zero. Great support is provided by an almost silent Willem Dafoe as the growling Jopling and by Saoirse Ronan as the charming Agatha. If there's one category that I feel that The Grand Budapest Hotel may prosper then its that of Best Original Screenplay as Anderson's dialogue is nearly always a joy to listen to. Offbeat films such as this often end up winning awards for their writing and I feel that Anderson's perfectly paced script deserves that honour. But overall I'm just glad that The Grand Budapest Hotel was nominated in so many categories as it demonstrates that the Academy are starting to recognise films that were previously outside of their comfort zone.

Having said that the next two films we'll discuss are both biopics dealing with the type of issues that the Academy always seem to love.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 474-475: 2015 Oscar Nominees Part One

As I'm somewhat of a completest I couldn't finish this blog without reviewing the eight films that were nominated for Best Picture this year. All of these reviews were written before the ceremony itself so all of the predictions are what I felt at the time. The last of these four posts will also include who I think should and will win Best Picture at the 2015 ceremony.

We start with a film that I believe will be at the bottom of my list for 2015 nominees, that being American Sniper. Directed by Clint Eastwood, American Sniper tells the story of Chris Kyle; the most deadliest marksman in U.S. military History. The film is based on the memoirs of Kyle, a sniper who had 160 of his kills confirmed by the department of defence. Jason Hall's adaptation of Kyle's book, which has been nominated for a screenplay Oscar, is a nuts and bolts affair from the offset. Although the opening shot is of Kyle in Iraq it soon flashes back to his childhood in which his father instructed him to be a sheepdog; a man who protects those weaker than him when the wolves attack. This ethos is one he carries with him during his military training and then in Iraq when we see him at work. The film also looks at Kyle's relationship with his Taya; from their first meeting to their wedding and the birth of his two children. I personally felt that the best scenes were those which featured both Chris and Taya, with the latter feeling that her husband wasn't mentally with her anymore. The scenes which looked at the impact that the war had had on Chris were definitely my favourite as it added a little context to a character who otherwise was simply a flawless American hero. Whilst former soldiers being haunted by the war is nothing new, this part of the film at least gave it an edge which it lacked elsewhere. In fact, if it didn't had this, then it would've been even more of a flag-waving endeavour which basically promotes the bible-bashing American soldiers and berates anyone who stands in their way.

One of American Sniper's key strengths is Eastwood's simplistic direction which lends itself well to the scenes in which we follow Kyle's movements in Iraq. I'm not surprised that the film picked up nods in the editing and sound categories as the use of gunfire effects is made especially effective. In fact the sound is so good that gunfire almost becomes a character in and of itself especially when the Iraqi sniper is trying to hunt down Kyle. I personally would've like to have seen more of this Iraqi sniper as it would've added an ambiguity that the single-minded American Sniper was sorely missing. Instead the Iraqis are presented as either terrorists or, in Kyle's own words, savages. One thing that did impress me in American Sniper was Bradley Cooper's Oscar-nominated turn as Kyle, primarily as he dialled down his usual manic nature. Cooper's chisel-jawed look perfectly suited the character of Kyle but he also conveyed his character's inner turmoil excellently. Sienna Miller was similarly impressive as, in the past, I've found her to be quite an inconsistent performer but here she added some heart to the movie as Chris's wife Taya. My early prediction is that American Sniper doesn't do to well at the Oscar but may pick up one of the two sound-based awards it's nominated for. Ultimately I felt that American Sniper didn't have anything new to say in terms of the horrors of war that we hadn't already seen in Coming Home, Apocalypse Now or more recently The Hurt Locker. Whilst Cooper's performance and Eastwood's direction was solid, the flag-waving patriotism was too much for me to take and I can definitely say that American Sniper isn't a film that I'll be rushing to see again in the near future.

Proving how eclectic this year's Best Picture nominees are is Birdman the latest film from Alejandro González Iñárritu. In the past, Iñárritu's films have often featured a multi-person narrative with films such as Babel and 21 Grams featuring interlocking plots. Birdman is completely different from these movies as it instead focuses on the first few performances of an adaptation of Raymond Carver's 'What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.' The performance has been funded by Riggan Thomson; an actor best known for his role as titular superhero Birdman, and someone who in recent years has fallen on hard times. The play is meant to be his comeback but he's battling with several problems not least of which is the fact that the Birdman character keeps speaking to him throughout the film. Meanwhile, his daughter Sam has just come out of rehab and isn't dealing well in her new role as his assistant. Riggan also has to deal with the fact that his co-star and girlfriend Laura may be pregnant, something he can't even comprehend at times. Elsewhere a late addition to the cast, method actor Mike, causes problems when he launches into a tirade during a performance and constantly bemoans Riggan for the lack of realism in his play. What I enjoyed about Birdman is the way it plays around with the narrative and how we start to see Riggan's sanity slip away from him as opening night commences. One of Birdman's other positive qualities is Emmanuel Lubezki's cinematography especially considering the fact that the movie is almost filmed as one constant shot. This means that we don't always see things from the character's point-of-view and to me this adds to the narrative; especially during the film's final two scenes. For this reason I do believe that Birdman will most likely pick up the Cinematography award at the Oscars.

At time of writing Birdman had just won the top award at the Producer's Guild making it the firm favourite to clinch Best Picture. Although I don't think the race is as clear cut as it has been in previous years I wouldn't be opposed to Birdman winning Best Picture. The other award the film has a good chance of winning is that of Best Actor thanks to Michael Keaton's stunning portrayal of Riggan. Oscar does love a comeback performance and Keaton's turn as a faded actor best known for portraying a superhero almost correlates with his own career. Keaton's manic movements and weary facial expressions add to our understanding of the character and I felt he was equally impressive at playing the Birdman part of Riggan's personality. Keaton isn't the only member of the cast nominated for an acting award as Edward Norton and Emma Stone have been recognised in the supporting categories. Norton's turn as the shifty method-acting Mike proved what a gifted comic performer he is and his scenes opposite Keaton were a joy to watch. Meanwhile, as Sam, Stone brought a bit of soul to the film and she made you believe why her character went off the rails. I do feel that the reason that Birdman has been awarded nine nominations is due to the fact that in some respects it feels very old-fashioned. The behind-the-scenes at a theatre story has been done to death and I feel that the older Academy voters would've drawn similarities between it and 1984 nominee The Dresser. At the same time, Iñárritu has made Birdman seem awfully modern with it's commentary on the fickle nature of fame and how movie stars struggle to make the transition to the stage. Whist it didn't hold my attention throughout its too hour running time, I ultimately found Birdman to be an utterly charming film. Brilliantly acted and shot but with a rather old-fashioned story behind it, Birdman definitely deserves to be recognised by the Academy and I believe it's one of two films that can realistically win the top prize.

Next time the only two Oscar nominees I'd seen prior to writing these posts.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 473: Silence is Golden

So this it, we've come full circle and apart from a little housekeeping in the final few posts we're on to our last Best Picture winner. Five years ago when I started this blog, the first winner I watched was the very first Best Picture victor Wings. Some eighty-four years later, The Artist became the second silent film to win the award and it's the film I've selected to end this portion of the blog.

Rather than just being a silent film, Michel Hazanavicius' movie is a silent films about silent films. Jean Dujardin became the first Frenchman to win the Best Actor award for playing one of the biggest stars of the silent film era George Valentin. Ironically the film begins in 1927, the same year as the Oscars did, where Valentin finds himself loved by movie bosses and audiences alike. He also has a brief moment with the beautiful newcomer Peppy Miller who he advices to where a beauty spot to make herself distinctive. George's advice works as soon Peppy rises up the credits list and becomes a star singing to the same studio as her idol. Unfortunately for George his star starts to decline as he refuses to succumb to the new trend of the talkies. George's life only gets worse as his self-funded movie bombs whilst at the same time he loses everything due to the Wall Street Crash. He also almost dies in a fire and is only saved when his beloved dog Jack alerts a policeman to the ensuing blaze. The fire brings Peppy and George back together again as he learns that she brought all of his possessions when they were auctioned off and later she tries to get his career back on track. The final scene in which Peppy and George tap dance together intentionally evokes memories of Fred and Ginger, a very odd sight for me as Top Hat was the very first film I watched for this blog.

The first time I saw The Artist I really enjoyed it and found everything about it delightful from the performances down to the costumes. However, this time around I found myself being annoyed by certain things namely the fact that Peppy Miller winked so many times that I thought she would have some sort of seizure. It's clear to see why the academy went crazy for The Artist as it includes many nods to the sort of films that the ageing members of the group would've remembered the first time around. To be fair to The Artist there are certain brilliant elements about it namely Ludovic Bource's score which essentially has to anchor the narrative of the film due to there being almost no dialogue. Bource's score perfectly conveys the emotions of each of the characters and even if you were just listening to the film you'd probably be able to guess what was going on. Dujardin's lead turn is equally fantastic as he is able to make you care about a man who loses everything mainly due to his own pride. Even the gorgeous Berenice Bejo makes Peppy Miller likeable rather than irritating even though that constant blinking really got on my nerves. The fact that Dujardin and Bejo weren't known outside of their native France aided the film's success as they made the film more believable than a couple of recognisable movie stars would've done. The film does contain some recognisable faces in supporting roles namely John Goodman as the larger-than-life movie producer and James Cromwell as George's loyal butler. Another cast member who garnered a lot of buzz during the film's initial release was Uggie the dog whose performance as Jack was utterly charming.

I think it's quite interesting that The Artist found success at the same Oscar ceremony as Hugo as both films praise the early cinematic era. Both films won five awards with The Artist finding more success in the lead categories, picking up awards for Dujardin and Hazanavicius as well as the big Best Picture prize. The success of both of these films beggars the question whether the Academy's tastes have really altered in the eighty plus years since the ceremony originally began. It could certainly be suggested that the Academy has a love of the past as films set in days gone by often do better than those set in the present. But, judging by the eclectic mix of films nominated at the most recent ceremony it would seem that the Oscars are at least heading in a contemporary direction. To that point the next four posts will be ones that I wrote prior to this year's ceremony in which I reviewed all eight movies that were in contention for Best Picture.