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.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 472: Dancing in the Dark

When I hear the words dance film I immediately think of feel-good fare like Flashdance or Save the Last Dance which features heroines who suffer emotional issues only to turn their lives around by the end of the film. That description doesn't really apply to the dance film which was nominated at the 2011 ceremony, Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan, which messed with my mind more than Dirty Dancing ever did.

Aronofsky had long been associated with films that took its characters in strange directions whether it be the drug-addicted ensemble in Requiem for a Dream or Hugh Jackman's time-traveller in The Fountain. Aronofsky had made his most traditional film two years earlier with The Wrestler, a film that resurrected the career of Mickey Rourke and featured a rather traditional narrative. However, with Black Swan he was back to his old tricks by playing with the audience's perceptions of the lead character as she slowly descended into madness. The aforementioned protagonist is Natalie Portman's Nina Sayers who at the film's opening is quite a timid ballet dancer albeit one who has been kept isolated by her over-protective mother. Nina's life changes when she is cast as The Swan Queen in her company's new production of Swan Lake, after she bites the lip of director Thomas. Thomas is keen for the rather cautious Nina to embody the qualities of the Black Swan and let herself go a little more. However, as she attempts to put herself into the shoes of a dark demented character her mental health suffers as a result. It doesn't help that the company's newest recruit Lily is seemingly out to get her and from time to time it seems that she wants to steal her identity. The scenes between Lily and Nina are some of Black Swan's most confusing as our heroine imagines several scenarios between her and the new dancer that aren't real at all. In fact Lily's face sometimes changes into that of Nina herself with the resulting hallucinations causing the ballet dancer's ultimate breakdown.

Combining ballet dancing and emotional trauma isn't a new concept in cinema with 1940s Best Picture nominee The Red Shoes treading a similar line. But Black Swan ramps its action up to eleven by portraying the downfall of an initially isolated character. Aronofsky's manipulations of the cinematic medium are great with the use of mirrors and reflective surfaces in Black Swan being particularly impressive. It's clear when a director has a certain vision for his film and Aronofsky certainly seems to have carried it off, especially in the final scenes which depict Nina's downfall into madness. As somebody who's a ballet novice I felt the end sequence that depicted the production of Swan Lake itself were magnificently choreographed and enhanced my understanding of earlier parts of the film. The film's only win came in the Best Actress category with Natalie Portman being rewarded for her performance as the increasingly paranoid Nina. When I first saw the film I wasn't too keen on Portman's turn but upon this viewing I noticed intricacies in her portrayal of Nina that I hadn't seen before. Portman deserves plaudits for simply appearing in every scene but more than that she took her character on a psychological journey that most actresses would've struggled with. I understood every element of Nina's character with Portman excelling both as the sheltered dancer and the more uninhibited Black Swan. There were other fine performances in Black Swan most notably from Mila Kunis, who kept the audience guessing about Lily's motivations till the very end. I think Kunis put in a fabulous job especially seeing as she was playing two characters; the real version of Lily and the one that Nina had imagined in her head. Meanwhile, in only a few scenes, Barbara Hershey managed to turn Nina's mother into possibly the biggest villain of the piece. Although at times it's a bit too pleased with itself, I think Black Swan is a film you can enjoy immensely if you just go with it. Aronofsky is a director that I've always admired and I'm glad that Black Swan was the film that finally put him on the map. Black Swan can be described in a lot of ways but one thing you can definitely say is that it's not your typical dance film.

Next time we complete the challenge with a Best Picture winner that achieved something that only the very first victor in that category had done up to that point.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 470-471: The Oscar's Guide to Survival

In this post we present two Best Picture nominees that demonstrated just how to survive some fairly perilous situations. Whilst it's very unlikely that you'll be in the same predicament as either of these film's protagonists I think it's still very handy to know what to do in times of crisis no matter how bizarre the situation.

But perhaps handy is a bad term to use when describing 127 Hours, which showed just how to cope if you find yourself wedged in a ravine. The film was Danny Boyle's follow-up to his Best Picture winning Slumdog Millionaire and showed just how versatile the director could be. Boyle also assembled the majority of the team that worked on Slumdog including screenwriter Simon Beaufoy, cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle and composer A.R. Rahman. The film tells the story of thrill-seeking engineer Aron Ralston who travels to Utah for a spot of canyoneering. Unfortunately for Ralston, he slips down a canyon with a boulder trapping one of his arms making it impossible for him to escape. The 127 hours of the title refers to the time that Ralston was trapped down in the canyon with his survival based on his collection of water and keeping himself relatively sane by narrating his stories to the video camera he had on his person. With more than half of the film being devoted to Ralston's dilemma, it's a testament to Boyle and Beaufoy that 127 Hours is never dull. Instead the footage of Ralston's hopeless situation is interspersed with memories of his family as well as fantasies about the two girls he met just prior to his fall. The editing in 127 Hours is certainly impressive with Jon Harris cutting between Ralston's current position and other points in his life. Mantle's cinematography enhances the narrative as we see the situation from several perspectives, perhaps most memorably from inside Ralston's water bottle. Possibly the most memorable part of 127 Hours occurs in its final few scenes as Ralston finally frees himself by hacking off his hand. Whilst this isn't the most practical of survival tips it saved Ralston's life and the final montage; which features the real Ralston more than proves that.

Having now watched two Boyle films for this project, it's clear that he's someone who's interested in character rather than plot. The character of Aron Ralston is an interesting one as initially he's presented as a free spirit who doesn't care about anything but finding his next thrill. This is perfectly represented in the opening sequence where Ralston takes two girls on an adventure who then realise that they didn't figure into his day at all. However, as Ralston's situation worsens, we see another side to him as the caring son and loving brother. Throughout the film it feels as if Boyle and Beaufoy strip away Aron's cool exterior to reveal a man with plenty of anxieties but someone who is resourceful enough to survive his extraordinary circumstances. Making Ralston even more likeable is actor James Franco, who we previously saw give a show-stealing performance in Milk. Here Franco continues to grow as he utilises his cool guy persona to full effect but also employs his dramatic abilities and as a result makes us sympathise with his character. Rahman's score is also worthy of a mention as it lends itself well to the tone of the film and echoes Ralston's mood perfectly. After romping home at the 2009 ceremony, Boyle's 127 Hours team failed to pick up one Oscar which I feel is a shame as it was one of the more technically sound movies released that year. Unfortunately, the 2011 ceremony included the strongest line-up of films since the field was increased and 127 Hours was a film that fell victim to the fact that it was up against nine other contenders. That being said this is an incredibly intense nail-biter of a film that is enhanced by some fine technical components and a memorable central performance from Franco.

Three years on another British director and American star teamed up for more survival tips this time informing the audience how to cope if one is ever attacked by Somali Pirates. Paul Greengrass' Captain Phillips told the true story of Richard Phillips, whose perilous cargo ship journey around the Somali coast later became the subject of a memoir. Due to the fact that he's played by everybody's favourite nice guy Tom Hanks, Philips is presented as a down-to-Earth guy who is trying to carry out a job to the best of his ability. What I liked about Billy Ray's screenplay was the fact that Captain Phillips isn't a one-sided story and instead it focuses on the Somalian pirates as much as it does Phillips and his crew. I would go as far as to say that Grengrass and Ray make you care about Abduwali Muse, the self-proclaimed leader of the pirates who becomes Phillips' opposite a the film progresses. The first half of the film hypes up the tension as Muse's team boards Philips' container ship but is outwitted by his crew who capture the former and try to negotiate a trade. However, this trade is unsuccessful and the second half of the film sees the matter becoming even more gripping as the pirates abduct Phillips in the ship's lifeboat. As the situation for the pirates becomes more perilous, Ray makes us realise why these men take up piracy in the first place and what options they have in their native land. Although the Americans ultimately end up victorious, I couldn't help but feel a little sympathetic as Muse found himself arrested for piracy whilst his friends were all killed.

It's the blurring of the lines between good and evil that is one of Captain Phillips' main strengths and helped to make it one of the best films of 2013. Paul Greengrass is one of my favourite directors and he made Captain Phillips feel almost as claustrophobic as his 9/11 drama United 93. Cinematographer Barry Akroyd employs a similar style to the one he used on The Hurt Locker and as a result makes Captain Phillips feel almost like a documentary. Greengrass perfectly amps up the tension gradually with the pirates' first attack on the ship feeling particularly tame when compared to their later treatment of Phillips. Christopher Rouse's frantic editing of the piece is also outstanding and helped to make me feel slightly uneasy all through the film. Captain Phillips also features what is, in my opinion, Tom Hanks' Best Performance of the last ten or fifteen years. Hanks is so absorbing that he makes you sympathise with Phillips even before the pirates board his ship. His portrayal of the everyman in a perilous situation put me in mind of his turn in Saving Private Ryan in which he played an equally sympathetic character. I personally felt it was rather odd that Hanks didn't even receive a nomination for his role here and was seemingly snubbed in favour of Christian Bale's comedy hairpiece-led turn in American Hustle. In fact the only member of the cast who was nominated for their role in the film was Barkhad Abdi who delivered a breakthrough performance as Muse. Abdi was great at mastering certain facial expressions which portrayed his desperation as the situation slipped out of his control. It's through Abdi's performance that you at least have some sympathy for Muse's plight and why people like him are forced into piracy. Although Abdi won a BAFTA for his role, not one of Captain Phillips' six nominations resulted in a win. This is a shame as I feel that it's a great film full of tension, great characterisation and two winning performances. But at least I know now that, if I ever do find myself on a freighter ship on the African coast, I'll be able to survive it in the same way that Phillips did.

Next time we go from survival skills to dance lessons with a side of psychological torment

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 469: A Very Modern Family

In the first decade of the 21st century we explored the phenomenon of the indie comedy with the rise of films such as Juno and Little Miss Sunshine. That trend continued into the 2010s with countless more indie comedies being highly acclaimed by critics such as the next film on our list; The Kids Are All Right.

The film stars Annette Bening and Julianne Moore as lesbian couple Nic and Jules who have two teenage children in the form of sensible Joni and slightly reckless Laser. The couple's children were both conceived by insemination with Nic being the mother to Joni and Jules having given birth to Laser. Laser is keen to find out more about the man whose sperm helped to make him so when his sister turns eighteen he pesters her to ring up the sperm bank and discover the identity of the man in question. The children later track down restaurant-owning Paul whose chilled out philosophy works its charm on Joni however Laser isn't initially convinced. When Nic and Jules discover what their children have been up to they demand Paul come over the the house with both feeling the same way that Laser did about him. However, when Paul hires Jules to do some gardening work for him the pair end up in bed together on more than one occasion. Gradually Paul's influence sweeps over the family with both Laser and Joni's attitudes changing as a result of getting to know the donor. Only Nic remains unconvinced and her feelings towards Paul lead to resentment throughout the family. As you would expect events lead up to a crescendo where Nic discovers Jules' affair whilst at Paul's house however the fallout was at least a little surprising. I have to say that the way Nic discovered the affair and brought it up wasn't the usual way you would see in a film and her quiet revelation was neatly written. The fact that the conclusion was quite sweet-natured is a testament to a film that felt very realistic despite its somewhat far-fetched premise.

A lot of the reason for this is down to Lisa Cholodenko's assured direction and brilliant script that she co-wrote with Stuart Blumberg. Seeing as Cholodenko starting outlining the script in 2004 I'm not surprised that she takes as much care with her characters as she does. What I liked about The Kids Are All Right is that a lot of the subtext comes from the characters' gestures rather than their dialogue. Not that the dialogue is at all bad and instead the script feels incredibly well-paced with each major incident being padded out with several scenes of gardening or drinking. Although most of the plot strands are tied up in just over ninety minutes my only slight niggle was that I don't think we got a resolution to Joni's feelings towards her friend Jai. The Kids Are All Right's other ace in the hole is the five central cast members all of whom do their best to try and make the film as good as possible. Indeed it was the attachment of big name stars that got The Kids Are All Right the green light in the first place with the first actor to join up being Julianne Moore. Moore is absolutely fantastic in the role of free-wheeling Jules, who is asked to re-examine her life following Paul's introduction. Whilst Moore provides a lot of emotional moments throughout the film, it was Annette Bening who garnered all the awards buzz during Oscar Season. After winning the Golden Globe for her fantastic portrayal of Nic it was thought that Bening would finally win an Oscar but this wasn't to be the case. Also nominated for his role in the film was Mark Ruffalo who gave a breezy turn as the laid back interloper Paul. Meanwhile, Josh Hutcherson and particularly Mia Wasikowska bolstered the movie with their bold portrayals of Laser and Joni. With everybody playing their part neatly, The Kids Are All Right ended up being a fantastic character study of modern family dynamics and how things can go horribly wrong with the introduction of a newcomer in the family home. Despite a few story inconsistencies, I find little to fault in a film which I found to be quirky, heartfelt and enjoyable in equal measure.

Next time we review two Best Picture nominees who offer tips on how to survive certain perilous situations.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 467-468: Tarantino's Waltz

Back in the 1990s we documented the career of Quentin Tarantino when his second feature film Pulp Fiction was nominated for Best Picture. Since then he had an interesting career helming an adaptation of Elmore Leonard's Jackie Brown and his epic martial arts western Kill Bill. Tarantino suffered somewhat of a slump in the mid noughties with his latest offering, Death Proof going down very badly. However, he turned his fortunes around a few years later when he teamed up with a then unknown Austrian actor by the name of Christoph Waltz.

The film was Inglourious Basterds, in which Waltz makes an instant impression as the charismatically brutal Col. Hans Landa. Just like with Pulp Fiction, Tarantino's World War II movie is split into chapters that focus on different characters before bringing them altogether in a memorable finale. The film's first chapter focuses on Landa, dubbed the 'Jew Hunter' by the Nazi party, who attempts to track down a Jewish family who have so far evaded his detection. This opening scene is a testament to Waltz's power as an actor as he initially appears charming but later demonstrates Landa's brutality in all its glory. It's only after meeting the films antagonist that we meet the eponymous heroes of the piece; a Jew-scalping bunch of American soldiers let by Brad Pitt's over-the-top Aldo Raine. Raine's brand of patriotism and Nazi-scalping made him an off-putting character in my eyes and I had little sympathy for him when he found himself in a perilous situation later in the movie. In fact if Inglourious Basterds does have a sympathetic character then its cinema owner Shosanna, whose family were killed by Landa's platoon in the opening sequence. After her cinema is picked to host a Nazi premiere, Shosanna decides it's the perfect opportunity to get revenge for her family by burning her business to the ground. However, Shosanna didn't count on The Basterds also showing up with a plan of their own which involved the detonation of dynamite strapped to their inside legs. As a self-proclaimed cinema aficionado it does seem apt that Tarantino's film's big scene occurs in a movie-house however I did find the finale a little far-fetched even by the director's normal standards.

Inglourious Basterds is one of those films that has individual elements that work however its ultimately not the sum of its parts. Firstly, at almost two and a half hours, it's far too long and every scene feels a little overstretched. I can event pinpoint the moments where needless dialogue is being inserted into a scene that could've had a better rhythm to it had it not been written by Tarantino. The fact that Tarantino likes to break cinematic convention as much as possible also makes Inglorioius Basterds seem a little too full of itself. The use of modern music for example doesn't always work whilst the random wording that flashes up on the screen every so often is another trick that I found a little hard to stomach. It's quite easy for me to pinpoint which scenes that work and which don't primarily because of the chaptered structure of the film. Despite being the film's antagonist, Hans Landa's scenes are Inglourious Basterds' best as I found him to be a man that oozed charisma. The fact that he leaves the film after the first scene meant that we long to see him again which we do in small helpings elsewhere. Shosanna is another great character, a woman who utilises her knowledge of film to get her revenge on the men that had her family killed. On the flipside I found that any scenes involving the Basterds were overblown, needlessly violent and contained a performance from Brad Pitt that was bordering on a pantomime. The film also wastes great actors like Michael Fassbender and Diane Kruger by having them only appear in a handful of scenes despite both of their characters seeming interesting. I did however enjoy Melanie Laurent as the bitter but feisty Shosanna who thankfully got her fair share of screentime before her ultimate demise. But Inglourious Basterds did belong to Christoph Waltz, who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for portraying Landa. I think that Tarantino owes a debt of gratitude to Waltz who made the film seem a lot better than it actually was. Like it or not, Inglourious Basterds did propel Tarantino back into the mainstream and I feel that that is primarily due to Waltz's fantastic performance.


Three years later Tarantino and Waltz would reunite earning the latter another Best Supporting Actor Oscar and the former his second Best Screenwriting award. The film in question was Django Unchained and was once again a homage to one of Tarantino's favourite genres as he favoured a spaghetti western approach throughout the film. However, with the film being set in America's south, Tarantino has redubbed the film 'A Southern' and has also commented that it his look at the slavery movement. But you know when Tarantino's involved, the film is never going to be straightforward and indeed here he mixes a little social commentary alongside his usual bloody violence and superior soundtrack. The story sees Jamie Foxx's Django being freed from a chain gang by Waltz's bounty hunting Dr. King Schultz who hopes that the former slave will help him track down some wanted men. When Schultz discovers Django's aptitude for the profession of bounty hunting he takes him under his wing whilst also promising to help him locate his lost wife. The pair tracks down Django's wife to the Candyland plantation where the charming yet ruthless Calvin Candie believes that the men are looking for one of his prize fighters. From the point that Schultz and Django enter Candieland the film becomes a dangerous game as our duo face peril not only from Candie himself but also from sneaky servant Stephen. As is usually the way with modern Tarantino films, Django Unchained is about twenty minutes too long and there are some sequences that could easily have been edited down. These sequences including a comedy number including the Klu Klux Klan and a lot of the empty scenes before Django and Schultz arrive at Candieland.

Another issue I had with the final part of the film was the fact that Schultz and Candie had both been killed off in the movie's penultimate shoot-out. This was a shame as they were the two most charismatic characters in the film and without them it was left to the rather bland Django to carry the rest of the movie. Just as he was in Inglourious Basterds, Waltz is a joy to watch here with him playing a considerably more sympathetic role than he did in Tarantino's previous film. Indeed, Schultz is arguably the film's most well-rounded character as we see him go from loner bounty hunter to Django's mentor. Elsewhere it was great to see Leonardo Dicaprio in a role that saw him get to play against type as the film's main antagonist Calvin Candie. Dicaprio appeared to relish playing the role and he certainly gave an enigmatic turn to the extent that I felt he should have been put forward for the Oscar over Waltz. If there's a weak link in the film then it's Jamie Foxx, whose is seemingly outshone by his fellow performers in the lead role of Django. It's telling that when Dicaprio and Waltz aren't on screen the film dips in quality and that final twenty minutes was a chore to get through. It wasn't helped by the fact that Tarantino himself turns up as an Australian miner with his accent being one of the most questionable in cinematic history. In addition I felt that Tarantino let his old mate Samuel L Jackson get away with far too much over-acting as the sadistic Stephen. One thing I do have to applaud Tarantino for is his use of music in the film and particularly the original song written by western movie legend Ennio Morricone. The film is also visually superb with great time taken to get the look of each character right whilst the set of Candieland is similarly memorable. Whilst enjoyable, Django Unchained was far too long for my liking with Tarantino showing even less restraint than he did during Inglourious Basterds. Additionally there was less grit employed in the film with the message being lost beneath a pool of bloody corpses and an out-of-place explosion.

Having watched these two films back-to-back it does seem to me as if Tarantino really needs someone to tell him where he can slash significant portions of his films. But, whilst his films are doing well during the awards ceremonies I can't see this ever happening. I do feel that I'm in the minority when I say this but I don't think Tarantino has been at his best since the first instalment of Kill Bill. While Basterds and Django are both superior to Death Proof they're nowhere near the quality of the likes of Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. I do feel that the main reason that Oscar honours Tarantino in the 2010s is just so they can highlight their recognition of edgier fare alongside the more prestigious period pieces and issue-based movies.

Next time we tone down the violence and look at a quirky indie comedy with two strong female characters taking centre stage.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 465-466: Steven's Stories of the Past

It's very rare for a director to have had films nominated for Best Picture in five different decades and only a few have ever achieved that feat. Alongside Martin Scorsese, the latest director to do so was Steven Spielberg who helmed two Best Picture nominees in the last few years. Rather than being contemporary tales though, Spielberg's latest offerings featured on times gone by and were on the whole rather stagnant.

This is certainly true of Spielberg's cinematic interpretation of Michael Morpurgo's best-selling family book War Horse. The film tells the story of Joey;  a horse who is initially bought by a Devonshire farmer who is keen to get one over on his arrogant landlord. Although unhappy with his purchase at first, Ted soon discovers that his son Albert has formed a bond with Joey. Joey's trust of Albert eventually leads to him surprising everyone when he ploughs Ted's field. But, as the title suggests, war is coming and a bad harvest leads Ted to sell Joey to the war effort. From there we follow Joey's journey as he undergoes military training and forms a bond with a fellow horse. However, with the British army under attack, Joey is then trained to pull ambulances for the Germans before being taken away by two deserting brothers. Oddly, Joey then spends time with a jam-maker and his ill granddaughter before going back into war again. Rather conveniently, Joey is eventually freed from some barbed wire by a member of Albert's platoon. Finally, horse and boy are reunited in one of the sickliest endings to a Spielberg film I've ever seen as Albert comes back to Devon with Joey in toe. Part of my problem with War Horse was that no character stayed on screen long enough for you really to connect with anyone but Joey. Whilst the animal actors were superb, I find it hard to get emotionally attached to a horse and I feel that that's the key conceit of the film.

Additionally, War Horse is a film that could do with losing a good twenty minutes off its overall running time with its first half hour being extremely tiresome. Indeed, the lead up to the ploughing of a field is hardly the excitement you'd expect from the man who created Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park. The Devonshire that Spielberg imagines is wonderfully shot by his long term collaborator Janusz Kamiński however I still feel the sunny skies of England are a little exaggerated. Of the cast I enjoyed Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberbatch as the two army men who were tasked with caring for the horses. Peter Mullan and Emily Watson were also fine as Albert's parents even if the former's drunken routine was a little clichéd at times. Unfortunately the main focus of the human players is Jeremy Irvine, a young actor who lacks the charisma to pull of some of the cornier elements of the plot. I was quite surprised to learn that Richard Curtis worked on a second draft of the script as character development is usually his strong suit. However I thought the characters in War Horse were thinly drawn at best and were gone again before you got to know them properly. Even the usually reliable John Williams delivered an overblown score that did nothing but signify that War Horse was incredibly melodramatic. Like all Spielberg films, War Horse looks great and this was proven by the film's six Oscar nods which came mainly in the art direction and sound categories. Although I enjoyed War Horse the first time around, it's not a film that stands up to repeat viewings and is one of Spielberg's most tiresome films.

While War Horse is a very British tale, Spielberg's return to the Best Picture category a year later saw him take on an incredibly American story. The film saw Spielberg tell the story of Abraham Lincoln's attempts to have the thirteenth amendment passed by the US House of Representatives. The very straight-forwardly titled Lincoln also looked at the president's relationship with his wife and children during the final four months of his life. At the heart of Lincoln is the story of a man who fought hard to free the slaves despite opposition from elsewhere. The film doesn't paint Lincoln as a saint but instead as somebody who occasionally made dubious decisions for the greater good. Judging from how Spielberg directs the film I got the impression that this is a story that Americans know already and therefore he doesn't really allow international audiences any time to truly get to know the characters. In fact, for the majority of the film it was hard to tell one politician in a wig from another unless they were played by an actor I was familiar with. Although the story isn't one that particularly lends itself to a cinematic setting, I didn't think that the usual engaging Spielberg put enough time into the visuals of Lincoln. In fact the only memorable moments came courtesy of the Civil War scenes at the start of the film and Lincoln's death at the end. The most interesting parts of Lincoln didn't revolve around the political aspects of the story but rather his relationship with his family. I was particularly intrigued to learn that Mary Lincoln had mental issues and that Abraham only stayed with her after she became pregnant. I personally would've liked to have had more scenes between the Lincolns and less involving the political scheming of the president's associates.

For authentically capturing the period of the time, Lincoln's production design team were awarded with an Oscar for their hard work. However, it was the film's other Oscar recipient who deserves the most praise and who made history with his award win. That recipient is Daniel Day-Lewis who won his third Best Actor Oscar to date for giving another fantastic performance as Lincoln. Having watched him develop over the course of this blog, I think that Lincoln represents Day-Lewis' third era as a performer. Although his performance incorporates some of the more brusque elements of the characters he played in Gangs of New York and There Will Be Blood, he lends a much more sympathetic edge to his turn as the former President. Day-Lewis is utterly mesmerising as Lincoln and makes you know exactly what the President is feeling even when he isn't saying anything at all. To date, Day-Lewis is the only man to win three awards in the Lead Actor category and I would say that this record is utterly well-deserved. For playing Mary Lincoln, Sally Field earned an Oscar nomination and I felt her performance here was certainly better than her Oscar-winning turn in Places in the Heart. The final member of the cast to earn a nod was Tommy Lee Jones, who as campaigning Thaddeus Stevens, added some much needed grit to proceedings. I also felt James Spader gave a suitably scenery-chewing turn as the somewhat devious William N Bilbo. Though I didn't find it as captivating as others did, Lincoln is still a solid piece of film-making by a man who knows exactly how to put an excellent movie together. Despite not being visually engaging, I think Lincoln's strengths are in the performances especially those given by Day-Lewis and Field. I do think that its Day-Lewis' turn as Lincoln which will give the film its lasting legacy and I feel that it'll definitely be the time of movie that will be played in history lessons for years to come.

Next up another director who changed course in the second decade of the 21st century.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 464: Scenes from the McConaissance

During the first decade of the 21st century Matthew McConaughey was seen as a little bit of a joke due to his presence in a number of sub-par romantic comedies. However, in the 2010s something magical happened and the actor started appearing in a string of critically-acclaimed movies. The actor's return to form, dubbed by some as the McConaissance, featured appearances in film such as Mud and Killer Joe. McConaughey finally won his Oscar at the 2014 ceremony after losing 47 pounds to play rodeo cowboy and AIDs victim Rod Woodruf in Dallas Buyers Club.


The film concentrates on the true story of Woodruf, who was given 30 days to live after contracting HIV but ends up using his own survival instincts to stay alive for seven years. Despite catching the disease after sleeping with a woman, the redneck community that Ron has grown up in dismiss him for being a homosexual. Ron's attitude to gay people is equally backward and its only after contracting the disease that he starts to change his mind about them. Part of the film is devoted to Ron's attempts at self-medicating and illegally purchasing the so-called wonder drug AZT to stay alive for longer. It's only when he collapses in Mexico that he learns the true side effects of AZT and meets a doctor who describes different medication for him to take. Ron's attitude about differing cultures continue when he meets the transgendered Rayon and eventually goes into business with her to sell non-FDA approved drugs to AIDs victims. Ron and Rayon set up the titular club in which they charge a monthly membership in return for the supply of drugs that they wouldn't get at a hospital. Although Dallas Buyers Club is a film about accepting those who are different to you the film never lapses into that much sentimentality. The only real emotional moment that occurs in the film is Rayon's death scene and Ron's later reaction when he learns of his friend's demise. The courtroom scenes, which feature Ron's further clashes with the FDA, are similarly brief but nonetheless really made me sympathise with his character a lot more. By the end of Dallas Buyers Club I'd really emotionally connected with the story and especially Ron's battle with the authorities.

Dallas Buyers Club's best attribute is probably its two central performances which were both rewarded with Oscars. Matthew McConaughey is absolutely fantastic as the hard-drinking, womanising Ron who later learns plenty of life lessons when he's at death door. McConaughey portrays Ron as a cocky character whose literal fight with AIDs resulting in his creation of the club. Interestingly, only a few years before, McConaughey was seen as nothing more than a romantic comedy lead and most had written him off as a serious actor. However, his performance in Dallas Buyers Club was the latest in the actor's career rebirth and demonstrated how effective his swaggering persona could be. Although Ron's attitude changes, McConaughey never loses sight of Woodruf's character and he remains a stubborn cowboy till his very last days. McConaughey also shared brilliant chemistry with Jared Leto who was utterly convincing as transgendered Rayon. Although I wasn't as crazy about his performance as some other people were I felt he gave a tender portrayal of a man who had rejected his family in order to be who he truly wanted to be. Despite Leto and McConaughey being well-utilised, I felt Jennifer Garner was under used as one of Ron's Doctors Eve Saks. Eve is the one member of the medical profession who believes that Ron is doing good and later almost begins a romance with him. It appears to me as if the writers weren't quite sure what to do with Eve and therefore he became an imbalanced character. In addition to the magnificent performances, the film's use of sound was tremendous as a loud speaker sound played every time Ron was about to pass out. Jean-Marc Vallée made sure his film was well-paced and this was aided by some excellent cinematography and editing. Ultimately Dallas Buyers Club was a film that dealt with terminal illness but didn't wallow in sentiment and I found that to be rather refreshing. I also developed an emotional connection with the characters and by the end of the film I'm not ashamed to admit that I had a little tear in my eye.

Next up is a look at two films from a director who we've seen a lot off during this blog.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 462-463: The Year of Jessica

Every year there seems to be one star who comes out of nowhere to be a household name and in 2011 that person was Jessica Chastain. We've already met Chastain via her Oscar-nominated performance in Zero Dark Thirty but a couple of years' earlier it seemed like she was everywhere. In fact she was so ubiquitous that she featured in two of the nine films that were nominated for Best Picture at the following year's ceremony.

First up we have her appearance as Mrs O'Brien in Terrence Malick's oblique The Tree of Life. Chastain's turn as the caring mother to a trio of sons in the 1950s, one of whom soon passes away towards the start of the film, was one of only a handful of the movie’s positive elements. The film is sort of seen through the perspective of a modern day Jack O'Brien who is reflecting on his harsh upbringing at the hands of his tyrannical father. Rather than presenting any sort of coherent narrative, Malick instead presents the film as a series of scenes in Jack's life. The majority of the movie depicts his childhood as quite a bleak time due to the fact that his father would often fly into a rage at a moment's notice. From criticising his sons' behaviour at the dinner table to teaching them how to fight, it's fair to say that Mr O'Brien will never win father of the year. However, Malick depicts Chastain's character in a more sympathetic light as she's more able to forgive her son when he does something a little mischievous. Whilst a coming-of-age film is nothing new, Malick's film comments on all existence featuring as it does a twenty minute sequence which shows us the beginning of time. The fact that dinosaurs appear in a film that is primarily set in the 1950s is one of those pretentious aspects of The Tree of Life that I don't like. That sentiment is echoed in my feelings about the end of the film where Jack is what I assume is the afterlife and is confronted by his mother and father as well as other people who have touched his life. Whilst I always applaud film-makers who think outside the box I do think that Malick is somebody who didn't actually ever see the box. Indeed, this feels more like an art instillation than a coherent movie which I'm assuming is why the critics loved it so much.

The Tree of Life is one of those films that critics love because it makes them seem intelligent but I feel that if they looked at it objectively then there's very little of worth here. Chastain's aforementioned performance as the matriarchal figure showcases why she became such a breakout star in that year. Her facial expressions convey her character's inner torment and she is able to balance the fear Mrs O'Brien feels towards her husband with the love she has for her children. Chastain is more impressive than either of her A-list co-stars, Brad Pitt and Sean Penn who play Mr O'Brien and the adult Jack respectively. Pitt just wasn't convincing as a harsh father figure whilst Penn hardly appears and when he does he just looks wistfully into the sky. I believe my main issue with The Tree of Life was that I felt detached from it throughout its two hour plus running time. Even though there were some parts of the narrative that hung together, Malick did little to make us care about his characters. I do remember going to see the film at the cinema and at the time there were roadworks happening outside which spoilt the quieter moments of the movie. However, I did prefer to listen the rather irritating noises that watch some of the more outlandish scenes that Malick decided to include in his film. I was actually quite surprised that The Tree of Life garnered nominations in the Best Picture and Director categories as it doesn't seem like your typical Oscar film. It does appear to me that this is the Academy's way of trying to look like they enjoy arthouse cinema however this was the same year that Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close was up for the prize. In fact the only deserving nomination that The Tree of Life received was in the cinematography category which was one of the only elements of the film that deserved celebrating. Ultimately The Tree of Life is a pretentious piece of arthouse cinema that critics go potty over but normal people like me hate with a passion.

Whilst Chastain tried her best to salvage her poorly written character in The Tree of Life, she had more success bringing a bit of humour to Tate Taylor's The Help. In fact Chastain was one of three female performers who were nominated for their role in a film that primarily concentrated on strong women. The plot of the film is based on Kathryn Stockett's book of the same name and involves Emma Stone's Skeeter; an aspiring writer in 1960s Mississippi. Although Skeeter is friendly with the snobbier members of the Jacksonville community, she is portrayed as a forward thinking young lady. Skeeter has the idea to write a book from the point of view of the African American women who help raise white children and clean the houses of families who give them very little respect. Skeeter targets Aibileen Clark, a well-meaning maid who is the first person to come forward to tell her story for the book. Aibileen is soon joined by Minnie Jackson, an outspoken maid who is fired by her Queen Bee boss Hildy after using the guest bathroom rather than the outside convenience that had been constructed for her. After Hildy spreads lies about Minnie being a thief, she is only able to get work with Chastain's Celia Foote who has been shunned by the other women of the community. Celia and Minnie's relationship is one of the most entertaining parts of the film as the former doesn't really know how to treat the latter. However the pair soon become friends as they bond over being shunned by their communities and help each other realise what is important in their life. Meanwhile, Hildy has Minnie's replacement arrested after she steals a ring to pay for her sons to go to college. This prompts a multitude of maids to come forward and tell their stories to Skeeter who eventually publishes the book of the title. After the book is published it seems to me as if Taylor didn't quite know how to finish his film with the last fifteen minutes or so feeling a little unnecessary. However I felt that for a two hour film, The Help was an incredibly easy watch.

Despite being a terribly emotionally manipulative film I have to hold my hands up and say The Help did work its magic on me. I found myself welling up several times during the film and I feel that that's a testament to the strong female ensemble cast rather than Taylor's direction or adapted screenplay. I'm not surprised that the cast were rewarded with the top prize at that year's Screen Actors Guild Awards or that Octavia Spencer won the Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Minnie. I felt that Spencer's strength lay in the fact that she was able to balance the more comedic aspects of her role with the fact that this was a woman who wasn't able to speak her mind. Whilst being strong in certain aspects of her life she was also abused by both the women she worked for and her husband. Joining her in the Best Supporting Actress category was Chastain, whose Celia Foote was a fantastic creation; a white-trash socialite who was just incredibly likeable. As Aibileen, Viola Davis was nominated for Best Actress and I feel she should have triumphed over Meryl Streep's dodgy Margaret Thatcher impression. Davis' narration was the strong foundation the film was based around and I felt the actress perfectly anchored the film. Also worthy of credit is Emma Stone who arguably gave her breakout performance as the pioneering Skeeter. Stone perfectly conveyed her character's willingness to think towards the future whilst at the same trying to maintain friendships she had since youth. I liked how The Help had faith in actresses such as Davis, Stone, Spencer and Chastain who weren't exactly marquee names. Indeed only Davis was really a recognisable presence partly due to her scene-stealing performance in Doubt however not even she was a marquee name. The bigger names in the cast, such as Sissy Spacek and Alison Janney were confined to roles in which they bolstered the leading ladies. Although it's quite a predictable piece of cinema, The Help is one of those films that you can't help but like and to me that's a testament to all of the actresses who made their characters feel three-dimensional.

Next time we look at an actor whose career path took a change for the better during the early part of the 2010s.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 461: Prawn Cocktail

One genre of film that has been poorly represented over the years as far as the Oscar nominations go is sci-fi. If a science fiction movie does edge its way into the Best Picture field than it's usually a big budget affair like Star Wars or Avatar. So imagine my surprise when a small budget science fiction film from South Africa was given a Best Picture nod at the same ceremony that saw James Cameron's blue creatures attempt to take the prize.

The film District 9 was definitely a sleeper hit that achieved popularity partially due to the fact that it had been championed by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson. District 9's director Neil Blomkamp had first touted the film in 2005, producing a shorter version of the movie entitled 'Alive in Joburg'. It then took four years for Blompkamp's full feature to make it to the screens and gradually build a large audience. District 9 takes place in an alternative South Africa where crustacean-like aliens had invaded twenty-five years earlier. Due to the fact that the aliens and humans began fighting with one another, the former group were moved into a ramshackle settlement known as District 9. The hero of the piece is middle-management goon Wikus van de Merwe who is tasked with evicting the residents of District 9 and taking them to a newly constructed district. However Wikus accidentally finds himself being exposed to a dark mixture which infuses his genetics with that of the aliens. As the film goes on, Wikus finds himself ostracised by his family whilst the company he works for wants to use him as a science experiment. Wikus eventually has to retreat to District 9 where he hunts down the intelligent alien Christopher whose liquid changed him in the first place. From there District 9 becomes a tense action film as Christopher and Wikus work together in order to get the former back to his home planet and the latter transformed back into his fully human form. 

When I first watched District 9 I genuinely didn't know what to expect and so I was pleasantly surprised with what I found. Blompkamp's film touches on themes of xenophobia with District 9 being an approximation of the all-white District 6 which was in force during South Africa's Apartheid. I personally feel as if all sci-fi should have some sort of basis in reality and the message that District 9 gives about ostracising people who are different is brilliantly played out. The racism also extends to the fact that the humans refer to the aliens as 'prawns' which is used as a derogatory term that becomes more nasty each time it's heard. What I liked about District 9 was its distinctive look with the titular ghetto of the title being well-designed by Blomkamp and his team. The faux documentary style also allows for the plot to be explained without it becoming overly-expositional. Cinematographer Trent Opaloch perfectly transitioned between the documentary-like style and the more traditional shots which focused on Wikus' trials in District 9. In the lead role of Wikus, Sharlto Copley shines in what was his first film role ans an actor. A friend of Blomkamp's, Copley ideally fits into the role of the everyman in an extraordinary situation. It's because of his lack of experience that Copley is able to make Wikus feel like a believable protagonist and he makes us sympathise with him more as he starts to transform into a prawn. If there's one criticism I have of District 9 then it's in its final third when it basically descends into a more traditional sci-fi action film. That being said the ending was well done and the ambiguity of the finale suggested that a sequel may be coming at some point. District 9 is another example of the recurring theme we're seeing in the most recent nominees as the Academy now seems to be searching outside of the mainstream. Whilst it had its champions, District 9 would never have been nominated alongside the costume dramas and inspirational true stories of old. It's just a shame that there haven't been more examples of films like District 9 that have found favour with the academy and I'm hoping that we'll soon get another example of Oscar's searching outside of the box for its Best Picture nominees

Up next we look at two films from one actress who had a very eventful 2011. 

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 459-460: A Guide to Modern Technology

As we're well into the 21st century now it seems as if films are reflecting on our growing reliance on technology. The two films in this post look at our obsession with technology both from the creation of an online device that most of us use on a daily basis and by predicting how gadgets may take over our lives in the future.
We start with The Social Network, a film that is based on the creation of Facebook; a tool which nearly everyone utilises on a daily basis. David Fincher's film is based on the book 'The Accidental Billionaires' which tells the story of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his then friend Eduardo Saverin. The film starts with Zuckerberg attempting to get over a bitter separation from his girlfriend by hacking into Harvard University's various databases and ranking pictures of the female students. This stunt gets him into trouble with the university's board but also earns him the respect of the Winklevoss twins; rowing brothers who are looking to start a social networking site exclusive to Harvard. Building on this idea, Zuckerberg enlists Eduardo's help to build 'The Facebook', which is based on a similar idea to the Winklevoss' one albeit from the mind of Mark. As the film progresses, Mark and Eduardo's success heightens until they get the attention of Napster founder Sean Parker. Parker's involvement with Facebook puts Mark and Eduardo at odds with the latter jealous of the former's new friendship with the smooth-talking hipster. Very cleverly, Aaron Sorkin frames his screenplay around two depositions that Zuckeberg is currently embarking on. In one Zuckerberg is being sued by the Winklevoss twins for stealing their idea and in the other Eduardo is attempting to get back the shares that were unfairly taken from him. This allows the characters to talk in exposition without it ever feeling like the plot is simply being explained to us. The final scene is also brilliantly done as Sorkin seems to say that Zuckerberg started Facebook because he wanted to get a girl's attention.

There's so much to like about The Social Network it's hard to know where to start but I think we should start with a man called Aaron Sorkin. After Moneyball and now The Social Network I've come to the decision that I could watch films written by Sorkin all day. Here Sorkin is able to make technical speak and legal jargon seem exciting and turns a generally unlikeable nerd into someone we want to root for. Sorkin earned a deserved Oscar for his work on The Social Network as did editors Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall who make the use of algorithms seem vaguely interesting. The Social Network's other Oscar win was for its original score which was composed by Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor. Reznor's selection of tracks for different scenes was absolutely perfect with the central theme being particularly memorable. I also felt that The Social Network marked a return to form for David Fincher after the incredibly sappy The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The then relatively unknown Jesse Eisenberg was catapulted into the mainstream thanks to his role as Zuckberg. Eisenberg dealt well with Sorkin's fast-paced dialogue and I for one found that he succeeded in explaining Zuckberg's various motives. Whilst Eisenberg earned an Oscar nomination for his role in the film, Andrew Garfield didn't which I feel is an oversight. Garfield's Eduardo is the emotional core of the film and the actor's wide-eyed portrayal of this genuinely nice guy perfectly balanced Eisenberg's more manic tone. If there was one complaint I had about The Social Network then it was the way that women were represented as most seem to either be crazy girlfriends or party-goers who would strip off at a moment's notice.  Rashida Jones' junior law partner and Rooney Mara's jilted girlfriend were the only female characters who seemed remotely well-drawn and I think that's a shame in a film that's almost completely faultless.
While The Social Network dealt with the creation of a piece of technology that would later take over our lives, it didn't display how obsessed we'd get with Facebook itself. Conversely in Spike Jonze's Her, the main concept is how one day technology could be in our lives so much that we begin to fall in love with it. Obviously this surreal concept could only come from the man who'd previously directed such surreal hits as Being John Malkovich and Adaptation. Unlike those two films, both of which were written by Charlie Kauffman, Jonze was going solo here with his script for Her ultimately winning the Best Original Screenplay Oscar. The film's protagonist Theodore is a contradiction in that he is able to write sentimental letters in the voices of other people but is rarely able to voice his own emotions. Theodore's attempts at a proper relationship have resulted in divorce and, when we first meet him, he's almost completely reliant on his computer. When he learns that he can personally tailor a new Operating System he jumps on board and soon buys a female voiced OS named Samantha. Samantha quickly becomes the most stable relationship in Theodore's life and the former starts to develop human characteristics. Soon Samantha and Theodore begin a sexual relationship but as he soon learns there's only so far you can go with a disembodied voice. When Samantha hires a sex surrogate, Theodore becomes uneasy as he can't associate the woman in front of him with the voice of Samantha. From there their relationship becomes strained as she tries to solve her identity crisis whilst he decides whether he can date an OS. Theodore's decision is ultimately made for him and the film ends in a rather predictable manner, which is a shame as I felt it had a lot of good ideas.

With the rise of people using Siri on their iphones and engaging with technology on a regular basis, Her doesn't seem like that much of a far-fetched idea. The over-reliance on technology is something that Jonze establishes early on in the film as he gives the notion that in the future we'll spend more time talking to computers than we will with each other. I have to say that I didn't buy into the romance between Theodore and Samantha as I found these segments quite hard to handle. I instead was rooting for Theodore to settle down with his sweet-natured colleague Amy who later develops a friendship with another OS. Her's main issue is the fact that I didn't really care for Theodore all that much and found him to be quite an awkward character to like. As Jonze has created a character that struggles to interact in social situations I think it's a hard ask for us to warm to a man who is quite cold. The only thing not putting me off Theodore altogether is the strong performance given by Joaquin Phoenix. Phoenix injects a certain sort of nervous energy into Theodore that at least makes understand some of his character's decisions. Phoenix must also be applauded for convincingly interacting with a character who isn't present as he expertly portrays Theodore's interactions with Samantha. Scarlett Johansson is equally impressive as the automated voice who secretly longs to have a body in order to be with the man she supposedly loves. Johansson's sultry tones perfectly bring Sam to life and as a result you utterly buy the fact that Theodore falls in love with her. The supporting players are less well-served with character development with Rooney Mara turning up once again her as Theodore's ex-wife whilst Amy Adams gives a one-note turn as Amy. The futuristic design of Her is another positive aspect as is Arcade Fire's score and Karen O's 'Moon Song'. It's fair to say that Her is full of good ideas but not all of them are successfully realised and what you end up getting is a film that is sometimes too quirky for its own good.

Next up more dystopian nightmares this time with a side serving of crustaceans.