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 437-438: Jumping Through Hooper's

Tom Hooper is a director who went on an interesting journey on his way to the Oscar podium. Initially directing episodes of the likes of Byker Grove and Eastenders, Hooper found his niche in helming one-off TV movies about real people. These films included Longford and Elizabeth I as well as the cinematic release; The Damned United in which our old friend Michael Sheen played notorious football manager Brian Clough. It was a film based on a real story that earned Hooper national acclaim and saw him scoop the Best Director award at the 2011 ceremony.

That film in question was The King's Speech which had an interesting journey from initial conception to arriving on the screen. Screenwriter David Seidler learnt of the relationship between King George VI and Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue and wanted to tell the story partly because he himself had a stammer. After securing the diaries of Logue, his plans were halted when the Queen Mother asked Seidler not to write anything while she was still alive. After she passed away, Seidler continued writing and the finished article was his play The King's Speech. The film went on to become one of the most-watched films of that year and it attracted a generation to the cinema who hadn't been in years. Part of the reason for this is that The King's Speech is quite a universal tale about finding one's voice and standing up for yourself. At times The King's Speech resembles a sports film as it features many montages of Logue and King George training up for the latter's next important public function. But more than that it's about how a friendship can inspire somebody to be more than they ever thought they could be. I think the fact that the character in question is a British monarch is entirely by-the-by and instead the odd couple relationship works in the favour of The King's Speech. The film builds up to a sterling finale where Logue helps George prepare for the speech he is forced to deliver to announce Britain's entry into the Second World War. This scene is made all the more poignant by the inclusion of Beethoven's 7th symphony playing over the top of it which some people thought was actually part of Alexandre Desplat's original score.

Of course, like most of the films on this list, if you poke at The King's Speech too much holes will eventually start to appear. At times it did feel as if we were being rushed through the history of Britain between the wars, with the section on Edward and Mrs. Simpson being particularly poorly paced. However Seidler's main concern wasn't particularly with the history of the piece but rather with the characters themselves. This to me lifted The King's Speech over other similar period pieces that have been nominated for, and in this film's case, won the Best Picture award. The film is further enhanced by a trio of fine performers led by the spectacular Colin Firth in the role of King George. What's wonderful about Firth's performance is that he never overdoes George's speech impediment and he makes you really feel for the character every time he is stuck with nothing to say. I think that Firth makes the role more than just the disability as he ably portrays George's loving relationship with his wife and two daughters. As his wife, Helena Bonham Carter is just magnificent as she plays Elizabeth with the right mix of dignity and rebelliousness. Carter and Firth's chemistry is just perfect and they make for a believable royal couple throughout the film. Also worthy of a mention is Geoffrey Rush who is a joy to watch as the jobbing Australian actor who finds himself in a rather odd situation. Rush's larger-than-life turn is the perfect contrast to Firth's introverted performance and therefore the two make a rather great pair. The King's Speech went on to be the big winner at that year's Oscars with Hooper, Seidler and Firth all picking up awards along the way. Whilst by no means perfect, The King's Speech is a great character-driven piece that is more than just a costume drama. While it's never utterly remarkable, The King's Speech is an easy watch and one that has just enough positive features to justify its Best Picture win.

Two years later, Hooper returned with an adaptation of a much-loved musical that had been incredibly successful during its stage run. It's also one of only a few films to have its story adapted for two Best Picture winners as we previously saw a straight version of Les Miserables back in the 1930s. This time there is barely any dialogue as almost every word of Victor Hugo's original novel has been transformed into song by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil. According to my research, the total number of songs in Les Miserables is a staggering fifty-one even if some our reprises and others don't last very long. One thing Hooper did differently from any of the other musical films we've seen so far is to get his actors to sing live. This worked well for most of the performers, many of whom had previous musical experience either on stage or on screen. However, this isn't true of Russell Crowe whose musical performance as the film's main antagonist Javert had been criticised by most. While I agree with them, I think Javert is the one role where the singing doesn't have to be that strong and I thought that Crowe was an impressive enough presence for his musical weakness not to be that much of hindrance. I thought that Crowe also worked well against Hugh Jackman who portrayed the film's hero Jean Valjean brilliantly. Despite Jackman being known for portraying action heroes on screen, he has a background in musical theatre will is well-utilised during the first half of the film. This half of the film covers a lot of ground and sees Valjean go from convict to mayor and factory owner in a number of years. Valjean's redemption comes after he takes in Cosette, the daughter of one of his late factory workers Satine. Anne Hathaway won the Best Supporting Actress Award for her role as Satine mainly as she nailed one of the musical's most memorable numbers 'I Dreamed a Dream'.

However, I personally feel as if the second half of the film is stronger than the first thanks to the themes of the French Revolution. I feel Hooper is at his strongest when portraying the conflict between the poor residents of Paris and the nobility. His direction of the film's key number 'Can You Hear the People Sing' is brilliantly done and reflects how well the musical has translated onto the screen. I would say that ascetically, Les Miserables is beautifully realised with every set, costume and character designed within an inch of their lives. Meanwhile the unrequited love between the lovely Eponine and revolutionary leader Marius is wonderful to watch thanks in part to the performance from Samantha Barks. In my opinion Barks, who at the time was a relative unknown, deserved as much recognition for her role as Hathaway did for hers but unfortunately this wasn't the case. I personally thought that the one weak point of this second half was the budding romance between Marius and the adult Cosette which I felt was a sickly sweet affair. In my opinion Amanda Seyfried and Eddie Redmayne didn't have great chemistry and therefore I didn't care if their characters got together or not. Les Miserables also saw Hooper work with Helena Bonham Carter once again as she portrayed landlady Madame Thernardier and made a great double act with Sacha Baron Cohen as her husband. In fact the scenes with the unscrupulous Thernadiers were some of my favourites and provided such much needed comedy in between all the dramatic revolutionary uprising. While enjoyable in parts, Les Miserables was too long for my liking and not all of the songs worked their magic on me as they did other people. While the performances, most notably those from Jackman and Barks, were good there was nothing about Les Miserables that was particularly remarkable. Although I do appreciate that Hooper wanted to do something different after The King's Speech I didn't think that he left much a mark on Les Miserables with his only input seeming to be the decision to have the actors sing live. But realistically there was very little difference between the film and stage versions of Les Miserables and I think the film would've received the same feedback regardless of who was directing it.

Next time we turn our attention to an actress who changed people's perceptions of her during the first half of the 2010s.