Oscar's relationship with Joel and Ethan Coen has been an odd one to say the least. The past two decades have seen the brothers garner one Best Picture nod for Fargo and a win for No Country for Old Men. However, with the Best Picture category opening up to ten, the Coens found themselves with back to back nominations in the first two ceremonies of the 2010s.
I've talked recently about how changing the number of nominations from five meant the Academy made some questionable choices and I would say one of those picks applied to the first film in this post. A Serious Man was the Coens' second film after No Country For Old Men, the first being the overtly comic Burn After Reading. While those two films fit neatly into specific genres, I couldn't quite tell you what A Serious Man wanted to be. At times I found it was too clever for its own good especially seeing as it contained an opening sequence that bore no relevance to the rest of the film. The movie's protagonist is Larry Gopnik, a physics professor who leaves what he believes to be a quiet life. The film sees Larry's life fall apart firstly when his wife reveals she's leaving him and then when she kicks him out of the house in favour of her new lover. Additionally Larry is having to support his brother, who participates in several illegal gambling endeavours, and deal with the fact that a student is attempting to bribe him in order to get a passing grade on his course. Aside from the story of Larry, the Coens appear to be filling time by including a subplot involving Larry's son Danny's addiction to pot and how it effects his upcoming bar mitzvah. I have to say that Danny's story is especially weak and only partially plays into the ambiguous ending. I feel the point of the film is to feel sorry for Larry as he experiences problem after problem even owing money to a record club that he never joined in the first place. However it's very hard to sympathise with a man who's attempts to let life pass him buy have finally caught up with him.
More than anything else I found A Serious Man to be a rather annoying film and there wasn't one character that I particularly warmed to. Although Larry seemed like a nice enough fellow, I think the Coens repeated the same formula too many times especially in reference to the character's constant outburst of 'I didn't do anything'. At times it feels as if A Serious Man is attempting to be a comedy and I will admit that I did laugh twice during the film. However, A Serious Man elicited little emotion in me as it progressed and it just left me cold. On the plus side, I do feel the casting of unrecognisable faces helped to add a realistic tone to the film. Particular praise must go to Michael Stuhlbarg for his portrayal of the intelligent but not wholly perceptive Larry. To his credit, Stuhlbarg tries to make the audience root for his character, but I couldn't help but think that a lot of his problems were caused by his apathy. Possibly the most recognisable member of A Serious Man's ensemble is Richard Kind as Larry's needy brother Arthur. As I know Kind primarily as a comedy actor his larger-than-life persona was too much for the downbeat tone of the film. Of all the performances I felt that Fred Melamed probably did best as the slightly sleazy Si Ableman, who's attempts to plot Larry's downfall were quite transparent. Overall I really didn't know what to make of A Serious Man, a film that doesn't really show its hand and one that I never felt I could properly relax into. I was surprised to learn that the film came from the usually reliable Coens who obviously felt like they could deliver a movie which worked for them if not for a wider audience. I can't explain why exactly A Serious Man received an Oscar nomination but I do feel that, had there been less than ten nominees, then it wouldn't have featured in the Best Picture race at all.
Thankfully the Coens were back to their best a year later with their adaptation of True Grit, a novel that had previously been turned into a film back in 1969. That film was most famous for John Wayne's performance as Rooster Cogburn, a part for which he won his only Oscar. Here Cogburn is played by Jeff Bridges, who puts in a suitably gruff turn as the self-serving US Marshall. However I think the film's main strength is the then thirteen-year-old Hailee Steinfeld's performance as the formidable Mattie Ross. For those unfamiliar with the story, it concerns Mattie's quest to track down Tom Chaney, a former employee of her family's who had shot and killed her father. After much persuasion, Mattie convinces Rooster to lead a manhunt for Chaney promising him a handsome reward if he was successful in his mission. Joining Mattie and Rooster on their hunt is Texas Ranger LaBouef; a man who is presented as the opposite to the Marshall in almost every way. It's clear that, unlike the 1969 film, the Coens wanted to put Mattie front and centre as she appears in almost every scene. The odd couple trio of Mattie, Rooster and LaBouef is what makes the film work for me as we see the teenager lose her innocence as she witnesses several murders during the trek. Unlike with A Serious Man, the Coens make you engage with all three of the lead characters meaning that you care about them in the final third of the film when they find themselves in deadly peril. The scene in which Mattie was attacked by a snake was a particular edge-of-your-seat moment for yours truly and I think that demonstrated just how much I'd grown to care about the youngster throughout the course of the film. One issue I did have is that the Coens didn't seem to know how to finish the film and the epilogue involving the older incarnation of Mattie felt a little flat after what had come before.
However, that's a minor niggle in a film which I found to be an utter treat from beginning to end. Although I'm not a massive fan of the western, I do have certain favourites from the genre and this remake of True Grit is the latest addition to that list. The film was primarily shot in New Mexico and the Coens utilise their vast scenery to full effect. True Grit saw the Coens' latest collaboration with Roger Deakins who was unsuccessful yet again in his quest to win the Best Cinematography Oscar. I do feel that Deakins should have won the award for a film in which his shots of the landscape really helped enhance the story of the film. Another worthy winner would've been Hailee Steinfeld who I found utterly captivating from the first moment she appeared on screen. For a first time performance, Steinfeld's turn as Mattie was an absolute joy to watch and she more than held her own against more experienced stars. Steinfeld is able to convey both Mattie's headstrong nature and the fact that at heart she is a simply a teenage girl. Not only did Oscar make one mistake in not giving her an award in made another in putting her in the Supporting rather than Leading Actress category. Why a young woman who appears in almost every scene in the film should be considered a supporting artist boggles the mind but I've long stopped trying to figure out the Academy's logic. Jeff Bridges also deserved the Best Actor award for his performance as Cogburn than he did the previous year as the washed-up singer in Crazy Heart. True Grit was nominated for ten Oscars altogether but ultimately won none thanks to the success of both The King's Speech and Inception. However I think the Coens can be proud of a film that betters the original True Grit in almost every aspect and especially in the casting of Steinfeld who was simply dazzling as Mattie Ross.
From the Wild West we turn to the mystical east for a CGI-heavy fantasy film.
Showing posts with label Jeff Bridges. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jeff Bridges. Show all posts
Wednesday, 13 May 2015
Thursday, 5 March 2015
Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 394: Horsing About
The one thing about a lot of these Oscar films is that they are often tailored towards a purely adult audience. Even the fantasy-strewn Lord of the Rings was given a 12 Certificate due its strong level of violence as well as the fact that Gollum was probably quite scary for young children. However, after twenty-five films filled with bad language, nudity and violence I was ready to settle down for something a little more sedate. Thankfully that was provided for me in the form of Seabiscuit; a charming PG-rated film about the little racehorse that could. In fact the closest that Seabisucit got to violence was during the races themselves when the jockeys tried to push each other off of their respective horses.
Despite being the title character, Seabiscuit doesn't feature in the first part of the film which instead focuses on us getting to know the other members of the team. The stories of both Seabiscuit's eventual jockey Red Pollard and owner Charles S Howard are fairly sombre in tone and anchor the film's first third. Although born to a wealthy family, Red soon found himself out on the streets following the Wall Street Crash. Taken in as a stable boy, Red later began racing himself however was subsequently blinded in one eye following an illegal boxing match. Meanwhile Charles made his money in the motor industry but went on a downward spiral after his son died in a car accident. Both men were rehabilitated when they came into contact with the rambunctious Seabiscuit who was initially thought as being too wild to tame. The horse is originally brought to Howard by the wily Tom Smith; an outcast horse trainer who eventually forms a surrogate family with Red and Charles. From there the film resembles more of a classic sports movie with Seabiscuit gaining popularity due to Red's fine relationship with his new horse. Howard eventually targets wealthy tycoon Samuel Riddle and challenges him to a race against his famous horse War Stallion. Meanwhile tragedy befalls Red as he learns he may not be able to ride again following a tragic fall. However, as is often the case with these sorts of films, everybody finds a redemption of sorts and the last line of Gary Ross' film is so sickly sweet that it did make me throw up in my mouth a little bit.
As well as being the little horse that could, Seabiscuit was the little film that could; securing a surprise place in that year's Best Picture category. At the time many were suspecting the spot that Seabiscuit ultimately got to go to Anthony Mingella's epic civil war drama Cold Mountain. That film certainly feels like much more of an Oscar-film than this cute but slightly unremarkable family drama. What I liked about Seabiscuit were the way the race sequences were shot and John Schwartzman's cinematography made me experience what being part of those races would've been like. There were also a trio of incredibly likeable turns from Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges and Chris Cooper all of whom brought out the complexities in their characters. Maguire was perfectly cast as weedy jockey Red and allowed his naturally emotive face to relay the various heartbreaks that his character experienced across the years. Bridges brilliantly balanced Howard's effervescent personality with his personal tragedy to present a realistic persona. Meanwhile Cooper's turn as the rough and ready trainer added an extra dimension to the trio's makeshift family. Additionally enjoyable was William H Macy's few appearances as quirky racing journalist Tick Tock McLaughlin. The problem I had with Seabiscuit was in its storytelling as it started incredibly slow and took too long for the three main characters to meet. I also felt the tale started to meander towards the movie's ending whilst some of the dialogue was rather trite. Overall I feel that Gary Ross' film will appeal to families looking for a fulfilling real-life tale and to it's credit it does deliver that. But nothing about Seabiscuit is particularly memorable and it definitely never felt like a film that deserved its spot in the Best Picture category.
After all these lovely horse-racing adventures we're back to reality with a triple bill of Martin Scorsese movies.
Despite being the title character, Seabiscuit doesn't feature in the first part of the film which instead focuses on us getting to know the other members of the team. The stories of both Seabiscuit's eventual jockey Red Pollard and owner Charles S Howard are fairly sombre in tone and anchor the film's first third. Although born to a wealthy family, Red soon found himself out on the streets following the Wall Street Crash. Taken in as a stable boy, Red later began racing himself however was subsequently blinded in one eye following an illegal boxing match. Meanwhile Charles made his money in the motor industry but went on a downward spiral after his son died in a car accident. Both men were rehabilitated when they came into contact with the rambunctious Seabiscuit who was initially thought as being too wild to tame. The horse is originally brought to Howard by the wily Tom Smith; an outcast horse trainer who eventually forms a surrogate family with Red and Charles. From there the film resembles more of a classic sports movie with Seabiscuit gaining popularity due to Red's fine relationship with his new horse. Howard eventually targets wealthy tycoon Samuel Riddle and challenges him to a race against his famous horse War Stallion. Meanwhile tragedy befalls Red as he learns he may not be able to ride again following a tragic fall. However, as is often the case with these sorts of films, everybody finds a redemption of sorts and the last line of Gary Ross' film is so sickly sweet that it did make me throw up in my mouth a little bit.
As well as being the little horse that could, Seabiscuit was the little film that could; securing a surprise place in that year's Best Picture category. At the time many were suspecting the spot that Seabiscuit ultimately got to go to Anthony Mingella's epic civil war drama Cold Mountain. That film certainly feels like much more of an Oscar-film than this cute but slightly unremarkable family drama. What I liked about Seabiscuit were the way the race sequences were shot and John Schwartzman's cinematography made me experience what being part of those races would've been like. There were also a trio of incredibly likeable turns from Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges and Chris Cooper all of whom brought out the complexities in their characters. Maguire was perfectly cast as weedy jockey Red and allowed his naturally emotive face to relay the various heartbreaks that his character experienced across the years. Bridges brilliantly balanced Howard's effervescent personality with his personal tragedy to present a realistic persona. Meanwhile Cooper's turn as the rough and ready trainer added an extra dimension to the trio's makeshift family. Additionally enjoyable was William H Macy's few appearances as quirky racing journalist Tick Tock McLaughlin. The problem I had with Seabiscuit was in its storytelling as it started incredibly slow and took too long for the three main characters to meet. I also felt the tale started to meander towards the movie's ending whilst some of the dialogue was rather trite. Overall I feel that Gary Ross' film will appeal to families looking for a fulfilling real-life tale and to it's credit it does deliver that. But nothing about Seabiscuit is particularly memorable and it definitely never felt like a film that deserved its spot in the Best Picture category.
After all these lovely horse-racing adventures we're back to reality with a triple bill of Martin Scorsese movies.
Sunday, 12 January 2014
Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 238-239: Coming of Age
As someone who grew up on a diet of 1980s Brat Pack classics, I always felt that John Hughes blazed the trail as far as classic high school films went. However the coming of age film can be traced back a decade earlier as the 1970s Oscar nominees provide two teen classics. Both feature young men on their way out of high school as they look forward to the next chapter in their life. The two are similar as they look back at prior decades, focus on small town life and have endings that can't exactly be described as happy.
The first of these two films is Peter Boganovich's The Last Picture Show which turns the clock back twenty years to 1951. Striking itself out visually, the film is shot entirely in black and white and focuses on the small town of Anarene in Texas. Anarene is portrayed as a character in and of itself with the protagonists mainly congregating in the town's pool hall, diner and titular picture show. All of these businesses are owned by the fatherly Sam the Lion, a sort of surrogate parent to the town's youths, who is the guiding light in the lives of our two central characters. These characters are high-school seniors Sonny Crawford and Duane Jackson who over the course of the film, fall in and out of love with both ladies and each other. Duane is going steady with Jacy Farrow, a popular and classy young lady whose parents see Duane as a class below their daughter. Throughout the film, Jacy is portrayed as quite manipulative and does several things simply to get attention. Meanwhile, Sonny is initially dating a fairly unlikeable girl who he later dumps as he dreams of getting with Jacy. Eventually he finds himself attracted to the wife of his basketball coach Ruth Popper, but their affair is tinged with sadness as she realises he'll soon leave her for someone his own age. At times the story gets quite bleak with death affecting Sonny and Duane in different ways and by the end they realise that the Anarene at the end of the film isn't the Anarene they knew growing up.
Though utterly bleak at times, I thoroughly enjoyed The Last Picture Show from start to finish. It does have a fairly episodic tone but at its heart is the friendship between two men on the verge of adulthood. Boganovich's decision to shoot the film in black and white gives it a timeless quality and makes it feel more of its time than it would've done had it been shot in colour. One of the film's major strengths is its sense of place and I really felt I knew the layout of the town by the time the film finished. With four acting nominations in the supporting categories, I knew that The Last Picture Show would be well acted from the get-go. A young Jeff Bridges is incredibly captivating as the brash and hot-headed Duane who is motivated by his love of Jacy. Meanwhile, in her first major role, Cybil Shepherd portrays Jacy as a girl who craves attention and doesn't care who she hurts to get it. For their roles as Sam the Lion and Ruth respectively, Ben Johnson and Cloris Leachman were awarded the Supporting Oscars at the 1972 ceremony. While both delivered scene-stealing performances, I feel that these awards should possibly have gone to Bridges and Shepherd instead. One cast member who didn't receive any attention at the awards was Timothy Bottoms who, as Sonny, really anchors the film. His facial expressions tell the story beautifully and he really made me feel for Sonny throughout the course of the film. While it did drag from time to time, The Last Picture Show did make a positive impression on me and by the film's final scenes I was incredibly taken with this poignant story of the end of adolescence. In addition I was surprised by how influential the film was as its roots are arguably in every high school movie that has come since.
A case in point is a film that came two years later and was directed by an upstart director by the name of George Lucas. American Graffiti similarly focuses on two recent graduates who are spending their last night in their home town before journeying to the same college the morning after. Steve Bolander and Curt Henderson have different opinions about the next stage of their lives. Steve is ready to go to college and wants to embark on an open relationship with his girlfriend, and Curt's sister, Laurie. Laurie isn't so pleased with this suggestion and throughout the film they argue and break-up before making up again. Meanwhile scholarship student Curt is unsure about whether he should spend another year in his home town of Modesto before going off to college. His night involves being inducted into greaser gang 'The Pharoahs' and attempting to track down a mysterious blonde who appeared to mouth 'I Love You' when he was gazing out of a car window. The film sees Curt question the next stage of his life and he receives advice from several mentor figures before plotting his ultimate destiny. American Graffiti's subplots involve Curt and Steve's friends John and Terry 'The Toad' both of whom attempt to pick up women with very different results. Cool and cocky John ends up spending the night with the bratty sister of one of his classmates but by the end of their journey together he appears to have grown fond of her. Meanwhile nerdy Terry finds new confidence after being given Steve's car and shockingly finds a new lady friend with the slightly ditzy Debbie. After their eventful night both Steve and Curt make their way to the airport, but for different reasons, and we the audience learn where they are now.
Though not going as far back in time as The Last Picture Show, American Graffiti's action all takes place in 1962 and is primarily based on George Lucas' own formative years. Despite being only his second feature, I found that Lucas was a confident director here and perfectly balanced all the various stories from the screenplay he co-wrote. Part of the charm of American Graffiti was its nostalgic elements as we got to see our characters hang out at the drive-in and attend a hop at their former high school. But the biggest benefit of setting the film in the past was that the soundtrack could contain classic hits from the 1950s and 1960s. I have to personally say that the music was a particular highlight of mine and that at least half a dozen songs from the soundtrack were stuck in my head the day after I watched it. America Graffiti's other strong element is the central performance from Richard Dreyfuss as the indecisive and thoroughly likeable Curt. Dreyfuss plays the part perfectly throughout and I was always upset when we left Curt to concentrate on the other characters. I feel that I've sort of watched Dreyfuss' career in reverse; starting with his Oscar winning turn in The Goodbye Girl and finishing here with his breakthrough turn in American Graffiti. I have to say I'm surprised that he wasn't nominated for an Oscar and the only acting nod the film received was for Candy Clark as the airhead Debbie. American Graffiti does suffer from an episodic story structure where some plots were stronger than others but all of the characters felt well-drawn which isn't surprising as they were mostly inspired by real people. Just like The Last Picture Show, American Graffiti has been incredibly influential throughout the years and I found particular parallels between it and Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused. Though it was a little lighter than The Last Picture Show, American Graffiti had a lot going for it primarily thanks to a great performance from Dreyfuss and a brilliantly catchy soundtrack
Next time we get bleak with the sort of trip to the Mediterranean that nobody would ever want to experience.
Though utterly bleak at times, I thoroughly enjoyed The Last Picture Show from start to finish. It does have a fairly episodic tone but at its heart is the friendship between two men on the verge of adulthood. Boganovich's decision to shoot the film in black and white gives it a timeless quality and makes it feel more of its time than it would've done had it been shot in colour. One of the film's major strengths is its sense of place and I really felt I knew the layout of the town by the time the film finished. With four acting nominations in the supporting categories, I knew that The Last Picture Show would be well acted from the get-go. A young Jeff Bridges is incredibly captivating as the brash and hot-headed Duane who is motivated by his love of Jacy. Meanwhile, in her first major role, Cybil Shepherd portrays Jacy as a girl who craves attention and doesn't care who she hurts to get it. For their roles as Sam the Lion and Ruth respectively, Ben Johnson and Cloris Leachman were awarded the Supporting Oscars at the 1972 ceremony. While both delivered scene-stealing performances, I feel that these awards should possibly have gone to Bridges and Shepherd instead. One cast member who didn't receive any attention at the awards was Timothy Bottoms who, as Sonny, really anchors the film. His facial expressions tell the story beautifully and he really made me feel for Sonny throughout the course of the film. While it did drag from time to time, The Last Picture Show did make a positive impression on me and by the film's final scenes I was incredibly taken with this poignant story of the end of adolescence. In addition I was surprised by how influential the film was as its roots are arguably in every high school movie that has come since.
A case in point is a film that came two years later and was directed by an upstart director by the name of George Lucas. American Graffiti similarly focuses on two recent graduates who are spending their last night in their home town before journeying to the same college the morning after. Steve Bolander and Curt Henderson have different opinions about the next stage of their lives. Steve is ready to go to college and wants to embark on an open relationship with his girlfriend, and Curt's sister, Laurie. Laurie isn't so pleased with this suggestion and throughout the film they argue and break-up before making up again. Meanwhile scholarship student Curt is unsure about whether he should spend another year in his home town of Modesto before going off to college. His night involves being inducted into greaser gang 'The Pharoahs' and attempting to track down a mysterious blonde who appeared to mouth 'I Love You' when he was gazing out of a car window. The film sees Curt question the next stage of his life and he receives advice from several mentor figures before plotting his ultimate destiny. American Graffiti's subplots involve Curt and Steve's friends John and Terry 'The Toad' both of whom attempt to pick up women with very different results. Cool and cocky John ends up spending the night with the bratty sister of one of his classmates but by the end of their journey together he appears to have grown fond of her. Meanwhile nerdy Terry finds new confidence after being given Steve's car and shockingly finds a new lady friend with the slightly ditzy Debbie. After their eventful night both Steve and Curt make their way to the airport, but for different reasons, and we the audience learn where they are now.
Though not going as far back in time as The Last Picture Show, American Graffiti's action all takes place in 1962 and is primarily based on George Lucas' own formative years. Despite being only his second feature, I found that Lucas was a confident director here and perfectly balanced all the various stories from the screenplay he co-wrote. Part of the charm of American Graffiti was its nostalgic elements as we got to see our characters hang out at the drive-in and attend a hop at their former high school. But the biggest benefit of setting the film in the past was that the soundtrack could contain classic hits from the 1950s and 1960s. I have to personally say that the music was a particular highlight of mine and that at least half a dozen songs from the soundtrack were stuck in my head the day after I watched it. America Graffiti's other strong element is the central performance from Richard Dreyfuss as the indecisive and thoroughly likeable Curt. Dreyfuss plays the part perfectly throughout and I was always upset when we left Curt to concentrate on the other characters. I feel that I've sort of watched Dreyfuss' career in reverse; starting with his Oscar winning turn in The Goodbye Girl and finishing here with his breakthrough turn in American Graffiti. I have to say I'm surprised that he wasn't nominated for an Oscar and the only acting nod the film received was for Candy Clark as the airhead Debbie. American Graffiti does suffer from an episodic story structure where some plots were stronger than others but all of the characters felt well-drawn which isn't surprising as they were mostly inspired by real people. Just like The Last Picture Show, American Graffiti has been incredibly influential throughout the years and I found particular parallels between it and Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused. Though it was a little lighter than The Last Picture Show, American Graffiti had a lot going for it primarily thanks to a great performance from Dreyfuss and a brilliantly catchy soundtrack
Next time we get bleak with the sort of trip to the Mediterranean that nobody would ever want to experience.
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