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 Day 398: What's the Story?

After watching three fairly epic Scorsese films in a row I was ready for a little bit of a break and thankfully there was a little bit more refinement waiting for me in my next selection of Joe Wright's Atonement. However, though it initially looks sedate, Atonement deals with some rather shocking themes and ends with a rather heartbreaking admission.

The majority of Atonement is devoted to the story, and the storytelling ability, of Briony Tallis who we first meet as a thirteen-year-old in the summer of 1935. Almost the entire first half of Atonement takes place over the course of a single day as Briony's lies have far-reaching consequences. What I found clever about Atonement was the way we see events from Briony's point-of-view and then we flashback to see how they came about. So for example we spy her sister Cecilia emerging from a fountain in front of the dashing Robbie before finding out why. It's Robbie's feelings for Cecilia that land him in trouble when Briony finds an explicit letter from him meant for her sister. As revenge she tells the police that she saw Robbie force himself on her cousin Lola. This accusation, combined with Robbie's letter, means that he's sent to prison where he stays for four years. The action then flashes forward where Robbie is now a soldier in World War II after agreeing to join the army as a way out of prison. The majority of Robbie and Cecilia's interaction in the film's second half comes via letters which are read in some incredibly well-edited set pieces. Elsewhere, the now eighteen-year-old Briony has realised just what she's done and is attempting to make amends with both Robbie and Cecilia. After an excellent reconstruction of the war-torn scenes on the sea at Dunkirk; we see what we believe happened to the film's tragic couple. However the epilogue, featuring a much older incarnation of Briony, reveals what truly happened to her sister and Robbie. It ends with the news that the modern day Briony has finally written her own book; Atonement, based on the events of the film.

Christopher Hampton's adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel puts Atonement's focus fully on storytelling and he and Wright definitely demonstrate this throughout the course of the film. I personally loved seeing the narrative from different angles and also the way in which Seamus McGarvey framed Robbie's letter writing so we could see the rude word that his correspondence contained. The film plays with narrative conventions and, when I first saw the film back in 2007, I was shocked by the older Briony's final confession. Watching it now, I have to say that I enjoyed the first half of the film much more than the second. The lust-filled summer night was to me a much more engaging proposition than another film set during World War II. However, I feel that it's the war portion of Atonement which piqued the interest of the Academy. To his credit McGarvey's five-minute sweeping shot of the Dunkirk beaches were superbly handled. I personally also enjoyed Dario Marianelli's Oscar-winning score which enhanced the drama perfectly and was at its best when it included the ominous typing of Briony's typewriter. Of the cast only young Saoirse Ronan was Oscar-nominated for her role as the youngest incarnation of Briony. To her credit the then unknown Ronan was utterly engaging as a young girl who'd just seen her first love in a compromising position with her sister. Ronan definitely gave the strongest portrayal of Briony which is surprising seeing as the oldest version of the character was played by Vanessa Redgrave. Meanwhile Keira Knightely and James McAvoy shared a heated chemistry as Cecilia and Robbie, a fact that made their romance all the more believable. Although not on the level of some of the epic films I've watched recently, Atonement is definitely a well-produced grown-up drama. Whilst I personally enjoyed its first half a lot more, there's no denying that Joe Wright's film more than deserved its place among that year's five Best Picture nominees.

Next time we focus on a much-nominated actress who finally got her hands on an Oscar during the noughties.