Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 433-434: The Return of the Blockbuster

One of the reasons that the Best Picture nominees increased from five to ten in 2010 was so that the films that most people went to see would be included in the list. There had been outcry in the latter half of the noughties when some of the most well-regarded blockbusters had been disregarded for fare such as The Reader and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Indeed, the big-budget blockbuster had rarely featured in the Best Picture category since the likes of Jaws, Star Wars and E.T. In fact the only blockbusters that featured in the last twenty years either were period epics such as Titanic or literary adaptations like the Lord of the Rings trilogy. That all changed though when a sci-fi blockbuster not only broke through into the Best Picture category but also brought back a new craze for 3-D films.

Although the reintroduction of 3-D started in 2009 it was only when James Cameron brought Avatar to the screen that it became a requisite format for all massive blockbusters to be screened in. We last met James Cameron back in the 1990s when he directed the massive Best Picture winner Titanic and also picked up Best Director along the way. Avatar was set on a similarly epic scale albeit one that had no basis in history primarily as it was set in the future. Writing the plot down for Avatar feels a little silly as it involves a planet called Pandora and the mining of a precious energy source known as unobtanium. The only problem is that Pandora is ruled by huge Smurf-like creatures called the Na'vi who don't want the humans encroaching on their lands due to their magic trees or some such nonsense. Our hero of sorts is paraplegic marine Jake Sully who is portrayed as an idiot from the get-go and has been recruited based on the fact that he has the same genetic make-up as his deceased scientist brother. Jake, along with several other scientists, are transported into the bodies of Avatars which look exactly like the Na'vi. Throughout the course of the film the Na'vi take Jake to their bossum although I'm not quite sure why as he seems like a complete dullard. Eventually falling for one of the Na'vi women, Jake changes sides and ends up fighting alongside the blue folk against his former allies. The final battle scenes, which seem to go on forever see Jake go up against the pantomime villain of the piece Colonel Quartich with the result seeing him become a Na'vi for good. Whilst I'm sure Cameron knew what the film was about to me it was Dances with Wolves in space with big blue creatures taking the place of the Native Americans.

I went to see Avatar twice at the cinema, once to satisfy my own curiosity and again when my friend wanted to see the 3-D version. Suffice to say there was very little difference for me and I don't think the 3-D really enhanced my viewing experience, a comment I can replicate for every 3D film I've seen. On the plus side there's no denying that Cameron has an epic vision, creating his own world in the form on Pandora and populating it with his own unique creations. The film's wins in the Art Direction, Cinematography and Visual Effects categories were all more than justified as these were definitely the film's greatest qualities. On the downside, I feel that Cameron's storytelling ability is possibly at its worse here with Avatar feeling even more bloated than Titanic. Even though he should be applauded for his unique vision I don't think it quite translates into the storytelling and at times I was fairly bored. Indeed there were whole sequences where Jake and the other Na'vi were chasing creatures round Pandora which looked like they were just there to justify the 3-D enhancements. As the plot itself is quite convoluted, Cameron has had to insert a bunch of exposition with Jake having to explain the story through way of his video logs. The performances weren't too much better with the wooden Sam Worthington being the wrong choice to lead an epic film such as Avatar. Worthington showed me nothing of worth and as a result never made his character feel particularly endearing. Similarly Stephen Lang as the ludicrous Quartich, yelled all of his lines and Giovanni Ribisi was phoning it in as the evil businessman. Only Sigourney Weaver, as experienced scientist Grace, gave a memorable turn and she at least made you sympathise when her character passed away from her gunshot wounds. Ultimately, Avatar is a feast for the eyes but a let down for all the other senses and I'm so glad that The Hurt Locker triumphed over this Box Office behemoth which I feel is one of the most overrated films of the last decade.

One of the blockbuster films that had been cruelly overlooked at the 2009 ceremony was Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. Infinitely better than the majority of that year's Best Picture contenders, The Dark Knight was a brilliant take on the Batman story that topped plenty of critics' lists that year. Two years later, and with an extended field, Nolan finally found himself the director of a Best Picture nominee even though he himself didn't receive a nomination. Nolan's Oscar nominated picture was Inception; a brilliantly thoughtful blockbuster which was a lot more intellectual than your average summer action flick. Although Inception did include all the running and shooting that you would expect from a blockbuster it did also have an amazing storyline to do with dreams and dreams within dreams. The inception of the title is a method by which someone could plant an idea in the head of another subject by infiltrating their dreams. At its heart, Inception is essentially a heist film but in place of a bank vault we have a person's inner thoughts. The leader of the gang is Don Cobb; a brilliant man who is on the run after the authorities believed that he'd murdered his wife. The reality was something much darker and the relationship between Don and his wife Mal is where the film gains its emotional edge. When Cobb learns he could be reunited with his children by performing a-near impossible inception mission he gets to it and assembles a crack team in the process. While I'm sure most people have probably seen Inception by now, I'm not going to spoil it needlessly for those who haven't. But suffice to say that, even though it's about my fifth time watching the film, I was still on tenterhooks as Cobb and his team attempted to navigate the various dream layers. Meanwhile, the ambiguous ending makes the film all that more memorable with the spinning top being possibly the most iconic visual from Inception.

As Inception is a film about imagination, it's clear to see that Nolan has utilised his to full effect. In the early stages of the film, we see Cobb instruct his newest team member Ariadne on how best to build a dream. The set piece in which Ariadne makes buildings fold in on themselves is still a marvel to watch and this visual splendour continues throughout the rest of the film. Nolan's production design team, who were awarded with a BAFTA for their work on the film, deserve praise for creating a different atmosphere in each dream level. From the suave hotel interior to the snowbound fortress every single frame of Inception has been designed to fit in with the unique nature of the story. All in all Inception took home four awards for cinematography, visual effects, sound editing and sound effects editing. A dubious omission among that list is Hans Zimmer, whose score for Inception is instantly recognisable and today is played on plenty of adverts. I'm also still a little bit puzzled as to why Nolan himself wasn't nominated for directing a truly personal film that I felt was truly original. The cast also lifted the material of the film, making their characters feel three-dimensional, a rarity for a summer blockbuster. I felt Leonardo DiCaprio was a perfect lead as he perfectly portrayed Cobb as somebody who wasn't quite sure of himself any more but realised he had to complete the mission in order to return home. Tom Hardy was brilliant as Eames, the joker and forger of the pack who transformed himself several times during the dream. But the best performance of all came from Marion Cotillard, who made Mal both the film's key antagonist and a sympathetic character who had been ruined by exploring other people's dreams. If I have one criticism about Inception it is its exposition-filled script which I suppose is a necessary evil when you've got so many rules to explain. However this is a minor quibble in a film that's truly exceptional, incredibly rewatchable and a movie that redefined what a summer blockbuster could be.

Next time we look at the two most recent nominated films from a director who's featured on this blog a fair few times already.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 291-292: Ford Focuses

So far in this challenge we've seen Harrison Ford play the all-action hero both as Han Solo in Star Was and as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Although he's played a supporting role in other genres, such as small roles in American Graffiti and The Conversation, for the most part he's been all abut the action. However, towards the end of the decade, Ford began to broaden his repertoire playing a cop desperate to protect a young boy and a businessman who has his head turned in an unlikely direction.

Ford received his only ever Oscar nomination for his role in Best Picture nominee Witness where he played a by-the-book police officer. Ford's John Book is drafted in to investigate the murder of a fellow officer in the toilets of 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. The murder's only witness is eight-year-old Samuel Lapp, a member of the Amish community who has rarely been outside of his family's farm. His widowed mother Rachel is unhappy with the way that Book is using Samuel to find the killer and wants to get out of the city as soon a possible. Samuel later discovers that the man he saw was a police officer which leads to Book finding out about a number of corrupt officers including his own boss. Realising that these corrupt officers will try to get to Samuel, an injured Book drives them to safety as they return to their family home. Rachel's father-in-law agrees to take Book in until heals, partly as he wants to protect Samuel. Rather predictably Rachel starts developing feelings for Book, however this doesn't sit well with the elders of the community who feel she may be shunned as a result of this relationship. Book is similarly attracted to Rachel but realises that any romance would cost her a way of life that both she and Samuel have become accustomed to. A violent altercation soon alerts the corrupt officers to Book's whereabouts which leads to an intense showdown in a cow barn.

In the wrong hands, Witness could have just been a paint by numbers thriller that was nothing more than a bit of mindless entertainment. Luckily writers  Earl W. Wallace and William Kelley alongside director Peter Weir had a vision for the film that they more than successfully pulled off. Weir excels at putting together several set pieces which perfectly drive along the action of the film. These set pieces include the brilliantly choreographed opening murder scene in the bathroom and later the rather tender moment where Book and Rachel dance in the barn. It's this romance between Book and Rachel that raises Witness above the simple thriller story and really offers up some interesting themes about desire and community. The way the Amish community is treated in modern society is another area that the film looks at it great detail. Due to their horse-drawn carts and distinctive costume, the Amish are treated as fools by some and as tourist attractions by others. It's arguably Book's understanding of the Amish culture that helps him get through his difficult time and even aids him in bumping off one of his attackers. Ford is really great in the role of Book as he transforms him over the period of the film into someone who is a lot more tolerant of others' beliefs. Ford shares brilliant chemistry with Kelly McGillis as the naive Rachel who herself puts in an excellent performance. McGillis was cruelly overlooked in the Best Actress category which is a shame as I feel her role is the more sympathetic and she was particularly brilliant during the more tender moments. Young Lukas Haas' wide-eyed expressions lent a believability to the role of Samuel as he was able to portray his innocence of modern life with ease. The film was bolstered by some fantastic cinematography from John Seale who let his camera capture every detail of Amish country. Similarly beneficial was the Oscar-nominated score from the legendary Maurice Jarre which perfectly suited the tone of the film. Witness did have a few minor problems, most notably the fact that the corrupt officers felt a little clichéd, but I found it involving from beginning to end. More than anything it proved that Ford could thrive in a role in which he was able to do more than simply run around and offer the odd quip when needed.

Ford later proved that he was the perfect comedy straight man as the only central male figure in another Best Picture nominee, Working Girl. The film itself primarily focused on Tess McGill, a young working-class woman who is hoping to rise from her position as a secretary. Tess has a business degree from night school but still isn't taken seriously by her male superiors who view her mainly as a piece of skirt. Fired from yet another position, Tess is given the job of assistant to financial executive Katharine Parker. Katharine initially seems like the perfect boss and wants her and Tess to work as a team. Tess comes to Katharine with the idea of having their client Trask Industries invest in a radio station with Katharine seemingly on board with the idea. Katharine later tells Tess that the idea was rejected by her superiors but she later discovers that her boss is simply going to pass the idea off as her own. When Katharine is injured on a skiing holiday, Tess gains access to her home and dresses up in her clothes to transform herself into an executive. Posing as one of Katharine's colleagues, Tess goes to a party in the hope of meeting Ford's Jack Trainer with whom she will later have a meeting with. Their initial meeting ends up with Tess waking up in Jack's bed but she later discovers that his team are on board with her idea. As Tess and Jack begin working together, an attraction grows between the pair and they are soon able to convince Trask to meet with them after crashing his daughter's wedding. However, Katharine's return brings with it a whole heap of problems not least the fact that she and Jack were involved in a relationship prior to her injury. At the end of the day it's up to Tess to break through the class barrier and prove that she does belong in a boardroom with the other financial executives.

I was almost immediately charmed by Working Girl during its opening sequence which featured commuters on the Staten Island Ferry making their daily trip into work. The whole sequence was accompanied by Carly Simon's 'Let the River Run' which would later go on to win the Oscar for Best Song. One of the film's greatest attributes is Kevin Wade's brilliantly paced script which engrosses you from the word go. He creates four or five characters who feeling incredibly realistic and all of whom you're willing to spend just under two hours with. Tess in particular is a character that I'm sure a vast majority of people can identify with namely a lowly worker who is a lot smarter than those who are promoted above her due to who they know rather than what they can do. Melanie Griffith is fantastic as Tess and excels in a film in which she appears in almost every scene. She brings a certain sense of style to the role which is perfect for a character who sometimes thinks before she acts. Sigourney Weaver is equally fantastic as Katharine a woman who appears to be everybody's friend but in actuality is simply out for herself. Weaver's cool exterior is the perfect balance with Griffith's more zany antics which makes you believe that they are complete polar opposites. Joan Cusack lends great support as Griffith's similarly wacky friend Cynthia whilst Alec Baldwin puts in a memorable turn as Tess' cheating boyfriend. Griffith, Weaver and Cusack all received nominations for their roles in the film as did director Mike Nichols who here presents another perfectly constructed piece of work. Meanwhile, though not recognised by the Academy, Ford was able to showcase another side of his personality and was the perfect foil for both Griffith and Weaver's romantic affections. At points it seemed that Ford was simply there to act as eye candy but I felt he held his own and has some wonderful chemistry with his leading ladies. Ultimately I found Working Girl to be an intelligent comedy which had a lot to say about class and gender whilst at the same time making a star out of its leading lady.

In the coming years, Ford would mainly be known for more roles in action films which is a shame as both Witness and Working Girl demonstrate that he's an actor who can turn his hand to many different genres.

Next time we have a Best Picture winner that really struck a chord with the Academy voters.