Mr. Turner (2014)

The last twenty-five years in the life of eccentric artist J.M.W. Turner is brought to life here through a dedicated performance by Timothy Spall as Turner. The film is incomprehensively gorgeous to look at with expansive landscapes that look like they are Turner’s paintings brought to life. The performances across the board are similarly engaging; I particularly enjoyed Lesley Manville’s regrettably small role as scientist Mary Somerville. Unfortunately the narrative is insanely repetitive with an extra hour of footage that could easily be edited out without sacrificing any of the details of Turner’s later life.

Oscar Nominations: Best Achievement in Cinematography; Best Achievement in Costume Design; Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score; Best Achievement in Production Design