Category: Best Writing

Posted on | No Comments |

Harry and Tonto (1974)

When they are evicted from their NYC apartment, Harry and his cat Tonto are given opportunities to live with various friends and relatives. Instead, what they end up doing is journeying across the US that the circumstances of life had discouraged them from undertaking earlier in life. Turning away from the cranky old man trope, Art Carney’s Harry takes the various events and obstacles that come his way in a good-natured, straight-forward way, only displaying any anger when someone tries to separate him from his cat. Tonto on the other hand looks displeased at his lot in life during almost all moments save when he’s eating.

Oscar Win: Best Actor in a Leading Role

Oscar Nomination: Best Writing, Original Screenplay

Posted on | No Comments |

Murmur of the Heart (1971)

After watching Au Revoir les Enfants, I wanted to check this one out as another Louis Malle film based somewhat on his life. Compared to that other film, this one was much less compelling. The main character Laurent is an almost wholly unsympathetic character. A young immature teenager, he throws his privilege around without any empathy for others or thoughts to the consequences of his actions. The older males around him all do the same. The big taboo at the end of the film narratively came out of nowhere and was handled in a confusing superficial way.

Oscar Nomination: Best Writing, Story and Screenplay Based on Factual Material or Material Not Previously Published or Produced

Posted on | No Comments |

The Stunt Man (1980)

I enjoy watching films within films movies as much as anyone, but there’s so much about this story of an accused murderer on the run from the police who gets hired as a stunt man that makes not a lick of sense. I’m not an expert, but none of the actual filming seems to follow how anything would ever be done to maintain any type of safety or continuity in a film. The performances are all over the top, none more than Peter O’Toole as the deranged director. Steve Railsback looks so much like Charles Manson in this (not surprising that he was cast in that role for Helter Skelter). Within the plot of the film, him showing up wouldn’t have been all that odd.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actor in a Leading Role; Best Director; Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium

Posted on | No Comments |

Night Train to Munich (1940)

This is not officially a sequel nor a remake of Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes, but it is written by two of the same authors, features the same pair of supporting characters, and shares their early World War II time periods. Here, we have Margaret Lockwood playing the daughter of a Czech scientist who needs rescuing by Rex Harrison’s British intelligence officer. Directed by Carol Reed, it has a different tone than the earlier film during both its lighthearted and more serious scenes. They make for a great way to compare the works of two fantastic directors.

Oscar Nomination: Best Writing, Original Story

Posted on | No Comments |

Radio Days (1987)

I admit that I’ve added all the Woody Allen Oscar nominations to The List so that I can’t be surprised by any additional films of his that I’d be forced by my own convictions to watch. Aside from his narration, his acting is largely absent from this one. A series of 1940s vignettes, the coming-of-age tale centers on the childhood memories of the narrator, very similar to A Christmas Story. While not as cohesive of a story as that other film, this one is held up by a great cast, including many old-time Allen regulars like Dianne Wiest, Diane Keaton, and Julie Kavner.

Oscar Nominations: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen; Best Art Direction-Set Decoration

Posted on | No Comments |

Sounder (1972)

For a film named after a dog character, the dog does not have a whole lot of screen time. Reading a synopsis for the novel, which I’ve never read, I greatly suspect the movie strayed a bit from its source material, particularly the ending. That said, the screenplay as is provides a rather uplifting story of a family of sharecroppers trying to survive during the Depression. Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield are fine as the parents, but I took particular entertainment by the acting of young Kevin Hooks who carries the story.   Best Picture Nomination

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture; Best Actor in a Leading Role; Best Actress in a Leading Role; Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium

Posted on | No Comments |

Lone Star (1996)

Occasionally, immediately after watching a film, I’ll go through again, trying to grasp quiet details I might have missed on the first pass. This was one of those films. I’m tempted to put all of John Sayles’s filmography on The List after this, granted many of them already are. On its surface, this is a murder mystery regarding who killed a corrupt Texas sheriff many years ago. That story is well done and compelling. But there’s also a lot more: reflections on Texas itself and its history, intersections of many cultures in a community, threads that run through familial lines, and secrets that people hold on to even when it causes harm to others. The cast is incredibly stacked (Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Pena, Kris Kristofferson, Joe Morton and smaller roles for Matthew McConaughey and Frances McDormand) and really do the job in pushing the story along, but it is the writing with its interwoven bits of past and present which is really striking.

Oscar Nomination: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Posted on | No Comments |

Minari (2020)

I have little patience or sympathy for father characters who are willing to lead their families on a path of destruction all because of their own hubris, leaving the mothers to sacrifice all they can just to keep the family together. Steven Yeun and Han Ye-ri play this tropes to perfection. Thankfully that’s not the entire story here and we have the wonderful Youn Yuh-jung as grandma, coming in to provide support and humor while also helping her grandson to find his strength. Middle America has never looked so good visually. I viscerally felt like as I was in the setting, one that is similar to others I have known intimately. Alan Kim is adorable as young David and manages the rarity of a cute child character who feels real instead of stilted.   Best Picture Nomination

Oscar Win: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Oscar Nominations: Best Motion Picture of the Year; Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role; Best Achievement in Directing; Best Original Screenplay; Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score)

Posted on | No Comments |

Equus (1977)

I admit that the lurid one line description of the story both made me not interested in watching this while also sincerely wondering what has made it successful. I don’t know about the play itself, but the film is also a bit slow in getting started. As the psychiatrist unravels the mystery of why this boy maimed six horses, it becomes quite compelling. I’ve spent a lot of time in recent years pondering how much we should push people to be more ‘normal’ and fit into the mainstream. Any adult who interacts regularly with children particularly should be asking that question and how much to push them into abiding by what you think they should believe and be. I have mixed feelings about the roles I’ve seen Richard Burton in, but this may be one of the best so far. I am now curious to see it on stage.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actor in a Leading Role; Best Actor in a Supporting Role; Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium

Posted on | No Comments |

Nomadland (2020)

I only have one Best Picture nominee left to watch from this year (Minari is sitting next to my TV, waiting to be watched) so I can’t give a definitive answer whether this deserves to be Best Picture. Thus far I’m not mad at the pick. It doesn’t scream that it is entirely a new story, but it does feel like a now story: people driven from their homes and finding an alternative way to being when capitalism fails them. It is also provides beautiful views of Middle America. I don’t know what kind of life Frances McDormand would have had if she weren’t an award winning actress, but she is truly believable as a rugged, hard-working woman able to do whatever she needs to to get by. On the other hand, as much as I love David Strathairn, in a ‘normal’ Hollywood movie he could pass off as a fade into the background everyman, but in this one, he looked too clean and pretty.   Best Picture Winner

Oscar Wins: Best Motion Picture of the Year; Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role; Best Achievement in Directing

Oscar Nominations: Best Adapted Screenplay; Best Achievement in Film Editing; Best Achievement in Cinematography

Scroll to Top