Category: Oscar Nominee

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Inherent Vice (2014)

I’ve been occasionally surprised into liking some of Paul Thomas Anderson’s films, but this is not one of them. A middling Anderson work, it’s a convoluted hippie detective noir told from the perspective of Joaquin Phoenix’s perpetually stoned out detective. Initially asked by his ex-girlfriend to intercede in the abduction of her current lover, he is further embroiled in a conspiracy of sorts when he is hired out on two other cases. It seems to all comes clean in the end, at least for Phoenix and the cases he was hired to solve, but it’s not entirely clear as his perspective is definitely unreliable and I’m not even sure some of the characters weren’t figments of his imagination.  Noir

Oscar Nominations: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay; Best Achievement in Costume Design

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Attica (2021)

Before watching this film, I only had a basic knowledge of Attica as being the location of one of the largest prison riots in American history. Though a bit light on the events that led up to the 1971 riot, the majority of this documentary, using interviews from Attica prisoners and family members of some of the guards, fills in a whole lot of the previously unknown details: the major players in the events, what was going on in the prison during the riot, and the negotiations that were meant to end the uprising. The final moments turn all that on its head as the decision is made to throw away negotiating and instead retake the prison by any means necessary, no matter the cost to prisoners and hostages alike. The footage of the overtaking and the retaliation that occurred in the days following the riot is brutal, almost as harrowing as any of the Holocaust films I’ve recently watched. It’s an unforgettable if incredibly difficult watch.

Oscar Nomination: Best Documentary Feature

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Passport to Pimlico (1949)

When a previously undetonated bomb explodes in the London area of Pimlico, documents are discovered, amongst a trove of other riches, that declare the area to actually be owned by the House of Burgundy. The newly established Burgundians soon discover that they no longer are subjected to British restrictions which brings about a battle with the British government. This is delightfully charming and funny in a very British manner. It’s now one of my favorite Ealing Studios films from this era.  Comedy

Oscar Nomination: Best Writing, Story and Screenplay

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The Long Goodbye (2020)/The Queen of Basketball (2021)

Slowly working through this year’s available-to-me Oscar nominees, I checked out these two that are currently watchable on YouTube. The Long Goodbye was made as an accompaniment to Riz Ahmed’s album of the same name. An extended Muslim family in the United Kingdom is gathered together when their festivities are interrupted by a gang of armed men who force them to the street and the women into unmarked vehicles. Though I found the second part of that a bit heavy handed in its approach, the two together stand in stark contrast to each other. I really enjoyed the third act with Ahmed’s rap providing a powerful finishing statement.  Music

The Queen of Basketball tells the story of Luisa Harris the first woman officially drafted by the NBA. What could be a fairly straightforward telling of her life from her college basketball career and her time on the Olympic team to her later life as a mother, coach, and teacher is made incredibly delightful and moving by the Harris’s own account of the events. She comes across as a beautiful soul and it’s a shame that she passed before the nominations were announced.  Sports

Oscar Wins: Best Live Action Short Film (The Long Goodbye); Best Documentary Short Subject (The Queen of Basketball)

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Theeb (2014)

In the Ottoman Empire during days of World War I, a young Bedouin boy surreptitiously follows his older brother who is guiding a British officer to a railway. The group is ambushed by raiders and Jacir Eid Al-Hwietat’s titular Theeb is forced to grow up quickly. It’s an interesting context for a coming-of-age story. For a mostly amateur cast, the acting is quite good and believable. The desert setting is beautifully presented in all its dangerously arid glory.

Oscar Nomination: Best Foreign Language Film of the Year

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King of Jazz (1930)

An early sound and color film, this revue ostensibly serves as a celebration of the work of Paul Whiteman, the titular King of Jazz. Beginning with a Walter Lantz cartoon, the array of musical and comedy bits, some featuring a young Bing Crosby as a member of the Rhythm Boys, are mostly entertaining in their own right, many similar to later Busby Berkeley numbers, but it’s the visuals that are truly stunning and just took my breath away. Made with an early two-color Technicolor process which contains no blue, the film is entirely done in shades of coral, aqua, silver, and black, which all shine beautifully in the restoration on the Criterion release. The set and costume designers had a perfect eye to how these colors interacted and presented on film and it is gorgeous. Some amazing camera wizardry, such as the orchestra walking out of a suitcase carried by Whiteman, and extremely lavish set pieces just enhance the beauty.  Musical

Oscar Win: Best Art Direction

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The Accidental Tourist (1988)

Seeing the movie poster for this for many years, I’ve always assumed this was mostly about a quirky Geena Davis whom William Hurt meets on a vacation, maybe whose hijinks cause flights to be lost or hotels to be cancelled. Instead it’s about business travel writer William Hurt who is still coming to terms with the death of his son and whose wife, Kathleen Turner, has recently left him. It’s presented that he has become more distant since his child’s death and that manic pixie dog trainer Davis helps him to feel again, but there’s no indication that he wasn’t that way before the tragedy and there’s not really a change afterward. It’s quite the dull affair though even more quirkiness is added in a trio of siblings for Hurt, played by David Ogden Stiers, Ed Begley Jr., and Amy Wright.   Best Picture Nomination

Oscar Win: Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture; Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium; Best Music, Original Score

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Papillon (1973)

On the boat to a French Guianan prison, safecracker and accused murderer Steve McQueen offers protection to forger Dustin Hoffman in exchange for financial assistance toward his escape from jail. When Hoffman is threatened, McQueen is true to his word and the two develop an uneasy partnership through their long years of confinement together. I’ve generally been turned off by the hyper masculine, overly cool toughness in many of McQueen’s roles, but both his and Hoffman’s acting is incredible in this. It’s a bit long but the tale is quite riveting in the telling.

Oscar Nomination: Best Music, Original Dramatic Score

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Macario (1960)

The title character is a poor Mexican husband and father whose greatest wish is to just once eat a turkey by himself. As he prepares to eat the turkey his kindly wife has stolen for him, he is visited by three visitors (the Devil, God, and Death) who try to tempt him into sharing his meal with them. The deal he makes completely changes the circumstances of his life for better or worse. It’s a simple tale about a simple desire that is much more than that. The film has much to say regarding the interactions between the rich and the poor and the desire to rise from one category to the next while also not shying away from bringing the religion into the conversation.

Oscar Nomination: Best Foreign Language Film

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After the Wedding (2006)

The manager of an Indian orphanage and school, Mads Mikkelsen, is summoned to Copenhagen to meet with a potential investor, Rolf Lassgård, who has indicated he is willing to grant a large donation to the orphanage. After an unusual meeting with Rolf, Mads is invited Rolf’s daughter’s wedding the next day where family secrets are revealed. The twists the story takes aren’t very surprising, but it is well done especially the interactions between Rolf and Mads. I realized that I had seen the preview for the American remake many times. Despite the cast, I hadn’t been interested and reading the differences that were made, it makes me not want to watch it even more. I’d just stick to watching this one again.

Oscar Nomination: Best Foreign Language Film of the Year

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