Category: Oscar Nominee

Posted on | No Comments |

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

Posted on | No Comments |

Drive My Car (2021)

Two years after the unexpected death of his wife, actor-director Hidetoshi Nishijima accepts an offer to direct a multilingual production of Uncle Vanya for a Hiroshima theatrical festival. Because of insurance purposes, the festival organizers require him to be driven by professional driver Toko Miura, an introverted young woman who has also experienced loss in her life. Like director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s previous film, I wasn’t sure if I was really wanting to continue with this early on, especially as the credits for this film don’t appear until after 40 minutes at point which the main story begins. That isn’t to say the earlier minutes were unnecessary fluff, it was just difficult to see where it was going. Visually gorgeous with relatable themes of relationships entwined and sharing grief, it never feels like it’s three hour run time. My biggest takeaway remains as a fascination with the idea of a multilingual performance. I’d love to see one on stage now, but it’s already incredible watching the necessary process to make such a thing work unfold.  Best Picture Nomination

Oscar Win: Best International Feature Film

Oscar Nominations: Best Motion Picture of the Year; Best Achievement in Directing; Best Adapted Screenplay

Posted on | No Comments |

Suicide Squad (2016)

After Superman’s death, government official Viola Davis gets the go-ahead to put together a team of supervillains to combat future superpowered threats. There is so much that is bad about this film: an incoherent story, inconsistent pacing, no sense of characterization, too many characters, unnecessary sexual objectification. Why does Enchantress want to destroy the world? Where does Harley Quinn’s random accent come from? Where do all the superheroes go while these guys are out saving the universe or whatever? What is the entire deal with the Joker? At least it offers something different than all of the cookie-cutter Marvel films.  Action

Oscar Win: Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling

Posted on | No Comments |

The Boy Friend (1971)

On the day a Hollywood producer arrives to watch their production of The Boy Friend, assistant stage manager Twiggy must fill in for leading lady Glenda Jackson who has injured her leg. The intrigues of the cast are woven in with the play’s narrative and fantasy sequences that don’t fit in either. There’s a real difficulty getting a feel for the place in time that this all occurs. The Boy Friend is itself a musical written in the 1950s about a 1920s finishing school. This film is about a production of that musical, but the film is also set in the 20s though very obviously being made in the 1970s. It feels like the action takes place over many days, but it keeps coming back to the cast on stage hamming it up with disconcertingly unblinking eyes batted toward the producer. It makes for a very bewildering experience even before everyone starts dancing around mushrooms. Twiggy is adorable and I wish she had lead more films than this one. Somehow the costumer managed to find Tommy Tune an entire wardrobe that made his legs look even longer than normal.  Musical

Oscar Nomination: Best Music, Scoring Adaptation and Original Song Score

Posted on | No Comments |

Il Divo (2008)

The later days in the tumultuous career of ruthless seven-time Italian prime minister Giulio Andreotti (portrayed here by Toni Servillo) are marked by his failed bid for the presidency, scandals, and a criminal trial. Through much of his career, the prime minister remained untouched, a note that is reflected on by him in the film. An incredibly stylistic film, I felt I missed a whole lot due to my ignorance on Italian politics. Servillo does morph completely into the dead-eyed politician, laying out more in a simple stare than any word voiced.

Oscar Nomination: Best Achievement in Makeup

Posted on | No Comments |

Roger Youngson shorts (1949-1956)

Looking for some Oscar nominated short films, I ran across a handful directed by Youngson on youtube. Almost universally they are edited together bits of old film footage around a singular theme: Spills and Chills (1949, early daredevils), Cavalcade of Girls (1950, accomplishments of 20th century women), Blaze Busters (1950, firefighters), World of Kids (1950, cute kids), This Mechanical Age (1954, early aviation), Gadgets Galore (1955, early automobile driving), and I Never Forget a Face (1956, earliest footage of famous people). They’re relatively amusing and slightly educational, though watching them in sequence makes it obvious that the footage is often reused from film to film. Despite its obvious era-related sexism, my favorite of the group was the only unnominated one from the group, Cavalcade of Girls, as it offers more educational opportunities though I Never Forget a Face is interesting in noting the begins of celebrity film coverage.

Oscar Wins: Best Short Subject, One-reel (World of Kids; This Mechanical Age)

Oscar Nominations: Best Short Subject, One-reel (Spills and Chills; Blaze Busters; Gadgets Galore; I Never Forget a Face)

Posted on | No Comments |

Endless Love (1981)

Martin Hewitt falls in love with his friend James Spader’s younger sister Brooke Shields. When her normally free-spirited parents decide they should cool off for a bit, Martin engages in increasingly desperate measures so the two can spend time together. There are some interesting ideas about the intensity of young love here , but those get overwhelmed by some really questionable choices. The parental figures range from inept in the case of Martin’s to Shirley Knight and Don Murray’s truly bizarre jealousy of their young daughter’s sex life. The hyper-sexualization of teenaged Brooke Shields is off-putting though not as extreme as what is shown in Blue Lagoon or what I’ve read about Pretty Baby.

Oscar Nomination: Best Music, Original Song

Posted on | No Comments |

Karakter (1997)

Born the illegitimate son of a withholding housekeeper and her cruel bailiff employer, Fedja van Huêt becomes the chief suspect in his biological father’s unexpected death, requiring him to provide the details of his rise from poverty to becoming a lawyer himself. The periodic exchanges between the two over the years exhibits a contentious relationship that runs deep for both men. I found this to be an unexpectedly riveting drama that explores the bonds, or lack thereof, of family and the degrees to which success can be attributed to circumstances of birth, self determination, and luck.

Oscar Win: Best Foreign Language Film

Posted on | No Comments |

No End in Sight (2007)

The decision making and events of the second Iraq War are presented here in all their gory details. With the current circumstances in the United States being what they are, rehashing the disasters of twenty years ago is both depressing and almost underwhelming in scope. Regardless, it’s impossible to watch the interviews here and not be disquieted by what is presented, a war begun with complete lack of planning and a refusal to adhere to well-researched and established protocol. A defiance toward expertise is not new, but it’s hard not see that the current situations in this country aren’t related to the ignorance in the Bush administration.  War

Oscar Nomination: Best Documentary, Features

Posted on | No Comments |

I Vitelloni (1953)

Forced to marry the young woman he impregnated, Franco Fabrizi, as well as his equally restless quartet of friends, must confront the aimlessness of his provincial life. The tale is episodic in nature as the group together and individually come to terms with their dreams and the reality in which they live in their small Italian village. None of the five are particularly likable individuals but their desperation to hold on to their immature ways while unable to pursue something/anything bigger is relatable.

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

Scroll to Top