And the Oscar goes to… (2018 edition)

Time for my annual thoughts on the Best Picture nominations from this year’s Academy Awards ceremony. While not on the big screen to capture all their glory, it is fun to see what they were made of and to see if I felt the same as the Academy. This year all films were viewed using Blu-Ray discs.

Comments are based on personal preferences, and don't take into account popularity at the box office.

So without further ado here are my thoughts on this year's Best Picture Nominations for the 2017 Academy Awards presentation.

CALL ME BY YOUR NAME – Oliver (Armie Hammer) is the summer intern hired by an Italian archeologist. Elio (Timothée Chalamet) is the archeologist’s teenage son trapped in the town, and entering his time of sexual and sensual exploration.

This film is basically about human interaction. No special effects. No amazing set decorations. The only extra thing that’s used to set the mood is a great background sound from Sufjan Stevens. While it’s not very loud as to dominate the scenes, it’s tempo and haunting sound helps intensify the mood as the main relationship in the film progresses.

Whereas last year’s official Best Picture winner, Moonlight, was more about following Chiron’s exploration with his sexuality, and very little of the actual sex act portrayed, exploration and sexual scenes are nearly equal partners in this film. Just a warning that it’s not a film for the children, or a first date where you’re still not completely comfortable with the other person.

DARKEST HOUR – The House of Commons has lost faith in their current leadership, and reluctantly rallies behind someone many consider having questionable leadership skills.

Darkest Hour is one of two WWII-themed films nominated for Best Picture this year. But, it’s not a “war” film in the traditional sense of the genre.

Rather, the film revolves around the choice of Winston Churchill as a replacement for Neville Chamberlain as leader, and the political intrigue not publicly known during the first few weeks of his administration.

Gary Oldman gives a career performance in the lead roll. Absolutely stellar. And it was helped along by the Oscar Award winning makeup and hair stylists who transformed the actor into a near double.  

DUNKIRK – Trapped against the English Channel, over 300,000 British and French troops seem to be destined for capture by the Nazis, only to be rescued by an impromptu flotilla of personal watercraft from English Coastal towns.

The film was very technical with all the effects and editing needed to pull it off. Unfortunately, it seemed more of an ensemble film, with nobody sticking out as a main protagonist. There was no real character development.

Dunkirk reminded me of the WWII classic The Longest Day. But, for me, that film succeeded because it was three hours long. Dunkirk wasn’t even two. Plus, it had significantly more name recognition in the cast, whereas Dunkirk had only a handful of big names, and most were on the screen in bits and pieces. 

 GET OUT – Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) is nervous about meeting his girlfriend’s parents for the first time. Adding to the situation is that he’s African-American, while she is Caucasian and has not told them about his ethnicity.

The immediately hit it off, much to his relief. But, things start to get strange and he starts to think things aren’t necessarily what they seem to be.

Writer-director Jordan Peele is now breaking into feature films, after honing his craft in television production.

The basic premise of interracial relations served well at the beginning before the audience is left behind and draped with a surreal horror atmosphere. Though some scenes were slow in nature, I wasn’t bored, as the relatively short 104 minute run time kept pace.

 LADY BIRD – Lady Bird is a poster child for Teenage Angst. She thinks her mother hates her no matter what she does. Her father is apathetic. She has one goal, to leave her hometown of Sacramento, California as far off in the proverbial rearview mirror as she possibly can.

Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn, The Grand Budapest Hotel) is mesmerizing as the teenager, and it’s hard to remember she’s an adult at times.

Writer-Director Greta Gerwig takes us through Lady Bird’s senior year as she readies herself for college. Will it be an East Coast school of her choice, or the more practical choice of her mother, a local college? While not an autobiography, Gerwig knitted in her experiences of growing up in Sacramento into the story.

Laurie Metcalf (Roseanne, The Big Bang Theory) is great as the mom which Lady Bird believes hates her no matter what she does, and a good counter, grounded in life’s experiences, to the teen’s future looking mind.

The only complaint is the VERY abrupt ending the viewer is treated to.  

PHANTOM THREAD – Dresses from the House of Woodcock are prized around the World. But, in the mind of Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) you don’t own one of his creations. You are simply the occupier.

Along the way, Woodcock runs into Alma (Vicky Krieps), a restaurant waitress, who he sees as his perfect woman. Not because of her personality or beauty. But, because of her measurements.

The film is a tightly crafted by writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will be Blood, Punch Drunk Love, Boogie Nights). Unfortunately, that’s the best thing I can say about this film.

I had no love for any of the three main characters. Neither the narcissistic designer who was all about his designs, nor Cybil (Lesley Manville), the woman who stood in the shadows helping keep the design house running, nor Alma, Woodcock’s inspiration and love interest who gets pouty at the drop of a hat when she thinks she’s being ignored, or passed by.

THE POST – Daniel Ellsberg was a private contractor assigned to the American military. His role was an analyst. But, quickly became disillusioned with what he saw as a cover-up of the US’ march to war in Viet Nam.

Veteran actors Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep are surrounded by a seasoned ensemble. Both performances are solid. But, not the best of either careers.

The main focus of the film involved the Washington Post’s involvement with what is now known as the Pentagon Papers, and the decision on whether to publish their content, or not.

While it was interesting, I was disappointed that it ended when it did. So much is spent on the debate on whether to publish, yet very little on the actual trial. The film’s running time is just under two hours, so perhaps it was thought adding additional content would lose the audience. But, the trial decision had a major impact on the American Freedom of the Press, and is somewhat timely with the recent WikiLeaks scandal. 

THE SHAPE OF WATER – A cleaning crew (Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer)  stumbles into a top secret government study, eventually stealing the project to save it from the evil clutches of the government man (Michael Shannon) who would destroy it.

The special effects are amazing, and this certainly has to be one of the best designed films of the bunch. Unfortunately, I was turned off a tad bit by the outright sexual content that seemed to be added just to be added, which really didn’t advance the plot of the film in anyway. Some of the things would probably fly right over the head of some younger children. But, some would make for unavoidable conversations.

Doug Jones (Star Trek Discovery, Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy) does it again! Andy Serkis is the most well known of the new generation of actors we don’t recognize because of they’re full covered in makeup or computer graphic effects. But, Jones is certainly up there with him in talent.

THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI – A mother’s frustration over a perceived lack of effort to find the killer of her daughter causes her to use three large billboards to publicly shame the town sheriff.

Writer Martin McDonagh penned a tight script, which revolved around the transformation of the two main characters, and in this circumstance wrote it with the lead actors in mind; a fact that explains why their performances fit like a glove.

Frances McDormand (Fargo, Moonrise Kingdom) showed us the pain of a mother losing a child in a most horrific way, and what lengths a person would go to have their frustrations heard.

Equally as pleasurable to watch was Sam Rockwell in what could be argued is his biggest role to date. It’s a shame both he and Woody Harrelson were nominated for Best Supporting Actor for their roles in Three Billboards because Rockwell’s character was more important to the plot. Harrelson was OK. But, his sheriff didn’t have nearly the screen time that Rockwell’s character did.

* * *

So what would have been my choice for Best Picture?

Three Billboards outside Ebbing Missouri

Granted it was a pretty gritty film. But, it was a well thought out journey for the main characters, with an ending that felt just right. While it might’ve leave some people wanting a sequel, I hope there isn’t one. It isn’t necessary. 

Previous entries:
And the Oscar Goes to… (2013 edition)
And the Oscar Goes to… (2014 edition)
And the Oscar Goes to… (2015 edition)
And the Oscar Goes to… (2016 edition)
And the Oscar Goes to… (2017 edition)

And the Oscar goes to… (2015 edition)

Here we are again. The annual blog entry with my thoughts on the Best Picture nominations at this year’s Academy Awards!

Please note that, with the exception of seeing The Imitation Game in the theater, I watched all the films on DVD as they became available through the Alameda County Library System, so reviews were written over several months.

Comments are based on personal preferences, and don't take into account popularity at the box office.

So without further ado here are my thoughts on this year's Best Picture Nominations for the 2015 Academy Awards presentation.

AMERICAN SNIPER – Chris Kyle, is arguably the most famous service man of our generation, and holds the unofficial sniper record for most kills in combat during his four tours of service in Iraq, as well as furthest successful shot.

Bradley Cooper (Nip/Tuck, Hangover series, Silver Linings Playbook) did an amazing job of Kyle as someone with ice water running through their veins (an important trait for a sniper)

Throughout the film, Kyle pretty much kept a cool demeanor no matter what he was doing, except for one brief incident after returning home, which was a pivotal point in the film.

Those who crave war action are richly rewarded, with it’s realistic combat scenes. Not quite to the constant level of Black Hawk Down. But, not a sleeper either. If anything I wish there had been more screen time dealt with Kyle’s life post-Iraq, especially his relationship with fellow veterans.

I applaud filmmaker Clint Eastwood for not actually showing Kyle’s murder at the very end; instead choosing to fade-to-black with words simply stating the fact on the screen. He then used silence during the closing credits, magnifying the solemn nature of that event.

What’s unfortunate is they chose not to mention the death of fellow veteran Chad LIttlefield during the same incident that claimed Kyle. While it doesn’t ruin the film, it absence wasn’t necessary, and it would have added all of 20 seconds to the film.

BIRDMAN – Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) is a veteran actor trying to break into Broadway with an original play, which he’s written, directs, and stars in. Unfortunately, it seems like he runs into roadblock after roadblock, including his biggest handicapped of the public knowing him best for playing a super hero named Birdman.

A varied stable of character actors (Emma Stone, Zach Galifianakis, Naomi Watts, Edward Norton, Amy Ryan, Andrea Riseborough) support Keaton in this endeavor. Unfortunately, none of the characters were likeable enough for me. Neither was Keaton’s character for that matter.

At times it was hard to figure what direction the film was taking, especially with the interjection of a gruff voice, which was supposed to be the Birdman character; first as a voice over, and then as a character on the screen.

I will give kudos to filmmaker Alejandro González Linarite (Babel, Biutiful), who decided to use a soundtrack made completely of a drum solo. The staccato injection of drum licks did add a grittiness to the film.

BOYHOOD – Boyhood follows the life of Mason (Ellar Coltrane), a young Texas boy, from youngster to his leaving for college, and the challenges he faces along the way.

While the plot may sound like an ordinary film, Boyhood is not. Filmmaker Richard Linklater (Fast Food Nation, School of Rock) came up with the idea of producing his film over twelve years, so that they could use the same young actors, rather than try and get several actors that may look similar.

While I applaud the outside the box thinking by Linklater, the movie was just so so. I felt like I was along for the ride, with no particular place to go.

Patricia Arquette (Olivia) certainly earned her Best Support Actress nomination, spending quite a bit of screen time setting up things to come.

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL – There is no greater goal in life than to be the lobby boy at one of the many posh European hotels. At least, that’s the feeling of Zero Moustafa (Tony Revolori) and his mentor Mr. Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes).

We travel along with Mr. Gustave and young Zero as they go about their daily lives, trying to survive military intrigue and those that would conspire to steal the hotel for their very own.

Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums, The Darjeeling Limited, Moonrise Kingdom) has another hit on his hands. The pacing is just right to keep the viewer interested, with costume and set design which draws the viewer into the film.

He was also blessed with a huge ensemble cast of some of the best actors in Hollywood and Europe.

THE IMITATION GAME – One of the most important events, which led to the Allied victory in World War II, was the British breaking of the “unbreakable” Enigma Code.

The Imitation Game depicts the efforts of a select group of individuals, led by the quirky Alan Touring, and the eventual downfall of Touring, after he was eventually outed for homosexuality in the 1950s.

Benedict Cumberbatch delivers a solid performance as Touring, eliciting feelings both of annoyance and sympathy for the character.

Set and costume design really brought the viewer into the era; especially Christopher, the machine which spins, clacks and pops on its way to solving the unsolvable Nazi code.

SELMA – Selma takes place during one of the seminal moments in American Race relations, and surrounds the famous march between Selma and Montgomery; a fifty mile stretch across the state of Alabama. The film is wrapped in the horrific brutality, which took place at that time, and which led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

David Oyelowo’s portrayal of Martin Luther King, Jr. is absolutely stunning. He casts off his British accent, and captures King’s mannerisms to a tee. Yes, his voice is perhaps a tad higher in pitch than King, but, his cadence is spot on.

Unfortunately Oyelowo’s performance is somewhat diminished by the film’s pacing. It starts out with a literal bang. But, then slows to a glacial pace for nearly half the film, when the first march attempt takes place nearly 50 minutes in.

Tom Wilkinson (Shakespeare in Love, Batman Begins, The Kennedys) delivers a rather adversarial performance as LBJ, painting the 36th president as more interested in his legacy than what that legacy actually contained. At time I was like, “wow” while at others it was more like “Hmm?”

The portrayal of Gov. George Wallace (Tim Roth) seems to blow in the wind. Sometimes he’s the racist that history paints him, while at times there seems to be an underlying spark of the futility of it all.

Interestingly, the theme song by John Legend and Common is only used at the very end. While the rap lyrics would have been misplaced taking place though out, the strong sound might have breathed some sorely needed pep into other places.

 THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING – Some world renowned scientists are not commonly know by people, and stay that way for their entire life. Not so for Stephen Hawking, whose theories have revolutionized the way people think of things.

This film could have done the typical thing and followed Hawkings accomplishments throughout his life. But, they decided to take a different path, which made it more compelling to me.

The Theory of Everything gives us a brief glimpse of Hawking’s life. But, mostly concentrates on the period from just prior to a simple slip and fall brought out a diagnoses of what came to be nicknamed Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

I particularly liked the way ToE concentrated on the human aspect of Hawking. Yes, they mention some of his theories. But, that was just a brief part of the film.

Eddie Redmayne gave a career-defining performance in the lead role. Playing famous people, especially living famous people, can be daunting. Throw in Hawking’s affliction, and it’s enough to challenge even the staunchest veteran actor.

WHIPLASH – Young Andrew (Miles Teller) has a dream in life. To be not just one of the best drummers, but the best drummer of all time. Standing in his way is instructor Terence Fletcher (played by fellow UM alumni T.K. Simmons. GO GRIZ!!) who seems to be part nurturer and part Marine Corp drill instructor, with little warning of which one is going to show up at any time.

Simmons may have only been the supporting actor. But, he stole the show. It’s a far distance from the Farmer’s Insurance guy, which many people, including Teller, only knew him as.

This one has a twisty-turny plotline that had me saying “WOAH!” several times. Just when I thought things were going one way, the film took me in a totally different direction.

There are a handful of slow times in the film, which just don’t stand up to the other 90%. Fortunately, the music is where it’s at, and you can’t help but watch the screen wondering what’s coming next.

* * *

So what would have been my choice for Best Picture?

The Grand Budapest Hotel

This year’s choice much harder than the last two times I made my choice for Best Picture. Three films really stood out, American Sniper, Whiplash and The Grand Budapest Hotel.

The latter won out because of its amazing cast, pacing that constantly moved the story along, the surreal colors in costume and set design, as well as the “feel good” feeling it left me with once the film was over.

As a side note, I don’t normally mention films that were not nominated. But, I can’t write this without mentioning The Judge, with Robert Duvall and and Robert Downey, Jr. It could have beat out any of the other films nominated, included Birdman; which actually won the award.

Previous entries:
And the Oscar Goes to… (2013 edition)
And the Oscar Goes to… (2014 edition)

And the Oscar goes to… (2014 edition)

Last November I wrote a blog entry with mini-reviews for the 2013 Oscar Awards.

It was an interesting exercise, so I decided to do it again.

I watched as DVDs became available through the Alameda County Library System so reviews were written over a couple months, not immediately back-to-back.

Comments are based on personal preferences, and don't take into account popularity at the box office.

So without further ado here are my thoughts on this year's Best Picture Nominations for the 2014 Academy Awards presentation.

AMERICAN HUSTLE – American Hustle is a visit to the recent past where hair styles were bigger, clothes were gaudy and music was still psychedelic.

Throughout watching the film I had to keep asking myself exactly who was conning whom? Just when you thought things were going one way, it took a left turn and went another.

Character development was intricate, with the main ones having many layers like an onion. I never really felt sorry for any of them. But, it was like a train wreck coming on, you wanted to keep watching.

The strongest character was probably Sydney (Amy Adams). Vulnerable at times, she knew how to control men when she needed to and it was intriguing watching her spin her web.

It's easy to see how American Hustle garnered Oscar nominations in all the Big Five categories, plus five others.

Though the screenplay is clearly fictional, it really works because it liberally borrows from actual events; the ABSCAM scandal.

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS – Captain Phillips takes us on the five day piracy epic of the MV Maersk Alabama cargo ship in November 2009.

Tom Hanks portrays Capt. Richard Phillips, the commander of the ill-fated cargo vessel. His demeanor was pretty much an even keel all the way through as if he was trying to diffuse the situation as best he could.

Producers took a gamble in casting four native Somali expats, who never acted before. This could have been disastrous. But, they carried it off very well. Being naturally gaunt, and looking like they were constantly hopped up on qat, and their characters were more interesting than Hanks'.

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB – In the early days of the AIDS crisis, people scrambled to find anything that might help to put off the inevitable.

Ron Woodruff (Matthew McConaughey) was a blue color worker and part-time bull rider who contracts AIDS through unprotected sex.

We follow Woodruff as he turned a quick buck scheme into something that prolonged lives and his transformation from borderline homophobe to civil activist.

Yet another amazing acting job by McConaughey, proving he's one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood.

I appreciated that director Jean-Marc Vallée chose not to stereotype the Dallas transvestite community, and explore their human side in supporting characters, such as Rayon (Jared Leto).

GRAVITY – Nothing is peaceful than floating 600km above the surface of the Earth in the vacuum of space.

One minute Mission Specialist Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is fixing a problematic satellite taking in the view; the next she's whirling out of control after a close encounter with space junk demolishes the space shuttle.

George Clooney and Bullock received equal billing in promos for Gravity. But, make no mistake; this was Bullock's film. Clooney's screen time was minimal at best.

An interesting tactic used was to constantly keep the camera moving for most of the film. This movement, even so slight, added to the ultra-realistic effects, gave me feeling as if this was actually shot in outer space.

After several minutes of Bullock hyperventilating and tumbling through space I began to wonder if that was all we were going to see. Fortunately, they moved the plot along in different ways.

They packed about three hours of events into the film's 93 minute running time, so we were kept on the edge of our seat for most of it.

HER – A guy breaks up with his live-in girlfriend, and then relies on his computer's rather unique operating system for companionship.

Her is probably the strangest of this year's Best Picture nominees.

It's effectively a total of two hours-worth of conversations between Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) and Samantha (Scarlett Johansson); the body-less voice of his computer's operating system.

Phoenix sure has come along way since his 1986 debut in SpaceCamp, and Theodore must've been his hardest role yet because he had to effectively talk to the air as if he's interacting with a real person that's not visible.

Johansson had the luxury of showing up to a sound booth to record her lines and it wouldn't surprise me if she never set foot on the set.

Though the pacing of the film was slow most of the time, my biggest problem was the extreme foul language used when it just wasn't necessary. This included Writer/Director Spike Jonze in a cameo where his character excels at swearing and flipping the viewer off.

NEBRASKA – Woody Grant (Bruce Dern) won $1,000,000! At least that's what Woody thinks, and despite his failing health he's willing to walk a thousand miles to collect; much to the consternation of his immediate family.

Woody's son David (Will Forte) finally relents to drive his father the 850 miles to Lincoln, Nebraska to collect what's due him.

Along the way they visit Hawthorne, where Woody grew up, and where it seems like nothing has changed.

Nebraska is one of those films absolutely loved by  film festival goers, which I could never really get into.

It's thankfully short, yet it seems to drag on as if it were twice as long. Compounding that problem was the choice to film it in black and white.

Director Alexander Payne chose to use B&W because he always wanted to shoot a film in that medium, and because he felt this movie should be done that way.

To me, the choice didn't add anything which a grainy effect wouldn't have to a color film. Supposedly, they also produced a color version. But, that was never released. It would be interesting to compare the two some day.

On a positive side, the give and take between Dern and Forte was great, and kept me from dozing off.

Anybody who has had a grandparent who religiously pestered them to fill out PCH sweepstakes forms year after year will sympathize with David as he tries to dissuade his father every chance he gets before finally throwing his hands up in defeat.

PHILOMENA – Philomena has kept a deep secret for 50 years. So deep, that she hadn't even shared it with her daughter.

Her daughter, after learning of her older brother, connects mom up with former BBC reporter Martin Sixsmith, who accompanies her on her real life journey to be reunited with her son, forcefully given up for adoption so long ago.

This film was an absolute gem. It's 97 minute running time is packed with detail that moves the story along, keeping the viewer's interest.

Judi Dench, best known to American audiences as M, in the James Bond franchise, was absolutely astounding. What's particular fascinating are the scenes where there is no dialog and her facial expressions were enough for the moment.

Steve Coogan took a step out of his comedic comfort zone to play a very serious Sixsmith. Not only was Coogan the lead actor. But, he also had his hands in writing the screenplay and film production.

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET – Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) had an amazing gift at being able to sell things.

Unfortunately, while working on Wall Street, he met a smooth talking mentor who showed him how to not take no for an answer.

After his firm was dissolved in the 1987 stock market crash, he took a job in the relatively unregulated penny stock world, building a fortune in a short time, and bringing him under the microscope of the FBI.

This film starts out like a race horse firing out of the gate. It tries to hook your attention with lots of flash and dash like one of those 1980s investment infomercials.

Unfortunately, it doesn't keep that pace and there are some dead times where you begin to lose interest. Frankly, it's just too long, with a running time of three hours.

The ensemble of supporting actors brings variety to the screen. But, this film is all about Belfort, and when DiCaprio is off his mark, it fails.

12 YEARS A SLAVE – As a Free Man of Color in the North, Solomon Northup stood out amongst his fellow residents of Hebron, New York.

In 1841 he was introduced to two men who were interested in hiring him for his skills with the violin.

However, Northup soon woke up in a foggy state, his fancy suit replaced by the chains of a slave.

12 Years A Slave follows his tribulations while living as a slave in the southern plantation system, and his eventually freedom and reunification with his family.

This film was both wonderful and horrific at the same time. Wonderful in that it's beautifully photographed and meticulously written. Horrific in that some of the attention to details might cause most people to become sick to their stomachs.

It's a fact that slaves were whipped. This has been shown many times before in movies. But, the makeup effects portrayed the results of whipping at a level I've never seen before in a movie.

Another issue some might have is the usage of the N word. I know of several people who refused to see the movie because it was used at all. Had they watched it, they would have probably left the theater within the first 20 minutes.

Screenwriter John Ridley wrote a script which seemed like a compilation of several vignettes, rather than one single story. At times it switched from one to the next rather abruptly.

* * *

So what would have been my choice for Best Picture?

Philomena

A real gem. Acting was not over the top, and melded kept us interested with several twists and turns along the way.

While some events may have been enhanced by creative license, it was done to move the plot along. This was probably the closest to what really happened compared to the other films based on real life events.

And the Oscar goes to… (2013 edition)

OK, so I'm probably a wee bit late on this one.

Earlier this Summer It dawned on me that pretty much all the Best Picture nominees have been released on DVD by then.

Mind you, my comments below are based on personal preferences, and don't take into account popularity at the box office, which I'd bet fudges the award in Hollywood sometimes.

Additionally, it should be stated that I'm watching these as DVDs become available through the Alameda County Library system, and so the mini-reviews were written over several months, not immediately, back to back.

So without further ado here are my thoughts on this year's Best Picture Nominations for the 2013 Academy Awards presentation.

AMOUR – Amour takes us through the struggles an elderly couple faces when one experiences some debilitating disorders.

Foreign films are always at a disadvantage when it comes to the Best Picture nomination. In fact, only nine foreign films have been nominated in the 85 years of the Academy Awards.

The film was hard to watch at times because it truthfully captured what happens when an elderly person is stricken with a severe ailment, and they spiral towards the inevitable outcome.

Unfortunately, the movie jumps forward at times with no explanation, and the ending leaves some unanswered questions.

It's really a shame Emmanuelle Riva lost the Best Actress Award to Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook). Her performance, despite having little dialog beyond Stroke-induced grunts and stuttering, is what made this film.

ARGO – Argo depicts the intricately planned rescue of six American embassy personnel, who had got out prior to the 1979 embassy takeover in Tehran, Iran.

Most Americans are probably aware of the Iranian Hostage Crisis. Less are perhaps aware of the Canadian government helping six people to escape. I have to admit, I'd never knew the involvement of the American government until I saw this film.

It has to be said that Ben Affleck is an amazing actor, and has now become an amazing director as well. Unfortunately, it can't be said that his portrayal of CIA operative Tony Mendez was amongst his best.

There seems to be no enthusiasm in his delivery, and it pretty much stays the same throughout the film.

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD – Beasts of the Southern Wild, follows young child as she grows up in the fictional Louisiana delta island nicknamed  "The Bathtub."

To be honest, I'm torn on this film. The story and plot kept me watching.

However, at times it was really hard to watch due to about 90% of the film being shot handheld, without the use of a steady-cam. I realize he probably did that to give it a documentary look. But, it became annoying at times.

One the positive side, the acting was amazing when you consider the two lead characters Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis) and Wink (Dwight Henry) were played by people who had never acted before. In fact, most of the supporting cast was made up of locals from Terrebonne Parish.

DJANGO UNCHAINED – Django Unchained, was released to much publicity last Winter. Much of it was pretty abysmal. Some called it blatant racism. Director Spike Lee, when asked what he thought of the film, said "…It's disrespectful to my ancestors…" and would not be seeing it.

Heated racist attitudes aside, I was disappointed when I finally got to see it. It was way too long and uneven.

It started out as an homage to the Spaghetti Western film genre. But, there were comedy sketches thrown in that were more fitting for a Mel Brooks flick, and they interfered with a constant flow of action.

The sound track was all over the place. I'm still trying to figure how someone thought Jim Croce's I got a name fit.

LES MISÉRABLES – Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, Les Misérables chronicles the cat and mouse game between Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) and Inspector Javert (Russell Crowe).

Musicals are always a hard fit when it comes to the Oscars, especially when talking about Best Picture of the Year.

They took an interesting gamble with this rendition of Les Misérables, as there is NO dialog throughout the entire film. Or more precisely, there is is no spoken dialog. Every line spoken by every character is sung.

The film is gorgeous, especially with the mesmerizing opening act as French prisoners are dragging a huge Man O' War into dry dock.

Unfortunately, it became rather tiresome after awhile, as I awaited the plot to run its course. Not even the stellar performances of Jackman, Crowe, nor Anne Hathaway (Fantine), made me excited.

Perhaps I might have felt different had I seen this on the big screen.

LIFE OF PI – Life of Pi, takes us along on the journey of a young Indian boy, who is shipwrecked in the Pacific Ocean, with a Bengal Tiger as his only company.

Absolutely stunning. Critics poured lots of praise on this film, and it was justified.

It's a one person cast, with a handful supporting actors thrown into the beginning and end to help guide us along. What makes this even more amazing is that this was Suraj Sharma's film debut. Usually actors have other actors to interact with. Sharma had sock puppets and little black dots stuck on things…nothing more.

Virtually all of this film was shot on one of the World's largest sound stages, using special effects married to footage in a computer. I was shocked to find out that certain scenes that looked so natural had actually came out of a computer.

LINCOLN – Lincoln deals with the relatively short three month time period between the 1864 Presidential Election and the passage of the 13th Amendment.

Being a history buff, I wasn't turned off by this being a heavily dialog-driven film. The script revolved around the relationships between several Washington power brokers, and carried that off very well. Without this give-and-take, it would have been a really boring film.

Daniel Day-Lewis' portrayal of Lincoln was a career performance. His vocalization had a subtle softness to it not present in many of his other rolls. That, coupled with a wonderful makeup job, completed the package.  

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK – Pat (Bradley Cooper) is a husband who has recently been released to home stay after being hospitalized in a mental facility due to the violent breakup of  his marriage.

When friends try and fix him up with Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), sparks fly, but he still intends to get back together with his ex.

First the positive. The acting is AMAZING! Both Cooper and Lawrence did great jobs at portraying people on the edge where very little pushes them over.

But, with that said, it was a very hard movie to watch during lots of it. Mental illness is not something to be joked about, and so the movie treated, many scenes very real, with lots of yelling, shouting and even some violence.

After the first half of the movie I almost turned the DVD off though ended up watching the whole thing to see where it would go.

Fortunately, it never devolved the campiness that it might have.

ZERO DARK THIRTY – Zero Dark Thirty takes us inside the super secret efforts to find Osama Bin Laden, and the eventual raid on his secret compound.

Film creators chose to take risks by opening the movie with a black screen with a muffled audio track full of actual sounds from the 9/11 attacks. This was followed by several minutes of brutal torture scenes at the hands of CIA personnel.

To be honest, I cringed at this portrayal. After all, we're supposed to be the good guys, right?

However, once this scene passed, the film settled down to an intense "who dun it" path as CIA operatives tried finding someone close to Bin Laden, only to find the head man himself.

The final 40 minutes recreated the actual raid, with lots of night footage, which could have been mistaken for actual military footage. This, coupled with a haunting soundtrack, had me sitting on the edge of my seat during to the very end.

* * *

So what would have been my choice for Best Picture?

The Life of Pi

The acting was superb, especially when you consider 95% of it was done against a green screen, with the actor not knowing what was in front of him.