Spotlight

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... Spotlight!

Original image located here. Accessed 15th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 88 (2015)

It's quite daring to have this movie to win Best Picture. Not only was a small winner (it won only one other award) but it also faces down the Catholic church. But then again, this is the 2010s where message movies are the norm. 

However get past the first impressions and this film is remarkable: It less about condemnation and more about the journalistic team working to uncover this case. It is an ensemble drama with all present clearly working outside of their comfort zone and giving committed performances. Also it's nice to nice Mark Ruffalo in a role that both isn't the Hulk and allows him to flex his acting muscles. 

So how does the Catholic church emerge from this? Well, they are largely unseen. Granted this is perhaps to make sure this movie got a major release but this narrative isn't about them: It's about the victims, having endured physical and spiritual abuse. It is a wise decision to not show the journalistic team in a heroic light and instead focus on the people they are trying to reach. Indeed, that list at the end does hit like a truck.

Truly a remarkable movie. 

Birdman

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)!

Original image located here. Accessed 11th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 87 (2014)

Clearly the major selling point of this movie was movie was it was shot in a way that conveys the impression it was done in one continuous take. A tall order since I saw, and adored, Russian Ark and that was the real deal. So what does this movie do?

Well the edits are there and you will need a sharp eye to spot them. But this is still a remarkable film: Sure the technological aspect of it is impressive but the real meat is the notion of a washed up actor who is trying to be taken seriously. Yes there is a thinly veiled dig at the MCU and the nods to Batman are hard to miss but this is still staggering in what it's conveying. 
When you see as many movies have I have it does get to a point where you see so much it's hard to see something that leaps out at you. Thankfully this is one such movie. 

12 Years a Slave

And this week's Friday night movie has been... 12 Years a Slave!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 86 (2013)

And now we are well and truly into the twenty tens. At this point, the new decade of Best Picture Oscar winners has had time to determine what it wants to be. And to would seem that identity would be built up out of 'message' movies.

Lets not beat around the bush: This was not an easy watch. Sure the cinematography is staggering in it's beauty and the sheer scale of it's shots, sure the acting is equally gripping and the direction is top notch but this is still a depiction of American slavery. That this movie is clearly well researched and based on historical fact does not take away the ugliness and brutality of it all. And it is all there on screen, whether we like or not.

Still, this movie is nothing less than astonishing.
And just when you think the Academy doesn't have the guts to stray away from the 'safe' option, they still manage to surprise you.

The Addams Family

This afternoon I saw the Addams Family. 

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Granted I have already seen it before but consider this 2024's Halloween movie.

Even now this movie is still pretty funny. Yes there are some that will complain that there is little to no plot to speak of but the acting and the jokes are right on target ("But I didn't hate my mother! It was an accident!!"). 

It seems that in recent years Gomez and Morticia seem to be held up as the ideal couple - can you argue given that Raul Julia and Angelica Houston are going above and beyond to their commitment to these roles. And the one-liners are still funny and I'm still seeing new visual gags I missed the first time around.

Ife you told me that this movie was the genesis of the goth subculture I wouldn't doubt it.

The Artist

   And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Artist!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 84 (2011)

Could this be one of the more forgotten Best Picture winners? I recall this getting a lot of praise form critics in it's day but the public was more frosty towards it. In particular, a lot of the criticisms were aimed at the gimmicky nature of the movie and the strategy of showing Hollywood celebrating itself is a guaranteed Oscar success. In regards to the latter, it should come to no surprise that this movie is another one with the Weinstein Company logo stamped across it.

So what do I make of this movie?

I think it's great.
Yes it's a simulacrum of the silent era but that's precisely the point: The amount of effort to replicate the films of the era is staggering, what with the setting, the technology and the filmmaking techniques used. The amount of playfulness with this movie and it's relationship to sound is also pleasing. 
I recall back in college I was reading up on film history and was struck by what a revolution the advent of sound was back in the 1920s: The silent era was officially over, various studios went out of business and many actors and actresses now had their careers ended (although how Charlie Chaplain managed to endure I have no idea). And this movie was effectively that transition come to life.

So yeah, I had a great time with this movie and it was certainly better than it's status of a 'lost' winner.

The King's Speech

  And this week's Friday night movie has been... The King's Speech!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 83 (2010)

I recall when this movie when Best Picture: There was this uproar that it won because it appeared to follow the apparent formula for success: World War 2 setting. Stacked cast. Protagonist with handicap to overcome. Guide for protagonist whose credentials are dubious. Biographical. 
But in the years since, it seems there seems to be a lot of contempt for this movie as it beat out The Social Network for Best Picture.
An unlikely victory akin to the movie-going public's favourite punching bag Shakespeare in Love.

Actually, now that I think of it, lets compare Shakespeare in Love with The King's Speech:

• Both are of British origin
• Both have an impressive cast showcasing the best of British acting
• Both have Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush in key roles
• Both have a historical setting
• Both are distributed by the Weinstein Company
• Both on the Best Picture Oscar through beating out more favourable competition

So having said all that, what did I make of The King's Speech?
I enjoyed it. 

Yes it's a given that the cast is indeed stacked - and it's great to see Helena Bonham Carter in a role where she isn't playing a complete nutter - but I like this as a small scale story in a wartime setting. Which is indeed a rarity.
The story being told is a compelling one and the speech itself, the climax of the journey taken, is indeed inspiring.
Sure there are some historical inaccuracies and some questionable directional choices but when this movie works, it does indeed work. 

The Hurt Locker

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Hurt Locker!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 82 (2009)

As previously mentioned, I am convinced that the movie going public will never forgive Shakespeare in Love for it's upset Best Picture victory. So the question is raised: How do people feel about The Hurt Locker's upset win?
It seems to me that this movie is in the same boat as Shakespeare in Love as it both beat some stiff competition and became something of a watershed for the Best Picture Oscars: It beat out Up and Avatar. It was the lowest grossing nominee. It was a low budget/small scale movie triumphing over the bigger budget movies. It's director, Kathryn Bigelow, was the first female to win Best Director (and who also beat out her former husband James Cameron). It was the first movie since Mrs Miniver to be about a war that was then in progress. 
An impressive legacy to be sure but what of the movie itself?

It certainly is compelling in it's depiction of working in a bomb disposal unit. The setting, Iraq, is also handled convincingly as well as the distrust the troops get from the locals. I don't doubt the realistic manner of the situations and how they are handled but I do question the reckless behaviour of some of the grunts: I may not be a military expert but I'm pretty sure you don't go acting like a tool when the dangerous task of bomb disposal is in progress,
Still I won't fault this movie for it's incredible use of tension and the sense that one is put right into the action. Many war movies can claim to do that but this one, I feel, actually pulls it off.
Looks like we have winner.

Slumdog Millionaire

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Slumdog Millionaire!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 81 (2008)

Part of the reason I am doing this year long undertaking is that I am approaching these movies with fresh eyes, divorced from trends, politics and passage of time. Indeed, there's something to be said for watching a movie as just that: a movie.

However by watching this movie, it did occur to me that it's cut from the same cloth as fellow Best Picture winner The Last Emperor: Both are movies made with a non-white cast, telling a non-white story which is handled by a white director who is anything but an Oscar favourite. And, racial politics aside, both films come across as unique entrants in the history of Best Picture Oscars. 

On paper, this movie sounds awful: A movie that tells a story where Who Wants to be a Millionaire is utilised as a framework? Come off it. And the questions facing the protagonists are built around his life experiences? Are you joking?
And yet this movie works: It is well crafted, compelling and there are numerous nods to Bollywood (least not the dance sequence at the end). The cast is great and it is never once dull.

So yeah, it's a superb movie although I have to wonder that if it wasn't for this movie, Lion wouldn't exist...

Million Dollar Baby

  And this week's Friday night movie has been... Million Dollar Baby!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 77 (2004)

This one has been a long time coming. 
I guess comparisons to Rocky are inevitable as both are built around boxing and tells the story of an underdog giving it their all. The difference this time however is Clint Eastwood is in the director's chair and he is, for me, a favourite: This is due to the fact that Clint has proven time and time again he can eschew flashiness for taking what he has and doing a lot with it. 

Actually, I feel there this is one important similarity between Million Dollar Baby and Rocky: Both resemble a boxing movie but they aren't really about boxing. And that is the case here: Sure it's a compelling watch but it's only in the final half hour that it shows it's hand. I won't give too much away but throughout the movie there are meditations on poverty, striving to obtain a better life, knowing one can do better than their current situation, and dealing with those who try to disparage - and leech off of - one's success. 
It's a compelling watch with great acting all around, superb direction and a punch-in-the-gut finale. 

Truly a well-deserved winner of Best Picture.

Chicago

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... Chicago!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 75 (2002)

Because of this year-long undertaking, I have found myself watching more musicals than previous years. So why not add one more to the pile?
Still, I didn't have to look far for this one as Kiera had on her DVD shelf. 

Last week, I mentioned how the unlikely victory of Shakespeare in Love has changed the Oscar for Best Picture. But there is another reason: It announced Grade-A scumbag Harvey Weinstein as the figurehead for a new era. So from here on, expect to see a lot more Miramax films. 

But ultimately this was a lot of fun. It's big, colourful, inventive and the songs are great. And it proves what can accomplished as a screen musical. 
It could be argued that this movie wouldn't exist without the success of Moulin Rouge. But I say bugger Moulin Rouge - give me this any day. 

A Beautiful Mind

And this week's Friday night movie has been... A Beautiful Mind!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 74 (2001)

Yep, we're skipping over the 1990s simply because I have already seen them all. 
But in a way, perhaps it is fitting that I'm going straight from the 1980s to the 2000s. Why? Well, both decades share parallels: They both follow two heavyweight decades and, with the passage of time, look very pale compared to previous Best Picture winners. 
Still the eighties ending up surprising me so it would be interesting to see if something similar happens with the 2000s....

At time of writing, I am two thirds of the way through this year long undertaking. And it is at this point that I have come to recognise some recurring elements that appear in the Best Picture Oscar winners. Of course, it is not willingly but this notion of Oscar Bait seems to have up in the past two decades. 
Mind you, this is a post-Shakespeare in Love world we live in and now having a movie that has no other purpose other than to score big at the Oscars are now going to be more frequent. Indeed, I suspect that in the weeks ahead, I'm going to see Harvey Weinstein's name a lot....

But if this movie is a product of a post-Shakespeare in Love world, I would argue it owes it's existence more to Forrest Gump: It tells the story of a man of extraordinary ability and of a life lived. 
Personally, I found this movie very long and with some dull moments - seriously you could shave off twenty minutes and no one would've noticed - but the real strength of this movie is it's use of mathematics and it's portrayal of schizophrenia.
And hey: who wouldn't want Paul Bettany as their roommate? 

The Last Emperor

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Last Emperor!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 60 (1987)

If the 1980s was the 'forgotten' decade of Best Picture Oscar winners then this must surely be the forgotten movie of the ten.
I will say this though: From the outset this has to be the most unique Best Picture Oscar winner: An all-Asian cast of no big names. A director who has hardly an Oscar favourite. An Asian story, told by Asian people in an Asian location. The sole Oscar winner in the cast playing a white man who disappears halfway through the movie. And an epic where the lead character is a passive one.

But much like it's fellow epics, this is staggering in its scale. The onsite footage of the Forgotten City as astonishing and the amount of extras used for particular scenes is unbelievable. Such visuals are worth the price of admission alone but what is of particular note is the narrative of a boy who is in command, for reasons he can't comprehend, over a region that has no purpose to exist. Thus the tragedy hits like a brick when our protagonist tries to assert some control over his life, well into adulthood, but is outdone at every turn. 

All in all, a triumph. So why is this forgotten? Buggered if I know.

And so, with that, we leave the 1980s behind. So what shall come next week....?

Platoon

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Platoon!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 59 (1986)

There seems to be a 'Big Four' of Vietnam War movies: Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, The Deer Hunter and this: Platoon. Of particular note is that the latter two have won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Which is quite a feat as the Vietnam was regarded as a very unpopular war. 

Compared to the other Big Four, Platoon has the unique advantage of being director by an actual Vietnam veteran. For this I don't doubt this movie's realism, nor do I doubt it's message on the brutality and futility on the conflict. More than any other movie, this is the view from the grunt's perspective, facing death, mayhem, conflicting COs, uncertainty as to what they're doing there and struggling to keep it all together.

Okay I admit it: I'm struggling to get the words together but perhaps that is a testament to this movie's power.
I mean, any film that opens with Barber's Adagio for Strings isn't messing around...