Films: Oscars 2014
It is March now.
And the Oscars are tomorrow.
I have definitely been swept up by the hype and I am giddy to find out whose got what and who doesn’t got what.
I wouldn’t be much of a film person if I didn’t put my two cents in.
As is common on my blog I will begin with some stupid excuses. This time for why I have missed out on viewing few of the nominated films.
So here’s the list: I ran out of time, I didn’t believe Matthew McConaughey, I didn’t believe the awesomeness of Gravity, I was very invested in the antics Walter White, for a while I was just annoyed at films ‘based on’ stuff, I’ve been spending a lot of time adoring Jennifer Lawrence and TV Shows have taken over my life, just a little bit. (An issue for another day, I think.)
Out of the films nominated from Best Picture I have missed out on Captain Phillips, Nebraska and Dallas Buyers Club. (Still not a bad effort though!)I also have yet to see August: Osage County (but I read and enjoyed the script)and Frozen (even though the song is in my head constantly). So I have only judged on the categories that I have seen the majority of. If that makes sense.
For a full list of nominees just type Oscars into google…
But here’s MY list of favourites and why I think they deserve to win!
Best Picture
12 Years A Slave.
I can’t picture this film not winning. It trumped every other film I’ve seen in the Oscar pool. It left me unable to string a sentence together for quite a while afterwards. I definitely spent a lot of time mumbling about Marley and Me for no real reason, except that perhaps I was trying to remove some of the dark cloud from above my head. In fact I was so overwhelmed by the film that I gravitated, quite naturally, towards the neared pub.
This film WILL win because of the affect it has had (and will have) on every audience… Forever! And that’s a film trait that should never be underestimated.
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years A Slave.
He is our hook and there’s not a moment on screen where his presence in boring or his portrayal is anything less than true. It’s his fault that I ended up at the pub like deeply rattled zombie with a tied tongue and a heavy, sorrowful heart. He was just amazing.
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine.
This one is really hard because Judi Dench was awesome in Philomena and I know that if I’d seen August: Osage County, Meryl Streep would have stolen my heart because she always does. But Cate Blanchett’s Jasmine was agonising to witness. There is beauty in her tragedy and Cate Blanchett was stunning and pure.
There seems to be a pattern forming here of painful film.
That’s mildly depressing…anyway.
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Dear Jennifer Lawrence, you are amazing and I want to be your best friend but you got a tiny gold man last year and Sally Hawkins is a babe in Blue Jasmine.
Like Cate Blanchett, Sally Hawkins’ performance as Jasmine’s sister Ginger was raw and enticing. Plus she’s British and that’s awesome.
Skipping ahead now to Best Production Design
Her.
Purely because I enjoyed looking at the simple sets and relaxing colours schemes. I loved the way Her executed the familiar and alien in the understated sets.
There’s a great interview with K.K. Barrett on the New York Times website which explains more about how the sets were created as a space for Theodore to grow in a minimal but beautiful way.
I think that this is the best use of sets. Not to crowd the picture, not to steal the show but to allow the audience to discover the world they have been introduced to, along with the protagonist.
http://carpetbagger.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/18/below-the-line-designing-her/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=1
Best Sound Editing
All Is Lost.
I’m not going to sit here and pretend that I’m a sound expert because plainly I’m not. Buuut this is the ONLY! category that All Is Lost is nominated in, which SUCKS! because it’s GREAT! and everyone should WATCH! it and APPRECIATE! it. And YEAH!
…calm…
The script mentions constantly the importance of the sound design in getting the correct atmosphere. The reason why I love this film so much is because it relies fully on the artistic collaboration of all areas of production. The script is short but sweet, leaving space for the director, cinematographers, sound design, Robert Redford, production design, visual effects, editing, gaahh even space the god damn sea life to shine. It was just really refreshing to see a film nurtured this organically.
It deserves a tiny gold man.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Philomena.
Now, I haven’t read all of the screenplays. (See above excuses for more information.) However I picked the ones I picked because of how entertaining they were to read as separate from the film.
There was a charming mix of humour and empathy in Philomena. It made me feel peaceful.
Best Original Screenplay
Her.
Her is clean and simple and expert in dialogue. It is really lovely to read. Also Spike Jonze rocks!
I use Simply Scripts to read screenplays. If you wanna judge for yourself here’s the link.
There are loads of films on here and it’s a really cool way to ‘watch’ a film.
http://www.simplyscripts.com/oscar86.html
So there’s my two cents but I guess we’ll find out soon who gets to keep the tiny gold men! Can’t wait to find out!