Oscar Best Picture Nominee Rundown:

The Artist

From the minute The Artist hit the festival circuit last year, it became apparent that this would be the film to beat come awards season. So far, Michel Hazanvicius’ love-letter to the Silent Era of cinema has lived up to this expectation - not just because of the self-reflexive way in which the film is actually a black-and-white silent (…well, largely silent), but because it is a truly magnificent watch, which plays around with the technicalities of film in a way that appeals to generations worldwide. The Artist really is the one to beat.

My Rating: 5/5

Chances of winning: 4.5/5

The Descendants

Whenever Alexander Payne decides to make a film (not as often as he should, that’s for sure), Oscar always pays attention. The Descendants sees no difference, emphasised even more so by the star presence of George Clooney in what people are (boldly) claiming to be a career-best performance from the superstar. Merging darkness with hilarity, this is a truly worthy nominee with a sharp script, not to mention quality acting and skillful direction. This is the only film that could (but probably won’t) threaten The Artist’s chances. The big question is whether The Artist's Jean Dujardin will steal the Best Actor gong from Clooney...

My Rating: 4.5/5

Chances of Winning: 4/5

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

This be the only film on the list I have yet to see... From the initial response to its being nominated, I'm guessing its chances of winning here are not as strong as others.

The Help

The Help is a nice film. But nice doesn’t generally mean a nomination is deserved. Here is one of those films that is included by the Academy mainly due to the subject matter at hand, not to mention the fact that, when all is said and done, it is a bittersweet crowd-pleaser. Not that its recognition is entirely undeserved – both Viola Davis and (likely Supporting Actress winner) Octavia Spencer are certainly something to shout about – but at the expense of other films (Drive, Tyrannosaur, We Need to Talk about Kevin to name a few...), The Help is rather lucky to be here.

My Rating: 3/5

Chances of Winning: 3/5

Hugo

Martin Scorsese’s foray into 3D filmmaking knocked pretty much everyone for six upon release. Much like The Artist, this is heavily influenced by the creation of cinema – an art that Scorsese is clearly more passionate about than most. Winner of a single Oscar (for The Departed in 2006), Hugo has earnt him his sixth nomination for Best Director, pitting him against little-known French director Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist. It is common knowledge that the film of the winner of Best Director usually goes onto win the main award, so this is where Hugo's chances are really heightened, what with Scorsese winning at the Golden Globes in January. Either way, both films are awe-inspiring and it is truly apt that they have been included in this year's Oscar race.

My Rating: 5/5

Chances of Winning: 4/5

Midnight in Paris

Midnight in Paris is a breath of fresh air; a return-to-form for Woody Allen that critics and audiences loved in equal measure, it may have been an initial surprise to hear this film had been nominated, but when thought is paid its way, it is completely understandable. Well-written and acted (it has a nomination for Screenplay, but nothing for acting; sorry Owen Wilson), it also boasts Allen's first nomination for Directing since Crimes and Misdemeanors in 1989. Perhaps this is due to his refusal to attend the ceremony. As it remains, if there is one film that Woody Allen has directed in the past decade, this is the one that deserves to be here. Kudos to the Academy. 

My Rating: 4/5

Chances of Winning: 1/5

Moneyball

A project spurred on completely by its star Brad Pitt, Moneyball is a true rarity; a sports movie that isn’t really about what happens on-pitch, but about the true-life tale of how Billy Beane used the Oakland Athletics baseball team to find ambition in his own life. Perhaps this is why Moneyball is slowly enduring as a dark horse amidst the heavyweight contenders in this year’s Oscar race. (See The Artist, Hugo.) Rightfully so. One of two Pitt films in the line-up, this is not only the better of the two, but showcases a performance of an actor who you thought had reached his game only to leave you cruelly mistaken, and excited for what's to come. Okay, so I wouldn’t throw money(ball) on it winning, but it’s reassuring to see its inclusion... If only it means more people see it. 

My Rating: 4/5

Chances of Winning: 3/5

The Tree of Life

Together with Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, this was the annual shock nomination on the list – but not necessarily for the same reasons as the former. The Tree of Life is Terence Malick’s first feature after quite a lengthy cinema absence and not only did critics lap up the film, which depicts the evolution of earth, but Cannes awarded him with the coveted Palme D’or. Which may explain why it’s here. Whilst it’s exciting to see such a divisive film be in with a shot, quite frankly there were better films the Academy could have chosen. If Lars Von Trier had kept his mouth shut, maybe The Tree of Life’s complete opposite, Melancholia (which is about the destruction of Earth) would be here instead. I guess we’ll never know.

My Rating: 3/5

Chances of Winning: 2/5

War Horse

Scanning your eyes over the list of this year's nominated flicks, if underwhelmed, you would probably be relieved to see War Horse thrown in at the bottom. The most commercially successful of the nominees this year (followed by The Help), War Horse has basically been a shoo-in from the moment Steven Spielberg announced he was to adapt Michael Morpurgo’s book of the same name (Animals + War = Oscar bait). Interestingly, War Horse hasn’t been dealt as many nominations as one might have expected - most notably Spielberg not being credited for director - but after several shocking omissions for the 'berg in the past (not to mention Christopher Nolan’s for Inception last year), sometimes these omissions have to be overlooked. Apparently, War Horse is the most googled of the nominees, which gives it some weight in, what is looking to be, a one-horse race.

My Rating out of 5: 4/5

Chances of Winning: 2/5



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Top 15 of 2011: 15-11

Today is Jacob's Film Cabin's 1st Birthday! To celebrate this, I will post up my Top 15 of 2011 throughout the day, as well as the Top 12 upcoming films in 2012 and Golden Globe predictions. Big day for the Cabin. I encourage comments and feedback from all, and if you would like to get in touch, feel free to follow Jacob's Film Cabin or follow me on Twitter. Get involved!

A quick note - I am not including films from before March of last year, so as to disclude Oscar contenders. If a film was released in the UK from March 2011 to January 2012, it has a chance of appearing on my list. Similarly, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, War Horse,The Descendants and Take Shelter have not yet been seen by me, so will not be appearing on this list.

Happy reading, fellow film lovers.

15-11

Number 15:

Warrior

Family is worth fighting for

Release Date: 23rd September

Highest Box Office Position: 3

 Directed by Gavin O'Connor

Starring: Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison

A mixed martial arts film that sees two estranged brothers inexplicably drawn back to the sport they used to compete in, sees them both enter a tournament with a huge cash prize. It is no spoiler to say that it looks ever more likely the two are going to enter the cage and face off at some point - but can they put their deep issues aside? If it all sounds tired and cliched, give Warrior a chance and you will discover this could genuinely be one of the most moving films of the year, all aided by the casting of Joel Edgerton and superstar-in-the-making Tom Hardy as the brothers - not to mention Nick Nolte as the recovering-alcoholic and ex-abusive father who tore the family apart years previous. Like Black Swan and ballet, Warrior is not just for fans of MMA, but for film-fans worldwide.

Number 14:

Crazy, Stupid, Love

This is crazy. This is stupid. This is love

Release Date: 23rd September

Highest Box Office Position: 2

Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa

Starring: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Julianne Moore

A romantic comedy with splashes of drama that stars Steve Carell as a fresh divorcee who is taken under the wing of ladies man Ryan Gosling sounds like a pretty standard effort. But noticing that two relative unknowns have somehow managed to compile a cast that daren't be sniffed at may elevate your expectations. And so it is, half an hour into Crazy, Stupid, Love, you'll see just why that cast signed on the dotted line, for the touching script taps so well into the the ensemble ensuring the film can appeal to an older and younger generation. There may be one sub-plot too many and a polarizing convention-busting twist that see the film swerve towards an underwhelming climax, but the whole thing charms you into thinking that none of this matter. Hilariously touching.

Number 13:

Moneyball

  What are you really worth?

Release Date: 25th November

Highest Box Office Position: 10

Directed by Bennett Miller

Starring: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright

Brad Pitt saw something in Moneyball, the true-life story of Billy Beane - a former baseball player turned general manager of Oaklands Athletics, a team with a dire financial situation that prompts assistant general manager Peter Brand to throw an idea Beane's way: choose a team of players based on statistical success as opposed to fleeting match success. Pitt produces and stars as Beane and is truly on top form. Viewing this as a sports movie is unwise (considering the lack of sport action) but by focusing on Beane's loyal dedication to an underdog team he innately believes in and you will be deeply rewarded by something you probably didn't expect to find too many rewards in. On the Money/ball.

Moneyball reviewed here...

 Number 12:

Kill List

 The scariest hit man movie

Release Date: 2nd September

Highest Box Office Position: 17

Directed by Ben Wheatley

Starring: Neil Maskell, Harry Simpson, MyAnna Buring, Emma Fryer

  

There's a lot that can be said about Kill List, the British hitman film that is never quite what it seems. Frankly, the less said about this ridiculously disconcerting but thrilling ride the better - for here is a film that needs to be seen to be believed. It all sounds like fair game, with two ex-soldiers (played with brutal realism by Maskell and Simpson) embarking on one last job after being handed a kill list. But in an apparently leftfield genre veer (that becomes not so leftfield upon rewatch), and you will understand why Kill List requires a placement upon this list. At best, it's an experiment. At worst, a homage - but when a homage is produced as skillfully this, the whole thing becomes something else entirely. The words classic, modern and cult spring to mind.

Number 11:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

It all ends...

Release Date: 15th July

Highest Box Office Position: 1

  

Directed by David Yates

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Alan Rickman

No list compiling the best films of 2011 should be without the final installment of the ridiculously-popular adapted Harry Potter novels, which saw Harry and pals face off against Ralph Fiennes’ Lord Voldemort in one of the biggest and much-anticipated battles committed to screen. Watch on in awe, shock and excitement as the hugely loved landmarks at Hogwarts (everyone’s favourite school) are destructed in the largest scale possible. It's placement on this list is deserved for Alan Rickman’s portrayal of Professor Severus Snape alone – actors rarely match roles to the degree that Rickman matched his in this franchise, and hopefully will be recognised to some degree this coming awards season.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 reviewed here...

Jacob's Film Cabin's Harry Potter franchise retrospective

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Moneyball

2011, 12, Directed by Bennett Miller
Starring: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright

If there’s one thing you can count on from a sports movie it’s that if events away from said sport prove lacklustre, there’s always the action of a respective match itself to fall back on… Not in Moneyball, the Brad Pitt starring and produced sports movie for the thinking (wo)man. Adapted from Michael Lewis’ book of the same name by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, Moneyball provides the story of Billy Beane, a former baseball player turned general manager who attempts to embrace the dire financial situation of his Oaklands Athletics team by moulding a team around players who look far better on paper than on pitch. Pitt takes centre stage as Beane, an assertive, charismatic yet unnatural leader who takes the game maybe that bit too personally, but never lets it get in the way of being a good father to his daughter. Listening to the highlights of matches past as he drives, you can only glimpse just how much the Oaklands mean to Beane. His contention with the old-school crew who believe his somewhat inane tactics to be some sort of baseball sacrilege, pit(t)s his driven determination in such a way that you can’t help but feel the guy is setting himself up for a giant fall. Therein lies where Moneyball compensates – in a gargantuan way – to the uncharacteristic absence of actual sport action. For here we have a character study under the guise of a baseball drama.

 The backstage politics of the sport are where attention is paid, and Capote director Bennett Miller skilfully shows how, every now and then, these moments may just be as tense as a closely-scoring match: a scene where the transfer window is on the verge of closing and Beane, together with assistant general manager Peter Brand - played by Jonah Hill, crucially reserved in what is destined to be his wisest possible career move – barters various other managers in order to draft in a key player; as they wait for a phone call response, clock ticking down, the heart rate will increase.

This emphasis does mean that characterisation of the baseball players we hear so much about are left somewhat unexplored, delegating them screen-time almost as an afterthought. Similarly, the key support – Hill, and Philip Seymour Hoffman as Oaklands coach Art Howe– teeter on being underused, however it is compensated by Miller’s direction being cleverly led by the talent on display, elevating Mr Pitt to a standard he has oft reached and has now become comfortable with. He can add yet another marvellous performance to his more increasingly varied filmography – and one that would totally justify awards recognition at that. For a film that places emphasis on statistics and figures as opposed to home runs and countless cliches, it has to be said that Moneyball swings it out of the park.

4/5

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