Oscar Roundup 2010

For the two of us here at Imprint it’s the most wonderful time of the year— the Oscars. After months of tracking the critics’ picks, the award winners, and spending way too much money on movie tickets and concessions—Zach won’t watch a film without popcorn and a large soda—we have narrowed down our “should win” and “will win” picks in the major eight categories. Additionally, since there are now ten Best Picture nominees, and you may not have gotten a chance to check them all out, we’ve put together a little something to get you acquainted with all ten nominated films, outlining the basic premises, as well as strengths, weaknesses and chances of winning. For more information on the Oscars, visit Oscar.com and remember to tune into the Academy Awards on Sunday, March 7 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC to see how your—and our picks— panned out.

Up

In an effort to finally make the trip to South America that he was never able to do with his late wife, curmudgeonly old man Carl (voiced by Ed Asner) ties a bunch of balloons to his house in order to fly there. However, he gets more than he bargained for when he finds a stowaway in the form of an excitable young scout named Russell (Jordan Nagai). Together they embark on a mission to plant Carl’s house atop of Paradise Falls, but not without trouble brewing thanks to a pack of “speaking” dogs and the reappearance of “missing” pilot Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer) on a mission of greed.

It’s another in a string of hits for Pixar that has the ability to appeal to adults and children alike, with a highly original concept and superb execution. It succeeds in creating tearjerker moments, whether exploring Carl and his late wife Ellie’s relationship, or Russell’s desire to get attention from his generally absent father. But despite its obvious emotional impact, the film never stops from being an exciting adventure story with laugh-out-loud moments and characters you remember fondly, long after the movie is over. Visually, Up remains engaging, not only from some of its sight gags (such as a house floating via balloons), but even also with its bright colors and the magical appeal it gives to the area near Paradise Falls.

While it certainly was one of the best films of the year and is the second animated film ever to be nominated for Best Picture, it is doubtful that it would have made its way into the Best Picture race if it weren’t for this year’s extended nomination pool. There’s really not too many bad things to say about Up— it’s a great film, but unfortunately not one that is going to overpower some of the other Best Picture nominees that are just as deserving of the prize. [However], it should follow in the footsteps of its brother film Wall-E by taking home the Best Animated trophy. It is worth noting the exceptionally well-reviewed number of animated films this year, such as Coraline, Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Princess and the Frog. If the ten nominees continue, there’s a chance that more animated films may be making their way into the Best Picture category.

Up In The Air

Ten million miles. That’s what Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is working toward. He is able to rack up frequent flier miles thanks to his job, being brought in by companies to lay off their employees. He enjoys his life as a bachelor on the road— or rather, in the skies— until fresh out of college employee Natalie (Anna Kendrick) threatens his way of life when she suggests the company stop sending people to employers and do everything via the Internet. As Ryan takes her on the road to educate her about his profession, he must also figure out his budding relationship with fellow frequent traveler Alex (Vera Farmiga).

What makes this movie so engaging is its simplicity, as well as its timeliness. In the midst of the failing economy, a film about downsizing is of course particularly relevant. Up in the Air asserts its uniqueness by exploring downsizing from the role of, not the one being laid off, but by a third party who has no control over what happens. Ryan’s character lives by a code of simplicity and minimalism, both which play into his relationships with the two female characters. Ryan’s relationship with Natalie reflects the issues surrounding generation gaps, and his relationship with Alex, though not exceptionally passion fueled or excessively dramatic, explores an average relationship dealing specifically with the feasibility of a no-strings-attached relationship and how that naturally develops.

Upon its release, Up In The Air had glimpses of being the frontrunner in the Best Picture race, but with Avatar’s mega-success and a surge of support for The Hurt Locker, it’s fallen behind to a distant third (maybe even fourth, behind Inglourious Basterds). While many of the other films in the Best Picture category have a more action-based or period specific plot, the fact that Up in the Air takes place in the present reality and portrays the lives of average individuals, it is at a disadvantage in terms of rewarding a film that pushes beyond those constraints. Still, that in no way undermines this remarkable film, evident in the Academy’s nominations in numerous categories.

An Education

The pupil of the title’s education is Jenny Miller (Carey Mulligan), a 1960s London schoolgirl. While her father (Alfred Molina) desperately wants her to go to Oxford, she has her own desires to become a cultural maven. When Jenny meets the older and refined David Goldman (Peter Saarsgard) she finds her exposure to the cultural aspects of life widening as she is adopted into his social circle and lavish lifestyle. Meanwhile, she finally gains some freedom from her family’s plans. As the relationship continues, however, Jenny begins to find her personal values in conflict with those of David’s world, making choices that will threaten the possibility of the life she desires.

Jenny’s desire for a culturally rich life is enhanced through the film’s impressive visuals, music and settings. As Jenny exposes herself to more cultural experiences, the audience does as well, making for a film that is culturally aware. The film also plays into its period setting by dealing with 1960s themes, including race and feminism. While the cultural elements may draw the audience in, strong acting keeps them engaged. Jenny is extremely naïve, but frustratingly refuses to acknowledge her naïveté, which Carey Mulligan portrays exceptionally well. Many critics have taken notice of her ability to capture Jenny’s complicated and often conflicting desires, winning her rave reviews and even a BAFTA award. Alfred Molina, who was overlooked for a supporting nod, also treads a similar line of complexity, wanting what is best for his daughter’s future, but tending to fails to notice what is actually best for her as an individual.

Without giving too much way, An Education’s biggest weakness may be that the turning point in Jenny and David’s relationship, as well as the film’s eventual resolution, is not entirely surprising. Still, it creates yet another learning experience for Jenny, adding even furthermore to the singular education that Jenny receives as the title of the film implies. Again, with ten nominees this year, a film like An Education was able to cinch a spot on the Best Picture roster, but it is doubtful it will be taking home the honor. However, it can be noted that it takes the theme of a younger person engaging in a relationship with an older person that proves to be a learning experience, and infuses it with art and culture and to make it stand out among stories with similar themes.

Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire

Set in 1980s Harlem, Precious Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) is an overweight and illiterate black teenager who is pregnant for the second time with her father’s child, liveing with her abusive mother (Mo’Nique). Despite the hardships she faces in her life and particularly at home, Precious works to overcome these circumstances with the assistance of a caring teacher (Paula Patton) who teaches her to read and write, and a social worker (Mariah Carey), even as life continues to throw more unfair obstacles at her the entire time.

The film is harrowing in its depiction of the many ways that life has trampled over Precious. It’s heartbreaking to watch. The film leaves the audience feeling helpless, as they are never completely sure where Precious’ story will end up. Phenomenal acting drives this film and hits an emotional nerve. Mo’Nique is terrifying as Precious’s abusive mother Mary, saying and doing appalling things to her daughter. Just her mere presence sparks fear from the uncertainty of what Mary may do next— a tension that is integral to conveying the film’s dark mood. Sidibe effectively crafts Precious’s character as being weighed down by her many hardships, yet strong enough to keep pushing forward and to still manage to find joy in parts of life, making it hard for the audience to believe this is her acting debut.

Although Precious gained a lot of early frontrunner buzz, drawing comparisons to last year’s winner Slumdog Millionaire, similarly to Up in the Air it has fallen from its leading status to allow Avatar and The Hurt Locker to battle it out for Best Picture award. While the film is up for six Academy Awards this year, Mo’Nique’s Best Supporting Actress nomination is the only guaranteed win.

The Blind Side

In the opening of The Blind Side, Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) provides some context about the importance of the left tackle position in football. This context helps set the stage for this true story to unfold. Leigh Anne, an upper-class wife and mother of two children, invites homeless high school student Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) into her home and family. During this time, she not only helps him get his grades up, but also inspires him to excel at football, where his talents at left tackle will open a number of collegiate doors for him.

If expanding the number of Best Picture nominees to ten was to get more commercially popular films into the race, The Blind Side is the best example of that goal being achieved. Yes, it’s an interesting true story, but there is nothing particularly new or unique about this film, either in terms of writins—it definitely has its cheesy moments—emotional punch, aesthetics or most of the acting, which makes it comparable to the other nine films in the race.

There’s nothing wrong with a movie that provides entertainment for a couple of hours that people enjoy, but it is the hope that the Best Picture winner provides something more lasting and stimulating for the viewer. It’s a fair bet that, along with its wide appeal, Sandra Bullock’s praised performance had a role in helping the film get its Best Picture nomination. Overall, this film seems like the odd one out of this otherwise interesting mix. But at this point, with no chance of winning Best Picture, it’s best to just let The Blind Side enjoy its own luck and hope Bullock can pull out a win.

The Hurt Locker

The Hurt Locker tells the story of a U.S. Army Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit in Iraq. These soldiers have the unenviable task of diffusing and/or destroying roadside bombs and other deadly devices. It is one of the most dangerous jobs in the military, something the film shows us in the first scene. It’s also a job that seems to be made for Sgt. William James (Jeremy Renner) — the film’s protagonist. James is a modern cowboy. He goes about his job with seeming disregard for the threat it poses. This approach is both a gift and a curse as it helps him maintain his focus in the face of imminent danger, but causes great distress to the rest of team. This conflict is the basis for this film, as James and the other members of Bravo company continue their work, wondering if each day will be their last.

Upon hearing a description of The Hurt Locker, one might expect it to be a deeply political piece of commentary on the Iraq war. It’s not. One might think it is your everyday action-war thriller. It’s not. The Hurt Locker is a gripping, edge-of-your seat portrait of postmodern warfare, that ranks up with the great war films of all time. There isn’t an off beat or a wasted moment in this masterful examination of a world where death is only one misstep away. Director Kathryn Bigelow turns journalist-cum-screenwriter Mark Boal’s taut script into one of the most immersive film-going experiences in years.

The Hurt Locker is a triumph. Made for just $15 million, it is easily the most critically acclaimed film of the year. Whether it takes home the Best Picture award may depend on how much that critical praise will translate to the more diverse Academy voting bloc. Nevertheless, The Hurt Locker has already cemented its place as one of the top movies of this century.

Avatar

Avatar, James Cameron’s 3-D sci-fi epic, launches the viewer into the future. The year is 2154 and humans have descended on a faraway moon called Pandora in search of the rare mineral unobtanium. The film’s title refers to a program started by humans that allows them to inhabit genetically manufactured bodies of Na’vi — the moon’s indigenous humanlike species. Ex-marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) joins the aforementioned program, but is eventually drawn into a local Na’vi tribe that stands between the humans and their lust for unobtanium. Jake becomes caught in an epic struggle between one species’ attempt to maintain its way of life, and another’s attempt to solidify its power.

Shot with state of the art technology, and in stunning 3-D, Avatar is a feast for the eyes. One cannot help but be impressed by the magnificent world Cameron has created. For all its visual glory, however, Avatar falls a bit short in the storytelling department. This isn’t to say Avatar is simply a brainless piece of eye-candy, a la Transformers 2. Cameron has a message here — the trouble is, it isn’t terribly original. Some have described it as Dances With Wolves with blue people. This observation isn’t too much of a stretch. Also, comparisons to Star Wars seem a bit exaggerated. The world Cameron has envisioned for us doesn’t even begin to approach the amazingly complex galaxy George Lucas carved out so many years ago.

Nevertheless, at more than two and a half hours, Avatar remains engaging throughout, and no one has disputed its technical achievements or its massive box-office success. Also, there is a large contingent of Academy voters who absolutely loved the film, so its chances of being the big winner come Oscar night are very good. When push comes to shove, Oscar has a way of rewarding the (arguably lesser-deserving) behemoths: think Forrest Gump and Cameron’s Titanic. But for every person who fell in love with the Na’vi, there is one who puts the film just a small step above Transformers. Under the Academy’s new voting system, that could spell doom for Cameron and his blue buddies.

Inglourious Basterds

Inglourious Basterds takes us deep inside Nazi-occupied France. But this isn’t your granddad’s occupied-France, or the one from Saving Private Ryan for that matter. This vision of occupied-France comes from the deranged but brilliant mind of Quentin Tarantino. Here, a band of Jewish-Allied soldiers, known as the Basterds, tromp the countryside. They have one mission, says their commander, Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt): killin’ Nazis. And that is exactly what they do, with gritty, in-your-face trademark Tarantino violence. Their mission eventually collides with a Jewish refugee’s (Melanie Laurent) attempt to kill the German high command. All the while, the Basterds must deal with a devilishly sly SS officer named Hans Landa, played with fiendish brilliance by Christoph Waltz.

Inglourious Basterds is arguably Tarantino’s best work since Pulp Fiction. Much like that film, Basterds manages to be cerebral and gut punching at the same time. Waltz’s performance will be talked about for years to come, and in many ways it overshadows the rest of the film. Nevertheless, Basterds showcases Tarantino’s nearly unmatched storytelling abilities, both on paper and behind the camera. The sometimes-controversial director blends spaghetti-westerns with old-fashioned World War II caper films and sprinkles in a dash of fantasy to deliver a genre-bending triumph. The opening scene to Basterds was the best 15 minutes of film in 2009. Unfortunately, Tarantino doesn’t maintain that level of brilliance throughout the entire film. If he did, we might be calling Basterds a masterpiece. As it stands, however, it is an exhilarating, but flawed film.

Despite its late summer release, Basterds has used great word-of-mouth buzz and intense campaigning by the Weinstein Brothers to catapult itself into the Best Picture conversation. Honestly, it’s the only film not directed by James Cameron or one of his ex-spouses with a legitimate shot at winning the top prize. It took home the Screen Actors Guild award for Best Ensemble, and it is benefiting from repeat DVD viewings by Academy members. Ultimately, a Basterds win would come as a shock — fitting for movie about a group of tenacious misfits.

A Serious Man

With A Serious Man, the always-beguiling Coen Brothers plunge us into the world of their childhood: a Jewish community in 1960s Minnesota. The story centers on Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) — a modern day Job. Larry, a college physics professor, is a man on the brink. His job status is less than certain. A student is bribing him. And his wife wants to leave him — and that’s only the start of his troubles. Larry’s search for the answer to what is causing his ails takes him down a troublesome path that causes him to question his faith and his own resolve.

A Serious Man is the Brothers most personal film to date, and while it may not be on the same level as some of their masterworks (i.e. Fargo, No Country for Old Men) it is a wonderfully crafted tale of one man’s attempt to find an explanation for the unexplainable. Their use of their trademark mix of irony and intimacy leaves the audience feeling satisfyingly uncomfortable with Larry’s situation. They also manage to draw a menacing range of emotion from a relatively unknown cast of Jewish stage actors.

A Serious Man is a very good film, but had the Best Picture field not been expanded to ten this year it would most certainly have been on the outside looking in. It lacks the arresting appeal of the Brothers’ most memorable films, although part of me suspects that A Serious Man may be the type of film that becomes better appreciated with age.

District 9

It’s difficult to categorize District 9. Part sci-fi action thrill-ride, part political message piece, it uses a faux-documentary style to tell the story of an alien spaceship that has stalled above Johannesburg, South Africa. The film is a thinly veiled metaphor for the issues of that country’s apartheid era. Wikus van de Merwe (Sharito Copley) is the film’s protagonist. He’s the pseudo-government bureaucrat in charge of relocating the stranded aliens from the title’s slum to one guarded by the military. During the relocation, Wikus is transformed in a way he did not expect, and the film becomes more about one man’s survival than some grand political message.

District 9’s attempt to be original is both its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. It’s a sci-fi film done it a completely new way. First-time director Neil Blomkamp presents the film with stunning realism and at points the viewer might even forget the movie is about arthropodal space aliens. He is able to weave in an important social message with a deft subtlety — something made extra difficult by the film’s subject matter. However, the film never completely decides what it wants to be. One minute, Wikus is giving an interview at his desk, like some strange outtake from an alien-themed South African version of The Office, and the next minute he’s gunning down Nigerian gangsters with an automatic weapon. Now for some reason, the film is not as disjointed as that description makes it sound, which is a testament to Blomkamp’s skill as a filmmaker. However, it is scattered enough that it may leave some viewers feeling ambivalent.

If The Blind Side is the film people use as an example of why expanding the Best Picture race to ten films is a bad thing, District 9 is the film people will turn to when pointing out the merits of that decision. It’s a popular ($100-plus million earned domestically), critically praised film that challenges the boundaries of its genre. While not quite the box-office behemoth that The Dark Knight was, District 9 does the same thing for sci-fi movies that that film did for super-hero flicks. District 9 will not win Best Picture this year, but it opens the door for more films like it to be considered come Oscar-time.