The Big Short - 5 nominations

Best Picture - Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Producers
Actor in a Supporting Role, Christian Bale

Directing, Adam McKay

Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Charles Randolph and Adam McKay

Film Editing, Hank Corwin

The Big Short attempts a difficult feat - how to explain the collapse of the world economy and still be entertaining - and it accomplishes that goal by all accounts.  The key characters in the film are by and large real people, particularly those who saw through the housing bubble and took advantage of the deregulation of the banking industry to ultimately great wealth.  One of the most charming parts of the script is that occasionally Ryan Gosling's character will break the fourth wall, look at the audience and say, "this really happened!"  In other words, this insanity seems like something that our screenwriter would have come up with for the purposes of decorating the movie with incredible scenarios, but no! You can't make this sh*t up!  Occasionally he also looks at the camera and says, "ok, this isn't exactly how this scene transpired, but you get it, this is poetic license."

The Big Short has a very strong chance in the Adapted Screenplay category because it more than achieved its impossible task.  It's certainly one of the 5 films I consider worthy of a Best Picture nomination, and has the ever elusive comedic elements that so rarely grace Oscar nominees.  There is no question that editing this story to be coherent, understandable, and interesting was a great challenge, particularly when most of the American public is not conversant in the technicalities of mortgages, CDOs, credit swaps, and valuation.

It's hard to single out just Christian Bale for recognition in this truly ensemble film but to be fair, his quirky, awkward, heavy-metal loving character is certainly a departure from his usual work.  I'm surprised that Steve Carell wasn't nominated in the acting category, but with a packed field of outstanding performances, getting the nomination was no easy task.

All of this is always a credit to the leader of the pack, Adam McKay who not only co-wrote the brilliant screenplay (which I'm assuming means that he really learned and understood the material) but directed, as well.  His work in The Big Short clearly speaks for itself and the nomination is well deserved.

Finally, if you were intrigued by The Big Short, I high recommend seeing the Oscar winning documentary from 2010, Inside Job, which explains this material even more thoroughly.  Inside Job does include more about the political landscape and how deregulating the banking industry contributed to the collapse, and how CEO's played a role, as well.  It's also a must see.

Spotlight - 5 nominations

Best Picture - Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin and Blye Pagon Faust

Actor in a Supporting Role, Mark Ruffalo
Actress in a Supporting Role, Rachel McAdams
Directing, Tom McCarthyFilm Editing, Tom McArdle

Writing - Original Screenplay, Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy

"It takes a village to raise a child.  It takes a village to abuse one."

The are the powerful opening words to the film, Spotlight, arguably the most important and most powerful film of the year.  Spotlight is a modern day "All the Presidents Men" in which an investigative team from The Boston Globe unravels the decades-long systematic cover up of Priests' sexual molestation of children by the Catholic Church.  Particularly disturbing is the way in which the powers in the Boston community help to negotiate vulnerable families of the survivors away from prosecuting the offending clergy.  This is a rare Goliath versus Goliath story and one must come to terms with the heartbreaking truth that sometimes people love and protect their guilty institutions above protecting the vulnerable innocent.

The movie is outstanding by all measures.  Every performance was strong, and I think Michael Keaton was likely in the #6 or #7 spot when the final Best Actor votes were tallied.  Frankly, I was surprised by Rachel McAdams' nomination - she gave a strong but measured performance and I'm not sure that it stand out particularly among all supporting actress roles, but her work is not to be missed in this film.  On the other hand, Mark Ruffalo's performance blew me away - the thing about him is that he is different in every film.  Put this character side by side with his character in Foxcatcher, and you'd have trouble convincing me that this is the same person.  He has become particularly adept in crafting different speaking styles, different shapes for his face and his body, and becomes a totally different person in each role.

Of all the elements of this film, for me it all comes down to the utter brilliance of the screenplay. Every moment is well crafted, every line is well spoken, every scene is important.  In case you can't tell, I'm rooting for Spotlight to win this category and also Best Picture.  I have to think about the other categories more, but these seem clear to me.  

Were you especially intrigued by Spotlight?  I also recommend Oscar-nominated documentary "Deliver Us From Evil" that has particular strength for following the re-assignments of Priests from parish to parish; and "Maxima Mea Culpa: Silence in the House of God"that follows the stories of deaf children who were abused by a Priest who was faculty at a school for deaf children.

Room - 4 nominations

Best Picture - Ed Guiney, Producer

Actress in a Leading Role, Brie Larson

Directing, Lenny Abrahamson
Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Emma Donoghue

Room is the extraordinary story of a mother and her 5 year old son who are trapped by their captor in a 10x10 shed, which they refer to as room.  "Ma" is played so expertly by Brie Larson that I have to start this review by talking about her.  We feel her despair, we see her trying to keep up a normal life for this child, even as she is living through the torture of being kept as a sex slave by her kidnapper. She will do anything to protect her son from this insanity.  The bond between mother and son is impenetrable and as the son, Jack, turns 5, she decides to explain to him that there is a world beyond captivity, a world filled with possibilities.  To share more would only spoil the important twists and turns of the film, which I won't do because I deeply encourage you to see the movie.  

Don't get me wrong, it's a tough film to see and it certainly hearkens back to real life events.  But the beauty of the relationships, the powerful acting, and the incredible directing make the film a must see.  The injustice in this film is that Jacob Tremblay, the young actor who plays Jack, has received no recognition by any of the major granters of awards.  He is the real star of the film - he is on screen the most of any character, and the story is primarily through his lens.  Without spoiling the movie, I'll also offer that you should watch out for his final line of the movie which offers the most wise insight for those living through something so horrific.  In fact, that line alone would be enough for me to support the Adapted Screenplay nomination that was so well deserved for Emma Donoghue.

It's hard to call Room a favorite among the films I have seen this year because of the difficult subject matter.  But if I were choosing a limited number of movies that I could see from 2015, Room would be among them.

Mad Max: Fury Road - 10 nominations

Best Picture - Doug Mitchell and George Miller, Producers

Costume Design - Jenny Beavan
Directing - George Miller
Visual Effects - Andrew Jackson, Tom Wood, Dan Oliver and Andy Williams
Makeup and Hairstyling - Lesley Vanderwalt, Elka Wardega and Damian Martin
Cinematography - John Seale
Film Editing - Margaret Sixel
Sound Mixing - Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff and Ben Osmo
Production Design - Colin Gibson (Production Design); Lisa Thompson (Set Decoration)
Sound Editing - Mark Mangini and David White

Oh, Academy, where to begin on Mad Max: Fury Road?  An edge of your seat, high energy, heart pumping, popular film finally to make it to the big show in the Best Picture category.  A cursory review of all Best Picture nominees since 1962 (when the category was renamed to "Best Picture" as we know it today) reveals that Mad Max is the first of its genre to achieve this high honor.  But if we're using this film as a benchmark, it's hard to understand how a film like this one makes it as a nominee for the top prize.

Mad Max is a movie about a car chase.  Seriously.  A car chase.  Yes, we are in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian world in which resources are limited, poor people's blood is mined to super charge the army of the despotic ruler, and women are kept in harems in service of this evil dictator, but still basically a car chase (with a really memorable electric guitar player strapped to a mobile speaker system whose job is presumably to provide hype and insanity to the troops).  Charlize Theron plays Furiosa who helps these victimized women escape in search of her homeland, where she remembers a flourishing landscape with sufficient water and resources for everyone who lives there.  Tom Hardy plays Max who escapes servitude and for the promise of freedom, he commits to aiding Furiosa in bringing these women to safety.

There is so much that is right with Mad Max, and I, like everyone else in the theater, certainly had a heart-pumping experience, even if at the same time I was thinking, "where's the plot? where are the characters?"  In some ways, it's entertaining enough not to matter, especially when one notes the excellence of the cinematography.

All of the design elements are brilliant and do deserve recognition - the makeup (the tattoos!), the hairstyling, the costumes, the production design, the visual effects, the sound effects - most certainly rise to the levels of excellence worthy of the Oscars. Mad Max has some serious competition in these categories but it sits comfortably with its nominated peers.  But for Best Picture?  I'm out, and I suspect you will be too.

Brooklyn - 3 nominations

Best Picture - Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
Actress - Saoirse Ronan
Writing (Adapted Screenplay) - Nick Hornby

Brooklyn is the story of a sweet, young Irish woman who has been sponsored by a priest in America to immigrate to the United States.  He has arranged a job and a place to live, and she crosses the ocean to pursue a new life filled with opportunity.  In many ways, her story is the classic immigrant story - coming to America for better circumstances and a bright future, but still longing for home and the family she left behind.  After a bumpy transition, she meets and falls for a young Italian boy (with a little brother who steals the movie in two scenes), she begins to find her place in her new home. When tragic circumstances bring her back to Ireland, she finds unexpected opportunities that would allow her to stay where her heart was born, and so she must choose between the old familiar and the new frontier.

This was one of the loveliest films of the year.  The script has all the right elements - humor, drama, longing, love, and optimism.  Saoirse Ronan plays the lead tenderly and beautifully, she captures our hearts with emotional expressions and let's face it, the charming Irish accent doesn't hurt either.

I was so touched by the story, by the performances, and by the real human dilemma we all experience - whether we should look toward the future or we should cling to the familiar and the path with little risk that traps us in our past.

Bridge of Spies - 6 nominations

Best Picture - Steven Spielberg, Marc Platt, and Kristi Macosco Krieger

Actor in a Supporting Role - Mark Rylance
Music - Original Score, Thomas Newman
Production Design, Adam Stockhausen (Production Design); Rena DeAngelo and Bernhard Henrich (Set Decoration)
Sound Mixing - Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom, and Drew Kunin
Writing - Original Screenplay - Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen

Bridge of Spies is a film that takes place during the height of the cold war when spying between the Americans and the Russians was paramount among the two nations.  It takes place as the wall between East and West Berlin is being erected,  with no greater symbol of the deep divide between the countries' ideologies.  In short, America discovers and captures a Russian spy (Mark Rylance) and soon after, an American spy pilot is shot down and captured by the Russians.  It is at this point in the film when an insurance lawyer, James Donovan (Tom Hanks), is enlisted to defend the Russian spy in the American courts, as well as negotiate the swap of the two spies in East Berlin.  Naturally, tensions ensue as Mr. Donovan's family becomes the target of attack for Donovan defending the enemy.  As in any spy film, there are plenty of action packed, tense moments where everything seems amiss and you are confident that all is going awry.

Mark Rylance plays this supporting role expertly as he infuses calm, wisdom, and grace uncharacteristic of an accused spy, and the writing is superb not turning each person into a comic book caricature of spy versus spy.  These people have depth, are conflicted, they are whole.  The action sequences become background for the complex development of the narrative.

I know I've explained this in prior blog years, but it's worth reminding you that Sound Mixing is the art of layering all of the recordings that go into a moment on screen so that each can be experienced and heard (especially the dialogue), and it's a difficult craft particularly in musicals and action films, which comprise the majority of Oscar nominees for this category.  In Bridge of Spies, one imagines bullets being fired at the same time as footsteps running at the same time as dialogue being spoken at the same time as original score overlaid, etc.  In a category where special effects and space battles are happening, it is hard to envision Bridge of Spies taking home the gold, but we can still respect the craft required to achieve this feat in this film.

I enjoyed Bridge of Spies.  I appreciated the tension, the acting was wonderful, and the story was interesting.  Would I call it the Best Picture of the year?  Not even close.  Would I put it in a category of Best Picture nominees? Not if I got my wish to finally return to a list of top 5 choices.  I have nothing bad to say about the film in the least.  I simply question its placement in the Best Picture category.  Still, I highly recommend grabbing a box of popcorn (or something with no carbs, if you prefer) and hunkering down with a good, solid, enjoyable film.

Welcome Back for Another Oscar Blog Year!

Welcome back to the blog!  This year, we have a little more time between today and the day the winners will be announced, so we have a little more time to play.  By my count, there are 57 nominated films this year (down from 60 last year), but since I group into one blog for each of the short subject categories, that gives us exactly the number of days we need, plus one to release my predictions.

As always, here's my general observations about this year's list.

1. I'm still not a fan of more than 5 nominated best picture films.  It's usually pretty easy to pick out the top 5 from the list, and though I'd include six of the eight nominees pretty easily, I believe we should go back to the old system.  I could easily pick out 3 additional male leads who deserve acting nominations, but we don't do that.  We pick five and we go with them.

2. There are a couple of snubs about which I am deeply disappointed.

• Will Smith played possibly his most engaging and difficult role in the film Concussion, which didn't receive a single nomination.
• Jacob Tremblay (the child who was the lead actor in the film Room), gave one of the best and most difficult performances in a film this year.  He has not been on anyone's list, the studio doesn't seem to have been promoting him, and he could have taken down the whole list of lead actor nominees with any scene from that film.  His age only reinforces the quality of the work.
• Idris Elba was robbed of a Best Supporting Actor nomination for the film Beasts of No Nation (on Netflix).  I suspect that the difficulty of getting academy voters to watch a film about child soldiers combined with the ruthless nature of his character stood in the way.
• The Good Dinosaur was one of my favorite films this year and it didn't get nominated in the Animated Feature category.  (As a friend pointed out to me, only the second Pixar film ever not to be nominated.)
• Finally, I'd have to check the eligibility for Best Original Score, but I thought the score for the film The 33 was one of the best this year.  That category has some tricky rules (which I'll explain in a future blog), but if it met the criteria, it was a shame not to have been nominated.

3. There are a couple of nominations about which I am incredulous.

• At some point, the Academy is going to have to deal with category shenanigans.  Rooney Mara was the lead in the film Carol and Cate Blanchett was the Supporting Lead.  But each of the actress' stature in their careers and in Hollywood has them switched so that the former is nominated for Best Supporting Actress and the latter is nominated for Best Actress in a Lead. Ridiculous.  See the movie and you'll see what I mean.  Between the fact the Mara had more screen time and the fact that the film is about her, this makes no sense.
• Not to give away what I'm going to say in my review, but Mad Max: Fury Road is a spectacular movie about a car chase.  It has some cool makeup, sets, and special effects, but it is one long car chase.  Does that make it Best Picture?  No it doesn't.  If they wanted a populist film, Straight Outta Compton is the clear choice, and being a nerd, I would also take Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

4. #OscarsSoWhite

I've been thinking about this quite a lot over the last several months and at the risk of being internet threatened, I'd like to say that the problem does not lie with the Oscars.  It's like breaking a nail and blaming the nail polish.  The real hashtag should be #HollywoodSoWhite.  If you look at the Best Actor category, four of them are biopics or are based on true stories.  But did The Martian require a white male lead? Nope. Do all Directors need to be white (exluding Innaritu, of course)? Nope.  Guess what, people of color can direct stories that have nothing to do with ethnicity, but are they given the opportunities at the same rate?  I suspect not.

I do believe this is a serious issue, but I think the problem with blaming the Oscars is that when you review the 20 acting nominations, 12 of them are from biopics (you can't change the race of the actual people whose stories are being told), and one is about an Irish girl who would likely have been white in the context of the story.  We need to focus our attention on why opportunities for more diverse stories aren't presenting themselves in the Hollywood studio system, and solve the problem where it lies.  The fish rots at the head, so to speak.  You can't nominate what hasn't appeared on the screen, and the solution lies in more diversity appearing on the screen and behind the camera.  

So, those are my initial impressions, and stay tuned for reviews of the 57 films over the next 46 days. It can't help but be so much fun.  See you at the movies!