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This looks to be one of the worst years
for the Best Picture category in quite some time. Nothing is really
groundbreaking or original in any of the films nominated this year.
All of the films are either good or average. I can't help but look
back at the 70's and all the great films that were nominated that
didn't even win. All of those films would easily win Best Picture if
they were around today. Even last year had the ground-breaking
Brokeback Mountain battling Crash for the Best Picture. The year
before that we had the controversial Million Dollar Baby battling
The Aviator. Every film nominated this year just seems like a
retread or something we have seen before at the movies. Don't
believe me? Check out this column for further proof that the films
this year are not up to par with previous years.
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1) The Departed (Review)
A good film, but not a great film. I can't help but feel
that we have seen this genre and movie from Scorsese
before in his earlier work. Remember Goodfellas and
Casino? He just replaces De Niro and Pesci with Leo and
Matt Damon. It tackles the same issues of drugs, moles,
and trust. It's not exactly a ground-breaking picture
from Mr. Scorsese. This is the same Martin Scorsese who
introduced us to Raging Bull and Taxi Driver. It's
entertaining and a lot of fun, but not original. It's
even a remake of an old Hong Kong film. The acting is
fantastic in this film, but the script has been seen
before in other films. Goodfellas and Taxi Driver are
the films that should have helped Marty win an Oscar.
The Departed? It's good, but I don't think it will hold
up years later. |
2) Little Miss Sunshine (Review)
Again, we have seen this before. The road trip formula has been done
to death. We have also seen the dysfunctional family film done to
death. What's new or original about this film? Again, the
performances are good, but what else is good about this film? I'm
seeing a trend with a lot of films this year. Great performances in
average or good movies. That's not enough to make a film great. You
need to have a complete package with your film. What is this film
telling us that we don't already know? Nothing. I really don't know
why this film is being talked about as the Best Film of the Year.
How about Thank You for Smoking? That's a film that should have been
nominated for Best Picture of the Year. It's original, witty, fun,
and smart. The film didn't receive one single nomination. That's
depressing.
3) Babel (Review)
Oh, no. I can't take this style of film-making any more. It drove me
out of my mind with Syriana. The fractured narrative that goes all
over the map. These films drive me crazy! I'm still trying to follow
plot A, and they have already taken me to plot B. I don't want to go
to the movies and have to figure out a jigsaw puzzle. I don't mind
being challenged, but be coherent at least. Since Crash has won Best
Picture, we have seen a lot more films like this. Remember when
films were fun, entertaining, and challenging all in one? Now, they
are just challenging and confusing. I couldn't follow or believe
half of what was going on in Babel. I really hope this film does not
win Best Picture. If that occurs, we might see every other film
these days with the fractured narrative. I might have to find a new
profession.
4) The Queen (Review)
A fun biopic, but not the Best Film of the Year. It is 2004's Ray.
It features a great lead performance in a good film. Helen Mirren is
one of the few locks at the Oscars this year to win. How is the film
itself? The film would have played just as well on TV. It's short,
fluffy, and shrill. Mirren elevates the material into a good film
with her performance. It doesn't have the classic feel to it. It's
the kind of film I could watch on ABC on a lonely Saturday night.
The biopic seems to be a sure fire way to get an Oscar nomination of
some kind. It works like a charm every year. I think it's much
harder to portray a character than a real-life person. You can watch
hours of Ray Charles to get an idea on how to play him. You can't
get footage of someone who never existed in the first place. You
have to build it up yourself.
5) Letters from Iwo Jima
To be truthful, I have yet to see Letters from Iwo Jima. I can't say
too much about this film, because I have not seen it. What can I say
about the film? I'll say I'm tired of war movies. I've seen too many
of them. With that said, I'm sure Eastwood did a skillful job
directing this film. He knows how to put his stamp on every film he
directs. He can do it all. Actors really love to work with him. He
works fast and gives actors plenty of room to do their thing. As far
as his film, we have seen the war film done before as well. We have
seen all of these films done before and done better. What happened
to the days of trying something new? I think everyone is scared of
failure at the box office. They are scared to take chances and try
something new.
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