The nominations for the 81st Academy Awards have been released, and like everyone else, I have some problems with them. This is the first volume of eight that I will do briefly detailing my choices and why I picked them. First up is Best Picture.
The ACADEMY'S PICKS:
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Frost/Nixon
- Milk
- The Reader
- Slumdog Millionaire
MY PICKS:
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
I loved the idea of this film as soon as I heard its premise and who was directing it, so I may be biased in nominating it for Best Picture. The movie does have some big flaws, such as completely glossing over the end of Benjamin's life, but otherwise it is a beautiful story. I think it has become so successful because it taps into the audience's emotions when dealing with life, love and death, and to be that touching separates it from most of the other films released this year.
• The Dark Knight
I know this probably doesn't belong on this list, and if I was pushed, I would replace it with Milk, but The Dark Knight was a great piece of entertainment. It has a few problems, but I think it should recognized for how it absolutely captured America's interest and love of escapist fantasies like Star Wars. Does it deserve to win? Not at all, but a nomination in a weak year for movies wouldn't have killed the Academy.
• Slumdog Millionaire
Fantastic movie that probably should win the award this year. When I watched it I immediately thought of two movies: 1994's Forrest Gump and 2002's City of God. Slumdog was able to brilliantly take the endearing love story of Gump and mix it with a slightly watered down version of the violence and crime in City of God, which made it entertaining and gripping. Also, using a game show as a narrative device was a nice touch, making it more original than most of its competition.
The ACADEMY'S PICKS:
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Frost/Nixon
- Milk
- The Reader
- Slumdog Millionaire
MY PICKS:
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
I loved the idea of this film as soon as I heard its premise and who was directing it, so I may be biased in nominating it for Best Picture. The movie does have some big flaws, such as completely glossing over the end of Benjamin's life, but otherwise it is a beautiful story. I think it has become so successful because it taps into the audience's emotions when dealing with life, love and death, and to be that touching separates it from most of the other films released this year.
• The Dark Knight
I know this probably doesn't belong on this list, and if I was pushed, I would replace it with Milk, but The Dark Knight was a great piece of entertainment. It has a few problems, but I think it should recognized for how it absolutely captured America's interest and love of escapist fantasies like Star Wars. Does it deserve to win? Not at all, but a nomination in a weak year for movies wouldn't have killed the Academy.
• Slumdog Millionaire
Fantastic movie that probably should win the award this year. When I watched it I immediately thought of two movies: 1994's Forrest Gump and 2002's City of God. Slumdog was able to brilliantly take the endearing love story of Gump and mix it with a slightly watered down version of the violence and crime in City of God, which made it entertaining and gripping. Also, using a game show as a narrative device was a nice touch, making it more original than most of its competition.
• WALL•E
This year Waltz with Bashir was nominated for foreign language best picture, making it the first animated film to be nominated in that category. Nominating WALL•E wouldn't even be that groundbreaking since Beauty and the Beast was nominated back in the early 1990s. The first half of this movie was so powerful and beautiful that I think it merits a nomination beyond the obvious Best Animated feature film.
• The Wrestler
The story is fairly formulaic, but the direction and acting elevate this movie into one of the best films this year. You care about the characters and you want them to succeed and be happy, but you also see their limitations and know they can't change, which makes the movie even more heartbreaking and memorable. You leave the theater changed after seeing this film, never wanting to take anything for granted, and to me that means it deserves this nomination.
I did not pick Frost/Nixon or The Reader because I think they both are fairly straightforward and entertaining, but lack any sense of originality or anything that could be considered special. In ten years, no one will even think of these two films when discussing the best movies during this decade, while people will still remember Slumdog or The Wrestler. If Frost/Nixon were to win this year, it would be like Ordinary People winning over Raging Bull, which we can all agree was a huge mistake.
-James
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