Best Picture ranking according to Pat...
Black Swan
No movie this year caught my attention like Black Swan. It was creepy, though not scary. From virtually the opening scene to the end I felt displaced, uncomfortable. The multi-layered transformation that Portman's character endures for the sake of (because of?) trying to be the black swan really causes the viewer to wonder what type of transformation this is. It is at one time psychological, physical, emotional and sexual, all culminating not with a black swan/white swan balance but instead chaos and domination. Did the role change her? Was she a willing agent in this change? Or was there a spiritual element inside her and this newfound pressure and understanding of the black swan only acted a catalyst to cause element to emerge? The film does not sufficiently answer any of these but it does not try to. It seems too easy to say that the human spirit is dualistic, but the film causes us to confront the multitudes we contain. It works extraordinarily well because it plays this out in the context of ballet, an art form that I felt closer to understanding by virtue of the film. Another sign of a well-made movie.
The King's Speech
This seems to be everyone's favorite for Best Picture. Rush is great, but Firth really makes the movie work by playing a man who is bound to assume an important role at an extremely important time but is plagued by a crippling speech impediment. The look into the life of a royal family along with the humorous scenes of the unorthodox speech therapy strike a great balance. Ultimately, I wish they would have played more on the historical importance of the time period, that would have added greater depth and meaning to the film. It's not only a man trying to conquer an impediment that will cause him some embarrassment as king, it's a man who needs to instill confidence and inspire his people during the precarious years of World War II. Still, the chemistry between Rush and Firth is remarkable. Carter, though she was solid, did not have any defining scenes in the film. She always seemed to play second fiddle to whoever she was paired with in the scene. She was great, but best actress? No.
No movie this year caught my attention like Black Swan. It was creepy, though not scary. From virtually the opening scene to the end I felt displaced, uncomfortable. The multi-layered transformation that Portman's character endures for the sake of (because of?) trying to be the black swan really causes the viewer to wonder what type of transformation this is. It is at one time psychological, physical, emotional and sexual, all culminating not with a black swan/white swan balance but instead chaos and domination. Did the role change her? Was she a willing agent in this change? Or was there a spiritual element inside her and this newfound pressure and understanding of the black swan only acted a catalyst to cause element to emerge? The film does not sufficiently answer any of these but it does not try to. It seems too easy to say that the human spirit is dualistic, but the film causes us to confront the multitudes we contain. It works extraordinarily well because it plays this out in the context of ballet, an art form that I felt closer to understanding by virtue of the film. Another sign of a well-made movie.
The King's Speech
This seems to be everyone's favorite for Best Picture. Rush is great, but Firth really makes the movie work by playing a man who is bound to assume an important role at an extremely important time but is plagued by a crippling speech impediment. The look into the life of a royal family along with the humorous scenes of the unorthodox speech therapy strike a great balance. Ultimately, I wish they would have played more on the historical importance of the time period, that would have added greater depth and meaning to the film. It's not only a man trying to conquer an impediment that will cause him some embarrassment as king, it's a man who needs to instill confidence and inspire his people during the precarious years of World War II. Still, the chemistry between Rush and Firth is remarkable. Carter, though she was solid, did not have any defining scenes in the film. She always seemed to play second fiddle to whoever she was paired with in the scene. She was great, but best actress? No.
127 Hours
This film certainly got a lot of attention for the amputation scene, but that's a small part of a larger whole. The entire film felt like an investment in the ending. It's not easy to watch, but James Franco makes a one character in one setting film work very, very well. He plays the suave, confident (cocky?), adventurous American male strongly, but not over the top. Despite his seemingly hopeless predicament, he is entertaining at times and stricken with pain, grief and frustration at others. Danny Boyle may have tried to play a trick or two too many with the editing and flash, but it's small potatoes in a film that's emotionally difficult but pays off tremendously in the final scene where he finds rescue. That scene is played, shot, and edited to perfection and accomplishes the very difficult: creating an immensely fulfilling and uplifting scene that everyone in the theater knows is coming. Not easy to do, but for my money it was the scene of the year.
The Fighter
I loved this movie because it wasn't a boxing movie. It was a film about negotiating the relationships of a very close family while trying to further a dream and grow close to a lover (whom the family has alienated). Boxing is merely the vehicle by which we are lead through this jungle. Mark Wahlberg may have been the main character, but Christian Bale was the star. He is the dominating presence in each of his scenes and the most fascinating character. It's about drugs, dreams, intense familial relationships, and a need to find one's own space in life. Boxing is how we get there.
I loved this movie because it wasn't a boxing movie. It was a film about negotiating the relationships of a very close family while trying to further a dream and grow close to a lover (whom the family has alienated). Boxing is merely the vehicle by which we are lead through this jungle. Mark Wahlberg may have been the main character, but Christian Bale was the star. He is the dominating presence in each of his scenes and the most fascinating character. It's about drugs, dreams, intense familial relationships, and a need to find one's own space in life. Boxing is how we get there.
The Social Network
I really wanted to put this one higher, I did, but I just couldn't get it to budge the four films in front of it. Sorkin writes awesome dialogue that I first noticed in "The West Wing." It's fast and it's witty. It doesn't apologize if you missed the joke because you couldn't keep up. What made the film special to me was that it dealt with how a brilliant social misfit manages his relationship with his best (only) friend amidst so many other people and factors competing for his attention while having created something far, far bigger and more important that he intended or imagined. And it's true (mostly). I doubt Eisenberg will get the Oscar but man he deserves something for his work in this film. Compelling.
I really wanted to put this one higher, I did, but I just couldn't get it to budge the four films in front of it. Sorkin writes awesome dialogue that I first noticed in "The West Wing." It's fast and it's witty. It doesn't apologize if you missed the joke because you couldn't keep up. What made the film special to me was that it dealt with how a brilliant social misfit manages his relationship with his best (only) friend amidst so many other people and factors competing for his attention while having created something far, far bigger and more important that he intended or imagined. And it's true (mostly). I doubt Eisenberg will get the Oscar but man he deserves something for his work in this film. Compelling.
Toy Story 3
Credit where credit is due: Pixar has made three very successful and highly critically acclaimed films in this unique "trilogy" of sorts. Think about how many other trilogies or movies with multiple sequels can say that. In one sense the film felt like it was just like both the other ones ("Oh no, we're separated from Andy! We need to get back to Andy!) but what made this one different and deeper was that the toys were trying to avoid coming to terms with their own "humanity" as toys and the prospect of toy-death (landfill). Having developed a relationship with these familiar characters over two other films, this is essentially troublesome for the viewer as well, as these aren't just toys, they're....people? toys? A piece of plastic with an animate being and a higher moral purpose? I don't know, but the film works not only because of its wonderful plot, but also because it's just plain funny.
True Grit
I was genuinely entertained by this film, though I was disappointed that Josh Brolin, though advertised on many movie posters, only had about ten minutes of screen time. I didn't see the original "True Grit" before seeing this version so that I wouldn't feel tainted and trapped into comparison. Certainly fun and worth seeing, but it's difficult for me to put a film that is essentially paying homage to Western's much higher on this list when there's so many other great films.
I was genuinely entertained by this film, though I was disappointed that Josh Brolin, though advertised on many movie posters, only had about ten minutes of screen time. I didn't see the original "True Grit" before seeing this version so that I wouldn't feel tainted and trapped into comparison. Certainly fun and worth seeing, but it's difficult for me to put a film that is essentially paying homage to Western's much higher on this list when there's so many other great films.
Inception
Inception felt like the fastest two and a half hours I ever spent in a movie theater. I felt so overwhelmed at times trying to keep up with these rules that Nolan was constructing around a fascinating premise which I think resonated with a lot of people because of the way in delved into dream psychology that I hardly noticed as the time flew by. Part of what was great about this film was that as a viewer we can identify with the way Nolan describes the peculiarities of lucid dreams and the way we get the sense that people "watch" us in dreams and how "dream time" moves so much faster than reality. The reason I put this one so far down on the list was that the specific structures and the film worked around felt so intense and detailed that I couldn't help but think about whether the director was playing by his own rules, and the ultimate purpose of the plot felt too flat and uninteresting. Was it all for a business deal? Really? The side story of DiCaprio's love interest to me just wasn't played strongly enough.
The Kids are All Right
Out of the ten films on the list, this one is easily the one I was most apprehensive about seeing. I honestly did not want to see it, but I was pleasantly surprised. Mark Ruffalo is outstanding in this film. My primary criticism is that I was sorely disappointed at the "resolution" of the film. It felt like the director wanted us to feel resolved, but in the end it felt that the kids just missed out on an opportunity for a fulfilling relationship with Ruffalo's character who, though he made some questionable choices, felt like an inherently good character and influence on the kids. Still, a captivating movie and extremely well acted by Annette Benning.
Winter's Bone
I know I'm in the minority on this one, but I just couldn't see what was great about this film. Jennifer Lawrence gives a solid performance and there was a memorable scene or two, but the movie felt painfully slow. It picked up for fifteen great minutes and finally fell a little flat toward the end. Considering she was the lead character and had to carry most of the film, Ree did not captivate me enough. There are characters and actors/actresses that make scenes interesting just by their presence (Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Robert Downey, Jr.) but neither Jennifer Lawrence nor the character she was playing are one of them.
Ummm...what he said
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