Oh man, I’ve procrastinated again and only I’m comparing these group of Best Pictures contenders in a week’s time. Let’s see how quick and thorough I can compile these from memory and notes. But fret not, after much musings and pondering, I have come up with criterion on how to judge them.
First – the premise. It always starts with an idea, right? How does the story begin? What’s the pitch of the movie? What is the hook that will entice me? The promise that is supposed to deliver. Also, what makes this any different from other movies? What is so special about it that it’s included in the esteemed group to be nominated for Best Picture?
Second – and this is the BIG one – the execution. On paper, filmmakers have fleshed out their ideas, locked their theories in place, and have decided on stylistic choices. And sometimes, they are all sensibly brilliant on paper, but it doesn’t always translate on screen. It takes some next-level calculating genius, flexible foresight, and stars-aligning luck to push a film into an inimitable masterpiece. Sometimes, the intended vision is achieved and it turns out to be myopic and ill-informed. Sometimes, the execution seems so messy, but its sense of chaos produces a rare alchemy that’s exciting and original. It is in execution where great movies usually surprise and astound me. Like how “Spotlight” generates deep, soul-shaking power from simple, straightforward no-gimmick storytelling. How “Mad Max : Fury Road” becomes an enthralling experience, despite the cheesy, unglamorous punk-rock elements. How “Drive My Car” effortlessly spellbinds from long, almost endless dialogues. I’m left in awe thinking – “How they did they do that? That’s not supposed to happen!” It’s those miraculous cinematic discoveries that makes me do it each year.
Third – the improvements. It’s easy to criticize and glibly point out the faults. Great criticism requires some mindfulness to put yourself in the filmmaker’s shoes and detect nuances or adjustments vital to the strength of the films. In general, Oscar selects good-to-excellent films that are bunched up in quality. It takes more analysis to separate them in ranking. I’m not one to be a know-it-all. But for this blog’s purpose, it is an honest account of my viewpoint and no one else has access to it but me.
On paper, this criterion is solid and makes sense, but we’ll see if the execution follows through. The challenge here is to evaluate the movies and elucidate my stance for all three criteria above.
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I approached watching these Best Picture contenders as an Olympic event. A movie would perform before me and I judge and rank them accordingly on a list. I thought it was a fun approach, but sadly the first three seemed to have permanently conquered the gold-silver-bronze positions. Consequent films fell on their hyped merits and I shake my head as I see movies so close together at vying competitively for the bottom spot. 
I don’t know, 2016. As much as I try to be optimistic, I cannot deny what a very bad year you have become. And here I find myself, sighing and shrugging, having watched the weakest bunch of Best Picture nominees in recent memory. I was looking at last year’s list and I’d put half of them on top on this year’s group. I think of “The Big Short” and its high-wire act of realistic absurdity. The unworldly thrills of “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “The Martian.” The galvanizing and simmering power of last year’s winner “Spotlight.” These are apparently too high of a bar for this year.
When “Birdman” won last year over my beloved “Boyhood,” I said, “Well, at least, that’s over with. I can’t wait for next year already.”
The 2014 class of the Oscars is another solid bunch. We’ve got geniuses (The Theory of Everything, The Imitation Game), heroes (American Sniper, Selma), stylistic comedies (The Great Budapest Hotel, Birdman) and coming-of-age dramas (Whiplash, Boyhood). While every year we’re bound to get some Oscar baits, the main event this year is between originally structured films (Birdman vs Boyhood). Even the Best Actor race is exciting between a veteran (Michael Keaton, in a comeback form) and a rising talent (Eddie Redmayne, absurdly good). I also love that the Academy finally recognized long established filmmakers Richard Linklater and Wes Anderson. Two maverick directors who can’t be accused of Oscar baiting. And you’ve got to applaud Bradley Cooper for getting acting nominations three years in a row.
It’s Oscar season again and I am way way behind from shilling my two cents on last year’s Oscars. Busy schedule and lack of a permanent residence contributed to my inactivity in 2014. Even that Oscar week, I simply had no time to view all the Best Picture nominees. I was stuck on vacation in St. Maarten (poor me). So this is my first time compiling the list after an Oscar telecast. I actually chose to watch most of these many months after March. I waited for the fickle awards hype to fade so the films can fairly stand on its own merit.
I Watched This Movie 