March Movie Madness 2018: Best Picture Oscar-Winning Films

Screen Shot 2018-02-21 at 7.47.26 PMEverybody likes tournaments, right? Well I like tournaments, and I’ve noticed that people seem to love tournaments even more in March. I guess it has something to do with basketball, but my sports expertise is in football, hockey, and football. The other football. No, not that football, the OTHER football! You know, the one you’re not thinking abou- you know what, forget it. The point is, it’s tournament time, and this tournament shall last throughout all of March and be voted on by the one and only, you! The plural you, not the singu- whatever, you get it. It’s time to vote!

Screen Shot 2018-02-21 at 7.47.40 PMSince the Oscars are being held in March instead of February this year, I’ve decided to theme this year’s March Movie Madness tournament around the Best Picture-winning films. Haven’t seen all of them? Well voting will last for a week each round, so you’ll have plenty of time to do your research. I’ve chosen sixty-four films for everyone to vote on for the first of six rounds, and separated them all into four brackets of sixteen. Now for the sake of getting this tournament started in a timely fashion, I will not include whatever wins Best Picture at the 90th Academy Awards to be held on Sunday, March 4. However, everything that won from 1927-2016 was up for consideration.

Screen Shot 2018-02-21 at 7.47.50 PMThe links to the polls will be posted below for all of you to access. There will be one for each bracket to make voting a little simpler for you, and also so the brackets are easier for me to make without paying a ton of money to make them. I would also appreciate it greatly if you shared this blog post with your friends so they can vote too. As the saying goes, the more the merrier!

Screen Shot 2018-02-21 at 7.48.01 PMSo what are we waiting for? The polls are open! Time to vote!

Bracket A: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CWN8KQS

Bracket B: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CW52QNY

Bracket C: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CSLNCWR

Bracket D: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CSD73S7

Oscar Commentary 2017: Ranking the Best Picture Winners (2007-2016)

There’s always a strong debate on whether the Oscars are truly relevant in showcasing the overall quality of a film, particularly with the Best Picture winner. This is especially true in recent years, as many have called the Academy’s recent choices “safe”. We could argue that all day, but I’d like to think that they’re still at least picking good movies, even if some of them haven’t aged well. With that being said, let’s take a look at the last ten movies to win Best Picture and see which ones have stood the test of time or faded away from public consciousness. I will also briefly leave my pick on what should have won that year out of the nominated films, so you won’t see mentions of such films as The Dark Knight or Drive, as they were not nominated. If you guys like it, I’ll see about doing this again next year with the upcoming Best Picture winner in mind. Until then, the list is as follows:

the-kings-speech-533x40010. The King’s Speech – This is the very definition of an inspirational film, and I do mean that in the best way. Colin Firth (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) gives the performance of his career as King George VI, finding all the best places to insert Bertie’s signature stammer in the screenplay. Under the hands of a more gutsy director, this could have been a true tour-de-force film that deserved to win Best Picture. But under the direction of Tom Hooper (Les Misérables), it just feels rather safe. However, despite it being at the bottom of my list, this is by no means a bad movie, and it still holds a special place in my heart as one of the tools I used to overcome my own stammer. Again, the very definition of an inspirational film, just not much beyond that.

Should have won: The Social Network

TheArtistMovie.jpg9. The Artist – Another safe movie, but there is a significant difference between The Artist and The King’s Speech, and that difference is what ultimately resulted in the former ranking higher on this list. Instead of being safe but inspirational like The King’s SpeechThe Artist lacks in inspiration but makes up for it by actually taking advantage of its craft. Okay, it doesn’t do that much, but this almost-completely silent film does have a couple jarring scenes with sound that are used to great effect, each showing the turmoil and development of its protagonist. The end result may not have been spectacular, but the ambition is definitely there. Sometimes, that’s enough to get you a leg up over someone else.

Should have won: Hugo

spotlight-review.png8. Spotlight – Most people might’ve forgotten that this movie won Best Picture. While that may be mostly because it came on the heels of Leonardo DiCaprio (Inception) finally winning an Oscar, I think part of the reason is how stale and unmoving it is. In some ways, that’s the film’s biggest weakness, as it’s hard to get invested in a story and characters when the story and characters themselves aren’t invested in the story and characters. But that may also be its biggest strength, as one of the major themes of the film is that the pedophile priests were in plain sight and everybody knew about them, but for one reason or another they were too afraid to say anything. Whichever way you look at it, this is definitely a film that lends itself to airing on TV, and I guess someone had the bright idea that it was meant for bigger things.

Should have won: The Revenant

poster-for-film-argo-e1354785600715.jpg7. Argo – This is the only reason I still consider Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri to be a prominent Best Picture contender this year, because very few movies have won Best Picture without even being nominated for Best Director. While many may attribute this to the film being about Hollywood swooping in and saving the day, let’s not forget that this is still a well-made thriller with some genuinely suspenseful sequences, particularly the opening raid on the American Embassy in Iran and a marketplace tour towards the end of the second act. My only real issue is that the supporting cast isn’t terribly memorable, and they’re the people who we’re supposed to care about whether or not they’re rescued. That’s why it’s not higher on this list, but it’s still worth a viewing or two nonetheless.

Should have won: Life of Pi

birdman-poster.jpg6. Birdman – Yet another film about Hollywood, though this one does take a bit of a stab at it. The theme of the film seems to be rebellion, and this is mostly shown through Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) and his daughter Sam (Emma Stone), the latter rebelling against her father who is rebelling against Hollywood and superhero films, each having provided a lot for the well-being of those under them in this rebel cycle. Basically, everybody’s biting the hand that feeds them, but the film also tries to show how that hand is also choking them, which makes us ask if either action is ever justified. The long-take (or illusion thereof) by cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (Gravity) further illustrates this rebellion against the myriads of quick cuts seen in most superhero movies, and major props to the production designers for keeping the sets filled with something interesting to look at the entire time. While it may not soar like its title character, its wings are still powerful enough to get airborne.

Should have won: Boyhood

12-years-a-slave-poster-copy.jpg5. 12 Years a Slave – You all knew we were gonna get to this one sooner or later. You don’t want to talk about it, just like you didn’t want it to win. Well, I’m with you, but I’m the one writing this blog so we’re gonna talk about it anyway. This is a cold and unforgiving portrait of slavery in pre-Civil War America, even more so when Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) had tasted freedom his whole life. As painful as it is to watch, a lot of that is thanks to the actors and how much range they bring to their performances, particularly Chiwetel Ejiofor (The Martian) and Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds). They prove that the calmest scenes can be just as unsettling as anything else when the setting is this relentlessly cruel. There, now that we’re done, we can be happy, right?

Should have won: The Wolf of Wall Street

130217moonlight.jpg4. Moonlight – It’s no mistake, Moonlight just barely missed out on the top three. As much as anyone can relate to this story, especially as someone who spent years living in and exploring South Florida, much of this film’s longevity will be because of the manner in which it was presented with the Best Picture Oscar. But while it may be too artsy for casual viewers’ tastes, it’s still a great film that tells a sprawling epic on an intimate scale. If you’ve been to South Beach, you immediately recognize it when one of the film’s key scenes begins there, even though it may look like just any other beach. It’s a film about a journey, which is what most movies are anyway, but this journey is unique to the character of Chiron and unique throughout cinema, and somehow we all saw ourselves in this journey. And that is no mistake.

Should have won: La La Land

DQmapHDoaoSMCFF2jEM7m9aXiSKU7anWGSeH7GXwsVd8da4.jpeg3. No Country for Old Men – Like Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), we’re starting to creep into darker territory here, and also where the films become more deserving of a Best Picture win. While I would not have voted for it to win, this is still a fantastic effort by the then-overdue Coen Brothers (True Grit), who infused their signature wit into a lawless and desolate wasteland that makes the Old West look like a rompin’ good time. All of the actors give it their all, but it really is Javier Bardem (Skyfall) who steals the show and everything else out from under everyone. It’s the kind of movie that slowly stalks you after you’re done watching it and appears in your thoughts when you least expect it, even though you’ve been anticipating its arrival the whole time.

Should have won: There Will Be Blood

Slumdog-Millionaire.jpg2. Slumdog Millionaire – If we don’t count the two or three or four movies that should’ve been nominated for Best Picture that year but weren’t, the Academy made the right choice picking this movie. Even if we do count them, there’s still that argument to be made. Danny Boyle (127 Hours) doesn’t shy away from showing the darker side of the slums in India, but at the same time he borrows a few tactics from Bollywood filmmaking to craft this love story that spans across time, distance, and game shows. There are plenty of dark moments, but it’s ultimately satisfying at the end, and the music by A. R. Rahman (Lagaan) fits the mood throughout the entire film. It’s a feel good movie that gives you every reason and desire to feel good. Whether you think it’s outclassed or not, it’s still one for the ages.

Should have won: Slumdog Millionaire

hurt_locker_poster_m.jpg1. The Hurt Locker – Finally at the top, we come to one of the best and most challenging war films of the 21st Century, one whose screenplay runs with the traditional hero’s journey but then flips it on its head. Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty) understood what this script was going for, and had the film shot with as much realism in order to normalize the experience of war to the audience, which is exactly the perspective we need to be in to understand the decisions made by the protagonist. For him, war is the normal world, and this is important in understanding the character and the culture we live in where we have become so desensitized to war and violence that we can’t get enough of it, almost like an addiction that we rush back to every chance we get. It’s a haunting and realistically fresh take on familiar themes and stories, but that makes it all the better because of it, and that’s why it’s the best Best Picture winner of the last decade.

Should have won: The Hurt Locker

So what have we learned? Aside from a few outliers, the safe films did drift towards the bottom of the list, while the upper half was dominated by darker films. Even when we had moments of happiness in the top half or melancholy in the bottom half, it was still balanced out (and then some) by the dominating emotion of the film. But the better films are generally more challenging, whether they challenge the audience or the filmmaking craft. Having said that, all of these films are still worth a watch. Maybe you’ll get something out of them, maybe you won’t. They all seemed to have resonated with someone if they managed to win the title of Best Picture.

Oscar Commentary 2017: LGBTQ Cinema

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Timotheé Chalamet and Armie Hammer star in Call Me By Your Name, nominated for four Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actor (Chalamet), Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Song (“Mystery of Love”).

We see it pretty much every year. A movie about a gay or lesbian couple gets nominated for a bunch of Oscars. Some say it’s a touching portrait of romance that hasn’t been explored yet, but is that true anymore if we see these films at the Oscars every single year? Some say they keep getting nominated because it’s the politically-correct thing to do, but should the artistry behind many of these films be denied? Some say they’re just good movies, but are they all really? And do all of them actually get major nominations?

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Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett were nominated for Oscars for their work in Carol, which was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, and Best Costume Design.

And this brings me to my first argument about the subject matter: Carol (2015). If you saw this movie, you know this much to be certain: Cate Blanchett commands every scene with confidence and grace and makes everyone of either sex fall in love with her, Rooney Mara perfectly captures the innocence of a young woman discovering her sexuality, and everything about the production from the cinematography to the set and costume design creates a bleak but colorful world that encapsulates 1950s America. In short, this is a great movie that deserves more praise than it got. So, why was it snubbed of a Best Picture nomination over lesser films like Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) (more on that piece of trash another time. I said another time!)? If politics had anything to do with it, it would’ve gotten the nomination for sure. But I have a different theory that might also explain why so many LGBTQ films have been getting nominations in the last decade: the sliding scale system.

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Annette Bening and Julianne Moore star in The Kids Are Alright, nominated for four Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actress (Bening), Best Supporting Actor (Mark Ruffalo), and Best Original Screenplay.

I’ll try to make this short, mostly because even the best accountants I know could never explain this no matter how hard they tried, but there’s a lot of math that comes from the Best Picture ballots of each Academy voter that determines the number of Best Picture nominees between five and ten. It usually changes every year. My point is, instead of allowing more blockbuster films like The Dark Knight (2008) to make the cut, it has incentivized studios to launch even more rigorous Oscar campaigns for smaller movies that might otherwise not make any money at the box office. And while I don’t have access to the exact numbers for Oscar voting, I can offer analysis based on what other nominations many of these movies are getting.

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Alicia Vikander and Eddie Redmayne were nominated for Oscars for their work in The Danish Girl, with the former winning Best Supporting Actress.

For example, while Carol was not nominated for Best Picture, it was recognized for Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara in Best Actress and Supporting Actress respectively, the latter being a bull$#!% move if you ask me (more on that when it’s relevant). That same year, we also saw The Danish Girl (2015) nominated for Best Actor for Eddie Redmayne, and winning Best Supporting Actress for Alicia Vikander (more bull$#!%). Also a LGBTQ film, also not nominated for Best Picture. And both films fought hard with their campaigns on the precursor awards, with Carol especially dominating many nomination counts. What ultimately happened was the sliding scale set the Best Picture count to eight, shutting both films out.

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Jared Leto won Best Supporting Actor for Dallas Buyers Club, which also won Best Actor (Matthew McConaughey) and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

So that’s what happens when the sliding scale shuts out LGBTQ films entirely. What about when they do get nominated for Best Picture? Films like Dallas Buyers Club (2013) and Call Me By Your Name (2017) cover similar subject matter and made the Best Picture cut, both in years where there were nine nominees. What does this have to do with anything? A lot, actually. Best Picture is the only category that is able to have more than five nominees, and the one category that almost always ties itself to Best Picture is Best Director. Especially in the age of the sliding scale, if your film is nominated for Best Director, it’s most likely nominated for Best Picture as well. What’s interesting to note is that while the aforementioned films, along with The Kids Are Alright (2010), were nominated for Best Picture in their respective years, they all missed out on Best Director. Which means the sliding scale was probably the only reason these films got in. So, does it ever actually happen for LGBTQ films to make it big at the Oscars? Well, yes.

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Moonlight won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali), and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Once-in-awhile you’ll see this kind of movie get nominated for most of the major awards, and maybe even win Best Picture like Moonlight (2016). But it should also be noted that not only did Barry Jenkins lose Best Director to Damien Chazelle for La La Land (2016), the film arguably also capitalized on the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag that had been going around for a couple years prior, and here comes a film about a poor gay black kid from Miami that takes all the gold. If there’s one thing the Academy loves more than a socially-relevant topic, it’s multiple socially-relevant topics. There’s also The Imitation Game (2014), securing nominations for Best Picture and Best Director, and just like the aforementioned Moonlight, winning Best Adapted Screenplay. But that was also a WWII movie which, again, Oscar campaigns can’t get enough of. Seriously, Dunkirk (2017) AND Darkest Hour (2017)? Do we really need both in the same year?

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Keira Knightley and Benedict Cumberbatch were nominated for Oscars for The Imitation Game, which won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.

But one other thing that those two films have in common is they take more advantage of the art and science of filmmaking than, say, Call Me By Your NameThe Imitation Game is edited together like a puzzle that you have to solve, the order of each flashback or flashforward planned very carefully so the story still flows organically and reveals come naturally to both the audience and the other characters. Moonlight took risks in its cinematography and music, using a cerebral tone to get its audience into Chiron’s mindset. While I don’t think all of its risks paid off (ex. slo-mo reverse shot), it still went above and beyond the generic shot composition most films of its type would’ve attempted.

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Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger were nominated for Oscars for Brokeback Mountain, which won Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Director (Ang Lee).

And going back years further before the sliding scale, you see these films less and less, with the occasional nominations and wins for films like Brokeback Mountain (2005), Milk (2008), and Philadelphia (1993). But that was back when we still only had five nominees for Best Picture, and also when the subject was far more controversial than it is today. So, what can we gather from all this? That politics has everything to do with these films getting nominations, but also nothing at all. Campaigns are everything, but the current system is so screwed up that the politics are either completely obvious and/or don’t matter. The LGBTQ community can say they have victory by getting Best Picture nominated films, but they really don’t mean much when they’re obviously included just to fill a quota. Seriously though, what was up with snubbing Carol?