Writing about movies and the Oscars is like giving wedding gifts. You have one calendar year to do so. It’s true. You can look it up. That’s why I’m actually early with my 2015 AOBPNR (Annual Oscar Best Picture Nomination Recap.)
2015 was a shitty year. Thankfully there were some pretty good movies to serve as a distraction. For a few hours you could escape to an uncharted wilderness or a vast, hostile wasteland (no, not Arizona in August). You could immerse yourself in the world of high finance or cold war espionage. You could transport yourself to 1950’s Brooklyn or even Mars.
So without further ado (God knows we have more than enough ado. You can’t swing a stick without hitting someone’s ado. Enough ado.) here’s my ranking of those movies who received a Best Picture nomination in 2015.
- The Revenant (R) - Director Alejandro G. Inarritu had me at the opening sequence, which has been described as an ‘expertly choreographed piece of beautiful madness,’ and apparently took one month of rehearsals. From there the main character embarks on 2 hours and 36 minutes of sheer hell, including the now-famous bear attack and riding a horse off a cliff.
There are all sorts of articles on the difficulty with which this film was made - the remoteness, the decision to shoot with natural light only - but unlike Boyhood where the production was one of the only things Oscar worthy, Revenant was impressive across the board, all the way down to Tom Hardy’s killer Tom Berenger impersonation. I would have voted this Best Picture, but I understand why it didn’t get it (see below.)
Winner: Best Actor in a Leading Role; Best Director; Best Cinematography - Room (R) - Ripped from the headlines, room refers to the shed where Brie Larson’s character is held after a deranged man kidnaps her. Larson deservedly won Best Actress but her child, born in the room and played by Jacob Tremblay, is equally if not more impressive.
Surprisingly, most of the story takes place after the pair are rescued, showing the struggle each face in readjusting to a normal life. It would have been easy to go the other route and spend more time on the captivity - kudos to writer Emma Donoghue for showing the story few think about in these cases.
Winner: Best Actress in a Leading Role
- The Big Short (R) - I know what you’re thinking, how could you make a movie about the mortgage housing crisis of 2005 and hedge funds and it NOT be entertaining?
As they say, it all starts with the writing and you won’t find any movie where that’s more true than here. The cast (Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, etc.) execute a tight, smart script very well, making a complex event relatable and even fun. It may piss you off, but it’s worth it.
Winner, Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
- Brooklyn (PG-13) - Watching Brooklyn is like watching a novel, which is appropriate because it was based on one, and impressive because I’m assuming that means the adaptation was done extremely well.
Brooklyn is also a very pretty film, in that you could tell that most of the shots of 1950’s New York had a lot of thought put into them by a creative DP. As someone who has tried to make a film or two, the colors, composition, angles, etc. of certain films blow me away.
- Spotlight (R) - This Best Picture winner could be 4A in that I put it on equal footing as Brooklyn. Sometimes Hollywood rewards movies for the message (Crash anyone?) I think Spotlight falls into this category.
The story revolves around the Boston-based news team that uncovered the scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the Catholic Church. It’s a solid film, don’t get me wrong, with a great ensemble cast that couldn’t even be derailed by Michael Keaton’s come-and-go Boston accent. But to put it on the same level, or above, The Revenant? With everything that went into that film? I don’t think so.
- The Martian (PG13) — Even though this Matt Damon vehicle completely left out any mention of the Illudium Q-36 space modulator, it was a pretty entertaining 2:24 (does anyone make movies under 2 hours any more?) I think I might have liked this more had it not come out a few short years after Gravity, but Damon is nothing if he isn’t likable and he’s saved far lesser movies before.
Bonus Trivia: Though shut out from any Oscars, The Martian won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical. There was no singing. So when you watch this film, try to imagine the kind of person who would call it not only a comedy, but a great comedy, and remember that the next time someone tells you that you don’t have a great sense of humor.
- Mad Max: Fury Road (R) - Having this movie this low means I’ve lost probably half of the few people who would ever read this. Sorry, while it was definitely a visual spectacle that few I’ve ever seen can match, there were just some pretty substantial holes once you looked beyond the setting and Charlize Theron.
I love Tom Hardy, but this was probably his weakest role yet. And while that isn’t his fault - he didn’t have much to work with - it didn’t help. And don’t get me started on that fire-shooting guitar guy.
Winner: 6 Oscars including editing, costume design, makeup, sound mixing, etc.
- Bridge of Spies (PG13) — I’d been warned by multiple people that BOS was about as exciting as watching paint dry, however I am pleased to report that isn’t the case, at least with your basic, primary colors. If we’re talking something flashier, say Tuscany Sunrise, maybe in a gloss…
You may have to leave the country to find someone who doesn’t care for Tom Hanks, and Best Supporting Actor winner Mark Rylance nailed his role as the spy. The bridge was pretty convincing too, now that I think about it. But in the end it’s another Steven Spielberg pic, heavy on the cheese. A recent film class I attended said Spielberg always has the ‘three z’s’ in his pics - haze, gaze and zoom. Sure enough, all could be found in this cold war drama that your father probably loved.
Winner: Best Actor in a Supporting Role
- Ex Machina (R) - Technically this did not receive a Best Pic nomination however it should have. A great, original screenplay, executed perfectly by the cast. A thought-provoking story paired with technologically-impressive production. This one stayed with me and no, it’s not just because of Alicia Vikander as a sexy robot. That was only 20% why. 25% tops.
Winner: Best Visual Effects
- Straight Outta Compton (R) - another one that should have received more Oscar love than it did. At the very least a Best Actor nod for O’Shea Jackson Jr., who played his father, Ice Cube. No weak links in the cast and a captivating story about a band (NWA) and an industry that sadly flew under the radar of this pasty kid who grew up in a small, rural town.
