Reviews of the Best Picture Nominees

AMERICAN SNIPER

Well on its way to becoming the highest grossing film of 2014, American Sniper is probably the most talked about of the Best Picture nominees and definitely the most seen by far. Does that say anything about its quality? Not really. The discussion, and many peoples view, of the film is based more on the politics presented than the film's true quality. In truth, the film is more of a character study than a political message film, keeping its focus on Chris Kyle rather than the war. This is a major strength of the film, as it gives Bradley Cooper a lot of material to work with in crafting a fantastic performance. However, much of the film feels like a missed opportunity. The story goes back and forth between Kyle's tours in the Middle East and his time back home, dealing with PTSD. The storyline of his home life could have made this film a truly great examination of how the war affects the soldiers when they get back, and how our country can do better to help these men. Instead, the filmmakers seem uncomfortable with this storyline, as though they don't know what to do with it beyond just showing Chris Kyle having PTSD. Instead, they put a heavier focus on the action aspect of the film, which has some truly remarkable sequences but little that we haven't seen before. This is a very strong war film with a great lead performance, but it could have been so much more than it is. B+

BIRDMAN

Our likely winner this year, Birdman is a film about the mental toll that the arts can take on those who are involved in them. The film is chock full of great actors giving some of their strongest performances yet, with Emma Stone and Michael Keaton easily giving career-best performances. The acting and the dialogue are fun and light and give the film a real sense of momentum. As well, the film's long tracking shots (edited together to look like one continuous shot) are a fun and beautiful way of telling the story, even if they are more fun than essential. Every scene in the film is an entertaining, and funny examination of these characters who are involved in a very strange way of life. Perhaps the film works somewhat better as a group of scenes than as a whole (a few moments suggest that the filmmaker's weren't 100% clear on their final message) but its one of the most interesting and entertaining movies of the year nonetheless. A-

BOYHOOD

Any of you who have seen my Spearie Awards know that this was, in my opinion, the best film that came out in the past year. There are many reasons for this, most of which I have been over. The fact that this movie was made over twelve years, as the actors grew up, could have been nothing more than a gimmick, but because Richard Linklater put so much effort into finding the most realistic way to have his characters grow and change through the times it instead becomes an integral way to tell a one-of-a-kind story. This is a slice of life film, so there is no overarching story beyond showing the life of a boy as he grows up. There are no shocking moments, no straining of suspension of disbelief, just many moments in a young man's life, seeing who he was and who he becomes in as realistic a way as has been portrayed outside of documentaries. Definitely a once in a lifetime film. A

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
I have already reviewed this film here so I will not say any more about it here beyond the fact that it is an incredibly beautiful and fun film that perhaps spreads its cast a little too thin in some ways and features some bizarre tonal shifts. B

THE IMITATION GAME  

There isn't all that much in The Imitation Game that is totally new. However, there is plenty in the film that hasn't been done better. Telling the story of Alan Turing, the man who cracked the Enigma code, making a gigantic contribution to the allies winning WWII and subsequently getting glossed over by history for it, The Imitation Game does many things in a unique way. The film manages to turn the creation of a computer into a race against time as exciting as any thriller this year. As well, Benedict Cumberbatch's wonderful performance as Turing manages to take a very cold and logical man and make it easy for viewers to create an emotional attachment to the character. There's not much else to say beyond the fact that this film is filmmaking firing on all cylindars, and left me with perhaps the strongest emotional impact of any film this year. A

SELMA

Speaking of glossed over. Selma's story with the Academy is a strange one. Despite fantastic reception, Selma received virtually zero nominations from any of the major awards this year. Most signs point to the film's late completion as the reason for this, as the film was not finished in time to mount a true awards campaign. This is really a shame, as Selma, like The Imitation GAme, is simply filmmaking at its finest. Selma effortlessly finds a way to take issues that are fifty years old and make them feel incredibly relevant today. It is a brutally honest and unforgiving film, but at the same time, one that is hopeful and inspiring. In another world, Selma was completed on time and was able to achieve the recognition it deserves, but instead it is a strange story, and a film that will likely go down in history more than some of its more-nominated brethren. A

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING

The Theory of Everything features some amazing performances from Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones as Stephen Hawking and his wife Jane Wilde. Beyond the two leads, however, this film is fairly standard biopic fare. While Redmayne is very great as Hawking, skillfully portraying the disease he developed and how he dealt with its effects, the real star of the film is Felicity Jones. While she doesn't have the disease angle to play, she expertly shows the conflict at the heart of the woman, someone who loves her husband but has tremendous difficulty making it through the day having to take care of him. Her vulnerability is incredibly tangible and she manages to steal the movie right out from under Redmayne. Hopefully this movie will make her a star. Although beyond the leads there isn't too much that is incredibly interesting, and the aging work on the makeup is simply bad, although they do a great job creating the disease. B+

WHIPLASH

Unfairly this is probably the least seen of the nominees. This is truly a shame, as it is possibly the most unique of the eight, save for Boyhood. Written and directed by 28 year old Damien Chazelle, Whiplash tells the story of a young man with a lot of potential and the no-nonsense mentor who helped him realize that potential. However, this film twists that cliche on its head by taking the naive but promising upstart and turning him into a talented but self righteous narcissist, and taking the gruff-but-vulnerable, tough love based teacher and turning him into a sociopath who will stop at nothing to get what he needs from his students. The result is a film that is more thriller than mentor story, and one of the most intense and unpredictable experiences of the year, and one that creates perhaps the most memorable villain of the year. A