A Review of the Oscars

This review will announce news surrounding the Oscars so be warned, also the following is very much my opinion versus my normal reviews so be aware of that.

So before I go any further I'll provide a list of the categories I will not be discussing which are: Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Documentary- both feature and short subject, Best Live Action Short Film, Best Sound Mixing or Best Film Editing. This is because I have not seen the films Whiplash, Boyhood, Ida, Citizenfour, Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 or The Phone Call.

I will rank the Award's that have been given as:

• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree

 So without further ado a critique of the 87th Academy Awards...

Best Visual Effects: Interstellar (Disagree)

Interstellar's selling point was probably the effects; it certainly wasn't the script or the acting. However when you observe the film as a whole and compare it to some of the other films that were nominated you fast realise that there were two films cheated of this award. Firstly Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was an exceptional adventure into motion capture effects; a modern feat that sets Dawn on the same level if not higher to that of Interstellar. I also think Guardians of the Galaxy, another nominee, deserved the award a lot more. The entire venture was incredibly beautiful in how this science fiction epic was painted to the viewer; the detail and effort that was put into the film was a lot more obvious than that of Interstellar. Once again some evidence of the Academy choosing the 'intelligent' film over the blockbuster.

Best Costume Design: Grand Budapest Hotel (Disagree)

Grand Budapest Hotel was a very bright and colourful film with some delightful displays of costume to enhance this ensemble feature. However it still felt very uniform throughout and the altering costumes felt more like a gimmick than Academy Award material. Two of the nominees that deserved the award much more than Grand Budapest did was Maleficent and Into the Woods. Maleficent had some wonderful design and especially put a lot of detail into creating a brilliant fantasy world; from the robes of Maleficent to the armour that Sharlto Copley wore. Into the Woods wasn't my favourite film, but it really did have some of the best costumes of the year; it's theatrical and fairy tale costume pieces created a true testament to the original Broadway musical.

Best Make-up and Hairstyling: Grand Budapest Hotel (Disagree)

Grand Budapest Hotel had some very basic hair and make-up work done within the film, I think some hairstyles and Tilda Swinton's age make-up barely qualify this as Academy Award noteworthy. The film that should have won this category was Guardians of the Galaxy, with make-up artists and hairstylists who had to plan in creating unique appearances and prosthetics for alien cultures. The depth and scope of design the visuals of these characters was an effort worthy of the award it was denied.

Best Cinematography: Birdman (Agreed)

In my review for Birdman I noted that the camerawork was a negative, that it helped the narrative drag on. I still stand by that completely, it was a film that dragged in places, however Birdman's cinematography was still quite inspired to watch and certainly showed the most skill of the nominated films. The continuous tracking shot that this film gravitated around was seamless and really quite an inspiring thing to watch. Well deserved Oscar there.

Best Production Design: Grand Budapest Hotel (Agreed)

Grand Budapest Hotel wasn't a great film and really hasn't deserved a lot of the awards that it's gotten, but if there is one award that it deserved to get it was the award for production design. Grand Budapest had some amazing sets, the intricacy and detail that went into them was awe inspiring. Wes Anderson's talented crew certainly put a lot into developing some brilliant theatrical environments.

Best Sound Editing: American Sniper (Disagree)

As everyone who reads my reviews knows, I wasn't a big fan of American Sniper. However I was very complimentary of it's technical prowess as a film. This does not mean it was the best film in terms of sound editing. in fact there were two films that deserved that title more and one that was just as good as Sniper was. Interstellar shared a sound edit that bore close resemblance to the level American Sniper was at, in that it had loud and intense moments of action contrasting with intense moments of silence. The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies had  better sound editing than either film, from the intense battle scenes to the really great moments of drama portrayed between characters. Yet Birdman was the film that really got cheated of an award here, the amount of effort that must have gone into matching sound with continuous tracking shots is a feat worth awarding.

Best Original Song: 'Glory' from Selma (Agreed)

This was the high point of the Academy Awards for me, there was no other song that deserved to win in my mind. Selma was a film that came at the right time for the modern day civil rights movement and that is shown in the song 'Glory', in which modern moments like Ferguson are contrasted against actions taken in the past such as bus boycotts. Common and John Legend have made a song to be remembered in this piece.

Best Original Score: Grand Budapest Hotel (Agreed)

Grand Budapest Hotel was a fast paced period comedy that thrived when it came to it's score. The incredible tempo of the music really heightened the music in every scene to the extent that the score almost became a character in itself. I think you can see how much effort went into this score and it was well deserving of the award it was given.

Best Animated Short Film: Feast (Agreed)

Feast being the only animated short film that I've seen means that I can't say too much about it. What I will say though is that Feast is an exemplary film about family and love and the brilliant perspective of the film was quite uniquely Disney as well. I certainly suggest giving it a watch if you haven't seen it yet.

Best Animated Feature Film: Big Hero Six (Agreed)

That Big Hero Six was the best animated film came as no surprise to me at all, already it is my number one film of 2015. The blending of cultural characters from a company that usually celebrates American culture was a huge step forward. I also loved the themes of recovering from personal loss, especially at a young age; it showed a depth to Disney's capacity for making deeply engaging plots. It easily bested the rather weird, contemporary Boxtrolls and Dreamworks Dragons sequel.

Best Adapted Screenplay: The Imitation Game (Agreed)

The Imitation Game was one of the best Academy Award nominated films this year. It was an incredibly engaging film that I'd describe as one of the better biopics of the year. The pacing, tone and general plot was so eloquent and witty that there was no doubt in my mind that it's screen play would win an award.

Best Original Screenplay: Birdman (Disagree)

Birdman certainly had a stand out original script, the intense themes that were discussed over a film that felt linear and abstract at the same time nearly makes it worthy of the award it was given. However I am of the mind that Nightcrawler was cheated out of an award in this category, it too shared intense themes around a linear yet abstract plot. Nightcrawler succeeded Birdman in that it had a better understanding of how to write characters from a psychological perspective as well as create realistic characters. Birdman thrived in it's theatricality but it certainly had nothing on Nightcrawler's spectacular engaging plot.

Best Actress: Julianne Moore (Neutral)

Frankly this is an award that cannot be decided easily, I don't disagree that Julianne Moore gave an Academy Award performance but I feel like she had some competitors that are worthy of note. Moore gave a fantastic portrayal of early on set Alzheimer's Disease in Still Alice, you just felt incredibly upset for her as the film progressed. Reese Witherspoon, who played Cheryl Strayed in Wild; gave an incredible display of character development and growth in a similar example to Moore's development for the negative. Rosamund Pike, who was my personal pick for best actress; created one of the most brilliant psychopathic portrayals of a female lead and really defined her skill as an actress.

Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne (Disagree)

Redmayne played Stephen Hawking in an extraordinarily talented fashion, it was some inspired work as an actor. It was not the best performance given by an actor this year. In fact the best actor this year was Benedict Cumberbatch, who played Alan turing in The Imitation Game. The incredible struggle he depicted was beautiful to watch; the capacity he had to juggle a man who was homosexual, autistic and a revolutionary genius was no small feat. He certainly trumped Redmayne's performance.

Best Directing: Alejandro G. Innaritu (Agreed)

Innaritu's work on Birdman was incredible, and while I wasn't as kind to the film as I could have been in my reviews I greatly admire what this man made. The amount of effort it must have taken to set up a shot that kept moving for anywhere around ten minutes of the scene before a subtle cut or edit would have taken a lot of skill to direct. This man has easily set himself up for some great things from here on out, his work on Birdman will be out there for all to see after this awards season.

Best Picture: Birdman (Disagree)

Birdman was a thought provoking film that really examined film itself as well as the state of the current cinematic industry. It was not the best film of the year. The Imitation Game and The Theory of Everything alone were better than it quite easily. The film that really deserved the Oscar for best picture was the same film I provided a still of at the start of this critique; Selma. Selma has fast become one of my favourite films of the year, with some powerful messages about civil rights and how both African American and White people perceive these issues. Some stunning performances across the board, even for minor characters, Selma was a true testament to film making. Where's the award at Academy? Sitting with the film about films, how quaint.

Mortdecai

This review may contain spoilers!

This film is rife with sexism, elitism, cheap humour, country bashing, stereotypes and Johnny Depp's tired acting. I would give Mortdecai a 2.5/10.

The cinematography within this film was really well done; the constant sweeping movements enhanced the spectacle of the film entirely.

Gwyneth Paltrow, who played Johanna, was very regal in her role; there was certainly a degree of elegance within her that the rest of the film failed to achieve.

Ewan McGregor, who played Martland, certainly stood out to me as the best actor within the film. His witty remarks and cunning dialogue delivery was what really set him apart from the other actors within this film. He brought a range of depth to the role itself, never dropping his strong performance.

Despite these few good qualities Mortdecai is an abomination as a film. The cheap and disgusting humour that includes sexism, country bashing, elitism and toilet humour is tiresome and hard to watch. Nor is the plot particularly engaging or well done; you want to leave the cinema after the first half hour. The music was also nothing memorable, never striking you as a powerful score from the get go. The worst film I've seen in two years.

Johnny Depp, who played Mortdecai, gave the most strained and basic performance of a character that I've seen in years; probably time for him to hang up the acting hat. Paul Bettany, who played Jock, was a very exaggerated role; his chemistry with other characters did not feel very genuine at all. Olivia Munn, who played Georgina, was just a walking sex symbol and had no character depth. Jonny Pasvolsky, who played Emil, was a weak antagonist and was threatening at all. Michael Culkin, who played Sir Graham, was dithering, bumbling and blustering; a barely intelligble performance on Culkin's part.

Wild

This review may contain spoilers!

The incredible feminist life changing story that made me actually like Reese Witherspoon. I would give Wild an 8.5/10.

The way this story is told through irregular flashbacks and an amazing present day adventure is perfect; the right way to show a character's grief and triumph in a personal struggle. This film maintains a perfect pace while alternating it's tone in a really refreshing manner throughout the film. The music was very serene and in a way atmospheric and reflective; this use of music matched the rest of the film in just the right way. The journey within the film was shown through some brilliant cinematography; the landscape through the lead's eyes was portrayed excellently.

Laura Dern, who played Bobbi, was an incredibly powerful and wise role; her optimism and and perspective on life was a refreshing parallel to other characters within the film. Thomas Sadoski, who played Paul, really felt like this reluctant friend within Wild; he gave a very genuine performance. W. Earl Brown, who played Frank, was quite a gruff and comedic character; he lightened the mood of the film considerably and set the pace for that from there on out. Kevin Rankin, who played Greg, was a really impressive pillar of support for the lead; a very light spirited role and a well performed one.

Yet this film was dominated by Reese Witherspoon, who played Cheryl. Witherspoon isn't usually the first on my list of favourite actors but she owned this film entirely. You watch this film for the fire and spirit she puts into Cheryl; it's incredibly hard to separate her from the character. She gives such a strong genuine performance that you feel for her in every situation that she is put in. She's incredibly deserving of her best actress nomination.

The editing within this film didn't help the sometimes slower narrative; even when action picked up you didn't feel quite like it had.

Keene McRae, who played Leif, was quite a wooden actor; his portrayal of grief wasn't very convincing at all.

Project Almanac

This review may contain spoilers!

It's basically Chronicle with time travel; actually it's exactly like Chronicle except with time travel. I would give Project Almanac a 5.5/10.

The shooting style for Project Almanac was very well done, the shots were inventive and maintained a strong home video feel to the film. I was also very impressed with the visual effects within the film, the time machine and the effects that happened around it were quite simple but looked incredible. A lot has to be said for the pacing of the film as well, it moved quick and had some great comedy as well as character chemistry. The music within this film was brilliant; both within the concert scene and the opening scene there was some brilliant lyrical pieces.

Sofia Black-D'Elia, who played Jessie Pierce, was a great character; she circumvented being confined to just a love interest or popular girl to becoming a fun and engaging character. Allen Evangelista, who played Adam Le, was a great comedic supporting role; his performance as Weston's best friend was a strong emotional arc.

Yet it was Sam Lerner, who played Quinn Goldberg, that really owned this film. His hilarious and carefree persona was probably the most accurate depiction of a teenager who discovers time travel. I think the scene where he buys his car as well as the scene where he aces his chemistry test are some of the peaks of the film.

This is ultimately a film that strays into stereotype and the plot itself isn't wildly different from the other famous found footage film, Chronicle. Beyond that the style of found footage always winds up feeling very forced and I certainly wasn't incredibly impressed with how the style of the film progressed. the end shot was a cheap choice.

Jonny Weston, who played David Raskin, wasn't a very good lead; his performance was quite confused and it didn't seem like he knew quite how to portray his character. Virginia Gardner, who played Christina Gardner, got put in a corner in that she was ultimately written to be the 'hot girl character' as well as the best friend's love interest, which was disappointing as she had some good scenes outside of that.

Still Alice

This review may contain spoilers!

This is an awe inspiring performance with a leading actress who really stuns. I would give Still Alice an 8/10.

Still Alice is a masterfully informative story about the trauma of living with early onset Alzheimer's disease, frankly it's just a brilliant look into living with the disease as well as the impact upon friends and family. The score to this film was really impactful as it fluctuated and moved in tempo with the lead's bouts of illness. The cinematography was also incredible, it was simple but effective in that we saw the camera focus so intently upon the lead character. We saw her entire progress through her illness due to that camera work. I also think a lot can be said for the editing which jumped between making scenes linger to show her getting lost within her own mind to abrupt jump cuts for the sudden impact of being pulled out of that. I think it was a highly intelligent film.

Kate Bosworth, who played Anna Howland-Jones, was really good in becoming a family member who didn't know how to deal with her mother's illness effectively; you came to dislike her for this but the talent was in Bosworth not turning her character into a bad character. Alec Baldwin, who played John Howland, was a really great gradual performance of character development; his attempts to help but his ultimate lack of support really grounded him as a character. Stephen Kunken, who played Dr. Benjamin, was really a good supporting role; his support and contribution to the story was really quite enjoyable.

This movie was without a doubt owned by Julianne Moore's performance of Alice Howland. Her intense portrayal of Alzheimer's and the progress of the disease is incredibly humbling. There is one scene where I think you can especially see her incredible work which is when she gives a speech to an Alzheimer's group. It was so powerful and so much effort had been put into it by her quite clearly that I was incredibly impressed.

The film was let down by it's pacing; this movie was slow and it felt like it. There was elements of the film that made scenes feel boring or that damaged your connection to the plot as an audience member.

Shane McRae, who played Charlie Howland-Jones, was a character that lacked screen presence and was really only present to enhance Bosworth's performance. Hunter Parrish, who played Tom Howland, was a really underdeveloped character out of all the children; you certainly cared about him least as a character within the film. Kristen Stewart, who played Lydia Howland, was very clearly not trying to give a diverse performance; her emotional range as an actress just did not vary at all.

The Wedding Ringer

This review may contain spoilers!

This is the kind of comedy that you walk into knowing that it's a B-list film, I mean it ends on a Lost reference. I would give The Wedding Ringer a 4.5/10.

This film really hits it high with the comedic plot, frankly the film really gives it's all to keep you amused. The pacing was great and the two lead actors had some fantastic chemistry which really aided that. I also have to give special mention to the music used within this film, the great use of music humour added to more than one scene in this film.

Josh Gad, who played Doug Harris, was remarkably charming and bumbling in his leading role; his chemistry with Hart was incredibly great to watch as well. Jorge Garcia, who played Lurch/Garvey, was quite fun to watch in this film; he came with some great references and a really heartwarming speech. Corey Holcomb, who played Otis/Alzado, was really a bit of a charming role. Alan Ritchson, who played Kip/Carew, gave a really nice performance; he certainly was one of the more bumbling characters that you really felt for. Aaron Takahashi, who played Endo/Rambis, was really one of the characters who gave a great performance during the speech scene; his comedic inserts throughout the film were really great especially the Titanic audition. Jenifer Lewis, who played Doris Jenkins, really stunned in her performance; there was even a scene in which she outshined Hart. Olivia Thirlby, who played Alison Palmer, was a fantastic counterpart to Hart and they shared some great chemistry.

But really this was a film owned by Kevin Hart, who played Jimmy Callahan/Bic. Hart showed that he had the skills to play a variety of characters and emotion within the entire film; he was constantly alert. His chemistry onscreen with Gad essentially made the entire film. But I really have to say that I have a lot of respect for Hart as a comedic actor, he understands how to balance plot with humour and doesn't make the mistake of defaulting to humour to carry the film forward.

Yet as a film The Wedding Ringer felt more like a B list comedy when all is said and done; the plot had some serious cheap jokes and scenes. The construction of an exact antagonist was hard to pin down and I don't think the film really took itself seriously enough. The cinematography and editing also created a fairly trashy vibe that did nothing to improve the film in my eyes.

Affion Crockett, who played Reggie/Drysdale, was such a background character that you never really felt his presence. Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, who played Gretchen Palmer, wasn't a very clear antagonist; I still have no idea how much of a bad person she really was in hindsight. Dan Gill, who played Bronstein/Dickerson, was another character who just faded into the background and lacked screen presence. Ken Howard, who played Ed Palmer, was just this stock stereotype performance that added nothing to the film. Colin Kane, who played Fitzgibbons/Plunkett, was a character with some awful character traits who was rewarded for never really getting redemption by the end of the film; an example of some of the poorly written character work. Ignaccio Serricchio, who played Edmundo/Dirty Eddy Sanchez, played two stereotypes which was quite disappointing to watch.

Unbroken

This review may contain spoilers!

This is probably one of the more boring war stories that I have ever seen. I would give Unbroken a 6/10.

The story itself flourishes in it's ability to portray the intense horrors of war upon a character that we as an audience have grown to empathise with strongly. Furthermore this film has a great score that really moves between the varying acts strongly. The special effects were also incredible, I think quite highly of all of the scenes that had aerial gunfire or gunfights.

Jack O'Connell, who played Louis Zamperini, was a fantastic leading actor; he portrayed a character that strived to be someone amazing and admirable but then had to suffer greatly. C.J. Valleroy, John D'Leo and Alex Russell, who played Young Louie, Young Pete and Older Pete respectively, didn't have much time in the film to create an amazing back story; yet it fast became a highlight of the film to see the relationships and bonds formed between these two characters as they grew older.

I found that it was Garrett Hedlund, who played Fitzgerald, that shined in this film. The guy felt like a soldier, in a film where most of the actors felt like they were playing soldiers. Hedlund gave a rugged portrayal of a prisoner of war and shined as a very clear leader, it was more inspiring when he stood up to Watanabe than when Zamperini did.

The film had a first act that bounced around and grounded itself in falshback too much, a second act that dragged on for far too long and essentially a final act that you could have figured out from the trailer. Basically it was a very poorly written and structured film. The cinematography and editing did not help this with long lingering shots and a lack of imagination in how things were captured which only served to make the film seem to drag on for longer.

Domhnall Gleeson, who played Phil, was a very weak character; he had next to no presence up until the point where you didn't even notice when his character left. Takamasa Ishihara, who played Watanabe, was a very weak antagonist; it was like watching a child act in the sense that it was only the action of the scene that ever made him look good. Finn Wittrock, who played Mac, was just a confusing character to watch; his slow breakdown and then death was more pathetic than tragic.

American Sniper

Welcome to a film that is essentially racism in a nicely packaged film. I would give American Sniper an extremely reluctant 7/10.

First up I have to really compliment the film's visual style, I really enjoyed how it looked. There was a great amount of effort taken to show the gritty nature of war. Furthermore the effects within this film were very well done, especially in the final mission. I really enjoyed the score, it made the film feel very frantic and gave it a very intense psychological edge. As a film there was also some great pacing, it's four tour structure meant that it became an easy to watch narrative. If you look at this film from the psychological perspective of a lone soldier this is actually a great display of the impact war has on a man over an extended duration.

Jake McDorman, who played Biggles, was certainly one of the more likeable characters within the film; he was definitely one of the funniest.

Bradley Cooper, who played Chris Kyle, certainly gave the best performance within the film. His wild range of emotions and ability to swing between them made him a real loose cannon character. Beyond this he had a great likeable demeanour and gave a display of integrity and camaraderie towards his fellow soldiers that really distinguished him as a character.

American Sniper is racist trash that glamorises the Iraqi invasion and is essentially propaganda for the America's modern warfare. It's a gross trick to make a nice film but to imbue it with such heavy disrespectful material is a line crossed. I will not give this film the rating it has been getting for it's not so subtle tendency towards a one sided argument. It is a script that pats America on the back for it's mistakes. I have nothing against servicemen, I think being a serviceman is an honourable thing. I do not condone the mentality of a no consequences military invasion of a third world country.

Keir O'Donnell, who played Jeff Kyle, was lacking in his screen time and really lacked the emotional depth for a major role. Sienna Miller, who played Taya, was the weak plot line of the life at home; but really she was a double standard: a woman who swore she'd never go near a soldier and then did (give me a break). Luke Grimes, who played Marc Lee, gave an highly exaggerated performance; his erratic mood swings felt artificial. Sammy Sheik, who played Mustafa, was robbed of a character that seemed much more interesting that Cooper's; robbed in the sense that he is representative of how one sided this film was as we never learnt this character's psychology or story.