79th Annual Academy Award Nominations

In a slight departure from my normal posts about Photoshop and photography, the nominations for the 79th Annual Academy Awards have been announced. I've done an initial look through the list but will write more later once I get home from work.

UPDATE:
After having a chance to review the nominees for the 79th Oscars, and having not yet seen a number of the films that received nods this year, I will only make my picks based on the performances I have seen. So for what it's worth...

Best Actor:
Leonardo DiCaprio - Blood Diamond
*Will Smith - The Pursuit of Happyness
Forest Whitaker - The Last King of Scotland (he'll probably win, though)

Best Supporting Actor:
Alan Arkin - Little Miss Sunshine
*Djimon Hounsou - Blood Diamond

Best Supporting Actress:
Abigail Breslin - Little Miss Sunshine
(I really liked her performance but I don't think she'll get it.)

Best Animated Feature:
*Cars
(Once again, Pixar hits one out of the park.)

Art Direction:
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Cinematography:
Children of Man
The Illusionist

Editing:
*Blood Diamond
Children of Men

Original Song:
*"Our Town" - Cars

Best Picture:
*Little Miss Sunshine
(I loved this film but I think it's certainly the underdog.)

Sound Editing/Sound Mixing:
Blood Diamond
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Visual Effects:
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
*Superman Returns
(I didn't like it but the effects were pretty good.)

Adapted Screenplay:
Children of Men

Original Screenplay:
*Little Miss Sunshine
(Again, its an underdog. If it doesn't win Best Picture, it should definitely grab Original Screenplay.)

Oscar Review: Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Well, here it is, our final review in the Oscar Review series of Best Pictures leading up to tomorrow night's 78th Academy Awards ceremonies (8pm EST on ABC). There were a few moments in there when I didn't think I'd make it through the 37 reviews I had set for myself. I've tried to be fair with those I didn't particularly like but because you're dealing with stories that convey such emotional depth, it's hard to not be subjective. I hope you enjoyed following along as much as I have enjoyed taking this stroll through movie history.

And now, for last year's winner...

Winner of 4 of its 7 nominations - including Best Picture, Director (Clint Eastwood), Actress (Hilary Swank with her second award from as many nominations), and Supporting Actor (Morgan Freeman, his first) - Million Dollar Baby is a moving tale of courage, hard work, and finding family.

Frankie Dunn (Eastwood) and his friend Scrap (Freeman) run a gym for up and coming boxers. One day, all-heart but few skills Maggie Fitzgerald (Swank) walks in looking for a trainer. Frankie doesn't train girls but because of her persistence and drive, he gives Maggie a shot.

Quickly making her way up the rankings, Maggie and Frankie develop a strong bond that goes beyond the sweaty gym. When Maggie's family shows nothing but selfishness and greed, and Frankie runs out of hope for reclaiming ties with his own family, the pair reach out to each other for the support they need.

When tragedy strikes while in the ring, Frankie is faced with an overwhelming decision that strikes him to the core. If he chooses one option he'll be going against his faith and his own desire. If he chooses the other he will be leaving his "Mo Chuisle" to live a life she doesn't want.
*****
Up against formidable opponents in the nominations for Best Picture - Ray, Finding Neverland, and Sideways (that I've seen) - Million Dollar Baby came out on top to snag the statuette. Each of its fellow nominees are excellent films, each one touching on a different part of the human experience in powerful ways making it a formidable challenge to select one that rises above the rest.

Though it has nothing to do with reviewing the film, I remember the first time I saw Million Dollar Baby. It was last spring after it had already won. I was on vacation in London and during my last day there, having seen everything I wanted to see, I ventured into one of the cinemas on Leicester Square where I bought my ticket, went up to my assigned seat - which I wasn't used to when seeing a movie - and waited for the lights in the small, cramped theater to dim. It was physically uncomfortable given the accommodations, but it left me with no reservations that this is a great film.

We will soon know which films will join this, and others, in the long list of Oscar winners. Not having yet seen all the nominees I couldn't venture a guess as to who will be awarded the little gold men. All I can say is, if these past 37 films - and the others that won other categories, if not the top honors - are any indication, the winners tomorrow night will represent excellence in filmmaking, will be examples of storytelling at its best, and will touch on the many facets of the human condition that are found in each one of us.

Oscar Review: The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King (2003)

While not receiving the most nominations ever - even falling 2 shy of the film that captured the first part of the story - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is tied with Ben-Hur and Titanic with the most wins (11), taking home an Oscar for every category in which it was nominated; it is a feat only accomplished 4 other times with the films Gigi (9), The Last Emperor (9), It Happened One Night (5), and The Matrix (4).

It is the culmination of Tolkien's adventure trilogy about a fellowship of hobbits, dwarves, men, and elves and their quest to reach Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring.

Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) are making their way to Mordor along with their guide Gollum/Smeagol (Andy Serkis) trying to keep under the radar of Sauron's all-seeing eye. Meanwhile the rest of the fellowship are actively engaged in the battle for Middle Earth as the army of Orcs marches on.

Aided by Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd), and Gandalf (Ian McKellen), Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) comes to terms with who he is destined to be as he fights on for the freedom of all. Overcoming tremendous odds, using their passion for what is good and right, and struggling for something greater than themselves, the fellowship stays strong in the midst of such and overwhelming situation.

Despite Gollum's efforts, Sam and Frodo continue on, ever deeper into dangerous territory yet ever closer to their goal, testing their will, and their friendship, at every turn.
*****
The Lord of the Rings trilogy was a big undertaking that would have seemed impossible at any other point in film history given the need for the huge amounts of CGI, the large cast of extras, and just the scope of the film.

Though not nominated for any acting awards - due to the amazing performances in other films that year - it is no wonder that The Return of the King walked away with so many Oscars.

• Best Picture
• Best Director (Peter Jackson)
• Art Direction
• Costume Design
• Makeup
• Original Music (Howard Shore)
• Original Song - "Into the West"
• Sound Mixing
• Visual Effects
  and
• Adapted Screenplay

For such an ambitious film, with so many details and such high expectations from not only the audience but the filmmakers themselves, The Return of the King was certainly worthy of its honors. Though many great films were nominated in 2003 - Lost in Translation, Mystic River, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, and Seabiscuit - I think because it capped off such an innovative, epic trilogy of great movies, there is no doubt that this installment deserved to be named the Best Picture of the year.

Oscar Review: A Beautiful Mind (2001)

Winner of 4 Academy Awards - including Best Picture, Supporting Actress (Jennifer Connelly), Director (Ron Howard, his first), and Adapted Screenplay (Akiva Goldsman) - and nominated for 4 others, A Beautiful Mind is a master work of cinema.

The story follows the life of brilliant mathematician John Nash (Russell Crowe) from his time as a student at Princeton and the exciting and trying years to follow. As a young man, John competes with his fellow students, and himself, to come up with one truly original idea. As he goes, his free-spirited roommate Charles (Paul Bettany) helps him to feel normal amidst the rat race of academia.

After graduating, John goes to work at MIT while doing cryptography for the military. While teaching a class, which he feels is a waste of time, a young, independent woman, Alicia (Jennifer Connelly), captures his heart as she breaks through the elaborate walls of his personality.

When he is tapped by a mysterious government agent (Ed Harris) to do some top secret code breaking, John withdraws from his friends, his work, and his beloved Alicia and begins down a turbulent road of self-destruction.

Finally getting the help he needs, John is able to focus on his real work, renew his commitment to his family and go on to winning a Nobel Prize in economics.
*****
Supported by notable performances by Ed Harris, Christopher Plummer, Adam Goldberg, Josh Lucas, and Anthony Rapp, this is the role that deserved to earn Russell Crowe his Best Actor statuette.

Director Ron Howard has been a giant in the entertainment industry since his young days on TV and just about everything his puts his mark on has become a classic. A Beautiful Mind is no different. Its depth of character and the psychological struggles of such a brilliant man coupled with tremendous writing make this one of the finest films of 2001.

It is one of those movies that I can watch over and over again and always find small details that I've never caught before. It's just a great film.

Oscar Review: Gladiator (2000)

Winning 5 of its 12 nominations - including Best Picture, Actor (Russell Crowe), Costume Design, Sound, and Visual Effects - Gladiator was the biggest film in a year of big films that took audiences to the depths of the human spirit and the far corners of the world.

General Maximus (Crowe) is the head of Marcus Aurelius' (Richard Harris) Roman army that is sweeping across Europe. On the completion of yet another triumphant campaign, the emperor calls upon Maximus to be the one to return Rome to the people once again and names him the heir apparent to the throne.

When the emperor's power hungry son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) hears that he is not going to be Caesar, he murders his father and sends Maximus to be killed to ensure his ascendancy. But the evil doesn't end there. After thinking the powerful general dead, Commodus orders the killing Maximus' wife and son as well.

Returning home to find his family dead, Maximus is taken as a slave where he is forced to train to fight as a gladiator and to die for entertainment. Proving to be a formidable, albeit reluctant fighter, Maximus quickly rises to prominence on the gladiatorial circuit all the way to the Coliseum in Rome.

When Commodus' sister Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) learns that Maximus is still alive, she knows that he is the only one strong enough to take back the empire for the people and bring down the corruption that flourishes under her brother's rule.
*****
Despite the countless historical inaccuracies of this film, Gladiator certainly entertains. It is visually interesting, has a decent balance between story and action and lives up to its epic nature.

Though I believe Tom Hanks deserved the Best Actor Oscar for Cast Away - his performance had much more depth and proved to be more compelling overall - Russell Crowe was in his element in this role, earning him the #50 spot on AFI's list of film heroes. (I still say that it wasn't his best performance on screen by far.)

Gladiator has something for everyone from the fight scenes to the adventure and drama of the plot. I may not go so far as to describe it as a great film, but it definitely has all the right elements for a really good movie.

Oscar Review: American Beauty (1999)

A surreal tale of self-realization, lust, and unapologetic behavior American Beauty is an interesting look at one man's story during the last year of his life.

Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is a sedate man, tired of being bossed around by his cheating wife, Carolyn (Annette Bening), and not getting anywhere with his teenage daughter Jane (Thora Birch). After being asked to fill out a job description for a job he's held for most of his adult life, Lester loses it and blackmails his company so he can finally live the life he's always wanted.

While attending a school basketball game, Lester begins to fantasize over Jane's best friend Angela (Mena Suvari) and begins to imagine how wonderful it would be to be with such a young, beautiful girl. This, of course, only adds to the distance that is already present in his relationship with Jane.

When new neighbors move in next door, Jane begins a relationship with the social outcast son, Ricky Fitts (Wes Bentley) - who becomes Lester's supplier of designer pot. With a controlling former Marine colonel for a father (Chris Cooper) and an emotionally vacant mother (Allison Janney) Ricky must hide his dealings out of fear of being sent back to military school.

After quitting his job, Lester remembers that his happiest times were as a high school student flipping burgers to save up for his first car. And so, the obvious answer is for him to live out his mid-life crisis and become the person he feels he needs to be, and thus driving Carolyn insane and into the arms of the "Real Estate King" (Peter Gallagher).
*****
The first time I saw American Beauty in the theater I wasn't sure what to make of it. I just didn't get it. But when I saw it again, everything clicked and it has become a favorite.

Winning 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Actor (Spacey), Director (Sam Mendes, in his directorial debut), Cinematography, and Original Screenplay (Alan Ball), this film is phenomenal. It's abstract, it's emotional, it's off-beat, and it's a brilliant piece.

From the symbolism of Lester's computer screen at the beginning - the data and reflection make it look like he's trapped in his job - to the obscure plastic bag and Ricky's fascination with Lester's dead body American Beauty makes the audience pay attention and "look closer" than perhaps they are used to.

One of my favorite things about movies like this - and my favorite TV shows, for that matter - is that one of its first assumptions is that the audience is intelligent. There are so many films that get made that are very shallow, superficial, and rather simplistic to appease an audience that has become demanding of dumbed-down entertainment. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy turning off my brain long enough to enjoy stupidly funny movies, but there are times when I want to watch something that evokes a deep emotional response or challenges my mind a bit more than I'm used to. And, on many levels, American Beauty is one of those films.

Oscar Review: Shakespeare in Love (1998)

The 71st Best Picture received 7 awards for its 13 nominations in 1998. Ranked as the #50 Passion by the American Film Institute, Shakespeare in Love is a charming tale of love and its power to inspire.

Will Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) is struggling to write his next master work. Viola de Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow) loves the theater but is arranged to be married to wealthy Lord Wessex (Colin Firth) and sent off to America. Because it is forbidden for women to act on stage, Viola dresses up as Thomas Kent in order to audition for the main role in Shakespeare's next play.

Upon discovering Thomas' true identity, Will and Viola embark on a passionate love affair. Their romance inspires Will to convert the scenes of their relationship into the beloved Romeo and Juliet - so named because "Romeo and Ethel the Pirate's Daughter" didn't quite role off the tongue.

Through many ups and downs with trying to find the right players - including Mercutio (Ben Affleck) - squabbles between Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush) and Fennyman (Tom Wilkinson) over money, and having the theaters shut down, Will and his "Romeo" try to make the most out of their limited time together before she is due to be married.

Upon viewing the opening performance of Shakespeare's new play, Queen Elizabeth (Judi Dench) declares that true love can be depicted on stage and declares Will the winner of his bet with Wessex just as Viola is about to head off to America.
*****
Shakespeare in Love is a truly entertaining film that is easy to watch over and over again. Once you are able to suspend your powers of disbelief and get passed the fact that it's not trying to be historically accurate, I'm sure you will find to be as touching as it is humorous.

It's Oscars include Best Picture, Actress (Paltrow), Supporting Actress (Dench), Art Direction, Costume Design, Original Score, and Original Screenplay. I believe 1998's Saving Private Ryan was the better film overall, and I am pleased that Steven Spielberg walked away with the directing Oscar and 4 others of its 11 nominations. And I am equally glad to have seen Roberto Benigni's Life is Beautiful do so well.

1998 was a good year for movies.

Oscar Review: Titanic (1997)

Tied for the most nominations ever received by a single film with 14, and tied for the most wins with 11 James Cameron's Titanic is an ambitious film that takes us back to the tragic voyage of the doomed ocean liner and a love affair that could never be.

Searching among the wreckage of the sunken vessel, Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) finds a drawing of a woman wearing a blue diamond once owned by Louis XVI and pleas for any information about the girl and the whereabouts of the necklace. An old woman (Gloria Stuart) contacts Lovett claiming to be the subject of that very drawing.

Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a poor boy who wins a pair of tickets aboard the Titanic moments before it is to set sail. Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) is a young woman who is traveling to America to be forced into marrying Cal Hockley (Billy Zane). When Rose feels that committing suicide is her best option, Jack is right there to talk her down.

Following that fateful night, Jack and Rose continue to secretly see each other under the noses of Cal and Rose's controlling mother (Frances Fisher). On the evening of April 14, 1912 disaster strikes and the "unsinkable" Titanic begins to go down. Through the tragedy, Rose and Jack find each other and hold on as long as they can as the ship goes down and they drift along in the freezing waters of the Atlantic.
*****
Well, I knew it was coming and here it is. I don't have a particular problem with Titanic, I just felt that it was hyped WAY too much. Even though Cameron did some great work with CGI and bringing the ship back to life I didn't think it quite lived up to the greatness it claimed.

Titanic won statuettes for Best Picture, Director (Cameron), Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Editing, Music (James Horner), Original Song ("My Heart Will Go On"), Sound, Sound Effects Editing, and Visual Effects.

Titanic made its way onto 4 of AFI's top 100 lists including:

• #100 Quote - "I'm king of the world!"
• #14 Song - "My Heart Will Go On" - Performed by Celine Dion, Music/Lyrics by James Horner/Will Jennings
• #25 Thrill
  and
• the #37 Passion

Though I'm not sure which of the other Best Picture nominees I would say should've won - Good Will Hunting, As Good as it Gets, or one of the other two I haven't seen - I'm just not a huge fan of Titanic. Of course, if there's nothing else on, I'd probably watch it.

Oscar Review: The English Patient (1996)

Winner of 9 Academy Awards, The English Patient was a force to be reckoned with at the 69th ceremonies. Awarded the Oscars for Best Picture, Director (Anthony Minghella), Supporting Actress (Juliette Binoche), Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Editing, Original Score (Gabriel Yared), and Sound this film ranks a close second to Ben-Hur in the number of wins out of 12 nominations(Ben-Hur received 11).

The film traces the vivid memories of a dying man as he waits for the inevitable. While being cared for by a loyal nurse (Binoche) Count Laszlo de Almásy (Ralph Fiennes), a mapmaker for the Royal Geographic Society, recounts his time in North Africa during theturbulentt years of WWII.

Katharine Clifton (Kristin Scott Thomas) and her husband Geoffrey (Colin Firth) travel with Almásy as he hopes to map the Sahara. As the expedition moves on, Geoffrey is called away leaving Katherine in the mapmaker's care. They are immediately drawn toward each other leading to a long, secret love affair that will ultimately lead to their doom.

As Almásy tells his story through horrific burns, an old acquaintance named Caravaggio (Willem Dafoe) makes his way to the Italian villa for rest and to try to learn the truth about a crime from the past which left him disfigured and vengeful.
*****
I must first admit that I've only watched The English Patient once and it's been a couple of months, so my take on its quality is seen through that lens.

It is a good love story of two people thrust together by circumstance and destined to end badly. Clocking in at 160min was perhaps a bit long for this epic tale. More accurately, it feels that long. It's not a killer to have a long movie but you definitely need to keep the audience's attention the whole time. The story needs to be compelling enough to make viewers want to see what's coming next and how it turns out. I just think it could've been tightened up a bit to be more user friendly. That said, I agree that it deserved to be named on AFI's list of the top 100 Passions (#56).

I felt that the makeup for Ralph Fiennes which caused him to look as though he did, in fact, get severely burned in a plane crash was tremendous and should've at least received a nomination if not a win. However, yet again, I must humbly disagree with the Academy in its choice for Best Picture. Though I would rate this as a good film and is worth watching, of the three other nominees of that year that I have seen - Jerry Maguire, Fargo, and Shine - I think Shine is a far better movie with much more depth and emotion. The characters in Shine deal with many more facets of the human experience than in The English Patient and, not just because it has a happier ending, Shine is far more inspirational and moving. I am glad, though, that Geoffrey Rush snagged the Best Actor honors for his performance rather than Fiennes - who is an excellent actor in his own right.

Oscar Review: Braveheart (1995)

Though filled with historical inaccuracies, Braveheart is nonetheless an epic tale of love, freedom, and the triumph of the human spirit against injustice and adversity.

William Wallace (Mel Gibson) is a well-educated but simple man hoping to start a family and raise crops on his family's farm in 13th century Scotland. Taken to live with his uncle Argyle (Brian Cox) as a young boy after the death of his father and brother in battle, William becomes well-versed in language, swordsmanship, and is left with a deep sense of honor and justice.

In the intervening years, King Edward Longshanks (Patrick McGoohan) sets a number of decrees upon the Scottish people including a law that English lords had a "right" to sleep with any new bride on her wedding night in order to "breed them out." When William marries in secret, his wife (Catherine McCormack) is discovered by a soldier and is subsequently killed when she defends herself and attacks her captors.

Understandably, this sends William into a rage seeking vengeance for his murdered bride and, by extension, freedom for all of Scotland.

Not uncommon, the king forces his wimp of a son to marry Princess Isabelle (Sophie Marceau) of France for political reasons. She has never liked her father-in-law and sympathizes with the plight of the Scots and is instrumental in the success of their efforts.

All the while, the heir apparent to the Scottish throne, Robert the Bruce (Angus Macfadyen), is coming into his own and walking the delicate balance between uniting a country and making a place for himself should the English be victorious. It is up to William to rally the troops, bring the clans together, and enliven within them the spirit that will lead to a free Scotland, whatever the cost.
*****
Winner of 5 Academy Awards - including Best Picture, Director (Gibson), Cinematography, Sound Effects, and Makeup - Braveheart is a tremendous film that has something for everyone. There's love, adventure, good vs. evil, passion, humor, and plenty of battle scenes.

While AFI passed on including it on its top 100 list, Braveheart is honored as the #91 thrill. It is filled with great depth and spans the entire spectrum of emotions from great sadness to great passion, from defeat to triumph, from betrayal to redemption. This film is entertaining, moving, and all in all a most enjoyable movie. Watch it.

Oscar Review: Forrest Gump (1994)

Our next entry on the list comes in at #71 on the list of the 100 greatest, settled between two other Best Picture winners - Ben-Hur (#72) and The French Connection (#70) - and spawned one of the most quoted lines from a modern movie: #40 - "Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."

Forrest Gump is story of a lovable southern boy who overcomes every challenge thrown at him and goes on to do amazing things. With his mother's (Sally Field) pearls of wisdom ever at the ready, Forrest (Tom Hanks) goes from a boy with braces on his legs to a high school and college football star to a Vietnam War hero to a rich shrimp boat captain.

In his fantastic journey, Forrest encounters many historical figures and makes his way into pop culture without realizing the significance of the events. He's the one who taught Elvis how to really move. He met with presidents. He's the one who reported the Watergate break-in. And it is Forrest who inspired the yellow smiley face t-shirts and the ever popular "Shit Happens" bumper sticker.

All his honors and wealth do not compare with finally marrying the love of his life, Jenny (Robin Wright Penn). His friends, though often harsh, are true and provide him with support and encouragement throughout all of his trials. Of particular note is his former superior officer Lt. Dan (Gary Sinise) who is at first upset that Forrest wouldn't let him die but is then thankful for the life he has been able to lead.
*****
Forrest Gump received 6 Oscars - for Best Picture, Actor (Hanks), Director (Robert Zemeckis), Editing, Visual Effects, and Adapted Screenplay - and another 7 nominations. It marked the first film for child star Haley Joel Osment. Though he only had a few minutes of screen time, Osment was immediately identified as a fresh talent leading to his current success as an actor.

While Forrest Gump is certainly an entertaining film, I wouldn't rank it as one of my all-time favorites or as one of the greats for its storyline. It is very inspirational in showing the capacity for greatness despite immense obstacles. And it is a testament to finding pleasure in the simple things in life and not letting fame or fortune get in the way of real happiness.

For me, one of the things that makes this movie worthy of Best Picture honors over the other nominees of the year is the advancements made in the art of filmmaking through chroma-keying (or "green/blue screens") and CG. Every scene where Forrest is meeting another president or when Lt. Dan appears with no legs, it is all thanks to keying and matching the actors with people who aren't even there. It is something we as an audience don't even think about anymore when we see live action and computer animations interacting with each other, but before Forrest Gump it had never been done quite so successfully. (Star Wars and others made use of blue screens but it wasn't as sophisticated as it was in Gump where you have Tom Hanks shaking hands with JFK.)

Though I don't find it as great as other films, Forrest Gump has certainly made a significant mark on American cinema and has become one of those films that you just have to see.

Oscar Review: Schindler's List (1993)

Dark. Gritty. Depressing. Painful. Real. Schindler's List is the true life story of one man's efforts to make a difference in the midst of one of the most terrible periods of world history.

In many ways, I think this film pretty much speaks for itself. I find it difficult to walk through the general storyline and do it justice. It chronicles such an emotionally charged subject as the Holocaust and is uncompromising in its depiction of the unthinkable horrors of life in WWII Europe for the Jewish population.

There is nothing about this film that doesn't serve the story. From the gruesome special effects, to the depths of emotion on the faces of every character, to the use of back and white all go towards not only pulling the audience into the story but helping them to really experience every moment.

AFI ranks Schindler's List at #9 and is the only film in the top 20 that was made after the late 1970s. Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) is noted as the #13 greatest film hero, while Amon Goeth, the evil Nazi commander played by Ralph Fiennes, comes in as the #15 villain.

Schindler's List dominated the '93 Academy Awards winning 7 Oscars out of 12 nominations - winning for Best Picture, Director (Steven Spielberg - his first), Cinematography (Janusz Kaminski), Art Direction, Editing, Adapted Screenplay (Steven Zaillian), and Original Score - earning John Williams his 5th statuette (he ranks 2nd in total music scoring wins with 5 and nominations with 38).

A truly great film.

Oscar Review: Unforgiven (1992)

William Munny (Clint Eastwood), a sorry, broken down, old thief who can barely shoot a can off a stump or mount a horse convinces his old partner, Ned (Morgan Freeman), to join him in going after a bounty on the heads of two cowboys who cut up a local prostitute.

When a hired gun, English Bob (Richard Harris), heads into town to find the two boys, the sheriff, Little Bill (Gene Hackman), beats him for breaking the ordinance against carrying fire arms to send a message that he will not tolerate lawless killing in his jurisdiction.

Will, Ned, and their partner, the nearsighted Schofield Kid, find the women - get a few advances on their payment - and begin their search for the cowboys. While in the bar, Will meets up with Little Bill and gets his first look at just how brutal the "keeper of the peace" actually is.

After killing the first man, Ned comes to realize that he's no longer the killer he once was and heads for home. Along the way, he's picked up by the ranchers and brought to Little Bill who shows no mercy when questioning him.

After taking care of the second offender, Will finds out that his best friend and partner has been killed. Not about to let the violent sheriff get away with murder, Will heads into town to settle the score.
*****
Winner of 4 Oscars including Best Picture, Director (Eastwood), Supporting Actor (Hackman), and Editing (Joel Cox, who edits most of Eastwood's films), Unforgiven is a modern story of the Old West that ranks at #98 on AFI's list.

Once again, I found this film to be enjoyable but not quite up to the level of a "Best Picture." Likewise, as talented as Gene Hackman is as an actor, I felt that Jack Nicholson's role as Col. Nathan R. Jessep in A Few Good Men was far more compelling.

To me, a Best Picture should exemplify the art of storytelling. There should be tremendous depth in the characters, a solid plot, and a certain amount of significance in the subject matter. Yes, Little Bill was a hard man but he was enforcing the law while 3 men were out to kill for money. For me, it just didn't add up. Again, my vote would've gone to A Few Good Men for it's writing, it's acting, and for its examination of the question "is the one who gives the order just as guilty as the one who executes it?"Far more interesting and important than a poor, reformed killer looking for a pay off. But that's just me.

Oscar Review: The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Our next film of the winners of the 1990s is one of the most acclaimed films ever made. One of only three films to ever sweep the 5 major categories, The Silence of the Lambs boasts as being the first and, so far, only horror/thriller to win the Best Picture statuette.

As a young FBI trainee, Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is assigned to question an imprisoned serial killer, Dr. Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lector (Anthony Hopkins), as part of an investigation into a background of a second serial killer named Buffalo Bill.

Getting past her initial fears of going up against the greatest criminal mind, Clarice is able to gain access to Lector's expertise and move forward in their search. Pulled out of her training and directly into the heart of the investigation, Clarice begins to work hand in hand with other agents and her superior, Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn).

After gaining a transfer in exchange for his assistance in providing a psychological profile, Dr. Lector negotiates his escape from a less secure facility, but not before analyzing Clarice and providing her with the truth about Buffalo Bill.
*****
A chilling film, The Silence of the Lambs is a brilliantly written psycho-thriller that has not been matched by any of its sequels. Garnering Oscars for Foster, Hopkins, Director Jonathan Demme and Ted Tally's adapted screenplay of Thomas Harris' novel, this movie keeps the audience at the edge of their seats.

It is no wonder that the dark, cold, calculating eyes of Hopkins' Hannibal earned him the designation as the #1 film villain of all time to Foster's claim at the #6 hero slot. Not only is this one of the best thrillers (coming in at #5) but AFI ranks The Silence of the Lambs as the #65 greatest movie ever made.

Other than Dr. Lector's famous headgear and cool gaze, perhaps one of the most memorable moments of this film comes through one of his lines during his first encounter with Clarice, "A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti." (#21)

Oscar Review: Dances With Wolves (1990)

Our next look at Best Picture winning films comes in at #75 on AFI's list of the Top 100 Films of All Time. Winning in 7 of the 12 categories for which it was nominated - including Best Picture, Director (Kevin Costner), Cinematography, Editing, Original Score (John Barry), Sound, and Adapted Screenplay - Dances with Wolves is a fine piece of American cinema.

We first meet Lt. John J. Dunbar (Costner) as a wounded Union soldier about to lose his leg during the Civil War. He steals a horse and rides across the battlefield; maybe to commit suicide, maybe to just draw the fire of the Confederate troops, but without a doubt he becomes a hero and gains the admiration of the general and his choice of postings.

Wanting to see the frontier before it's gone, Lt. Dunbar opts for Fort Sedgwick, a remote post in the Great Plains, where he will serve alone. Making the most out of the rundown fort, the lieutenant sets up a work schedule, rations his supplies, and makes do with his new home.

Not entirely alone, Lt. Dunbar makes friends with a shy wolf, "Two Socks," and the horse he rode on that fateful day. After months without word of relief, the lieutenant is startled from his bathing to find a lone Sioux (Graham Greene) snooping around the fort. After scaring the man away, Lt. Dunbar decides that he should make friends with his neighbors and begins the journey to their village. Along the way, he comes across a woman, Stands with a Fist (Mary McDonnell), who is mourning the loss of her husband and ritually cutting herself.

These chance encounters spark a series of events that lead to mutual understanding and friendship between the two stranger cultures. Lt. Dunbar leaves his old self behind as he adopts the Lakota lifestyle and name: Dances with Wolves.
*****
A strikingly beautiful film, Dances with Wolves is a fantastic tale of a man and his journey from duty to self discovery.

If memory serves, this film was the first Best Picture winner that I had seen in the theater. I was immediately taken in by John Barry's score - I even have the soundtrack - and the rolling hills of the Midwest - shot near where my mom grew up.

It is an ambitious film. Clocking in at 3 hours, even longer in the extended edition, at first glance one might think it unwise to make a movie run so long. But the story carries itself with a balance between moments of humor, passion, adventure, drama, and self-realization.

Dances with Wolves takes a thoughtful look at the life of one man and how love and understanding can be found across all barriers and how who you are can change if you have the courage to take the step into the unknown.

Oscar Review: Rain Man (1988)

Rain Man is a classic. Winning 4 Academy Awards for Picture, Directing (Barry Levinson), Acting (Dustin Hoffman), and Original Screenplay, this film ranks up there as one of the most touching stories of transformation and personal growth.

Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) is a selfish, high-end car dealer with hopes of making it big. While on his way to a romantic vacation with his girlfriend Susanna (Valeria Golino), Charlie gets a call that his wealthy, estranged father has died. After the funeral, Charlie sits down with the lawyer for the reading of the will and finds that all he is left is the car he once took without permission as a teenager and his father's prize rose bushes while the balance of the family fortune is left in trust for an unnamed trustee.

Charlie soon finds that he has a brother (Hoffman) he never knew about who is now living in an institution for people with mental disabilities. In an attempt to get what he feels is rightly his, Charlie kidnaps Raymond and they embark on a cross-country roadtrip that will change their lives forever.

Confused, frustrated and in need of someone to take the brunt of his anger, Charlie grows more and more upset with his autistic savant brother for being himself. Charlie is the one who took Raymond out of is normal life and he, in turn, treats Raymond as the one who is the inconvenience.

One night on the road, Raymond reacts to the hot bath that Charlie is drawing which brings them both back to a time when they were just children and the Rain Man came to save young Charlie from getting burned. In that moment, Raymond is no longer the source of his inheritance, he has become Charlie's brother.

As they make their way back to L.A., the brothers stop in Las Vegas to take advantage of Raymond's unique abilities, making all the money that soon to be bankrupt Charlie needs to stay afloat. Upon arriving home, Charlie has grown to love his older brother and wants Raymond to live with him, not for the money, but to regain the relationship that they had been denied. All this leads to a battle between the hospital that knows what's best for Raymond and the brother that loves him.
*****
Rain Man is one of those films that never grows old. Sure the 80's music and wardrobe have certainly gone out of style, but the story at the heart of this movie is one we can all learn from. It's about looking past the outward appearances and into the real person inside. It's about getting into your own heart and transforming yourself into the person you really are.

Hoffman and Cruise have a dynamic in this film that has been unmatched since. Often imitated but only perfected in his portrayal of Raymond, Dustin Hoffman proves himself to be one of film's greatest actors.

Maybe Raymond grows in his love for Charlie and begins to break free from his autism. Maybe through Charlie's transformation we, too, begin to look beyond our own fears, prejudices, and selfishness and allow ourselves to be taken in by this wonderful relationship.

It's funny. It's heart warming. Rain Man is just plain good.

Oscar Review: Platoon (1986)

Oliver Stone's Oscar winning look at the chaos and mental breakdown of war is a powerful, tragic look at his own experiences in Vietnam.

In Platoon, Private Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) starts off as a fresh in from the world volunteer for the war. Thrown right into duty, with little or no help from the others who have more experience, Taylor does a lot of growing up and gains more experience than he hoped.

With a not so hidden rivalry between SSgt. Barnes (Tom Berenger) and Sgt. Elias (Willem Dafoe) - both nominated for Best Supporting Actor - Taylor and the rest of the platoon are forced to take sides between the hardened, battle-worn Barnes or capable, if not somewhat reluctant, Elias even as they face the enemy with an inept lieutenant (Mark Moses).

Things quickly get out of control - even more than they already are in a war - when Barnes and his allies take matters into their own hands in a small village, thus intensifying the already hate-filled relationship with Elias.

After a prolonged fire-fight in the jungle, Elias is left alone as the rest of the platoon falls back. Barnes ensures that the men make it out as he goes back to "look" for Elias. It is then that Taylor sees the treachery his superior is capable of, and he must be stopped.
*****
With supporting roles by such great actors as Forest Whitaker, John C. McGinley, Keith David, Johnny Depp, and Dale Dye Platoon has arguably become one of, if not the quintessential Vietnam War film ever made.

Winning Oscars for Best Picture, Director (Stone), Editing, and Sound - along with nominations for Defoe, Berenger, Cinematography, and another for Stone's original screenplay - Platoon received more nominations than any other film that year. Honored by AFI as the #72 thrill and the #83 film overall, this movie is a chilling take on the realities of war and its capacity to bring out sides of people that should never come out.

The haunting theme by Samuel Barber adds a subtle counterpoint to the intensity and violence of the film, making it a memorable, thought-provoking addition to the lineup of Best Picture winners.

Oscar Review: Out of Africa (1985)

1985 brought with it many great films like Witness, Mask, Back to the Future, and Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins - and other greats that I haven't seen. But the one that walked away with the Oscar for Best Picture, along with 6 others, has been named the #13 Passion of all time.

Out of Africa is true story of a woman who starts over in early 20th century Kenya, causing her life to change forever. Karen Christence Dinesen Blixen (Meryl Streep) marries her best friend, Baron Bror Blixen (Klaus Maria Brandauer), for title and the opportunity to introduce some adventure into her life.

Upon her arrival in Africa, she soon learns of her new husband's many relationships and chooses to keep up appearances and do her best to remember that it was a marriage of convenience. Karen then shifts her attractions to a local trader, Berkeley Cole (Michael Kitchen), who actually only desires friendship from the Baroness.

During a visit to her plantation Berkeley and his friend, hunter and man of the earth, Denys Finch Hatton (Robert Redford) join Karen for dinner and one of her stories. As she transforms her words into adventures of the mind, Denys falls in love and begins to see his whole life differently. Though he quietly seeks her reciprocation, it isn't until New Years 1919 that she realizes his advances and gives in to her desires for love.

During a trip to see the raw and beautiful landscapes of Tsavo before it is taken over by modernity, these two opposites come together and do their best to form a future.
*****
Honored with Best Picture, Art Direction, Cinematography, Director (Sydney Pollack), Sound, Adapted Screenplay, and Original Score (John Barry), Out of Africa is a wonderful piece that captures the beauty of a distant land and the power of the human spirit. Though, the actors were not awarded Oscars, and perhaps rightly so, I am glad that the most memorable elements of the film were given their due praise: the cinematography and the music. Though certainly not as vivid as it is when seen with your own eyes or with more modern cameras, David Watkin is able to transport the audience to Africa and bring out the breathtaking panoramas of Kenya.

Supplementing the location's natural beauty is John Barry's musical contribution. Scoring 11 James Bond films and composing for such films as Somewhere in Time, Dances with Wolves, and Midnight Cowboy Barry has won 5 Academy Awards for his work and earning a spot at #15 on AFI's list of the most memorable film scores for Out of Africa. As I watched the film again this evening, I was struck by the expansive melodies that stretched out as far as the savannahs of Tsavo. Though there are only hints of themes that he uses in Dances with Wolves, I find it interesting how similar the music is in style for these two films. The storylines are not that dissimilar, I suppose: each about a courageous soul starting a new life in the wide open spaces, encountering an unfamiliar people, and finding the beauty in what is natural and at risk of destruction.

Out of Africa is a wonderful film that is worth watching for the love story, the music, and the scenery. Though Meryl Streep's Dutch accent is somewhat distracting - in her narration especially - you are able to watch as she transforms from a well-to-do social climber into a strong, independent woman who won't let misfortune get in her way.

Oscar Review: Amadeus (1984)

It is a tale of the tormented mind of Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham), court composer to Emperor Joseph II of Austria (Jeffrey Jones), as his life parallels that of musical genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce).

We find Salieri as an old man locked in his room screaming the name of Mozart into the night as he attempts suicide. Thrown into a mental institution and visited by a young priest to hear his confession, Salieri recounts his days as a younger man serving in the court.

As a boy, Salieri prayed that he would live a pure life if only God would allow him the talent for composition. He would create music to praise God if only God would allow him to be the instrument. However, upon meeting the boisterous child prodigy, Salieri becomes enraged that God would place such a gift in such a vessel and he vows to destroy the young master.

While putting on a front and pretending to be Mozart's greatest defender with the emperor, Salieri plots the mind games to be used against his rival. Using Mozart's fear of his father against him, Salieri drives the man insane and, ultimately, to his death.
*****
Amadeus won 8 of its 11 nominations for Best Picture, Best Director (Milos Forman), Best Actor (Abraham), Adapted Screenplay (Peter Shaffer), Art Direction, Costume Design, Makeup, and Sound and it ranks at #53 on AFI's top 100.

With the theaters almost unchanged since the 1700s, the opera sets and costumes designed from sketches of the originals, and moments taken from the actual life of the great composer, Amadeus is an excellent attempt to transport the audience into what it may have actually been like in the days of Mozart.

It is a dark film, filled with wonderful performances, particularly those of Hulce and Abraham as they work with and against each other to propel the story along with its many moments of joy and brilliance and its many more moments of mental anguish and despair. The delicate dance between admiration and hatred is just fabulous.

A fine film indeed.

Oscar Review: Terms of Endearment (1983)

An all-star cast composed of Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Jeff Daniels, and John Lithgow brought Terms of Endearment 5 Oscars out of 11 nominations for Best Actress (MacLaine), Supporting Actor (Nicholson), Director, Adapted Screenplay and Picture (James L. Brooks).

Spanning many years in their tumultuous love/hate relationship, mother Aurora and daughter Emma struggle to express and receive the love they have for each other and maneuver through the landmines they have set up around themselves. It's an honest look at the complexities of family interactions and the difficulties of life that come along.
*****
I don't think Terms of Endearment is a bad movie, I just don't think it is a great one. The actors play their roles quite well and deserve their honors. However, having seen other contenders for 1983's Best Picture statuette such as The Big Chill and The Right Stuff I think each of those films are far more enjoyable and, in the case of The Right Stuff, tell a more important story.

This film certainly has its moments but, in the end, it's just not one that does much for me.