2014 Oscar Nominations Announced

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I wrote this a long time ago, but some may find it enjoyable even though the time has passed:

This morning the 2014 Oscar Nominations were announced, and I’m a little disappointed by a few oversights made by the academy (I recognize that my credibility is very little here because I did not see a few of these films). One such failing is regarding the date when a film is released and how that date can have so much bearing on how much it is recognized by the academy for awards. For example, The Place Beyond the Pines was a fantastic film that easily should have been nominated (along with its amazing score). Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper could have been nominated for it, along with Derek Cianfrance, the director over their fantastic work. But, because it was released the back in April, it isn’t given much attention.

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But, this isn’t just about TPBTP; the same could be said for Rush and Prisoners. Rush was snubbed across the board (no nomination for screenplay, Daniel Bruhl, or Ron Howard?) after much was said regarding Rush being Howard’s best film in many, many years. Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhall gave the best performances I’ve ever seen them give in Prisoners, but there was no love for either of them. Again, had both of these films been released just weeks later, in the middle of the Oscar buzz, then maybe they would have had a fighting chance.

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Additionally, how does a movie like Brave win best animated picture last year (I don’t hate Brave, I just didn’t think it was nearly to the standard it should have been, but I admire Pixar for doing something different and trying something new), and Monsters University doesn’t even get nominated, while The Croods does? Frozen was the best animated movie of the year and it does deserve to win, but MU should have been given more of look for not only it’s sweet message, but also the skill with which it was made.

I’m glad to see Gravity receiving 10 nominations, it deserves every single one of them. The film was a landmark, and 10 years from now it will be the only film (with maybe the exception of 12 Years A Slave) that will still be lingering in the minds and hearts of filmgoers. American Hustle, which I am sure is amazing and which I have only heard great things about, I would venture to say that in a year or two will have faded into the background of former nominee hopefuls. I pray the academy recognizes this, that a film like Gravity, and the amazing piece of art that it is, deserves to be recognized as such. Not saying American Hustle isn’t a fantastic movie, because I’m sure it is, I’m just saying that Gravity will be a movie remembered as something truly special, while American Hustle may not be.

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With that being said, while it may not have been the best movie of the year, Saving Mr. Banks certainly deserved MUCH more attention than it was given. Sure it was a PG-13 (why it was rated PG-13, I have no idea) Disney drama about the makings of Mary Poppins and the life of her author (not that there is anything wrong with that, It’s just not your typical Oscar fare. It was a sweet movie, and very heartfelt, which movies like that on occasion are overlooked by the academy), but that movie had movie magic weaved in and out of each of its fibers throughout nearly the entire film. The most depressingly overlooked aspect of this film was the raw, personal power of Colin Farrell’s performance. Normally a mediocre fill in tough guy, Farrell put his whole heart into this performance, and it showed. I was stunned and transfixed by it. I loved him, and the character he was on screen.

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Which brings me to Tom Hanks. Tom Hanks’ portrayal of Captain Phillips and Walt Disney this year were two of the best performances I have seen in quite a while, no exaggeration. Both were absolutely solid portayals of some very different men. To say Hanks’ range is wide and powerful, is an understatement. Hanks’ performance in the last 15 minutes of Captain Phillips will forever be seared in my memory as some of the most powerful moments on film I have ever seen – really. How was this overlooked? Only the academy will ever know.

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And lastly, how does Man of Steel and Pacific Rim not get nominated for their amazing visual effects? Both films were truly incredible by this metric, Man of Steel probably even more so. Speaking of MOS, how Hans Zimmer didn’t get noticed for his powerful soundtrack is beyond me. That was the best film score I heard this year, hands down. Without his powerful, ominous, and hopeful score, the film wouldn’t have had nearly the emotion it would have had otherwise. In my opinion, that score was crucial to that movie.

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Again, having not seen a few of these films, I certainly am not qualified to discuss the academies decisions beyond any reasonable depth. However, I do feel that as a true lover of film, I feel that I can, and do recognize skill and magic when I see it. The academy is an interesting guild of people, and one cannot expect them to please everyone. That would be foolish. They all have different opinions, different likes and dislikes, and will have different things resonate with their hearts differently than I. That’s the magic of movies. The system may be flawed, but so are we. We’re human. If we set our expectations so high on a system and topic that is by nature very subjective.

Dozens of films are made every year, each with their own story to tell and characters to experience. How one sees the acting, the message, the cinematography, or hears the beauty of the music will touch each of us in a special and unique way; and that’s the beauty of it. To see the world with new perspectives, new ideals, and a renewed fortification of the human spirit, in whatever may be witnessed on the screen – happy, sad, funny, somber, dark, jovial, violent, – are just a few of the truly personal, and powerful, ways that movies have touched my life, and I pray will continue to affect me in the years to come.

On to 2014!