So 12 Years a Slave wins the big one and Gravity takes away 7 Oscars in total. Spike Jonze won for his timely futuristic sci-fi romance Her screenplay and 30 Seconds to Mars frontman Jared Leto's return to acting after a 4 year hiatus earns him an Oscar. Overall, it was a more predictable Oscars ceremony than usual and there were no major surprises. Just a few notes though:
Brad Pitt wins his first Oscar....as a producer.
Aside from his brief (and terrible) supporting role in 12 Years a Slave, Brad Pitt also served as one of five accredited producers who worked on the Best Picture-winning film. Who would have thought that Brad Pitt, formerly of Brangelina fame, would eventually be winning Oscars for producing anti-slavery period pieces? Having already been nominated as a producer for Moneyball back in 2011, hopefully this Oscar win will mean more Pitt-produced films of that calibre and less of the World War Z variety.
Leonardo DiCaprio will have to wait another year for that elusive first Oscar.
DiCaprio probably missed his best chance to win an Oscar in 2004 when his excellent portrayal of Howard Hughes in The Aviator was overlooked by the Academy in favor of Jamie Foxx in Ray. The five time Academy Award nominated actor is still in his prime though and a few more Martin Scorsese collaborations might just break the curse.
Matthew McConaughey's career turn-around is now complete.
It wasn't long ago that Matthew McConaughey had virtually become typecast as the charming (and typically shirtless) piece of eye candy in a long line of atrocious romantic comedies. But after great performances in Killer Joe, Mud, and his award-worthy turn in HBO series True Detective, McConaughey's career has seen a resurgence of late. Throw in an Oscar win for Dallas Buyers Club and a starring role in Christopher Nolan's highly anticipated upcoming sci-fi film Interstellar and it looks like all the woeful action adventures (Sahara) and painfully bad chick flicks (Failure to Launch) are things of the past.
Films and performances that deserved some recognition:
All is Lost
A film which suffered perhaps from too many similarities with last year's Life of Pi and a lack in overall action or excitement, All is Lost boasts a great and virtually dialogue-free performance from Robert Redford and a wonderfully executed simple survival story. A celebration of the visual power of cinema at its finest.
Hugh Jackman and Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners)
An electrifying performance by Hugh Jackman and some superlative directing by Denis Villeneuve elevated what could have been a forgettable missing child drama into a riveting psychological slow-burn thriller that definitely qualifies as one of the year's best. Unfortunately, it only received an Oscar nomination for cinematography this year. Truly a shame.
Joaquin Phoenix (Her)
Phoenix takes the eccentric character of Theodore Twombly and turns him into a genuine yet flawed person seeking love in a world where a true connection is hard to find. Phoenix builds a pretty believable relationship with what is basically a disembodied voice and makes it look easy.
Only God Forgives
Say what you will about Ryan Gosling's unexpectedly non-macho, low-key performance and the film's heavy-handed symbolism, but Only God Forgives is a visual feast to behold (if you can stomach the endless violence). This film pops on the big screen and the costume/production design is sublime. An effective little film if you don't go in expecting Drive 2.
Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis)
Isaac's natural performance in Inside Llewyn Davis is spot on and complements the Coen Brothers' style perfectly. Aside from playing the guitar and doing the vocals for all of his songs, Isaac gives what would otherwise have been an unpleasant lead character a touch of earnest sincerity and we soon find ourselves trapped with Llewyn within the confines of his inescapably bleak world.
No comments:
Post a Comment