Sunday, May 25, 2014

Catching up on the Oscars

And yes, I do realize that we are month's behind -- that's why we're catching up. The only nominated film we had seen was "12 Years a Slave," and we've run out of ideas for what to watch on Saturday night, so we decided to watch all of the Oscar-nominated films, one at a time (natch). Although to be honest, we probably won't watch all of them, as there are a few that we have no interest in.

So, first up was "Nebraska." I have always thought that Bruce Dern was under appreciated, mainly because he makes it look so easy, and this film proves it. His portrayal is note-perfect, beautifully understated, utterly, utterly real. Mike had been wanting to see it, but I was avoiding it because I thought, from the description, that it would be another of those cloyingly sappy films with a tear-filled emotional breakthrough at the end, something that would have starred Alan Alda back in the 70s or 80s. I should have had more faith in Bruce Dern. Worth watching.

Next was "Philomena." I had mixed feelings about the film. Judy Dench's character felt almost too sympathetic and too perfect. Would an Irish Catholic of her age be so nonchalant about homosexuality? Would cosmopolitan Americans be so reticent to discuss it in the 21st century? And the nuns . . . caricatures. So I borrowed the book from the library. If "based on a true story" means that the names belong to real people, then this is based on a true story. Yes, Philomena's story is accurate -- but the story of finding her son, the story that makes up the bulk of the movie, is primarily fiction. Philomena does not accompany Sixsmith to the United States; need I say more? The book itself is primarily fiction, also, but that's a subject for a different review. Dench, of course, is always a delight.

Then "August : Osage County," another film Mike had been pushing. Overblown, melodramatic, artificial, stagy -- and those are the good points. Real people of the type in the film do not speak like that and they do not interact in those ways. And it really was utterly predictable, including the "big reveal," which has been a staple of soap operas and series romance fiction for generations. There were no insights into the human condition and no real grappling with the issues raised. There is an assumption that there is only one possible reaction. Not recommended.

Last night, we selected "American Hustle," because it showed up first on the browsing list. I don't really understand why this was nominated for an Oscar. "The Sting" it isn't. Yes, the costumes, hair, make-up, set design and music were terribly nostalgic for those of us of a certain age, and the actors' performances were never less than excellent, but . . . Maybe it was the convoluted plot. We spent so much time trying to keep track of what was happening that we were never immersed in the movie. And, eventually, I just wanted the whole mess to come to an end. Not a resolution, just an end. Maybe it was the fact that all of the characters are unsympathetic, and all are deliberate caricatures. Arrest them. Kill them. Whatever. Maybe it was Amy Adams' utterly unconvincing English accent -- I honestly was never sure when she was supposed to be speaking with an English accent and when she was not. Also, as faithful as the period recreation was, that very perfection contributed to the artificial feeling. It was the 1970s as viewed through the pages of high fashion magazines, not through Family Circle and Woman's Day.

Next week, either "Gravity" or "Dallas Buyers' Club."

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