A Few Thoughts on Some of 2014’s Films and the Buildup to the Oscars

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I’m disappointed Eddie Redmayne (left) won the Screen Actors Guild award for “The Theory of Everything” for the reason I mentioned in my review of “Birdman.”  While his performance was authentic and convincing, I think it’s easier to do an impersonation of a high-profile person with distinctive characteristics than to flesh out a fictional character (“Birdman”) or a real person no one is familiar with (“The Imitation Game”).  I generally don’t pay attention to movie awards other than the Oscars but the guilds (Writers, Actors, Producers, Directors) are a good indicator of what will happen at Oscar time.  To show how much of a gauge the Golden Globes are, Madonna won Best Actress in 1997 for Alan Parker’s “Evita” but didn’t get a SAG or Oscar® nomination.

I’m happy “Birdman” won both the SAG for film ensemble (right) and the Producers Guild award for Theatrical Motion Picture.  The winner of the Producers Guild has won the last seven Best Picture Oscars.  On the other hand, the winner of the award for Animated Theatrical Motion Picture went to “The Lego Movie”, which did not even get nominated for an Oscar® in that category.

As time goes on and the love affair with “Boyhood” dissipates and we all regain perspective, it will be less likely to make an impact at the Oscars.  Take away the way it was filmed over a long period of time and the story would not be anywhere near as engaging.  If it wins the Best Picture Oscar®, it will be like Best Picture winners “Forrest Gump” and “Crash” and Whoopi Goldberg’s joke of a Best Supporting Actress Oscar® win (basically playing herself in “Ghost”) in 1991 over Lorraine Bracco’s “Goodfellas” performance in that everyone will look back and say “What were we thinking?”  Still, Patricia Arquette (left, with her SAG award) was given a good role and did well with it.

A few comments about other movies from this past year:

Ira Sachs’ “Love is Strange”, which released to strong critical acclaim and Oscar® talk for its leads, features good performance by John Lithgow and Alfred Molina, but the story line wasn’t as strong as their performances and the sub-plots went nowhere.

Robert Stromberg’s”Maleficent”, starring Angelina Jolie’s cheekbones, was so memorable that I put it on my Netflix queue and started watching it before it occurred to me I had already seen it.

I tried watching Anton Corbijn’s “A Most Wanted Man” because it seems to be Philip Seymour Hoffman’s last non-“Hunger Games” film.  Even with Hoffman’s presence (including a questionable German accent), I didn’t find it engaging and couldn’t finish it.

The subject matter of Ava DuVernay’s “Selma” has been so extensively covered in the news and in documentaries I feel I know enough about it’s stress-inducing topic.  (Additionally, I studied the topic in Black History and Ethnic Studies courses in high school.)  I also don’t feel a need to see it told in a dramatization with someone doing a Martin Luther King, Jr. impersonation.   I’m also rarely in a mood for a feel-bad movie.  Oprah Winfrey’s association as producer and actor doesn’t help.

I’m a huge Clint Eastwood fan and think Bradley Cooper’s acting gets progressively better but I don’t see myself watching “American Sniper” for the following reasons:

-At face value, it seems to glorify killing (specifically sniping) and could easily inspire copycats, especially people that have a difficult time separating real life from violent video games.

-It bothers me that Chris Kyle capitalized on his military experiences by writing a book.  The same goes for that Navy SEAL writing his book about killing Bin Laden.  Everyone feels entitled to celebrity now.

-We’re still in the Middle East quagmire that’s always been questionable and it’s just too soon for me to watch movies about it.  I feel terrible for all the lives lost, the maimed survivors, and the families that will never fully recover.  I haven’t watched any feature films about 9/11 for the same reason.

Still, I hate missing out on a great film and a great performance so I may see it at some point.

I’m hoping to do a more complete write-up about the Oscars and offer my take on racism in Hollywood, which is something I often thought about when I was in that industry.

DPW

January 29, 2015

Added February 7, 2015:

http://www.salon.com/2015/02/04/this_american_sniper_didnt_keep_track_of_his_kills_and_hates_that_i_ask_him/

This is a very good article.   It’s unfortunate that it jumps on the anti-“American Sniper” bandwagon because it makes such good points that really should be taken into account, especially by those who will see the movie and will be profoundly influenced by it.  Even though I stated my reasons for not seeing/supporting the movie, I think it’s important to remember it IS just a film in the same way I told my gun-loving NRA member friends who refused to see “Bowling for Columbine” that, if they saw it as entertainment and nothing more, they would enjoy it, and they did.  Still, “American Sniper” is much too heavy-handed to not elicit responses and I think we all gain from the resulting debates.

Outside the actual topic of being a sniper, the article emphasizes my point about Chris Kyle capitalizing on his experiences for personal/monetary gain, where Garrett Reppenhagen is really trying to make a positive difference without drawing attention to himself.  Whose intent do YOU find more productive, honorable, and admirable?  A movie should be made from Reppenhagen’s humble, grounded, and selfless point of view.

I’d be willing to bet against “American Sniper” winning any Oscars.  It’s to-date box office revenues of $258 million domestic and $68 million international are all the reward the film makers need.

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