Ranking 10 Years of Best Picture Nominees

So for the last ten years, since the Academy moved to ten spots for Best Picture nominations, I've committed to watching every Best Picture nominee. That's 89 films. Some of which I've seen many times since, some I've not watched again, and a couple I wished I'd never watched. The winners by year have been bolded and I've included some occasional thoughts. Do let me know your thoughts too! What should be higher, lower or am I spot on?

So here we go, with all objectivity out the window and only subjectivity left, this is Phil's rankings of the last ten years of Best Picture nominees:

89. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)

Taking a proud spot at the bottom of this crucial list, the only film nominated for Best Picture in the last ten years that I thought was simply bad. It was distasteful, badly made, and had an irritating lead (though Max von Sydow is a glimmer of excellence in an otherwise poor film). It stands at 46% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is about half of what most nominees get (for reference, the next 'worst' film is The Blind Side at 66%, a whopping 20% clear). I'm with Andrea Peyser who called it 'Extremely, incredibly exploitive' in her review. The handling of a subject such as the devestating effects of 9/11 deserves better, more thoughtful treatment and, less importantly, the Oscars deserve better films.

88. Bohemian Rhapsody  (2018)
89. The Kids Are All Right (2010)
90. Lion (2016)
91. The Post (2017)
92. The Blind Side (2009)
93. American Sniper (2014)
94. Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
95. Moneyball (2011)
96. War Horse (2011)
97. American Hustle (2013)
98. Hidden Figures (2016)
99. Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
100. Selma (2014)
101. Hugo (2011)
102. Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
103. Les Misérables (2012)
104. The Theory of Everything (2014)
105. The Imitation Game (2014)
106. Phantom Thread (2017)
107. Her (2013)
108. Hell or High Water (2016)

67. Green Book (2018)

 

The lowest ranking of the Best Picture winners. This is not a bad film but it is forgettable (see also Argo at 62), and that is where it's success came from. A safe commentary on racism that appealed to everyone but dazzled no one. It falls at the better end of mostly forgettable films (see numbers 88-68) which suggests, whilst still one of the better films of the year, it's not going to survive in cinematic memory like those just a few further up the list. 

66. The Fighter (2010)
67. Philomena (2013)
68. Winter's Bone (2010)
69. Life of Pi (2012)
70. Argo (2012)
71. Precious (2009)
72. Vice (2018)
73. A Serious Man (2009)
74. The Help (2011)
75. Room (2015)

56. Avatar (2009)

 

Despite being pipped to the post for Oscar glory by small-budget The Hurt Locker, Avatar has left its mark on cinema history, developing groundbreaking technology, and taking more money in its box office than any film that came before it. Only in uniting 11 years worth of superhero films in the MCU's Avengers: Endgame has anyone even come close to beating that record, and they only managed it with a re-release.  Before that, the record was held by Avatar director, James Cameron with Titanic. Was Avatar the best movie of the last ten years? Evidently not. But it was one of the most spectacular cinematic experiences I've had (and I saw it three times in the cinema). It's worth taking a moment to remember the magic that it brought to the big screen, particularly in a world of CGI lions singing Hakuna Matata and endless streams of superheroes. 

55. 127 Hours (2010)
56. Boyhood (2014)
57. Lincoln (2012)
58. Black Panther (2018)
59. An Education (2009)
60. The Martian (2015)
61. Darkest Hour (2017)

48. The Tree of Life (2011)

 

Of all the films on this list, why would I pull out The Tree of Life for a brief comment? It falls somewhere around the middle of this list (despite my own five-star review) and it's not a film we talk about a lot. But it is, and I say this reservedly, the best looking, most beautiful film on the list. Terrence Malik guides us, in a dream-like state, through an exploration of life - its purposes, its meanings and its relationships, not just with one another, but with the world we live in. It's safe to say, there's no other film like it on this list.  

47. Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
48. Dunkirk (2017)
49. The Big Short (2015)
50. Roma (2018)
51. Up (2009)
52. The Revenant (2015)
53. The Descendants (2011)
54. Midnight in Paris (2011)
55. Bridge of Spies (2015)
56. BlacKkKlansman (2018)
57. The Shape of Water (2017)
58. Spotlight (2015)
59. The King's Speech (2010)
60. Gravity (2013)
61. True Grit (2010)

32. Amour (2012)

One of two films on this list that have actually made it into my academic study* (the other falls at number 8), Amour is a beautiful and painful film about love and life. It may be one you haven't seen - thus me highlighting it here - and if that's the case, you should correct that. Six years after the previous foreign-language film made it to the Best Picture race (Babel - 2006) and six years before last year's Roma, Amour was tragically under appreciated. It was a small, heartbreaking movie that wrongly passed under many radars. J'adore Amour.

*Full title: The Shocking Nature of Violence in Films; Film Violence, Aesthetics and Context: An In-Depth Analysis of Audience Reception of Representations of Violence

31. Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
32. Arrival (2016)
33. A Star Is Born (2018)
34. Captain Phillips (2013)
35. Nebraska (2013)
36. 12 Years a Slave (2013)
37. Moonlight (2016)
38. The Favourite (2018)
39. Fences (2016)
40. Manchester by the Sea (2016)
41. Toy Story 3 (2010)
42. The Artist (2011)
43. District 9 (2009)

18. Inception (2010)

 

Christopher Nolan's boggling masterpiece left everything spinning back in 2010: tops, corridors, and our minds. Its stunning set pieces, action paced plot, and ensemble cast have solidified their place in cinematic history. Who can forget the first time they saw Paris fold in on itself, or how they felt after the corridor fight sequence, or the tension in that final shot; did it wobble? Will it fall?! We may never know but what we do know is this was something unique, hugely creative, with jaw-dropping visuals, from one of the best, most influential directors of the current age.

17. Get Out (2017)
18. Inglorious Basterds (2009)
19. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
20. Lady Bird (2017)
21. Brooklyn (2015)
22. La La Land (2016)

11. Call Me by Your Name (2017)

 

Just falling shy of the top ten is a beautiful piece of cinema. Gentle, loving film-making; the type of film-making we just don't see much of these days. Director Luca Guadagnino lets his camera wander in a day-dream-like manner through the stunning landscapes of rural Italy, watching his characters as they go about exploring relationships, sexuality, faith and much more. They're not in a rush, and neither is the viewer, allowing the audience time to understand Oliver and Elio as they begin to understand one another. We're not just a witness to their relationship, but participants in it, feeling what they feel, experiencing what they experience. It makes the long shot over the credits of Elio all the more heartfelt and real. Pitch perfect performances combined with a genuine artist behind the camera - this is fine fine film-making and a true rarity. 

Well then - only ten left to go. Click here for the top ten!

Best Picture 2019: Part II

Green Book

Racism is bad, buddy road movies are good, and few show that better than Green Book. In many senses, it's too formulaic and adheres to too many stereotypical scenarios and characters but the chemistry onscreen is electric. Mortensen and Ali are both on brilliant form and it is the way they work together that really lends Green Book its success.

Green Book manages to be powerful in the issues it portrays but also funny and heartwarming. That may seem like it would undermine the severity of racism but it actually emphasises the contrast in the way successful African Americans were (and are) treated. The film has been riddled with some scandals - some more scandalous than others - but that shouldn't detract you from the fact that this is a good, mostly well crafted, film. That being said, its biggest weakness is not anything that happens on screen, but rather that none of that is hugely memorable. There's nothing bold here and it causes Green Book to slowly fade into a cinematic mist of similarly well-intentioned but safe film-making.

Roma

A cinematic love letter, in part to Cuarón's home country of Mexico, and in part to the language of film making. An emotive, powerful piece of cinema that never drifts through life, but purposefully captures the unfolding events of a young maid's life.

Roma has everything one could ask for (except colour, I suppose). Its shot in beautifully crisp black and white (rivalled only by this year's Cold War), holding its gaze and refusing to cut away. The camera pans with characters as they navigate relationships with one another, balancing employment and class. Cuarón isn't afraid to let things sit for a moment, allowing the audience to fully absorb everything in front of them. Similarly, he introduces details that seem small or insignificant and grows them into a full and powerful climax without the need for constant action, CGI magic, or big names to make it captivating. This love letter is written to ask its lover, the viewers, to come home and remember what made them fall in love with cinema to begin with.

The Favourite

What happens when you take a director known for a film about single people being turned into animals and have them direct a period piece about a 1700s queen and the ladies in her court? You get The Favourite; a daring and dizzying display of regal ridiculousness captured with whip pans and a fish-eye lens.

The Favourite boasts stunning performance from its three leading ladies, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, and Olivia Coleman. They are all devilish and controlling but also weak at times which opens up opportunities for power struggles to emerge, and these struggles are the backbone of the narrative. This is a weird world of duck and lobster racing, of sapphic love-making, and of rotten fruit throwing Torys but its absurdity never feels out of place or unneeded. This is the world Lanthimos has created in order to tell this story, this foul-mouthed reality is not so different from our own and it is the best reality to tell this story.

Blackklansman

Blacksploitation films may have faded out of popular culture (and probably for good reasons) but if there were one man to play with the genre, it would be Spike Lee. The veteran director is back with a fun recreation of a completely bizarre police case.

The concept alone, a black man infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan, seems ridiculous but there is a reality here Lee wants to present. From the moment the screen flicks into life, you can feel Lee's purposeful hand guiding the viewer, using cinema as a point of focus. Scenes from Gone With The Wind and Birth of a Nation grace the screen before anything happens, putting the slave-driving South (particularly that glorified in celluloid) in the audience's mind immediately. The rest of the story is fun, dramatic, and well performed but don't let the light tone and historic setting fool you. Lee closes as purposefully as he opens, jumping forward to the present and showing the viewer cars ploughing through crowds of black protestors, reminding us that racism is not dead and in fact, racism still kills.

Animated Shorts

Bao

Pixar's obligatory nomination in the short category is arguably one of their weaker. It ticks a lot of boxes, is pertinent to a particular culture, and is poetic in some of it's storytelling, but it's a little confusing and underwhelming. It's cute, but the emotional core of it just doesn't quite hit home. 

Animal Behaviour

The weakest of the nominated shorts (and of those shortlisted, in all honesty). It's a mildly entertaining skit with animals seeking therapy for their animalistic behaviour (haha), but the entire first half is too safe. The jokes are too obvious and the dialogue is strained. It picks up in its second half, but it's still too simplistic with it's real focus only appearing at the very end - too late.

Late Afternoon

A moving little short about how precious our memories really are, especially when the mind starts failing. Its abstract animation drifts through loose memories in swirls of colour, diving into a cup of tea and out into happier days gone by. Its gloriously animated and powerfully emotive.

One Small Step

Simple stories are sometimes the best, and One Small Step is no exception. Beautifully animated and brilliantly paced. It builds you up, knocks you down, but like its protagonist, you get right on back up and keep going. It will tug at your heartstrings and may even send chills down your spine. It may be simple, but it's proof that you don't need dialogue to say something great.

Weekends

The boldest of the shorts. It's daring in its animation, examining the difficulties of a child spreading their lives across their parents separate homes. through dreamlike (read: nightmare) sequences that embody the fear and isolation the kid feels. It feels like the freshest, most original of the shorts that has the most unique voice. It may seem a little jarring, but it's compelling.

Special Mention

My ultimate 'snub' this year was the astonishing Lost & Found. A stunning seven minute stop motion animation that you can watch now on Youtube. It was on the shortlist for the Oscar nomination, but failed to make the final five. It is a powerful, emotive story, and despite not a single word, it builds suspense like that of a Hitchcock film. It will tug on a loose thread from your heart and make it unravel. Brilliantly produced, beautifully shot; this was an oversight by the Academy and it's a shame that the short won't get the recognition it deserves.

Oscars 2019: Part II

Free Solo

You may think someone climbing El Capitan without ropes would be the most compelling aspect of Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin's documentary but it is the climber rather than the climb that makes Free Solo what it is. Alex Honnold is risking life and limb when he solos, so what makes him attempt the insane? Looking closely at both Honnold and those closest to him, we get a glimpse into the mind of a major thrill seeker and it is exhilarating. By the time we get to the climb, you’ve already sweat a bucket and bitten all your nails off.

It’s a fascinating journey of one man trying to do the impossible and we’re along with him for all the very literal, and all too terrifying, highs and lows. It only really scratches the surface of man vs nature and why someone may want to do this, but it's beautifully shot, somewhat disturbing, and all-together captivating.

If Beale Street Could Talk

Barry Jenkins follows his best picture winning Moonlight with another close-up of life in the black community. He carefully dissects the institutional racism inherit in America, without ever abandoning the love story at the centre of his film. His camera paints poetry with a delicate and deliberate colour palette, capturing and commanding the eye. It glides through scenes like a dream, showing the joy and optimism amongst the pain and the suffering. Beale Street simply doesn’t need to talk when it looks this good.

Powerful performances ground Jenkins’ transcendent style, bringing human heart with strong but flawed characters. The chemistry and tensions on-screen are palpable, drawing the audience into the scene, seating them in the middle of the crossfire and forcing them into the conversation. Occasionally it may drag when indulging its vision too much, but it’s forgivable; ultimately, it’s powerful and emotive film making.

Christopher Robin

For many of us, Winnie the Pooh played a big part in our childhoods but none as big as the part he played in the childhood of his pal Christopher Robin. Also like many of us, Christopher grew up and forgot Pooh, filling his time with other things - work and family - until they reach breaking point with one another. It is at this crisis point that Pooh reappears to help his old friend once again. 

It's a charming film, though very familiar. The plot is ancient, though typically Disney, with some CGI Pooh Bears and Tiggers thrown in, and a goofily archetypal antagonist in Christopher's boss (Mark Gatiss) for good measure. And despite it's somewhat dark and dismal start for an excellent Ewan McGregor's Christopher, the film drips with joy and love for its source material. Pooh, who gets vastly more screen-time than the other critters of Hundred Acre Wood, is a delight, helped in no small part by Jim Cummings returning to voice the beloved bear. At it's worst, Christopher Robin is too plain and simple. At it's best, it's fun; plain and simple. 

Mirai

The true cosmic magic of family, the connections that transcend time, are on full display in Hosoda's Mirai. It's an adventure that plays with linear narrative storytelling, the best method to capture the jealousies, insecurities, need for love, and imagination of a young child whose space is invaded by a newborn sibling.

It's a touching exploration into memory and family, investigating the invisible links that hold the fabric of our lives together but it can be clunky at times. Mirai struggles to maintain its tempo, often too neatly tying up threads before they're suddenly unravelled again for the next mystical encounter. If nothing else, it's a refreshing reminder that animation is still alive and well if not flourishing, without feeling the need to adhere to the formats presented by the big western studios.

Oscars 2019: Part I

A Quiet Place

Alfred Hitchcock has long been deemed the 'King of Suspense' and many have tried to topple him from his throne. With so many worthy suiters, who would ever have thought that Jim from The Office would be one of those vying for the crown, but John Krasinski is more than a sitcom goofball. Director, writer, producer, and star - Krasinski takes 90 minutes and makes them unrelenting and unforgiving.

Featuring stunning performances from Krasinski, Blunt, Simmonds, and Jupe - a.k.a. the whole cast - a near immaculate screen-play, and sound-design to die for, A Quiet Place is a breakthrough for a promising young director. Also, it grabs the award for the best opening in years; if you're not gripped by it, then film-watching may not be for you.

Ready Player One

Steven Spielberg, one of history's most defining and versatile directors, is no stranger to the Oscars. He's won a couple, directed a couple of actors to win them, and been nominated for a couple of handfuls more. Whilst his eyes are normally on bigger prizes than Best Visual Effects, Ready Player One is a fun return to family magic for the veteran director. Set in a desolate future where a virtual reality system, Oasis, consumes everyone's times and lives, people (or rather their avatars) compete within the game to find the late creator's keys which open the doors to his enormous fortune.

Jumping in and out of its magnificent digital landscape, Ready Player One is a feast for the eyes. Almost immediately we're in the midst of a chaotic and reckless race; long lingering shots of computer generated mayhem dominate the screen and it is glorious. The narrative, whilst at times is contrived, is timely - grounded in the digital age - and littered with pop culture references. Occasionally this is the film's greatest strength (a particular scene should not be 'Overlooked'), but it may make the film irrelevant in five years time. For now though, it's a treat to be enjoyed today.

Ralph Breaks the Internet

Ralph Breaks the Internet is, to put it generously, a confused follow up to a great original. It doesn’t seem to know who it is appealing to; do the kids care about ebay’s bidding process, for example. It’s jokes about memes or YouTube videos being all about babies and cats are not satirical, but outdated. If there is a commentary about culture’s obsession with the internet, it’s lost amongst the backdrop of corporate identities and Disney’s intellectual properties. The film has no problem being explicit (it’s presentation of Ralph’s insecurities are like being slapped with a wet fish) but it never really approaches its subject matter with any sort of commentary or, more worryingly for a family film, any joy. At two hours in length, it’s overlong, underwhelming, and misguided.

RBG


Telling the story of a great woman does not a great documentary make. A good, if not simple, documentary that tells a great and important story, however, that may do. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the notorious RBG, is one of the most inspiring women in the United States and her story is one that people should know. That's where RBG comes in. It's a well structured, well presented documentary that fulfils its aims and its supreme subject's bubbling personality and fiery determination make for good watching.

Mary Poppins Returns

With franchises and sequels taking over the cinematic landscape and being green lit before their predecessor has even left the cinema, it’s a breath of fresh air to have a sequel that waited for its time. Whilst author P. L. Travers dismissed the original Mary Poppins, there’s no denying it is a classic, a family favourite, and was revolutionary in its day for combining animation and live action. It was begging for a sequel, as were its producers. But for over 50 years, despite plenty of efforts nothing came... until now.

Mary Poppins Returns is set 25 years after its original, featuring Jane and Michael Banks as adults in the midst of a family crisis and the bank wanting to repossess the Banks' family home. Michael, whose wife has recently passed away, has three children that he needs to look out for and no money with which to do it, but he has some shares in the bank which would pay off his debt. If only he knew where his father left them. With the Banks children, and their children, in trouble, Mary swoops in on a breeze and cryptically promised to stay until the door opens.

We’re swiftly returned to the magical landscape of the original Poppins: talking umbrellas, bigger-on-the-inside carpets bags, animated adventures, but with lamplighters taking the place of the original chimney sweeps. However, herein lies the problem. In retreading the path walked by the original, Returns builds expectations without delivering. There are set-ups without conclusion, familiarly dodgy cockney accents, unnecessary romantic subplots, and perhaps most damningly, homage to the original without the heart. 

The film’s nostalgia overload feels less like a tribute to the old film (though there are small but excellent moments that do this) and more like a cardboard cut out of its former self, looking the part but lacking depth. Mary is less a mystical magical nanny, wanting to help the Banks family overcome their problems and more superhuman ready to overcome their problems for them in a rushed climax that almost makes a lot of what came before feel unneeded.

But it’s not all bad, hardly so. The film is headed up with a sharp, practically-perfect performance by Emily Blunt. It’s a different interpretation than Andrew’s original nanny but not a lesser. Blunt is sterner but naughtier, with a mocking sense of humour stemming from a genuine care for the children. She easily holds the film together with a charisma and charm to die for. With her are a superb supporting cast, particularly Ben Whishaw's barley-holding-it-together Michael, but also Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Colin Firth, Lin-Manual Miranda (cockney accent notwithstanding) and an all too short appearance by the great Dick Van Dyke.

And there is a solid story here too, somewhere beneath the loosely intertwined and forgettable songs. A touching tale of family, of growing up, of joy and love. If Mary Poppins Returns main goal was to make you smile and feel happy, it succeeds even if some elements are lacking. There are a couple of scenes that could have been left on the cutting room floor (an underwater non-adventure and a rushed topsy turvy sequence), but otherwise there's nothing too harmful here, but rather harmless fun. There's some stunning set pieces, genuine laughs, and a sense that this film was made with love. Some who love the original will be let down by an attempt to recreate the magic rather than make it anew, whilst others will be joyful that there's still magic in Hollywood at all. 

1001 Movies - The Devils (Les Diaboliques)

When the name of a film can be translated as 'The Devils' or 'The Fiends', you may think you’ll be dealing with a clear embodiment of evil but that’s not what Les Diaboliques offers. The film may be shot in black and white but the characters and narrative are anything but.

For example, we may be in support of the wife that teams up with her husband’s mistress to put a permanent end to his abusive and adulterous ways, even if the method is murder. Sure murder is wrong, but so are unrepentant patterns of abusive behaviour. At what point do two wrongs make a right? That is the first question begged of the audience. To what extent can we support this crime? We are sucked into a place of sympathy for the female leads, putting us on their side, so as their sadness becomes sinister, we are taken along for the ride.

It’s an ingenious ploy; the audience become culpable, a co-conspirator and supporter of the murderous act so when the body vanishes, we share the anxiety of our cinematic sisters in crime. For the rest of the film we’re stuck in a paranoid frenzy, pointing fingers in all manner of directions, piecing together an ever expanding puzzle to convince ourselves that Michel has not risen from the dead. But the shadows in the hall and faces in windows tell a different story as does Michel’s freshly dry cleaned jacket.

It’s a masterclass of suspenseful story telling. It lures the viewer into a murder plot, a tale of vengeful women, and then slaps them into the middle of a psychological thriller. Director Henri-Georges Clouzot feeds crumbs of information to his audience, teasing their hunger for answers but starving them of the full truth, at least until the film climaxes with a shocking final scene when all is revealed. It rewards the viewer for sticking it out, but it is a nervous job doing so. The uncomfortable uncertainty installs a quiet panic, feeding on a desperation for resolution, and as the tension builds, so do our apprehensions. Simply put, it’s a thrilling, perfectly timed and executed adrenaline ride.

A film that inspired Hitchcock’s Psycho, but certainly not a lesser film by any means. Les Diaboliques is daring, bold, and brave. A French phenomenon filled with fear, just like a good horror should be.

1001 Movies - Woodstock

3 Days of Peace and Music. That’s how the now notorious Woodstock festival was advertised and its legacy has lived on as a defining part of the 'hippy' movement; it even lent its name to a whole generation. But it also caused a state of emergency to be issued by the local county. Military airforce transport was recruited to ferry people in and out. There had to be notifications from the main stage about bad acid going around and the schedule was so badly delayed, The Who played at 5 am and Jimi Hendrix played the morning after the festival was due to finish.

Woodstock is a documentary that follows the festival from its hopeful beginning to the wet, muddy, and worn out end with every naked, tripping, loving moment in between. From building the stage to serious warnings about it collapsing on the festival goers. From the optimism of the fresh faced youngsters turning up for the festivities, to those in the medical tent, searching for the ones they love. There’s joy and there’s sadness. Pain and hope. There’s no real narrative, no dominant message or active voice, just a camera drifting through the peace loving chaos that was Woodstock.

It’s a testament to how narratively gripping life can be when pushed to the extreme; when, in essence, you voluntarily create a third world country within wealthy America for the purpose of celebrating peace and love through music. 400,000 people descend on New York which naturally brings with it health issues, social conflict with surrounding areas, and huge practical obstacles for everyone, from the festival organisers up to the government, to have to cope with and we get to watch selected highlights of these unique dramas. Intersperse this with some performances from legendary musicians, and you have three hours of utterly breathtaking film making.

As the morning sun gently shines down on Jimi Hendrix playing his psychedelic, ground breaking, era defining version of Star spangled Banner, you realise you’ve witnessed something historic. This was an event that defined a generation and, like the now diminished crowd on screen, you’re emotionally drained; you’re amazed that this incredibly ambitious event, plagued by almost every challenge known to mankind, came to fruition. More than that, the documentary demonstrates unprecedented foresight and intuition. Released a year after the festival, it captured something powerful on film - something inimitable, a once in a lifetime event. It had its fingers on America’s pulse and sensed the magnitude of what was coming and fought to ensure it was documented.

We talk about capturing the current zeitgeist in good documentaries but none have done it more successfully and, arguably, more powerfully than Woodstock. Woodstock the festival was legendary but fleeting, Woodstock the film: unforgettable.

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