The Oscars

Every year Tim and I attempt to see all of the films nominated for Best Picture.  We’re not sure why, as we seldom agree with the Academy on their selections and can often think of other films we have seen that are better than those actually nominated.  Nevertheless, we set out again this year to watch all five and I am proud (or perhaps a little embarrassed) to say that each of us we forked over $45 to view these films.  Since last night was the Oscar ceremony, I thought I would give my thoughts on each of the films nominated for best picture:

• There Will Be Blood: As much as I love P.T. Anderson’s other films (especially Magnolia), I thought this movie was overly long and overly boring.  The film started out strong – several minutes with no dialogue, stark music, and Daniel Day-Lewis, alone in the foothills of Texas, introducing us to his character Daniel Plainview.  Plainview is a man encompassed by greed, hard work, and his basic hatred of people.  The first hour or so of the movie was good – Day-Lewis performs magnificently, and the developing relationship between Plainview and his adoptive son is interesting.  Then the movie drags on and on and on and on.  Plainview becomes so evil without any motivation that the audience has absolutely no sympathy or understanding of him as a human being.  Plainview’s overreaction to the charlatan preacher Eli Sunday seems ridiculous and unfounded, and the final scene of the movie is the most over-acted piece of drivel ever filmed.
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• Michael Clayton: I actually had very low expectations for this film: I think most people were surprised that it was nominated for Best Picture.  But this dark legal thriller was better than expected.  George Clooney plays the title character, a lawyer at a high-powered firm who is called the Janitor – Michael Clayton cleans up the messes of wealthy clients and his fellow lawyers.  Michael is called in to “clean up” when one of the firm’s partners, who is a manic depressive and is not taking his medication, strips at a deposition.  This lawyer has been working on the same case for many, many years, representing a biochemical company that is being sued by people who were made sick by their product.  The biochemical company takes drastic measures to try to win their lawsuit; Michael has to decide his ethical stance as a lawyer working on a case that is essentially unethical.  The movie was good, the acting was understated yet superb (great supporting cast anchored by Tom Wilkinson as the manic depressive lawyer), but the film did not wow me.
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• Atonement: This film, too, was better than I thought it would be.  It takes place in the 1930s at the estate of a wealthy family.  The youngest daughter, Briony, witnesses her sister, Cecilia, having sexual relations with the son of their housekeeper, Robbie.  Later that night, her cousin Lola is raped.  Briony thinks she sees who is raping Lola and accuses Robbie of the rape.  Robbie is sent to jail.  Cecilia and Robbie are in love, and Cecilia leaves her comfortable family life because they believe that Robbie is guilty.  Robbie is eventually given the choice to either go fight in World War II or stay in jail.  He elects to go fight.  Cecilia promises to wait for him.  Briony comes to realize that her naive and selfish views made her accuse the wrong man of raping Lola.  She tries to make amends but is uncertain as to how.  The ending is extremely sad and slightly surprising, although satisfying.  The acting was excellent, especially the child actress who plays Briony, although I was distracted by the extreme bony-ness of Keira Knightley, who played Cecilia.  
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• Juno: What a funny, witty, and endearing film!  Ellen Page is perfect as the quirky and jaded Juno who becomes pregnant after having sex for the first time with her best friend Paulie.  Her family accepts the pregnancy and helps her deal with it.  Juno decides to birth the baby and find the perfect couple to raise it.  She puts an ad in the paper and finds the Lorings, the quintessential yuppie couple who are desperate to adopt.  Juno develops a relationship with the Lorings and also discovers what love means.  Yes, it is a little corny, but it was well done.
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• No Country for Old Men: This film is the latest movie by the Coen Brothers.  Llewellyn Moss is out hunting one day when he stumbles across a drug deal gone bad.  All the drug dealers are either dead or almost dead.  Llewellyn steals the money sitting there and begins running.  He is soon being trailed by Anton Chigurh, a hit-man working for a drug kingpin to get back his money.  We watch as Anton chases Llewellyn, leaving a bloody wake of bodies.  Also on the hunt is Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, trying to save Llewellyn from his inevitable fate at the hands of Anton.  The movie is stark, violent, and sad.  There is such a sense of loss and the desire to survive – what will a person give up in order to survive?  Is a life with no meaning better than no life at all?  Tim really disliked this movie whereas I thought it was excellent and heartbreaking.  The ending is abrupt and profoundly depressing.  I believe this movie, unlike any of the other nominees, stretches the boundaries of film-making.  I do admit that that the film could have used some editing, tightening some of the lengthy parts in the middle, but overall it was an excellent film.
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