All tagged Awards
“Hidden Figures” is one of several films, nominated at this year’s Academy Awards, to finally turn the tide on the past two years’ whitewashed nominees. Unlike many films nominated in the past, “Hidden Figures” does not purely focus on the degradation of black people, but also their contributions to the world at large. The subjects of this film are black women, who are often seen as the most disenfranchised group of Americans, and aren’t generally the subjects of big profile films.
This year, I am once again looking towards the future with these contenders for the 2017 Oscars, and try as hard as I can to really suss out who will be nominated. Below are probable nominees for this year’s Oscar nominations, in the biggest categories, like Actress, Actor, Best Picture etc.
Upsets are common, as well as snubs, so every year I am surprised by what gets nominated and what doesn’t. The only way to be ahead is to watch everything
For the past couple of months I have been watching all of these films, and reviewing them on my site in an attempt to form an informed opinion about who I thought deserved to actually win the awards. I covered everything from “Selma’s” controversial shutout, to lackluster inclusion of issue films, to my love of Linklater’s “Boyhood,” and general surprise that it didn’t win more awards.
Julianne Moore was the easy choice for Best Actress at this year’s awards. An old Hollywood pro, Moore had previously been nominated a whopping four times, one year in two different acting categories.
The plot revolves around factory worker Sandra (Cotillard) who has had a nervous breakdown, which has left her depressed and anxious. She’s medicated, but still jumpy, and her family has trouble taking care of her.
Most of the film is set in the wilderness, where Cheryl battles sexual predators, rain, hunger, and herself. There are also numerous flashbacks to her life before the PCT. Laura Dern was given a Best Supporting Actress nomination for this film, and she shines through the murkiness and somber setting.
The performances are solid; undebatable. Joaquin Phoenix does wonders as the pot smoking, almost vagrant detective “Doc.” Since coming back to the world of the living after his stunt with Casey Affleck, Phoenix has taken on complex, ethos pondering, crooked characters, that both entertain with their density, and enrage many with their brilliance.
The songs are amazing, melding seamlessly with the story, and they also punch up the action. If you take anything good from this film, it’s that you get a great soundtrack and a view into the original West End production.
As a white woman my opinion is valid, and yet flawed. I do not possess the insight, or the experience, to understand what black Americans have lived through, and what makes up their current fight. Every American should watch this film and feel at least partially outraged by the violence, the injustice, and the racial disparity presented onscreen.
While the intermittent times he is home demonstrate his issues with real life, they don’t go anywhere. He is troubled, but not depressed; only wanting to get back to his friends, who are being picked off by a rogue Iraqi sniper, who is killed in the film.
This is just as much a story about Mark and David Schultz. Du Pont creates himself in the image of a father-figure for Mark (Tatum) who has always relied on his older brother for support and guidance.
The story is one that has been told before, but it has never felt so tense. Teller portrays a single minded musician who wants to “die drunk, broke at 34 and have people at a dinner table talk about him than live to be rich and sober at 90 and nobody remembered who he was.”
There just aren’t enough films dealing with the LGBT community. While many marginalized and underrepresented peoples are still struggling to be seen compared to LGBT characters, that doesn’t mean that we always get complex, three dimensional LGBT characters.
The story strays constantly from that of an older man accused of a crime he can’t remember, and into gentle humor and human interest. There are side characters and flashbacks, unneeded expository dialogue, and scenes that have no bearing on the rest of the plot.
In a film like this, the first thing everyone looks at is the execution, and how it matches the level of acting from its leads. Ethan Hawke is an amazing actor, and his best assets are always highlighted in Linklater productions.
Even with the interesting content of the film, the pacing is awful. The film drags along slowly, and very little happens throughout. Felicity Jones carries the entire middle section of the film as she lusts after a family friend (Charlie Cox), but much of what they feel for each other is only hinted at.
In all the years that I have defended the ceremony to film friends, I have found that the one complaint among supporters is that it is very difficult to watch all of the films nominated before the ceremony, mostly because many are released in theaters at the end of the year.
