2010 Best Picture Academy Award
Nominees, Part Two

March 4, 2010

In last week’s column I gave my take on five of this year’s Academy Award nominees for best picture. This week I will take on the remaining five films in the race, which has been expanded from five films to ten this year. Without further adieu, here are my thoughts and observations on these remaining films.

“The Hurt Locker” seems to be the film to beat where most of the major critics are concerned. Many industry insiders actually seem to think that the film has a serious chance of upstaging audience favorite, “Avatar,” and claiming the best picture statuette in the process. The irony here is that Kathryn Bigelow, director of “The Hurt Locker,” was once married to “Avatar” director, James Cameron, creating both a good story for the press and little friendly rivalry in the process.
“The Hurt Locker” revolves around a group of elite soldiers whose job is to disarm bombs in the heat of combat. When their new sergeant arrives in the middle of a particularly heated conflict, the group finds themselves plunged into a level of danger they never anticipated. That is, more or less, the plot of the film.

As far as these types of films go, I would say “The Hurt Locker” is decent but, in my opinion, certainly not nearly as worthy of its hype as one might believe. The film’s chief sin is its tendency toward clichés and a lack of character development. The film glorifies war, while also canonizing its sadist nut-case hero. Also, the slaughter of civilians is used as a dramatic backdrop to our hero's psycho sexual struggle and every US bullet seems to, coincidentally, find its mark. “The Hurt Locker” has its moments but its clichés tend to bog it down (***). Photo: Avatar Navi

Of all the best picture nominees, “Avatar” is far and away the film with the biggest box office tally. Still, being one of the biggest grossing films in the history of movies doesn’t necessarily mean that a film is perfect. Such is the case with “Avatar.”

First off, I will say that “Avatar” is the type of film that must be seen in a movie theater, and in the 3-D format, in order to be fully appreciated. If one attempts to see this at home once it makes its debut in 2-D on DVD, its flaws will become more apparent.

The problem with “Avatar” is that director James Cameron seems to have been so enamored with his film’s undeniably arresting and eye popping visuals that the film’s story seems to have taken a backseat to the visual feast at hand. The film’s plot is a cross between “Pocahontas” and “Dances With Wolves” and if you’ve seen either of them you will be able to telegraph the film’s plot way in advance. Still, for sheer technological advances in filmmaking and the effort director Cameron put into assembling the film, “Avatar” deserves at least (***).

Photo: Quinton Aaron & Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side

Of all of the best picture nominees, “The Blind Side” was, for me, the least satisfying of all of the films. I will say that Sandra Bullock gives a credible performance in the film’s central role of Leigh Ann Tuohy, who adopted Michael Oher, a homeless African American man. Bullock is the film's chief saving grace. Oher’s presence in the Tuohy household leads all of the family members to reevaluation and self discovery of their own while Oher goes on to become an offensive left tackle for the Baltimore Ravens.

Part of the film’s problem is the way that the Michael Oher character is written. In the film he is presented as an inarticulate mass, a giant silent looming prop, the obelisk against which the Tuohys can attempt to effect their idea of charity. He may not be John Coffey from “The Green Mile,” but he's close enough. Everyone in the film seems to think of Oher as an unfathomable black force that might have been dredged up from the bottom of the ocean. That is until they determine that he is strong and fast and decide to turn him into a football player. As sports film clichés go, this one can go neck and neck with the best of them. As a result I would give the film (**).

“A Serious Man” is the latest film from the Coen Brothers, who previously took home the Oscar for their 2007 film, “No Country For Old Men.” Their latest film concerns a man named Larry Gopnik, a physics professor at a quiet Midwestern university who has just been informed by his wife Judith that she is leaving him. This all leads Larry on a quest of self discovery beset with plot complications that would only appear in a film by the Coen Brothers. It really is an acquired taste depending on your tolerance for their type of films. Some will hate the film if for no other reason than its leisurely pace. I, on the other hand, enjoy the films of the cinematic Coen siblings and found the film quite challenging. (*** ½). Photo: Sharlto Copley in District 9

The last film in the pool of best picture contenders is “District 9,” a sci fi satire which concerns a massive starship bearing a bedraggled alien population, nicknamed "The Prawns," which appears over Johannesburg, South Africa in 1982. Twenty-eight years later, after the initial welcome has faded, a munitions corporation Multi-National United, is contracted to forcibly evict the population with operative Wikus van der Merwe in charge. In this operation, Wikus is exposed to a strange alien chemical and must rely on the help of his only two new 'Prawn' friends. “District 9” is well-made sci fi for those who like that sort of thing even if it is a little too predictable for its own good at times. (***)

That’s it for this year’s Oscar contenders for Best Picture. Don’t forget to watch the Oscars on Sunday March 7. Have a great week!

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