60 Years of Oscars (2010-2020)

 

 

Thank your to readers for many interesting replies and comments here on Facebook in response to PART 1 (1955-1979) and PART 2 (1980-1989) and PART 3 (1990-1999) and PART 4 (2000-2009) of this multi-tasking series on Oscar-winning movies.

Now, let’s move into the 2010s. As promised, here’s PART 5.

[Note: Each year below refers to the date of Academy Awards ceremony and winner for BEST PICTURE from movies released in the previous year]

—– The 2010’s —–

2010: THE HURT LOCKER

This marked the first year the “Best Picture” category expanded to 10 nominees, effectively doubling the list of finalists. Their goal was increase suspense and attract more viewership. However, this change also meant multiple nominees had no chance to win nor really deserved to be included among the real contenders. We must also wonder how the new format changed voting (and outcomes) since more movies to chose from also reduced the overall consensus. I see year 2010 as a two-movie race between the insightful war film THE HURT LOCKER (which turned out to be the surprise winner) and the box office sensation, AVATAR. Either film merits the top award while the remaining nominees are nowhere in the chase. Personal favorite of mine is UP IN THE AIR, which was George Clooney playing a smug, frequent-flying, corporate hitman-downsizer-for-hire) was easily top-three. Thereafter, I’m struggling to come up with much in this class. Q. Tarantino’s INGLOURIOUS BASTARDS has some fun moments, as in the case of all his films, but I wasn’t quite as high on this World War II farce as most critics. THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES was a fantastic Argentine film, which I loved — with fantastic performances and a powerful story about a police investigation set during that nation’s military dictatorship, and how that impacted how crime and justice were carried out. Most under-appreciated move is a slam dunk — ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL is the most overlooked film of the year. This is a thoroughly-absorbing rockumentary showcasing a real-life 1980s heavy metal band struggling to keep things together. It plays much like SPINAL TAP, but the story is all-too real. ANVIL! is a great human story of unrealized young dreams that turn to middle age, then age even more, revealing what happens when we miss the train of life, and at times we’ve all done that in some way. if you don’t know this movie–it may be a surprise revelation. Emotionally moving, inspirational, and wickedly funny throughout. Take just a moment to watch the 2- minute trailer on YouTube .com. How and why was this movie not among the best of the year? CLICK HERE for more.

2011: THE KINGS SPEECH

No argument from me with the popular historical drama starring Colin Firth as King George VI and his speech specialist Geoffrey Rush winning the Best Picture Oscar. But in a close call, my vote would have been cast for THE SOCIAL NETWORK, about the earliest days of the giant social media startups, including what would become Facebook. Techie-oriented movies populated by emotionally distant characters many might call “nerds” may not seem like edge-of-your-seat excitement, but this film was edgy, informative, and wonderfully entertaining. Something I learned researching this year–HUGO, a welcome and surprise creative departure for director M. Scorsese made an outstanding family-oriented 3-D movie for all ages; yet somehow this movie LOST $100 million! INCEPTION came out this year, a film I despised so much that I ranted about it later, which soon thereafter triggered me into starting a writing blog (true story–so perhaps I I owe all this creative energy to INCEPTION). Most under-appreciated film — THE WAY, a small-budget family collaboration and personal postcard about those seekers who trek along the famous hiking trail that runs through Spain into the Pyrenees (which really exists). The Sheen’s both star and direct (Martin, and his son E. Estevez)….plot and execution are packed with meaning of life questions and rings all emotional bells. There are no quacky characters or car chases here — just people living and striving for something, and more important — hoping to find that right “something.” I loved this movie, and am surprised it didn’t connect with a much bigger audience, especially given some religious messaging.

2012: ARGO

This was such a fun film (based on the true story of the CIA secretly smuggling American diplomats out of Iran during the 1979-80 hostage crisis). Scene plays out almost cartoonish at times, but I’m convinced this lighter tone and funnier approach drew in a much bigger box office, and well — it won the Oscar! Note: Telling a true story about hostages with a more heavy-handed style level wouldn’t have been so successful, nor as compelling. Added note: I’ve never liked much of anything from actor-director Ben Affleck, but he knocked this one out of the park. the bio-epic LINCOLN is outstanding and is my runner up–due to Daniel Day-Lewis giving one of the greatest presidential portrayal in cinematic history. The movie is just as good, especially given the subject matter in the plot (it would have been easier to do LINCOLN in a Civil War setting, but this takes place after the war, and is a test of reconstruction (perhaps tougher than any war challenges–as we’re still learning today). Did not like SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK at all. Eye-rolling throughout, an awful movie, despite Jennifer Lawrence’s Oscar win. A few others nominated were also disappointing (I walked out on BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD). Let me credit LIFE OF PI, which was so well done by director Ang Lee. This special-effects-driven adventure film about a teenage boy trapped on a life raft in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with a bengal tiger following a deadly maritime disaster satisfied everyone’s curiosity and delivered a big payoff (I remember seeing the trailer and thinking to myself — what the F is this?). I’ll put LIFE OF PI in my top-3. Wes Anderson’s MOONRISE KINGDOM must also be honorably mentioned, but I admit to losing memory for this film and don’t remember enough to comment further. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO should be in this conversation someplace–not sure where. Excellent movie about a crime caper in Scandinavia with some out-of-typecast performances by the lead actors.

2013: 12 YEARS A SLAVE

Confession: I’ve never seen 12 YEARS A SLAVE. So, my comments henceforth are incomplete. Still, what a great year in movies–rare for all nominees to be at least worth in the Best Picture category–including (in my order of preference)……..AMERICAN HUSTLE, HER, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, PHILOMENA, GRAVITY, NEBRASKA, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, and CAPTAIN PHILLIPS. Everything here is good to great. I’m not making a pick, other than to point out each of these movies are powerful character-driven stories, which are films I tend to like. Speaking of films I really liked, BLUE JASMINE shows Woody Allen retuning to prior form as a masterful writer-director (MATCH POINT, a few years earlier was also excellent). Cate Blanchett won her Oscar in the title role. Worth noting–the biggest sellout of the year was THE MASTER, potentially a great film, but rather than be honest and go for the source (the sick and dangerous religious cult known as Scientology), probably in an effort to avoid lawsuits and retribution the filmmakers decided to soften their target and make the connection less obvious, which killed credibility. Under-appreciated — THE SESSIONS, which is brave, meaningful, funny, and true! It’s the story of a young paralyzed man trying to fulfill normal sexual desire, but is unable to due to his physical challenge. He navigates the morals of “hiring” someone, which becomes a most revealing and deeply touching emotional inquisition into of the complexities of relationships. This subject matter could have gone very wrong, but it gets everything right. Movies sometimes take us to new places and open our eyes and makes us think, and this is one of those special films.

2014: BIRDMAN

What a travesty! This winner wasn’t even close to the Best Picture, which instead should have gone to BOYHOOD. How did Richard Linklater’s coming of age film not win this year? BOYHOOD depicts the childhood in a split family from the standpoint of a boy ages 6 up to 18 as he grows up, experiences his parents’ divorce (Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke), moves to new cities and schools and changes friends, while enduring all the hardships many kids experience. Production first began in 2002 and finished in 2013, with the actors returning and shoot again every few years–an arduous process stacked with risks and possible disaster (who knew how the kid actors would really turn out?). This was a terrible oversight, especially since the the movie and journey are equally compelling despite no script written when shooting began. This film was the ultimate risk, and cost only $4 million. My runner-up is THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING, an excellent bio-pic about the late Stephen Hawking. A very similar film from this year was THE IMITATION GAME, about math genius and codebreaker Brit–Alan Turing. A BEAUTIFUL MIND won a some years earlier–these two moves are just as good. Thumbs high for THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL. I still can’t believe BIRDMAN won — thus beginning a gradual slide of my respect for the Oscars which will bottom out a decade later. Most under-appreciated movie was the documentary on singer-songwriter-session guitarist Glen Campbell, I’LL BE ME. I’ve always loved and admired Campbell since I was a kid, and being familiar with Alzheimers (a person in my home has been in decline for years), I was a puddle of tears at times while watching, but also felt genuine joy at Campbell’s occasional moments of reflection and insight in his final tour, one last recording session, and his subsequent mental decline (he died three years later).

2015: SPOTLIGHT

SPOTLIGHT was an outstanding film in the mold of ALL THE PRESIDENTS MEN. where the heroes are newspaper reporters chasing an incendiary story that no one else is paying attention to. Based on the true story of the Catholic Church coving up thousands of real cases of childhood sexual abuse, we witness not just only the gauntlet of obstacles bricked up by those who were guilty, but also from the community, powerful big money interests, combined with an often indifferent public. Two other movies would have been equally as satisfying, including THE BIG SHORT, a comedy-drama on the George Bush economic meltdown (and near global economic collapse) of 2008. Brilliantly written and executed, and sometimes wickedly funny. BRIDGE OF SPIES, a Spielberg film based on the 1961 exchange of pilot Gary Powers for a Soviet KGB agent is riveting from start to finish. I also enjoyed BROOKLYN, which belongs in the top-5, about an Irish girl in the 1950s who immigrates to America (Saoirse Ronan is outstanding). I’ll toss TRUMBO in here, also — about the blacklisted 1950’s Hollywood screenwriter. As you see, this is a powerhouse year for historical dramas — all of them excellent. Most under-appreciated film of the year is easy and obvious — BEST OF ENEMIES, a fascinating documentary film about the nationally televised 1968 debates between two intellectual heavyweights, liberal Gore Vidal and conservative William F. Buckley Jr. Just like the two giants featured, this film is thoroughly captivating. Let me add CHEF, a terrific comedy-drama about a famous chef who gets fed up with running a snooty restaurant and decides instead to buy and run a food truck. I loved this!

2016: MOONLIGHT

So, we go from SPOTLIGHT to MOONLIGHT. I admit to having never seen MOONLIGHT, but like millions of viewers who watched in shock when the *wrong* Best Picture winner was mis-announced on television, I was not only stunned that such an appalling mistake could happen, but I was more pissed LA LA LAND did not win. The catchy musical was falsely announced instead, and as the principles took the stage, the ultimate rug pull on live television happened when the wrong acceptance speech was interrupted in mid-presentation and MOONLIGHT took the statue. LA LA LAND was wonderful — performances, romantic story, and outstanding music while also lampooning So Cal culture. I absolutely hated MANCHESTER BY THE SEA, nominated and Casey Affleck won for Best Actor in a horrible decision–more Oscar decline for me with that abomination. Under-appreciated film — O.J. MADE IN AMERICA, an ambitious five-part series won for Best Documentary. I never would have expected to find the tiresome, overblown O.J. Simpson case interesting after so much wasted time spent on his notorious murder trial, nor would I have expected to bother watching. A few years later, this was shown on ESPN as part of the 30 FOR 30 series, and I tuned while channel surfing–and got hooked. Riveting and downright addictive documentary from start to finish, even though we know most of what happens. That’s great filmmaking.

2017: THE SHAPE OF WATER

This surreal movie by monster-obsessed director Guillermo del Toro, who delivers a very good movie, was intriguing given the subject matter, but not Best Picture worthy. Rather, THE POST (about the Washington Post publishing the Pentagon Papers…NYT was actually the first) was my favorite movie. But this topic sounds all too familiar by now and had already been done. Too bad, because this was an excellent movie every bit as good as anything on the press and media, carried by convincing performances from Tom Hanks (as Ben Bradlee) and Meryl Streep (as Katherine Graham) . Sure, I understand the Academy likes going in different directions with its winner picks (which sometimes handicaps films and actors who aren’t lucky to be nominated in the right year). This likely made THE SHAPE OF WATER the predictable choice. I’m one of the few people who did not like nor enjoy LADY BIRD, but that film received widespread praise. I also strongly disliked PHANTOM THREAD, purported to be the final film by three-time Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis. He should have gone out with something better than this. Under-appreciated — DETROIT, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, this should have been much more successful (it lost money, despite outstanding reviews). DETROIT was a little-known feature about a true crime case mishandled by Detroit Police that set off the tragic 1967 urban riots–which many say was the lynchpin on Detroit’s decline.

2018: GREEN BOOK

I enjoyed GREEN BOOK. But Best Picture? Really? This is the year the Oscar should have gone to BLACK PANTHER, even though I’m no fan of Marvel superhero films (in fact, I loathe them). Money should never be the metric, but we also can’t ignore the first $1 billion movie in history, and when we add it’s cultural significance, this should have been an obvious pick. The following explanation is notable: “Many have wondered why Black Panther means so much to the Black community and why schools, churches and organizations have come to the theaters with so much excitement. The answer is that the movie brings a moment of positivity to a group of people often not the centerpiece of Hollywood movies… [Racial and ethnic socialization] helps to strengthen identity and helps reduce the likelihood on internalizing negative stereotypes about one’s ethnic group.” That’s a powerful statement and convinces me this was a far more important movie. It should be noted THE GREEN BOOK is also a film very much about race, but it’s just not as groundbreaking. Under-appreciated–WIDOWS, with a female-dominated cast of everyday citizens who find themselves desperate and who plot to pull off a multi-million robbery in this unusual heist thriller that’s much more thoughtful than most capers of this genre.

2019: PARASITE

This Korean-made movie with an all-Korean cast was a surprise success (in the US) and a deserving Oscar winner. Lots of very good films were this year, but nothing was truly great. In fact, all the nominees seemed to be missing something, except PARASITE. I strongly disliked THE IRISHMAN which was overly long, unconvincing, and at times even ridiculous. FORD vs. FERRARI had some nice moments, but it’s a 7/10. ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD was another fascinating effort by Tarantino with excellent performances, but this also gets only a 7/10. THE JOKER bored me, despite the memorable performance by Joaquin Phoenix. i did not see JO JO RABBIT, which sounds like a film I would have enjoyed and ranked among the best. Lots of cartoonish/animated/Marvel movies were big this year—I didn’t see any of them. Not my taste. I tremendously enjoyed BETWEEN TWO FERNS, WITH ZACH GALIFIANAKIS, which features a stacked cast of celebrity guests, everyone from Bradley Cooper and Natalie Portman to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and many in between. Each episodes lasts about 5-10 minutes, in which the interviewer (Galifianakis) and guests trade barbs which often escalate into insults.

2020: NOMADLAND

Here’s where we get closer to recent years, which includes multiple movies I have not yet seen. That includes NOMADLAND, still a void on my movie viewing resume. This looks like a good place to stop, given I have blind spots more and more with each year (2020-2025). It takes time–years–to watch enough movies to do these with any credibility. So, that’s it for now.

With that, this concludes my comments and picks. I’m sure I have many gaps and more than a few oversights..