If I Were an Academy Member
By J. Don Birnam
February 26, 2017
BoxOfficeProphets.com
9. Hacksaw Ridge
I appreciated the technical wizardry on display in the battle/rescue scenes in the second half of this film and I could not believe that this story had not been previously told. The conscientious objector at the center of this piece is impressive and important, he offers a slightly different perspective than the one we are used to from liberal-leaning Hollywood. It is for sure a conservative message, but not the classic pro-war one you’d expect and that was refreshing.
But the first half of the movie felt almost like a comedy to me, with Vince Vaughn scenes seemingly parodying M*A*S*H or Full Metal Jacket. It was hard to take him or the overly dramatic family arc pieces seriously, so that by the time you get to the more impressive portions, I did not trust the film with its intentions.
8. Lion
I also would not rank Garth Davis’s film very highly on an Oscar ballot, mostly because it feels like an archetypical contrived Hollywood piece. Again, the true story behind this project is amazing, that of the young boy separated from his family and how he got back to them. But, much like Hacksaw Ridge if you come to think of it, the movie suffers for me from some dissonance between the first and second halves. The first part is a story of a boy lost and all the horrible things that happen to him - it was not the point of the story I was promised. The second half is emotionally clichéd and delves very superficially into the most interesting piece, which is how exactly he managed to triangulate his village.
And then after the expected ending, the entire project was further ruined for me by the fact that the project was cleaned up too much by Hollywood. In choosing Dev Patel as the lead, the filmmakers picked someone who looks nothing like the people he was meant to portray, and who could not even speak Hindi in the last scenes to his family (unlike the real life character could). It was all staged.
I know the opinion isn’t popular because everyone watches this movie and goes “aww, kids that are poor and sweet and rescued,” but come on people, really? Undoubtedly, Lion has an amazing score and camera work, but I’d limit it to those two nominations alone.
7. Fences
Of the nine this year, Fences is the first I’d probably mark down for Best Picture if the list were ten (I would have liked to see Captain Fantastic, Jackie, or Elle join the list). But, of those, it is the lowest on my ballot not because there is anything wrong with it, but because of its more limited scope.
The acting in the film is stupendous, really a clinic and lesson in the art. It is probably Denzel Wahington’s best performance ever, and the story takes turns that surprised and kept me interested. The underlying theme - that the sins of the father are repeated onto the son - is as old as time and yet was powerful and impactful here. I actually did not find Viola Davis’s performance to be as stunning as others, mostly because it depended so much on hysterics, but I surely can’t begrudge the infinitely talented actress her upcoming win. The film, however, did not speak to me on any personal level, which explains its relatively lower ranking.
6. Hell or High Water
This movie is one of those surprising ones that I did not expect to like but that left me with much admiration in the end. Some have called it a cheaper version of No Country for Old Men, but I’d argue that it’s better, because it does not rely on this oafish central character to spook you.
The movie, much like Hacksaw Ridge, is within the pure core of the Academy’s central constituency - older, white, male voters. And it has a sharp instinct about some of the troubles that ail modern society, and looks at it from a different perspective. For all the praise that Moonlight rightfully gets for looking at groups that we don’t normally look at, I’d argue that this movie does the same.
The relationship between Jeff Bridges’ character and his Mexican-American-Indian partner is particularly instructive and revealing, the joinder of two worlds that did not necessarily want to mix. Chris Pine’s performance perhaps demerits a degree or two from an otherwise well-crafted film, whose most powerful weapon is its cutting screenplay. It would be a worthy winner.
5. La La Land
The elephant in the room, of course, is the movie that is going to win. Whenever a project becomes super popular, there is a tendency amongst its defenders to knock opposition to it as “trying to be contrarian.” Trust me, I know all about this as an ardent defender of the movie Titanic, and having witnessed firsthand how some people knock it simply because others love it.
So do not misinterpret my fifth place vote for La La Land as a knock on it. I have deep admiration for original projects such as these, and if you’ve read this column for anytime you know the incessant parade of sequels, remakes, and reboots drives me insane. Further, the creativity behind La La Land cannot be denied, and how can a true movie lover complain about a paean to movies themselves?
Undoubtedly, La La Land is in many ways flawless. It is one of the most refreshing, interesting, and inspiring movies of the year. If there were 100 more guys as talented as Damien Chazelle, the industry would not face the problem it faces today.
And therein lies the core of my one, but central, knock on the film. The answer to the problem it poses (what to do about fading memories, changing times, evolving tastes) is wholly unsatisfactory to me. The answer La La Land provides is “worry not, bury your head in the sand, all will be OK, stick to your nostalgia.” Frankly, a younger me would probably be crying on the streets singing this message high. But time and experience have changed my perspective, both personally and sociologically. I will never stop deeply revering the past, but the future is in the future. La La Land’s answer to all that ails us is to look backwards, and I think there it is fundamentally mistaken. I’d simply prefer a more forward-looking film.
4. Hidden Figures
Alright, all that aside, let’s get back to it. Hidden Figures is one of those movies that you vote for high on a Best Picture ballot simply because you like it and want to give it a hug, and not because you necessarily think it is a transcendental movie that will be lauded 20 years to come.
But the story is feel good (see, I have feelings too!), it is well told, and it is an important episode to boot. But, unlike Hacksaw Ridge, it keeps a lighter tone and never veers too dangerously off course into the overly sentimental or the obviously staged. Its ambitions are lower, and so it reaches higher.
It features three very strong performance by three very talented actresses, a buoyant soundtrack, and (there’s these words again) a different, fresh perspective than those we are used to seeing parade across the silver screen. It’s one of those movies that no one can come out of objecting to, and everyone can like. Indeed, in another year it could easily win under a preferential ballot, because no one in the room would vote it very low.
3. Moonlight
In third place, I’d probably place Moonlight, for taking on a lot of the brave and important themes that Hidden Figures does but transmitting them with a more artistic, sensible touch. Moonlight has billed itself as the story of life, and it sure is. It is the story not just of coming of age, or of dealing with sexuality, or of race and poverty. It is indeed all of those things, and no doubt it is easy for some to be enamored by it for those facile reasons alone.
But if you look beyond those superficial traits, as the movie invites you to, you will see that it is simply about being human, regardless of race, orientation, or socioeconomic status. Those things are there, but the core message of the movie is deeper and simpler at the same time. Humans are influenced by older people, good and bad, they are influenced by teenage crushes, they are influenced by their environment. Moonlight is a powerful and honest tale about how these shape a young man’s life.
There is not a single false note in the film, there is nothing overwrought or over the top about it. It is impeccably crafted, with superb lighting, a touching score, and perfect acting all around. It will never win a Best Picture prize amongst a group like the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, but too bad for them.
2. Manchester by the Sea
I rank Manchester a tad higher simply because of how real and simple yet powerful the story is. And talk about “core group” voting - this movie undoubtedly speaks to a lot of the same people who like Hacksaw or Hell or High Water, the older white men. It touches on frustrations of middle age, of stalling socioeconomic advance, of loss and suffering.
What’s most brilliant about Manchester by the Sea - aside from its brilliant acting, its confounding and perfect editing, its haunting score - is the way its approaches humanity from such a dark yet hopeful place, from such a harrowing but uplifting perspective. Amid the crying, amid the depression, is the love, the ties that bind, the things that keep us going.
It is hard to describe how exactly the movie manages to provoke all these feelings, because it does so sort of sneakily, without you even realizing it given its muted and tender pace. And that is perhaps is its important brilliance. It gets under and into your skin without you noticing it, sort of how the most important events in life sometimes tend to.
1. Arrival
Lest there be any doubt, however, my number one pick was always going to be Arrival, if you saw me name it my favorite movie of the year. I could go on for hours about this movie.
To start, it is timely. In an age where the future seems so uncertain, when the planet seems to be betraying us, when international ties and cooperation are in peril, this movie offers a message of hope and also of warning, a lesson to avoid our baser instincts and heed our better ones. Humanity can be saved, but only if we want it to. There are nine movies in this Best Picture race and while some undoubtedly touch on themes important to certain subgroups, Arrival is the only one that touches on themes relevant to us all.
Aside from this, Arrival is a deeply personal story. It is a story about motherhood, about love, and about decisions. It is also, no doubt, about life. Louise says it well towards the end - knowing your whole life, would you choose to live it? How could the answer not be “yes,” the movie ponders? Despite the fact that we know death will snuff it, or that pain will opaque it. Life is worth living. What a simple, but beautiful and important message, and what a profound way of telling it.
And, to top it all, Arrival is a cinematic masterpiece. From the tonal art direction, to the moody cinematography, to the crucial and snappy editing, to the amazing score, and the talented acting by Amy Adams, without even mentioning the script. It fires on all cylinders, the surprises are not overly telegraphed, and it keeps you guessing even when you may think the story is flat-lining.
It is not even close for me, and my vote unequivocally would go to Denis Villenueve’s picture, and I would shower it with at least five or six other Oscars.
Twitter: @jdonbirnam
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