Movies |
Academy Awards 2014: They shoot movies, don’t they?
By
Published: Feb 25, 2014
Category:
Classics
Oscar Week. It’s like the week before the Super Bowl — we’re all supposed to care. I’m a bad citizen, I guess, because I’m having trouble with that. My problem? I love movies. And some of the nominees strike me more like Academy Awards Nomination Machines than like films. (I’m looking at you, “American Hustle.”)
Of the 9 nominees for Best Picture, I was thrilled by only three: “Philomena,” “Dallas Buyers Club” and “12 Years a Slave.” (In Foreign Films, which no one much cares about this week, I’m partial to The Hunt and a film that wasn’t nominated, The Past.) The odds that any of my favorites will win are slight. Without an Oscar, they’ll be out of the theaters soon; on the off chance that you’re going to the movies before Sunday night’s festivities, they’re the ones I’d urge you to see.
The others? It turns out that in almost every case these directors have made better movies. But that’s Hollywood — you don’t necessarily get the Oscar you most deserve. Al Pacino didn’t win an Oscar for Best Actor for “Serpico” or “Dog Day Afternoon” or “The Godfather.” What did he get it for? “Scent of a Woman,” in which he delivers a performance so mannered you kind of wonder if the director was on the set.
I’ve looked over the films the other nominated directors have made. Nothing’s more subjective than cultural taste, but from where I sit, these directors have all directed (and, often, written) better films. As follows…
David O. Russell, director of “American Hustle”
“Three Kings” was a huge hit, and deserved to be. But if you enter the Wayback Machine, you’ll get to “Flirting With Disaster,” a mad comedy. [To buy the DVD or stream it from Amazon, click here.]
Paul Greengrass, director of “Captain Phillips”
Probably the best director of smart action movies there is. Think “The Bourne Ultimatum” and “The Bourne Supremacy.” But you’ve seen these… once in a theater, many times on TV. What you may have missed: his smart political thriller, Bloody Sunday.
Alfonso Cuarón, director of “Gravity”
“Y Tu Mamá También” is one of my favorite movies. Many reasons, but especially one scene: a drunken dance from the jukebox to the table. [To buy the DVD from Amazon or, if you are charmed, to stream it free, click here.]
Spike Jonze, director of “Her”
From the early days: ”Being John Malkovich.” [To buy the DVD or rent the streaming video from Amazon, click here.]
Alexander Payne, director of “Nebraska”
You say “Sideways.” I say “Election.” Because of one character: Tracy Flick. [To buy the cheap DVD or rent the video stream from Amazon, click here.]
