……………………………………………………….

Ranking 2014 Best Picture Nominees

2014 is one of the greatest years in the history of cinema. So many amazing movies were released this year that the final slate for Best Picture ended up being quite problematic. Not only did the Academy snub the usual foreign, animated and blockbuster fare, but they also ignored some of the best dramas of the year. The resulting list is a mixed bag. It contains the usual biopics that are stronger than usual this year, but also a couple of overrated films and one truly horrendous war film. But the best two movies on this list are undeniable masterpieces, so at least we got that going for us here.

My Ranking of the Nominees:

8. American Sniper

I get why this piece of shit was nominated. American Sniper was after all a huge box office hit and it signaled a return to form for Clint Eastwood critically and commercially. With that being said, I still stand by my words – this is a truly evil piece of American propaganda that only US nationalists and interventionists can properly enjoy. Bradley Cooper was great, but his character was simply indefensible in his atrocious actions. There is nothing you can take from this movie other than that America was somehow right for invading Iraq. It’s one of the worst Oscar nominees not just of this decade, but of all time too.

7. The Grand Budapest Hotel

Yes, this is obviously going to be a controversial placement, but I just don’t like Wes Anderson’s style of filmmaking and The Grand Budapest Hotel didn’t manage to persuade me otherwise I’m afraid. Yes, it looks artistic and enchanting. The production design and costumes are superb. Some of the performances and characters worked too. However, most of these great actors were reduced to what is basically a cameo, the strong visual style led to the overwhelming clutter and denseness, and thus the movie felt boring, frustrating and pointless. It’s so overrated.

6. Birdman

Birdman ended up winning Best Picture and I still contend that it was not deserved at all. Edward Norton and Emma Stone are both excellent whereas Michael Keaton gave his career-greatest performance in this role that was pretty much made for him. I did like its themes a lot, but it only touches the surface and rarely truly explores them. The one-take approach in its cinematography was interesting, but not as greatly executed as most would make you believe. It’s a gimmicky film that was ahead of its time in tackling superhero fare, but it is still nowhere near as sophisticated as it thinks it is, especially compared to the best nominee this year.

5. Selma

Selma is one of the movies on this list that was most renowned back when it was released, but has now pretty much been forgotten. David Oyelowo was incredible here in one of the better performances of the year. The movie was well directed, edited and featuring an important real life story that was vividly brought to life. But it also had some structural problems, odd changes in cinematography and it never became as emotionally intense as this story demanded to have been.

4. The Theory of Everything

The Theory of Everything is a conventional, but very well made biopic that is more concerned with the personal than the professional life of Stephen Hawking to both its strength and its detriment. It needed more confident and unique directing, but the acting performances from Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne are both phenomenal and they elevated their roles significantly. The romance was deeply moving and effective while the score, cinematography and editing are all stellar.

3. The Imitation Game

Yes, I am putting both biopics on this slate quite high on my ranked list, but this is because both were surprisingly strong for their genre. They are clearly Oscar bait, but superbly made Oscar bait nonetheless. The Imitation Game has uninspired sequences for sure, but it’s so well edited, paced and directed that it was highly engaging throughout, which is a rare feat for the genre. Benedict Cumberbatch delivered his best performance yet as Turing while Keira Knightley was also terrific. The movie functions as an emotionally charged character study with an important story and a truly heartbreaking ending.

2. Whiplash

Stupendously edited and amazingly directed by Damien Chazelle in one truly impressive directorial debut, Whiplash is undoubtedly one of the best US dramas of the 2010s decade as this highly thought-provoking viewing experience. Exploring whether or not the ends justify the means in regards to the abusive teacher-student relationships, Whiplash showcases just how difficult it is to achieve greatness in any art while also making us think about the loss of true greatness these days and whether or not that’s connected to the lack of a bigger imitative. Miles Teller is fantastic and J. K. Simmons rightfully won an Oscar thanks to his magnetic turn as Terence Fletcher. The ending is also powerful in its intensity. It’s truly an incredible drama.

1. Boyhood

And the number one film on this list has to be Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, which is this brilliant, truly groundbreaking movie in its 12-year filming period which resulted in the protagonist literally growing up before our very eyes. Boyhood truly gets what it’s like growing up, growing old and how passage of time and memory truly work in us humans as it portrays not the regular, important events of one’s life, but the more minor, but still significant moments that are meaningful and help shape a person. It is one of the smartest films ever made as it explores passage of time, regrets, life disappointments, unrealistic expectations, nihilism and so much more in a brutally honest manner. The script and dialogue are tremendous, offering so many thought-provoking, sophisticated quotes. As a result, Boyhood is Richard Linklater’s magnum opus that only gets better upon subsequent viewings. It truly is one of the greatest movies in not just this decade, but in film history as a whole.

Films That Should Have Been Nominated:

Nightcrawler – Dealing with the sensationalism and shady practices of media agencies, Nightcrawler is one of the best films about journalism ever created as it crucially also blames the people’s craving for morbid stories for the eventual exploitation of such stories by the media. The movie is intense and genuinely disturbing. It was shockingly snubbed this year.

Gone Girl – Gone Girl ranks among the best features that David Fincher’s directed and one of his most engaging movies. It functions as both a very effective psychological thriller and an insightful commentary about the gender divide, marriage and public opinion. The fact that this movie was also snubbed was ridiculous to me.

Wild – Wild is one of the best road trip movies out there. It is a nuanced and highly observational story about women and what they go through as well as how personal tragedies help us become better and stronger people in the process. It’s an adventurous movie that is dark and funny in equal measure and another terrible snub by the Academy.