The Snubby Awards: 2010 Oscars

It's that time again: The Snubby Awards!  For those of you who don't know, the Snubby Awards take a look at all of the Best Picture nominees from a given year and determine if the best film won or if one was snubbed.  If that's the case, they win the coveted Snubby Award!

This time we'll be taking a look at the 2010 Oscars, which was an solid field and I thought all of the nominees were at least good.  The nominees were: Avatar, The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, A Serious Man, Up, and Up in the Air with the winner being The Hurt Locker.  Did The Hurt Locker deserve to win or did another movie get snubbed?  Let's find out!

#10. A Serious Man

The story of a Minnesotan, Jewish man whose life is falling apart, A Serious Man wasn't exactly enjoyable to watch and I found myself frustrated for most of the movie.  That said, I still think this is a good movie and I'm glad I watched it.  It gave me a lot to think about and I spent some time reading about this movie after I finished watching it.  I just don't think I'm the target market for the film, which is okay.  I don't have to be the target market for every movie.  This movie is made for Jewish people and I think even the generally religious will also find something here for them.  I just don't think the less religious are going to get as much out of this film.

 7/10: Good 

#9. The Blind Side

The Blind Side reminds me a lot of Green Book.  Both movies are about race and somehow seem to solve racism by the end.  They are feel-good movies that a lot of older white people are going to love.  That's not to say they aren't entertaining to watch, but they aren't nearly as deep as the pretend to be.  I enjoy watching The Blind Side.  I think Sandra Bullock is a lot of fun here and the movie ends with you feeling happy, but there isn't much more to it than that.

 7/10: Good  

#8. An Education

The story of a teenage who falls for a charismatic, older man.  An Education has a very creepy subject matter that isn't always handled as gracefully as it could be.  That said, the performances are excellent across the board and the characters are super believable.  The movie does a good job of putting you in the main character's head and brings you along for her emotional journey.

 8/10: Really Good 

#7.  Up in the Air

Up in the Air is a tale about a man who lives mostly in airports and hotels who finally makes a human connection.  George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, and Anna Kendrick all give excellent performances and definitely deserve their Oscar nominations.  I had no idea what this movie was going to be going in.  I expected the romantic comedy elements, but I wasn't ready for all of the existentialism and life philosophy.  This is a surprisingly deep movie.  I would have liked to learn a little more about Clooney's character and the ending isn't exactly emotionally satisfying, but this movie takes you on a trip and you don't know the destination, that's for sure.

 8/10: Really Good 

#6. Avatar

I know it's popular to bag on Avatar for lacking an original story, which is a fair criticism, but it's the only criticism I have with the film.  The visual effects are incredible, the story is emotionally engaging, and it's just a ton of fun.  Is it the deepest nominee of the year?  No.  But it's entertaining, first and foremost, and that's what movies are supposed to be.  I don't need an original story if the characters hook me emotionally, which they do in Avatar.

 9/10: Great 

#5. Precious

Precious falls into the same category as A Marriage Story and Requiem for a Dream.  It's one of the best movies I will never watch again.  It follows a teenage girl who lives in extreme poverty who discovers she is pregnant...again.  This is one of the most depressing movies I have ever seen.  Every terrible things that can possible happen to Precious happens.  There are a handful of comedic moments, but it isn't enough to stop this movie from wearing you down.  That's not a bad thing.  That was the goal of the movie and it succeeded.  It's just something I don't want to put myself through again.  Mo'Nique won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress as Precious' mother and it's well deserved.  She is one of the best villains I have ever seen in a movie.

 9/10: Great 

Now we get into the top 4, all of which are 10/10 movies.  This was a game of inches and I love all of these movies.  It's painful to have to rank them, but here we go.

#4. Inglourious Basterds 

One of Tarantino's best films, Inglourious Basterds follows a group of Jewish soldiers that hunt Nazis during World War II.  This movie is intense, exciting, and incredibly entertaining.  I can't give it enough praise.  It has one of the best opening sequences ever filmed with the introduction of my favorite movie character of all time, Hans Landa played expertly by Christoph Waltz.  Every second he is on screen is a joy to watch.  The movie has the same problem as every Tarantino film, it could have been edited down a little bit, but this is an extremely minor complaint.   I can't recommend this movie enough if you have not seen it yet...somehow.

 10/10: Amazing 

#3.  District 9

Years after an alien spacecraft appears over Johannesburg, South Africa, District 9 follows an attempt to start moving the refugee camp of aliens outside of the city.  This movie is partially found-footage and a lot of it is presented as a documentary.  The story itself is about xenophobia and explores past events in South Africa.  I love this movie so much.  It's highly entertaining and extremely creative, while having a ton to say.  Sharlto Copley plays the lead character, who starts off as a bumbling, ignorant fool and has an incredible character arc.  I've never been so invested in ugly CGI creatures as I have been with District 9.  It's a brilliant film across the board with an interesting narrative and a heart-wrenching story.

 10/10: Amazing 

And now for the top two in no particular order.

The Hurt Locker

A war film that focuses on a group of soldiers who defuse and dispose of bombs in the Iraq War.  This movie is incredibly intense and makes you feel like you are about to explode alongside these characters.  It's a truly creative and fresh take on war movies and gives us one of my all-time favorites of the genre.  It also explores how people react differently to the stresses of war and PTSD.  Jeremy Renner plays the lead brilliantly and his character is utterly fascinating.  

 10/10: Amazing 

Up

One pf Pixar's best films, and that is saying something.  Up follows a grumpy old man who flies his house to South America using balloons.  It may be the Best Picture nominee with the most ridiculous premise.  It's a wholly original film that manages to be hilarious and still act as an emotional wrecking ball.  Anyone who has seen this film knows there is a montage sequence early on that absolutely destroys you.  That sequence alone would deserve a Best Picture nomination, but the rest of the film is excellent as well.  It's so much fun and I never get tried of watching it.

 10/10: Amazing 

And the Snubby Award goes to...

                                              

No one!  The Hurt Locker is not only the best movie of the nominees, but the best movie of 2009, period.  This is an excellent film that 1000% deserved the Best Picture win.  So no Snubby Award is given out because no one got snubbed.

Next time I'll be looking at the 2009 Oscars.  Did Slumdog Millionaire deserve to win or did somebody else get snubbed?  Stay tuned!