The Snubby Awards: 2015 Oscars
Welcome to the first print version of my famous Snubby Awards. The fist two Snubby Awards for 2016 and 2017 were done on video. I'll link to them at the bottom of the article. I have decided to move the Snubby's over to my blog instead. The Snubby's take a look at all of the Best Picture nominees for a given year at the Academy Awards and ranks them from best to worst. If the highest ranked film did not win Best Picture, it wins the coveted Snubby Award.
The Imitation Game is the story of British cryptanalyst, Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch), who worked for the British military during World War II. He was the leader of a team of codebreakers trying to decode the German's Engima machine. It's also about Turing's struggles with society in in early 20th century Britain, as Turing was a gay man. The Imitation has a similar flaw to Boyhood, in that the main character is very unlikeable. Turing is extremely arrogant and condescending, and early in the film, you want him to fail. He does get better towards the film, and I get having a character arc is important, but the filmmakers could have eased up on how unlikable Turing was. It was a bit much. The film as a whole is very good, but it doesn't quite reach a "this movie is fantastic moment" that propels it higher up the list. It's a fairly standard biopic. Benedict Cumberbatch is excellent, however.
8/10: Really Good
#6: American Sniper
Another biopic, American Sniper is about Chris Kyle, the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history. American Sniper is a solid war movie, nothing more nothing less. It's fine in every way. It's engaging, it's interesting enough. Bradley Cooper is solid in the role, and probably gives a very kind portrayal considering what I've heard about Chris Kyle. But, it's nothing really special. It's serviceable and a mildly interesting character study, but I can't say much more than that.
8/10: Really Good
#5: Selma
I thought Selma was just going to be a biopic about Martin Luther King Jr., but it actually just focus on one event in his life. Selma is about the 1965 Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights Marches, and the violence Martin Luther King Jr. and many others had to face and overcome. It's a really fascinating and disturbing movie. The violence is powerful and difficult to watch, especially since the movie is pretty accurate to the actual events. We also are shown a lot of the strategic meetings between Dr. King and his allies. They have to react to the hate and violence unemotionally and focus on making the best strategic move and that is really fascinating to watch. The performances are excellent and it's a shame this movie didn't get more recognition than it did.
9/10: Great
#4: The Grand Budapest Hotel
It hurts me to put The Grand Budapest Hotel this low. It really is one of the best films of the year. It's a wonderful, whimsical storybook come to life, and a cinematic masterpiece. The film follows the concierge of the hotel (Ralph Fiennes), who is framed for murder. He teams up with once of his employees (Tony Revolori), and they set out on a wacky quest to prove his innocence. The Grand Budapest Hotel is a beautiful story, full of hear and emotion. The style is fantastic and it is truly one of the best films of the year. An absolute, must see.
10/10: Amazing
#3: The Theory of Everything
The Theory of Everything is another biopic, but this one gets everything right. It follows the story of physicist Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) and his wife, Jane (Felicity Jones). We see them fall in love, get married, deal with Stephen's ALS, and their marriage falling apart. It really is a beautiful story with excellent performances. Eddie Redmayne absolutely earned his award for Best Actor. And Stephen's life philosophy is beautiful in a sad way. It's a fantastic, and in my opinion underrated film that deserves nothing but endless praise.
10/10: Amazing
And now we get to the final two films. I'm going to speak about both of them before I give my final rankings.
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Our Best Picture winner, Birdman follows the story of washed-up actor, Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton), who gained fame for playing the superhero, Birdman. Riggan is now attempting to put on a Broadway play, and the film follows the difficulties he faces in getting the play going and the self-doubt he has manifested in the form of Birdman, himself. Birdman is a feat of filmmaking. It's filmed to appear as if it's basically one long take. It's a technical marvel on every level, with brilliant performances to boot. Riggan Thomson is a fascinating character, plus Edward Norton is amazing as an overly committed supporting actor. Birdman is a fantastic film in every way and should be seen immediately, if not sooner.
10/10: Amazing
Whiplash
Whiplash is the story of an ambitious jazz drummer, Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller), who manages to get himself a spot in the best band in the academy, conducted the brutally tough Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons). Fletcher proceeds to physically and psychologically torture his students, particularly Neiman, to get the best performance out of them. Whiplash is a brutal movie to watch. Fletcher is so ruthless that it's hard to watch, but you can't tear yourself away. The film just keeps escalated that it;s utterly engrossing. Even if you aren't a jazz fan, you can't help but be completely sucked in by this movie. The performances are just so engaging, even if the two leads are not likable characters, you are so fascinated by what is happening that you don't care that the leads are massive pricks.
10/10: Amazing
And now...the Snubby goes too...
WHIPLASH!!!
Yes, I do think Whiplash was snubbed. It's one of the most engaging movies I have ever seen. Birdman is excellent, don't get me wrong. But I do think Whiplash is the superior movie. It truly is one of the best I've ever seen and probably in my Top 10 movies of all time. Do yourself a favor: go watch Whiplash.
By the way: here are my 2016 and 2017 Snubby Award videos.
https://youtu.be/-F8L_nW_DLY
https://youtu.be/KF-tWoF_TbE
If the film that did win Best Picture is the highest ranked film, no Snubby is awarded. They already have the Oscar. They don't need another trophy. Let's not be greedy.
We have eight films to look at: American Sniper, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, Selma, The Theory of Everything, and Whiplash. Birdaman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) won Best Picture. Did it deserve to win, or did somebody else get snubbed? Let's find out.
#8: Boyhood
The interesting thing about Boyhood is that it took 12 years to make. It follows a young boy as he grows from a small kid to when he finally leaves for college and we watch him grow up before our eyes. It's a cool idea and I applaud the commitment all of the actors and the director had to make this film happen. Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke play the parents and they are both great. The problem is as the boy, Ellar Coltrane grows up, he becomes a really angsty, douchy teenager. I can't stand him. There are many scenes of him discussing philosophy and it's a cringe-inducing as it sounds. He is absolutely insufferable. An easy way to make a movie good is by having a likable lead, and Boyhood fails spectacularly at this. It's still an interesting movie and worth watching, but you only need to see it once.
8/10: Really Good
#7: The Imitation Game
The Imitation Game is the story of British cryptanalyst, Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch), who worked for the British military during World War II. He was the leader of a team of codebreakers trying to decode the German's Engima machine. It's also about Turing's struggles with society in in early 20th century Britain, as Turing was a gay man. The Imitation has a similar flaw to Boyhood, in that the main character is very unlikeable. Turing is extremely arrogant and condescending, and early in the film, you want him to fail. He does get better towards the film, and I get having a character arc is important, but the filmmakers could have eased up on how unlikable Turing was. It was a bit much. The film as a whole is very good, but it doesn't quite reach a "this movie is fantastic moment" that propels it higher up the list. It's a fairly standard biopic. Benedict Cumberbatch is excellent, however.
8/10: Really Good
#6: American Sniper
Another biopic, American Sniper is about Chris Kyle, the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history. American Sniper is a solid war movie, nothing more nothing less. It's fine in every way. It's engaging, it's interesting enough. Bradley Cooper is solid in the role, and probably gives a very kind portrayal considering what I've heard about Chris Kyle. But, it's nothing really special. It's serviceable and a mildly interesting character study, but I can't say much more than that.
8/10: Really Good
#5: Selma
I thought Selma was just going to be a biopic about Martin Luther King Jr., but it actually just focus on one event in his life. Selma is about the 1965 Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights Marches, and the violence Martin Luther King Jr. and many others had to face and overcome. It's a really fascinating and disturbing movie. The violence is powerful and difficult to watch, especially since the movie is pretty accurate to the actual events. We also are shown a lot of the strategic meetings between Dr. King and his allies. They have to react to the hate and violence unemotionally and focus on making the best strategic move and that is really fascinating to watch. The performances are excellent and it's a shame this movie didn't get more recognition than it did.
9/10: Great
#4: The Grand Budapest Hotel
It hurts me to put The Grand Budapest Hotel this low. It really is one of the best films of the year. It's a wonderful, whimsical storybook come to life, and a cinematic masterpiece. The film follows the concierge of the hotel (Ralph Fiennes), who is framed for murder. He teams up with once of his employees (Tony Revolori), and they set out on a wacky quest to prove his innocence. The Grand Budapest Hotel is a beautiful story, full of hear and emotion. The style is fantastic and it is truly one of the best films of the year. An absolute, must see.
10/10: Amazing
#3: The Theory of Everything
The Theory of Everything is another biopic, but this one gets everything right. It follows the story of physicist Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) and his wife, Jane (Felicity Jones). We see them fall in love, get married, deal with Stephen's ALS, and their marriage falling apart. It really is a beautiful story with excellent performances. Eddie Redmayne absolutely earned his award for Best Actor. And Stephen's life philosophy is beautiful in a sad way. It's a fantastic, and in my opinion underrated film that deserves nothing but endless praise.
10/10: Amazing
And now we get to the final two films. I'm going to speak about both of them before I give my final rankings.
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Our Best Picture winner, Birdman follows the story of washed-up actor, Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton), who gained fame for playing the superhero, Birdman. Riggan is now attempting to put on a Broadway play, and the film follows the difficulties he faces in getting the play going and the self-doubt he has manifested in the form of Birdman, himself. Birdman is a feat of filmmaking. It's filmed to appear as if it's basically one long take. It's a technical marvel on every level, with brilliant performances to boot. Riggan Thomson is a fascinating character, plus Edward Norton is amazing as an overly committed supporting actor. Birdman is a fantastic film in every way and should be seen immediately, if not sooner.
10/10: Amazing
Whiplash
Whiplash is the story of an ambitious jazz drummer, Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller), who manages to get himself a spot in the best band in the academy, conducted the brutally tough Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons). Fletcher proceeds to physically and psychologically torture his students, particularly Neiman, to get the best performance out of them. Whiplash is a brutal movie to watch. Fletcher is so ruthless that it's hard to watch, but you can't tear yourself away. The film just keeps escalated that it;s utterly engrossing. Even if you aren't a jazz fan, you can't help but be completely sucked in by this movie. The performances are just so engaging, even if the two leads are not likable characters, you are so fascinated by what is happening that you don't care that the leads are massive pricks.
10/10: Amazing
And now...the Snubby goes too...
WHIPLASH!!!
Yes, I do think Whiplash was snubbed. It's one of the most engaging movies I have ever seen. Birdman is excellent, don't get me wrong. But I do think Whiplash is the superior movie. It truly is one of the best I've ever seen and probably in my Top 10 movies of all time. Do yourself a favor: go watch Whiplash.
By the way: here are my 2016 and 2017 Snubby Award videos.
https://youtu.be/-F8L_nW_DLY
https://youtu.be/KF-tWoF_TbE
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