Back when there were just five, it was a point of pride for this movie buff to say he'd seen all the films nominated for an Academy Award before the February ceremonies. But beginning in 2010 - when the number of nominees increased to nine or ten films - I started falling behind regularly. How can I claim to be an aficionado in mid-July if there's still a 2023 nominee (Zone of Interest) I haven't seen? Worse, there are a few still-unseen nominees from 2010-2022 continually reminding me of my slipping film bona fides. The horror. (Get it?)
Despite my fall from grace, I remain confident recommending Anatomy of a Fall as a movie you don't want to miss. Although it earned a well-deserved Oscar for best original screenplay, I'll stake my claim as a cinephile - albeit a recently truant one - and say that end to end it is a better film end than 2023's winner (Oppenheimer). Every pause in Anatomy ... is beautifully modulated, every moment of silence fully earned, every screenplay cliche - including a final twist - averted. It is a 10. (There I go again.)
About the other 2023 nominees. I'll pass commenting on Barbie. American Fiction is as ambitious as The Holdovers is modest. Both films succeed, though - good as they are - I suspect neither would have gotten a nomination when only five movies got that nod. Poor Things is so over-the-top it defies description. For my money, among the nine nominees I've seen, only Past Lives approaches the subtle mastery of Anatomy of a Fall, both in sharp contrast to the bloated bombast of the two over-hyped marquee messes I wrote about in late January.
Don't want to disappoint anyone waiting for a film reference at the end of this post. How's this? The geek abides.
Reflections From The Bell Curve: A Decade of Crabbing
Skip Zone of Interest. It is so understated that there seems to be no statement at all. Agree with you on Anatomy of a Fall. I loved Oppenheimer. Gave up on Poor Things after half an hour. My favorite film of the year was American Fiction -- equally funny and profound with a terrific lead actor.
ReplyDeleteJim; Thanks for the comment and for sharing your views. I read "Zone of Interest" a few years back and must admit the book disturbed me enough that seeing the film has not been something I've looked forward to.
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