So the Oscar nominations have been announced. I’ve been holding back from commenting on them until I’ve had a chance to let my impressions settle a little. And it has to be said that it’s a pretty motley selection of movies and performances on offer.
Films like A Beautiful Mind are always good Oscar fodder – nice worthy biopics which stretch an actor to perform the full range of emotions from serious-and-confused to serious-and-angry. But let’s be honest – this is not a life-changing film by any stretch of the imagination. Lord of the Rings and Moulin Rouge are both strong on spectacle, and as such they’re very unusual “Best Picture” candidates. Of the two, Lord of the Rings is the infinitely superior film – I think for most critics Moulin Rouge was essentially a tremendous Victorian folly – glorious in its ambition, and a bit lacking in artfulness and point. I’ve yet to see Gosford Park or In the Bedroom.
There’s an alternative approach to the coverage of the awards over at the IMDB which might prove interesting to people. And if you get bored of that, perhaps a glance at last year’s nominations or the nominations for the year before that will convince you that 2001 will not be considered a vintage movie year…