The 2011 Oscar Best Picture Nominees Ranked Part 2(4-1)

4. 127 Hours

            Other than the “Best Picture” award, I thought the real snub of the Oscar season was James Franco not winning “Best Actor.” Franco’s performance in 127 Hours truly embodied what it means to carry a movie. He was engaging and interesting, quirky and flawed, and overcomes a large (literal) obstacle.  It seems like with even the most trivial of traditional Oscar criteria, Franco has answered the call to be considered the best actor of those nominated this season. The only reasons I am not angry with the Oscar decision is that: 1) it’s the Oscars, and it’s hard to take it seriously, and 2) Colin Firth was snubbed so badly the year before for A Single Man, that he deserved this year’s award.

            As for the movie itself, 127 Hours is one of those rare movies that manage to explore the depths of human resolve without being drug down by clichés. The movie is much more of a raw, unadulterated look of what someone is capable of doing in order to survive. The story of climber Aron Ralston is an intense look at what happens when we are pushed to our limits, and what we will do in order to live. The movie pushes this intrigue by showing Ralston as trapped not only by a rock, but also by his own life. Director Danny Boyle presents this by showing Ralston as trapped by his own life, showing that every decision he has made has led to his entrapment. This is more than a survival story it’s also a redemption story.

            I guess the most impressive thing about 127 Hours is that one action happens for the second and third acts of the movie, and yet it remains as tense as any movie you’ll see.  The movie is beautifully filmed and fantastically paced. Ralson is not your typical person trapped and clinging for dear life; he has no kids or wife, and has lead his life largely by himself. John Donne famously wrote, “No man is an island,” well this man is now pinned by his island and forces him to reconcile with his whole life. For it’s beautiful direction, powerful performances, and in-depth story 127 Hours was certainly one of the best movies of a year of strong films.

3.  Winter’s Bone

            Of all the movies on this list, Winter’s Bone may have had the most original and interesting plot. A noir-style drama set in the Ozark Mountains; Winter’s Bone tells the story of a young woman who has to find her father in order to hold onto her family. The film moves at a tense clip, showing us the action building up toward a conclusion that is riveting and haunting.  Jennifer Lawrence‘s performance as Ree is excellent and among the best of the year. The rest of the cast is pretty well rounded and convincing. John Hawkes in particular supports well as Teardrop, a man helping the search for Ree‘s father.

            The noir style plot adds a unique flavor to the plot as it moves along. It certainly is an experiment to take the noir genre and turn it inside out by adding in a female protagonist, and taking the genre out of the city. The noir elements, though, still work well in this story, adding an atmosphere that builds the tension of the plot.  

            Winter’s Bone is a poignant and beautiful portrait of how a family struggles to stay together despite the fact their world is prying them apart. The inside and outside worlds are constantly clashing, as we witness each of the characters grow and try to realize what they can do to fit into their worlds. Beautifully directed and memorably acted, Winter’s Bone provides the most original script on this list and provided a memorable experience.

2. The Social Network

            When people look back at this year in film I think the top two movies on this list should be looked at as the timeliest testaments to our world today. The Social Network, which tells the story of the birth of Facebook, is a movie that explores the themes of the ownership of ideas and the pursuit of the American dream. As Mark Zuckerberg, Jesse Eisenberg shows us the progression of an idea in modern America. We see the evolution, and bastardization, of Facebook as it moves between the protagonists. This is an interesting new way tracing the way the world works now, and how people will act the same despite the advent of technology. For instance, despite the fact that the entire plot revolves around an internet-based product (Facebook), nearly all the action takes place face-to-face.

            The other advantage is that The Social Network boasts probably the most well casted movie of this list, with the only downside being the lack of any really strong female roles. All the characters are very convincing and extremely complex. The best example of this is Zuckerberg himself. It would have been easy to just allow Eisenberg to make Zuckerberg into some destructive monster, who is a total ass; instead director David Fincher decided to make him into a complex individual. Sure there are plenty of times where Eisenberg behaves like an ass, but to me it seemed like he was a more tragic, complex figure than that. I believe Zuckerberg is one of those rare people like Kurt Cobain or Ernest Hemingway, who were true masters of their craft and extraordinarily passionate about it. They were so passionate, in fact, that people often mistook their attitudes or being antisocial or angry, when in reality they honestly just understood the world differently. And there have been studies which show that it is becoming increasingly looked down upon to try and set yourself apart from the pack, something that the two listed above certainly did, and paid the price for. To a less violent extent this is what Fincher is showing us in The Social Network. Zuckerberg isn’t an asshole, he just tries to be because that is the only way that he can fit into the rest of the world, because he truly hasn’t discovered anyone on the same capacity as him.

            This is an idea I think Fincher pushes throughout the film in order to add depth to Zuckerberg’s character, and it works excellently. Andrew Garfield also pulls in a strong performance as Zuckerberg’s partner Eduardo Saverin. With the way Fincher pushes all of these characters I believe he was certainly deserving of a “Best Director” Oscar, even more so considering his pedigree as a director.

            All in all, The Social Network is a testament to our time. It is a reflection of how our culture has progressed to this point, and a statement of what it takes to get there. Fincher recognizes the genius of Mark Zuckerberg, but he also realizes the sacrifice he had to make in order to where he is today, and if that is actually anywhere you would want to be.

1. Toy Story 3

And finally we are at number one. Both before and during the Oscars there was one point made over and over: which movie of this batch scored the highest Rotten Tomatoes score and grossed the most at the box office? You guessed right: Toy Story 3.

Personally there are a few more points I would like to add to the Toy Story 3 argument:

In 2003, preceded by two incredibly well regarded films that grossed truckloads at the box office; The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King finally broke down barriers at the box off office. Becoming the first fantasy film of it’s kind to win a “Best Picture” Oscar. This year there was similar third film in a trilogy that was arguably the best in the series, and maybe the best of it’s genre. Could you name it?

I would also ask if there were any films on this list any timelier than Toy Story 3? In all honesty, in a world today where so many people are struggling to find their way after falling on hard times; is there any better story to relate to than one of displaced toys that have fallen out of grace from their owner? If you look at it from that analogy, the film looks as poignant as any ever made. The toys went through a period of grace, while enduring some hardships (or in the real world the 90’s to early 2000’s, which are conveniently enough when the first two Toy Story films were released), and then had their world come crumbling down (the economic collapse) and now have to try and regain prosperity with a new owner (or in our case a new president). Tell there’s not at least a little commentary going in the story. This is all, of course, ignoring the amazing story telling of Toy Story 3.

Honestly the depth of the film is astounding for one about living toys. The villains are conflicted, the heroes sometimes aren’t heroic, and we sometimes have to question whether or not there is any reason for the m to keep going. But in the end we remember why some of us grew up loving these characters.

Plus this movie has one of the best climaxes of all time, both when you think they toys have met their (toy)maker and (spoiler alert) when and how they escape death. And Tim Allen remains one of the greatest voices of any animated character ever with his Buzz Lightyear.

By these points made above and many more I thought Toy Story 3 was certainly the best film of the year, and should be remembered for years to come. As a testament to our times, or a story of kid growing up, Toy Story 3 lands an impactful punch on people of all ages. A film of incredible accomplishment Toy Story 3 is everything a movie should be, and so much more and certainly deserves, in my mind, to be recognized and rewarded as the best film of the year.