Those Little Gold Statues

After spending months patiently waiting for the Oscars, they are now right around the corner. This Sunday, the biggest night in Hollywood will captivate the attention of many film lovers as all the celebrities unite in order to recognize each others' achievements.

 

To this day, I can still remember watching the Oscars for the first time with my older brother. The glitz and the glamour of the awards immediately caught my eye and made me wish to one day stand up on that stage, holding my award for Best Original Screenplay (which I sometimes still hope for).

 

However, now that I am older, I am able to better understand the whole ceremony and the kind of recognition that results afterwards. I also know how such awards affects those that love film and those that work in it. For example, everybody expected the director of Argo, Ben Affleck, to be nominated for Best Director since Argo is nominated for Best Picture. In the months leading up to the nominations, I was also one of those people that believed Affleck would receive a nomination, even if he did not win. However, this did not happen of course, and I was completely stunned.

 

Before, when I was much younger, I did not really process this kind of information, but now that I am older, I realize just how important it is. I am sure Affleck must have also hoped of receiving a nomination for his movie, especially if he had been following all the crazy but positive media attention his directing was receiving. Yet, to not have been able to even compete with other respectable directors such as Steven Spielberg, must have been really hard for Affleck to accept. Still, I believe that Affleck is not a man only concerned with awards, but instead, makes movies for the sheer joy and pleasure in communicating a valuable story with others, which in my opinion, is one of the best reasons to make a movie. 

 

I cannot really say with much confidence who the winner of Best Director will be. I know everyone immediately thinks of Spielberg, which is very understandable, yet I cannot help but remember that it was only last year that he was also nominated for the same category (for War Horse) yet he lost to Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist). This situation further complicates itself because it is usual for movies that are nominated for Best Picture to have a director nominated for Best Director for each respective movie. I will just have to see what happens on Sunday.

 

Since the Oscars are always full of unexpected and sometimes silly surprises, I cannot imagine what this year will bring. However, I can almost guarantee that if (hopefully when--crossing my fingers!) Anne Hathaway wins for Best Supporting Actress, she will cry halfway during her acceptance speech :) It appears that Hathaway really wants this from all the interviews and speeches she has given so far. If she wins, I will be extremely happy because she is a very talented actress, who won my heart in her memorable performance as Kym, a deeply troubled yet caring young woman in the 2008 drama, Rachel Getting Married.

 

Overall, the Oscars are always very exciting and dramatic and I cannot wait for Sunday night.  

 



Best Picture - Argo

Director Ben Affleck's Argo, was an astonishing and impressive tale depicting the true events of the bravery of Tony Mendez, a CIA operative, that led the rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Tehran, Iran, during the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis. 

 

I first became interested in Argo due to all the positive reviews and response it continuously gained and so that immediately captured my attention. I had previously known about the story and so I knew what the movie would mostly cover, however, when I did finally watch it, I was pleasantly surprised.
 

I believe Argo is an amazing movie because it does not bother with silliness that could have dangerously maneuvered the movie into a completely different direction. Instead, the plot stayed focused so that the truth could have a chance of peeking out rather than letting drama interfere with the story. For example, the six American diplomats secretly residing in the house of the Canadian ambassador were shown coping with the daily fear of being discovered by the Iranian militia through tense conversations and stressed-filled activities. Instead of adding extra sub-plots like strained marriages or difficult relationships between the six people, the movie chose to focus on the main problem which was remaining hidden from the militia, which was a very wise choice. Sometimes, these kinds of movies tend to blend the truth with a bit of drama in order to make it more exciting, and although such a choice is quite common and almost natural, it does subtract from the film at times. However, this movie mostly remained loyal to the facts, making it stand out and truly earn the praise it received.

 

Another aspect that made Argo such a great movie was the fact that it could easily incorporate the smallest details of life with the more serious and conflicting matters. For example, there is a lot of humor that circulates throughout the movie, especially with various inside jokes (such as Argo f-- yourself) that only adds to the film. Although such jokes may sometimes seem inappropriate and even irrelevant to certain movies, Argo managed to break these barriers by flawlessly blending these elements into the movie. Such humor truly established the personality of the characters in the movie, making them relatable, which was extremely vital because then the characters are able to be viewed as ordinary people rather than unimaginable heroes from a different universe.

 

Although the shot composition was not extremely great, it was pleasing because it did bring the movie alive. For example, towards the end of the movie, a dramatic chase ensues between the six diplomats along with Mendez, and the Iranian military. Quick shots then used for the whole chasing sequence which caused tension to build up, leading the audience to anticipate what was going to happen next. These quick cuts were also used between tense conversations between the six trapped Americans, as each one slowly began to fear the endless possibility of remaining trapped forever. This also set up the stressful emotions that the characters were forced to endure which only heightened the overall mood of the movie regarding the diplomats.

 

Overall, I really enjoyed director Ben Affleck's Argo, because it contained several elements that added to the film. I strongly believe this movie will win Best Picture although it has great competition.

Best Actress- Jessica Chastain

Zero Dark Thirty, directed by Academy-Award winner, Kathryn Bigelow, follows the decade-long story of CIA operative, Maya, as she, and others, struggle to desperately find and capture Osama bin Laden after the life-changing 9/11 attacks.

 

As everyone already knows the tragic story of 9/11 and the marks it left behind in history, Director Bigelow decided to skim through the basic information of al-Qaeda and their motives for destruction. Instead, the movie went into a completely different direction by boldly displaying the horrors of torture many al-Qaeda suspects were forced to endure by CIA operatives as a method to gather valuable information. As many already know, this action immediately garnered controversy for it made it seem that Americans had been reduced to act upon inhumane methods to discover the whereabouts of bin Laden. Due to this, the movie could have been deemed a failure because it touched one of the most sensitive topics in American history, yet what saved the movie from this fate was the realism portrayed by the actors.

 

Jessica Chastain plays relentless CIA operative, Maya, determined to bring her country to justice by any means. Chastain does a magnificent job in successfully capturing everything that Maya is suppose to be since her character embodies all the hard qualities a leader is known to have. Chastain plays her role with such confidence that the audience does not seems to doubt any of her actions, no matter how troubled they may seem. For example, Maya is known to follow all of her hunches, always trusting that "gut-feeling" about something; however, such a quality is sometimes doubted and even occasionally struck down by others that follow the more logical and rational side of situations. Yet, Chastain immediately lets the audience know that her character is a bold leader that strongly defends what she considers worthy, and due to this quality, the audience believes in Maya, which proves to be the right choice since it leads to a successful mission.

 

Another quality that makes Chastain's acting truly stand out is the fact that she manages to engage the audience in her character without even trying. For example, Maya is a strong-willed character, so it is no surprise that no background information is given--no family, no friends, and no social life, beyond that of work. To many, this simple combination may equal a boring and underdeveloped character, yet Chastain does not accept this fate for her character. Instead, she uses this to her advantage by having these traits serve as a window between the audience and her character; now the viewers will be able to realize how her character sees the world: one long but valuable goal worth obtaining.

 

Another example of such a technique are all the blank facial expression Chastain sometimes decides to use. For example, in one part of the film, the audience can see a televised interview of President Obama in which he states that all torture is wrong, especially since such acts violate the morals of the American people. The scene then cuts to a close-up of Chastain's character, Maya, looking at the t.v with a blank expression that makes it quite difficult to determine what exactly she is thinking about. Did the interview make her feel ashamed of her job because as a CIA operative, she is aware that sometimes torture is necessary in order to save innocent lives? Or did it annoy her that someway may want to take away the most efficient method for detecting terrorists? Chastain's stoic and silent expression may then be interpreted in any manner that the audience wishes which adds to the movie because then the viewers may discover a way to connect with the characters.

 

This technique is also very smart because it sets up the overall mood of the movie--seriousness. With Chastain's hard expression, the audience is then able to realize that the movie is all about an obsession to track down the man the whole world has dreaded for about a decade.

  

Overall, I believe Jessica Chastain's role as CIA operative, Maya, was very well done. Chastain did deserve her Oscar nomination, although she is going against tough competition.