A look at the nominees: Part 2
3/1/2010
By Dan Pickles
Staff Writer
I’m back once more to talk about the nominees for the Best Original Screenplay category. This time with only 7 days, 1 hour, 23 minutes, and 45 seconds left until the Academy Awards, so we’d better get right into the business...
To refresh you all, the nominees are:
1. The Hurt Locker - Written by Mark Boal
2. Inglourious Basterds - Written by Quentin Tarantino
3. The Messenger - Written by Allesandro Camon and Oren Moveman
4. A Serious Man - Written by Joel and Ethan Coen
5. Up - Written by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, and Tom McCarthy
Last week, I briefly covered Up and A Serious Man. This week, I’ll talk a bit about The Hurt Locker and Inglourious Basterds.
However, before we do that, there is one small matter I should mention. You’ll notice that movie number three, The Messenger, is conspicuously missing from these articles. Unfortunately, due to my geographic circumstances, I was unable to see it. For the purposes of this piece, it shall remain a dark horse candidate. I hope you’ll forgive me for this. If it makes you feel any better, feel free to just chalk it up as an unknowable artistic decision that I made purposefully.
On to the new movies...
Inglourious Basterds
Inglourious Basterds is Quentin Tarantino’s re-envisioning of certain elements from World War 2. Many prominent historical figures are used, but Tarantino takes so many liberties with the storyline that they may as well be fictional.
As with many Quentin Tarantino movies, Inglourious Basterds has several separate plot-lines that unfold simultaneously throughout the film. This can be an interesting thing, but in this case it makes the movie feel a bit too busy. So much time is spent toggling through the various plots that it’s hard to really identify with any one character.
The dialogue, which is plentiful, may become a bit much for some people. Certain overly-talkative scenes in the movie do work - especially with regards to Hans Landa, where they serve specifically to build tension - but others become a bit gratuitous, and could perhaps have been made more efficient. I, personally, would have enjoyed more face time with a wider group of characters, rather than such painfully long sequences.
When it comes right down to it, the main problem I have with Inglourious Basterds is the fact that it feels more like the pilot to a television series than a movie. With all that happened in this plot, two hours (give or take) just isn’t enough to give it all justice. Here and again a sparkle of promise shows, but there just wasn’t enough time to develop them into anything more than glimmers.
The Hurt Locker
Set in the Middle East, The Hurt Locker is the story of three soldiers that form a bomb disposal team, and the various situations in which they find themselves during their rotation in Baghdad.
A lot can be said for this movie just for the fact that the nightmare these soldiers face is very, very real. If you’ve ever watched it - or plan to - take a moment as you do to remember that there are real people (both soldiers and civilians) experiencing what you see unfolding on the screen - possibly at the very moment you’re watching; the movie will seem much more horrific and grim, if you do.
Story-wise, the film has an episodic feel. Each situation forms a subsection of the plot, and the overarching theme (as suggested by the opening quote) seems to be that the environment in which the soldiers live can become addictive, in a perverse sort of way, and remove some of the flavor of their lives outside the military. I find this idea hard to believe, but I’ll be the first to admit that my soft, civilian carcass doesn’t have the least amount of perspective to offer on the subject - and I sincerely hope I never do.
The film is primarily built on tense moments, and it pulls them off fairly artfully. Much of the camerawork is handheld, which adds a sense of verisimilitude that feels appropriate for the subject matter. Additionally, the tension of the sequences nicely mirrors the overarching tension of wondering whether these men will, in fact, make it through their current rotation.
In my experience, when looking at movies about war the quality can often be determined by the way they treat their subject matter. On one side of the spectrum, we have movies like Rambo, where all foreigners are the enemy and war is glory (these are bad); on the other end we have movies like Apocalypse Now, that question the validity of war while still giving it the same respect that’s granted to all things dangerous and unpredictable. The Hurt Locker falls well on the side of Apocalypse Now, which is good - though it could certainly have gone farther.
The Wrap Up...
In the end, I’d be hard pressed to tell you which of these movies will win. Each has something - for better or worse - to offer. Up is humorous and somewhat offbeat; Inglourious Basterds and The Hurt Locker both have action and suspense to keep people entertained; and A Complicated Man has complexity and wit in its corner. And that’s not even counting The Messenger, which, for all I know, could be the best thing since sliced bread.
All I know is who I think deserves the award, but I won’t bother you with the details of that - you’ve already endured 1500 plus words of my meandering nonsense, so I’ll quit while I’m ahead.
Be sure to watch the Academy Awards to root for your picks, and I’ll see you again next week!
To refresh you all, the nominees are:
1. The Hurt Locker - Written by Mark Boal
2. Inglourious Basterds - Written by Quentin Tarantino
3. The Messenger - Written by Allesandro Camon and Oren Moveman
4. A Serious Man - Written by Joel and Ethan Coen
5. Up - Written by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, and Tom McCarthy
Last week, I briefly covered Up and A Serious Man. This week, I’ll talk a bit about The Hurt Locker and Inglourious Basterds.
However, before we do that, there is one small matter I should mention. You’ll notice that movie number three, The Messenger, is conspicuously missing from these articles. Unfortunately, due to my geographic circumstances, I was unable to see it. For the purposes of this piece, it shall remain a dark horse candidate. I hope you’ll forgive me for this. If it makes you feel any better, feel free to just chalk it up as an unknowable artistic decision that I made purposefully.
On to the new movies...
Inglourious Basterds
Inglourious Basterds is Quentin Tarantino’s re-envisioning of certain elements from World War 2. Many prominent historical figures are used, but Tarantino takes so many liberties with the storyline that they may as well be fictional.
As with many Quentin Tarantino movies, Inglourious Basterds has several separate plot-lines that unfold simultaneously throughout the film. This can be an interesting thing, but in this case it makes the movie feel a bit too busy. So much time is spent toggling through the various plots that it’s hard to really identify with any one character.
The dialogue, which is plentiful, may become a bit much for some people. Certain overly-talkative scenes in the movie do work - especially with regards to Hans Landa, where they serve specifically to build tension - but others become a bit gratuitous, and could perhaps have been made more efficient. I, personally, would have enjoyed more face time with a wider group of characters, rather than such painfully long sequences.
When it comes right down to it, the main problem I have with Inglourious Basterds is the fact that it feels more like the pilot to a television series than a movie. With all that happened in this plot, two hours (give or take) just isn’t enough to give it all justice. Here and again a sparkle of promise shows, but there just wasn’t enough time to develop them into anything more than glimmers.
The Hurt Locker
Set in the Middle East, The Hurt Locker is the story of three soldiers that form a bomb disposal team, and the various situations in which they find themselves during their rotation in Baghdad.
A lot can be said for this movie just for the fact that the nightmare these soldiers face is very, very real. If you’ve ever watched it - or plan to - take a moment as you do to remember that there are real people (both soldiers and civilians) experiencing what you see unfolding on the screen - possibly at the very moment you’re watching; the movie will seem much more horrific and grim, if you do.
Story-wise, the film has an episodic feel. Each situation forms a subsection of the plot, and the overarching theme (as suggested by the opening quote) seems to be that the environment in which the soldiers live can become addictive, in a perverse sort of way, and remove some of the flavor of their lives outside the military. I find this idea hard to believe, but I’ll be the first to admit that my soft, civilian carcass doesn’t have the least amount of perspective to offer on the subject - and I sincerely hope I never do.
The film is primarily built on tense moments, and it pulls them off fairly artfully. Much of the camerawork is handheld, which adds a sense of verisimilitude that feels appropriate for the subject matter. Additionally, the tension of the sequences nicely mirrors the overarching tension of wondering whether these men will, in fact, make it through their current rotation.
In my experience, when looking at movies about war the quality can often be determined by the way they treat their subject matter. On one side of the spectrum, we have movies like Rambo, where all foreigners are the enemy and war is glory (these are bad); on the other end we have movies like Apocalypse Now, that question the validity of war while still giving it the same respect that’s granted to all things dangerous and unpredictable. The Hurt Locker falls well on the side of Apocalypse Now, which is good - though it could certainly have gone farther.
The Wrap Up...
In the end, I’d be hard pressed to tell you which of these movies will win. Each has something - for better or worse - to offer. Up is humorous and somewhat offbeat; Inglourious Basterds and The Hurt Locker both have action and suspense to keep people entertained; and A Complicated Man has complexity and wit in its corner. And that’s not even counting The Messenger, which, for all I know, could be the best thing since sliced bread.
All I know is who I think deserves the award, but I won’t bother you with the details of that - you’ve already endured 1500 plus words of my meandering nonsense, so I’ll quit while I’m ahead.
Be sure to watch the Academy Awards to root for your picks, and I’ll see you again next week!