Oscar Nominated Rankings

True Grit

1. After having seen it twice, the storyline/plot gets old, but otherwise good
2. Good acting-Mattie, Laboeuf, and Rooster especially-all play different acting rolls
3. Good costumes-Mattie's dad's costume, Laboeuf's buckskin, Rooster's long coat that splits into two in the back, Labeouf's hat that's flipped up on one side, etc.

Winter's Bone

1. I liked Ree taking on the parental role-very responsible
2. Really good costumes/makeup-most of the actors looked rough, drug problems were evident
3. Character development-Ree's uncle turns out differently than I would've thought, etc.

The Social Network

1. Great acting-Mark is sophisticated, nerdy, and talks really fast
2. Lighting differs and suggests a different genre at times
3. The court cases are interesting, but get kind of boring

1. True Grit- There are many reasons why I chose this as my number 1 of the 6 Oscar nominated films. First of all, the scenery and costumes really helped. After seeing this for the first time, I was disappointed, because I expected more of a classic Western, full of violence and gunslingers. Not to say Rooster is not a gunslinger, but it wasn't what I had in mind. The second time, however, my opinion changed drastically. The costumes really fit the characters. Mattie had her father's outfit, signifying that she is grown-up and wants to remember her late father. Rooster had a more rugged looking outfit, to fit his drunk and lazy lifestyle. Laboeuf wears buckskin and a hat that's tipped up to the side to give him attitude and a cleaner look. His mustache is also very noticeable, giving Matt Damon a different look than what I usually see. Not to mention his pipe, this gives the viewer a good look at his face early on when it is first lit. Aside from costumes, I liked the wide open, classic Western scenery. The leafless trees were very different than what I'm used to, as I don't picture trees leafless unless it's winter. Them, along with the occasional snow made me think about the climate and what season it actually was. There were a few wildcard positives as well, that I can't exactly categorize. For example, in the courthouse when Rooster is first seen, the light shining onto him shows that he was in the spotlight, and doesn't give you a clear view of him at first. Finally, there were some lines that I liked that were often humorous. When in the courtroom, Rooster says things like "Well, if it ain't cocked and loaded, it don't shoot," and "I always go backwards when I'm backing up." These instantly gave me the impression that while Rooster may have been "mean," he still had a good amount of humor in him. Another line that I found funny was when Rooster missed his target in the air and Laboeuf says "I thought you were gonna say the sun was in your eyes." This gave me the idea that these two openly compete, which is sometimes comical. All of these factors have led me to believe that this is the number 1 Oscar film.

2. Winter’s Bone: Winter’s Bone was a very good film, in my eyes, but didn’t have the scenery that True Grit had. That is the only negative I have against it, and obviously it wasn’t supposed to have much wide open scenery, like True Grit. As far as the positives, the list is endless. For character development, I liked Ree stepping up and taking the parental role in times of need. Her mother was incapable, and obviously, her father is on the loose. She is very responsible and takes care of her siblings when they most need her. Also, her uncle developed quite a bit throughout the film. From what I saw, he was a man in the starting that was unwilling to help Ree, but in the end, he’s the one that saved her. I love the feeling of family in this aspect, knowing that someone is always going to be there to help you. As far as costumes go, I thought they were great. Everything looked ragged, for lack of a better term, which kind of fit the lifestyle of most of these people that lived in this community. Aside from the actual costumes themselves, the hairstyles and faces of many fit the idea of the community. Dolly, for example, looks like the kind of woman that you would see on “Faces of Meth”- a study of meth addicts, before and after. So overall, the looks and costumes are very realistic. As for lighting, the insides of houses are generally dark to help display the low lifestyle. Later on in the film, Ree is inside of a cattle ranch and the lighting behind her gets extra bright, the light from outside. This kind of makes the scene seem like a dream, in my mind. Overall, all of these factors put together give me reason to rank this as my number 2 Oscar film.

3. The Social Network: I ranked this film number 3 because despite the many positives, I was often bored. For example, the lawsuits were visited way too often, I think they could’ve condensed them into fewer scenes. Other than this, I liked the film. I especially liked the acting in general, but more specifically, Mark. He is a smart, sophisticated nerd who talks very fast, and I believe the acting of this part would be pretty tough. His expressionless face is also a difficult thing to duplicate, but Jesse Eisenberg acted this with perfection. Aside from this, I liked how the lighting would differ, often giving the orientation of a horror movie. For example, in the restrooms of many places, I felt as though it was part of a “Saw” Movie, with the dark light up against the tiles of a bathroom. Also, the candles lighting the dark restaurants/clubs during the movie suggest this idea of a horror movie. Like stated earlier, the only negative to this film was the trials. I often thought they could’ve been put into fewer scenes for less repetitiveness. I guess I’m picky, but that’s just how I saw it.

4. The King’s Speech: I ranked this film number 4 because I couldn’t relate a whole lot to the content. It was very new to me, the style, story, everything about it, so there wasn’t much to compare it to. Other than this, I thought it was great. The acting was superb, Colin Firth did an excellent job acting King George VI, and his “stammer,” as he would call it, was very well acted. He was so natural in acting nervous and unable to talk. His frustration didn’t look like an act either, as he would often yell and swear to release this anger. I thought the costumes were very fitting as well. The 3-piece suits, which are still very existent today, were almost everywhere. To my knowledge, they are an older look, to fit the time period. Also, the Queen’s outfits were very relevant. Her hats were always interesting and always complemented or matched her outfit very well, and they always caught my eye. I also liked some of the lines that showed some of the King’s frustration. The one that I remember is when he snapped at Logue and shouted “Because I have a voice!” This shows how strong of a character he was and how he was able to overcome his fears. Finally, the setting in this was also intriguing. The long corridors showed royalty, as well as the big stage and the long staircases. Overall, I liked this movie, but it wasn’t comparable to anything I know, and I’m not all that interested in the genre, which is why I ranked it 4.

5. Inception: I ranked this film number five, because in my mind, it is so overrated. I like Leonardo DiCaprio and his ability to take on a serious role such as this one, planting an idea into somebody’s head. I also liked the costumes that were involved in many of the dreams. From classy to dressed for outdoors, these costumes seem to fit the setting perfectly. I definitely liked the snow dream where the characters are dressed in the arctic gear, it just reminded me of many things and movies that I can relate to. Finally, I liked how the lighting in each dream was different, signifying a fresh start. Those were about the only positives that came out of this film. I think the idea was there, and I liked the storyline of the film until they entered tier 3. It just started to get too overwhelming, and then to come to school and hear everyone raving about it. It just didn’t do it for me. I like the twisted movies like this, but not ones like this, where there is a multi-tiered dream. Maybe if I see it a second time, but my first impression was negative.

6. Toy Story 3: I ranked this number 6 mainly because of its genre. As a kid, I loved the first and second Toy Stories, but I’m just not that age anymore. I thought the dialogue was sometimes amusing, if I was putting myself in a kid’s shoes. I still like some kids movies, such as The Incredibles, but this wasn’t my cup of tea. I liked the feeling of the classic kid’s movies (Toy Story 1, 2, etc.) because I can always remember watching them and enjoying them. I just can’t relate at this age, and I find it depressing that Andy has gone off to college. Should he have taken his toys with them? Or should they have stayed home where they are? I don’t know, but I overall didn’t enjoy this movie nearly as much as the others.