Winning the Academy Award for Best Picture doesn’t automatically guarantee film immortality. It helps, to be sure, but when all the hubbub quiets down true quality seems to win out in the end. Let us not forget that the near-consensus pick for the greatest film of all time, Citizen Kane, did not fare that well at the Oscars, only taking home the statue for Best Original Screenplay. These days, so much buzz surrounds the ceremony that it can end up feeling like the end-all be-all of the cinematic world.
It is in this piece I decide to go beyond the winners and losers. Just about everyone knows who’s going to win at the Oscars (the favorite is The King’s Speech, with The Social Network still hanging around), but no one can predict how the films will be viewed several years down the road. It is now time to look at each of the Best Picture nominees and see if they pass… The CinemaSlants Immortality Test™!
These grades do not reflect how good the movie is. I quite like all of them. For the sake of this post, however, I’m going to be grading from a third-person perspective.
My personal Best of the Year List can be found here.
127 Hours
I stand behind 127 Hours as one of the most powerful cinematic experiences of the year. However, I fear its impact may be fleeting. It’s a fantastic story of survival that needed to be told, and Danny Boyle accomplished this as well as he possibly could, but does it truly transcend what’s on the screen? It’s debatable, and as a result it’s been rather polarizing in some circles. Not to mention it hasn’t been doing so well at the box office, even with the second chance it ended up getting. Sadly, 127 Hours seems destined to fade away.
Immortality Test Grade: C-
Black Swan
In terms of sheer “have you seen it?” buzz, Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan takes the cake. It hasn’t made the most money of all the Best Picture nominees, but it's ended up as one of the more surprising box office hits of 2010. It came at the end of a year full of mind-bending, reality-questioning thrillers like Shutter Island and Inception, and its success once again proved that audiences are becoming increasingly attracted to more complicated fare. The question is whether Black Swan will hold up once the initial buzz quiets down and people pop it in for a second viewing. I think the odds are in its favor.
Immortality Test Grade: B
The Fighter
Of all the movies I saw this year, no movie had as rousing an effect as David O. Russell’s The Fighter. It’s a by-the-numbers boxing movie by all accounts, but great performances and solid direction help elevate it to greatness. It earned the No. 2 spot on my best films of the year list, and I stand by that. However, only time will tell if The Fighter will go the way of Rocky and Raging Bull, or the way of Ali. If it has anything going for it, it’s the DeNiro-esque work of Christian Bale as drug addict Dicky Eklund. Other than that, there may be too many other good boxing movies for it to distinguish itself. I still give it a fighting chance, pun intended.
Immortality Test Grade: B-
Inception
Inception remains one of the more polarizing nominees, but that will only serve to help it in the long run. This will be a debated film for years to come, as people discuss both its meaning and its merit. It won’t be cleaning up the Oscars (Nolan’s direction wasn’t even nominated), but its scale and its popularity will help it live for a long time to come. Also, look for it to be an influence on many action movies to come.
Immortality Test Grade: A-
The Kids Are All Right
As good as Lisa Cholodenko’s film is, it already seems to have fallen by the wayside, despite the fact that it’s been nominated for Best Picture. In a year full of films with soaring ambition, a great little drama/comedy like The Kids Are All Right seems destined to fall by the wayside. It's a shame, but c'est la vie.
Immortality Test Grade: D+
The King’s Speech
This is an interesting case. Right now, The King’s Speech is the clear favorite to win the whole shebang, but at the end of the day it’s still just a costume drama that may blend in too easily with others of its ilk. The future of Tom Hooper’s film is incredibly dependent on whether or not it ends up taking home the grand prize. If it does, it might be remembered as one of the best historical dramas of its era. If it doesn’t, it might just end up being no more than a notable project with a great performance by Colin Firth. Normally, my mentality is that the Oscars do not determine the long-term fate of a film, but The King’s Speech may be this year's lone exception.
Immortality Test Grade: B
The Social Network
Meanwhile, whether or not David Fincher’s film wins Best Picture is, I believe, irrelevant to its future. The mountain it has to climb is a different one entirely, yet it is equally steep. The Social Network is one of the most critically adored films of recent years, but the real question is whether or not the film’s willingness to bend the truth will eventually catch up with it. As great as the movie is, many still struggle to completely support it simply because it creates motivations for characters that clearly did not exist in the real world, and thus creating a form of manufactured history. This is all irrelevant to my enjoyment of the film, but for others it isn’t so easy. It may win Best Picture, and it may not, but for some reason I see The Social Network as a film that’s ultimately awards-proof.
Immortality Test Grade: B+
Toy Story 3
This is barely even a question. What was the last Pixar movie that died a quick, quiet death? Exactly. Toy Story 3 will still be relevant in 10 years, and beyond.
Immortality Test Grade: A
True Grit
Besides Toy Story 3, I see True Grit as the mostly likely survivor beyond this awards season. It has all the ingredients to be a crowd-pleasing classic for years to come. Strictly speaking, it may not be one of the most elite movies of the year (it just missed my top ten), but its box office success will help put it over the top. Unlike other Coen brothers movies that remain popular only in less mainstream circles, True Grit seems to have a large enough fan base that will elevate it close to immortality.
Immortality Test Grade: A-
Winter’s Bone
While just about every other Best Picture winner has the potential to be embraced by a wider audience, Winter’s Bone seems to be the one film that may never find its way into the hearts of millions. It may be a tad too muted for most, but its haunting power cannot be denied by those who have the patience for it. Among the critics and indie film buffs, I see a reasonably long life ahead for Winter’s Bone. However, true immortality for Debra Granik’s film may prove elusive.
Immortality Test Grade: C
IN SUMMATION:
Guaranteed Immortality
Toy Story 3
Probable Immortality:
True Grit
Inception
Possible Immortality:
The Social Network
The King’s Speech
Black Swan
Rocky Road to Immortality:
Winter’s Bone
The Fighter
Immortality Unlikely:
127 Hours
The Kids Are All Right
Come back next week for my Oscar predictions! Surely my opinion is the most important to you.
I'm not convinced about True Grit. Not many remakes are able to climb to that immortal status. I love the topic though. If only the Academy had such a sense for this stuff.
ReplyDeleteI get that. To me, though, it FEELS like it's got legs. People have responded to it much more than I thought they would.
ReplyDeleteCompletely and totally agree with the rankings, though I personally think "Inception" is a lock for immortality. It survived the backlash and seems to be the type of movie that in 10 years, those who loved it will still remember what it was like the first time around.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, I think I agree with everything you said, although I think The Social Network will fare a little better. As far as Toy Story 3 it's a given it will be remembered as it's part of a trilogy, even if it sucked people would still remember/know about it.
ReplyDeleteTrevor
Movie Mavericks - Movie Reviews and More!
His name is Dickie Eklund, not Dickie Ward. Also, great article.
ReplyDeleteBlack Swan, I think, is interesting enough to be immortal...kind of like rosemary's baby.
ReplyDelete@Trevor
ReplyDeleteI hope you're right. Still, I have heard some people complaining about how much of it was made up. It doesn't bother me, the question is whether or not the facts will catch up with it.
@Cameron
Thanks for that. I'll fix that up. Just kind of went with the whole brother thing.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe The Town wasn't nominated. Talk about immortality. Part of the movie takes place in freakin Fenway Park. CMON MAN!!! Whats wrong with this country?
ReplyDelete^^^My roommate, ladies and gentlemen.
ReplyDeleteWow. A very comprehensive and accurate article. I often discuss the "immortality" of modern movies with my friends. It's interesting to see which ones fall by the wayside after the infatuation has died down.
ReplyDeleteWell done, Matt Kraus. Well done.
I really appreciate that, Mr. Former.
ReplyDeleteAnd I thank all of you for reading. Today's meant a lot to me.
I'm sure that time passing will only help The Social Network; as we distance ourselves further from the events it depicts, we will care less and less about its liberal interpretations - which is only fair, since inventing motivations, exaggerating personalities and all the other things TSN does is part and parcel of biopics. We just happen to forget that with the subject so close at hand, not to mention a big part of the real-life figures' reaction surely prompted more by the film's popularity.
ReplyDeleteThis is gonna sound pretentious, but - especially if Facebook itself sticks around - I think The Social Network will continue to be watched and just may end up going a similar route to - just maybe - Citizen Kane (not to compare the two films themselves...although there ARE interesting comparisons to be made in both style and content).
Overall I agree with your assessment. However, I would have classified Inception as guaranteed immortality. The subject is entirely unique and the production flawless. It's the kind of thing people will be talking about many years from now. I'd compare it to The Matrix in that regard. I would have placed The Social Network in the probably immortality category. I think you underestimate how much people appreciate a good story and intelligent writing. If you look at Sorkin's successes, namely The West Wing, you realize that people care less about the accuracy of his work and more about the writing and subject matter. The Social Network will be remembered a good many years from now, I'm not sure if the same can be said about True Grit. Then again I haven't seen True Grit so my credibility in the matter is suspect.
ReplyDeleteOne question I often ask is whether or not it would have been advantageous for "The Social Network" to create a group of fictional characters who make a whole new social networking site that ends up being similar to Facebook.
ReplyDeleteTo use the "Citizen Kane" comparison, it's been said many a time that the Charles Foster Kane character was based on William Randolph Hearst, yet no one attacks its credibility because the main character isn't Hearst himself.
However, I admit that making "The Social Network" about a group of Ivy League kids who create the popular website FriendSpace wouldn't have felt right. Making it about the creation of Facebook itself only increases its relevance, despite the fact that the movie is hardly about Facebook.
It's still something I think about. I tend to agree that many will look fondly on it for a long time to come, and backlash is inevitable with any film as universally praised as "The Social Network." I maintain my position that it may be the best film I've seen since 2007.
One other tidbit:
Looking at the odds right now, "The Social Network" may very well come out of Oscar night winning only Best Adapted Screenplay. Another movie that was met with rave reviews but only won for Best Screenplay: the aforementioned "Citizen Kane."
So again, forget the Oscars. Yes, I'll watch them and get caught up in it, but they do not dictate how a film is looked upon several years down the road.
And... fini.
The Social Network and Inception are two sides of the same coin. The Social Network is a classic example of Fincher's unobtrusive craftmanship while Inception is a classic example of Nolan's Houdini-like showmanship. Both will be discussed for years to come.
ReplyDelete