Oscars 2014: Short cut to the Best Picture nominees

Once upon a time, when the Oscars first started showing on Indian televisions, for many of us it was a chance to draw up a list of English and foreign films we would then look for in video libraries. But with Hollywood films releasing almost simultaneously in India and America, if you’re a film buff, then you know the nominated films as well as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. But just in case you missed a few or need a refresher, here’s the snappiest intro to the Oscar nominations for Best Picture of the Year. 12 Years A Slave This isn’t Steve McQueen’s most nuanced or complex work. In fact, it’s a very simple film: a free black man is kidnapped and sold into slavery. The white people in the film are either weak or cruel (or both). The slaves are survivors who survive terrible, brutal horrors. The world in this film is an unjust but beautiful one, its soundtrack menacing and yet melodious. There are few surprises in 12 Years, but it’s a moving, soul-stirring film. _Read full review here_. Winning chances: High American Hustle Bad hair days and good acting in a film about a set of con artists in the groovy ’70s. The story’s full of holes, but it’s got a fantastic cameo by Robert De Niro and the film’s costumes and design make it look great. Not much substance, but lots of style. Rumour has it that this could be the dark horse winner in this category, which would be yet another reason to shake your head and despair at the choices Oscars makes. Read a full review here . Winning chances: Medium Captain Phillips Inspired by the true story of a cargo ship’s captain who survived being taken hostage by Somalian pirates, this is a taut thriller that feels chillingly real because of the outstanding acting performances. _Read the full review here_ . Winning chances: Low Dallas Buyers Club: What did people do when they found out they had AIDS in the 1980s? Ron Woodroof cursed, lost lots of weight, made a new set of friends, started a smuggling operation and survived longer than anyone had thought he would. Powerful, emotional stuff. Winning chances: Low Gravity She’s floating in space, in zero gravity. That about sums up what happens in Gravity. This one line is transformed into one of the most magical cinematic experiences you’ll ever have. Gravity is an exquisite film that comes heart-thumpingly close to perfection. _Read full review here._ Winning chances: High [caption id=“attachment_1412991” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A still from the film Gravity. Courtesy: Facebook[/caption] Her Can you fall in love with an operating system? If it’s got Scarlett Johansson’s voice, probably. The real love story is elsewhere as the audience falls in love with Joaquin Phoenix in this delicate, beautiful ode to love, vulnerability and loneliness. Additional attraction: coitus armpitus. _Read full review here._ Winning chances: Low Nebraska A crazy old man goes on a crazy mission because he thinks he’s won a million dollars. It doesn’t sound like much of a story, but Bruce Dern is brilliant as Woody a doddering alcoholic who is convinced there’s a million dollars waiting for him in Nebraska. Funny, poignant and beautifully shot in black and white, this is one of the best road movies that you’ll see. _Read the full review here_. Winning chances: Low Philomena From crazy old man to crazy old lady, we come to the one film that hasn’t had an India release. Admittedly, Judy Dench’s Philomena doesn’t come across as the nutcase that Woody is in Nebraska. She’s sweet and very proper, but there’s a similar innocence to Philomena as there is with Woody. When she was a teenager in Ireland, Philomena became pregnant and was abandoned by her father in a nunnery where she and other young unwed mothers were virtually incarcerated. Philomena gives birth to a son who is sold by the nuns to an American couple. For 50 years, she tries to find him but keeps hitting obstacles, until her story reaches a down and out journalist, Martin Sixsmith. Sixmith (Steve Coogan) isn’t initially interested in this “human interest” story — he’s a ‘serious’, political journalist – but he’s drawn to Philomena’s doggedness. Annoyed as Sixsmith might be by her, a tender friendship develops between him and Philomena. Directed by Stephen Frears, this film isn’t brilliant but it does tug at your heartstrings expertly. Plus, thanks to Dench and Coogan, it’s also delightfully funny in parts. Winning Chances: Low The Wolf of Wall Street Leonardo di Caprio gives a virtuoso performance as Jordan Belfort, a crooked Wall Street trader (is there any other kind? Not according to Hollywood). There are all sorts of excess, tomfoolery and sexism in this film, which goes to show that if even half of what it shows of Wall Street is true, then it’s no surprise we’re in the middle of a global recession. _Read the full review here._ Winning chances: Low