Category Archives: Oscarama

Films nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, as well as some commentary on the awards themselves.

Shanghai Express

Posted on August 24, 2015 by Morgan R. Lewis

1932 Best Picture Nominee A love story crossed with a bit of political intrigue, Shanghai Express takes place during the middle of a civil war in China. Marlene Dietrich stars as Madeleine, who has become better known as “Shanghai Lily”; … Continue reading →

Posted in Oscarama | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

127 Hours

Posted on August 13, 2015 by Morgan R. Lewis

2010 Best Picture Nominee There’s a problem with yes or no questions. They look simple. They’re meant to be simple. There are, after all, only two answers, diametrically opposed, clearly defined. And yet the truth of the matter is they … Continue reading →

Posted in Oscarama | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Winter’s Bone

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Morgan R. Lewis

2010 Best Picture Nominee In Winter’s Bone, Jennifer Lawrence plays a young woman named Ree living in the Ozarks. Though she is only 17, she essentially lives alone and has sole care of her two younger siblings. Her mother lives … Continue reading →

Posted in Oscarama | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

A Clockwork Orange

Posted on February 23, 2015 by Morgan R. Lewis

1971 Best Picture Nominee One thing you have to give Stanley Kubrick credit for: his films are seldom easy to dismiss from one’s thoughts. I’ve seen four of his films now, and arguably the least memorable of them would be … Continue reading →

Posted in Oscarama | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Posted on January 17, 2015 by Morgan R. Lewis

2014 Best Picture Nominee It’s difficult to know where to start with The Grand Budapest Hotel. I think I’ve set my fingers to the keyboard about a dozen times before this attempt. It’s one of those curious films where I … Continue reading →

Posted in Oscarama | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Gravity

Posted on December 31, 2014 by Morgan R. Lewis

2013 Best Picture Nominee Gravity was one of the front-runners at the Oscars for 2013’s films, and took home a number of awards, including Best Director for Alfonso Cuarón. It also had a very successful run at the box office, … Continue reading →

Posted in Oscarama | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Love Affair (1939)

Posted on December 12, 2014 by Morgan R. Lewis

1939 Best Picture Nominee Some titles tell you just about all you need to know about the film’s subject. Nobody is going to mistake Love Affair for a western, or a fantasy film. It wears its heart on its sleeve … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas Cinema, Oscarama | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Social Network

Posted on November 10, 2014 by Morgan R. Lewis

2010 Best Picture Nominee I have to admit that when I first heard about David Fincher’s film The Social Network, my opinion was one of extreme skepticism. A movie about the creation of Facebook? Could that actually be interesting? For … Continue reading →

Posted in Oscarama | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Exorcist

Posted on October 12, 2014 by Morgan R. Lewis

1973 Best Picture Nominee William Friedkin’s The Exorcist is one of only two horror films to ever be nominated for the Best Picture award at the Oscars, and this only if we accept the occasional labeling of Jaws as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Halloween Haunters, Oscarama | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The Thin Man

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Morgan R. Lewis

1934 Best Picture Nominee The image of the private detective in film is largely shaped by the works of Raymond Chandler and Dashielle Hammett: two-fisted heroes and tough-hearted cynics who come from the seedier sides of town. So it’s interesting … Continue reading →

Posted in Oscarama | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments