7 Days Till Oscar: Rating the Best Picture Nominees' Trailers

That's right ladies and gentlemen, we're 7 days away from the biggest night in film: the 88th Academy Awards. Oscar season always seems like a never-ending circus, and it certainly feels like this season especially has been going on forever. Bur fret not! Soon I'll be able to officially move into the 2014 film season once this madness is over (and once 2014 delivers me a movie worth seeing, though admittedly I have not seen The Lego Movie yet, and probably should).

In any event, until that time comes, I've got to keep you interested in the dog and pony show currently coming to its much needed end: 2013's awards season. Next weekend, I'll be publishing my acting ballot, complete with my personal choices and winners if I were to have the ability to cast a vote. Today, however, I've decided I would rank the Best Picture nominees by their trailers (which in some cases are better than the actual movies themselves).

So, without further adieu, your 2013 Best Picture nominees ranked by yours truly!



9. Philomena (dir. Stephen Fears; Starring Judi Dench & Steve Coogan)

Heading into the Oscar season, Harvey Weinstein had a dozen movies primed for Best Picture recognition: Fruitvale Station and August: Osage County among them. However, it was the Judi Dench Oscar vehicle Philomena that was the film to land in the Best Picture lineup at the Oscars, after scoring strong support for its Screenplay. The trailer doesn't do the film (which is perfectly fine, but in a strong year I would have not included in my personal lineup) justice; there is a very made for "Lifetime TV Movie Network" feel about it. What works so well about the film is that it balances lighthearted humor and dark themes very masterfully, whereas this trailer can't seem to make up its mind what it wants to be. And that little bit at the end... I think could've been edited out.

8. Nebraska (dir. Alexander Payne; Starring Will Forte, Bruce Dern, June Squibb)

Unlike Philomena, Nebraska wasn't a film that didn't work for me, at all. Outside of Will Forte and June Squibb's commendable performances (in the case of the latter, I can't believe she landed an Oscar nomination) there just wasn't much to this joyless film. Payne seemed to be trying to have some sort of social commentary undertones on the subject of fathers and sons, but it never quite worked. I was also left scratching my head about the level of acclaim for Bruce Dern's performance, which I found to be, well, boring. The trailer, however, takes me back to Payne's Election days; all of the elements are there, and I love the music choice. I wish the film had the pulse the trailer has... or any pulse, really.

7. Dallas Buyers Club (dir. Jean-Marc Vallée; Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, Jennifer Garner, Dennis O'Hare)

A film that truly surprised everyone in terms of its popularity (both with the Oscars and audiences alike) Dallas Buyers Club surprised many when it landed major nominations outside of showcased actors Jared Leto and Matthew McConaughey. The film has been raved about by many, something many did not foresee when the trailer debuted.
For starters, McConaughey is at the forefront of the material; it's clear this was originally intended to get people ready for an acting showcase. We're not even shown much of Jared Leto's character Rayon, or told it's Leto (seriously, I do not recognize him at all). What's problematic about the trailer is that it seems like another story about a bad person (in this case, a crazy homophobe) who learns to be good again after something bad (AIDS) happens again. It's got that TV movie feel too, but the acting + cast looks so damn strong that it makes you want to see the film. Seriously, did we see Matthew McConaughey being able to do this when we were (weren't?) watching him in Failure to Launch or Ghosts of Girlfriend's Past?

6. The Wolf of Wall Street (dir. Martin Scorsese; Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Kyle Chandler, Rob Reiner, Matthew McConaughey)

The best thing about The Wolf of Wall Street trailer is that it captures the insanely high energy that's present in the film. The instrumental version of Kanye West's booming Black Skinhead, the acidly funny jokes, the 100% committed performance of Leonardo DiCaprio all make for an entertaining trailer that does what it's supposed to do: grab your attention, and make you want to see the film it's teasing.







5. Gravity (dir. Alfonso Cuaron; Starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney)

Gravity's trailer is every bit of a roller coaster ride as the full film; completely intoxicating, visually captivating and emotionally intense. As an audience member, you're completely immersed into the experience. Partnered with Steven Price's hauntingly gorgeous score, the trailer gives you anything and everything you need without giving the film away. Though chock full of beautiful shots, this is only a glimpse at the gorgeous imagery that awaits; it's simple in all of the right ways. Sometimes, less really is more. 

4. Captain Phillips (dir. Paul Greengrass; Starring Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi) 

If we know anything about Paul Greengrass' films, we know they're going to be filled with tense moments, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. It should come as no surprise, that his most recent feature, Captain Phillips, is any different. However, what Greengrass accomplishes with this film is a rich portrait of 2 different captains; one representing the big corporate giant that is the US and the other representing the poverty stricken Somali population. 

The trailer for Captain Phillips doesn't get into this deep analysis, but what it does is thrill the audience for about 3 minutes. Here's another trailer that doesn't give away too much, but sacrifices gorgeous imagery for sheer intensity. It makes for insanely compelling material.

3. 12 Years A Slave (dir. Steve McQueen; Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o, Sarah Paulson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Brad Pitt, Alfre Woodard)

It isn't easy to cut a film like 12 Years A Slave into a 3 minute trailer. With a huge cast, massive themes, and sprawling setting, how are you supposed to fit all of that effectively into a slim trailer? Not to mention the laudatory unflinching honesty of the film itself has been called "difficult to get through", so enticing audiences to see the first honest film about slavery was not an easy task. But leave it to Fox Searchlight to trim an precise, yet extremely emotional taste into what the film is offering. It's clear from the first few seconds that this is an unforgettable experience, and boy, is it every.

2. American Hustle (dir. David O. Russell; Starring: Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lawrence)

I'm not going to lie, I was completely and 100% floored by the trailer to American Hustle. So much so, that it instantly became my must see of the year after it had landed. Despite my mixed reception to the film itself, I still love the trailer. It's everything the film needed; tight, but still in possession of that signature O.Russell energy. The actors are on full display, and are they having a blast.

Unfortunately, the final product turned out to be a messy actor's showcase; fine performances, but no real reason for their existence. Poor Amy Adams gave the performance of her career, and half of it was left in the editing room. Christian Bale sports his best beer belly, while Jennifer Lawrence feels oddly out of place. Bradley Cooper gives it his all, and is truly best in show; O. Russell really does bring out the best in him. Still, what O. Russell couldn't bring out was any order to the film itself; it's like the animals were left running amuck at the zoo while the zookeeper sat back and shot it with his camera, dressed it up a little, and called it an Oscar contender. At least we have this magnificently exciting trailer to remind us of what could have been. 

1. Her (dir; Spike Jonze; Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, Scarlett Johansson)

The biggest hurdle Spike Jonze and co. had to clear, was the source material for her; I can't tell you how many people have said to me they don't want to see Her because it's about "A guy who loves his computer". While they're not exactly wrong for saying that, to say that's all the film deals with is completely missing the point of the entire movie. What Jonze does with Her, is paint an interesting, complex piece on how humans today connect in the age of technology. More interestingly however, he answers his ex-wife Sofia Coppola, after she reached out to him with the release of the critically acclaimed, Lost In Translation. 

I can't make it through the movie without drowning in my own tears, and the same for the trailer. Arcade Fire's gorgeously poignant song, Supersymmetry fits the transference of emotions between iOS Samantha (Scarlett Johansson) and Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix). There's a lot of ways they could have approached this, but the trailer captures the film's own innate sense of the relationship between a man and his operating system being equal to that of 2 humans; from the 3 minutes we spend with Samantha and Theodore here, we can truly feel there is something between them. And that in itself, is an awe-inspiring achievement; more incentive to see the film.