Country Strong (2010)

1 Nomination, 0 Wins

Nomination: Best Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song - Troy Verges, Tom Douglas, and Hillary Lindsey

It's a fine line between Oscar bait and manipulative tripe.  It is hard to point to exactly what separates Crazy Heart and Country Strong, two films with a similar subject matter but vastly different in quality.  Both films tell the story of country music singers battling their addictions and dealing with newer and younger competitors.  But while Crazy Heart treats the subject with sincerity and maturity, Country Strong is more of a paint-by-numbers type movie that seems contrived almost entirely to deliver Oscar gold, instead offering little but cliches.

Country Strong poster, courtesy of Sony Pictures.

Gwyneth Paltrow plays a country diva who is battling addictions and recovering from an emotional breakdown triggered by a tragedy in her life, forced by her husband to go back out on the road before she has completed her treatment.  This gives Paltrow plenty of opportunities to ham it up, eschewing any sense of subtlety for maximum hysterics at every possible moment.  It's been said that the best way to act drunk is to play someone who is trying not to appear drunk, but Paltrow does pretty much exactly the opposite.  Garrett Hedlund works hard to bring some sense of realism to his scenes with Paltrow, but she is too busy chewing the scenery to notice.

It should come as a surprise to no one who has seen Duets or an episode of Glee that Paltrow can sing, and Hedlund is more than credible as a rebel country singer.  Though Leighton Meester isn't the best singer, her talents are appropriate for a character whose rising star is based far more on her looks than her vocal abilities.

Country Strong received only one nomination, which went to Troy Verges, Tom Douglas, and Hillary Lindsey for the unremarkable song "Coming Home," which I forgot the moment it ended.  There's nothing wrong with the song, but it doesn't even began to compare to the sophistication of Randy Newman's winning effort from Toy Story 3, "We Belong Together."

Country Strong is an absolute stinker and in hot contention with The Wolfman for the worst Oscar nominated film of the 83rd Academy Awards.

Remaining: 3137 films, 867 Oscars, 5385 nominations

Tron: Legacy (2010)

1 nomination, 0 Wins

Nomination: Best Achievement in Sound Editing - Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague

Pearl Harbor, Unstoppable, Space Cowboys, Transformers (and its sequel), The Mummy...these are just a few of the cinematic "gems" that have managed to weasel an Oscar nomination in recent years due to the two sound categories. These films are thought to be nominated not as a result of intricate, superior sound design, but instead because the films are the loudest of the year. It would be like if the winner of the Best Screenplay award went to the longest movie each year. Though Tron: Legacy is not as bad as the previously listed films, the film's sole nomination was likely due far less to the actual achievements of the sound editors and more to the soundtrack being awash with loud noises and sound effects.

Tron: Legacy isn't a very good movie, but it has its moments. Jeff Bridges is a member of the class of actors who will give their all even when the film is beneath them. Despite a few too many moments with Bridges reverts to his Dude persona (such as when he speaks the line "You're messing with my zen thing, man"), Bridges invests himself into his character far more than the screenwriters or director bothered to. Michael Sheen also turns in a fun, campy performance in which he resembles a discarded David Bowie character. These performances aren't enough to sustain interest for the film's run time, and the narrative sags due to underdeveloped characters and a skimpy plot.

Despite this, Tron: Legacy is by no means unwatchable. The stunning visuals created by production designer Darren Gilford and the visual effects team are captivating. Unlike many modern effects-driven films in which the frame is filled with so many visuals that the eye can't focus on any one thing, creating a sensory blur of colors and motion, the visual team sets the bright lights against dark, monochromatic backgrounds. This simplicity focuses the eye on one part of the frame at a time, giving the film a much more distinct visual style than similar films of the same genre.

The sound team also turned in strong work. There is much of the "louder is better" mentality that allows films like Tron: Legacy to receive an Oscar nomination, but the film is nonetheless both visually and sonically engaging, and this combination helps distract from the rest of the film.

Were it not for the Every Oscar Ever project, I likely would not have bothered to watch Tron: Legacy, and I can't say I would be missing much. However, there are worse ways to spend two hours, and I have watched far worse in the quest for Oscar completion.

Remaining: 3153 films, 876 Oscars, 5430 nominations