1. There Are Better Films This Year
I am unfortunately yet to see Steve McQueen's 12 Years A Slave which is a massive early favourite for Best Picture, but of the many films I have seen this year, Captain Phillips is going to take some beating. Paul Greengrass is the master of making you hold your breath without even realising, and just when you thought films didn't get any more gripping than United 93, he went and made a film which Gravity could learn so much from. Blue Jasmine is another one I've had the good fortune to see and despite the borderline plagiarism from A Streetcar Named Desire, on the whole it's by far a more articulate and confident film than Gravity is. If you seem to now think I hate Gravity, please re-read my introduction, because I have the utmost respect for what Alfonso Cuarón has achieved in what is truly a landmark piece of cinema, but I really don't believe it's good enough all-round to deserve an Academy Award for Best Picture. If you reckon I'm on another planet, think I've taken a down-to-earth viewpoint, or simply want to add some fuel to the debate, please comment below.