The contenders for Best Picture dealt with many facets of the classical evolutionary themes. Which movie should win best picture?
Our choice is: Avatar.
Why: Because it’s awesome.
Okay, that’s not very scientific. (But it really does inspire awe at the perceptual level)
Two things we believe contribute to a great movie are:
1. Characters actively pursuing one or more fundamental evolutionary goals (Getting The Girl or Guy, Getting Along, Getting Ahead, and Getting the Bad Guy).
2. Characters having to choose between two or more of those fundamental goals.
Avatar is the only movie that simultaneously focuses on all four themes. It deals with those fundamental themes in classical mythological form - using all the tricks of cinema to engage the viewer's interest, and it's own new technological tricks to perceptually transport us to an imaginary place that triggers all the human mechanisms for appreciating the beauty of nature (a sub-theme is how we're destroying our own planet). Its big flaw is the sudden descent into unnecessary levels of violence toward the end of the movie, but by that point, we were hooked enough to go along like eight-year-olds.
Most of the movies involve characters who must face a conflict between at least two of these fundamental motives. For example, in Up in the Air, the main character must choose between Getting Ahead and Getting the Girl in the highly mobile and technologically sophisticated world of a modern businessman who spends most of his life on airplanes. Hurt Locker had unusual takes on the themes of Getting Along (in the context of a team of bomb defusers in Iraq, who are dealing with an invisible enemy who is everywhere and nowhere at the same time (see links to our reviews below). An Education dealt with the classical themes of Getting the Girl (or Guy), such as relationships between older men and younger women, and infidelity, but dealt with these themes in a refreshing and engaging manner.
Avatar is the only movie in which there are conflicts involving all four of the fundamental motives. Getting Along, Getting the Girl, Getting Ahead, and Getting the Bad Guys all come into conflict when his own race turns out to be the bad guys.
Interestingly, only two movies follow the classic arc of "Boy Meets Girls, Boy Loses Girl, Boy Gets Girl Back" (Avatar and A Serious Man). Three movies follow an arc of "Boy Gets Girl, Boy Loses Girl, Boy Moves On" -- Up, An Education (Girl Loses Older Man), and Up in the Air. And District 9 shows "Boy Loses Girl but Holds Out Hope."
Here are our personal favorites, in order: (links to our reviews can be found at the end)
Dave’s picks:
1. Avatar
2. Inglorious Basterds
3. Precious
4. Hurt Locker
5. An Education
6. District 9
7. Up
8. Up in the Air
9. A Serious Man
10. The Blind Side
Doug’s picks:
1. Avatar
2. An Education
3. Up
4. Inglorious Basterds
5. Precious
6. Hurt Locker
7. Up in the Air
8. District 9
9. A Serious Man
10. The Blind Side
Summaries, and Links to full reviews:
Avatar 3D: Evolutionary Psychology goes to Hollywood
Avatar 3D is like mind candy -- doing for cinema what Ben and Jerry did for ice cream. Besides successfully transporting the viewer to a new world, the movie taps the key evolutionary themes of classic Hollywood movies: Getting the Girl, Getting Along, Getting Ahead, and Getting the Bad Guys. (We both gave this an A, and so far, it's our strong top choice)
Mating Budget Bankruptcy: Review of Precious
What is it like to be obese, friendless, and poverty stricken, living with a mother who hates you, and a father who rapes you? Most of us probably don’t even want to think about such questions, much less sit through a movie about just such a life. Nevertheless, if you haven’t seen Precious, you should. Not only does it tap interesting psychological processes, it may make you feel differently about your own life. (We both gave this an A also, it's our favorite underdog)
For a psychological lift on Valentine's Day, Watch UP
Are we really saying you'll get more psychologically out of a Disney cartoon - with a schmaltzy Hollywood ending and the grumpy aging voice of Ed Asner - than out of an avant-garde movie that takes an edgy look at modern life and stars George Clooney at his cleverest coolest best? Up celebrates the social contacts that psychological researchers have shown so important to health and happiness, and will send you and those you love (regardless of your ages) away feeling both perceptually rewarded and glad to be connected (DTK gives this an A, DLK a B+)
Evolutionary Psychology and the Oscar Race II: The Hurt Locker
The Hurt Locker – a leading contender for Best Picture -- is a well-made, psychologically engaging movie about one of the scariest jobs on the planet -- defusing terrorist bombs that may or may not go off at any second. It will provide any normal viewer with a week’s quota of nail-bitinganxiety. But why did it ultimately send us home feeling just a little bit bored? We analyze the movie in terms of 4 central evolutionary themes. (We split slightly on this one, A from DLK, B from DTK).
When Life Imitates a Made-For-TV movie: Review of The Blind Side
Michael Oher was a poor black kid taken into the home of a wealthy white family. They fed him, clothed him, and tutored him, and helped him turn his life around. Michael’s tested IQ went up 20 or 30 points, he went to college, and went on to become a highly payed NFL football player. The story is a celebration of positive psychology – of astounding acts of kindness, courage, and overcoming adversity. So what’s not to love about a movie that tells this wonderful story? (We both gave this one a C)
The Morality of Mayhem and Murder: Inglourious Basterds
