This is really coming in under the wire, but my week has been surprisingly busy since last Tuesday and time budgeting cuts had to be made. As a result, my yearly awards will not be debuting alongside my predictions, as the graphics (and even some viewing) are still in progress. But I wouldn't miss these predictions for the world, so with only a few hours to go, which I need to spend tabulating ballots for a mock-awards ceremony and concocting a Winter's Bone inspired dish, I've found time to consult my magic 8 ball on the plausible outcomes of tonight.
Two important points:
1. I've seen the majority of the nominees, but not nearly all. However, I've seen everything in the big 8 categories save Javier Bardem's performance in Biutiful and all the animated films, but I've only seen two of the docs (Restrepo and Exit Through the Gift Shop) and one foreign nominee (Dogtooth, and there's a greater chance of the show ending on time than this going anywhere). Some notable films I'm missing include Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, Inside Job, Incendies and In a Better World.
2. To avoid the allure of hopedicting (ie. the inclination to elevate the chances of personal favorites), I'm also including my thoughts on what deserves to win, unlikely as that may be.
And the winners are...
Best Picture
The King's Speech
It was The Social Network's to lose for the longest time until The King's Speech proved that the academy members don't give a hoot what the critics are saying. It has dominated the late season awards, the ones which prove a pretty accurate litmus test for the big award on Oscar night just because of overlapping voters.
Should win: Black Swan
Best Director
David Fincher, The Social Network
Here's an actual race, though I bet in retrospect we won't think of it as such. Yes, Hooper's film is going to win the big prize, but he's a relatively unknown director and Fincher has found mainstream acceptance over the past few years. I think we're looking at our first Picture/Director split since Crash/Ang Lee and it's certainly one I can live with.
Still, my personal pick would be: Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
Best Actor
Colin Firth, The King's Speech
Because it just makes since. Eisenberg is too young and his film couldn't pull any other acting love. Bridges just won last year. Franco is definitely in right now, but I don't think many will be checking off the name of the host on their ballots. Bardem has some ardent support, but I just don't think that can stop the guy with the stutter. Plus, Firth still has some carry over love from A Single Man. He takes it.
Should win: Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Best Actress
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
So no shit, Portman is poised to win and I don't buy Bening's odds for a minute. But instead let's take a moment to reflect on this best actress lineup, easily the strongest the Academy has pulled together since 1996 (McDormand/Watson/Scott-Thomas/Blethyn/Keaton). Jennifer Lawrence and Michelle Williams are particularly great choices, and even if Bening is my least favorite, she's a pretty darn good fifth favorite.
Should win: Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Fighter
The supporting categories are where I need my hopedicting guard on, because I'm still refusing to believe that the trashiness of The Fighter can translate into any golden statues. Geoffrey Rush is definitely in the game, and if The King's Speech is really on fire, he may very well prevent this imminent disaster, but I won't bet on it. Starting tomorrow you'll have to call him Oscar winner, Christian Bale.
Should win: John Hawkes, Winter's Bone
Best Supporting Actress
Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech
The toughest category in the big 8, and the one where I'm going to buck the general consensus. Melissa Leo has the edge here, but she's done a lot to sabotage her own campaign lately, not to mention she couldn't even get in at the BAFTAs, which surely hurts more than anything. Suince my favorite (Jacki Weaver) has little to no chance, it's down to the category fraudulent Steinfeld and the respected Brit in the BP favorite. I'm going with Helena.
Should win: Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom
Adapted Screenplay
The Social Network
There really was never any question of this whatsoever.
Should win: 127 Hours
Original Screenplay
The King's Speech
Damn shame that the screenplay categories are so boring this year.
Should win: Another Year
Animated Film
Toy Story 3
Should win: The Illusionist
Foreign Language Film
Incendies
Should win: Haven't seen the others, but Jesus Christ not Dogtooth
Documentary (Feature)
Inside Job
Should win: I've only seen Exit Through the Gift Shop and Restropo, but I overwhelmingly prefer the later.
Art Direction
The King's Speech
Should win: Uh, none preferably. Actually, I'll say True Grit.
Cinematography
True Grit
Should win: Black Swan
Costume Design
I Am Love
Honestly, weird shit happens in this category all the time. I think this is between I Am Love and The Tempest.
Should win: Honestly, I didn't like I Am Love at all, but I could support a win in costumes.
Makeup
Barney's Version
Should win: I've not seen any of these, so, yeah.
Original Score
The King's Speech
Should win: 127 Hours
Original Song
"We Belong Together" - Toy Story 3
Should win: "If I Rise" or "I See the Light" are both solid choices
Editing
The Social Network
Should win: Black Swan
Sound Editing
Inception
Should win: Inception
Sound Mixing
Inception
Should win: why not, The King's Speech
Visual Effects
Inception
Should win: Inception
Animated Short
The Gruffalo
Should win: I've seen 3 of the 5 and The Gruffalo was my favorite as well, but I could certainly imagine liking one of the others better.
Documentary Short
Killing in the Name
Live Action Short
God of Love
That's all, folks. I'll assess my accuracy either late tonight or tomorrow, and hopefully get my own awards up next weekend.
Showing posts with label Oscars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oscars. Show all posts
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Watching the Best Picture nominees - All 485 of them
I need to get this post out of my system now, because come February 28th, we'll be back to cursing the relevance of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences the way we always do. And let's not kid ourselves, the way we love to.
It's always been a love/hate relationship. Those with limited movie experience look in from the outside with sneers about how they've "not even heard of most of those films!" Egads! Pretension must be afoot! But it's the very same group that lends a surprising amount of credence to the winners, simply by virtue of caring so damn much what does and doesn't win or even get nominated. I mean, who care that The Dark Knight didn't get a Best Picture nomination. It's hardly in bad company. Far greater works of cinema have missed the cut as well, many of which never even had a fighting chance (ie, a rigorous studio campaign) to begin with.
Cinephiles, jaded curmudgeons that they are, care about the Oscars too. Most will deny this, and for a few this may be a genuine sentiment, but deep down, most hold out some hope that every once in a while the Academy will get something right. It's a rare and welcome opportunity to gloat, but more importantly, it means that some deserving film will go down in the record books, maybe even get a bump in renown. It could be a mere Best Costume Design win, but hell, us curmudgeons will take what we can get.
In the spirit of being generous though - because, after all, 'tis Oscar season - I think it's worth appreciating all the things they have gotten right. Forget whether a film is the 'best' of a year, or what else should have been nominated/won, the Academy has managed to preserve, through the time-honored format of the checklist, many many films that I'm better off for having seen, plenty of which I may never have come across without these accolades from ages past. On a smaller scale, that of the Best Picture winners, this was instrumental in my indoctrination to the world of movies. There's a real rush when you're first checking off Casablanca, On the Waterfront and Lawrence of Arabia from your to-see list.
With this in mind, I'm declaring the start of a new mission, the viewing of every last film nominated for the Best Picture award. Technically, it's a goal I've been working toward for years, and we even do regular yearly BP lineup rankings at Culturish, but over the last month I've found a surprising amount of resolve to actually do this. I've watched at least 20 nominees during the last month and what I found was that despite a few total duds, there was a handful of amazing mixed in. Yeah, I had to sit through The Robe (a contender for the bottom 10, to be sure) but I also got to see criminally overlooked films like Fanny, Decision Before Dawn, A Touch of Class and A Room at the Top. Those four alone have honestly made whatever mediocrities I've had to indulge more than worth it.
485 films are currently in the esteemed ranks of Best Picture nominees. This means that assuming the Academy holds onto its current 10 nominee stunt for just one more year, come nomination morning in 2013, we will hit (possibly surpass, again depending on the nominee count) the 500 milestone. Therefore, I declare my intent to have viewed every single film nominated for Best Picture by that very morning, date of which as yet to be determined. And I have every intent of finishing far sooner than that. There is one insurmountable hurdle in the way, the 1928 Ernst Lubitsch film, The Patriot, is considered lost. Barring that though, I'll be ready for a complete top to bottom ranking of the nominees come 2013.
So where do I stand now? To be honest, I haven't counted, and that's a number that I don't really want to see. I'd be intimidated, especially by the significant number I still have to see from the pre-1944 years where the nomination total was 10, and on two occasions as many as 12 nominees. I do know that there are many years where I have seen all nominees, probably close to 30, so my task ahead is far from impossible. There's yet to be a decade that I've seen everything from, but I'm down to three from the 2000s (Ray, Letters From Iwo Jima, and The Blindside), six from the 80s, and seven each from the 70s and 90s. Put in that perspective, I should breeze through this. But again, the 30s are starring me down, and I'm kinda petrified.
Funny enough, after all the viewing over the years to get as far as I have, I've still not seen all the Best Picture winners. The Broadway Melody, Cimarron, and The Great Ziegfeld are the final three winners I've not caught up with, the only films separating me from finishing the original list I set out to complete. I'm in no rush though. I've got nearly two years.
It's always been a love/hate relationship. Those with limited movie experience look in from the outside with sneers about how they've "not even heard of most of those films!" Egads! Pretension must be afoot! But it's the very same group that lends a surprising amount of credence to the winners, simply by virtue of caring so damn much what does and doesn't win or even get nominated. I mean, who care that The Dark Knight didn't get a Best Picture nomination. It's hardly in bad company. Far greater works of cinema have missed the cut as well, many of which never even had a fighting chance (ie, a rigorous studio campaign) to begin with.
Cinephiles, jaded curmudgeons that they are, care about the Oscars too. Most will deny this, and for a few this may be a genuine sentiment, but deep down, most hold out some hope that every once in a while the Academy will get something right. It's a rare and welcome opportunity to gloat, but more importantly, it means that some deserving film will go down in the record books, maybe even get a bump in renown. It could be a mere Best Costume Design win, but hell, us curmudgeons will take what we can get.
In the spirit of being generous though - because, after all, 'tis Oscar season - I think it's worth appreciating all the things they have gotten right. Forget whether a film is the 'best' of a year, or what else should have been nominated/won, the Academy has managed to preserve, through the time-honored format of the checklist, many many films that I'm better off for having seen, plenty of which I may never have come across without these accolades from ages past. On a smaller scale, that of the Best Picture winners, this was instrumental in my indoctrination to the world of movies. There's a real rush when you're first checking off Casablanca, On the Waterfront and Lawrence of Arabia from your to-see list.
With this in mind, I'm declaring the start of a new mission, the viewing of every last film nominated for the Best Picture award. Technically, it's a goal I've been working toward for years, and we even do regular yearly BP lineup rankings at Culturish, but over the last month I've found a surprising amount of resolve to actually do this. I've watched at least 20 nominees during the last month and what I found was that despite a few total duds, there was a handful of amazing mixed in. Yeah, I had to sit through The Robe (a contender for the bottom 10, to be sure) but I also got to see criminally overlooked films like Fanny, Decision Before Dawn, A Touch of Class and A Room at the Top. Those four alone have honestly made whatever mediocrities I've had to indulge more than worth it.
485 films are currently in the esteemed ranks of Best Picture nominees. This means that assuming the Academy holds onto its current 10 nominee stunt for just one more year, come nomination morning in 2013, we will hit (possibly surpass, again depending on the nominee count) the 500 milestone. Therefore, I declare my intent to have viewed every single film nominated for Best Picture by that very morning, date of which as yet to be determined. And I have every intent of finishing far sooner than that. There is one insurmountable hurdle in the way, the 1928 Ernst Lubitsch film, The Patriot, is considered lost. Barring that though, I'll be ready for a complete top to bottom ranking of the nominees come 2013.
So where do I stand now? To be honest, I haven't counted, and that's a number that I don't really want to see. I'd be intimidated, especially by the significant number I still have to see from the pre-1944 years where the nomination total was 10, and on two occasions as many as 12 nominees. I do know that there are many years where I have seen all nominees, probably close to 30, so my task ahead is far from impossible. There's yet to be a decade that I've seen everything from, but I'm down to three from the 2000s (Ray, Letters From Iwo Jima, and The Blindside), six from the 80s, and seven each from the 70s and 90s. Put in that perspective, I should breeze through this. But again, the 30s are starring me down, and I'm kinda petrified.
Funny enough, after all the viewing over the years to get as far as I have, I've still not seen all the Best Picture winners. The Broadway Melody, Cimarron, and The Great Ziegfeld are the final three winners I've not caught up with, the only films separating me from finishing the original list I set out to complete. I'm in no rush though. I've got nearly two years.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Final Oscar Predictions
My yearly Oscar predictions, informed by my painstaking efforts to take in as many of the nominees as possible. That effort was mostly successful, but notably I've not seen Precious, The Blind Side, The Young Victoria, Il Divo, The Princess and the Frog and most of the foreign language nominees.
Best Picture
The Winner Is: Inglourious Basterds
Should Be: Inglourious Basterds
Wish Was Nominated: The Brothers Bloom
Why? Well, call it a hunch, though not an entirely unfounded one. Avatar may be more beloved, but it also has more haters, who are sure to stick it at the very bottom of their ballots. The Hurt Locker has the upper hand for sure, but the Basterds won the SAG ensemble award and if anything can upset in the Best Picture race, this is it.
Best Director
The Winner Is: Kathryn Bigelow
Should Be: Quentin Tarantino
Wish Was Nominated: Michael Haneke
Why? Because she deserves it, not just because she's a woman, but because she did an exceptional job directing what's proved to be the first notable film on the Iraq War. Of course, Tarantino was even better - and for that matter, Bigelow's been better too, just watch Strange Days and Near Dark - but I'd be shocked if anyone walked away with the award.
Best Actor
The Winner Is: Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart
Should Be: Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker
Wish Was Nominated: Joaquin Phoenix - Two Lovers
Why? Because The Dude needs to get his due. It's about time.
Best Actress
The Winner Is: Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side
Should Be: Carey Mulligan - An Education
Wish Was Nominated: Kim Hye-ja - Mother
Why? I don't know. Because fate is cruel. Or because there is no God. Something like that.
Best Supporting Actor
The Winner Is: Christophe Waltz - Inglourious Basterds
Should Be: Christophe Waltz - Inglourious Basterds
Wish Was Nominated: Peter Capaldi - In the Loop
Why? It's one of the great supporting turns of the decade. He'll be the best winner in the category since at least Chris Cooper, maybe even since Kevin Kline.
Best Supporting Actress
The Winner Is: Monique - Precious
Should Be: Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air
Wish Was Nominated: Melanie Laurent - Inglourious Basterds
Why? Because she is an unstoppable force of nature. Too bad since in a less locked-away year, Farmiga could have had a real chance.
Best Original Screenplay
The Winner Is: Inglourious Basterds
Should Be: Inglourious Basterds
Wish Was Nominated: The Brothers Bloom
Regardless of what happens in Best Picture, this award is pretty solidly in Quentin's hands. Either it'll go hand in hand with a swell of support for the movie, or it'll be his consolation prize.
Best Adapted Screenplay
The Winner Is: Up in the Air
Should Be: In the Loop
Wish Was Nominated: The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Why? Worthy winner, and probably the only award Up in the Air is going to see. Strong category too, which I rarely say about Adapted. Just like with Original and QT, this is a chance to give a consolation prize to Reitman.
Best Animated Film
The Winner Is: Up
Should Be: The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Wish Was Nominated: Ponyo
Why? Why is Ponyo not here? Why is Up so beloved? So many questions. Little confusion as to what's going to happen here.
Best Foreign Language Film
The Winner Is: The White Ribbon
Should Be: The White Ribbon
Wish Was Nominated: Mother
Why? Wow, this one is so not already decided. All the films are reportedly excellent, and The White Ribbon is the only one I've had a chance to see. I have no idea how these will collectively play to voters, and even still, last year Foreign Film gave us one of the bigger upsets in modern Oscar history with Departures winning. Anything could happen here, but I suspect it's a showdown between The White Ribbon and A Prophet, just like it was at Cannes (where the Haneke film won, but that may have been Isabelle Huppert's doing).
Best Documentary
The Winner Is: The Cove
Should Be: Anything but The Cove
Wish Was Nominated: La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet
Why? People feel so bad for exploited animals that they're willing to side with insane people to make them feel like they're taking a stand on the issue.
Best Documentary Short
The Winner Is: China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province
Why? Didn't you hear? Earthquakes are in right now.
Best Live Action Short
The Winner Is: Miracle Fish
Why? Your guess is as good as mine. Actually it's not. I'm pretty good at arbitrarily guessing these short categories.
Best Animated Short
The Winner Is: The Lady and the Reaper
Should Be: The Lady and the Reaper
Why? I'm holding out that the genuine best of the bunch (and it's a good bunch) will prevail.
Best Original Score
The Winner Is: Up
Should Be: Up
Wish Was Nominated: The Last Station
Why? Lord knows I have my problems with Up, but that score is sublime.
Best Original Song
The Winner Is: The Weary Kind - Crazy Heart
Should Be: The Weary Kind - Crazy Heart
Wish Was Nominated: I've Got You Wrapped Around My Little Finger - An Education
Why? I never seriously contemplated any of the competition.
Best Sound Editing
The Winner Is: Avatar
Should Be: Avatar
Why? Far be it for me to doubt the potency of Avatar in these tech categories.
Best Sound Mixing
The Winner Is: Avatar
Should Be: Avatar
Why? Would voters really vote differently here than on the above. The answer is no.
Best Art Direction
The Winner Is: The Imaginerium of Doctor Parnassus
Should Be: The Imaginerium of Doctor Parnassus
Wish Was Nominated: The Brothers Bloom
Why? Well, let me clear this up. Avatar will win here. But Parnassus deserves to so much that I'm predicting it just because I want to believe in a just world.
Best Cinematography
The Winner Is: Inglourious Basterds
Should Be: The White Ribbon
Wish Was Nominated: Antichrist
Why? One of the toughest categories aside from Foreign Film to predict. I can't imagine The Hurt Locker and its shaky camera or the Harry Potter film to take it, but any of the other three seems plausible. I'm sticking with Inglourious Basterds.
Best Makeup
The Winner Is: The Young Victoria
Should Be: I just don't care
Wish Was Nominated: how about Drag Me to Hell
Why? I picked the pretty one. But really, who knows.
Best Costume Design
The Winner Is: Nine
Should Be: The Imaginerium of Doctor Parnassus
Wish Was Nominated: The Brothers Bloom
Why? I'm banking on the one voters are most likely to have seen.
Best Visual Effects
The Winner Is: Avatar
Should Be: Avatar
Wish Was Nominated: The Imaginerium of Doctor Parnassus
Why? Really? Must you ask.
Best Editing
The Winner Is: The Hurt Locker
Should Be: The Hurt Locker
Wish Was Nominated: The Brothers Bloom
Why? It's a war film about a bomb disposal squad. Tight editing done well - and it's done exceptionally well - is instrumental.
Best Picture
The Winner Is: Inglourious Basterds
Should Be: Inglourious Basterds
Wish Was Nominated: The Brothers Bloom
Why? Well, call it a hunch, though not an entirely unfounded one. Avatar may be more beloved, but it also has more haters, who are sure to stick it at the very bottom of their ballots. The Hurt Locker has the upper hand for sure, but the Basterds won the SAG ensemble award and if anything can upset in the Best Picture race, this is it.
Best Director
The Winner Is: Kathryn Bigelow
Should Be: Quentin Tarantino
Wish Was Nominated: Michael Haneke
Why? Because she deserves it, not just because she's a woman, but because she did an exceptional job directing what's proved to be the first notable film on the Iraq War. Of course, Tarantino was even better - and for that matter, Bigelow's been better too, just watch Strange Days and Near Dark - but I'd be shocked if anyone walked away with the award.
Best Actor
The Winner Is: Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart
Should Be: Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker
Wish Was Nominated: Joaquin Phoenix - Two Lovers
Why? Because The Dude needs to get his due. It's about time.
Best Actress
The Winner Is: Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side
Should Be: Carey Mulligan - An Education
Wish Was Nominated: Kim Hye-ja - Mother
Why? I don't know. Because fate is cruel. Or because there is no God. Something like that.
Best Supporting Actor
The Winner Is: Christophe Waltz - Inglourious Basterds
Should Be: Christophe Waltz - Inglourious Basterds
Wish Was Nominated: Peter Capaldi - In the Loop
Why? It's one of the great supporting turns of the decade. He'll be the best winner in the category since at least Chris Cooper, maybe even since Kevin Kline.
Best Supporting Actress
The Winner Is: Monique - Precious
Should Be: Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air
Wish Was Nominated: Melanie Laurent - Inglourious Basterds
Why? Because she is an unstoppable force of nature. Too bad since in a less locked-away year, Farmiga could have had a real chance.
Best Original Screenplay
The Winner Is: Inglourious Basterds
Should Be: Inglourious Basterds
Wish Was Nominated: The Brothers Bloom
Regardless of what happens in Best Picture, this award is pretty solidly in Quentin's hands. Either it'll go hand in hand with a swell of support for the movie, or it'll be his consolation prize.
Best Adapted Screenplay
The Winner Is: Up in the Air
Should Be: In the Loop
Wish Was Nominated: The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Why? Worthy winner, and probably the only award Up in the Air is going to see. Strong category too, which I rarely say about Adapted. Just like with Original and QT, this is a chance to give a consolation prize to Reitman.
Best Animated Film
The Winner Is: Up
Should Be: The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Wish Was Nominated: Ponyo
Why? Why is Ponyo not here? Why is Up so beloved? So many questions. Little confusion as to what's going to happen here.
Best Foreign Language Film
The Winner Is: The White Ribbon
Should Be: The White Ribbon
Wish Was Nominated: Mother
Why? Wow, this one is so not already decided. All the films are reportedly excellent, and The White Ribbon is the only one I've had a chance to see. I have no idea how these will collectively play to voters, and even still, last year Foreign Film gave us one of the bigger upsets in modern Oscar history with Departures winning. Anything could happen here, but I suspect it's a showdown between The White Ribbon and A Prophet, just like it was at Cannes (where the Haneke film won, but that may have been Isabelle Huppert's doing).
Best Documentary
The Winner Is: The Cove
Should Be: Anything but The Cove
Wish Was Nominated: La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet
Why? People feel so bad for exploited animals that they're willing to side with insane people to make them feel like they're taking a stand on the issue.
Best Documentary Short
The Winner Is: China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province
Why? Didn't you hear? Earthquakes are in right now.
Best Live Action Short
The Winner Is: Miracle Fish
Why? Your guess is as good as mine. Actually it's not. I'm pretty good at arbitrarily guessing these short categories.
Best Animated Short
The Winner Is: The Lady and the Reaper
Should Be: The Lady and the Reaper
Why? I'm holding out that the genuine best of the bunch (and it's a good bunch) will prevail.
Best Original Score
The Winner Is: Up
Should Be: Up
Wish Was Nominated: The Last Station
Why? Lord knows I have my problems with Up, but that score is sublime.
Best Original Song
The Winner Is: The Weary Kind - Crazy Heart
Should Be: The Weary Kind - Crazy Heart
Wish Was Nominated: I've Got You Wrapped Around My Little Finger - An Education
Why? I never seriously contemplated any of the competition.
Best Sound Editing
The Winner Is: Avatar
Should Be: Avatar
Why? Far be it for me to doubt the potency of Avatar in these tech categories.
Best Sound Mixing
The Winner Is: Avatar
Should Be: Avatar
Why? Would voters really vote differently here than on the above. The answer is no.
Best Art Direction
The Winner Is: The Imaginerium of Doctor Parnassus
Should Be: The Imaginerium of Doctor Parnassus
Wish Was Nominated: The Brothers Bloom
Why? Well, let me clear this up. Avatar will win here. But Parnassus deserves to so much that I'm predicting it just because I want to believe in a just world.
Best Cinematography
The Winner Is: Inglourious Basterds
Should Be: The White Ribbon
Wish Was Nominated: Antichrist
Why? One of the toughest categories aside from Foreign Film to predict. I can't imagine The Hurt Locker and its shaky camera or the Harry Potter film to take it, but any of the other three seems plausible. I'm sticking with Inglourious Basterds.
Best Makeup
The Winner Is: The Young Victoria
Should Be: I just don't care
Wish Was Nominated: how about Drag Me to Hell
Why? I picked the pretty one. But really, who knows.
Best Costume Design
The Winner Is: Nine
Should Be: The Imaginerium of Doctor Parnassus
Wish Was Nominated: The Brothers Bloom
Why? I'm banking on the one voters are most likely to have seen.
Best Visual Effects
The Winner Is: Avatar
Should Be: Avatar
Wish Was Nominated: The Imaginerium of Doctor Parnassus
Why? Really? Must you ask.
Best Editing
The Winner Is: The Hurt Locker
Should Be: The Hurt Locker
Wish Was Nominated: The Brothers Bloom
Why? It's a war film about a bomb disposal squad. Tight editing done well - and it's done exceptionally well - is instrumental.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
If I Ran the Oscars
As the hurricane of glitz and gay and gold that is Oscar season reaches critical levels, I'd like to step aside for a moment and imagine just how much sweeter the show would be if I was calling the shots.
First thing to go would be that miserable Best Picture top 10. If you consider the top 5 to be those with corresponding director nominations, then we effectively traded 1 deserved nomination for An Education for 2 mediocre ones (Up and A Serious Man) and 2 I could entirely do without. In fact, I'm hailing District 9 as the worst nominee since Crash, maybe even since Jerry Maguire (Though not worse than that. It's hard to trump the triple threat of Cruise/Cuba/Cthulhu). Certainly, the top 10 brought diversity to the lineup, but the top 5 would still have had that in spades between Up in the Air, Precious and the war films of (alternate)past, present and future. Maybe if the new system had allowed a foreign film to slip through the cracks - and it's been a startlingly good year for foreign cinema - I'd be a bit more forgiving.
As for hosting, no disrespect meant to the team of Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin - I'm sure they'll ace the gig - but there could be no greater host of the moment than Conan O'Brien. Of course the late night scandal hit well after hosting duties had been doled out, but in my little world, Conan would have been signed up well before that went down.
And what I really wouldn't stand for is all this incessant tweaking with the ceremony itself. This year we have no time for the Honorary Oscar presentation (no Lauren Bacall! no Roger Korman!), but we can make time for John Hughes to get his own private send off video, an honor not granted to Altman, Bergman, Antonioni, Kurosawa and countless other influential directors that have kicked off in the last decade. That, far moreso than Sandy's likely Oscar win, offends me.
Lastly, there's the categories themselves. This years batch of nominees is decidedly average (for the sake of comparison, we'll call 2007 above average and 2005 far below), but as usual, I think I could do better. That means it's time for my yearly awards, and I think they look pretty swell.
Sadly, I just can't see it all. Grand Rapids has done me no favors in the world of art cinema, and while through my resourcefulness I've tracked down quite a bit, there's always more to see. Some notable films that I've not seen, (mostly) want to, and plan to post haste. Soon as I have the chance:
A Prophet
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
Il Divo
The Milk of Sorrow
El Secreto de Sus Ojos
White Material
Ajami
Precious (I feel bad about this, but it didn't play here long at all)
Police, Adjective
Fish Tank
The Young Victoria
The Princess and the Frog
Me and Orson Welles
The Red Riding Trilogy
Blind Side (actually, just avoiding this one)
Kind of a long list, but it was once much longer. I feel fairly accomplished with what I did manage to catch, which includes everything nominated in the big 8 categories at the Oscars except Precious and Blind Side. Below are my proposed changes to the nominees, along with what I'd have win in bold. No ranking, although I'll include my top 25 of the year along with my Best Picture choices.
Best Supporting Actor
Peter Capaldi - In the Loop
Andrew Garfield - The Imaginerium of Doctor Parnassus
Anthony Mackie - The Hurt Locker
Christopher Plummer - The Last Station
Christophe Waltz - Inglourious Basterds
RU: Tom Waits - The Imaginerium of Doctor Parnassus
Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz - Broken Embraces
Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air
Rinko Kikuchi - The Brothers Bloom
Melanie Laurent - Inglourious Basterds
Olivia Williams - An Education
RU: Anna Chlumsky - In the Loop
Best Score
The Brothers Bloom
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Last Station
Ponyo
Up
Best Original Song
All is Love - Where the Wild Things Are
Boggis, Bunce and Bean - The Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Fantastic Mr. Fox AKA Petey's Song - The Fantastic Mr. Fox
I've Got You Wrapped Around My Little Finger - An Education
The Weary Kind - Crazy Heart
Best Cinematography
Antichrist
The Beaches of Agnes
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Inglorious Basterds
The White Ribbon
Best Art Direction
An Education
The Imaginerium of Doctor Parnassus
Inglourious Basterds
Ponyo
Where the Wild Things Are
Best Adapted Screenplay
An Education
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
In the Loop
The Last Station
Up in the Air
Best Original Screenplay
The Brothers Bloom
Inglourious Basterds
Moon
Mother
The White Ribbon
Best Costume Design
An Education
Bright Star
Broken Embraces
The Brothers Bloom
The Imaginerium of Doctor Parnassus
Best Makeup
Broken Embraces
Drag Me To Hell
The Imaginerium of Doctor Parnassus
Best Editing
Broken Embraces
The Brothers Bloom
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
The Limits of Control
Best Visual Effects
Avatar
The Imaginerium of Doctor Parnassus
Moon
Star Trek
Up
Best Foreign Language Film
35 Shots of Rum
Broken Embraces
Mother
Ponyo
The White Ribbon
Best Animated Film
Coraline
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Ponyo
A fair sampling of the shorts categories, as well as documentary, and sound editing/mixing would be difficult. I'll abstain from those, with a note that I'm rooting for The Lady and The Reaper in animated short and anything but The Cove in documentary. I've actually seen two very good documentaries this year and both will make an appearence in my top 25.
Best Actor
Matt Damon - The Informant
Lluis Homar - Broken Embraces
Joaquin Phoenix - Two Lovers
Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker
Sam Rockwell - Moon
RU: Isaac de Bankole - The Limits of Control
Best Actress
Charlotte Gainsbourg - Antichrist
Kim He-ja - Mother
Carey Mulligan - An Education
Gwyneth Paltrow - Two Lovers
Rachel Weisz - The Brothers Bloom
RU: Saoirse Ronan - The Lovely Bones
Best Director
Wes Anderson - The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Michael Haneke - The White Ribbon
Boon Jong-ho - Mother
Hayao Miyazaki - Ponyo
Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds
RU: Spike Jonze - Where the Wild Things Are
And now...drum roll please...my top 25 films of 2009, culminating in my 10 Best Picture nominees. That's right, I can totally do that and still bitch about the academy when they pull that shit.
25. The Summer Hours
24. The Limits of Control
23. Avatar
22. The Beaches of Agnes
21. La Danse, The Paris Opera Ballet
20. Around a Small Mountain
19. Up in the Air
18. Coraline
17. The Last Station
16. 35 Shots of Rum
15. Moon
14. Broken Embraces
13. The Hurt Locker
12. Two Lovers
11. Where the Wild Things Are
10. Antichrist
9. The Imaginerium of Doctor Parnassus
8. The Fantastic Mr. Fox
7. In The Loop
6. Mother
5. The White Ribbon
4. Ponyo
3. The Brothers Bloom
2. An Education
1. Inglourious Basterds
And after all that, my top two are actually Best Picture nominees. I actually can't think of another year which that could be said of. Of course it was twice as likely to happen this year what with the expanded category and all, but maybe that's a sign I should stop bitching.
Nope. That won't stop me. I'll post Oscar predictions complete with further criticisms later this week.
First thing to go would be that miserable Best Picture top 10. If you consider the top 5 to be those with corresponding director nominations, then we effectively traded 1 deserved nomination for An Education for 2 mediocre ones (Up and A Serious Man) and 2 I could entirely do without. In fact, I'm hailing District 9 as the worst nominee since Crash, maybe even since Jerry Maguire (Though not worse than that. It's hard to trump the triple threat of Cruise/Cuba/Cthulhu). Certainly, the top 10 brought diversity to the lineup, but the top 5 would still have had that in spades between Up in the Air, Precious and the war films of (alternate)past, present and future. Maybe if the new system had allowed a foreign film to slip through the cracks - and it's been a startlingly good year for foreign cinema - I'd be a bit more forgiving.
As for hosting, no disrespect meant to the team of Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin - I'm sure they'll ace the gig - but there could be no greater host of the moment than Conan O'Brien. Of course the late night scandal hit well after hosting duties had been doled out, but in my little world, Conan would have been signed up well before that went down.
And what I really wouldn't stand for is all this incessant tweaking with the ceremony itself. This year we have no time for the Honorary Oscar presentation (no Lauren Bacall! no Roger Korman!), but we can make time for John Hughes to get his own private send off video, an honor not granted to Altman, Bergman, Antonioni, Kurosawa and countless other influential directors that have kicked off in the last decade. That, far moreso than Sandy's likely Oscar win, offends me.
Lastly, there's the categories themselves. This years batch of nominees is decidedly average (for the sake of comparison, we'll call 2007 above average and 2005 far below), but as usual, I think I could do better. That means it's time for my yearly awards, and I think they look pretty swell.
Sadly, I just can't see it all. Grand Rapids has done me no favors in the world of art cinema, and while through my resourcefulness I've tracked down quite a bit, there's always more to see. Some notable films that I've not seen, (mostly) want to, and plan to post haste. Soon as I have the chance:
A Prophet
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
Il Divo
The Milk of Sorrow
El Secreto de Sus Ojos
White Material
Ajami
Precious (I feel bad about this, but it didn't play here long at all)
Police, Adjective
Fish Tank
The Young Victoria
The Princess and the Frog
Me and Orson Welles
The Red Riding Trilogy
Blind Side (actually, just avoiding this one)
Kind of a long list, but it was once much longer. I feel fairly accomplished with what I did manage to catch, which includes everything nominated in the big 8 categories at the Oscars except Precious and Blind Side. Below are my proposed changes to the nominees, along with what I'd have win in bold. No ranking, although I'll include my top 25 of the year along with my Best Picture choices.
Best Supporting Actor
Peter Capaldi - In the Loop
Andrew Garfield - The Imaginerium of Doctor Parnassus
Anthony Mackie - The Hurt Locker
Christopher Plummer - The Last Station
Christophe Waltz - Inglourious Basterds
RU: Tom Waits - The Imaginerium of Doctor Parnassus
Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz - Broken Embraces
Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air
Rinko Kikuchi - The Brothers Bloom
Melanie Laurent - Inglourious Basterds
Olivia Williams - An Education
RU: Anna Chlumsky - In the Loop
Best Score
The Brothers Bloom
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Last Station
Ponyo
Up
Best Original Song
All is Love - Where the Wild Things Are
Boggis, Bunce and Bean - The Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Fantastic Mr. Fox AKA Petey's Song - The Fantastic Mr. Fox
I've Got You Wrapped Around My Little Finger - An Education
The Weary Kind - Crazy Heart
Best Cinematography
Antichrist
The Beaches of Agnes
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Inglorious Basterds
The White Ribbon
Best Art Direction
An Education
The Imaginerium of Doctor Parnassus
Inglourious Basterds
Ponyo
Where the Wild Things Are
Best Adapted Screenplay
An Education
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
In the Loop
The Last Station
Up in the Air
Best Original Screenplay
The Brothers Bloom
Inglourious Basterds
Moon
Mother
The White Ribbon
Best Costume Design
An Education
Bright Star
Broken Embraces
The Brothers Bloom
The Imaginerium of Doctor Parnassus
Best Makeup
Broken Embraces
Drag Me To Hell
The Imaginerium of Doctor Parnassus
Best Editing
Broken Embraces
The Brothers Bloom
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
The Limits of Control
Best Visual Effects
Avatar
The Imaginerium of Doctor Parnassus
Moon
Star Trek
Up
Best Foreign Language Film
35 Shots of Rum
Broken Embraces
Mother
Ponyo
The White Ribbon
Best Animated Film
Coraline
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Ponyo
A fair sampling of the shorts categories, as well as documentary, and sound editing/mixing would be difficult. I'll abstain from those, with a note that I'm rooting for The Lady and The Reaper in animated short and anything but The Cove in documentary. I've actually seen two very good documentaries this year and both will make an appearence in my top 25.
Best Actor
Matt Damon - The Informant
Lluis Homar - Broken Embraces
Joaquin Phoenix - Two Lovers
Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker
Sam Rockwell - Moon
RU: Isaac de Bankole - The Limits of Control
Best Actress
Charlotte Gainsbourg - Antichrist
Kim He-ja - Mother
Carey Mulligan - An Education
Gwyneth Paltrow - Two Lovers
Rachel Weisz - The Brothers Bloom
RU: Saoirse Ronan - The Lovely Bones
Best Director
Wes Anderson - The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Michael Haneke - The White Ribbon
Boon Jong-ho - Mother
Hayao Miyazaki - Ponyo
Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds
RU: Spike Jonze - Where the Wild Things Are
And now...drum roll please...my top 25 films of 2009, culminating in my 10 Best Picture nominees. That's right, I can totally do that and still bitch about the academy when they pull that shit.
25. The Summer Hours
24. The Limits of Control
23. Avatar
22. The Beaches of Agnes
21. La Danse, The Paris Opera Ballet
20. Around a Small Mountain
19. Up in the Air
18. Coraline
17. The Last Station
16. 35 Shots of Rum
15. Moon
14. Broken Embraces
13. The Hurt Locker
12. Two Lovers
11. Where the Wild Things Are
10. Antichrist
9. The Imaginerium of Doctor Parnassus
8. The Fantastic Mr. Fox
7. In The Loop
6. Mother
5. The White Ribbon
4. Ponyo
3. The Brothers Bloom
2. An Education
1. Inglourious Basterds
And after all that, my top two are actually Best Picture nominees. I actually can't think of another year which that could be said of. Of course it was twice as likely to happen this year what with the expanded category and all, but maybe that's a sign I should stop bitching.
Nope. That won't stop me. I'll post Oscar predictions complete with further criticisms later this week.
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