Sorry, not that Oscar. That really would be something.
Yes, it seems like just yesterday when I was mostly okay with the 2010 Oscars and here it is, time for me to be mostly okay with the 2011 Oscars. That is not to say that all my favorite films were nominated. Trust me, no one would stand for my awards show. Next week, I will be posting my Best Films of 2010 list. These will be my personal favorite films of 2010 and ABSOLUTELY NO ONE ELSE'S. You've been warned.
But of the crop that the Academy was likely to choose from, we had some pretty good contenders this year. The big surprise was that THE SOCIAL NETWORK, which has been running away with virtually every other major award this season, did not lead the pack in nominations. That honor goes to earlier favorite THE KING'S SPEECH with 12 nominations. This is followed by TRUE GRIT with 10 nominations. THE SOCIAL NETWORK ties for third with INCEPTION's eight nominations. While this might seem like a blow to that Facebook movie, let's not forget that 8 nominations quite an acheievement. Also, leading in nominations does not necessarily mean you will run away with the night. Just look at THE COLOR PURPLE and THE TURNING POINT, both of whom were nominated for 11 Oscars and won precisely zero.
So, let's take a look at the nominees. Please note that this is not my formal predictions. I think making predictions more than a couple weeks before the Oscars opens yourself up to failure. Even as the votes are cast, a lot can change in the public eye between now and then.
BEST PICTURE
BLACK SWAN
THE FIGHTER
INCEPTION
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
THE KING'S SPEECH
127 HOURS
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
TOY STORY 3
TRUE GRIT
WINTER'S BONE
Nothing really too shocking here. Since they've moved to 10 nominations over the previous five, the Academy has all but assured no one will be too upset. I suppose now is as good a time as any to note that THE TOWN was surprisingly absent from this year's Oscars. Only Jeremy Renner was nominated for this film, in the Best Supporting Actor category. While not a bad film by any stretch, I don't think THE TOWN deserved to be nominated, but it seemed like a sure thing to be nominated early on. Blame Blake Lively, I know I'm going to.
It's also probably the time where I'm going to have to say something controversial. I just don't get all the love being heaped on THE SOCIAL NETWORK. That this film might win for Best Picture at least seems probable at this point. And yes, many people I talk to seem to really enjoy it. I personally don't get what the big deal is. Ivy League jerk comes up with a great idea and makes a fortune while stepping on everyone else getting there. Fine, but how is that different from every other Ivy League jerk who comes up with a brilliant idea and makes a fortune while stepping on everyone else getting there? The film never had me sympathizing with Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) or really understanding much beyond his surface arrogance and gullibility. The film is acted well (especially by Andrew Garfield, who was not nominated), looks crisp and the dialog is typically good in that Aaron Sorkin kind of way. I just didn't know why I should care.
BEST DIRECTING
Darren Aronofsky - BLACK SWAN
David O. Russell - THE FIGHTER
Tom Hooper - THE KING'S SPEECH
David Fincher - THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Joel and Ethan Coen - TRUE GRIT
Nothing really to see here. All of the nominees did a fine job. If I had my pick, I would love to see Aronofsky get it.
BEST ACTOR
Javier Bardem - BIUTIFUL
Jeff Bridges - TRUE GRIT
Jesse Eisenberg - THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Colin Firth - THE KING'S SPEECH
James Franco - 127 HOURS
Again, everyone here I'm assuming did a fine job (I have not yet seen BIUTIFUL). I will have to disagree with my Film Geek Central co-host who thought that Colin Firth's performance was rather average. I thought he was excellent.
And yes, add me to the list of people surprised to see Leonardo DiCaprio not get nominated for his fantastic turn in INCEPTION. However, I am more surprised to not see Marc Wahlberg get a mention for THE FIGHTER. For all the cheers proclaiming Christian Bale's performance, I much preferred Wahlberg's smoldering and subdued lead role as "Irish" Micky Ward.
BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening - THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
Nicole Kidman - RABBIT HOLE
Jennifer Lawrence - WINTER'S BONE
Natalie Portman - BLACK SWAN
Michelle Williams - BLUE VALENTINE
Wow, I just realized I am really not qualified to comment on the Best Actress category. While I hope to see all of the films on the list eventually, I have currently only seen THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT and BLACK SWAN. Having said that, Portman's performance was an astonishing accomplishment in a career marked by exemplary performances... and also those lousy prequels. But seriously folks, Portman was incredible.
It looks as though I am alone in my surprise in not seeing Noomi Rapace nominated for her role in THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO. Rapace was so perfect in her role that it has made most people question how she could ever me matched in the upcoming American remake. If I had my current pick of my favorite performance of the year, it would be Rapace but with Portman coming in a very close second.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale - THE FIGHTER
John Hawkes - WINTER'S BONE
Jeremy Renner - THE TOWN
Mark Ruffalo - THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
Geoffrey Rush - THE KING'S SPEECH
Christian Bale has got this in the bag and that's a problem for me. I am never going to argue that Bale is not one of our best living actors. However, I never truly felt comfortable with his peformance in THE FIGHTER until the second half of the film. Before that, there seemed to be way too much scenery chewing. I get it, Dicky Edlund, with his accomplishments as well as his fall from grace, overpowered everything in the family for a very long time. But he also threatens to drown out everything else in the film. It should be noted that during the second half of the film, after Edlund experiences a character arc, he is nothing short of outstanding.
Also, since THE SOCIAL NETWORK seemed to mop up a ton of other major noms, it's surprising that Andrew Garfield was not nominated for what I felt was the film's best performance.
Of the nominees I'm qualified to talk about (sorry, Hawkes), I personally prefer Geoffrey Rush in THE KING'S SPEECH.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams - THE FIGHTER
Helena Bonham Carter - THE KING'S SPEECH
Melissa Leo - THE FIGHTER
Hailee Steinfeld - TRUE GRIT
Jacki Weaver - ANIMAL KINGDOM
Hailee Steinfeld did such an amazing job in TRUE GRIT that I would love to see her get it. That is the biggest difference between the Coens' TRUE GRIT compared with the Henry Hathaway original. While the original seemed mostly told from the point of view of Rooster Cogburn, the Coens' film tells the story from the point of view of Mattie Ross (Steinfeld). That's the case, and not even a correction from one of the film's producers can change that in my mind. It's the story of a young girl who has learned independence at a young age and who voluntarily throws herself in with the wolves in the wilderness in her search for justice. A great performance and an interesting young actress.
Of course, we all ask if she is such an integral part of the film, why is she not in the Best Actress category? Your guess is as good as mine.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
THE ILLUSIONIST
TOY STORY 3
The big surprise here is that the number of nominees in this category has shrunk from five to three, despite there being more quality animated films each year than ever before.
Although many people felt that TOY STORY 3 was a life-changing event, and yes I did get choked up at the end. Still, I'm rooting for HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Danny Boyle & Simon Beoufoy - 127 HOURS
Aaron Sorkin - THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Michael Arndt - TOY STORY 3
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen - TRUE GRIT
Debra Granik & Ann Rosselini - WINTER'S BONE
You have to hand it to both 127 HOURS and THE SOCIAL NETWORK for translating which on the surface seems like truly dry material into Oscar contenders. Personally, I felt that the writing, direction and acting all played an equal role in making 127 HOURS a great success.
Having said that, I would like to see the Coens get this one. Listen to the antiquated dialog in TRUE GRIT, with it's combination of frontier slang and eloquent rhetoric - the very collision of savagery and society that permeates through the film. It's not an easy thing to make that work and it deserves recognition for that accomplishment.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Mike Leigh - ANOTHER YEAR
Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson - THE FIGHTER
Christopher Nolan - INCEPTION
Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg - THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
David Seidler - THE KING'S SPEECH
It's not easy making a smart science fiction film. It's even harder to make one that is continually fascinating, holds up to repeat viewings and somehow manages to be accessible while not sacrificing any of it's grandiose goals. For that reason, I feel that Christopher Nolan did an incredible job with INCEPTION.
BEST ART DIRECTION
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HOLLOWS PART 1
INCEPTION
THE KING'S SPEECH
TRUE GRIT
Some good nominees here... and ALICE IN WONDERLAND. Am I really alone in thinking that was Tim Burton on cruise control? As far as the art direction, I was bored after the initial ten minutes in Wonderland.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
BLACK SWAN
INCEPTION
THE KING'S SPEECH
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
TRUE GRIT
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
I AM LOVE
THE KING'S SPEECH
THE TEMPEST
TRUE GRIT
I am no slave to fashion, folks. But even I see this as one of the biggest snubs. BLACK SWAN was not nominated in this category? Really? Amy Westcott's designs actually helped tell this amazing story and complimented the production beautifully.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP
GASLAND
INSIDE JOB
RESTREPO
WASTE LAND
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
KILLING IN THE NAME
POSTER GIRL
STRANGERS NO MORE
SUN COME UP
THE WARRIORS OF QIUGANG
BEST FILM EDITING
Andrew Weisblum - BLACK SWAN
Pamela Martin - THE FIGHTER
Tariq Anwar - THE KING'S SPEECH
Jon Harris - 127 HOURS
Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter - THE SOCIAL NETWORK
127 HOURS please. Look at it this way. You have a film where for over an hour of the running time, a guy is pinned alone in a crevice. And yet, the film seems to move at a breakneck pace and be continually fascinating. A lot of that is done in post, folks.
Also, some special mention for Lee Smith with INCEPTION.
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
BIUTIFUL - Mexico
DOGTOOTH - Greece
IN A BETTER WORLD - Denmark
INCENDIES - Canada
HORS-LA-LOI (OUTSIDE THE LAW) - Algeria
BEST MAKEUP
BARNEY'S VERSION
THE WAY BACK
THE WOLFMAN
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
John Powell - HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
Hans Zimmer - INCEPTION
Alexandre Desplat - THE KING'S SPEECH
A.R. Rahman - 127 HOURS
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - THE SOCIAL NETWORK
As a man who owns every Nine Inch Nails album, I will not lie when I say it would be interesting to see Trent Reznor take the stage. However, my personal pick has to go to Hans Zimmer for INCEPTION. Just the most incredible score of the year in my opinion. Not only does it compliment the story perfectly, but there are hidden clues, motifs and themes within the score itself. That's revolutionary stuff there, folks.
Speaking of which, it was perhaps too much to hope for that the Academy would be hip enough to recognize Daft Punk for TRON: LEGACY. Still, it would have been nice.
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Coming Home" - COUNTRY STRONG
"I See the Light" - TANGLED
"If I Rise" - 127 HOURS
"We Belong Together" - TOY STORY 3
"If I Rise" is a pretty good song. Otherwise, the Academy has once again nominated some of the most boring music of the year. Don't be surprised. These are voted on by the most ballots they receive. Hence, this is like Top 40 radio for movies. Dull, dull, dull.
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
DAY & NIGHT
THE GRUFFALO
LET'S POLLUTE
THE LOST THING
MADAGASCAR, CARNET DE VOYAGE (MADAGASCAR, A JOURNEY DIARY)
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
THE CONFESSION
THE CRUSH
GOD OF LOVE
NA WEWE
WISH 143
BEST SOUND EDITING
INCEPTION
TOY STORY 3
TRON: LEGACY
TRUE GRIT
UNSTOPPABLE
I would love to see TRON or INCEPTION take this one.
BEST SOUND MIXING
INCEPTION
THE KING'S SPEECH
SALT
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
TRUE GRIT
And now I show my ignorance. Some of us just don't get these categories. Anyone want to tell me what was so amazing about the sound mixing in THE KING'S SPEECH?
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HOLLOWS PART 1
HEREAFTER
INCEPTION
IRON MAN 2
Oh, come on! Look, I know not everyone likes TRON: LEGACY, that's fine. But surely you can't deny that 2/3 of the film was an amazing feat of visual effects? At least moreso than HEREAFTER.
Nevertheless, the win for me would be INCEPTION, who managed to incorporate the special effects so seamlessly into the film, that it brought our dreams to life in a non-obtrusive manner.
Well, look at that. I guess there were enough surprises to comment on after all.
Of course, the greatest feat of this year's Academy Awards is that it makes the Golden Globes seem even more ridiculous. Sorry, folks. Even with pickings as slim as 2010's BURLESQUE does not deserve a single nomination in any category. Ditto THE TOURIST. The Academy saw fit to give TRUE GRIT ten nominations. And while it is perhaps not the greatest film in the Coen's canon, it was one of the best westerns in many years. And it got zero Golden Globe nominations. That's right, none. It sort of cements my opinion that the Globes are a red carpet ceremony with the awards as an afterthought.
But despite myself, I still get very excited for the Academy Awards. The final awards will be handed out on February 27th.
I no longer Oscar watch 'cause the nominations list might as well be compiled by publicity departments.
ReplyDeleteIf you didn't go to the cinema last year you'd still recognise the films in all the major catergories. The Oscars is not a celebration of cinema - it's the annual post-Christmas do for the old boys club.