2013 Oscars

2012 is the first year ever that I was able to see every film nominated for Best Picture. I am usually pretty good at picking the Best Picture when I walk out of the theater but not this year. There was not a film that was just a run away. This year seemed wide open on the surface until the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild, and the Directors Guild awards played out to show the clear favorites.

These are not necessarily the films I would like to see win but the ones I think will score the gold. So here are my picks for whatever they are worth:

Best Picture: Life of Pi
Sure Argo, which makes Hollywood types look like heroic patriots, isn’t the make up artist from the original Planet of the Apes (1968), played by John Goodman no less, already a national hero?, is a clear favorite with Lincoln second but after figuring Pi wins a fistful of Oscars, Directing, Cinematography, Best Adapted Screenplay,Editing, etc, I am going with an “upset”. Remember how Bugsy back in 1991 was supposed to sweep? Shameless rationalization.

Actor in a Leading Role: Daniel Day Lewis
You knew this one was a no brainer BEFORE you saw the film. My call was when I heard it was coming out.

Actress in a Leading Role: Jennifer Lawrence
Emmanuelle Riva (a potential upset) and Quvenzhane Wallis had much better performances but Hollywood wants to regain its #1 spot in Awards Season and get people under 40 to tune in. Giving awards to French speakers (2012’s The Artist) or Britishers (2011 The King’s Speech) has many Americans saying “Who?”, “What movie?”, “The must be Socialists that hate the 2nd Amendment”. Lawrence was in the ca$h cow, The Hunger Games, and she’s going to be making Hollywood plenty of dough the next few years with its sequels.

Actor in a Supporting Role: Christoph Waltz
This is an open field. I could see Robert De Niro winning or even Tommy Lee Jones (why? I don’t know)

Actress is a Supporting Role: Anne Hathaway
Hollywood likes prostitutes winning this award and pretty women making themselves look as bad as possible. They should have given her a few missing teeth to really get that “Faces of Meth” look going on

Animated Feature: Wreck It Ralph
Brave was the money maker I think so don’t be surprised I am wrong on this one

Cinematography: Life of Pi
I have seen quite a buzz for Skyfall (this year’s theme is 50 Years of James Bond) but, Life of Pi is a visual treat on the same level as 2001:A Space Odyssey, almost

Costume Design: Anna Karenina&lt
A guess….spreading the wealth I suppose. Why should any film go home empty handed?

Directing: Ang Lee
See Cinematography. This was a genuinely original film and some have said that the book could not be made into a movie but damned if he didn’t, Lee pulled it off.

Documentary Feature: Searching for Sugar Man
The reason I make this call is because it has been out since the summer and was in quite a few theaters. I think more people have seen it than The Invisible War which is another film that has been getting a bit of buzz of late. Maybe too late? For you punters, a “pick ’em” in my book

Documentary Short Subject: Open Heart
Yet another guess

Film Editing: Life of Pi
See Cinematography and Directing for my input on this film

Foreign Language Film: Amour
No brainer here

Make up: The Hobbit:An Unexpected Journey
Versus Hitchock and Les Miz? Duh

Music, Original Score: Life of Pi
No stand outs here but I wouldn’t rule out Lincoln as Hollywood likes that John Williams tragic yet uplifting stuff (he still deserves to be punished for the overkill in Warhorse)

Music, Original Song: Skyfall
Adele is has written and sings the title theme for a James Bond movie when the theme of the Oscars this year is “50 Years of James Bond”. Once again, Hollywood trying to get more people under 40 interested. No brainer on this one.

Production Design: Life of Pi
Are we noticing a trend on my picks this year?

Short Film, Animated: Paperman
Yet another guess

Short Film, Live Action: Curfew
A suicidal man baby sitting and it’s the only one in Engish

Sound Editing: Life of Pi
I’m am betting ona big night

Sound Mixing: Les Miserables
It’s a musical

Visual Effects: Life of Pi
A 3D film that’s worth the extra admission. Can you say that for 3D films other than Avatar?

Writing, Adapted Screenplay: Life of Pi
Many said it couldn’t be made into a movie.

Writing, Original Screenplay: Zero Dark Thirty
Nobody should go home empty handed but I am rooting for Django Unchained for this award

2011 Oscars

We’re in “awards season” here in the USA and so far I am disappointed. We had the Golden Globes where The Social Network won Best Picture, Natalie Portman won Best Actress for Black Swan, and Christian Bale won Best Supporting Actor for playing a crackhead. I liked the film and both performances but really, none was award worthy given the other options.

Then we had the Grammys where I wasn’t offended by any performance and thus not impressed. I was hoping for something that would have created a buzz on the news for a week: Sarah Palin tweeting about Rihanna’s “S & M“, professional shithead Michelle Malkin appearing on Fox and Friends ranting about how Lady Gaga is something like “the embodiment of the downfall of the Judaeo-Christian ethic”, Sean Hannity talking about “values”, and all the usual bullshit. The music industry didn’t give the professional right wing anything to bite on. So disappointing! Where’s  Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction” when you need it? Anyway, onto the movies.

The Best Picture for nominees for 2010 are:
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

Let’s make a few observations about them and then go into MY movie picks.

First “Black Swan” was a very over rated movie as was The Social Network. The Hollywood industry loves Darren Aronofsky because of his previous films “Requiem for a Dream” and “The Wrestler” and the bogus lesbian scene turned out to create a Facebook buzz with teenagers. I always liked Natalie Portman but when one hears people talking about her “great” performance, you just have to say “please!” How many people have played high quality nut jobs over the years?  Of course, who’s up against her for the award? So she’s pretty much a “given” for the actress award.

“The Fighter” was an excellent film BUT the “B0ston Irish” act is wearing a bit thin: we had “Mystic River”, “The Departed”, “The Town”, and now this one. It is a city that has Harvard, Fidelity Investments, and produced John F. Kennedy and Peter Lynch but Hollywood will give you the impression that it just produces “Irish tough guys” who talk funny and are employed in rackets. Yeah, I know the film took place in Worcester: SAME SHIT.

“Inception” was an excellent “psycho-thriller” but given the time of year it came out in the theaters it doesn’t have a prayer of winning. Had it been shot in 3D, it might have had a chance. “True Grit” and “The King’s Speech” are, in my book, the best of the lot. Either would be a fine film for the Academy to dub “Best Picture”. As for the other films, though “Toy Story 3” made a bundle of dough, it’s still a kiddie movie and thus no chance and the rest well, can you name more than 3 people that actually saw the films? “Blue Valentine” looked like a bore in its trailer.

Now the movies that made my 2010 trips to the movies worthwhile we can call them the “honorable mentions”.

Machete: this was a masterpiece of a film. Come on! The cell phone secreted away in a woman’s very personal hiding place? Cheech getting crucified? Michelel Rodriguez with the eye patch?  Mexicans fighting using gardening tools? GENIUS!

Piranha 3D: high quality turd of a film and done in 3D just to earn extra bucks. Genius. Ving Rhames with the outboard motor and the panic scene? The penis being eaten with 3D+ T & A? Clearly “art cinema” and Oscar worthy.

Hot Tub Time Machine: low brow comedy that appealed to film buffs lowest common denominator–vomit humor. When I told my students that I saw it over the weekend they said, and I quote,  “You actually saw that?”. My answer was “yes and I thought it ws great”. Perhaps you can read into this cinematic wonder as an allegory for redemption. 

Easy A: A modern, more sophisticated version of those shitty 1980s John  Hughes “coming of age” pictures liberally based on the Scarlet Letter. I went to see for the only reason that there was nothing else to see that weekend and genuinely enjoyed the film. I also thought Emma Stone is definitely going to become quite a film star: a sober Lindsay Lohan. 

The Other Guys: “the sound of your piss hitting the urinal sounds feminine”: THAT is what one calls DIALOGUE. The scene with the Securitie & Exchange Commission officer is arguably the wittiest of the year.
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Faster: Yet another allegory for redemption and forgiveness. Yes, us theologians like to read into Hollywood junk whenever possible. This was “quality crap” of out the Hollywood factory. A few scenes you just had to love: like Dwayne Johnson shooting a telemarketing guy in the head. How many times did we wish we can do that?  Even the audience all said “oh!”. 

Finally, my WORST movie of the year. That is hands down Ben Stiller as “Greenburg”. The character was just annoying and you hope he died (he didn’t). Not a single fucking redeeming quality for the movie. If I ever seen Ben Stiller on the street in Manhattan I’m going to ask him for my $12.50 or just aim my right elbow at the bridge of his nose.  I may just boycott any new movie he makes now. The film was THAT bad.

Anyway, 2010 had some excellent movies and I look forward to the remainder of 2011: I’ve already viewed “The Rite” (B-movie, exorcism genre fare) and “Unknown” (garden vaireity thriller). So far, so good. 🙂 Oscar nite I’ll be on Facebook and Twitter delivering my commentary. Hope to see you then!