Greetings again from the darkness. It’s Oscar time again! Ballots for the 84th Academy Awards were due today. The only real question remaining is just how many gold statues The Artist will win. It has ten nominations and some are predicting it could win as many as nine! Me??? I mostly scratch my head at this fascinating juggernaut that appears to be unstoppable. Don’t get me wrong, I found the movie to be quite entertaining and, being a cinephile, I appreciated the historical nod to early Hollywood … just wouldn’t be my choice as the Best Picture of the year.
Every year, there are at least a couple of surprise winners, but unfortunately it doesn’t appear that The Help edging out The Artist will be one of them. You will have to uncover those shockers in the lesser categories.
This week we learned that Academy voters average 62 years of age and are over 95% Caucasian. That can be valuable data as you are filling out your Oscar ballots. And in keeping with that theme, Billy Crystal is back as host of the ceremony and there will be a performance from Cirque du Soleil. This is Academy’s response to the controversy surrounding the original team of host Eddie Murphy and director Brett Ratner.
As is my tradition, you will find both my PREDICTION and my PREFERENCE for each of the 24 categories. While there are a couple of “no brainer” picks this year, there are enough “two horse races” that I expect a final score of 17 or 18 would win most office contests. When in doubt, pick The Artist!
BEST PICTURE
PREDICTION: THE ARTIST. One of the no-brainers I mentioned … it would be a shock if The Help could pull an upset. The Descendants was an early favorite, but even Hawaii pales in comparison to the black & white artistry.
PREFERENCE: THE TREE OF LIFE. The favorite movie for me and many critics. It was the most moving cinematic experience of the year, but too divisive to actually win the award.
BEST DIRECTOR
PREDICTION: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist. The only chance for an upset comes from Martin Scorcese for Hugo, and his visionary use of 3D in an entirely new genre.
PREFERENCE: Martin Scorcese
BEST ACTOR
PREDICTION: Jean Dujardin, The Artist. George Clooney (The Descendants) was the odds-on favorite until the juggernaut known as The Artist got rolling. A win for Clooney would now be considered an upset.
PREFERENCE: Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. The consummate actor for so many years, his nuanced performance had me mesmerized during this intricate film.
BEST ACTRESS
PREDICTION: Viola Davis, The Help. She was the foundation of the film and never once over-played a scene. Meryl Streep was stunning as Margaret Thatcher, but once again will probably have her performance taken for granted.
PREFERENCE: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady. While I loved Viola Davis’ performance as part of an impressive ensemble, Streep was the epitome of a leading lady carrying a film and making it better than it would have been.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
PREDICTION: Christopher Plummer, Beginners. This is another of the no-brainers, and one of my favorite performances in one of my favorite movies of the year. Some think Max von Sydow can win for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, but the movie was just not well received. Either would be the oldest Oscar winner in history.
PREFERENCE: Christopher Plummer, Beginners.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
PREDICTION: Octavia Spencer, The Help. The number one no-brainer of the night. Her performance was funny, painful and insightful, and brought depth to what could have been a mess in less capable hands.
PREFERENCE: Octavia Spencer, The Help.
ANIMATED FEATURE
PREDICTION: Rango. The most complex and entertaining and oddball animated film of the year.
PREFERENCE: Rango.
DOCUMENTARY
PREDICTION: UNDEFEATED. One of the toughest categories to call this year and the only one where all five nominees have a chance.
PREFERENCE: PINA. More tribute than documentary, it’s a fascinating look at the brilliant choreographer through the eyes and performances of her dance company.
BEST SCORE
PREDICTION: THE ARTIST. Hey, there were (almost) no words, so the music was vital … at least that’s the argument. And I can’t wait to hear Kim Novak’s reaction should it win!
PREFERENCE: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Haunting, jazzy mood music in a film with almost as little dialogue as the juggernaut.
BEST SONG
PREDICTION: “MAN OR MUPPET”, The Muppets, Bret McKenzie. There are only two nominees so everyone has a 50-50 chance!
PREFERENCE: “Man or Muppet”, The Muppets, Bret McKenzie. Are you kidding? One of the “Flight of the Conchords” could win an Oscar? That is so awesome!
CINEMATOGRAPHY
PREDICTION: Guillaume Schiffman, The Artist. Getting more attention than (in my opinion) the far superior work by Emmanuel Lubezki in The Tree of Life
PREFERENCE: Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life
ART DIRECTION
PREDICTION: HUGO, Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo. However it could be a victim of The Artist juggernaut
PREFERENCE: Hugo, Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo (a husband and wife team)
COSTUME DESIGN
PREDICTION: Mark Bridges, The Artist. Outside shot for Hugo.
PREFERENCE: Michael O’Connor, Jane Eyre. Underrated film with realistic costumes
FILM EDITING
PREDICTION: Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist. This award usually goes to the Best Picture winner, though Thelma Schoonmaker is probably more deserving for Hugo.
PREFERENCE: Thelma Schoonmaker, Hugo
DOCUMENTARY SHORT
PREDICTION: GOD IS BIGGER THAN ELVIS. Interesting story of the actress-turned-nun who gave Elvis his first on screen kiss. Another tough category to predict, and it could go to The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom.
PREFERENCE: God is Bigger Than Elvis.
ANIMATED SHORT FILM
PREDICTION: THE FANTASTIC FLYING BOOKS OF MR MORRIS LESSMORE. Horrible title, great little film. Close competition from A Morning Stroll
PREFERENCE: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore. I really didn’t want to type it again, but it was clearly the best to me.
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
PREDICTION: PENTECOST. Funny usually wins this category.
PREFERENCE: The Shore. Beautifully shot with a terrific script and top notch acting
MAKE-UP
PREDICTION: The Iron Lady. This could be the chance for the Academy to recognize the splendor of the Harry Potter franchise.
PREFERENCE: The Iron Lady. Old person make-up that actually worked.
SOUND EDITING
PREDICTION: Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty, Hugo. Could be a nod to Spielberg’s War Horse.
PREFERENCE: Hugo
SOUND MIXING
PREDICTION: Tom Fleishman and John Midgley, Hugo. Could be a nod to Spielberg’s War Horse
PREFERENCE: Hugo
VISUAL EFFECTS
PREDICTION: RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. With Hugo, it is the most deserving … but another category where Harry Potter could get rewarded.
PREFERENCE: Rise of the Planet of the Apes, but I would be happy with Hugo as well
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
PREDICTION: Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris. Great dialogue in spite of Owen Wilson. The Hemingway stuff alone is worth the price of admission. Competition from The Artist, of course.
PREFERENCE: Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
PREDICTION: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, The Descendants. Competition from Academy favorite Aaron Sorkin for Moneyball
PREFERENCE: The Descendants
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
PREDICTION: A SEPARATION. One of the best films of the year … too bad I saw it after my “Best of” list was published. In Darkness could surprise.
PREFERENCE: A Separation
If you missed my “Best of 2011”, here is the link:
https://moviereviewsfromthedark.wordpress.com/annual-bests-2/best-of-2011/
WILLIAM WELLMAN (1896-1975) was nominated for 3 Best Director Oscars, and won for Best Screenplay on the original A Star is Born (1937). Known as “Wild Bill” for his brave and daring work as an aviator in WWI, the name stuck when he hit Hollywood as a larger than life figure. At age 19, he joined the air wing of the French Foreign Legion and flew for the famed Lafayette Escadrille until he was shot down. In 1927, Paramount hired him, based on his real life experience, to direct its WWI flying epic Wings. It took him a year to wrap production (unheard of in those days), and the film was over budget and way behind schedule. However, it went on to become the very first Academy Award winner for Best Picture (and the only silent film winner until The Artist won in 2012) and was a box office smash. The film starred legendary silent film actress Clara Bow, and also featured a small role for a young Gary Cooper (25 years before High Noon). Despite Wellman’s reputation as bullying director, he went on to direct The Public Enemy (1931) which is still considered one of the great gangster movies, and also sent James Cagney direct to superstardom. Wellman directed three films famous for their biting satire of Hollywood and stardom: A Star is Born (1937), Nothing Sacred (1937), Roxie Hart (1942). He also continued making westerns and war films including: The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), Story of G.I. Joe (1945), Battleground (1949), The High and the Mighty (1954, with John Wayne). He walked away from Hollywood after the post-production studio tampering of his last film Lafayette Escadrille (1958). Wellman rarely receives due credit for his place in Hollywood history. This is usually attributed to his head-strong inability to collaborate with others, as evidenced by his quote: “Get a director and a writer and leave them alone. That’s how the best pictures get made.” Wellman was the great-great-great-grandson of Frances Lewis, who signed the Declaration of Independence.
Posted by David Ferguson 
Movie Reviews from the Dark 