Movie Reviews from the Dark

As predicted, my Oscar predictions were predictably shaky this year … predictably shaky except for the predictions that were predictably easy to predict.

 Let’s begin with the hosting team of James Franco and Anne Hathaway.  These two gorgeous young people were supposed to have a positive impact on the 18-29 age demographic.  However, with the overall viewer numbers down from last year, I am not sure they possess the star power necessary to draw in the younger voters.  Mr. Franco should probably be grateful the numbers were down.  He was flat out horrible.  A pretty face, but boring nonetheless.

Anne Hathaway, on the other hand, was an energizer bunny onstage.  She really gave it her all.  Unfortunately, she just wasn’t capable of carrying the load at an event this size.  She is incredibly talented, but must have felt stranded … given the disappearing act of Franco and the actual last minute duet cancelation by Hugh Jackman.  How did he get to keep his front row seat after that stunt?

 Much ado about Franco’s pace these days what with acting, producing and attending film school.  Maybe he used this event to fine-tune his character should a sequel to Pineapple Express get made.  Whatever the reason, he contributed almost nothing and appeared disinterested and foggy through most of the evening.  To make it even more painful, the Academy included such classic hosts from the past as Billy Crystal, Alec Baldwin and even Bob Hope!

Anyway, this night is not about the hosts … it’s about one thing: how well or shabby do the ladies dress!  Yes, I am kidding.  Of course, it’s about the movies and the movie stars and the filmmakers.  No need to list the winners, but let’s talk some specifics:

Mothers received more frequent shout-outs than what is typical.  That’s a nice change of pace from the agents, publicists and producers.  Really, the only mother missing was the one that Melissa Leo didn’t tack on to her F-Bomb!  That’s a first for the Academy Awards’ stage, and really inexcusable … even if she did win for playing a tough ole’ broad from Lowell, Mass.

 Even the weaker sex got some recognition.  Original Screenplay winner David Seidler (The King’s Speech) had the line of the night when he said his Father had predicted he would be “a late bloomer”.  Mr. Seidler is the oldest winner of this particular award.  His story is even more interesting once you know that he struggled with a severe stutter when he was younger.

Even Grandmother’s got in on it … during the opening, James Franco’s grandmother stood up and gushed about seeing Marky Mark.

 What little defense I can offer Melissa Leo is that she had to deal with  94 year old presenter Kirk Douglas, who was obviously relishing his moment back in the spotlight.

Other than the cheesy promo to a boxing website, Christian Bale’s speech was remarkably heartfelt and even touching, as he reached out to his loving wife for her support.  Hopefully he shaves that beard before Batman starts filming next month.

Expected winners Colin Firth and Natalie Portman gave very classy acceptance speeches.  Note to future winners: when in doubt, copy one of these two speeches.

David Fincher (The Social Network) looked like he was in a horrible mood all night, but it was really nice to see the overlooked Christopher Nolan get so much praise and admiration from the technical award winners for Inception.

Second best line of the night was when Live Action Short surprise winner Luke Metheny bounded onstage and proclaimed “I guess I should have gotten a haricut”.

 Other than Franco’s lack of effort, the most amazing thing to me was listening to the four non-descript nominated Best Songs.  Luckily for us, Randy Newman won his second Oscar in 20 (yes TWENTY) nominations, so we were treated to 90 seconds of this man’s comically self-deprecating genius.

Overall, it was a pretty uneventful ceremony with almost zero “Wow” factor, and no shockers amongst the winners … probably a fitting end to the 2010 film year.  And I am guessing no one is happier to see Awards season come to an end than the VERY pregnant Natalie Portman.  She will probably be wearing sweats with her feet propped up for quite awhile!

 OK, so one quick note on the attire – I was very happy to see that most everyone dressed very well.  This has always been a glamorous event and it’s a shame when a few just don’t get it.  Heck, even Helena Bonham Carter almost blended in (and her shoes matched)!  Youngsters, Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) and Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone) were especially radiant and seem to have that magical combination of grace, personality, looks and talent … stardom awaits!

A quick tally of the winners:

 The King’s Speech – 4 wins (including Best Picture)

Inception – 4 wins (including Cinematography)

The Social Network – 3 wins (including Trent Reznor’s score)

2 wins each – Toy Story 3, The Fighter, Alice in Wonderland

It always seems awkward closing out the previous year’s films in February or March, but it’s time to kick 2011 in gear.  Get thyself to a theatre!!

Greetings again from the darkness.  Since I jumped on the soapbox in my intro for last year’s Oscar Predictions, I shall remain firmly planted on the ground for this year’s edition.  I do love movies and I have a real affinity for the Academy Awards … despite the fact that many/most winners will not be aligned with my personal preference.  No matter – it’s a glamorous event dedicated to an art form I appreciate.

With Anne Hathaway and James Franco entrusted to host the show, I believe it is the first time that a Lead Actor nominee will serve as host in the same year as their nomination.  It will be interesting to see what they do with Mr. Franco (127 Hours) during the presentation of his category.  These two young actors are immensely and diversely talented, and should bring a refreshing edge to the show.

Now for my disclaimer: Over the past 21 years, I have quite an impressive track record of predicting the winners.  However, this year, I am at a loss as to who and what are the real front-runners in some of the big categories.  The “warm-up” awards events have varied widely and provide very little hint as to what Academy voters have decided.  Below, I have recapped the main categories and offered up my predictions as well as my preferences.  I have (mostly) resisted the urge to comment if my true preference did not even receive a nomination (aka, snub).  So following are my best guesses …. Let me know yours! (I apologize for the formatting issues)

BEST PICTURE – It would be no shocker if the evening turned into a sweep for either The King’s Speech or The Social Network.  Since I am hanging my hat on the stuttering King, my sterling record will be trashed if the Facebook movie gets on a roll.

PREDICTION: The King’s Speech – very well made historical and personal drama

PREFERENCE: Toy Story 3 – no chance of a win in this category, but it deserves to be here and was my favorite movie of 2010.

BEST DIRECTOR

PREDICTION:  David Fincher (The Social Network) –I am predicting an Oscar rarity: Best Director will not have directed the Best Picture.

PREFERENCE: Darren Aronfsky (Black Swan) – since Christopher Nolan was snubbed, my meaningless vote would go to the creative force behind my number 2 movie of 2010

BEST ACTOR

PREDICTION and PREFERENCE: Colin Firth (The King’s Speech) – not the strongest year for this category but Mr. Firth is deservedly a heavy favorite.

BEST ACTRESS

PREDICTION: Natalie Portman (Black Swan) – Annette Bening could slip in, but I hope not.  Last year was bad enough when media darling Sandra Bullock stole the prize from the great Meryl Streep. 

PREFERENCE:  Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone) – no chance to win, but easily my favorite lead actress performance of 2010.  Plus, she knows how to properly prepare squirrel stew!

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

PREDICTION: Christian Bale (The Fighter) – very close race between he and Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech).  Not sure Mr. Rush received enough credit for providing much of the interest and entertainment value for his movie.

PREFERENCE: John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone) – Bale and Rush were superb, but Mr. Hawkes was incredible as the mysterious uncle who was both friend and foe.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – my favorite category this year!

PREDICTION: Melissa Leo  (The Fighter) – it could be argued that Amy Adams gave a better performance, but Ms. Leo’s character best exemplified Micky Ward’s plight.

PREFERENCE: I struggle with this because Hailee Steinfeld was remarkable in True Grit, but I consider it to be a Lead role.  As for true supporting expertise, Jacki Weaver in the little seen Animal Kingdom was the most frightening onscreen mother since Faye Dunaway wielded a coat hanger!

ANIMATED FEATURE

PREDICTION and PREFERENCE: Toy Story 3.  All three nominations are strong, but TS3 is the best movie of the year, animated or not. 

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

PREDICTION: In a Better World (Denmark) – seems to be the lead horse by winning some early awards.

PREFERENCE:  This is a very frustrating category for me this year since I have only seen Biutiful (Mexico). As often occurs, most of the films in this category will obtain limited U.S. distribution later this year.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

PREDICTION: The King’s Speech by David Seidler

PREFERENCE: Inception by Christopher Nolan

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

PREDICTION: The Social Network – by Aaron Sorkin (slam dunk)

PREFERENCE: Toy Story 3 – actually an original story with familiar characters

CINEMATOGRAPHY

PREDICTION: True Grit, Roger Deakins – a mild upset

PREFERENCE: Black Swan, Matthew Libatique – the onstage dancing was brilliantly shot

COSTUME DESIGN

PREDICTION: The King’s Speech

PREFERENCE: I Am Love – the fabrics and colors compliment the setting

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

PREDICTION and PREFERENCE: Day & Night – not winning would be due to Pixar backlash

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

PREDICTION: Wish 143

PREFERENCE: The Crush

ORIGINAL SCORE

PREDICTION: The Social Network – Trent Reznor onstage at the Oscars!

PREFERENCE: Inception – startling piece by Hans Zimmer

ORIGINAL SONG

PREDICTION and PREFERENCE: “We Belong Together” (Toy Story 3) Dear Academy: please don’t subject us to Gwyneth Paltrow singing that dang Country Strong song.

DOCUMENTARY

PREDICTION AND PREFERENCE – This is a very strong category full of work that deserves to win.  The only thing that would eclipse Trent Reznor onstage at the Oscars would be an appearance by the reclusive Banksy should his film Exit Through the Gift Shop win.  If I must predict a winner, I’ll go with Restrepo, but it could be that Academy voters are just as intrigued by Bansky as I am.

If you would like to see my Best of 2010 list:

https://moviereviewsfromthedark.wordpress.com/annual-bests-2/best-of-2010/

If you would like to see my recap of the Nominated Shorts:

https://moviereviewsfromthedark.wordpress.com/2011/02/13/oscar-nominate…-animated-2010/

Greetings again from the darkness.  Announcement Day for the Oscars is always fun!  Arguing about who got a nom that they didn’t deserve? Who was snubbed?  Were politics involved? (Yes, always).  Pleasant Surprises? Disappointments?  All that makes for indigestion-inducing lunchtime banter … and the ceremony (the 83rd) is still 33 days away! So below are just a few of my observations and reactions to today’s announcements … these are NOT my predictions.  At the end, there are two links.  One to my Best of 2010 list, and the other to a full list of nominations.  
 
1. BEST PICTURE: thrilled to see Winter’s Bone get a nom (4 in total).  It’s a  shame more people didn’t see this little film (box office less than $7 million) during it’s theatrical run. It’s very compelling and features two of the best performances of the year.  Toy Story 3 (my favorite film of the year) got nominated for both Best Picture and Best Animated Feature … and it deserves both.  Other than that, I just don’t have much to say about this category as it was pretty easy to predict (except for Winter’s Bone vs. The Town).  Not a year for great movies, but there were plenty of good ones!
 
2. DIRECTOR: OK, this one actually bothers me.  How does Christopher Nolan (pictured) get snubbed AGAIN?  I certainly understand how some people don’t like his movie Inception, but it was nominated for Best Picture and it, more than any other film on the list, is clearly a director’s film.  Mr. Nolan is an amazing filmmaker who has somehow ended up on the “naughty” list for Academy voters.  With ten Best Pic nominees and only five Best Director nominees, there will always be some terrific directors who are left out.  Nolan should not have been one.  If you ask me who should have been left off for Nolan, my answer is David O. Russell for The Fighter.  It is a terrific movie, but we all know this has been Mark Wahlberg’s pet project for almost a decade.
 
3. LEAD ACTOR: Two rarities here: a Lead Actor nomination for a non-English speaking role (Javier Bardem) and back-to-back years (Jeff Bridges).  Bardem’s film Biutiful will just start gaining release this upcoming weekend, and Bridges was terrific in the Rooster Cogburn role that won John Wayne his only Oscar.  While this is not a list of my predictions, it seems pretty clear that Colin Firth (The King’s Speech) is the lead horse in this race.  I had hoped Robert Duvall (Get Low) might sneak in, but the buzz of The Social Network got Jesse Eisenberg some recognition. It will also be interesting to see how they handle James Franco’s (127 Hours) nomination since he is also one of this year’s co-hosts!
 
4. LEAD ACTRESS: Was relieved that Julianne Moore did not get a nomination.  I thought both she and Annette Bening overacted in their roles as lesbian parents in The Kids Are All Right.  Ms. Bening did get a nom and may get the win (vs Natalie Portman) since she has been wrongfully overlooked in the past. The other three nominees were all fantastic, but in movies very few people actually saw.   Jennifer Lawrence (pictured, Winter’s Bone) is my breakout star of the year.
 
5. SUPPORTING ACTOR AND ACTRESS:  Along with Jennifer Lawrence, three of my six favorite performances this year all belong to women in this category – Melissa Leo (The Fighter), Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit), and Jacki Weaver (pictured Animal Kingdom).   My other two favorite performances are also noted in this category for the men – Christian Bale (The Fighter) and John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone).  I would not have picked Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech), but it is her best work since A Room with a View.
 
6. FILM EDITING.  I know … you don’t realy care about this category, but I must mention the major snub of Inception (Lee Smith).  Whether you like the film or not, there is no argument to how well it is edited.  Not only should have been nominated, but should have been the clear front runner.  Bah.
 
7. SCREENPLAY : only oddity is that Black Swan was not nominated, and in it’s place was Mike Leigh’s Another Year.  The rest of the nominations followed the Best Picture list.
 
8. DOCUMENTARY: some will argue that Waiting for Superman should have been nominated.  I believe that argument is based on the importance of the topic, rather than the quality of the film.  Very cool that Exit Through the Gift Shop scored a nomination.  Banksy.
 
9. VISUAL EFFECTS: the third biggest snub belongs to Tron: Legacy.  The tidal wave opening scene in Hereafter was amazing, but the entire Tron film was a study in spectacular special effects.  I believe the Academy voters took it’s brilliant production for granted.
 
Sure there are some minor quibbles, but for the most part, this year’s nominations were pretty easy to predict.  That said, the eventual winners might not be so clear cut.  I will post my Oscar predictions as we get closer to the ceremony.  In the meantime, let me know what you think.  Did your favorite get snubbed?  Did one you hated get nominated?  This is much more fun to complain about than your job!!

Oscar Nominations: http://oscar.go.com/nominations

Best of 2010: https://moviereviewsfromthedark.wordpress.com/annual-bests-2/best-of-2010/