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PostPosted: Sat Feb 26, 2011 1:12 pm 
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Coming off last weekend's Boston Science Fiction Film Festival & Marathon where I saw 13 movies (!) the last thing I wanted to do this week was to analyze....er...more movies! Anyway, can't control the calendar. On to this year's Academy Awards selections. I pick which film is the WINNER and which I feel is BEST in each of the major categories (and, yes, I HAVE seen the films):

All the nominees can be found here: http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawa ... inees.html

ANIMATED FEATURE: I was a tad disappointed in TOY STORY 3 (more so with THE ILLUSIONIST), but it's the class of this unnecessary category.
WINNER & BEST: TOY STORY 3

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: KING'S SPEECH scribe David Seidler's long stuggle to succeed as a screenwriter and to bring this personal story of overcoming stuttering is now known. And, deservedly so.
WINNER & BEST: David Seidler, KING'S SPEECH

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Sorkin's sizzling SOCIAL NETWORK script will carry the day, but the most impressive job of devising a spare, poignent and gripping tale to the screen was WINTER'S BONE.
WINNER: Aaron Sorkin, SOCIAL NETWORK
BEST: Debra Granik & Anne Rossellini, WINTER'S BONE

FILM EDITING: Usually this goes with Best Picture, but this is a year that may be different as the flashier SOCIAL cutting will edge the more traditional, but, beautifully executed KING'S.
WINNER: SOCIAL NETWORK
BEST: KING'S SPEECH

CINEMATOGRAPHY: This should be the year that the great Roger Deakins finally wins an Oscar - too bad it's for one of his merely Good works. Wally Pfister's lucid work on INCEPTION really shined.
WINNER: Roger Deakins, TRUE GRIT
BEST: Wally Pfister, INCEPTION

ART DIRECTION: A well dressed historical set usually carries the day here, and will again.
WINNER & BEST: KING'S SPEECH

SOUND MIXING & SOUND EDITING: Double your pleasure INCEPTION crew. No film used soundscapes to create another level as well.
WINNER & BEST (2 categories): INCEPTION

VISUAL EFFECTS: Ah, give 'em a 3rd tech award (much deserved; too bad the script wasn't as impeccable):
WINNER & BEST: INCEPTION

COSTUME DESIGN: As with Art Direction, historical dramas usually carry the day here, but here's one for the chic and stylish modern dress Milan Italian style.
WINNER: KING'S SPEECH
BEST: I AM LOVE

MAKEUP: An odd duck category with 3 films NOT nominated in any other category including two arthouse films in BARNEY'S VERSION and THE WAY BACK. Rick Baker's WOLFMAN will win, but is it really that much more special than the other 239 werewolf movies?
WINNER: THE WOLFMAN
BEST: THE WAY BACK

ORIGINAL SCORE: A lot of folks are pulling for Nine Inch Nail's Trent Reznor to win for his offbeat SOCIAL score, but the stirring KING'S SPEECH music will and should carry the baton.
WINNER & BEST: Alexandre Desplat, KING'S SPEECH

ORIGINAL SONG: Randy Newman wins again for a Pixar film (again). Snooze. At least A.R. Rahman's tune has a bit of energy.
WINNER: Randy Newman, TOY STORY 3
BEST: A.R.Rahman, Dido & R.Armstrong, 127 HOURS

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Can we have a tie? When I saw KING'S, I said to myself that Geoffrey Rush was "perfect". A week later, I saw THE FIGHTER and Christian Bale "nailed it"! He stood toe to toe with Marky Mark and other Bostonians and pulled it off. The degree of difficulty will probably clinch it for Bale - but can you beat perfection?
WINNER: Christian Bale, THE FIGHTER
BEST: Geoffrey Rush, KING'S SPEECH (tie)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Haley Steinfeld is the ringer here as she is absolutely a lead (a bit too one-note for me), and cute kids have won before. Melissa Leo's blowzy mom in THE FIGHTER is too much for my taste and has overshadowed the much more restrained and crucial work by co-star Amy Adams.
WINNER: Melissa Leo, THE FIGHTER
BEST: Amy Adams, THE FIGHTER

BEST ACTRESS: Natalie Portman's perfomance is so wiry that it almost borders on genuine neurosis. It's strong and unsettling. But, Michelle Williams was so exposed and raw in BLUE VALENTINE that it should be recognized.
WINNER: Natalie Portman, BLACK SWAN
BEST: Michelle Williams, BLUE VALENTINE

BEST ACTOR: Have to admit, this isn't the greatest batch of nominees I've seen in this category. Some of the year's best work by the likes of Paul Giamatti (BARNEY'S VERSION) & Robert Duvall (GET LOW) went unnominated. Bridges is there almost out of habit. Colin Firth is a terrific actor but KING'S SPEECH is dangerously close to being a Person With Disabilities Oscar. Javier Bardem is deeply moving in BIUTIFUL.
WINNER: Colin Firth, KING'S SPEECH
BEST: Javier Bardem, BIUTIFUL

BEST DIRECTOR: A genuine tossup. Within the Academy I feel that Fincher is probably considered to have done the most technically accomplished work on SOCIAL, with Tom Hooper's KING'S work considered more an actor's piece.
WINNER: David Fincher, SOCIAL NETWORK
BEST: Tom Hooper, KING'S SPEECH

BEST PICTURE: KING'S SPEECH is the most moving and most loved of the films and will win. For me, the tiny indie WINTER'S BONE which was released back in the late-spring/early summer has stayed with me the most. Both a coming-of-age story and a terrific and taut mystery with thriller aspects, it is well worth seeking out.
WINNER: KING'S SPEECH
BEST: WINTER'S BONE

In the DOCUMENTARY race, I think INSIDE JOB has the inside track (but, it's the only nominee I 've seen). Again, having only seen BIUTIFUL in the FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM race, I can only glean that IN A BETTER WORLD might win there.

HOW I RANK THE 10 FILMS NOMINATED FOR BEST FILM (1 is best, 10 least):

10. BLACK SWAN
9. KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
8. INCEPTION
7. TRUE GRIT
6. THE FIGHTER
5. TOY STORY 3
4. 127 HOURS
3. SOCIAL NETWORK
2. KING'S SPEECH
1. WINTER'S BONE

Thanks for reading, send along YOUR picks and pans! See you next year!

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 1:41 pm 
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Having just returned from viewing all 10 back-to-back, with only three being my first viewing, I am ready to list my definitive order of personal enjoyment. It also helps to compare and contrast when seeing them all together. WINTER'S BONE and THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT are nice little movies, but that's just it, they are little movies.

10:THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
9:WINTER'S BONE
8:THE KING'S SPEECH
7:INCEPTION
6:127 HOURS
5:TOY STORY 3
4:TRUE GRIT
3:BLACK SWAN
2:THE FIGHTER

And the gap between #2 and #1:THE SOCIAL NETWORK is as big as it has been in any year for me.

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 2:04 pm 
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I hope Jeff Bridges wins Best Actor for True Grit, just think about how cool that would be...John Wayne won Best Actor for the original True Grit and that was the only academy award he ever won. What a great honor it would be to Jeff Bridges and everyone else involved with the movie.

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 6:20 pm 
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By the way, LA, it was nice to see a long post from you with a lot of positive things to say about all the movies. I hate all the general hipster negativity surrounding the Oscar ceremony every year. Somehow it has become "uncool" to geek out oover the Oscars, and it is refreshing to read positive comments.

One more thing to add for me: I really hope THE KING'S SPEECH does not win tonight, but that's what it looks like is going to happen. Judging by your rankings, it appears as if you would disagree with me.
Don't get me wrong, it is a perfectly fine movie with two great performances and exquisite Art direction. But in my opinion, that's all it is; nothing more, nothing less.

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 6:41 pm 
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Actually, I think these 10 films are a pretty good lot. Maybe, nothing truly great, but pretty solid overall. I don't hold the "size" of the film against it. Sure, WINTER'S BONE is a tiny indie, but it's a fascinating coming of age tale mixed in with social commentary on the seamy meth trade underneath the radar of the national media - all wrapped in a pretty taut suspense format. While I agree that SOCIAL NETWORK tells a more "important" story, films like WINTER'S BONE and even THE KING'S SPEECH shouldn't be diminished for just being darned compelling stories told very well and very entertainingly. SOCIAL NETWORK takes a few too many liberties with the truth (KING'S SPEECH does as well, but mostly in ancillary areas) and Sorkin's script is certainly crisp and highly enjoyable, but all the characters are all so Sorkin-esque. It's still third in my top 10, so I admire it very much and it wouldn't kill me if it won. Now, if BLACK SWAN wins anything outside of Portman - we got problems!!

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PostPosted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 10:19 am 
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I liked The King's Speech, but seriously, come on.

Score one more victory for above-averageness.

Actually, the best picture win is not as much of a travesty as the "Best Achievement in Directing" category. Maybe the voters misread the ballot and thought it said "least" instead of "best."

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PostPosted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 12:49 pm 
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And where was Piranha 3D? It certainly deserved a Best Picture Nod.

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PostPosted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 5:54 pm 
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Directing is more than fancy camerawork, fast cutting and action. Much of it involves the more mundane task of selecting actors, working with the script and a thousand other details that go into making a feature film. No to mention how all those details are chosen and utilizied, not to mention taste and tact.

Sure Aronofsky would have won the award for "most Directing", but that isn't the same as best or most apropos. It was basically 50-50 for me between Fincher and Hooper, but the better film won, and with it, usually goes the Best Director prize.

IamJacksUserID wrote:
I liked The King's Speech, but seriously, come on.

Score one more victory for above-averageness.

Actually, the best picture win is not as much of a travesty as the "Best Achievement in Directing" category. Maybe the voters misread the ballot and thought it said "least" instead of "best."

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PostPosted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 6:41 pm 
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I am well aware that directing is "more than fancy camerawork." My point is that I feel the other four nominated directors contributed more to the success of their respective films. Sure, directors are also responsible for shaping the actors' performances, but given the track record of the three nominated actors, I doubt he had anything to do with it.

Also, things that probably were his decisions, such as the wacky composition, characters off-center and facing away, did not work for me. He composed a nice, above average film, but "best?" I don't think so.

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PostPosted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 8:31 pm 
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IamJacksUserID wrote:
I am well aware that directing is "more than fancy camerawork." My point is that I feel the other four nominated directors contributed more to the success of their respective films. Sure, directors are also responsible for shaping the actors' performances, but given the track record of the three nominated actors, I doubt he had anything to do with it.

Also, things that probably were his decisions, such as the wacky composition, characters off-center and facing away, did not work for me. He composed a nice, above average film, but "best?" I don't think so.


We in Hollywood, obviously disagree. :wink:

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