Oscar Picks (updated)
After looking at the new movie listings for Cedar City today, it became clear to me that I had seen all the Oscar nominees that I was going to see before Sunday's awards ceremony. So, without further delay, here are my votes in each of the categories that I find worth ranting about:
Actor in a Leading Role
WINNER!
OK, first off, where the fuck is Ken Watanabe's nomination for his role in Letters from Iwo Jima? His was one of the most powerfully subdued performances I saw this year. Talk about gravitas. Watanabe conveys all the sensibility and contemplation of Toshiro Mifune's famous samurai with all the world-weariness of Clint Eastwood in his later roles. Out-fucking-standing. But no nomination. So I'll have to go with Forest Whitaker, who is great in everything he does.
Actor in a Supporting Role
I would get a kick out of seeing Eddie Murphy win. I tend to avoid his movies more than I'm drawn to them, but the thought of Gumby winning an Oscar is irresistible. I knew him when he was just starting out, man! But my favorite performance in this category was Mark Wahlberg's in The Departed and since he is the only actor from that film to get a nomination (What. The. Fuck!), I'm giving him my vote.
Actress in a Leading Role
WINNER!
I love all of the nominees this year. The part of me that loves the glamour of Oscar night would swoon to see Penelope Cruz on camera as much as possible, but that's probably not the best criterion for a vote here. Helen Mirren's portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II was spot-on, and even though she might not leap to the stage with the same degree of, er, bounciness as Penelope Cruz, Mirren was the most convincing performer.
Actress in a Supporting Role
Do you think the kid is going to get this? I think the kid is going to get this. Oscar loves to hand out this award to the cutesy up-and-comer. But Rinko Kikuchi's role in Babel was devastatingly sharp. Without saying a word, she conveys the sorrow and shame of an unwanted teenage girl who is desperate for the touch of a lover. Literally and emotionally naked on the screen, Kikuchi registers uncomfortably familiar emotions from a foreign land of the deaf and mute.
Animated Feature
What the fuck is the point of this category anymore? The Academy had a great opportunity to reward the technologically innovative and uniquely expressive qualities of this genre when this award was created not so long ago, but it has quickly become a popularity award (not, some of you might say, unlike the rest of the Oscars) for crowd-pleasing pap. I don't give a shit who wins. It's meaningless. It could have been so much more.
Art Direction
WINNER!
I'd like to see Pan's Labyrinth win for this. That film creates a wholly unique world and deserves recognition. But the award will probably go to Dreamgirls.
Cinematography
Sadly, there aren't too many modern films anymore that make me wonder how a certain shot was achieved. Most contemporary films incorporate very conservative camera work that doesn't challenge the audience. Children of Men, on the other hand, contains at least two shots, that go on without a break for several minutes, that are extraordinarily complex and graceful. One involves an attack on a moving vehicle, another involves a slow withdrawal from an urban battleground to protect an important character. I could watch those two shots for hours and learn how to make a great-looking film.
Costume Design
Curse of the Golden Flower managed to make Gong Li look even more gorgeous than she already is. The outfits I saw her wearing in the trailers provided at least 50% of the reasons I wanted to see this film. FanTASTIC.
Directing
WINNER!
Martin Fucking Scorsese. MARTIN FUCKING SCORSESE. MARTIN FUCKING SCORSESE!
Film Editing
Babel surprised me with its rather haphazard editing. The transitions (and there are a lot of them in the film) were not always smooth. This may have been a deliberate choice, but the inconsistency of the editing took me out of the movie a bit. A for effort, though. I'm giving this to Children of Men for the two shots I mentioned above.
Foreign Language Film
As far as I'm concerned, Pan's Labyrinth should have got a nod for Best Picture. If this is the best it can get from the Oscars, fuck them, but give the film something.
Original Score
WINNER!
The score for Babel is wonderfully diverse, but more important, it is completely listenable and compelling and engaging. Seriously, when is the last time you actually listened to a film score? Go out and get a copy of the Babel soundtrack. You won't be sorry, even if you haven't seen the film.
Sound Editing
WINNER!
Either of Eastwood's war films is deserving for the clarity and depth of all the sounds heard in the background and foreground. This is going to sound great on a 5.1 DVD.
Visual Effects
Why does Oscar have these categories that it clearly doesn't know what the fuck to do with? Three nominees, neither of which was particularly memorable or innovative for its effects work. I'm going with Superman Returns for the way the Boy Scout looks as he hovers over the Earth, and for the bad-ass shuttle sequence. But seriously, Oscar should take note of the Pulitzer's habit of making no award in particularly bleak years. That will give us more time for song and dance numbers during the ceremony, or, better yet, another look or five at Penelope Cruz.
Adapted Screenplay
I'm torn here, because I harbor a deep and abiding respect for anything having to do with The Departed. However, after considering what Marty had to work with, and the fact that he didn't fuck it up too much, I'm going to cast my vote for Children of Men, which is so good that you don't really care where it came from, and you care even less when you actually find out.
Original Screenplay
WINNER!
I would say Letters from Iwo Jima was the clear winner here, except for its lame framing sequence. Can't we watch an historical film without some clumsy reminder that The War is still relevant to our day and age? Saving Private Ryan had the same problem. I don't need Tom Hanks as an old man or a long-buried bag of mail to tell me that war is fucked up and sad. The films do that on their own, or should, anyway. So let's give this to Little Miss Sunshine which tells a great story without trying to remind the audience how fucking important it is.
Best Picture
First let's talk about the memorable films that did not get nominated, but will still be watched and studied by film lovers years hence when no one remembers if The Queen is about Elizabeth II or Freddy Mercury. (Not that it isn't a fine film.)
Children of Men has been compared to Blade Runner for the way it projects an exaggerated, yet compellingly realistic, vision of the near future. This movie has haunted me since the day I saw it, not only for its chillingly matter-of-fact depiction of a world decimated by human carelessness and greed, but for its haunting combination of humans at their best and worst. This is a film that tells you about your world and yourself, and will remembered and studied for years.
Similarly, Marie Antoinette shows us a world even further removed from our own than the one in Children of Men but it is ultimately the humanity of its lead character that makes this film more than yet another entry in the parade of historical costume dramas that so many critics mistook this for. Another film that, I suspect, will reward close attention.
Since I'm writing this after the awards have been handed out, I won't bother you with my prognostications other than to say that with Dreamgirls absent from the nominees, I wouldn't have been surprised to see any of the nominated films win. They are all worth a look, but none of them particularly stood out to me more than the others. In retrospect, however, I'm pleased that Scorsese received acknowledgement for both his direction and the film. It's not his best film, but it is a film made by one who is more invested in using his art to convey a solid narrative, with no gimmicks or tricks other than a complete working knowledge of his craft.
Actor in a Leading Role
WINNER!
OK, first off, where the fuck is Ken Watanabe's nomination for his role in Letters from Iwo Jima? His was one of the most powerfully subdued performances I saw this year. Talk about gravitas. Watanabe conveys all the sensibility and contemplation of Toshiro Mifune's famous samurai with all the world-weariness of Clint Eastwood in his later roles. Out-fucking-standing. But no nomination. So I'll have to go with Forest Whitaker, who is great in everything he does.
Actor in a Supporting Role
I would get a kick out of seeing Eddie Murphy win. I tend to avoid his movies more than I'm drawn to them, but the thought of Gumby winning an Oscar is irresistible. I knew him when he was just starting out, man! But my favorite performance in this category was Mark Wahlberg's in The Departed and since he is the only actor from that film to get a nomination (What. The. Fuck!), I'm giving him my vote.
Actress in a Leading Role
WINNER!
I love all of the nominees this year. The part of me that loves the glamour of Oscar night would swoon to see Penelope Cruz on camera as much as possible, but that's probably not the best criterion for a vote here. Helen Mirren's portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II was spot-on, and even though she might not leap to the stage with the same degree of, er, bounciness as Penelope Cruz, Mirren was the most convincing performer.
Actress in a Supporting Role
Do you think the kid is going to get this? I think the kid is going to get this. Oscar loves to hand out this award to the cutesy up-and-comer. But Rinko Kikuchi's role in Babel was devastatingly sharp. Without saying a word, she conveys the sorrow and shame of an unwanted teenage girl who is desperate for the touch of a lover. Literally and emotionally naked on the screen, Kikuchi registers uncomfortably familiar emotions from a foreign land of the deaf and mute.
Animated Feature
What the fuck is the point of this category anymore? The Academy had a great opportunity to reward the technologically innovative and uniquely expressive qualities of this genre when this award was created not so long ago, but it has quickly become a popularity award (not, some of you might say, unlike the rest of the Oscars) for crowd-pleasing pap. I don't give a shit who wins. It's meaningless. It could have been so much more.
Art Direction
WINNER!
I'd like to see Pan's Labyrinth win for this. That film creates a wholly unique world and deserves recognition. But the award will probably go to Dreamgirls.
Cinematography
Sadly, there aren't too many modern films anymore that make me wonder how a certain shot was achieved. Most contemporary films incorporate very conservative camera work that doesn't challenge the audience. Children of Men, on the other hand, contains at least two shots, that go on without a break for several minutes, that are extraordinarily complex and graceful. One involves an attack on a moving vehicle, another involves a slow withdrawal from an urban battleground to protect an important character. I could watch those two shots for hours and learn how to make a great-looking film.
Costume Design
Curse of the Golden Flower managed to make Gong Li look even more gorgeous than she already is. The outfits I saw her wearing in the trailers provided at least 50% of the reasons I wanted to see this film. FanTASTIC.
Directing
WINNER!
Martin Fucking Scorsese. MARTIN FUCKING SCORSESE. MARTIN FUCKING SCORSESE!
Film Editing
Babel surprised me with its rather haphazard editing. The transitions (and there are a lot of them in the film) were not always smooth. This may have been a deliberate choice, but the inconsistency of the editing took me out of the movie a bit. A for effort, though. I'm giving this to Children of Men for the two shots I mentioned above.
Foreign Language Film
As far as I'm concerned, Pan's Labyrinth should have got a nod for Best Picture. If this is the best it can get from the Oscars, fuck them, but give the film something.
Original Score
WINNER!
The score for Babel is wonderfully diverse, but more important, it is completely listenable and compelling and engaging. Seriously, when is the last time you actually listened to a film score? Go out and get a copy of the Babel soundtrack. You won't be sorry, even if you haven't seen the film.
Sound Editing
WINNER!
Either of Eastwood's war films is deserving for the clarity and depth of all the sounds heard in the background and foreground. This is going to sound great on a 5.1 DVD.
Visual Effects
Why does Oscar have these categories that it clearly doesn't know what the fuck to do with? Three nominees, neither of which was particularly memorable or innovative for its effects work. I'm going with Superman Returns for the way the Boy Scout looks as he hovers over the Earth, and for the bad-ass shuttle sequence. But seriously, Oscar should take note of the Pulitzer's habit of making no award in particularly bleak years. That will give us more time for song and dance numbers during the ceremony, or, better yet, another look or five at Penelope Cruz.
Adapted Screenplay
I'm torn here, because I harbor a deep and abiding respect for anything having to do with The Departed. However, after considering what Marty had to work with, and the fact that he didn't fuck it up too much, I'm going to cast my vote for Children of Men, which is so good that you don't really care where it came from, and you care even less when you actually find out.
Original Screenplay
WINNER!
I would say Letters from Iwo Jima was the clear winner here, except for its lame framing sequence. Can't we watch an historical film without some clumsy reminder that The War is still relevant to our day and age? Saving Private Ryan had the same problem. I don't need Tom Hanks as an old man or a long-buried bag of mail to tell me that war is fucked up and sad. The films do that on their own, or should, anyway. So let's give this to Little Miss Sunshine which tells a great story without trying to remind the audience how fucking important it is.
Best Picture
First let's talk about the memorable films that did not get nominated, but will still be watched and studied by film lovers years hence when no one remembers if The Queen is about Elizabeth II or Freddy Mercury. (Not that it isn't a fine film.)
Children of Men has been compared to Blade Runner for the way it projects an exaggerated, yet compellingly realistic, vision of the near future. This movie has haunted me since the day I saw it, not only for its chillingly matter-of-fact depiction of a world decimated by human carelessness and greed, but for its haunting combination of humans at their best and worst. This is a film that tells you about your world and yourself, and will remembered and studied for years.
Similarly, Marie Antoinette shows us a world even further removed from our own than the one in Children of Men but it is ultimately the humanity of its lead character that makes this film more than yet another entry in the parade of historical costume dramas that so many critics mistook this for. Another film that, I suspect, will reward close attention.
Since I'm writing this after the awards have been handed out, I won't bother you with my prognostications other than to say that with Dreamgirls absent from the nominees, I wouldn't have been surprised to see any of the nominated films win. They are all worth a look, but none of them particularly stood out to me more than the others. In retrospect, however, I'm pleased that Scorsese received acknowledgement for both his direction and the film. It's not his best film, but it is a film made by one who is more invested in using his art to convey a solid narrative, with no gimmicks or tricks other than a complete working knowledge of his craft.
posted by Chazzbot at 3:00 PM
1 Comments:
Just watched Sherrybaby today. Do you think that Oscar has a thing against truly edgy actresses? Not so much the male actors, but the women? Maggie Gyllenhall gave such a gritty performance that I ached for her. No nomination.
Instead, I see the "favorites" like Winslet, Streep, and Dench again. I'm not convinced that Streep deserved a nomination, to be honest.
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