Oscar thoughts

[kratz]

As of last night I've seen all the best picture nominees, which was fun... and they were all good. I actually for once can't complain too much with nominees across the board. I break them up as follows, more or less ordered...

 

Loved:
Black Swan
Toy Story 3
Inception

REALLY liked:
The King's Speech
The Fighter
127 Hours

Really Liked:
The Kids Are All Right
The Social Network
Winter's Bone (preferred the book)
True Grit

King's Speech wins, I imagine, as total oscar fodder. I pick Black Swan for being totally f'd up and incredible with great writing, super good, subtle special effects, and great direction along with a bunch of great performances.

Best Director has gotta be Aronofsky for Black Swan, and it's stupid that Nolan didn't get nominated for Inception, which is really one an accomplishment in directing more than as a best picture... direction of The King's Speech is 'really? who cares?' It wasn't bad, but... it's dudes sitting around talking in some period piece rooms.

Best actor... hrm... my pick is Colin Firth for the King's speech. Eisenberg might win.

Best Actress will be Portman for Black Swan... I didn't see Rabbit Hole or Blue Valentine, but I don't see anyone topping her going batshit insane for 2 hours. After hearing so much good stuff I was totally underwhelmed by Jennifer Lawrence... she didn't do the character from the book justice, imho. Bening was just ok.

Supporting actress has gotta be Melissa Leo in The Fighter for being exactly who that character was. Hailee Steinfeld was great in True Grit, but it sure as hell wasn't a supporting role.

Likewise for Christian Bale in The Fighter - I was shocked to remember he's not a one trick pony. First role I've really enjoyed him in for a long, long time (which is not to say he hasn't been in some good movies)... I did think John Hawkes was awesome, but needed to be given more to work with... Geoffrey Rush was again a lead role in the supporting category... he could win for being oscar bait, but there were better performances.

God have mercy on your soul if you read all of that...

[metallicorphan]

if its anything like the BAFTAs(which is usually is)

BEST FILM:
The Kings Speech

BEST ACTOR:
Colin Firth(The Kings Speech)

BEST ACTRESS:
Natalie Portman(Black Swan)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Helena Bonham Carter(The Kings Speech)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Geoffrey Rush(The Kings Speech)

BEST DIRECTOR:
David Fincher(The Social Network)

CINEMATOGRAPHY:
True Grit


they have usually been pretty much the same to the oscars(apart from last year when AVATAR won fuck all), and also apart from of course the year when Russell Crowe won for A Beautiful Mind,his acceptance speech had him quoting poetry(or something),and the BBC cut it,so Russell Crowe(Allegedly)beat up the BBC producer,LOL.......they say that him beating that guy up lost him the Oscar that year


I have yet to see any of these movies,as i have been kinda busy,but i think from most of the list i certainly wouldn't mind seeing,there are at least no films i can honestly say i would go out of my way to avoid anyway

[CeeKay]

Oscar Thoughts:

Oscar should leave Lucille alone; after all, she's married to his brother.


 

I haven't paid any attention to the Oscars this year, I should fix that.

[kratz]

if its anything like the BAFTAs(which is usually is)

BEST FILM:
The Kings Speech

BEST ACTOR:
Colin Firth(The Kings Speech)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Helena Bonham Carter(The Kings Speech)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Geoffrey Rush(The Kings Speech)

I've gotta say, I'm sensing a bit of British fanboyism going down on this one... not that any of those actors were anything other than excellent, but... some of the american counterparts were much better.

CeeKay, I usually pay very little attention to the Oscars other than seeing the lists... rarely watch (might not this year as well)... I just happened to have seen many of these movies already this year, and saw that I could see them all with a little bit more effort, so I did.  I was interested in all of them this year.

[metallicorphan]

Geoffrey Rush = Australian 

[kratz]

Geoffrey Rush = Australian 

The movie was British, was my point...

[metallicorphan]

Geoffrey Rush = Australian 

The movie was British, was my point...

hmm,i don't know if its fanboyism or favouritism,as said i can't comment on any of this,as i have not seen them

[CeeKay]

wow, out of all the major categories I've only caught one of the films:  Toy Story 3.  I'll be seeing Inception as soon as Netflix sends it to me, same with True Grit and The Fighter.

[Sarkus]

I too think King's Speech will win most of the big awards, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Black Swan win for best director.  If only because it's by far Aronofsky's most successful film (in box office terms) and they are going to want to reward him somehow.

[PR_GMR]

Loved:
The Social Network
Black Swan
Toy Story 3
Inception
127 Hours
True Grit

Really Liked:
The King's Speech
Winter's Bone

Liked:
The Kids Are All Right

To me, the big race is between 'The Social Network' and 'The King's Speech'. 'Network' is a very timely, superbly observed movie, while 'King's Speech' is very fine British cinema. I've a feeling 'King's Speech' will take Best Film just because of how well 'cultured' it is. It wouldn't be a bad pick, but my fave is 'Social Network'.

Would love to see Natalie Portman take it for 'Black Swan'.. and either Jeff Bridges for 'True Grit' or Colin Firth for 'King's Speech'. 'Toy Story 3', hands down, deserves Best Animated Film.

Best Director? I'm going to go with David Fincher for 'Social Network'... even though I still think 'King's Speech' will be given Best Film. They'll split the awards, I suspect.

[kronovan]

I've always had my issues with the Academy Awards and the behind the scenes politics that seem to factor in so strongly. Even discounting all that, the fact that Lee Smith didn't get a Best Editor nomination for his work on Inception and that the Tron legacy effect team didn't get a nomination for Best Visual Effects IMO means the Oscars have lost all credibility.

[pr0ner]

Tron Legacy probably didn't get nominated because some of the younger Jeff Bridges effects were pretty damn bad.

[Moliere]

Kurt Loder writing about the Oscars.

Further clouding the issue is the way in which Oscar contestants are picked. The tens of millions of movie enthusiasts who’ll be talking back to their TVs worldwide on Sunday night will have played no part in the nominee-selection process. This movie-industry competition, as we all know, is controlled by the industry itself – which is to say, the 6,000-plus members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (which oddly includes Steve Jobs – for executive-producing the first Toy Story, I guess). I think we can assume that not all of these busy professionals have been able to wade through all of the screeners with which they’ve been inundated to pick candidates for Oscar consideration. And their reasoning is in any case always opaque, influenced as it must often be by friendships, grudges and business connections.

[metallicorphan]

Kratz-can you comment on this MSN article and tell me your thoughts

http://movies.msn.com/academy-awards/overactors-anonymous/?GT1=28168

its mainly this part i am wondering about

Overactors Anonymous
Will overacting guarantee an Oscar win?

Instead, people should prep their outrage for the now-certain wins of Christian Bale of "The Fighter" and Natalie Portman of "Black Swan" in the Best Supporting Actor and Best Actress categories, because if best means "most overhyped performances on screen this year," then they are certainly the best.

I like both Natalie Portman and Christian Bale,but as i have not see either movie,so you think they overact as their Oscar nominated roles?


on another note:it will be interesting to see if Christian Bale wins,whether he will make a sly comment/poke fun on himself about his little outrage while on the T4 set...I would

[kratz]

I usually think Christian Bale is unimpressive, but that he was actually really good in this role... similarly with Portman, really... she could be seen as being a bit over the top here and there, I guess...

I don't agree with the article though.

Also regarding that article: while I was really looking forward to Winter's Bone and Jennifer Lawrence's performance, which I heard was great, I thought it actually came off as a bit clunky in parts.

[metallicorphan]

Winter's Bone i admit was the only movie on the list i had not heard of

I think i may have to go to the Cinema next week and knock a few off the list to see..when do the Oscars happen?

as for Christian Bale,i like him but i think we can all agree that he does go over the top now and then,of course my main thought that comes straight to mind is the voice of Batman when he is not in Bruce Wayne mode....however i really liked him in The Prestige is one of my favourite films of his,although admittedly his Cockney accent may be a little too much also..but that may be just because i am a Northerner

[kratz]

I think they are on Sunday.

[CeeKay]

I think they are on Sunday.

yep, Sunday night.

[theohall]

I've seen several of these including The King's Speech and have to say I don't get all the love for The King's Speech.  As someone already said, it's folks sitting around in period piece rooms talking.  Did I like it?  Yes.  Is Colin Firth excellent in it?  Yes.  The rest - there are better options for all the categories.

So - King's Speech will probably get all these Oscars when there are more deserving candidates.

[metallicorphan]

I know what people mean when they see films with people just sitting around but then i think of films like To Kill a Mocking Bird or 12 Angry Men...i guess it depends on the story and how well the Director uses that story to 'grip' the audience


who is hosting this years Oscars by the way?....i quite liked it when Steve Martin or Billy Crystal hosts the awards


EDIT;nevermind i just found out....James Franco and Anne Hathaway ..James Franco is one of the Nominees isn't he?

[CeeKay]

They should have gotten Chalriee Sheen and Mel Gibson to host.  Maybe next year.

[theohall]

They should have gotten Chalriee Sheen and Mel Gibson to host.  Maybe next year.

With a special guest appearance by Russell Crowe.

[theohall]

I like both Natalie Portman and Christian Bale,but as i have not see either movie,so you think they overact as their Oscar nominated roles?

Haven't seen The Fighter.

Natalie Portman is playing a role in which she goes from being a subdued perfectionist to bat-shit insane and the insanity is done more via camera-work than over-acting.  Are there scenes where she is over-acting?  Hell, yes.  Someone going insane is going to look insane at times.  However, most of the film she is very quiet and submissive.  Mostly trying to convey her emotions with under-stated facial expression is the furthest thing I can think of from over-acting.  So, saying she would win an Oscar for over-acting in The Black Swan is idiotic.  If she wins Best Actress, it's because of everything she did to make the role seem real - even if it is crazy, intense, and ultimately sad.

[metallicorphan]

The Razzies!!!


Worst Film-The Last Airbender

"The Last Airbender" led Saturday's Razzies with five awards, among them worst picture, worst director and worst screenplay for M. Night Shyamalan.

The movie also received Razzies for worst supporting actor (Jackson Rathbone, who was cited for both "The Last Airbender" and "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse") and for a special award, worst eye-gouging misuse of 3-D.

Worst Actress-shared by Sex and the City 2 girls

"Sex and the City 2" took three Razzies, including worst actress, a prize shared by co-stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon, worst screen couple or ensemble for its entire cast, and worst prequel, remake, rip-off or sequel.

Worst Actor-Ashton Kutcher(Killers and Valentines Day)

Worst Supporting Actress-Jessica Alba(The Killer Inside Me,Little Fockers,Machete and Valentines Day)

[Razgon]

Excitingly enough for us here in Denmark, we have an apparently strong Oscar contender this year - Susanne Bier with "Hævnen" - you've probably seen a few of the american remakes of her movies, like Brothers and After the Wedding.

[kronovan]

Excitingly enough for us here in Denmark, we have an apparently strong Oscar contender this year - Susanne Bier with "Hævnen" - you've probably seen a few of the american remakes of her movies, like Brothers and After the Wedding.

I also really liked The Things we Lost in the Fire which she did with Del Toro and Berry. I've heard great things about Hævnen (Civilization) and am looking forward to seeing it. I really like that it has one of my favorite actors Mikael Persbrandt cast in the lead. I doubt Brier will win this year, but if she keeps making films like her more recent ones, she might eventually nab an Oscar.

[Ironrod]

Saw "The King's Speech" yesterday and was shocked -- SHOCKED -- to find that it has no thread of its own here. How am I supposed to know what to think of it?

Of the Oscar contenders that I've seen, I liked Social Network best, followed by Inception, and then Kings Speech. However, I expect Kings Speech to take best picture because Social Network was dark (unlikeable characters and downbeat story) while Inception was too cerebral and intricate. Kings Speech is a feel-good movie, and people like "inside stories" that humanize larger-than-life figures. Bonus points for British accents -- it must be Art when everybody talks funny.

All three were good movies in their own way, I just think that the politics and prejudices of the Academy make Kings Speech a lock.

I do wish they'd drop back down to five nominees, though.   

[YellowKing]

Only best picture nominee I haven't seen so far this year is The Social Network, and I plan on watching it before the telecast tonight. I can also say I honestly liked all of the films, which was a shocker since I didn't think there was any way in hell I'd enjoy "The Kids Are All Right."

I like both Natalie Portman and Christian Bale,but as i have not see either movie,so you think they overact as their Oscar nominated roles?

Portman - no, I don't think she overacted at all. I'm also not sure she deserves the best actress win, but she'll probably get it based partly on her body of work rather than just this film (see: Sandra Bullock).

Christian Bale definitely overacted, but the character he was portraying was seriously "out there" so it was believable. The biggest compliment I can give is that I forgot I was watching Christian Bale - he really became that character for me. What's more, I know a guy in real life that went through some of the same kind of troubles, and the similarities between their mannerisms, etc. was just spot-on.

[PR_GMR]

I do wish they'd drop back down to five nominees, though.   

Yeah.. that just wasn't a good move. I liked 'Winter's Bone' and 'The Kids Are Alright', but they aren't 'best picture' quality. They were good films with great performances with them. Frankly, the best thing about 'Winter's Bone' was that girl's performance (I disagree with Kratz that she wasn't good enough.. and didn't know there was a book). 'The Kids Are All Right' leaves several things unresolved.

[metallicorphan]

stolen from IMDB

Raz will be happy with Susanne Bier winning for Civilization..and not Heaven(i don't know how to do those A and E characters/Letters)EDIT;ahh,i just found out that its known as 'Heaven' in Denmark and 'Civilization' in the US,strangely enough its known as 'Revenge' here in the UK and 'In a Better World' in Australia

Best Motion Picture of the Year
Winner: The King's Speech (2010) - Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Gareth Unwin

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Winner: Colin Firth for The King's Speech (2010)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Winner: Natalie Portman for Black Swan (2010)

Best Achievement in Directing
Winner: Tom Hooper for The King's Speech (2010)

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
Winner: Toy Story 3 (2010) - Randy Newman("We Belong Together")

Best Achievement in Editing
Winner: The Social Network (2010) - Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall

Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Winner: Inception (2010) - Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley, Pete Bebb, Paul J. Franklin

Best Documentary, Features
Winner: Inside Job (2010) - Charles Ferguson, Audrey Marrs

Best Short Film, Live Action
Winner: God of Love (2010) - Luke Matheny

Best Documentary, Short Subjects
Winner: Strangers No More (2010) - Karen Goodman, Kirk Simon

Best Achievement in Costume Design
Winner: Alice in Wonderland (2010) - Colleen Atwood

Best Achievement in Makeup
Winner: The Wolfman (2010) - Rick Baker, Dave Elsey

Best Achievement in Sound Editing
Winner: Inception (2010) - Richard King

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
Winner: Inception (2010) - Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo, Ed Novick

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
Winner: The Social Network (2010) - Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Winner: Christian Bale for The Fighter (2010)

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Winner: Civilization (2010) - Susanne Bier(Denmark)

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Winner: The King's Speech (2010) - David Seidler

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Winner: The Social Network (2010) - Aaron Sorkin

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Winner: Toy Story 3 (2010) - Lee Unkrich

Best Short Film, Animated
Winner: The Lost Thing (2010) - Shaun Tan, Andrew Ruhemann

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Winner: Melissa Leo for The Fighter (2010)

Best Achievement in Cinematography
Winner: Inception (2010) - Wally Pfister

Best Achievement in Art Direction
Winner: Alice in Wonderland (2010) - Robert Stromberg, Karen O'Hara

pretty good all round awards,Kings Speech,Black Swan,The Fighter and The Social Network.....shame no True Grit(not that i have seen it,but you know what i mean)

[PR_GMR]

Tom Hooper won Best Director. David Fincher was robbed... plain and simple. Christopher Nolan was assaulted well before the nomination process started. Ugh.

[disarm]

i just think it's awesome that Trent Reznor won the Original Score award for The Social Network...good to see such a unique piece of work recognized.  Reznor can set this one on the shelf next to his Golden Globe and two Grammy awards he's earned over the last 15 years.  well done

i can't wait to see what he does for his next soundtrack project, another pairing with David Fincher for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo...

[CrayolaSmoker]

i can't wait to see what he does for his next soundtrack project, another pairing with David Fincher for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo...

Hopefully it's for television or Broadway. Reznor's going for the E.G.O.T.!

[Thin_J]

i can't wait to see what he does for his next soundtrack project, another pairing with David Fincher for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo...

Wow. That's kind of perfect.

[Razgon]

MO - its called "Hævnen", or "Haevnen" which means Revenge, which is why its called that in your country ;-)

And yeah, pretty cool - she's doing quite well, although her style of movies isnt my favorite - big grats to her! :-)

[th'FOOL]

i can't wait to see what he does for his next soundtrack project, another pairing with David Fincher for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo...

Wow. That's kind of perfect.

No shit.

[PeteRock]

I didn't feel like there were any real surprises last night.  There have been awards in the past that have shocked me, including Best Picture, but last night seemed to follow most predictions and expectations.

However, I think Anne Hathaway and James Franco were bad, if not terrible hosts.  Franco was stiff, awkward, and simply not funny, and Hathaway was the opposite, only too much so, being too animated, cartoonish, over-the-top, but also not funny.  My wife and I started to groan any time we'd have to go back to the hosts from the various presenters.  Then again, I guess hosting duties met expectations as well if the lame commercials were any prediction of what was to come. 

I found this year's awards to be a little status quo with minimal surprises and no real excitement or anticipation.  I found last year's awards to be much more impactful and emotional, especially with Jeff Bridges winning Best Actor, Sandra Bullock winning Best Female Actor, and The Hurt Locker winning Best Picture.  Maybe because I was much more appreciative of Hurt Locker and simply wasn't wowed at all by the deluge of The Social Network praise. 

[Bullwinkle]

I agree with Pete, for the most part, except that I think Anne Hathaway did a decent, if unremarkable, job.  Franco couldn't have wanted to be there less, it seemed to me.

All in all, a snore-fest, with the shining exception of Kirk Douglas.  Holy shit, even with his remarkable old age (dude is 94!) making him creepy and borderline indecipherable, he was hilarious.  Makes you wish he'd take over New Years Eve from Dick Clark.

The other thing of note: They actually finished only 15 minutes late.  At one point, I actually thought they were going to hit 11:30 on the nose!

[PR_GMR]

I agree--Franco and Hathaway were misfire decisions as hosts from the Academy. Bring back an entertainer like Billy Crystal from now on to host them. He did such an outstanding job for so many years. Don't care if he's old and no longer in movies. Just put someone with a big personality to carry the show along.

[CeeKay]

I think the Grammy's took up the available supply of supplies surprise this year.