The Annual ‘Amazing Oscar Overview’ is Finally Here!

The time has come. The highlight of the movie industry is here: THE ACADEMY AWARDS! After months of watching, predicting, GoldDerby-ing, Rotten Tomato-ing, and getting up at 5:30 AM to hear the Oscar nominees, the time has come to cast my votes.

Nothing is more prestigious than the Oscar. Why do we even care what the Golden Globe turnout is, or who won a Critic’s Choice Award? We don’t. This just gives us an insight into who will have a chance at Oscar gold. So with that, let the festivities commence! But first, the snubs and surprises.

SURPRISE: We all know it: Jonah Hill. People are quite outraged about this rookie obtaining a spot with all the pros. But you know what? I thought his work in Moneyball was actually nomination worthy. Not Oscar worthy, but definitely deserving a nod.

SNUB: Oh dear, it seems the Academy does not enjoy David Fincher. Why didn’t he get a nod for Girl With the Dragon Tattoo!? He deserved to win for The Social Network last year, they could have at least given him a nomination here.

SURPRISE: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close for getting any nominations at all, let alone best picture. Some say its the ‘worst movie to be nominated for best picture’. I don’t know if it’s that great or not, but a 9/11 movie has got to be a tear-jerker.

SNUB: Only 1 nomination for Drive!? Please, just throw out Extremely Loud and put Drive in! I know the Academy is in love with happy movies and doesn’t care for the dark type (as we can see from the lack of Dragon Tattoo nominations) , but come on, Drive was beautiful, and Ryan Gosling’s ‘Driver’ is a hero in his own way.

SURPRISE: Only 2 nominations for best original song? Huh.

SNUB: In my opinion, this is the biggest: no best animated picture nomination for The Adventures of Tintin! I am a HUGE Tintin fan, I have the comics! I think people just need to get over themselves and accept that motion capture is animation.

Finally, here is the key for the nominations:

“Will Win”- Who the Academy probably picked

“Should Win”- Who I think should actually win

Highlighted name/movie– My pick to win

I will be predicting in 20 out of the 24 categories. Here we go!

BEST ACTOR

• Demiàn Bichir, A Better Life
• George Clooney, The Descendants
• Jean Dujardin, The Artist
• Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Solider Spy
• Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Will Win: George Clooney or Jean Dujardin… It’s a toss-up

Should Win: Jean Dujardin or Gary Oldman

Really, this race is a two-man race (like most of the acting categories). Demiàn Bichir is one of those random nominees, so he’s out, along with Brad Pitt. His performance didn’t really wow me or anything. Now, Gary Oldman was awesome, and deserves this category hands down BUT, Jean Dujardin is nominated, and well, he was in a silent movie, which is much more difficult to perform in than a ‘talkie’. As for George Clooney, he’s the favorite. But was he really that good? No. It’s a performance worth a nomination, not a win. So, my pick is Jean Dujardin. I personally LOVED him, and he deserves this win.

BEST ACTRESS 

• Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
• Viola Davis, The Help
• Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
• Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
• Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Will Win: Viola Davis

Should Win: Meryl Streep

Again, another two person race. Glenn Close was one of those random nominees, so she is out, and so is Rooney Mara, because the Academy does not favor dark movies like Dragon Tattoo. Michelle Williams COULD be a surprise win for playing Marilyn Monroe, but really, this is between Viola Davis and Meryl Streep. I do think the Academy will go for Davis because her role is a powerful one, and this is her first nominated role. But what about Oscar heavyweight Streep? Her performance in Iron Lady carried the movie, and I have a very, very strong feeling that this is her year to win.

BEST SUPPORING ACTOR

• Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
• Jonah Hill, Moneyball
• Nick Nolte, Warrior
• Christopher Plummer, Beginners
• Max Von Sydow, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Will Win: Christopher Plummer

Should Win: Christopher Plummer (though Jonah Hill was great)

This is a one man race. Christopher Plummer is 82 and has never won an Oscar. That’s  it. But, if the pros weren’t clogging this category, Jonah Hill would have a pretty good chance.

BEST SUPPPORTING ACTRESS

• Bèrènice Bejo, The Artist
• Jessica Chastain, The Help
• Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
• Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
• Octavia Spencer, The Help

Will Win: Octavia Spencer

Should Win: Octavia Spencer or Bèrènice Bejo

This is a great category with lots of talent. Janet McTeer is out for Albert Nobbs, and so is Jessica Chastain, who was great but just doesn’t make the cut for an award. Everyone is rooting for Melissa McCarthy. I mean, she really was FUNNY! She should be honored that she was even nominated for a role in a comedy movie. Bèrènice Bejo was wonderful in the Artist, and for a while, I thought she would win. But Octavia Spencer’s performance really grew on me, and I realized that she really has the potential to win this. So even though Bejo was amazing, Spencer stole all our hearts.

BEST DIRECTOR

• Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
• Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
• Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
• Alexander Payne, The Descendants
• Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Will Win: Michel Hazanavicius

Should Win: Michel Hazanavicius or Martin Scorsese

Everyone in this category deserves to win. Period. But only one can win. Tree of Life was very different, and took a lot of skill, but I feel like Malick’s technique is a little too artsy for the Academy. Everyone (including me) loves Midnight in Paris, but Allen’s movie isn’t as powerful as the other movies nominated. I love Alexander Payne, and The Descendants seemed like the movie to win until The Artist came on the scene. But he doesn’t stand up to the legend, Martin Scorsese. Hugo was a really good movie, and it was very complicated. I would pick him to win, but he just won this category a few years ago for The Departed, and he’s one of those ‘he’ll have another Oscar chance’ types. Who really, really deserves it? Michel Hazanavicius. Making movies without dialogue is extremely hard, but making silent movies that move you is harder. His skill and unique movie wins the race. He took a risk, and it paid off, big time!

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• Midnight in Paris by Woody Allen
• Margin Call by JC Chandor
• A Separation by Asghar Farhadi
• The Artist by Michel Hazanavicius
• Bridesmaids by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo

Will Win: Midnight in Paris

Should Win: Midnight in Paris or The Artist

Margin Call is one of those random ones, so that’s out. A Separation is just lucky to be nominated, foreign films getting nominated in other categories other than best foreign film is very rare. Bridesmaids was pretty great, but a comedy movie winning this category is slim to none. The Artist should win just for being a silent film, but I have a really strong hunch that Midnight in Paris could take this one. It’s charming, and very well written.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• The Descendants by Alexander Payne, Nat Faxton, and Jim Rash
• Hugo by John Logan
• The Ides of March by George Clooney and Grant Heslov
• Moneyball by Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian
• Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by Bridget O’Conner and Peter Straughn

Will Win: The Descendants

Should Win: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Many, many great nominees here. Hugo was good, but nothing special. I didn’t like how Ides of March ended, so that pretty much ruined it for me. I really loved Tinker Tailor. I mean, the entire movie is dialogue yet it’s so suspenseful! But, since it’s British, I don’t think it will win. I was torn between Moneyball and The Descendants to win. Moneyball flowed no nicely, even if it was a film about baseball, and I love Aaron Sorkin. But I’m going with The Descendants. If the Academy is going to deprive Alexander Payne of a possible best picture and a possible best director, they have to give him best adapted screenplay.

BEST ART DIRECTION 

• The Artist
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
• Hugo
• Midnight in Paris
• War Horse

Will Win: Hugo

Should Win: Hugo

Though sets in The Artist were nostalgically charming, and Midnight in Paris was unique, Hugo was a complex, beautiful movie. The sets were gorgeous, so this award has Hugo written all over it.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY 

• The Artist
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
• Hugo
• The Tree of Life
• War Horse

Will Win: The Tree of Life

Should Win: The Tree of Life (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Drive)

I don’t even think there is any competition here. Hugo and War Horse are close, but Tree of Life had some amazing shots which were executed perfectly. The lighting was perfect as well. But, there are two films where are not nominated and should be: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Drive. Both had AMAZING cinematography, and could have had a shot at winning.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

• Anonymous
• The Artist
• Hugo
• Jane Eyre
• W.E.

Will Win: The Artist

Should Win: The Artist or Hugo

This is a category with two major competitors: The Artist and Hugo. Neither really blew me away, but I’ll go with The Artist. The 20s era costumes were nice, and they stood out over the black and white color. Hugo is a possible win, but I doubt it.

BEST MAKEUP

• Albert Nobbs
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
• The Iron Lady

Will Win: The Iron Lady

Should Win: The Iron Lady

All I can say is wow. How did they make Meryl Streep look so old?!

BEST FILM EDITING

• The Artist
• The Descendants
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
• Hugo
• Moneyball

Will Win: The Artist

Should Win: The Artist or The Descendants

This is one of the hardest categories to predict since editing is supposed to be the invisible art. So, I think back to what I think flowed the best, like which movie I watched effortlessly. The two which pop up first are The Artist and The Descendants. Both were smooth and well cut, but I’ll go with The Artist since it used so many old-fashioned techniques.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
• Hugo
• Real Steel
• Rise of the Planet of the Apes
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Will Win: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Should Win: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

I didn’t see Planet of the Apes, but I know that it is motion capture, which is very complicated and very innovative, so that’s my choice. Also, I am mad that Tintin wasn’t nominated for best animated picture, because some people don’t think motion capture is animation. So I’m going for motion capture.

BEST SOUND EDITING 

• Drive
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
• Hugo
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon
• War Horse

Will Win: Hugo

Should Win: Drive

This is the ONLY category Drive is nominated in, so it gets my vote no matter what.

BEST SOUND MIXING 

• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
• Hugo
• Moneyball
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon
• War Horse

Will Win: Hugo

Should Win: Hugo

These sound categories confuse me. So I usually just go with the most complicated film nominated (Inception won this and sound editing last year). Hugo seems like a safe pick.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

• The Adventures of Tintin by John Williams
• The Artist by Ludovic Bource
• Hugo by Howard Shore
• Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by Alberto Iglesias
• War Horse by John Williams

Will Win: The Artist

Should Win: The Artist or The Adventures of Tintin

With two nominations for genius John Williams, he’s bound to win, right? Wrong. Newcomer Alberto Iglesias is out, along with Howard Shore. It’s John Williams vs John Williams vs Ludovic Bource, who is pretty much unknown. John Williams deserves a win for his epic soundtracks, but The Artist is a silent movie, and whats the only thing you have to listen to in a silent movie? Music. And the music in The Artist was exceptionally good.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

• “Man or Muppet” from The Muppets
• “Real in Rio” from Rio

Will Win: The Muppets

Should Win: The Muppets

Anything from The Muppets will win in the sound category. Also, this is my favorite song from that movie, because when Jim Parsons shows up and starts singing it, I laughed so hard I cried!

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

• A Cat in Paris
• Chico and Rita
• Kung Fu Panda 2
• Puss in Boots
• Rango

Will Win: Rango

Should Win: The Adventures of Tintin

This category makes me mad. I love Tintin. I have the comics (yes, I do). And it was a movie packed full of action like the books. And apparently, motion capture isn’t animation. Tintin should have been nominated, and should have won.

BEST PICTURE

• The Artist
• The Descendants
• Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
• The Help
• Hugo
• Midnight in Paris
• Moneyball
• The Tree of Life
• War Horse

Will Win: The Artist

Should Win: The Artist

Lets work our way up to the top. Extremely Loud is the lowest rated, and some consider it the worst best picture nominated movie ever, so that’s out (did I mention it’s ‘rotten’ on Rotten Tomatoes?). Along with that will go War Horse, which was sentimental, but seems like it was nominated just for being a Spielberg film. Next will go Tree of Life, which was very cool, but the Academy is not quite ready for something so artsy. Moneyball is eliminated next, because many people didn’t get it, and it’s not as strong as the other ones in this category. After that is Midnight in Paris, which was a wonderful movie, but again, not powerful enough to pull through. We’re down to the four that are the strongest: The Help, Hugo, The Descendants, and The Artist. Next off is The Help, which was a fan favorite, but only acclaimed for its acting. After that is Hugo, which was a very complicated movie done by Martin Scorsese, and has that big, hollywood movie feel that the Academy loves, but it’s not his best. Finally, I will eliminate The Descendants. It’s a cozy movie with strong themes, and if it weren’t for The Artist, this would have been Alexander Payne’s year to win. The Artist has won me over. It’s charming: the play on silent films, the amazing acting, and the fact that it moves you so much without saying a word. Add in the fact that it is a silent black and white film, and very unique, this has the Academy won over, the Oscar in its hand, and even I am in love with it.

Directors and Their ‘Best’

So, when people ask me who my favorite director is, I don’t have one answer. I have seven of them. Why seven? Well, I have seven directors that I adore, so naturally, they are all worthy of my favoritism. Here they are (in alphabetical order):

• J.J. Abrams
• Kathryn Bigelow
• David Fincher
• Jason Reitman
• Martin Scorsese
• Steven Spielberg
• Quentin Tarantino

Everyone feels there is a certain movie that is the director’s ‘best movie’, which is true. But, I’m just going to talk about my favorite from each director. I’m not saying all their work isn’t amazing, it’s just my favorite, the one I can watch over and over again.

J.J. Abrams: Star Trek

Ok, so he’s a newbie. Some people really don’t like him. But, he has some great writing. I do love Super 8, don’t get me wrong. But it’s just how he was able to revive Star Trek, it was very respectable. Sure, there are still nerds out there who have cursed his name, but the movie is really good. Sleek, action-packed, yet not soulless like Michael Bay’s Transformer series. J.J. had some big shoes to fill, and I think he did it perfectly. For an action movie, this is great. And action movies are not my favorite.

Kathryn Bigelow: The Hurt Locker

First off, the was the first woman to win the Best Director Oscar, so that makes her a winner in my book. Second, this movie was… Well, I am at a loss for words. When I was watching it, there were times when my hands would be clammy, and I would start shaking. It’s the fact that a movie can do this to me is what intrigues me. The way Bigelow paired shaky sequences with no sound whatsoever is terrifying and thrilling. By the end, my heart was pounding from all the subtle adrenaline. Take that James Cameron! Your Avatar made me snooze. I am thrilled The Hurt Locker beat it.

David Fincher: The Social Network

David Fincher, master of darkness. The Social Network is a beautiful movie. I describe it as ‘eating a delicious dessert’, and get weird looks. But it’s true. I eat this movie by the spoonful. The cinematography and editing are flawless. But it’s the story that drives this movie. I’m a perfectly good, well-natured person, but I love those gritty movies about the downfall of characters (this probably explains why I love There Will Be Blood). So for a girl who always thought of myself as the villain in movies, this one is quite lovable.

Jason Reitman: Up in the Air

I didn’t expect to love this movie or even see myself watching it. I was about to sit down and watch Kill Bill when I saw this playing on HBO. The title sequence looked amazing, so I looked for a later time, then recorded it. My, this movie is a work of art. Anyone who appreciates good writing would love this movie. It has a similar feel to The Social Network in cinematography and editing, but it’s more of a feel-good, cozy movie. A must for any minimalist.

Martin Scorsese: Goodfellas

Arguably one of the best movies ever, Goodfellas tops all of Scorsese’s movies. After watching that opening sequence for the first time, I had a new respect for movies. We follow the rise and fall of Henry Hill in the organized mob, and it is a beautiful story told with the perfect amount of action, violence, and love. You practically feel apart of the Italian family, frozen with the dead bodies in the truck, and jittery while trying to flee from a helicopter. I’ve watched it over and over, yet Goodfellas continues to give me that nostalgic movie feel.

Steven Spielberg: Indiana Jones (Raiders/Last Crusade)

Alright, you can hardly choose a favorite Spielberg movie. He does so many genres and so many stories, you have to choose five. I could have chosen Jurassic Park, my first PG-13 and Spielberg film, or E.T., the heartwarming tale that makes all of us wither. But no, I have to go with Indiana Jones. I know, it’s not his masterpiece, but it’s the classic adventure movie. I really have no idea how many times I’ve watched this movie, yet I still enjoy it. Every single time. Nazis, chases, whips, Egypt… This is the classic adventure movie that will withstand the test of time, especially when tied up with an ageless John Williams soundtrack.

Quentin Tarantino: Inglourious Basterds

Reservoir Dogs changed action movies with its sharp dialogue, Pulp Fiction is unlike anything I have ever seen, and the Kill Bill series is the spoof to top all spoofs. So why Inglourious Basterds? Well, because it is the definition of masterpiece. The screenplay is perfection, riddled with beautiful dialogue and so packed that if you blink during a subtitle, you miss some amazing line. It’s dramatic yet witty without trying so hard. The music, while not original, fits everywhere. To top it all off, you have Christoph Waltz as the most terrifying happy-evil SS Nazi I have ever seen. Tarantino really knows how to make a movie epic and beautiful.

The One and Only CHIPS

After months of making my audience beg for my NYFA movie, it is now on the internet. CHIPS is pretty much my best work. Here it is:

Oh how ironic it is… Irony is the key to a funny movie.

I love how the no dialogue fits with the situation. I mean, if you were in that situation, what would you say!? Awkward.

So, enjoy. And check out my YouTube channel.

Oh, Pulp Fiction… So Deep, So Samuel L. Jackson

“There’s a passage I got memorized. Ezekiel 25:17. ‘The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy My brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon you.’ Now… I been sayin’ that shit for years. And if you ever heard it, that meant your ass. You’d be dead right now. I never gave much thought to what it meant. I just thought it was a cold-blooded thing to say to a motherfucker before I popped a cap in his ass. But I saw some shit this mornin’ made me think twice. See, now I’m thinking: maybe it means you’re the evil man. And I’m the righteous man. And Mr. 9mm here… he’s the shepherd protecting my righteous ass in the valley of darkness. Or it could mean you’re the righteous man and I’m the shepherd and it’s the world that’s evil and selfish. And I’d like that. But that shit ain’t the truth. The truth is you’re the weak. And I’m the tyranny of evil men. But I’m tryin’, Ringo. I’m tryin’ real hard to be the shepherd. ”

-Samuel L. Jackson as Jules Winnfield

For the Love of… Ryan Gosling, Pt. I

Ryan Gosling. I’d call him the breakout star of 2011 for sure. We all loved him in The Notebook, but this year, he has some classy movies up for sale, like Crazy, Stupid, Love and Drive and The Ides of March (written, directing, and starring the fabulous George Clooney!) all of which got a ‘Fresh’ rating on rottentomatoes.com (‘Fresh’ is 60% or more critics liking it. I think Crazy, Stupid, Love got a 76%, the lowest out of the three).

Did you know he’s also in a band? That’s right. It’s an inde band called Dead Man’s Bones, and he plays guitar, bass guitar, and sings. Check them out! Not only does he act, but he plays instruments and sings too!

Side Note: I’ve only actually seen Crazy, Stupid, Love. Drive is rated R and I plan to go see it, though it’s going to take some convincing to the parents, and The Ides of March comes out in October. This is just a preview for what’s to come.

This year, Ryan Gosling when from Indie specialist to total blockbuster rock star. Well, only the good blockbusters. Some like to compare Ryan Gosling to Ryan Reynolds. Lets see… Crazy, Stupid, Love vs. Green Lantern and Drive vs. The Change-up? Yeah there’s no contest. Ryan Gosling got the better pick out of the two.

Love and Stupid, two poster with Ryan Gosling

 

 

 

 

 

Crazy, Stupid, Love: Just a really ironic chaotic scramble of things that makes anyone laugh. In the middle of it all is the classy Ryan Gosling. I think is was quite a perfect role for him. He gets to parade around in his suit and pick up girls. Hello, he’s hot! Ryan Gosling can make any girl drop dead.

So with his really classy shoes and perfect character, Ryan Gosling stole the show in Crazy, Stupid, Love. A great pick for him!

Drive: From a Rotten Tomatoes (91%) and IMDb standpoint, this looks like a winner. And an Oscar nominee. It’s like classy violence (I’m seeing the pattern that Ryan Gosling is a pretty classy man here) but with a love story twined in. He’s a stunt driver for films (got me hooked right there already) and by night, he’s a getaway driver for guys pulling heists (yeah that’s a pretty hardcore combo right there). Then he falls in love with his neighbor and well, there’s an entire mess.

With a cast of great rising stars like Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, and Christina Hendricks, this has got to be a quality film. The preview says it all:

He’s beating people with a hammer in slow motion. This has got to be good.

The Ides of March: This is released in October and already has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 81%. We have Ryan Gosling, an extremely attractive, talented, classy male AND George Clooney, another extremely attractive, talented, classy male. It’s a political drama/thriller written, directed, and starring George Clooney. It looks like one of those classy movies that Ryan Gosling does, and may as well be an Oscar nominee.

So this is only part one. I will do a follow-up post on the talented Ryan Gosling once I see Drive and The Ides of March.

Until then, keep reading! Having a full period for Visual Communications for school means I usually get done with assignments in the first 5 minutes and use the rest of the time to blog.

So expect a lot more from me!