Oscar Predictions 2011

We are now only a few days away from the 83rd annual Academy Awards. Without further ado, here are my picks.

Best Motion Picture of the Year
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids are All Right
The King's Speech
The Social Network
127 Hours
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

Will win: The King's Speech

Should win: Inception

I love "The King's Speech," and even if it wins over "Inception" it will be a worthy winner. "Inception" will get overlooked because it's a sci-fi/action movie. Neither of those genres are liked by the academy, with LOTR being the exception. That, and it may have been too intellectual for some of the voters. All that sad, "The King's Speech" was extremely well-done on every level so I would be fine with it winning this category. If "The Social Network" should win you may hear me screaming for miles. For me it was the most overrated movie of 2010. Long, boring, and hollow. I expected better from David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin.

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Annette Bening (The Kids are All Right)
Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)
Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)
Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine)

Will win: Natalie Portman

Should win: Natalie Portman

This is Portman's to lose. Not only was her acting job off the charts in "Black Swan," but she pulled off the ballet part. Her descent into madness is extremely convincing. Her performance was the best of her career and her best part since "Garden State."

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Javier Bardem (Biutiful)
Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
James Franco (127 Hours)
Jeff Bridges (True Grit)

Will win: Colin Firth

Should win: Colin Firth

Firth has won all the awards leading up to this. That, and he's AMAZING in the role. He makes totally convincing a vulnerable and complex public figure. Last year he was beat by Bridges. This year it will be the other way around.

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Christian Bale (The Fighter)
John Hawkes (Winter's Bone)
Jeremy Renner (The Town)
Mark Ruffalo (The Kids are All Right)
Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)

Will win: Christian Bale

Should win: Geoffrey Rush

Rush already has an Oscar for "Shine," so it looks like the odds are in the favor of the other actors. Christian Bale has the momentum. Look for Batman to be an Oscar-winner come Sunday.

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams (The Fighter)
Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech)
Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)
Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom)

Will win: Melissa Leo

Should win: Hailee Steinfeld

As big a role as Bridges has in "True Grit," the true star is newcomer Steinfeld. However, Leo has been raking in the hardware so it looks like Steinfeld will have to wait for her Oscar.

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3

Will win: Toy Story 3

Should win: How to Train Your Dragon

Honestly, I adore "Toy Story 3." All the movies in the series have been great! But "How to Train Your Dragon" was such an original story and the look of it took animation to another level. Either winning would be fine by me, but "Toy Story 3" looks to be the winner.

Best Documentary Short Subject
Killing in the Name
Poster Girl
Strangers No More
Sun Come Up
The Warriors of Qiugang

Will win: Sun Come Up

Best Short Film (Animated)
Day & Night Teddy Newton
The Gruffalo Jakob Schuh and Max Lang
Let's Pollute Geefwee Boedoe
The Lost Thing Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann
Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary) Bastien Dubois

Will win: Let's Pollute

Best Short Film (Live Action)
The Confession Tanel Toom
The Crush Michael Creagh
God of Love Luke Matheny
Na Wewe Ivan Goldschmidt
Wish 143 Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite

Will win: The Confession

Achievement in Art Direction
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Inception
The King's Speech
True Grit

Will win: Alice in Wonderland

Achievement in Cinematography
Black Swan (Matthew Libatique)
Inception (Wally Pfister)
The King's Speech (Danny Cohen)
The Social Network (Jeff Cronenweth)
True Grit (Roger Deakins)

Will win: Inception

Achievement in Costume Design
Alice in Wonderland (Colleen Atwood)
I Am Love (Antonella Cannarozzi)
The King's Speech (Jenny Beaven)
The Tempest (Sandy Powell)
True Grit (Mary Zophres)

Will win: Alice in Wonderland

Achievement in Directing
Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
David O. Russell (The Fighter)
Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)
David Fincher (The Social Network)
Joel and Ethan Coen (True Grit)

Will win: Tom Hooper

Should win: Christopher Nolan

As much as I loved "The King's Speech" and as great a job as Hooper did, Nolan should be the winner hands-down. The fact that he wasn't even nominated was the snub of the year.

Best Documentary Feature
Exit through the Gift Shop Banksy, director (Paranoid Pictures)
Gasland Josh Fox, director (Gasland Productions, LLC)
Inside Job Charles Ferguson, director (Representational Pictures)
Restrepo Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger, directors (Outpost Films)
Waste Land Lucy Walker, director (Almega Projects)

Will win: Inside Job

Achievement in Makeup
Barney's Version
The Way Back
The Wolfman

Will win: The Wolfman

Achievement in Film Editing
Black Swan (Andrew Weisblum)
The Fighter (Pamela Martin)
The King's Speech (Tariq Anwar)
127 Hours (Jon Harris)
The Social Network (Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall)

Will win: The King's Speech

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Biutiful (Mexico)
Dogtooth (Greece)
In a Better World (Denmark)
Incendies (Canada)
Hors la Loi (Algeria)

Will win: Incendies

Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score)
How to Train Your Dragon (John Powell)
Inception (Hans Zimmer)
The King's Speech (Alexandre Desplat)
127 Hours (A.R. Rahman)
The Social Network (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross)

Will win: The King's Speech

Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song)
"Coming Home" from Country Strong Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey
"I See the Light" from Tangled Music and Lyric by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater
"If I Rise" from 127 Hours Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong
"We Belong Together" from Toy Story 3 Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Will win: Toy Story 3

Achievement in Sound Editing
Inception
Toy Story 3
TRON: Legacy
True Grit
Unstoppable

Will win: Inception

Achievement in Sound Mixing
Inception
The King's Speech
Salt
The Social Network
True Grit

Will win: Inception

Achievement in Visual Effects
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Hereafter
Inception
Iron Man 2

Will win: Inception

Adapted Screenplay
127 Hours (Simon Beaufoy and Danny Boyle)
The Social Network (Aaron Sorkin)
Toy Story 3 (Michael Arndt, story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich)
True Grit (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen)
Winter's Bone (Debra Granik and Anne Rossellini)

Will win: The Social Network

Should win: True Grit

True Grit had a more engaging screenplay and from what people have told me it's closer to the book than the version with John Wayne. Look for the Coen brothers to add to their Oscar trophy case.

Original Screenplay
Another Year (Mike Leigh)
The Fighter (Paul Attanasio, Lewis Colich, Eric Johnson, Scott Silverand Paul Tamasy)
Inception (Christopher Nolan)
The Kids are All Right (Stuart Blumberg and Lisa Cholodenko)
The King's Speech (David Seidler)

Will win: Inception

Should win: Inception

I know I will sound like a broken record, but Inception was the most original and thought-provoking film of 2010. Nolan is the most original mind in Hollywood right now. I think the academy will want to reward him in some way for Inception since they shunned him in the directing category. It doesn't make up for that oversight, but it's something.

The Case Against "The Social Network"

The Academy Awards are just around the corner (a week from today!). My Oscar picks will be coming this week. But before I get to that, I would like to voice my disappointment with one of the leading contenders: "The Social Network."

Maybe it's just me, but I found "The Social Network" to be the most overrated movie of 2010. It pains me to say this, because I am a huge fan of director David Fincher and writer Aaron Sorkin. I was sure their combined forces would create one of the best movies of the year. Boy was I wrong! It falls apart even in the opening. I'm pretty computer savvy and am a Facebook user myself, but the techno-babble at the beginning lost me.

I was hoping it would get better. Sadly, it got worse. It vaguely shows how Facebook's founder didn't get along well with women and how he had trouble making friends in general but was a computer whiz. This could have been done with some depth so I cared about the characters. It wasn't. From there on it's an endless series of lawsuits centered around who really founded Facebook. The pacing is terrible, the acting uneven, and the writing forgettable. When the movie was over I thought it was okay, but the more I thought about it the more I realized what a disappointment it was.

It's infuriating to me that this movie is being considered for any awards. How could David Fincher get an Oscar nod for directing over say Christopher Nolan for "Inception?" Fincher has directed far superior movies, such as "Zodiac" and "Se7en." Equally as disappointing to me was the writing. I am a huge fan of Aaron Sorkin for years. After all, he created "The West Wing," one of the smartest shows on TV and also wrote/directed "The American President." In short, this movie is tedious, sloppy, and underwhelming. Spending a day on Facebook would be more worth your time and mentally engaging. Avoid this movie!

In Review: The King's Speech

It's been a long time since I've seen a movie that was such an ensemble piece. "The King's Speech" is an extraordinary film! For once you should believe the hype. The movie is that good. While I still think "Inception" was the best film of 2010, it seems that it will have no shot at best picture. The front-runners seem to be "The King's Speech" and "The Social Network." If "Inception" can't be recognized my second choice would be "The King's Speech" hands-down.

The story is about how King George VI (Colin Firth) becomes King of England after the death of King George V (Michael Gambon) and the abdication of his brother from the throne and how he has to overcome his stammer to be a leader in a time of war.

George's wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) tries many speech therapists before finally getting in touch with the unorthodox Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). Logue has George do everything from having him record himself reading while having on headphones playing music, to abdominal exercises, as well as singing his words out. It's really fascinating how we find out the psychological reasons behind George VI's impediment. I would say more but it would give away an interesting plot twist.

The movie benefits from one of the best performances by a cast in many a year. The movie is not merely a showcase for Colin Firth but a showcase for extraordinary performances at every turn. There are no weak acting links here. Colin Firth has been doing quality work for years now and was nominated just last year for "A Single Man." He ultimately lost to Jeff Bridges. This year they are both nominated again, but I have a feeling the outcome will be different. This is Colin Firth's best performance of his career. A more complete performance by an actor I have not seen in some time. Firth manages to convey the stutter in just the right way. He doesn't exaggerate to the point of making it a joke. He does it just spot-on so it's believable. I have no idea how he went into work every day and pulled it off. Kudos! The other thing that makes his work in this movie stand out is how great he is at conveying vulnerability. I sat in the theater hanging on every word he said and when he struggled my heart really broke for him. This movie definitely is a tear-jerker in places. Firth does a lot with his face. Pay special attention to what he does with his eyes and also the movement of his mouth when he struggles to speak. It is truly remarkable what this actor does with body language in this film.

Equal credit goes to the rest of the cast. Geoffrey Rush as Logue brings an eccentric believability to the character. In a way he brings the scene-chewing ability he did to the Pirates movies, but in a much more subtle way. He and Firth really do make you believe their friendship is genuine. Rush likely will not win an Oscar because Christian Bale sames to be the front-runner at this point. That's a shame, because Rush carries this movie as much as Firth. But Rush already has an Oscar for "Shine" so I think he'll live. And Helena Bonham Carter is a very convincing Queen Elizabeth conveying sympathy for her husband and also giving him tough love when he needs it.

"The King's Speech" has no false notes. It's engaging from beginning to end. It manages to pull this off with no car chases, raunchy sex scenes, or any of the cheap tricks employed but much of today's popular movie fare. This film is all the better for it. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me cheer. This is one of the best movies I've seen not just this year but in many years. It deserve all the praise it is getting and hopefully it will make off with a king's ransom come Oscar night.

Oscar Nominee Reaction

We now have our list of nominees for the 83rd annual Academy Awards. On the whole I give the Academy a B- for their nominees this year. The biggest snub for my money is the omission of Christopher Nolan in the best director category. What more does he have to do to get a nomination? At least he was nominated for original screenplay for Inception. And Inception was nominated for best picture in addition to a few technical categories. It's really sad that none of the actors from Inception were nominated. I guess it makes sense because the Academy seems to refuse nominating anything in the sci-fi/fantasy/action category with few exceptions. The other glaring omission amongst the nominees was Waiting for Superman in the best documentary feature category. I have no explanation for that.

The best picture nominees were about as expected. The biggest surprise amongst the nominees was Winter's Bone. I am pleased to say I have managed to see 7/10 of the nominees. Sometime before Oscar night I need to see The King's Speech, Winter's Bone, and The Fighter. The category will probably come down to The King's Speech and The Social Network. Inception was the best film of 2010 in my opinion, but it doesn't seem to stand a chance.

The best actor category seems Colin Firth's at this point and Natalie Portman seems a shoe-in for best actress. The same can be said in the supporting actor/actress categories. Christian Bale looks like the front runner in the former and Melissa Leo in the latter.

All and all the nominees were decent if predictable. I just really wish as imaginative and intelligent a film as Inception had gotten more love, especially in the directing category. I guess "nominate films/actors no matter what the genre" will continue to be my battle cry. Look for my Oscar picks soon.

Best Films of 2010

As 2010 draws to a close it is time for the obligatory top ten movie list. Without further ado I give you the best of year in movies.

10. Alice in Wonderland
How can you go wrong with Tim Burton directing and Johnny Depp playing the Mad Hatter? Not so much a remake as a re-imagining/sequel, this movie really delivered. Great performances by Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, and newcomer Mia Wasikowska as Alice made this a splendid trip down the rabbit hole. It didn't hurt that the art work was some of the most imaginative I have ever seen. If nothing else, you have to give Tim Burton credit for making some of the most visually astonishing films out there.

9. Secretariat
Despite being a fairly-predictable story, this really was a pleasant surprise. While the racing scenes are not bad to look at, they were not as impressive as Seabiscuit. But Secretariat, despite the title, was just as much if not more about Secretariat's owner Penny Chenery, who defied gender barriers in the horse racing world. Diane Lane really brought the spirit of Chenery to life in a stellar performance. And John Malkovich made for a very convincing Lucien Laurin.

8. Morning Glory
These days it seems the hardest things to come by at the multiplex are good comedies and good horror films. Well, Morning Glory was one of the sharpest comedies I have seen in some time. It was a really sharp, funny, and a great look at what life is like in the broadcasting world. Special credit to Rachel McAdams as the spunky protagonist and Harrison Ford as a crotchety old-school reporter.

7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I
Harry Potter seems to be one of those rare cases like Lord of the Rings where the transition from page to screen has been fairly successful. No, the movies are never going to replace the books. But with the first part of the seventh film Harry Potter the franchise took another step in becoming one of the best film/book sagas of all time. Yes this installment was darker, a little slower, and an emotional roller coaster, but the same can be said of the books. I was already looking forward to part two but that ending made me all the more anxious.

6. How to Train Your Dragon
A film about literally how to train dragons could have been really corny and stupid, but thankfully it wasn't. Great animation and an inventive story about how misunderstood dragons are was one of the most enjoyable experiences of 2010.

5.Black Swan
Black Swan was exciting, creepy, dramatic, and... one of the most original films of 2010! A great performance by Natalie Portman carries this story about an obsessed ballet dancer. This was a return to form for it's director after the disaster that was "The Wrestler." This one belongs alongside "Requiem for a Dream." It's that good!

4. Toy Story 3
Pixar always seems to make at least one film on my ten best list every year. 2010 was no different. The Toy Story franchise is the rare exception to the rule of sequels usually being inferior. Quite the contrary. Toy Story was exciting and groundbreaking, Toy Story 2 was poignant, and Toy Story 3 was all of those things and more.

3. Green Zone
Even though the subject matter about falsified intelligence regarding WMDs in Iraq is not news anymore, Green Zone proved to be an exciting as well as highly-intelligent thriller. Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon who teamed up for the Bourne movies here deliver another winner.

2. Waiting for Superman
Few things are more important than a good education. Sadly the school system in the USA is in a real state of disrepair. If you don't believe me check out this documentary. And afterwords you'll have a whole new appreciation for teachers.

1. Inception
I know this film drove some people crazy because it was so complicated. I relished that. In a year with sequels, remakes, and just outright idiotic movies, this was the cream of the crop. If you want a movie that's imaginative, exciting, and has tour de force performances by the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page then this is the movie for you. Thank you Christopher Nolan for being one of the best and brightest directors in Hollywood. Inception somehow managed to be delightful and challenging all at the same time. Don't plan on watching this movie casually, you can't take your eyes off it or you will miss something important. No wasted screen time is to be found here.

In Review: Black Swan

Usually I have a hard time understanding why someone dislikes I movie that I love. "Black Swan" may be the exception to that rule. More on my disclaimer later. I found it completely engrossing and a return to form for its director Darren Aronofsky. I consider his "Requiem for a Dream" to be one of the most powerful examples of cinematic art while his last outing "The Wrestler" I found vapid and a complete waste of time and the talents involved.

"Black Swan" centers around a ballerina named Nina (Natalie Portman) who lives to dance and nothing more. She is completely consumed by her craft. The plot? Nina's ballet company is putting on a production of Swan Lake and she wants to be the swan queen. The problem is that the director (Vincent Cassel) doesn't think she can pull off the role. He doesn't buy her as both the black swan and the white swan. Perhaps I should back it up and explain in a nutshell the plot of Swan Lake. A princess is turned into a swan and can only be turned back into a human by the love of a prince. But the prince is seduced by the black swan so the white swan kills herself.

What unfolds in "Black Swan" is life imitating art. What's holding Nina back, at least according to the director, is that she doesn't lose herself in her dancing. She is technically splendid but struggles at making it look effortless. As the story unfolds, we see Nina go from a talented, driven dancer to an ultra-competitive psychotic dancer.

"Black Swan" takes us into the physical and psychological demands of being a professional dancer. The dance company is a team to be sure, but the animosity is on full display. The central example is the rivalry between Nina and Lily (Mila Kunis). Lily just fits right in with the company and Nina feels threatened by her natural talent. When Nina is cast as the swan queen the gloves are off. Nina starts to lose it in a variety of ways. Nina's struggle to completely nail her part is a descent into complete psychosis. Just like in "Requiem for a Dream," Aronofsky shows here how to convey on film a person's descent into madness. The way Nina starts to lose touch with reality is reminiscent of how Aronofsky showed the reality of people on drugs in "Requiem."

It's fascinating to see how the main character in "Black Swan" experiences the plot of Swan Lake in real life. The story had me on the edge of my seat and not bored for one second. Not too many movies can do that lately it seems.

The movie is a triumph, especially for it's star, Natalie Portman. With "Black Swan" she has finally been given the star vehicle she has more than earned. It's only fair for the actress who gave credibility to the Star Wars prequels because, let's be honest, the acting was not the strong point of those movies. She could easily have phoned it in because she was in Star Wars after all and everyone would be more interested in the special effects. Instead she used it as learning experience and she got noticed. Then came "Garden State," one of the last great romantic comedies, "V for Vendetta," and now "Black Swan." In addition to pulling off the dialogue she also had to be a convincing dancer. Boy is she ever! Without that the movie would have sunk. This is her best performance to date and I do believe it will garner her a well-deserved Oscar nomination. Hopefully she makes many more movies because she is one of the finest actresses in Hollywood.

It must also be mentioned that the rest of the cast is stellar as well, especially Mila Kunis as her rival Lily and Barbra Hershey as her controlling mother. Kudos all around!

Now, back to my disclaimer. I for one loved "Black Swan," but I will completely understand if some people hate it. If you're not into ballet and all the work it takes to be in that profession, you will be bored. The other thing that may turn people off is the intense psychological and physical torture Nina goes through and the way her psychosis manifests itself. People may find it over the top, but I did not. If I were to summarize this movie in one sentence I would describe it as a cross between "The Turning Point" and "Jacob's Ladder." For me this was one of the best films of 2010. I urge you to see it and make your own conclusions.

Side note: The more movies about dance I see the more I appreciate what it takes to be a great dancer. If this movie gets you more interested in dancing I would recommend checking out "The Company," one of Robert Altman's last films about a ballet company and all the work that goes into putting on a show.

Movies That Inspired Us

In the life of every film goer there is a movie that changes how they look at and think about movies. My question for you readers is: what was that movie for you and why? Let me tell you about the movie that changed me forever. Are you ready for this?...

Photo courtesy of: http://www.geekshow.us/wp/wp-content/uploads/image/Raiders_01.jpg

"Raiders of the Lost Ark" was the movie that made a dramatic impact on me. I hear some people saying, "huh?" Yes, you read that correctly. True, I do consider "Casablanca" the greatest movie of all time, but I never would have appreciated it had I not been enthralled by the saga of Indiana Jones.

You know how when you're a kid you can watch things repetitively to the point of obsession? I did that with this movie. My family had a VHS copy (remember VHS?) and I watched it again and again to the point where I wore it out. So why? What was it about this classic blockbuster from the 1980s that made me return to it again and again? There are many reasons.

First, it contained action sequences like I had never seen before. The first time I saw Indiana Jones running from the boulder in the temple, I was hooked. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The image remained firmly in my mind and I still think back fondly on the first time I saw it.

Second, I had never seen anything so exciting in my life from beginning to end. To borrow a cliche, the movie had me at hello. Even as a kid of nine I was not bored once during this movie. It was so brilliantly written, acted, directed, etc. After the boulder sequence I was on the edge of my seat to see what would happen next. I never thought it would get better after that. But then... there was the escape from the Well of the Souls and of course the truck chase.

Third, and this is going to sound trite, but it had one of the coolest heroes on screen. I had never seen or heard of Harrison Ford before, but little did I know between this and "Star Wars" that he was going to be one of the actors I would be appreciating for years to come. The whole movie sinks if the lead character is dull. No chance of that here. Indiana Jones is heroic, but not perfect. He's always in just a little bit over his head, but he's also smart, likable, and not bad to look at. As an aside: my dad bought a fedora when I was a kid. I used to wear it around the house and look for things that looked like artifacts so I could pretend I was Indy. But I digress...

Fourth, how could you not love Karen Allen? Marion was a great female lead. Smart, tough, sexy, she had it all. She stood toe-to-toe with Indy for toughness but then she could also be a great romantic leading lady.

Fifth, script: need I say more? The number of lines I quote from "Raiders"... well let's just say there are a lot of them. My favorite? "Asps, very dangerous. You go first."

Finally, it was the movie that made me appreciate all the hard work that went into movies. Shortly after seeing it for the first time I saw a documentary on the stunts of "Raiders." I couldn't believe people did such a thing for a living. People actually get paid to nearly get themselves killed working on films? And all the work that went into those special effects, such as the aforementioned boulder sequence and the scene at the end with the Ark and those melting faces of Nazis. Plus, I played the cassette tape of the soundtrack over and over. This was the first step in appreciating the genius that was John Williams.

In closing I would like to thank Steven Spielberg for bringing movies into my life. You're throw-back to Saturday matinee serials made me realize what I wanted to do with my life and that was become a film critic. And of course thank you to Harrison Ford for being my first movie crush.