Ok I'll apologize for not writing more, but I've been working on a prototypical long winded blog that's sure to infuriate some. However being bed ridden with the stomach flu the last couple of days has made everything painful (even sitting in a chair). Now that I'm relatively better I felt I better make my annual before-Oscar post.
From early on I made cinema my bitch in 2011. By the end of the year I had seen more films than in any other year, and as the Oscars approach I'm in outstanding shape, at least in terms of the major categories. So you'd figure I'd have a great deal to say about this year's ceremony. After all I've seen so many films I ought to have a horse in every race, you'd think that wouldn't you? Truth is maybe it's just been a weak year, maybe the nominees are extra bad this year, or maybe I just don't care but nearly across the board I find myself not giving a damn what wins anything. So before I go too much further I will say that yes I will watch the ceremony as I do every year, Billy Crystal is known for doing a decent job, and hell anyone would be better than James Franco and Anne Hathaway last year.
So let's start at the middle of the road shall we. For the first time since I believe they started the category I have seen none of the best animated feature nominees. Now perhaps this is because there was no significant Pixar release (Cars 2 doesn't count), and Miyazaki appears to be sticking to that whole retirement thing for now. Looking at the nominees I can't help but be underwhelmed, Rango?, Kung-Fu Panda 2?, Puss in Boots? Ok so there are two foreign sounding nominees that may prove to be decent but with a day until the big ceremony I'd rather spend the next several hours watching Louis Feuillade's Fantomas, bonus points if you know what I'm talking about. So yes call me willfully ignorant, maybe I'll check out the features here later, but right now I'm unconcerned.
No category ever upsets me more on a yearly basis than the best foreign language film award. Complicated and unnecessary Academy bi-laws perpetually exclude the best foreign film every year, not to mention the complicated nature of co-productions give many countries a disadvantage as to how they are to be submitted. I've petitioned for years for the process to be completely done away with and allow for voters to simply vote for their 5 favorite foreign language films, even if say all five are from the same country. After all the best is the best and just because say Spain doesn't like the new Almodovar film doesn't mean it should be nominated, but well who knows if and when this will ever change. As a result unless you have access to a ton of film festivals most people are lucky to see 2 or 3 films nominated in this category before the awards are handed out. Often times after the Oscar's a film or two might get some distribution, especially if it wins, but looking at past year's best foreign language film nominees it is frequently a tale of one or two films you've heard of and three films that never saw the light of day, or weren't worth remembering in the first place. True to form I've seen two from this year, one was the Belgium submission Bullhead which I found appalling and terrible (although some people think its a masterpiece for some strange reason) and the other is A Separation which most of you should have heard about by now. This is one of the best Iranian films I've seen in awhile, and the fact that it has appeared on numerous top ten lists of the year makes me feel like for once a worthy film will probably win the award. I can't vouch for the other three nominees, but I certainly wouldn't object to Farhadi's film winning (although Uncle Boonmee was my personal favorite foreign film last year, but good luck seeing that get a nomination).
Documentaries have gotten better in recent years. After all even Errol Morris won one in the past decade. Considering a number of well regarded documentaries came out this year it seems odd that I've only heard of two of these films and only saw one of them, Wim Wenders Pina. The Wenders film is slightly overrated, I didn't dislike it by any means but I can't necessarily say it deserves an Oscar, especially considering Wenders has made several noteworthy documentaries throughout his career. I'm particularly surprised Steven James The Interrupters wasn't nominated, but I believe that may have been made for the BBC and perhaps there's a strange rule regarding that, or maybe they just don't like James. I'm not planning on losing sleep over it, so whatever wins will make no difference to me.
Now it's on to another category that I usually don't care about, best music (original score). It's not that I usually concern myself with this category, but there's something odd about this year's nominees, John Williams is nominated twice. I mean I get it the man did the music for many of our most beloved blockbusters, but really War Horse, The Adventures of Tintin? I mean how much can one man's reputation be exploited to get undeserved nominations. He is today's musical equivalent of Edith Head, if you don't know who she is, look up how many Oscar nominations she got in her time. Ludovic Bource will probably win for the Artist considering so much of that film depends on the music, and well I got a sneaking suspicion that film will win a whole lot of awards.
Not that I'm dedicated to film sound as others are, but I do think that Super 8 clearly deserved a nomination in this category. Even watching it on my computer I was absolutely blown away by the sonic detail in the film and considering Transformers and War Horse got a nomination they could have at least honored a decent film in this category. Again it's not my forte but using my ears as judge, I happen to think Super 8 at least deserved a nod. I'm still not entirely sure what the difference in the two sound categories are, but that's another blog.
Oh and two nominees for best song? Really that's all you got Academy? In an entire year of film only two songs nominated? Oh and I don't care about either one, so it would be nice if they just did away with this entire category for a year or ten.
Now for the acting, supporting please:
Ok I didn't see Warrior, I heard it was good, but damn it the film looked so much like the Fighter I just took a pass, the Academy used to love nominating Nick Nolte, looks like they missed him, and who doesn't love a comeback? If he wins I wouldn't be too upset because after all he has one of the greatest mugshots in movie history. The main reason I'd root for him is because I don't want anyone else to win. Jonah Hill is garbage and perhaps he impressed people by not playing a smart assed douche in a movie for once, but well I don't get how it's Oscar worthy. Max Von Sydow is another one coasting on reputation in what was by far the worst film I saw from 2011 so on principle I don't want that film to win an award. Kenneith Branagh playing Laurence Olivier, never saw that one coming. Ok Branagh is good but the man has spent half his career being Olivier in some capacity so I can't say this is better or worse, plus I was not a fan of the film itself, more on that later. Christopher Plummer was damn good in The Beginners which was a bit of a mess as a film but certainly had enough redeemable qualities and Plummer was arguably the best part of it. If the Academy is hell bent on giving out a senior citizen trophy in this category my vote is for Plummer.
Best supporting actress, oh boy. Ok Albert Nobbs is not a good film. Sure people are in complete agreement with me, but most would add a little asterisk and say that Glenn Close and Janet McTeer deliver fine performances. Still McTeer didn't really impress me much and the film is one of those pictures that's too bland to really deserve an award. Speaking of which, fuck The Help, there I said it that film was awful so I'll just go straight out and say I hope neither nominee wins in this department. Bridesmaids was probably the funniest film of the year and Melissa McCarthy was one of the reasons for this. As far as acting her performance was funny and fearless but I definitely felt that Rose Byrne had a far more challenging and certainly less likeable role, but who doesn't love the eccentric? Berenice Bejo again has everything going for her, her role was substantial, she was great, and well The Artist might win a whole lot of awards, so she's my pick.
Now in the best actor race I will voice my particular displeasure. Michael Fassbender should win this damn award, but alas he isn't even nominated. Not to detract from his excellent work in X-Men: First Class or A Dangerous Method but his performance in Shame was one of the best I've seen in a long while. Considering this was his breakthrough year it would have made sense that he would perhaps get a nomination, after all Demian Bichir was nominated for A Better Life, yeah never heard of the film before either. I've since watched the film and although I think he was quite good in the role, it seems like one of those obligatory nominations that is to show that the Academy doesn't just nominated A-list movie stars, even though he has no chance in hell of winning. It seems inexplicable that this is the first nomination for Gary Oldman who has done quality work for 25 years or so. I'm not as keen on Tinker Tailor as everyone else so I'm happy for Oldman but not necessarily rooting for this film. George Clooney has never been better than in The Descendants and the only thing I think standing in his way is the fact that he's already won an Oscar. Brad Pitt might win just because he's Hollywood royalty but as much as I liked Moneyball I'm not sure it's strength was in it's performances. Jean Dujardin could win for the same reason I've mentioned elsewhere. Doesn't hurt his cause that this film is the best one nominated.
Despite what I may have said about the best animated feature category there is no category I care less about than best actress. Now don't think this is some sexist remark, but take it as such none of the nominees I care about. For starters I already mentioned how much I detested The Help, so yeah Viola Davis might be great but I don't really care. Meryl Streep has been nominated a hundred and fifty times and there is strong evidence that she will win this time for her first Oscar since 1982. The reason she would win is because the other nominees are incredibly weak. Last year it was a foregone conclusion that Natalie Portman would win, and she did, this year it's a see of mediocrity mixed with forgettable and occasionally regrettable nominees. Noomi Rapace was memorable and incredible in the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy yet she didn't get an Oscar nomination so sorry if I don't think Rooney Mara should have been nominated for a film that shouldn't have been made. Had the original and better performance been given a nod this wouldn't have surprised me too much but it seems classic cultural bias. Michelle Williams has earned a reputation as perhaps the greatest actress to ever star on the WB but her Marilyn Monroe is one of the least memorable screen adaptations I've seen. I preferred Theresa Russell in Insignificance, but that's hardly the point. Considering how lame the film itself was and how she seems like a supporting player in the film I'm curious that she got a nomination. If she didn't win for a much better turn in Blue Valentine, I don't see her getting the gold for this. Oh yeah and Glenn Close, whatever.
Then there's the best picture category. I went on at length when the nominees were announced, see my blog Stephen Daldry Must Be Stopped. I would love to see Tree of Life win, but since it probably (definitely) won't I wouldn't object to The Artist getting everything.
So there you have it, my picks or in some cases my thoughts on why I don't give a damn about this year's ceremony. We'll see if I'm right, and if I'm wrong well then I don't really care.
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