Oscars 2017: The Results

A little later than planned, here's the breakdown of just how accurate my well informed analyses/random guesses into the whole 2017 Oscar circus were. As a whole, I mostly agreed with the Academy's winning choices, but there were a number of wins - politically driven, I'm sure, which I don't even really mind (I just hate being in the wrong) - I disagree with vehemently. Oh well, it makes the whole annual affair that much more interesting...

Best Film:
First Choice: Correct. I didn't watch the ceremony live, so I didn't hear about the big winner screw-up until well after, but I never really doubted Moonlight winning. That movie deals with heavy themes like identity, ethnicity and sexuality, while La La Land is mostly plain fun. And the Academy's track record of rewarding plain fun is far from stellar.

Best Actor:
First Choice: Correct. Even though I wasn't wholly impressed by Casey's performance myself, I can say the same thing for the other nominees. All of them delivered strong performances, but none that will prove truly memorable. In this case, the buzz proved correct, and I just merrily went along with the buzz, I'll admit.
  
Best Actress:
First Choice: Incorrect. This choice I feel is undeserved. Stone did a fine job, but so did her male counterpart Gosling, also nominated (but for Best Actor, obviously). Point is, La La Land was a two-person job in terms of acting. In my mind, the pair carried the movie, not just the girl or the boy. Stone winning I feel is degrading to Gosling, who was equally up to his job, but is left in the cold. On the other hand, my choice, Natalie Portman, had to carry an entire movie by herself, demanding emotional intensity in every scene. She delivered just that, which makes Stone's win all the harder for me to bear. At least Portman already has one of those gold statues in her possession.
Second choice: Incorrect.

Best Supporting Actor: 
First Choice: Correct. No surprise here. Though I sense some political motivation for both this and the next category may also have been involved, to prove #OscarsSoWhite wrong. I don't mind, I fully agree with both choices.

Best Supporting Actress:
First Choice: Incorrect. In this case it's clear why one should watch a movie before judging its performances. I didn't have that option, because Fences was released locally rather late in the awards season, well before I posted my predictions. If I had seen it earlier, Viola Davis would have been on top of my list. Quite a strong show!
Second choice: Incorrect.

Best Director:
First Choice: Incorrect.
Second choice: Correct. Like I said, whoever wins Best Film won't win Best Director. I put all my money on Moonlight, but by my own reasoning, this one was gonna go to La La Land. Which it did.

Best Screenplay:
First Choice: Correct. In hindsight, I think the year's strongest script was Hell or High Water's. But I didn't think it would win.

Best Adapted Screenplay:
First Choice: Correct. As it should be.

Best Animated Film:
First Choice: Incorrect.
Second choice: Incorrect. Now this one makes me mad. Zootopia was a great film, no doubt. But it wasn't in any way innovative, nor was its animation so superb as in my own two choices. I really feel Zootopia's underlying political message was what won the Academy over, rather than the actual animation which this category is supposed to honour. I remain convinced this was the year's biggest snub on the part of the Oscars, and I'll always defend both The Red Turtle and Kubo and the Two Strings over Zootopia.

Best Foreign Film:
First Choice: Incorrect. Also a politically motivated win, a clear anti-Trump statement. Director Ashgar Farhadi won, but wasn't allowed into the country to pick up his Oscar, making the USA look bad (and rightfully so). However, Toni Erdmann is definitely the better movie, and I've noticed most fellow critics tend to agree.
Second choice: Correct.

Best Cinematography:
First Choice: Correct. Here's where La La Land starts to take most of the technical acclaim.

Best Editing: 
First Choice: Incorrect.
Second choice: Incorrect. Okay, so not this one. But I was never very impressed with Hacksaw Ridge in whatever way.

Best Production Design:
First Choice: Correct.

Best Costume Design:
First Choice: Incorrect.
Second choice: Correct. Poor Jackie really got screwed over well.

Best Hair and Make-up:
First Choice: Incorrect.
Second choice: Correct. Like I said, Suicide Squad deserved to win and surprisingly enough, it did. I don't mind being wrong on this one.

Best Score:
First Choice: Correct. No-brainer.

Best Song:
First Choice: Correct. I preferred the other song for which La La Land got nominated though.

Best Sound Mixing:
First Choice: Incorrect.
Second choice: Incorrect. Wow, this one came as an unwelcome surprise. Where's the time the sounds of Star Wars were the safest bet in the galaxy?

Best Sound Editing: 
First Choice: Incorrect.
Second choice: Correct. Hmm, La La Land didn't actually win so many technical awards after all. I'm glad Arrival reaped some reward.

Best Visual Effects:
First Choice: Correct. Very obvious choice.

Best Documentary: 
First Choice: Correct. Also no surprise.

Correct: 11
Second choice: 5
Incorrect: 5

Big reveal here is my number of Corrects and Correct Second Choices has remained the same compared to last year. So I remain consistent. But there's also no improvement. Story of my life I suppose.

Oscars 2017: The Predictions

 'Tis the season to hand out all kinds of awards to people who're in the movie business. There's this particular lavish award ceremony hosted by a certain Academy I have this annual routine of predicting wins for. Though the world around us is rapidly changing (and none for the better it appears), I see no reason to change this routine any time soon and thus, what follows below is my usual round of Oscar predictions. I've seen many of these movies (not all of them have been released here yet) and know a fair amount about the rest, so let's see whether I can nail who wins what better than last year. Even with the odd random guess, I'm bound to get a few of 'em right. It's true!

Best Film:
First Choice: Moonlight. A daring view of a troubled young man's existence told in three chapters and acted out by three wholly different but equally brilliant actors. Not to mention issues of race, gender, 'nature versus nurture' and destiny. An inexperienced director weaving all of this together seamlessly. This film works on so many angles it would suit the Academy well to reward it for many of them. However, all those angles conspire to deny the film the award as well, since there's the risk of a few of them not sitting well with more conservative Academy members. If not Best Film, than Best Director for sure.
Second choice: La La Land. Because it's just what the world needs in this particular period of history.

Best Actor:
First Choice: Casey Affleck. Ben got his due, Casey had to stick with nominations. Until now I bet. The other lead actors all did a good job, but Casey's just sticks out.
Second choice: Denzel Washington. I'm rooting for Viggo Mortensen, but Washington is a safer bet. There's this enfant terrible quality to Viggo that just makes him an unlikely winner.

Best Actress:
First Choice: Natalie Portman. That was one hell of a transformation, downright to the silly voice. if you can get away with carrying a motion picture on such intense emotional levels with that voice and  pink outfit, an Oscar is well deserved.
Second choice: Ruth Negga. Huppert's picture is too controversial, Streep is too conservative and Stone's acting just wasn't special enough, so Negga remains. Admittedly, I have yet to see Loving.

Best Supporting Actor: 
First Choice: Mahershala Ali. Playing a drug dealer you can only love despite everything is quite a feat.
Second choice: Jeff Bridges. I've never seen such a loathsome likable character, apart, from Ali's above.

Best Supporting Actress:
First Choice: Naomie Harris. I've never felt such a revulsion for such a lovely and talented actress.
Second choice: None of the others really stand out of this crowd of four. Randomly, I'd say Octavia Spencer.

Best Director:
First Choice: Barry Jenkins. For the same reasons as Best Film.
Second choice: Damien Chazelle. But these two could easily be vice versa, as is the case for Best Film. I doubt either of them will win both.

Best Screenplay:
First Choice: Manchester by the Sea.
Second choice: La La Land. I'm rooting for this film, even though I think it's not the script that carries this film, despite the bittersweet ending. 

Best Adapted Screenplay:
First Choice: Moonlight. Finally a category where this film and La La Land are not in each other's way. Sure win.
Second choice: Arrival.

Best Animated Film:
First Choice: The Red Turtle. Simple but beautiful and hugely emotional animation, no speaking parts throughout. Something else entirely. The rest is good, but not as unique. I nearly cried, you know.
Second choice: Kubo and the Two Strings. Some of the finest stop motion animation ever.

Best Foreign Film:
First Choice: Toni Erdmann. Can't see this one lose.
Second choice: The Salesman. If it wins, I consider it more of a political statement.

Best Cinematography:
First Choice: La La Land. Not only is the musical back in business, so are the sweeping shots that are a part of its DNA since the Golden Days of Hollywood.
Second choice: Arrival.

Best Editing: 
First Choice: Moonlight.
Second choice: Arrival.

Best Production Design:
First Choice: La La Land.
Second choice: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Best Costume Design:
First Choice: Jackie. The extreme faithfulness to the iconic dresses, suits and hats matters at least as much as Portman's portrayal to this period piece. And they look equally gorgeous in black and white.
Second choice: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Best Hair and Make-up:
First Choice: Star Trek Beyond. Not because I agree, but because it's the safer bet.
Second choice: Suicide Squad. Because it deserves it. So the movie wasn't great, but the make-up sure deserves credit. Just look at Killer Croc, waah...

Best Score:
First Choice: La La Land. It's the songs that you remember, but the music that accompanies them that makes them great.
Second choice: Jackie.

Best Song:
First Choice: La La Land. Nominated twice, so an unlikely loser.
Second choice: Moana. Disney songs, eh?

Best Sound Mixing:
First Choice: Rogue One. Never bet against the sounds of the Star Wars universe.
Second choice: La La Land.

Best Sound Editing: 
First Choice: La La Land.
Second choice: Arrival.

Best Visual Effects:
First Choice: The Jungle Book. Because it makes the actual jungle a replaceable thing to many people and that's a scary thought. But it goes to show the innovation here.
Second choice: Doctor Strange. VFX rarely got this trippy.

Best Documentary: 
First Choice: O.J.: Made in America. Introducing a new genre: the epic documentary.
Second choice: Life, Animated.


That's it for this year. There are certain wins for La La Land, Manchester by the Sea and Moonlight, it's unavoidable. It's just the exact categories that are harder to determine. Or maybe I am just completely wrong and the Oscars will go to movies I never even considered worthy of the nominations (Lion, Hacksaw Ridge). I've got a feeling the Academy won't have that many surprises in store for us this year though. February 26 will prove me right or wrong.

Oscars 2016: The Results

So now that annual Oscar ritual is over and done with for another year, let's see how many of my predictions turned out more than just a hunch.



Best Film:
First Choice: Incorrect.
Second choice: Also incorrect. But apparently, the same goes for most other people who figured The Revenant would come out on top. Few guessed correctly that the underdog Spotlight would take home this particular trophy. It seems that in an overly conservative mood, the Academy decided against going with the flow of what's popular (which I generally applaud) and gave the Award to this conservative drama piece. A good film to be sure, but simply not noteworthy by most accounts. Solid drama, some damn fine acting, a topic that still shows social resonation... but hardly a piece of cinematic innovation or exploration that will haunt audiences for years to come. People who complain about Oscar snubs will cry foul at the sight of this one for a few years. I'll get over it a lot sooner.

Best Actor:
First Choice: Correct. This feels like making up to predictability now. Everyone opted for Leo, so Leo won, almost as if by popular demand. The Academy always throws in one or two of these to keep the masses contented. But hey, few will consider his work on The Revenant as unworthy of this praise. Not me at least, as I, too, was part of Team Leo.
  
Best Actress:
First Choice: Incorrect. Don't be such a Blanchett fanboy, guy...

Best Supporting Actor: 
First Choice: Incorrect.
Second choice: Correct. Past success again proves to be no guarantee for present results.

Best Supporting Actress:
First Choice: Incorrect.
Second choice: Incorrect. This was a tough one. To be honest, I'm a bit mad at the Academy for nominating Vikander for the disappointing The Danish Girl rather than the terrific Ex Machina in this category. She did a heck of a job in both films, but I reckon it was harder to pull off for the movie that didn't get the nomination here (what with all the CGI and such). Danish Girl turned out to be a letdown in every way but the acting. Seems that saved the day for Vikander here. It pays to play in more than one film each year.

Best Director:
First Choice: Incorrect.
Second choice: Incorrect. Also a choice I hold umbrage against. Inarritu already won last year. Miller is 71 years old and has much shots at the gold left. This ought to have been his moment to shine. Whine whine, nag nag... This is another time the Oscars prove life sometimes just isn't fair.

Best Screenplay:
First Choice: Correct. I may not think Spotlight was the year's best film, but I never said it wasn't well written.

Best Adapted Screenplay:
First Choice: Correct.

Best Animated Film:
First Choice: Correct. Well, that one was a no-brainer.

Best Foreign Film:
First Choice: Correct. Also no real competition here. He said not having seen any of these films...

Best Cinematography:
First Choice: Incorrect.
Second choice: Also incorrect. Dang it, I knew I should have gone with Inarritu after Birdman! What was I thinking...

Best Editing: 
First Choice: Incorrect.
Second choice: Correct. Another tough one.

Best Production Design:
First Choice: Correct. I told you, seeing is believing on this one.

Best Costume Design:
First Choice: Incorrect.
Second choice: Correct. Man, I really thought those dazzling Disney dresses would do the trick again. Guess the Academy doesn't fall for those anymore...

Best Hair and Make-up:
First Choice: Correct. Obvious.

Best Score:
First Choice: Correct. My ears served me well on this one. It was just too beautiful to be anything else.

Best Song:
First Choice: Correct. Good title for a song, it turned out!

Best Sound Mixing:
First Choice: Correct.

Best Sound Editing: 
First Choice: Incorrect.
Second choice: Correct. The times Star Wars dominated the galaxy of sounds have ended. A new order has risen. Oh well, better luck next year, Star Wars!

Best Visual Effects:
First Choice: Correct. Because even the Academy thought Alicia Vikander was a Visual Effect in this one. Apparently, they considered her acting the same, otherwise they would have nominated her for this film. But all's well that ends well.

Best Documentary: 
First Choice: Incorrect.
Second choice: Correct. Indonesian genocide is so 2012, Amy Winehouse is all the rage today. And never again.


Correct: 11
Second choice: 5-4.
Incorrect: 9

Blast, these results are worse than last year... (Correct: 14, Second choice: 5-2, Incorrect: 7, FYI). Plenty of glaring obviousness again this year, but some major surprises and snubs. The Academy never makes things easy for both gamblers and movie insiders. Or people with a blog and too much time on their hands.

Oscars 2016: The Predictions

It's late January, so it's time for another round of predicting who will and won't go home with one (or more) of them little gold statuettes. Based on uncanny prior experience deducting winners, in-depth knowledge of the Academy's politics and personal acquantaince with all its members, I should get a lot of these right. Too bad I have little of the above, I'm just a guy with a gut feeling and an opinion, coupled with above average knowledge of movies and stuff. So there's bound to be a few misses here, but then, the Academy sadly never asks what I think. 


Best Film:
First Choice: I wanna say Mad Max: Fury Road, since that's the film I thought best of all the movies nominated I've seen. Which is less than half of them, admittedly. Gimme a break, the other half hasn't even been released here yet! I plan on seeing the rest ASAP. That being the case, I have a hunch it's gonna be The Revenant.
Second choice: The Big Short. Because Inarritu already won Best Picture only last year, so it wouldn't be fair to the others. Mind you, a lot of black people will remind you fairness is not something the Academy takes into account...

Best Actor:
First Choice: Leonardo DiCaprio. Nominated six times before. So don't you think it's about time as much as 'about time' can get?
Second choice: Michael Fassbender. Even though he didn't look much like Steve Jobs physically, he certainly got the rest right to make for a memorable performance.
 
Best Actress:
First Choice: Cate Blanchett. Because, you know... Cate Blanchett!
Second choice: Brie Larson. For getting stuck in a room and acting her way out.

Best Supporting Actor: 
First Choice: Christian Bale. Another hunch, but I'm not that impressed by this batch of candidates.
Second choice: Mark Rylance. Such a sweet, mild mannered performance. For a spy hellbent on destroying the US of A and the assorted freedom that goes with it. But still we like him.

Best Supporting Actress:
First Choice: Rooney Mara. Because I like to think Cate Blanchett's talent is highly inspirational. Getting intimate with her increases the acting capabilities of others, perhaps? Not to say Mara was no good prior to meeting Cate. Far from it in fact.
Second choice: Rachel McAdams. Because I've seen the other options on the big screen and I can't pick.


Best Director:
First Choice: George Miller. Because I want him to win, not because I think he actually will. Anybody capable of crafting such an insanely fantastic world at his advanced age and getting embraced by audiences and critics alike deserves to win.
Second choice: Adam McKay. A more likely scenario.

Best Screenplay:
First Choice: Spotlight. Seems the least unlikely candidate.
Second choice: Inside Out. It's gonna win Best Animated Feature for sure, but it quite deserves this one as well.

Best Adapted Screenplay:
First Choice: The Big Short. Because it's so highly intelligent and complicated. Oh no, it isn't, that's just what Wall Street wants you to think so nobody asks them the hard questions and they keep getting away with the shit they pull. And that's exactly what this script makes painfully clear.
Second choice: The Martian. A hunch. And because science is fun again.

Best Animated Film:
First Choice: Inside Out. Duh.
Second choice: I wanna say Shaun the Sheep, because I almost cried, but reason makes me say Anomalisa. Because it's unlike most animated features getting this nomination. It's not for kids, for one thing. So that makes it a different thing which deserves a chance to shine. But Inside Out is gonna take its glory, make no mistake.

Best Foreign Film:
First Choice: Son of Saul (Saul Fia). No competition.
Second choice: El Abrazo de la Serpiente. Still, no competition though.

Best Cinematography:
First Choice: This one is really hard. All contenders have very bold, innovative cinematography.  Sicario and Mad Max: Fury Road sure impressed me, but I think it's gonna be The Hateful Eight.
Second choice: Sicario. Because it's kinda the underdog here, and everybody loves an underdog.
EDIT: Fuck that, it's gonna be The Revenant, too!

Best Editing: 
First Choice: Competition is not as strong here. The Revenant.
Second choice: Mad Max: Fury Road.

Best Production Design:
First Choice: Mad Max: Fury Road. If you've seen it, you know full well why. Crazy production design for an insane world.
Second choice: The Martian.

Best Costume Design:
First Choice: Cinderella. Lavish got a new dimension. In 3D.
Second choice: Mad Max: Fury Road. Again, crazy.

Best Hair and Make-up:
First Choice: Mad Max: Fury Road. It's becoming my mantra in the technical department, but I just have strong faith in it.
Second choice: The Revenant. That's that handsome Leonardo DiCaprio fella under all that mud and blood, you know?

Best Score:
First Choice: The Hateful Eight. Same reason as Leo: it's high time after six snubs. Plus, he has been a master at his work for decades and this score was just totally brilliant. More so than the movie itself in fact.
Second choice: Sicario. Because it scared me, which it was supposed to.

Best Song:
First Choice: Spectre. Because the writing's on the wall. I didn't much care for it at first to be honest, but it really grew on me.
Second choice: whatever. Youth.

Best Sound Mixing:
First Choice: Mad Max: Fury Road, same as before.
Second choice: Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Best Sound Editing: 
First Choice: Star Wars: The Force Awakens actually. The soundscape of Star Wars is a universe on its own even now another has taken over, and at least one sound award should acknowledge that fact.
Second choice: Mad Max: Fury Road.

Best Visual Effects:
First Choice: Ex Machina. For being subtle and not drawing attention to itself, but still totally believable. For those who didn't know, Alicia Vikander doesn't actually look like that in real life, that's all VFX.
Second choice: Mad Max: Fury Road. Because of that whole Mad Max thing I got going here, in case you missed it.

Best Documentary: 
First Choice: The Look of Silence. Can't go wrong with Indonesian genocide. Part 2.
Second choice: Amy. Because it appeals to the masses more than Ukrain, Nina Simone or drug cartels.


Februay 28th will tell me how right, or rather, how wrong, I am. What a lovely day!

Oscars 2015: The predictions

Time for the annual ritual! Determining which films will take home some of those much craved statuettes is a hard job as ever, especially if you haven't yet seen most of these films (many titles still need to be released in the Netherlands). So I'll freely admit a lot of it is a simple guessing game, but I'd like to think some of my expansive knowledge of and keen insight into the motion picture phenomenon serves me right in getting at least a third of these right. And as always, some wishful thinking works its magic, too.

Best Film:
First Choice: Boyhood. Obviously.
Second choice: The Grand Budapest Hotel. I'm rooting for this one, but I doubt I'd get my way.


Best Actor:
First Choice: Eddie Redmayne. I have yet to see (this movie and) a review that's not raving about Redmayne's stellar performance. Redmayne is one of those talented kids who finally seems to make good on that promise.
Second choice: Michael Keaton. Quite a comeback performance.

Best Actress:
First Choice: Julianne Moore.
Second choice: Rosamund Pike.There's not so much Gone Girl among the nominations as there ought to be. This one should have to make up for it.

Best Supporting Actor: 
First Choice: J.K. Simmons. The performance among the nominess I've heard the most positive feedback about.
Second choice: Mark Ruffalo.Because it's high time.

Best Supporting Actress:
First Choice: Patricia Arquette.None of these nominees seem convincing. So I'll go with Arquette, because Boyhood seems the safest bet.
Second choice: Emma Stone.

Best Director:
First Choice: Richard Linklater. Unique movie, so unique directing.
Second choice: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

Best Screenplay:
First Choice: Birdman.
Second choice: Foxcatcher.

Best Adapted Screenplay:
First Choice: American Sniper.
Second choice: The Theory of Everything.

Best Animated Film:
First Choice: The Box Trolls. It better be... Laika is long overdue in the Oscar department. And none of the others show this level of craftsmanship, be they good movies all.
Second choice: The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.

Best Foreign Film:
First Choice: Leviathan. Seems like a perfect time to peeve the Russian establishment some more with the social critique this movie displays.
Second choice: Ida.

Best Cinematography:
First Choice: The Grand Budapest Hotel. Considering the love for cinematography put on display in TGBH, it would be odd if it didn't win.
Second choice: Mr. Turner.

Best Editing: 
First Choice: Boyhood. A project cut together from bits of footage spanning over a decade, that's gotta be a worth an editing award or two.
Second choice: The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Best Production Design:
First Choice: The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Second choice: Into the Woods.

Best Costume Design:
First Choice: The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Second choice: Into the Woods.

Best Hair and Make-up:
First Choice: The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Second choice: Guardians of the Galaxy.

Best Score:
First Choice: The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Second choice: The Imitation Game.

Best Song:
First Choice: Selma. Okay, so I haven't heard any of these songs except for Everything is Awesome, and that's definitely not gonna be it. It gets obnoxious fast.
Second choice: Begin Again.

Best Sound Mixing:
First Choice: Birdman.
Second choice: Whiplash.

Best Sound Editing: 
First Choice: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Say what you will, the sounds wasn't at flaw here.
Second choice: Birdman.

Best Visual Effects:
First Choice: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. It's high time this form of elaborate mo-cap and Andy Serkis' pioneering work on it got some major acknowledgment.
Second choice: Guardians of the Galaxy.

Best Documentary: 
First Choice: The Salt of the Earth.
Second choice: Virunga.

And there you have it. Time and Academy voting will tell whether I'm correct or incorrect in any or all of these.

Oscars 2014: the results

Well, the Academy has finally held its annual ritual, so let's see how many Oscar winners I guessed right. Or expertly deduced correctly, if you prefer.

Best Picture: correct! It seems the time was right for a movie directed by a coloured man to win in this category. This is the Age of Obama after all. Too bad he didn't also win Best Director, but let's not push things, right?
I have yet to see 12 Years a Slave.

Best Actor: incorrect. Matthew McConaughey seems to have been on a roll last year with Mud, The Wolf of Wall Street and the movie he won for, so he was really actively pushing for that Oscar, and successfully so it appears. Though I won't deny him his prize, I feel kinda sad for both Bruce Dern and Chiwetel.
Second choice: also incorrect.
I have yet to see Dallas Buyers Club.

Best Actress: correct! This one just seemed a given. Blanchett deserved a Best Lead win for a change, Best Supporting Actress is good, but just not as good. Woody Allen's recent sex scandal hasn't hurt Blanchett for starring in his film.

Best Supporting Actor: incorrect. I should have known the Academy wouldn't go for a first-time actor, no matter how impressive his performance. Jared Leto proved a more conservative winner, despite him playing a transsexual.
Second choice: also incorrect.

Best Supporting Actress: incorrect. Jennifer Lawrence got her spotlight moment last year and she tripped over her dress while walking the stairs... never again! Plus, 'twas all white folks winning acting awards so far, so this evens the score a little.
Second choice: correct.

Best Director: incorrect. Considering all the technical stuff, I didn't see this one coming. The Academy has a tendency to overlook such aspects of filmmaking when it comes to this particular category, in favor of more trite but true apporaches. No more it seems. Apparently all the technical stuff was just too groundbreaking to ignore for a change.
Second choice: also incorrect.

Best Original Screenplay: incorrect. Poor American Hustle got snubbed good! A story about man and his increasingly accepting mentality towards anthropomorphizing non-human machinery fit right in with appreciating Cuaron's technical stuff. The Academy has finally learned to embrace the digital age then.
Second choice: correct.
I have yet to see Her.

Best Adapted Screenplay: correct! There just had to be a few more wins for 12 Years a Slave to go with that Best Picture win. Right before Gravity took all the rest.

The Academy clearly didn't take a hint from Gravity's tag line.


Best Animated Feature: correct! When Disney gets good again, all other animation is silenced. Like it or not. Let it go.

Best Foreign Film: correct! It just had to be, considering all the raving critical acclaim. Its competitors just didn't stand a chance.
I have yet to see La Grande Bellezza.

Best Cinematography: correct! Duh!

Best Editing: correct! See above.

Best Production Design: correct! Gatsby may not have felt like a great movie, but it sure looked like one.

Best Costume Design: correct! Same.

Best Make-Up: correct! The performances of McConaughey and Leto were undoubtedly stirred to great heights thanks to the way they looked.

Best Music: incorrect. Despite all the innovations, a grand picture still needs a solid soundtrack. Gravity got one.
Second choice: also incorrect.

Best Song: correct! The Academy, too, let it go. Good for them!

Best Sound Mixing: correct! It didn't matter that in space, nobody can hear you scream. For your information.

Best Sound Editing: correct! *insert second joke about the uneasy relationship between space and sound here*

Best Visual Effects: correct! The most obvious winner of the bunch, courtesy of the year's most jaw-dropping sights.

Best Documentary: incorrect. This unexpected pick is the one I take umbrage with the most. There's this hugely unsettling, daringly executed, effectively engaging shock doc about Indonesian genocide, and the Academy opts for a bunch of singing people instead. I'd say they 'let it go' a little too much in this case.
Second choice: also incorrect.

Correct: 14
Second choice: 5-2.
Incorrect: 7

Last year's results: 6 correct, 5 second choices correct and 9 blatantly wrong. There's some personal improvement there!
Most of the choices in the "lesser" categories were just glaringly obvious this year. It was an easy year in that regard. However, the 86th Academy Awards ceremony just proved once again how fickle Academy members can be when it comes to the acting categories. And also just how much the Academy likes to compromise. Then again, American Hustle received 10 nominations and ended up completely empty handed... Maybe because we once again didn't see Jennifer Lawrence's boobs? Oh well, let it go.

Today's Column: why I like the Razzies better than the Oscars

Here's another column I wrote for MovieScene this weekend:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/153493/column_de_rustgevende_razzies

I must admit inspiration came to me rather late in the game for this one. As a result it's certainly not my best piece, though when I did find a subject it was penned a lot faster than most other columns so far. I firmly believe in the Razzies as a rather stable, quiet ritual that is a welcome diversion from all the other Award fests plaguing the early months of each new year. Because it is solely about bad movies - the definition of which admittedly leaves a little to be desired occasionally, as in the case of The Lone Ranger this year - nobody cares so vigorously as when good movies are concerned. Amidst all the politics, anger and frustration surrounding the Academy Awards and the general discord which ensues when their winners are revealed, there's no such conflict over the Razzies. There's no need to account for bad taste after all: truly bad movies (though often still enjoyable on purpose) are generally considered just that, while defending or debunking the good qualities of a film, especially compared to other good films, causes much more consternation and lack of consensus. Few people will claim they thought Gravity was a bad film, but the level of its 'goodness' is open to questioning when comparing it with other movies that are considered good. Is Her a better movie than 12 Years a Slave? Who's to tell? Is Grown Ups 2 a horrendous picture? Yes, definitely! You have none of the tiresome hype you witness for two months around the Oscars at the Razzies. Plus, the Razzies don't take themselves seriously, while the Oscars do too strongly and not always deservedly so. The Razzies simply are a much more honest ritual, without agressively demanding as much attention from a movie lover as the Oscars sometimes so irritatingly do. So I'm all for Adam Sandler making more movies, just to keep the Razzies going. As long as I don't have to watch them.

Oscars 2014: My list of predictions

The long and dreary road to this year's Oscars has been put into motion, and no doubt people will want to know what I expect this year's winners to be. Not that I tend to care all that much about the Acadamy Awards or the whole dull press circus in the first few months of the year that accompanies it. It's just one big ritual going through all the usual motions. I much prefer to focus on the quality of these films on their own merits, without the huge buzz that surrounds them. Nevertheless, here's my list of guesses (which honestly is what they are, since you can analyze all you want but the Academy still has a habit of surprising you in the choices it makes, and often not pleasantly). I am not ashamed to say that in many cases I just go with what my gut tells me, something most critics are not prepared to admit.

Best Picture:

First choice: A tough one, as always. I can tell you which movies it won't be for sure, but as to the winner, for me it's a toss-up - as these events usually revolve around two very promising films with the results being about even, just as with the recent Golden Globes - between 12 Years a Slave, American Hustle, while possibly The Wolf of Wall Street has a shot as well. For now, my money is on 12 Years a Slave, which by itself must make up for the lack of other "black" pictures in these nominations, like The Butler and Fruitvale Station, which were lobbying for an award but didn't get very far apparently.
Second Choice: American Hustle.

Best Actor:

First Choice: Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave. Same reason as above really. Plus, Chiwetel is a damn fine actor and though a first time Oscar nominee, he has already five Golden Globe nominations on his resumé. It's about time he won something.
Second choice: Bruce Dern for Nebraska.

Best Actress:

First Choice: Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine. An Oscar favorite that really needs a Lead Actress win, as opposed to a Supporting Actress take a decade ago. All the other female performances are impeccable, but this one just stands out supremely.
Second choice: Any Adams for American Hustle.

Best Supporting Actor:

First Choice: Barkhad Abdi for Captain Phillips. A stellar performance from a first time actor, holding his own opposite a veteran like Tom Hanks. You don't see that every day.
Second choice: Michael Fassbender for 12 Years a Slave.

Best Supporting Actress:

First Choice: No truly safe bets here, so I'll go with Jennifer Lawrence, since everybody likes her and so do I. Yes, that's also how this game sometimes works.
Second choice: Lupita Nyong'o for 12 Years a Slave. Same reason as Barkhad Abdi, except she has done slightly more.

Best Director:

First Choice: Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave. Again, same reason as why 12 Years a Slave is on this list of mine most of the times (though also because I haven't yet seen it so I can't underscore my argument in more detail). A black director winning an Oscar, doesn't happen often enough. Call me a racist if you must, but remember the b(l)acklash not so long ago when there weren't so many coloured people even nominated despite their considerable contribution to otherwise hugely nominated movies. Yes, they can!
Second choice: Martin Scorsese for The Wolf of Wall Street. Because it's about friggin' time this man took home another statue, considering how often he gets nominated but leaves empty handed.

Best Original Screenplay:

First Choice: American Hustle.
Second choice: Her.

Best Adapted Screenplay:

First Choice: 12 Years a Slave.
Second choice: The Wolf of Wall Street.

Best Animated Feature:

First Choice: Frozen. Apart from The Wind Rises, the other nominess are nothing remarkable (and poor Pixar simply got ignored this year, which was a long time coming really). However, that film seems too controversial, plus it's foreign material too. Frozen is a safer bet, as it carries all the good traits of a typical Disney movie, but shows the Mouse House is finally flowing with the times a little.
Second choice: The Wind Rises.

Best Foreign Film:

First Choice: La Grande Bellezza. This year's smash hit in arthouse theaters.
Second choice: Jagten. Better late than never, but not in time for a win. This movie is like 18 months old by now!

Best Cinematography:

First Choice: Gravity. The finest, most groundbreaking and impressive camera work I've seen in many years.
Second choice: Inside Llewyn Davis.

Best Editing:

First Choice: Gravity. Cuaron and his team once again make fabulous use of his trademark long takes, and the trick is you don't even notice the cutting.
Second choice: American Hustle.

Best Production Design:

First Choice: The Great Gatsby. Spectacularly lavish, the main reason to watch this film, which leaves something to be desired in terms of story and character. But it looks flawless.
Second choice: Gravity.

Best Costume Design:

First Choice: The Great Gatsby. Like I said, it all looks grand (characters included), it just doesn't feel it.
Second choice: American Hustle.

Best Make-up:

First Choice: already an uproar has commenced due to American Hustle being wrongfully snubbed in this category. Dallas Buyer's Club therefore seems the most eligible choice left.
Second choice: The Lone Ranger.

Best Music:

First Choice: Her. It needs to win something after all.
Second choice: The Book Thief. There's scoring, and there's John Williams.

Best Song:

First Choice: Frozen. Let it go, Academy! Let it gooooohooo!!
Second choice: Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.

Best Sound Mixing:

First Choice: Gravity.
Second choice: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

Best Sound Editing:

First Choice: Gravity.
Second choice: All is Lost.

Best Visual Effects:

First Choice: Gravity. I rarely experienced a movie that deserved this honour so badly. If Gravity loses, I call shenanigans on the Academy! Wouldn't be the first time though.
Second choice: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. The dragon looked badass, though I admit some other things in the film didn't appear nearly as stunning.

Best Documentary:

First Choice: The Act of Killing. Very disturbing but equally intriguing. May not be the Academy's cup of tea though.
Second choice: Dirty wars.

The first week of March will tell me how wrong, or maybe how right for a change, I just happen to be.

Movies gone by: when will it end...

Here's some more mini-reviews of movies I failed to review before due to technical difficulties. Meanwhile, I still see more films every week so it's piling up fast. Hopefully, I can still find time to finish this catching-up and get back to regular reviewing. Next week will be busy for me though (regular work, press viewing, dentist appointment, shipping out many parcels full of sold Jurassic Park figures, etc.), so that remains to be seen. Fingers crossed, no promises.

Hyde Park on Hudson: ***/*****, or 6/10.

The historic first visit of English royalty to the United States in 1939 immortalized on film, seen through the eyes of President Roosevelt's distant cousin Margaret (played by Laura Linney), with whom he had an uneasy semi-secret affair. Equally uneasy is the first meeting between Mr. President (a formidable Bill Murray) and the King and Queen of Britain (a sympathetic and convincingly 'just crowned' Samuel West and Olivia Colman), the latter pair being completely uncomfortable with the American way of life, but in need of winning over the American public to support the Brits in the apparently unavoidable upcoming war with Germany. The ultimate message: they're all normal human beings with their own failings and strengths so why not be friends? Putting human faces on historical characters of such stature is what this film does best, resulting in both hilarious confrontations – my favorite: the King waving at American farmers in the distance for lack of other people to wave at, only to be completely ignored – and genuinely compelling emotional moments, but it's also a weakness: these people behave all too human, thus making for a fair share of dull moments that compromise the film's progress as the characters engage in routine human behavior. The plot regarding FDR and his hidden mistress also gets in the way as it gears towards a predictable clash between both personalities over the exact nature of their affiliation that lacks full audience engagement. Overall, this is a real 'hit and miss' movie, but the thrill of seeing historical characters bicker and argue about whether or not to eat hot dogs due to their political nature demands at least one watch. My ex-history teacher, who was sitting in the audience when I was running the film at the local arthouse theatre, seemed to agree with this assessment: glad to know I learned some things from him back in my high school days.

Life of Pi: ****/*****, or 8/10.

Grand tale of survival, man “versus” beast, the importance of hope and the personal nature of religious beliefs, which won Ang Lee the 'Best Director' Academy Award. A man from India named Pi (Irrfan Khan) tells his life's tale: growing up in a zoo, ultimately moving the whole animal circus to America as a boy, only to lose everything (including his family) in a tropical storm at sea. Stranded on a life boat, the young man (now played by Suraj Sharma) has to contend with the only other survivor, an adult tiger named Richard Parker (created by a fabulous mix between CGI and the real deal, the two blending in so seemlessly that few people can tell the difference: a VFX Oscar well earned!). Stuck with each other for months on end on the ocean desert, Pi recalls their various encounters, the good, the bad and the bizarre, with the message that no matter how bleak things seem, there's always something to enjoy about the circumstances life has in store for you. Lee serves this viewpoint from an atypical religious angle that celebrates the good in religion by allowing Pi to take the best elements of various religious belief systems and appropriating it to form his own feel-good personal religion. The surprising result (for hardcore atheists like myself at least) is that, despite the fact Pi opens his story with the line 'I will tell you a story that will make you believe in God', the movie is never to be considered a pamphlet to convert anyone to any organized faith, but a call for total individualist religious freedom, to belief in whatever you want to belief to make the world work better for yourself. And so, despite having lost his family at sea and having to take care not to be eaten every day, Pi cannot help but marvel at life's grandeur, as he witnesses splendid sights seen by few, including a whale feasting on phosphorescent plankton at night, a carnivorous island populated only by meercats and eventual mutual survival for Richard and himself against all odds. As is expected from Ang Lee, such a colourful tale comes with his typical ingeniously rich visual imagery, leading to many breathtaking and haunting shots ('Best Cinematography' too), made all the more effective by its grandiose use of 3D technology: hence, watching this film in 2D is like listening to music with your ears closed.

Gangster Squad: ***/*****, or 6/10.

Period crime flick set in late Fourties' Los Angeles, loosely based on historical events. When the city suffers under the regime of ruthless crime boss Mickey Cohen (unusual but effective role for Sean Penn), who rules through intimidation and corruption, a few clean cops form an equally uncompromising (i.e., violent) 'gangster squad' to rid the town of Cohen and his consorts by any means necessary. Under the command of Josh Brolin, these badgeless law enforcers hit Cohen as hard as they can in any which way they can think of, showing no mercy at all. An all-out war between both parties is the predictable result, while a rather forced love relationship is established between cop Ryan Gosling and Cohen's mistress Emma Stone, to complicate matters romantically (and needlessly too). All in all, a solid action flick devoid of surprises, but delivering everything you would expect (which is both meant positively and negatively). Originally scheduled to be released a good six months earlier, a shootout scene in a movie theater needed to be altered due to the Aurora 'Dark Knight Rises' incident: some footage of the original scene can still be found in trailers all over the Internet though. The most interesting thing about this film is the fact it's a direct prequel to the far superior period thriller/'film noir' LA Confidential (1997), which details what happened after Cohen's historical downfall and outmatches Gangster Squad in almost every respect (except for the explicit violence).

Django Unchained: ****/*****, or 8/10.

Hailed as 'Tarantino's latest masterpiece' well in advance of its actual release, this movie reaffirms Tarantino excels in taking an established film genre and dipping it in his usual sauce of violence, a catching soundtrack and memorable oneliners. Though it's safe to say the man ought to resort to other tactics soon before it backfires on him, it cannot be denied Django Unchained is a great, thoroughly entertaining film. Chronicling the rise to freedom of former slave Django (a stern Jamie Foxx) by the grace of bounty hunter Dr. Schultz (Christoph Waltz, who won his second Oscar by repeating himself for a Tarantino film, except playing a good guy this time around), the movie witnesses Django, striking a deal with the man, becoming his sidekick as the two track down his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), who is now in the service of the wealthy southern slaver Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio, both surprisingly charming and wickedly discomforting). Figuring out an elaborate scheme to get his wife back, Django soon finds out more violent solutions are in order to reach his goal. The no-no word 'nigger' can be heard a whopping 107 times, to the acknowledgment of its historical use but to the predictable shock of conservative America: accordingly, action figures of characters from this film were promptly taken off shelves to avoid controversy in stores, but the ridiculous debate about the use of such sensitivewords rages on. Apparently quality television shows like Deadwood get away with it, but a much anticipated flick like this gets marred in political debate for applying the same tactics. A wonderfully intertextual neo-western, the film is laced with references to past westerns, both the undying classics and the more obscure fare, as is Tarantino's forte. The (this time hidden) movie babbling fortunately doesn't get in the way of plot and character development, as it did in Death Proof and tended to do in Inglourious Basterds. Tarantino gets away with his proven routine again, for now: it would be nice to see him tackle something wholly new for a change though.

Oscars 2013: I did guess a few right

So the whole Academy Award circus for 2012 has finally come and gone. As always I have mixed feelings about the results. There were a few winners that definitely deserved to win, while a few others... not so much. And one choice was just simply atrocious. Here's the result of my guesses from January:

-Best Picture: wrong. Argo won over Zero Dark Thirty. Guess the latter was a little too controversial after all, despite being directed by the Academy's favourite female director. Oh well, Argo also makes for a deserving winner and people won't make fun of Ben Affleck for quite a while.
Second choice: also wrong. A French movie winning Best Picture, what was I thinking?! But then, why was it even nominated in the first place?

-Best Actor: wrong. Poor Joaquin, he did so well as the unstable, irrational messed up Master's disciple. But I should have known better than to bet against Daniel D-L, he's an veritable Oscar magnet.
Second choice: Daniel Day-Lewis. Correct! Next time the guy is up for an Oscar, make it easy for everybody and don't bother nominating other people, it's a waste of time.

-Best Actress: wrong. It was Jennifer Lawrence after all. Very good, Academy, not going for a new age record (youngest ever or oldest ever), but stay within previously established boundaries. Wouldn't have wanted to miss out on the accompanying sarcastic comment by Lawrence after she tripped on the stairs while going to the stage: 'you're all standing up because I fell down and it's embarrassing'. I guess those steps would have been much harder on an 85 year old actress, she wouldn't have arrived alive. You saved her life, Academy!
Second choice: also wrong.

-Best Supporting Actor: wrong. Guess The Master himself isn't really the master. Philip Seymour Hoffman apparently hasn't mastered acting as much as Christoph Waltz.
Second choice: also wrong.

-Best Supporting Actress: correct! Anne Hathaway, obviously. Her singing was apparently right up the Academy's alley.

-Best Director: wrong. Once again a non Indian movie about Indians having a hard time makes even the most hardened Academy veteran be moved to tears. So Ang Lee runs off with the Oscar. Not a bad choice though, but this category was definitely the hardest to predict so I'm not ashamed.
Second choice: also wrong.

-Best Original Screenplay: wrong. Tarantino once again proves he can easily get away with ripping off older movies. Good flick, I must admit, but Tarantino's method of taking a genre and pastiching the shit out of it in an orgy of violence and swearing (106 'niggers', for your information: I didn't bother counting all the 'fucks') is bound to backfire on him some day.
Second choice: also wrong.

-Best Adapted Screenplay: Correct! Argo, duh!

-Best Animated Feature: wrong. Now this one pisses me off, big time. The Academy ignored four superior movies over a stale princess flick like Brave?! What is this, a pity award for Pixar since they're on a creative downward spiral and everybody knows it!? The other nominees were all more original, more refined, more edgy, more daring and most of all, much more fun. Frankenweenie even made my eyes water my cheeks, dammit! There's nothing brave about going for an overly traditional, conservative, dull cartoon like this one. Epic fail, fully deserving off my 'Most cinematically pissed off moment of the year' rant.
Second choice: leave me alone, I'm angry!

-Best Foreign Picture: correct. Putting Amour back in its place, like it should be.

-Best Cinematography: correct!

-Best Editing: wrong.
Second choice: also wrong.

-Best Production Design: wrong. I guess Middle-Earth just isn't cool anymore at the Academy. It's, like, soooo 2003. And it got a total of seventeen Oscars already anyway...
Second choice: correct.

-Best Costume Design: correct! I told you so, any movie starring Keira Knightley that gets Oscar nominated for putting her in funky dresses wins. It's a natural law.

-Best Make-up: wrong. Thirteen Dwarves and apparently none of them look good enough compared to suffering French people singing about their misery (even though the Dwarves basically did the same thing the entire film).
Second choice: also wrong.

-Best Music: wrong. Oh well, John Williams already has a fair amount of Oscars.
Second choice: correct.

-Best song: correct! For Skyfall, Adele didn't crumble, but she stood tall, and made us face it all together. At Skyfaaaaaaaaall!

-Best Sound Mixing: wrong.
Second choice: correct.

-Best Sound Editing: a tie?! How the bloody hell does that work?! And I voted for neither...
Second choice: I got one right at least. But seriously, what is going on here?

-Best Visual Effects: wrong. My bad, I forgot Richard Parker wasn't a real tiger. It was already confusing you know, this cat also being the father of Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man. Cut me some slack!
Second choice: also wrong. Hulk sad...


So I got 6 correct, 5 second choices correct and 9 blatantly wrong. Far worse results than last year, when these things were, like, easier. How could I have known the Academy decided to get all politically correct and compromise the shit out of things here by giving every movie a little piece of the pie? And what's all this weird stuff happening here? A French movie getting five nominations? A tie for Sound Editing? Brave winning Best Animated Feature? What kind of sick conspiracy is going on here? Argo fuck yourself!

At least Jennifer Lawrence gets it. At Skyfaaaaaaaall!

Oscars 2013: Where's Jagten and what's with the love for Amour?

Still being a worm in my mother's Apple. Hopefully this ghastly situation won't last much longer and I can finally go about making good on my noble intentions for the year and update my blog like three times a week instead of three times a month. Still not happening though, but at least I'm now taking the time to have a go at the Oscar nominees, before the Academy Awards for 2012 have happened.

Ah, the Oscars. That awful Academy Award ceremony where a bunch of feeble-minded rigid  Hollywood conservatives decide what movies of the year are the best, after which the rest of us movie buffs all just have to live with their at times nonsensical, but equally often utterly predictable choices. There's a lot of good movies competing this year, but there's also a few illogical nominations going around: someone please explain to me why a non-English spoken movie like Amour is up for no less than five (!) awards. Like last year, here are my own thoughts as to which movies will win what award, with a back-up choice for each category.




-Best Picture: Zero Dark Thirty. Despite its controversy, Kathryn Bigelow remains a favorite at the Oscars. Being similar in nature to The Hurt Locker, which also won Best Picture, this is a likely choice.
-Second choice: Amour. There's much ado about this movie, it might as well be the first fully French spoken movie to run away with Best Picture.

-Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix for The Master.
-Second choice: Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln. It's D. D.-L., he wins every time. Why should this time be any different?

-Best Actress: Emanuelle Riva for Amour. Very demanding role, played completely believable and totally compelling.
-Second choice: Jessica Chastain for Zero Dark Thirty.

-Best Supporting Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman for The Master. After all, he's The Master.
-Second choice: Tommy Lee Jones for Lincoln.

-Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway for Les Miserables. She can act, she can sing, she can starve herself to appear for real. So she can win.
-Second choice: Amy Adams for The Master.

-Best Director: Michael Haneke for Amour.
-Second choice: David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook.

-Best Screenplay: Zero Dark Thirty.
-Second choice: Moonrise Kingdom.

-Best Adapted Screenplay: Argo.
-Second choice: Silver Linings Playbook.

-Best Cinematography: Life of Pi. Shows you just how much you can do with a boy, a tiger, a boat and a camera. In 3D no less.
-Second choice: Django Unchained.

-Best Costume Design: Anna Karenina. Keira Knightley + Costumes = Oscar. Wouldn't be the first time.
-Second choice: Lincoln.

-Best Sound Mixing: Lincoln.
-Second choice: Les Miserables.

-Best Editing: Zero Dark Thirty.
-Second Choice: Life of Pi.

-Best Sound Editing: Django Unchained.
-Second choice: Skyfall.

-Best Visual Effects: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
-Second choice: The Avengers.

-Best Makeup: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
-Second choice: Hitchcock.

-Best Original Song: Skyfall. Really catchy. I reckon the guys at the Oscars can't get it out of their heads either. So let's face it all together. At Skyfaaa-hahahall.
-Second choice: Les Miserables.

-Best Music: Lincoln.
-Second Choice: Life of Pi.

-Best Foreign Film: Amour. Foreign, but still a lot of love for this one so also might win Best Picture. Typical insane Hollywood hypocrisy.
-Second choice: En Kongelig Affaere. Mads Mikkelsen is in this. Speaking of which, where is Jagten in all this?! Shenanigans says I!

-Best Animated Feature: Frankenweenie. Lousy year for computer animated films, but excellent for stop motion, and this one was the best.
-Second choice: The Pirates! Band of Misfits. Frankenweenie was the best, but this one was the most fun. Pirate Award here, please!

-Best Production Design: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Middle-Earth still looks spectacular. The opening scene alone, delving deeply into Dwarf history, was Oscar-worthy.
-Second choice: Lincoln.


I'm confident I got at least ten of these right. Time will tell. Hopefully my PC will be back to normal by the time the Oscars are handed out so I can report on my triumph/failure in predicting these sodding prices everybody is always so full about but nobody could really care less for.

Oscars 2011: the results

-Best Picture: correct!

-Best Leading Actor: correct!

-Best Leading Actress: incorrect...

Second choice: correct.

-Best Supporting Actor: incorrect...

Second choice: correct.

-Best Supporting Actress: incorrect...

Second choice: correct.

-Best Director: correct!

-Best Original Screenplay: incorrect...

Second choice: correct.

-Best Adapted Screenplay: correct!

-Best Animated Movie: incorrect...

Second choice: correct.

-Best Foreign Movie: incorrect...

Second choice: incorrect...

-Best Cinematography: correct!

-Best Editing: incorrect...

Second choice: incorrect...

-Best Art Direction: correct!

-Best Costume Design: incorrect...

Second choice: incorrect...

-Best Makeup: correct!

-Best Score: correct!

-Best Song: correct!

-Best Sound Mixing: incorrect...

Second choice: correct.

-Best Sound Editing: incorrect...

Second choice: correct.

-Best Visual Effects: incorrect...

Second choice: correct.

-Best Documentary: incorrect...

Second choice: correct.

Correct: 9

Correct on second choice: 9

Fully incorrect: 3

Not a bad score overall. Surprising to see how many of my second choice hunches proved to be right. I guess I should listen to that silly voice inside my head more... And Rango won! Wow, who would have thought the Academy would condone a gritty weird movie about talking animals appropriating an iconic American genre, with a fair amount of jokes about alcohol and inbreeding? There's hope yet for oddball animation in mainstream cinema!

So, are there some decisions I feel like bitchin' about? Sure. Drive didn't even get that one Oscar it was nominated for, the Academy must really hate that movie! Also, it's obvious the potential of Motion Capture is still way over the Academy's head, robbing the Apes of their prize. I'm also quite disappointed by the choices of winning actresses. It's no news Meryl Streep is a good actress, and it's harsh to see poor Rooney Mara paying the price for that, losing to that old hag. I guess two Oscars for Streep just wasn't enough, eh? A similar feeling rose when Bérénice Bejo didn't get the Oscar for a performance just as gripping as Dujardin's. They really made The Artist work together, neither of them did it single handedly. Giving one an award and the other none seems cruel. Other than that, me and the Academy seem to be largely on the same page. So where can I apply for Academy membership again? I still see room for improvement!

Oscars, Oscars everywhere, but not a Drive to win!

Oscar day is less than two days away now, so I thought I'd skip the usual discussion of a movie I watched the last few days and discuss my particular pick of winners instead, either movies I think will win, or movies I hope will win (wouldn't it be great if these two were one and the same?). First of all, I must protest against the Academy's decision not to nominate Drive for Best Picture, which it easily deserves. What is the point of expanding the number of Oscar nominees for Best Picture from five to ten if you ignore the tenth? So only nine nominees this year, but at least most people agree which movie would have been number ten, and which movie would have won in general. By omitting Drive and not picking a tenth movie, the Academy might as well have outright stated this movie would have won if it wasn't too violent for the Academy's taste, even though decreasing the gore levels would have made Drive a less effective movie. Similarly, also very disappointing to see Michael Fassbender is not nominated for Best Actor for his revealing role in Shame, but of course we can't have a civilized institute like the Academy promoting nudity in movies. Both cases of severe neglect were rather predictable, the Academy being the rigid backward uptight American institute it is, obviously uncomfortable with actors showing what they consider 'explicit nudity' (a penis) or films displaying extreme violence (a man getting his head kicked into pulp while using an elevator), despite such actors and films being actually excellent and already enjoying a rather large amount of positive critique around the globe. It's the same small minded thinking that robbed Mickey Rourke of his well deserved Oscar for The Wrestler just for using a swear word the day before the ceremony, but it's the way it is so we can do nothing but complain about it. A lot.

So, eliminating two given winners, what remains? Still a fair amount of good motion picture making fortunately, though also a decent amount of nonsensical nominations (War Horse for best picture? Really?). So here are my predictions:

-Best Picture: The Artist. Not only is it celebrating Hollywood's roots (and to some extent, the Academy's) in a fantastic way, it's also the most original constructed piece among the nine nominees, using all the ancient techniques that started it all. Plus, it's actually from France, and it would be deliciously ironic to have a French movie win this American price by largely just eliminating the language barrier altogether, yet illustrating that a well crafted motion picture can charm audiences everywhere. Also, with Drive out of the picture, the competition just doesn't seem up to it. All good movies, sure, but few of them seem like actual Best Picture material.

Second choice: Hugo.

-Best Leading Actor: Jean Dujardin for The Artist. Such a riveting and charming performance! The full emotional spectrum, but doing away with dialogue, thus making it harder for the actor to convey his character's feelings, and Dujardin excelled at this.

Second choice: George Clooney for The Descendants.

-Best Leading Actress: Rooney Mara for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. A very challenging and sometimes shocking performance, made more difficult by various metal appliances, some excessive body paint and an obligatory Swedish accent (though in this movie her male counterpart didn't need one, since he's already an established star and apparently doesn't need to show why he is by turning to silly accents). Considering Rooney's limited experience so far this is a genuine tour-de-force. Definitely a young actress to keep watching!

Second choice: Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady.

-Best Supporting Actor: Kenneth Branagh for My Week with Marilyn. One great Shakespearean actor playing another, and doing a grand job at it. Besides, the poor man has been nominated four times before for an equal number of different departments of making movies, and he always left empty handed. Fifth time is the charm, or keeping with tradition?

Second choice: Christopher Plummer for Beginners.

-Best Supporting Actress: Bérénice Bejo for The Artist. Same reasons as Jean Dujardin above, plus the fact she's even more charming and just generally cute. Just as we want this pair to live happily ever after together in the movie, we want them to leave with one of those funny gold statues together.

Second choice: Octavia Spencer for The Help.

-Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist. I could tell you why, but I don't want to sound repetitive by now. So I'll just say he should win an Oscar because he made a good movie that really, really deserves it. And I might also refer you to my article on The Artist, since I'm not above shameless self-promotion.

Second choice: Martin Scorsese for Hugo.

-Best Original Screenplay: The Artist. You try and write a screenplay for a movie that has no dialogue.

Second choice: Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris.

-Best Adapted Screenplay: The Descendants. The other nominees, except for Hugo, seem too politically charged or too subversive to win in this category under the current conservative climate in the Academy. So it's a toss-up between Hugo and The Descendants, and I go for the latter because the Academy usually favors a movie that is all about characters, while Hugo (which of course is not at all lacking in the character department) also has that visual element to it the Academy often seems to regard with a bit of disdain. If there's one category that's basically a wild guess, it's this one.

Second choice: Hugo.

-Best Animated Movie: Kung Fu Panda 2. I would have said Rango, but I figure it's much too subversive and bizarre for the Academy's limited taste. Kung Fu Panda 2, though potentially suffering from being a sequel (also something the Academy often is intolerant of), seems like a safer bet. The other choices are either too artsy or simply not Oscar material (Puss in Boots? Come on!).

Second choice: Rango.

-Best Foreign Movie: In Darkness. Holocaust drama. What more needs there to be said about this one? Kate Winslet is living proof.

Second choice: Rundskop.

-Best Cinematography: Hugo. Martin Scorsese + 3-D = kickass camera work.

Second choice: The Tree of Life.

-Best Editing: The Artist. Though containing a lot of fairly straight forward montage due to the use of old techniques needed to give the movie a classic feel, there's also some fabulous split-screen and wiping going on which is simply too beautiful to ignore. Striving not to be boring, the editor and director turned to various daring pieces of editing (some nearly extinct these days) to convey the overall mood much more dramatically.

Second choice: Hugo.

-Best Art Direction: Hugo. Only a master of motion pictures like Scorsese could make such a wonderful combination of history and fantasy come alive so breathtakingly visually, making use of the set dressing in such a vivid fashion. The other contestants, though good in their own right, don't even come close.

Second choice: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

-Best Costume Design: Anonymous. Underwhelmed by this year's offer of costumes, I go for the safe bet of splendid Elizabethan outfits. Fairly typical.

Second choice: Jane Eyre.

-Best Makeup: The Iron Lady. Look what they did to poor Meryl Streep, she looks like an old hag! And so did Margaret Thatcher.

Second choice: Albert Nobbs.

-Best Score: The Artist. Very little dialogue and sounds effects, so the music has an even bigger job at making the action feel compelling and emotional, and it succeeds at every turn.

Second choice: The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.

-Best Song: 'Man or Muppet' from The Muppets. Great song, also kinda catchy (like it or not). You haven't lived until you've wondered whether Jim Parsons could actually be a Muppet while pretending to be singing to this song. Anyway, it's the Muppets, song is their forte. Plus, the competition is practically non-existent.

Second choice: Rio.

-Best Sound Mixing: Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Okay, so the movie is utter trash, but the sound effects are great, again. It's not enough to carry the movie, but at least it makes these digital robots turning into cars feel somewhat real.

Second choice: Hugo.

-Best Sound Editing: Drive. Making great use of simple sound effects and good songs to achieve a maximum level of dynamics and full audience participation in this hellish joy ride. Besides, Drive should at least take home one Oscar after being ignored so drastically. Since this is the only category it's nominated for (Humbug! Shenanigans!), it might as well be this one. Otherwise, I would feel fine if the director of the movie winning Best Picture (unless it be The Artist) gets viciously assaulted by the director of Drive while on the elevator with this films's score in the background. Seems poetic justice.

Second choice: Hugo.

-Best Visual Effects: Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It's about time Andy Serkis got an Oscar for mo-capping so many fantastic digital creatures (even though he won't be the one to accept it). Motion Capture is a grand effects breakthrough but the Academy has yet to really acknowledge its potential. Here's their chance to right this wrong.

Second choice: again, Hugo.

-Best Documentary: Pina. A documentary about ballet, making full use of 3-D's potential. Seems like quite a cinematic achievement, for 3-D, documentaries and ballet.

Second choice: Undefeated.

And there you have it. Time will prove me right. Or wrong. Or 7 out of 21 right or wrong. Or another possible combination. Depending on how wrong I was, expect a follow-up to this piece next week. If I turn out to be 100% correct (fat chance!), I'll leave it at this and celebrate it by watching a Drive/Shame double feature.