So every year I send out an email to friends and family with my picks for the Oscars. This year, Imma post it here as well.
So here we are, less than four days away from the Sunday of all Sundays, The Academy Awards. Woo hoo! It feels like it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, but better late than never, no? And I just know you’re all dying to hear my opinionated self. Just gagging for it.
Let’s start big-
Best Picture:
Nominees...
127 Hours
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone
Thoughts:
It took me way too long to work through this list, but I have to say-I’m really pleased with what made the cut. Summer blockbusters are normally shunned at the Awards and yet two of them managed to make it onto the list, and then there are the adaptations, the remake and the indie dramas. While I didn’t love all of them, unlike last year when Avatar completely made a mockery of the whole process, this group? I’ll probably end up owning most of them on DVD.
Gillian’s Pick: The Social Network
Woo! No but seriously, if Toy Story weren’t a cartoon, I’d have had a much harder time picking this one out.
Who’s Going To Win: The King’s Speech
Come on, let’s deal with it. It’s British, it’s old fashioned, it’s got royalty, and aside from making yourself Ugly or Disabled, being a Royal is a surefire way to win something (Come on, even Forest Whitaker won the prize, and he wasn’t even an actual HRH-haha...). Don’t get me wrong, I loved this film, and maybe it’s more a generational thing that makes me want The Social Network to win, but I cannot abide Oscar Bait.
Best Actor, Leading:
Nominees...
Javier Bardem - Biutiful
Jeff Bridges - True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network
Colin Firth - The King’s Speech
James Franco - 127 Hours
Thoughts:
Ok, so I’m missing out on Javier Bardem’s performance which is sad because he’s really really nice to look at and to hear him speaking Spanish? Excuse me, I just swooned. So he can do no wrong. In general though, a nice bunch, but I’m confused as to why on earth Jeff Bridges is up for Lead when clearly True Grit was Hailee Steinfeld’s film. Anyway.
Gillian’s Pick: Colin Firth - The King’s Speech
Who’s Going To Win: Colin Firth - The King’s Speech
Come on. Really now. Even though I know this is just the Academy going ‘ok, we MESSED UP last year by giving it to Jeff Bridges, so this year we’ll make amends by giving it to Colin no matter what role he’s in’, I have to say that at least it’s a good role. It might not be on par with A Single Man, but at least he’s good in it. And yeah, people have been going ‘oh, it’s Colin’s year!’ but that’s only because it was his *actual* year last year, and he was robbed. Completely robbed. Bastards.
Best Actress, Leading:
Nominees...
Annette Bening - The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman - Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence - Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman - Black Swan
Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine
Thoughts:
Pretty strong year for women, eh? Oh who am I kidding, I’ve only been able to see three of these performances, and sadly, based on those, I’m still going to have to pick...
Gillian’s Pick: Natalie Portman - Black Swan
Who’s Going To Win: Natalie Portman - Black Swan
I truly truly truly wish Hailee Steinfeld were in this category (as she should be!), because then I’d have a much harder time picking out Natalie for the win. Yeah. That’s about it, really.
Best Actor, Supporting:
Nominees...
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
Thoughts:
Frankly, I kinda found this selection to be a bit weak. I mean...ok no. No, I’ve changed my mind. I was thinking about the leading actors group being a bit weak. *cough*JeffBridges*cough*
Gillian’s Pick: Señor Bale - The Fighter
Who’s Going To Win: Señor Bale - The Fighter
Really, I don’t think this category is going to be an upset. Even though I liked Mark Ruffalo in TKAAR (sounds Russian), and I went on and on about how not even being an HRH can get you the coveted prize (Geoffrey Rush), there really isn’t much doubt as to who’s going to get this. Honestly, there should just be a Bale Award every time he does something worth nominating.
Best Actress, Supporting:
Nominees...
Amy Adams - The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter - The King’s Speech
Melissa Leo - The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit
Jackie Weaver - Animal Kingdom
Thoughts:
First thought? Hailee Steinfeld should be in Leading. Second thought? Jackie Weaver should be in Leading. Third thought? Do they really care what I think?
Gillian’s Pick: Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit
Who’s Going To Win: Amy Adams - The Fighter
Well, it’s between her and Melissa, I suppose. Well, and HBC.
Directing:
Nominees...
Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan
Joel & Ethan Cohen - True Grit
David Fincher - The Social Network
Tom Hooper - The King’s Speech
David O. Russell - The Fighter
Thoughts:
Why is Russell nominated? I am confused. Also, if they’re going to make me spend even more time watching double the amount of films for this thing, shouldn’t they double the directing category? I dunno, it seems appropriate. I mean, even though the two don’t necessarily go hand in hand...a Best Film doesn’t just become one without a pretty damn awesome director.
Gillian’s Pick: David Fincher - The Social Network
Who’s Going To Win: David Fincher - The Social Network
That’s right, I’m going for the upset of Tom Hooper.
Screenplay, Original:
Nominees...
Another Year - Mike Leigh
The Fighter - Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, Keith Dorrington
Inception - Christopher Nolan
The Kids Are All Right - Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg
The King’s Speech - Daivd Seidler
Thoughts:
So I’m missing out on Another Year by Mike Leigh, but you could screen a Mike Leigh film for a deaf dumb and blind kid, and even they’d be able to make some sort of gesture announcing how they know it’s a Mike Leigh film.
Gillian’s Pick: Inception - Christopher Nolan
This is me saying ‘Christopher Nolan should be in the directing category instead of Russell’. Also, my argument for why this is going to happen: ok, so we’ve all seen when South Park mocked Inception, and frankly, if I watched Inception for the sixth time, I’d probably get a little tired of it, but it’s also done something that so many films have failed before it-made a summer audience think. This isn’t The Sixth Sense where there’s a big ‘WHAT?’ moment, this is Inception, where even the characters get a little confused as to what’s going on. In a good way, of course.
Who’s Going To Win: Inception - Christopher Nolan
Yup.
Screenplay, Adapted:
Nominees...
127 Hours - Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy
The Social Network - Aaron Sorkin
Toy Story 3 - Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich
True Grit - Joel & Ethan Cohen
Winter’s Bone - Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini
Thoughts:
I loved how the Cohens used the actual text from the source material-it just added so much to a film that could’ve just shown 19th Century America with costumes and horses and going ‘oh, what a new-fangled machine, that train! runs on smoke? strange...’ a bunch of times, but no. The language was to die for and didn’t even feel awkward listening to it. In other news, Toy Story 3 made me cry.
Gillian’s Pick: The Social Network - Aaron Sorkin
I love Aaron Sorkin.
Who’s Going To Win: The Social Network - Aaron Sorkin
I love Aaron Sorkin.
Animated:
Nominees...
How To Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3
Thoughts:
Two out of three isn’t bad. Not bad at all...
Gillian’s Pick: Toy Story 3
Who’s Going To Win: Toy Story 3
I'd go on to Best Foreign Film and Documentary, but I've been incredibly lax with the two categories, I'd feel like I was cheating, so I'll just say this-Susanne Bier is nominated, and I want her to win. Bad Danish jokes aside, she's someone I really admire and when I went to watch Inception in the cinemas, the trailer for her film came on and even though I kinda understood only a little bit of it, it still *looked* good. So yeah. And Exit Through The Gift Shop, though widely thought to be a complete hoax, I still want to win. Liked it. A lot.
So that's the end of my Oscar Email 2011 Edition. Maybe next year I'll be...more eloquent, faster, etc etc.
Come Monday you'll know the following:
+I'll have sat on the sofa for three hours in a fancy frock
+Had wine
+And probably got most of it wrong, like usual
No comments:
Post a Comment