Oscar Picks

My Oscar Picks (What I think will win, not what I would vote for if I was voting)

Picture-The King's Speech
Actor-Colin Firth The King's Speech
Actress-Natalie Portman Black Swan
Sup Actor-Christian Bale The Fighter
Sup Actress- Melissa Leo The Fighter
Director-David Fincher The Social Network
Original Screenplay-The King's Speech
Adapted Screenplay-The Social Network
Foreign Film- Dogtooth Greece
Animated Feature- Toy Story 3
Cinematography-True Grit
Film Editing- The Kng's Speech
Art Direction- Inception
Sound Editing-Inception
Sound Mixing-Inception
Visual FX-Inception
Documentary Feature-Restrepo
Costumes- The King's Speech
Orig. Score- The Social Network
Song-We Belong Together Toy Story 3
Make-up Wolfman
Documentary Short-Killing In The Name
Live Action short-The Crush
Animated Short-Night and Day

Barney's Version

Paul Giamatti plays a Jewish curmudgeon with a self-destructive streak, especially when it comes to the woman in his life in an adaptation of the Mordecai Richler (The Aprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz) novel,"Barney's Version". Giamatti won the Golden Globe for best Lead Performance by an Actor in a Comedy. I have no problem with that. He gives an excellent performance but if the Foreign Press Association thinks that this film is a comedy they're taking more powerful hallucinogens than I originally suspected. This movie is in no way, shape or form a comedy. In fact it's even less of a comedy than the eventual winner in the Golden Globes Best Comedy category "The Kids Are Alright" (also not a comedy). Really, the foreign press is either high or corrupt. I lean toward the second.
But that doesn't mean the movie isn't good. It is. This is a character study wrapped in a Jewish love story. It takes Giamatti through Barney's youthful idealism and two failed marriages, to his discovery of the love of his life. It shows Barney with all his raw flaws and weaknesses, some of which sabotage his happiness. The film takes him all the way to an early grave, which might just break your heart. But by that time the richness of a life lived fully, if not perfectly, has made the cinematic journey worth taking. And that's due in no small part to a smartly adapted script, a beautifully nuanced supporting turn by Rosamund Pike and Giamatti's layered performance. He deserves to have an award on his mantle for "Barney's Version". Just not one that says "Comedy" on it.

Oscar Nomination Day

Wow. Interesting year. The Oscar nominations are out and I had an average year (for me) calling 42 of the 48 nominees in the major categories, including getting all ten films for Best Picture correct, all of the Best Actress and Best Sup. Actors correct. "True Grit" made a surprisingly strong showing (10 nominations)but "The King's Speech" led the way with 12 nominations. Christopher Nolan Did NOT get a best director nomination. The Geek squad is already blogging furiously about that (I guess I'm included in that bunch). The Coen Brothers got the nod, even though they weren't nominated by the DGA. Javier Bardem got the call for Biutiful (see my blog entry). Ryan Gosling got ripped a little for "Blue Valentine" but Bardem is fantastic in that movie. Robert Duval was left off the list for "Get Low". Not sure what everyone sees in Jacki Weaver for the Australian film "Animal Kingdom" but maybe the nomination will bring the movie some attention. And finally, "Winter's Bone" gets 4 major nominations including Best Picture. I've been saying this since June but seek it out. The nominations are well deserved and you can get it on Netflix.

Here we go:
Best Picture
Inception
The Kids are Alright
The Social Network
True Grit
127 Hours
Winter's Bone
Toy Story 3
Black Swan
The King's Speech
The Fighter

Actor
Colin Firth The King's Speech
Jesse Eisenberg The Social Network
James Franco 127 Hours
Jeff Bridges True Grit
Javier Bardem Biutiful

Actress
Annette Bening The Kids Are Alright
Jennifer Lawrence Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman Black Swan
Nicole Kidman Rabbit Hole
Michelle Williams Blue Valentine

Supporting Actress
Melissa Leo The Fighter
Amy Adams The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter The King's Speech
Jacki Weaver Animal Kingdom
Haille Steinfeld True Grit

Supporting Actor
Christian Bale The Fighter
Mark Ruffalo The Kids Are Alright
Geoffrey Rush The King's Speech
Jeremy Renner The Town
John Hawkes Winter's Bone

Director
David O. Russel The Fighter
The Coens True Grit
Tom Hooper The King's Speech
Darren Aronofsky Black Swan
David Fincher The Social Network

Original Screenplay
The King's Speech
Inception
The Kids Are Alright
The Fighter
Another Year

Adapted Screenplay
Toy Story 3
The Social Network
True Grit
Winter's Bone
127 Hours

Animated Feature
How To Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3

Oscar Predictions

Alright, here's what I think The Academy will nominate. This isn't what I would nominate but rather what I think they will nominate. Here goes:

BEST PICTURE
The Social Network
Inception
The King's Speech
True Grit
The Fighter
------------These are the five that I think would have been nominated under the old 5 picture system.
127 Hours
Black Swan
The Kids Are All Right
Toy Story 3
Winter's Bone

Alt: The Town

BEST ACTOR
Jesse Eisenberg The Social Network
Colin Firth The King's Speech
James Franco 127 Hours
Jeff Bridges True Grit
Ryan Gosling Blue Valentine

BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening The Kids Are All Right
Jennifer Lawrence Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman Black Swan
Nicole Kidman Rabbit Hole
Michele Williams Blue Valentine

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Geoffrey Rush The King's Speech
Jeremy Renner The Town
Christian Bale The Fighter
John Hawkes Winter's Bone
Mark Ruffalo The Kids Are All Right

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Melissa Leo The Fighter
Amy Adams The Fighter
Haille Steinfeld True Grit
Helena Bonham Carter The King's Speech
Mila Kunis Black Swan

DIRECTOR
Tom Hooper The King's Speech
Christopher Nolan Inception
Darren Aronfsky Black Swan
David Fincher The Social Network
David O. Russel The Fighter

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Toy Story 3
The Social Network
True Grit
Winter's Bone
127 Hours

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The King's Speech
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
Black Swan
Blue Valentine

ANIMATED FEATURE
Toy Story 3
Tangled
How To Train Your Dragon

2010 Top Ten Films

According to me:

10) City Island- A New York-you-haven't-seen-before story. This is a quirky comedy with an ensemble that blends well. Andy Garcia has a dark secret--he wants to be an actor. And the fat girl/cooking porn site is as funny as anything in the movies this year.

9) The Town- Ben Affleck's second Boston-based film has an authentic feel to it and a great ensemble including Jeremy Renner, Rebeca Hall and the late Pete Posthelwaite. A terrific crime genre film.

8) Blue Valentine- A relationship spiraling downward but the pathos is in the flashback sequences. This couple started off so promising. Ryan Gosling is outstanding.

7) 127 Hours- Man v. Nature with the most intense scenes of the year. You need a strong stomach but the ride is thrilling.

6) The Kids Are Alright- An honest story about the struggles of a modern family. Oh and as a side note the central couple is gay. Terrific ensemble lead by Annette Bening.

5) True Grit- A western with grit as seen through the prism of the Coen Brother's talent. As entertaining as any film this year. Hailee Steinfeld is a rare find.

4) Toy Story 3- Pixar doing their brilliant Pixar thing. Clever and uplifting in a year where that is a rare event indeed.

3) Winter's Bone- Look up independent film and you find a one-sheet of this movie. Takes you to a world you have never seen before and immerses you in it. Where did they find Jennifer Lawrence? Brilliant performance.

2) The King's Speech- A film that fires on all cylinders. Watching Firth and Rush spar is truly amazing. Historical. Hysterical. Poignant. Charming. I see many gold statues in your future....

1) The Social Network- in a photo finish. A modern and topical look at friendship, betrayal and where our values are headed in the age of the computer. It's all about the script but the acting and directing are almost as impressive. Here's to you guys, Sorkin, Fincher, Eisenberg et al.

Runners up- Inception, The Ghost Writer, Date Night, Fish Tank, Please Give

All Good Things

Ryan Gosling is having quite a year. "Blue Valentine" is a critical hit, gathering him a a Golden Globe nomination and a shot at an Oscar nod. Now he backs it up with another film in which he does some pretty good character work, "All Good Things". Gosling plays David Marks, loosely based on a real psychopath who has up to now gotten away with a lot of the illegal activity he perpetrated. Gosling ages several decades as he stands trial for a murder that's hard to prove but may be related to the disappearance of his wife (Kirsten Dunst) and another friend.
These real life murders are an enigma as is much of the movie. The film steadfastly refuses to offer the audience much in terms of detail or motivation. That makes for about an hour and forty-five minutes of some confusing, non-committal storytelling. Things clear up in the end so if you have the patience you might find the experience worthwhile. But by the time they got to an explanation they had lost me. Too much brooding and shadowy innuendo for me. Still, Gosling and Dunst are pretty good in a fair-to-middlin' movie.

The Way Back

Peter Weir is one of the best directors in the biz and has been for a long time. That may be a generalization but I think I have broad support on this stance. Let the record show: Witness, Dead Poet's Society, Master and Commander, Fearless, Mosquito Coast, The Truman Show, The Year of Living Dangerously. That's not even counting his youthful days as part of the Australian New Wave with films like Gallipoli, The Last Wave or Picnic at Hanging Rock. That's some resume, huh?
When Peter Weir directs his first film in seven years it big news. Only this time, not so much.
In "The Way Back", a group of prisoners in a Siberian gulag escape, only to face a more daunting natural prison as they hike away from communist oppression and toward freedom in India. Ed Harris, Colin Firth and four other men endure freezing cold, stifling heat, lack of water, and daunting mountains along the way. They also pick up a young Russian girl who is on the run (Saoirse Ronan).
That's it. They walk. They talk a little and form a bond. It would be alright if there was any variety to the struggle. How many times can you crest a hill only to find more hills? The scenes in the prison are the most compelling part of the film. The whole thing, when measured against Peter Weir's stellar legacy, is quite disappointing. Not horrible, just disappointing. And there's a weird voice over in the beginning that gives away how many of the group actually make it, so there goes THAT dramatic tension. I hope Weir doesn't wait seven years before his next directorial outing.