Superlative Sunday :: the 2013 Oscar nominations

Or, a checklist of what I need to get done by February 24.  Strikethroughs represent what I’ve already gotten done.

Best Picture:
Amour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

I just.  I miss when there were only five Best Picture nominees, I really really do.  I used to write an entertainment column for my high school newspaper, and I actually seeing all of the nominees was both more feasible and something I actually wanted to do.  With more options, though, it’s harder.  I can’t see every movie in the world and I know that, and you know what?  Sometimes I’m a philistine and I want to see things that aren’t Oscar movies.  When it was only five contenders, I could go “oh, it’s okay to try and see that even if I don’t care, there aren’t that many.”  I just can’t make myself watch so many movies that I otherwise don’t care about.

And it’s like… I know these are good movies.  Obviously, they’re good.  It’s just that considering the number of times lately I’ve gone “I understand that was good, but I don’t feel anything” (like I was complaining about having to do last night) I am loathe to sit down for more things that probably will make me do that.  War movies stress me out, inspirational animal stories tire me out, emotional elderly people dramas overwhelm me, and I just have to weigh my options, I suppose.

Oh, and I have no idea who’s going to win.

Actor in a Leading Role
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
Denzel Washington, Flight

And sorry, Denzel Washington, but I have no intention of ever seeing Flight.  I remember watching the trailer and turning to one of my people and going “…really?” and leaving it at that.  Overall, my instinct here is to admit that it really is hard to beat Daniel Day-Lewis, but someone just might because sometimes the Academy is weird like that.

Actress in a Leading Role
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts, The Impossible

Now I just feel kind of bad.  I don’t feel bad for not having seen Best Picture nominees, necessarily, but being the connoisseur of female performances I am, I wish I could see all of them.  And I don’t know, I guess I’m going to try, but I can’t give a verdict yet, nope.

Actor in a Supporting Role
Alan Arkin, Argo
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

I’m torn.  Philip Seymour Hoffman and Christoph Waltz both belong in the “please, give them all the awards when they’re in movies that aren’t crummy” categories for me, I’d be happy either way.

Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams, The Master
Sally Fields, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook

Like last night, I must ask: why in the world is Silver Linings Playbook nominated for everything?  It was good, and the performances were good, but Jacki Weaver, for example, had really not that much to do overall.  She facilitated other characters, but I never got a sense of her as a character.  That’s not her fault as an actress, it just wasn’t written that way.  I guess I watch too many “popcorn” movies, because I don’t necessarily feel comfortable suggesting an alternative, but though really it is nothing against Jacki Weaver, I don’t really know why she was the nominee.  That said, I’d be comfy with Amy Adams, and I’d be comfy with Anne Hathaway which has, I’d say, about a 90% chance of being the case.

Animated Feature Film
Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
The Pirates: Band of Misfits
Wreck-It Ralph

I don’t care that I’ve only seen the nominee I’m rooting for.  As far as I’m concerned, there is no contest.  This is probably the only category that I have a true, deep emotional investment in this year, and I will go on about it vehemently.

Cinematography
Seamus McGarvey, Anna Karenina
Robert Richardson, Django Unchained
Claudio Miranda, Life of Pi
Janusz Kaminski, Lincoln
Roger Deakins, Skyfall

When it comes to technical categories, I often just root for the movie I liked the best, but here it works, because Django Unchained was shot so, so nicely.

Costume Design
Jacqueline Durran, Anna Karenina
Paco Delgado, Les Misérables
Joanna Johnston, Lincoln
Eiko Ishioka, Mirror Mirror
Colleen Atwood, Snow White and the Huntsman

I know there will be no Oscar given on the basis of properly designed female suits or armor or things that make Charlize Theron look ridiculously smoldering-good, and I am resigned to that.  I think I’m actually going to vote for Anna Karenina despite not having seen it yet, because I like elaborate, overblown period costumes of grand natures.

Directing
Michael Haneke, Amour
Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Ang Lee, Life of Pi
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook

And Quentin Tarantino is where?  I’m sorry to keep picking on Silver Linings Playbook, but I am positive that the direction of Django Unchained was more powerful than at least the direction of that.  For example.

I’m not saying anything about documentaries because I know nothing about any of them.

Film Editing
William Goldenberg, Argo
Tim Squyres, Life of Pi
Michael Kahn, Lincoln
Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers, Silver Linings Playbook
Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg, Zero Dark Thirty

I… don’t know?

I’m not saying anything about foreign language films because I know nothing about any of them.

Makeup and Hairstyling
Howard Berger, Peter Montagna and Martin Samuel, Hitchcock
Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater and Tami Lane, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell, Les Misérables

I… don’t know?

Original Score
Dario Marianelli, Anna Karenina
Alexandre Desplat, Argo
Mychael Danna, Life of Pi
John Williams, Lincoln
Thomas Newman, Skyfall

There are more nominations for Skyfall than I would have predicted.

Original Song
“Before My Time” from Chasing Ice, music and lyric by J. Ralph
“Everybody Needs A Best Friend” from Ted, music by Walter Murphy, lyric by Seth MacFarlane
“Pi’s Lullaby” from Life of Pi, music by Mychael Danna, lyric by Bombay Jayashri
“Skyfall” from Skyfall, music and lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth
“Suddenly” from Les Misérables, music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyric by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil

I don’t care, I’m voting for Adele.

Production Design
Sarah Greenwood (Production Design), Katie Spencer (Set Decoration), Anna Karenina
Dan Hennah (Production Design), Ra Vincent and Simon Bright (Set Decoration), The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Eve Stewart (Production Design), Anna Lynch-Robinson (Set Decoration), Les Misérables
David Gropman (Production Design), Anna Pinnock (Set Decoration), Life of Pi
Rick Carter (Production Design), Jim Erickson (Set Decoration), Lincoln

I’m good any of these ways.

Saying nothing about short films because I know nothing about them, saying nothing about sound editing because I’m still not sure how to judge that.

Adapted Screenplay
Chris Terrio, Argo
Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild
David Magee, Life of Pi
Tony Kushner, Lincoln
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook

But I do not understand.  I do not.  (Imagine this said in a Tommy Wiseau voice to get the full extent of my confusion.)  I will bring up the “but where is my Perks?” thing again, like I did last night, because that was actually a perfect adaptation.  I don’t say the word perfect lightly or really ever, but I’m saying it there.  That was a perfect adaptation of material I had feared unadaptable, and did it just get blown off because it was about teenagers or something?  I don’t get it, it was a good film.

That said, I’m voting for Lincoln because the theatre person in me defaults to Tony Kushner always.

Original Screenplay
Michael Haneke, Amour
Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained
John Gatins, Flight
Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola, Moonrise Kingdom
Mark Boal, Zero Dark Thirty

Nope, sorry.  The everything person in me defaults to Quentin Tarantino always.

Also, I feel somehow like this list might have too many dudes and not enough ladies on it.

–your fangirl heroine.

Music Monday :: that same IMDB Oscar Contenders List’s conveniently numbered 5 Original Song nominees

5. “Suddenly,” from Les Miserables
Siiigh.  I am always super-skeptical of “just for the movie” tracks, especially when I’m sure they’re going to have to cut songs for running time (basically it’s required).  And I can’t actually find audio of this anywhere, but someone put the lyrics on tumblr, and uhm.  “You have warmed my heart / Like the sun.”   I’m hoping it’s not as cheesy when you’re actually hearing it, and also I’m repeating that I am a huge cynic and occasionally robotic about traditional sentimentalities.

4. “Skyfall,” by Adele, from Skyfall
Leave me alone, I like this.  I don’t know if it’s necessarily the Oscar winner, but as a song I like it pretty well.  It’s quite melancholy, particularly for a Bond song, and sure it confused me lyrically when she sang that “Skyfall is where we start” before I knew that Skyfall was a place, but at the same time that’s the kind of linguistic weirdness I sort of like.  Also, I will defend Adele’s music forever, because she really is talented and people who say she’s overplayed should really be recognizing that that’s at least in part because of the comparatively fewer female musicians, particularly not of a certain style, who get popular radio airplay and they should be complaining about that instead.

3. “Still Alive,” from Paul Williams Still Alive
I have never heard of this before.  And, uhm, I can’t actually find the song in question here either.  Every different search I do comes up with trailers and things, but I’ll go ahead and say dark horse on principle.  The Original Song category is notoriously unpredictable (I mean, I’m still not over the shock of the year that “It’s Hard Out Here For a Pimp” won) but hey.

2. “Song of the Lonely Mountain,” by Neil Finn, Liam Finn, and Elroy Finn (I think), from The Hobbit
I am not, nor have I ever been, a Lord of the Rings person.  This is not to say I don’t like it, I do, but I’ve only seen the movies a couple of times and only ever read the first of the books and The Hobbit for class (which shouldn’t count).  Regardless, this sounds like something that I would have imagined as being in The Hobbit if I sat down and asked myself what sort of song would be in The Hobbit.  But it’s also got a nice slightly indie folk quality that makes it feel like something that someone would put on a fanmix for The Hobbit, and I approve of that.

1. “Learn Me Right,” by Mumford and Sons with Birdy, from Brave
I think it should go without saying that this is the kind of song that I’m kind of a sucker for.  Twangy/Celt-folksy as it is.  And I’m firmly rooting for anything this movie is nominated for somewhat on principle, too, so there’s that.

–your fangirl heroine.

Superlative Sunday :: looking over IMDB’s list of Likely Oscar Contenders

Since nominees are going to be out January 10, apparently, I thought I’d go looking to see what’s up.  And this is based off of an IMDB list of possibles.

1. Les Miserables.  Well, duh it’s buzzy.  I’m looking forward to it, despite the glaring issues I had with the material because I am a horrible cynic or something.  It’s in the running for everything ever, which doesn’t surprise me.
2. Lincoln.  Again, duh.  I’m pretty sure Daniel Day-Lewis is an inevitability.
3. Argo.  I haven’t seen this, a couple of my people have, they were okay with it.  Maybe I guess.
4. Silver Linings Playbook.  I am waiting for this to be in a place where I can see it, because it intrigues me a little bit.
5. Zero Dark Thirty.  I can actually about 85% guarantee this will be the Oscar movie I don’t see, just because neither I nor any of my people are really into contemporary war films.  I’m sure it’s going to be quite good, but it’s just.  Not my thing.
6. Life of Pi.  The summary of buzz just said the word “tearjerker.”  I am not opposed to the film as a whole, but tearjerking animal movies are things I tend to twitch about, too.
7. The Master.  Yeah, give Philip Seymour Hoffman another Oscar.  I’m good with that.
8. Beasts of the Southern Wild.  I keep seeing the trailer for this at the indie film house, but I don’t know if it’s actually out where I am yet.  Accordingly, I may not see it.  Whoops.
9. Amour.  I haven’t heard of this until now.
10. Django Unchained.  Well, you know me, guys.
11. Moonrise Kingdom.  I keep meaning to watch this and I just… haven’t yet.  Whoops.
12. Flight.  I also know I likely won’t see this.  And I doubt it’ll make the cut anyway, so.
13. Anna Karenina.  It’s on my list of need-to-sees it really is.
14. The Impossible.  I haven’t heard of this until now.
15. Skyfall.  Yeah, it was good in its way, but it’s not getting nominated, guys.
16. Hitchcock.  Haven’t seen it, haven’t had the chance, am intrigued but cannot pass judgment.
17. The Sessions.  I’ve read a lot about this, but it’s not out here yet.  You know, but John Hawkes, I would be chill with him being nominated on principle.
18. Rust and Bone.  I haven’t heard of this until now.
19. The Intouchables.  I haven’t heard of this until now.
20. Middle of Nowhere.  I haven’t heard of this until now.
21. Promised Land.  I haven’t heard of this until now.
22. Arbitrage.  Don’t know, don’t care.
23. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.  I might see this eventually if it’s on HBO or something?
24. Magic Mike.  SERIOUSLY?  Matthew McConaughey being nominated for this?  NOPE.
25. Looper.  For techie stuff, yeah sure I guess.
26. The Perks of Being a Wallflower.  Not getting my hopes up.
27. This is 40.  Doubtful.
28. Smashed.  I haven’t heard of this until now.
29. Quartet.  I haven’t heard of this until now.
30. The Hobbit.  Haven’t yet seen, not judging until, odds for techie stuff are pretty good.
31. The Avengers.  For techie stuff.  I still don’t really know enough about the “sound mixing” category, but sure, give them a nomination.
32. The Dark Knight Rises.  Oh, good, they’re not saying this will get Best Picture nods anymore.  It was good, but not that kind of good.
33. Cloud Atlas.  Don’t know, don’t care.

And everything below is more techie-only stuff and I don’t want to go through all of it.

In short: geez, they better release some more of the buzzy films soon or I need to see the ones that are already out, because I’m not really feeling super-strong about any of it yet.

–your fangirl heroine.

Superlative Sunday :: looking back over 5 of the most recent Best Picture Oscar triumphs that surprise me

Because sometimes I think about these things for no reason other than I watch movies that really should have won, all right?  And “recent” is a relative term, really.

5. 2002: Chicago beats Gangs of New York
I mean, I love Chicago.  Hence the junior high school Chicago-themed birthday party.  And I am all for musicals, which is also an obvious fact.  In a different year, I’d be comfortable in retrospect with Chicago‘s glitz and glam winning out over most things.  But up against Gangs Of New York?  Which is a historical epic with a brilliant script and incredible attention to detail?  It seems a bit odd.

4. 1998: Shakespeare in Love beats Saving Private Ryan
I’ve only really seen Saving Private Ryan through the whole way once.  I’ve seen pieces other times, but.  I’m not generally a big war epic kind of person.  Honestly, the only “war movie” I class as a favorite is Inglourious Basterds, and that doesn’t even really probably count.  I am sometimes a philistine, but I can recognize movies that are very, very good, and Saving Private Ryan is one.  On the other hand, Shakespeare in Love is… well.  I am not anti-romance, but I am also not the person who should accurately judge romantic films.  But Saving Private Ryanit ain’t.

3. 1997: Titanic beats L.A. Confidential
Thoughts already discussed.

2, 1. 1994: Forrest Gump beats Pulp Fiction and The Shawshank Redemption
Partially a surprise because goddamn, I love Pulp Fiction and still find it shocking that Quentin Tarantino has not won Best Picture before, partially a surprise because… really?  Forrest Gump is a good movie, and a bunch of kids I went to high school with walked around quoting it all the time.  It referenced many historical events and was clever and well-made and emotional.  But The Shawshank Redmption is another one of those movies that, yeah, it’s not ever going to be one of my favorites, but damn, I can recognize it is really fantastic.  I dunno.  It just seems like Forrest Gump is a less-likely choice of the bunch.

–your fangirl heroine.

Superlative Sunday :: the 2011 Oscars and how I feel about them

Another award season has officially come and gone.  People were tipsy, people went on far too long, things were recognized that deserved it and some things that deserved recognition kind of just got waved at.  Tom Hanks declared that hearing your name called is like a “silent Impressionistic painting.”  Colleen Atwood was drunk.  Melissa Leo said the f-word and got made fun of all night.  They auto-tuned clips from films to humorous effect.  All in all, a decent season, and there were at least no catastrophic upsets.

 

The King’s Speech (Picture, Actor [Colin Firth], Director [Tom Hooper], Writing – Original Screenplay [David Seidler])
I saw this coming across the board.  Well, okay.  I figured it’d get Picture and Actor, and well-deserved, too.  This year’s Director category was just sort of an outrage to begin with, as I desperately wanted Christopher Nolan to win, let alone be nominated, and I didn’t particularly think of it as being a flashy Directed Picture kind of thing, but sometimes subtlety is nice.  And as for screenplay, in the original category I tend to vote for things that are completely completely pulled out of thin air, i.e. not based on historical fact, but it was a very well-written piece, so no disappointments there.

Black Swan (Actress [Natalie Portman])
I completely thought they’d take a couple more.  I was crossing my fingers and praying for cinematography, honestly; the way it was shot was surrealistic and beautiful.  But I’d been rooting for Natalie to win, and I was painfully happy that she did.

The Fighter (Supporting Actress [Melissa Leo], Supporting Actor [Christian Bale])
Again, I’ve… not yet seen this.  But my parents have assured me both were well-deserving.

Toy Story 3 (Animated Feature Film, Music – Original)
I did have a giant soft spot for this movie.  Giant.  So I’m happy for it, even though the song sounded like every other Randy Newman song ever written and his diction while performing was hideous.

Alice in Wonderland (Art Direction, Costume Design)
I was all for both of these awards.  It wasn’t a perfect film, but it was certainly a pretty one.  And Colleen Atwood’s drunk!speech was definitely one of the night’s highlights, at least for unintentional hilarity.

Inception (Cinematography, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Visual Effects)
The geeky techhead in me was totally Team Inception.  I knew it wouldn’t get Best Picture or anything, and I was cool with that.  And although I wanted Black Swan for Cinematography, I was happy with this too.  Any technical award it got was purely deserved.

The Social Network (Film Editing, Music – Original Score, Writing – Adapted Screenplay)
Out of any awards tonight, Social Network getting Score was the one I wanted the most.  I was grinning like an idiot when they called it out.  And as for Film Editing?  I admit I don’t know… well, darn near anything about Film Editing, or at least enough to judge what was deserved, but I’ll take the Academy’s word for it, I suppose.  And I haven’t read the book it’s adapted from, and was sort of rooting for True Grit there, but okay?

 

True Grit (…a ton of nominations, and nothing.)
Disappointing to say the least.  It was a wonderful film and deserved something.  I will award Hailee Steinfeld the Favorite Dress Of The Night title, because awww.  Not only was it pink and fluffy and glittery, it was just really adorable on her.  And not like she was trying to be too old.

 

I haven’t seen… any of the short films, documentaries, foreign films, etc.  I know I’m uncultured.

 

–your fangirl heroine.