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2012 Oscar Race is On!

It’s that time of year again where everyone develops sore hands and sore wrists from typing all these categories and names we’ve never heard of, but to be a true movie junkie, you must follow protocol and deliver to the masses your thoughts on the annual nominations for our golden friend, Oscar.

[The movies marked with a "*" means I have actually seen it. Do not expect to see that much in the Doc Short Subject area, those are usually a crapshoot]

Best Picture:

The Artist

The Descendants (*)

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (*)

The Help (*)

Hugo (*)

Midnight in Paris

Moneyball (*)

The Tree of Life (*)

War Horse

Still no real clue on how the Academy makes its Best Picture nominations and why there is a fluctuating number, but I have some strong feelings about this years list. First off, Drive should absolutely be there and Tree of Life should absolutely not. Drive was a mastery of silence and tension, while Tree of Life caused groups of movie-goers to walk out wondering if what they saw could even be classified as a film. Sure enough, these are polar opposites in terms of filmmaking and should normally not be compared to each other at all, but in terms of being on this list, that’s where my main beef is. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close also really shouldn’t rank here with the superb fare of Moneyball, The Descendants and Hugo (which personally I think also just scrapes itself onto the list). The big money is on The Artist to win, but without seeing it, I can’t really agree or disagree on that yet.

Actor in a Leading Role

Demian Bichir – A Better Life

George Clooney – The Descendants (*)

Jean Dujardin – The Artist

Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (*)

Brad Pitt – Moneyball (*)

I think this is Clooney’s year. He gave an incredibly subtle performance, showing incredible control over internal struggle and pain versus his usual playful charm. Pitt was great in Moneyball, but his best bud will likely edge him out. Oldman definitely deserves the nomination, but the movie isn’t really great enough to support him taking the win, especially over Clooney. Dujardin took the SAG award and the Globe, but the The Artist was in another category at the Globes and he might get edged out here.

Actor in a Supporting Role

Kenneth Branagh – My Week With Marilyn

Jonah Hill – Moneyball (*)

Nick Nolte – Warrior

Christopher Plummer – Beginners

Max Von Sydow – Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (*)

The word on the street says this is Plummer’s to lose. Between the two performances I have seen, Sydow would get my vote over Hill. I am proud of Hill for moving his comedy career into the dramatic circle and give him amazing credit for wanting to prove himself. It can be an arduous transition and you end up doing double the work just to gain people’s acceptance. Yet, Sydow was the best part of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (all without actually saying one word), making the film just above bearable.

Actress in a Leading Role

Glenn Close – Albert Nobbs

Viola Davis – The Help (*)

Rooney Mara – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady

Michelle Williams – My Week With Marilyn

Viola Davis has been cleaning up the awards for her turn in The Help, but Streep and Close have also received tons of acclaim. I still put my money on Davis to close out the season, but either of her legendary competitors could pull the upset.

Actress in a Supporting Role

Berenice Bejo – The Artist

Jessica Chastain – The Help (*)

Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids (*)

Janet McTeer – Albert Nobbs

Octavia Spencer – The Help (*)

McCarthy did get a Golden Globe for her hilarious role in the raunchy girl comedy, but The Help is dominating across the acting landscape and this could fall that way as well. Look for Spencer over Chastain.

Animated Feature Film

A Cat in Paris

Chico & Rita

Kung Fu Panda 2

Puss in Boots (*)

Rango (*)

Don’t really know too much about the first two in the category, but I think the real fight is between the two I actually got to see. Rango is a step forward in animated filmmaking because it was actually shot and treated as if it was a live-action drama that just happened to star a talking lizard. Puss in Boots on the other hand, proved it was more than just a spin-off from the Shrek franchise and provided a heartwarming and quite funny experience that could just slip into the winner’s circle on the big night.

Art Direction

The Artist

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (*)

Hugo (*)

Midnight in Paris

War Horse

While Hugo got nominated for the most awards this year, this is where I think it will actually begin to take some of them home. The train station set was incredible down to the last detail and look to Hugo to bring home a handful of statues due to the beautiful visuals. As a possible other option, The Artist (the next highest nominated) could also begin to flex its voting muscle here.

Cinematography

The Artist

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Hugo (*)

The Tree of Life (*)

War Horse

Here is the only place The Tree of Life should be mentioned. As a film, I really didn’t find it effective in the least, but in terms of pure visuals and expertise in cinematography, it was impressive. I’m not sure it will be enough to win, especially with Hugo and The Artist taking the spotlight, but here and only here could the tree bloom.

Costume Design

Anonymous

The Artist

Hugo (*)

Jane Eyre

W.E.

People love to lean towards the Shakespearean and Victorian flicks in this category, but it actually could go pretty much anywhere. I would give Hugo and The Artist a nudge based on pure momentum, but this will be one of those categories that determines who really wins your Oscar pool this year.

Directing

Michael Hazanavicius – The Artist

Alexander Payne – The Descendants (*)

Martin Scorsese – Hugo (*)

Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris

Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life (*)

Anyone but Malick! Seriously though, he has no shot in this year with Payne doing quite well with The Descendants and Scorsese already taking home the Golden Globe for Hugo. This also could be the place where we see how The Artist actually matches up when not split off into the Musical/Comedy category. It’s nice to see Allen still creating acclaim for himself, but we will have to wait until another time to hear what would likely be an amazingly odd acceptance speech.

Documentary Feature

Hell and Back Again

If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory

Pina

Undefeated

I’ve heard a lot of buzz around Pina for some amazing visuals, but no real clue here if it enough to overpower the entire category.

Documentary Short Subject

The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement

God is the Bigger Elvis

Incident in New Baghdad

Saving Face

The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

I want to give it to God is the Bigger Elvis just because it is a great title, but a doc about the tsunami could garner a lot of votes from the heart.

Film Editing

The Artist

The Descendants (*)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Hugo (*)

Moneyball (*)

I really need to see Tattoo because something in my gut tells me the editing was amazing here, but in terms of the three I have seen, Moneyball gets my support for being able to pace and balance a fairly dull topic and sculpt it into a tension-laced experience.

Foreign Language Film

Bullhead

Footnote

In Darkness

Monsieur Lazhar

A Separation

Lots of good buzz around A Separation, especially after its Golden Globe win for Best Foreign Film. Strong likelihood it will continue along the golden path to Oscar.

Makeup

Albert Nobbs

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (*)

The Iron Lady

What’s more impressive, turning Streep into Margaret Thatcher, removing Ralph Fiennes nose or convincing at least half the public that Glenn Close actually was a man? I’ll go for Albert Nobbs to take this home.

Music – Original Score

The Adventures of Tintin

The Artist

Hugo (*)

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (*)

War Horse

Since The Artist is basically all music, you might think this is a shoe-in, but never count out well-known industry names like John Williams (Tintin & War Horse) and Howard Shore (Hugo).

Music – Original Song

“Man or Muppet” – The Muppets (*)

“Real in Rio” – Rio

Not really sure how this category shrunk to only two songs this year, which in itself is a shame, but the highlight is the nomination of “Man or Muppet”, a pure genius chuckle-worthy song from Flight of the Conchords alum, Bret McKenzie.

Short Film – Animated

Dimanche/Sunday (*)

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (*)

La Luna

A Morning Stroll

Wild Life (*)

I have been able to find some of these online for viewing and out of those I would definitely cast my vote for The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (awesome title, by the way). It’s an amazingly adorable tale of a man and his passion for books, something to which I am very much akin to. There is always stiff competition when Pixar is involved (they made La Luna), but I’m pulling for the flying books to swoop down and take the gold here.

Short Film – Live Action

Pentecost

Raju

The Shore

Time Freak

Tuba Atlantic

Not a clue here. Time Freak sounds neat. That’s all I got.

Sound Editing

Drive (*)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Hugo (*)

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (*)

War Horse

I actually think this might lean towards Tattoo, but the sound was such a beautiful part of the mix in what made Drive so memorable. I also hold a small candle for the hope someone from that movie will accept the award wearing that amazing dragon jacket.

Sound Mixing

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Hugo (*)

Moneyball (*)

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (*)

War Horse

Again, Tattoo, maybe because even the trailer had intense sound elements. Transformers could also pull this out, but then we have to walk award saying, “the Academy Award winning film, Transformers: Dark of the Moon” which just plain hurts my ears.

Visual Effects

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (*)

Hugo (*)

Real Steel (*)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (*)

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (*)

This is the first category where I have actually seen everything listed, so yay for me! Glad to see Real Steel got in here, because that was an incredibly under-appreciated film. Yet, while that was a fun ride, I would have to say this is a battle between Apes and Potter. Transformers was visually impressive, as always for that franchise, but Potter could win based on the franchise vote here, while Apes might get votes from all those people who feel Andy Serkis should’ve gotten an acting nod. Either way, I’ll likely be happy with the winner.

Writing – Adapted Screenplay

Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon & Jim Rash – The Descendants (*)

John Logan – Hugo (*)

George Clooney, Grant Heslov & Beau Willimon – The Ides of March (*)

Steven Zallian & Aaron Sorkin – Moneyball (*)

Bridget O’ Connor & Peter Straughan – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (*)

Another fully filled out category! Here I have much more of an opinion on the outcome. I’m a Sorkin acolyte, so I would love to see him win. Moneyball was tight, crisp and paced perfectly for a story about something so dull, so huge props to that team. The Descendants is my next choice because it was penned with such incredble subtlety and given an amazing ability to breathe. Hugo was great, but really felt like two movies instead of one, so I’m inclined not to see it walk away with this one. The other two were enjoyable, but sadly petered out at the end of the story.

Writing – Original Screenplay

Michael Hazanavicius – The Artist

Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig – Bridesmaids (*)

J.C. Chandor – Margin Call

Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris

Asghar Farhadi – A Separation

Rounding out the list, sadly I have only seen one of these. There is a ton of buzz around The Artist and it could be the big winner overall tonight, but this could be where we get the amazingly awkward acceptance speech from Allen. For the comedy industry as a whole it would be amazing to see Bridesmaids pull it out, but I am not sure the Academy voters are ready for that yet. Maybe next time.

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The Taking of Pelham 123: Slides Off The Rails

Go ahead, mention “Battlefield Earth” one more time. I dare you!

Rating: 3 out of 10

Remake, rehash, reboot; call it what you want, it all boils down to the same thing, this story has been seen before. Now that doesn’t imply automatic boredom or even a certain level of quality, all it means right off the bat is the audience will be coming in with a particular expectation set by the previous version of the story. How big the expectation is will depend on how popular the original film was and how recently it was in the theaters. Most second chances at the silver screen come more than ten years after the original version, but that gap seems to be closing in the last decade. Maybe it’s a statement about our national attention deficit disorder or it could be a comment on there being a complete lack of new and original ideas.

It also could resonate in our current economic climate as a safer bet in the eyes of the studio. The film has a built in audience, which at least a portion of them will certainly be curious enough to come out and see it in an updated fashion. But, beyond the financial aspect, someone in the studio, whether it be the director or the writer or whomever, must think they have something new to add, some new take on the tale to make it worth all the time and energy to return it to the screen. On occasion they do follow through and allow us to see some entirely new dimension we previously looked right past, but in a number of examples the new version just proves to be flashier CGI and more contemporary actors, nothing at all to do with the story. In the end, the eternal question, looking past the bank accounts, is “Was it worth it?”

In today’s example, I would say not.

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 is an action/thriller about a random New York City subway controller who gets unwillingly pulled into becoming a hostage negotiator when a ransom plan for a carload of subway passengers is hijacked underground. It’s a psychological tug-of-war between a devious and determined kidnapper and a seemingly moral citizen who can’t help but try and do the right thing. Each step along the way leads to bigger consequences as lives are lost and the money in play skyrockets until the whole world is tuning in to see how it will all end.

The original version of this was released in 1974 starring Walter Matthau as the unassuming hero and Hector Elizondo as one of the gang of hijackers. There was also a TV movie version in 1998 that tossed in Edward James Olmos as the good guy and Vincent D’Onofrio and Donnie Wahlberg as members of the gang. This new millennium version posts Denzel Washington in the hero role and counterparts him with John Travolta as the leader of the gang. The early versions were much more based around tension and intrigue, while this one went after it with more action, fast editing and hyper-kinetic camera tricks to infuse energy into the story. One of the other main differences was the hijackers were originally only named by color (possibly the inspiration for the same decision in Reservoir Dogs), but this version skipped out on that plot point altogether.  Tony Scott, the director of this installment, definitely retained his current style of loud noises, quick cutting and washed out coloring to instill a raw, edgy reality to the universe, but it didn’t feel like it added anything new to the story. I appreciated his visual stylings much more in Man on Fire, with Domino a close second.

As for the performances, Denzel Washington rarely disappoints. He is near the top of any list when thinking about an ordinary character put into extraordinary circumstances. He really embodies the everyday man having to rise up and take on situations way beyond his normal expectations. Even when playing the bad guy, as in John Q., he still relies on his ability to connect with the blue-collar movie watcher and portray that reality on screen. Yet, with all that said, being the best part of this film doesn’t give him a huge boost. On the other side of the punch card is John Travolta, who turns in a slightly less than believable performance as the criminal mastermind. Some of his issues can’t be discussed without giving away plot twists, but let’s just say he doesn’t fit the bill once the story is unraveled. Also, I’d have to go back to the other versions to see if this was present, but Travolta made an unusual amount of references to the attractiveness of Washington, both in person and over the phone. At a certain point in the film I wondered if Travolta would switch the ransom demand from large amounts of cash to a single date with Washington. I can easily and happily give Travolta his due credit when his performances merit it, as in Michael, Pulp Fiction and Face/Off, but this time out he pales in comparison to his co-star and borders on the ridiculous.

Recommendation: Not a great outing for Scott, Washington or Travolta. Avoidable on most accounts. Maybe catch it on HBO someday if you don’t feel like getting off the couch and you’ve already drained your TiVo.