The Original BJ wrote:Also, I agree with dws that it's nice to see more contemporary films like American Gangster recognized. Too bad, though, that the '70's epic recognized here wasn't Zodiac.
After watching American Gangster last night, I agree that Zodiac would've been a more deserving nominee in this category. Gangster's sets were fine, but they didn't seem very distinctive or original. I would've fully supported a nomination for the costumes, though--I thought they both distinctive and original.
Most of the praise heaped upon There Will Be Blood's sets (with which I absolutely agree) has acclaimed the fact that the oil rigs are fresher, more unique creations.
Most of the criticism heaped upon Sweeney Todd's sets (with which I don't agree) has argued that the fantastical, gothic designs are too reminiscent of previous Burton films.
I'd be happy with a win for either -- the art direction in both pictures appropriately serves each very different film -- but if there's a factor that pushes Blood over the edge in this category, this is it.
Also, I agree with dws that it's nice to see more contemporary films like American Gangster recognized. Too bad, though, that the '70's epic recognized here wasn't Zodiac.
For a more exciting night, I'd prefer if Blood wins this and a couple of other awards. It would be more fun if both Blood and Country approach Best Picture with say an even number of awards (maybe with Blood even snatching the Screenplay prize?) Ultimately though, I want No Country to win the big one.
If we're going with most deserving, this could go to either Blood or Sweeney Todd.
Sweeney Todd has the msot elaborate sets, but they are shrouded in dark cinematography. Atonement has nice set decorations but Blood has the most impressive "big" art design in those oil wells. The sets in both Sweeney and Blood are really used, not just sitting there looking pretty in the background. It's a toss-up, but Blood's sets are something we've never seen before making them all the more impressive. I think it will win.
Most Oscar voters don't pay attention to who is resposnible for the work in the technical categories, so seeing that they voted for Sissy Spacek's husband when he gets up to accept his award should give them an extra kick.
The Art Directors Guild announces Saturday. It will either tell us who will win or tell us who won't. They have 7 of 11 times picked the winner from one of its categories.
The matched Winners:
Pan's Labyrinth
Memoirs of a Geisha
The Lord of the Rings: ROTK
Moulin Rouge
Sleepy Hollow
Titanic
The English Patient
The Academy choices that didn't match:
Shakespeare in Love (they picked What Dreams May Come)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (they picked Gladiator and Chocolat)
Chicago (they picked LOTR: FOTR and Catch Me If You Can
The Aviator (they picked A Series of Unfortunate Events and The Terminal)
Wesley Lovell
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
Mister Tee wrote:There Will Be Blood does a perfectly good job of recreating turn-of-the-century California, but, when you get right down to it, there really aren't that many sets beyond a few run-down shacks. Only Plainview's end-of-film mansion -- and especially the bowling alley -- dazzle the eye in any way.
I thought those big wooden oil rigs were pretty eye catching, and something you don't often see in movies. I wasn't crazy about the movie, but I'd vote for it in this category easily over the other two nominees that I've seen.
American Gangster is one of the two I haven't yet seen, but I'm glad it was nominated, mainlybecause it's an Art Direction nominee set in the not-distant past. I wish this could open the door for more contemporary (or films set in the recent past) set films to contend in the design categories.
This will be a watershed category. If Blood has any hope of winning Best Picture, this category has to be won. It can win Sound Editing and not be a threat, but if it picks up here and No Country loses Editing as I expect it might, this category could point signs to Blood being a bigger contender. However, while I think Blood's AD on this film is better than the others in the category, the Academy goes for opulent Victorian more often than not. Atonement's a wartime film. I think Sweeney Todd still has a good shot because it has the most Victorian look of all of them.
Wesley Lovell
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
barrybrooks8 wrote:Jack Fisk is Sissy Spacek's husband, so I feel like a lot of their "friends" in the industry will be voting for There Will Be Blood.
If Carrie were really that popular, the other popular girl wouldn't have dumped pig's blood on her. By that I mean, Spacek lost to Halle Berry. You know?
I know I am no expert compared to a ot of you guys, but I thought I would weigh in my opinion.
Jack Fisk is Sissy Spacek's husband, so I feel like a lot of their "friends" in the industry will be voting for There Will Be Blood. Fisk has worked in the industry a long time, collaborating with a lot of big-name directors including David Lynch, who introduced them to each other. And if I was voting, I'd go for Blood, as it is the most-deserving of this , group. I may have picked Hairspray, Sunshine, or Assassination of Jesse James, Harry Potter, or Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (just for Hoffman's house and office alone) if any of them had been nominated.
"Jesus! Look at my hands! Now really, I am too young for liver spots. Maybe I can merge them together into a tan."
"American Gangster" (Universal): Art Direction: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Beth A. Rubino
"Atonement" (Focus Features): Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
"The Golden Compass" (New Line in association with Ingenious Film Partners): Art Direction: Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
"Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount): Art Direction: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
"There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax): Art Direction: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Jim Erickson
I feel safe in eliminating American Gangster -- too contemporary, not flashy enough -- and The Golden Compass -- floppola.
Of the remaining three, Sweeney Todd has the most elaborate design, which you might think would constitute an advantage. But, in fact, history shows something of the opposite. A few years back, when everyone was talking about Academy resistance to fantasy films, Dennis Bee made the observation that that resistance often showed up in design category results -- Gandhi beat Blade Runner, Out of Africa topped Brazil; we also had Howards End over Bram Stoker's Dracula, The Madness of King George over Interview with the Vampire, and Shakespeare in Love over What Dreams May Come. There've been a few exceptions that managed to win -- Star Wars an obvious case; arguably Batman and Dick Tracy; and Sleepy Hollow (though the latter kind of straddled the field -- the appeal of the design that it was as much colonial/historical as fantasy/horror). But, overall, the tendency of voters has been for more traditional, less baroque design.
This tendency also showed up in the '93 result, where the black-and-white starkness of Schindler's List prevailed over the lushness of The Age of Innocence. The fact that lots of voters disliked Scorsese's film no doubt played a part; that same feeling may work against Sweeney this year.
The problem for both Atonement and There Will Be Blood as alternatives is 1) neither has knockout sets and 2) they'll be competing against one another for the non-Sweeney vote. Atonement comes closest to the rent-a-mansion style that has won in the past, but too much of the film is set in drab circumstance (it doesn't feel as beautiful as, say the Merchant/Ivory winners). I'd call it a possibility to win, but not a solid one. There Will Be Blood does a perfectly good job of recreating turn-of-the-century California, but, when you get right down to it, there really aren't that many sets beyond a few run-down shacks. Only Plainview's end-of-film mansion -- and especially the bowling alley -- dazzle the eye in any way.
Yet I think, in the end, anti-Sweeney feeling will somehow prevail. I'm leaning toward predicting There Will Be Blood…but I'll mull this one over a while longer.
