rolotomasi99 wrote:The fact that the front runner for Best Picture seems to be a simple comedy directed by some loser director seems pretty clear to me that the overall caliber of film this year is pretty low. The last time a straight-comedy won Best Picture was 1977, also not the most impressive Best Picture line-up either.
Have you seen Up in the Air? I wouldn't remotely call it simple, nor would I call it a straight comedy, nor would I call Jason Reitman a loser director.
It's fine if that's your opinion, but is it backed up by viewing of the film?
Mister Tee wrote:It's hard for me to imagine people honoring Hurt Locker for screenplay, given its non-verbal-ness, but A Serious Man also has difficulties for voters. This might be the time Pixar wins.
I'm thinking the ten-ness of the best picture category will make it easier to separate out Bigelow from her film -- there won't be the nearly one-to-one correlation we're used to. There's very little chance of a movie grossing $13 million winning best picture, but, esp. with "let's give it to a woman at last" sentiment, voters might divorce from best picture sentiment and vote Bigelow. Meantime, there's also very little sentiment for Reitman as director, even though his film still seems the most apt to win best picture. I'm not sure if this maneuver could have been worked so smoothly under the old system, but this year it feels like it can.
I'm astounded that, with the reviews he's got, Firth couldn't make any kind of showing here.
rolo, if you're actually interested why I'm not nuts about Hurt Locker, look under the film's thread, where I expressed my problems with it. I don't hate it; I just see it as far more limited than others do.
And I believe Damien's comment referenced the fact that many are impressed that a woman could have done such a quintessential "guy's film".
THE PIANIST won for its screenplay despite at least half of it seemed to be almost wordless. I am not saying THE HURT LOCKER will win screenplay, but that the amount of words does not seem to be a problem for the Academy.
As for Bigelow, I think making a "man's film" has never been a problem for her. In fact, I would have been far more shocked if she directed something like UP IN THE AIR or AN EDUCATION. Bigelow was the best director for this film, and as far as I am concerned she made the best Iraq war film we have seen yet.
The sound, score, cinematography, and particularly the editing were all top notch. They all contributed to the overall dramatic effect of the film rather than just be flashy and noisy (like in say TRANSFORMERS 2).
In other years Bigelow and her film might not have received as much attention as they currently are, but 2009 has given us some good films without any particular stand outs. The fact that the front runner for Best Picture seems to be a simple comedy directed by some loser director seems pretty clear to me that the overall caliber of film this year is pretty low. The last time a straight-comedy won Best Picture was 1977, also not the most impressive Best Picture line-up either.
Opening up Best Picture to 10 films was a horrible idea, and hopefully the Academy will be so embarrassed by the crop of films they are going to have to go with (either well made small films, or mediocre big films) that they will reverse themselves in time for next year.
If the Academy cannot bring themselves to give Best Picture to THE HURT LOCKER because it is too small a film, they can at least give Bigelow director. Some may try to tear her down by saying she got it just for being a woman, but I would rank her as one of the most deserving of the award this year and certainly among the better winners of the award this decade.
"When it comes to the subject of torture, I trust a woman who was married to James Cameron for three years."
-- Amy Poehler in praise of Zero Dark Thirty director Kathryn Bigelow
I won't see a better performance this year than Tilda Swinton in Julia, and in a weak year for Best Actress Contenders (!), this is the perfect opportunity for them to throw their weight behind Swinton's brave work. I haven't seen Julie & Julia nor did I think I had to. I really don't to reverse my opinion but...Jesus Christ, in a decade where she gives up Adaptation. is she really gonna win for Ephron? If the National Society of Film Critics gives it to Swinton, Mulligan's dominion over the prize is endangered. If given a choice of ten features, they opt to nominate Julie & Julia over An Education (!), it might be over.
I'm going to need to see one (ONE!) critic's group give something to Michael Stuhlbarg for A Serious Man. The Coens are picking up token nods for their screenplay but mystifyingly not their direction. Stuhlbarg's work is being viewed as a neurotic Jew playing a neurotic Jew, and yet Clooney triumphs again for another - admittedly fine - variation on his smooth-yet-jaded operator.
The elitists triumph in the face of adversity! Wes Anderson comes with a long stone's throw of Best Director and triumphs in Best Animated Film on the first ballot! Up is a lovely little movie but Fantastic Mr. Fox is a joyous experience.
Good for In the Loop. I want to see one group give it to Peter Capaldi if only to see what clip they would show ("I will summon the media forces of darkness to hound you to an assisted suicide!"). My favorite supporting performance in In the Loop is Paul Higgins "cobbled together from other psychopaths!" who can get information no matter how wrong-headed by beating the shit out of a fax machine.
Moving towards a nice semi-sweep for Summer Hours, one of the loveliest films of the year.
OscarGuy wrote:I guess it's possible. NYFCC & LAFCA were two of the few groups that picked Happy Feet as their winner. But I wonder just how much of this love for Fantastic Mr. Fox is just elitist masturbation. I mean, it's a Wes Anderson film...so, it's going to be inherently more critic-popular.
Have you seen Fantastic Mr. Fox? Sure, it's by Anderson - but it's probably his most accessible work yet, not to mention a marvel piece of pop art. It deserves every mention it's getting. I wouldn't be surprised, nor hurt, if it were to be nominated for Best Picture instead of Up.
"It's the least most of us can do, but less of us will do more."
It's hard for me to imagine people honoring Hurt Locker for screenplay, given its non-verbal-ness, but A Serious Man also has difficulties for voters. This might be the time Pixar wins.
I'm thinking the ten-ness of the best picture category will make it easier to separate out Bigelow from her film -- there won't be the nearly one-to-one correlation we're used to. There's very little chance of a movie grossing $13 million winning best picture, but, esp. with "let's give it to a woman at last" sentiment, voters might divorce from best picture sentiment and vote Bigelow. Meantime, there's also very little sentiment for Reitman as director, even though his film still seems the most apt to win best picture. I'm not sure if this maneuver could have been worked so smoothly under the old system, but this year it feels like it can.
I'm astounded that, with the reviews he's got, Firth couldn't make any kind of showing here.
rolo, if you're actually interested why I'm not nuts about Hurt Locker, look under the film's thread, where I expressed my problems with it. I don't hate it; I just see it as far more limited than others do.
And I believe Damien's comment referenced the fact that many are impressed that a woman could have done such a quintessential "guy's film".
If "Up In the Air" prevails as this year's Best Picture winner, we may very well end up with a Picture/Director split. However strong the passion and appeal is for the film, it doesn't appear to extend towards the director. On the other hand, I don't think there's any question "Up in the Air" is making off with the Adapted Screenplay Oscar. "In the Loop" poses no threat.
Speaking of screenplays, however slim the chances for "A Serious Man" to win Best Original Screenplay were to begin with (and I thought it had a decent chance) may very well end up being demolished by "A Hurt Locker". It's certainly not winning Best Picture, Bigelow might not win Best Director (unless there's there's an UITA/Bigelow split), but Best Screenplay? Aha, there's a category AMPAS voters can get behind if they want to honor the film at all.
And there's still "Avatar" hiding behind that bush over there waiting to pounce.
The Original BJ wrote:Anyone still doubting that Meryl Streep can indeed win this thing?
Anyone remember the days when plenty of people even doubted her nomination chances? Anyone want to bet that people will still make this same mistake next year with whoever the bird-in-the-hand candidate is?
Oh believe me, I remember being completely cluess as to why people thought Streep would not be at least nominated. I certainly do not want her to win, but a nomination would be justly deserved.
"When it comes to the subject of torture, I trust a woman who was married to James Cameron for three years."
-- Amy Poehler in praise of Zero Dark Thirty director Kathryn Bigelow
Mister Tee wrote:I wish I saw in The Hurt Locker what all these critics seem to.
Agreed.
I think that if it was a directed by a man, no one would be giving it a second thought during awards voting.
Like how being directed by men has made a middling film like UP IN THE AIR be completely ignored by the critics. ???
THE HURT LOCKER is a powerful and well made film. I cannot believe anyone who likes good films would turn their nose up at it. Oh, well.
Edited By rolotomasi99 on 1260819861
"When it comes to the subject of torture, I trust a woman who was married to James Cameron for three years."
-- Amy Poehler in praise of Zero Dark Thirty director Kathryn Bigelow
Mo´Nique and Christoph Waltz are in their way to their Oscars. Streep has emerged as a very strong contender for the Academy. As for Bigelow, she is demolishing her competitors.
I guess it's possible. NYFCC & LAFCA were two of the few groups that picked Happy Feet as their winner. But I wonder just how much of this love for Fantastic Mr. Fox is just elitist masturbation. I mean, it's a Wes Anderson film...so, it's going to be inherently more critic-popular.
Wesley Lovell
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
