The Oscars are the end all, be all for feature films. Generating positive buzz throughout the year pretty much guarantees at least an opportunity for a film to receive some sort of nomination. Awards season for the film industry is a long one, beginning in November and culminating with the Academy Awards in late March. The Screen Actors Guild Awards, BAFTA, New York and L.A. Film Critics, and the Golden Globes all give viewers an idea as to what to expect Oscar night. Personally, I have always enjoyed watching the Oscars. From the opening skits (glad to have Billy Crystal back this year…although Eddie Murphy would have done a fine job) to watching some of the industry’s biggest stars to home much deserved statuettes, it is an award show worthy of all the glitz and glamour Hollywood has to offer.
Unfortunately, every year there is a short list of great, award worthy films that get left out of all of the festivities and those that get nominated, but fall short of taking home the big prize. Saving Private Ryan losing to Shakespeare in Love…Avatar getting smacked by The Hurt Locker…Slumdog Millionaire crushing the hopes of Benjamin Button. These are just a few of the most recent instances of unjust decisions by the Academy, in my opinion. Now, all of the films listed above were solid productions and worthy of their nominations but you really can’t justify not giving Best Picture awards to Ryan, Avatar, or Benjamin Button. Ryan is one of the ‘best’ war films to date. Avatar is the highest grossing film in history and changed the film industry forever. Button and Slumdog were a bit closer, but I still preferred David Fincher’s film over Danny Boyle’s. 2012’s (for the films of 2011) nominations and lack thereof may be overall the most baffling thus far. Here is why…
How can the Academy nominate two animated feature films that nobody has seen and leave out one that has received high critical praise as well as performed well here and overseas? Both Chico and Rita and A Cat in Paris have not been viewed by the general public and both didn’t actually get released until this year. The Adventures of Tintin, which is a remarkable collaboration between Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson, not only was the best looking animated film of the year, but…it won the Golden Globe for best animated feature. Tintin made tons of money overseas and there are two sequels in the works, so maybe it will eventually get its due, but it’s omission from this years nominees makes absolutely no sense. Oh, and this is also the first year that I can remember a Pixar film not getting a nod…sorry Cars 2. Your spot went to Kung Fu Panda 2. Another great animated film of 2011 also failed to make the cut. Rio, one of the highest overall grossing films of the year, is not only a quality production but is one of the better animated movies to come out in a long time. In fact, if it were my awards show, Rio and Tintin would be neck and neck at the finish line.
Normally I wouldn’t raise much of a fuss about the Best Song category, but what point was the Academy trying to make by nominating only two songs? One from the great animated film Rio and one from The Muppets. Both fine choices, but they should be accompanied by three others. This is why I completely understand Mary J. Blige’s gripe about getting snubbed for her original song in The Help. Elton John and Madonna should have also been nominated for their songs in Gnomeo & Juliet and W.E., respectively.
The Best Picture category has some problems as well. Most of the nominees deserve the recognition they are getting, but I can’t understand the inclusion of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Not that it’s bad film by any means, in fact, it’s quite good…but there were so many others that were much better. Let’s break down the ones that did and should have received their nomination…
WAR HORSE – Spielberg back in top form…amazing score by John Williams…story for the whole family.
HUGO – Technically the best film of the year and what Scorcese did with the material was amazing.
MONEYBALL – A baseball film. A true story. Fine performance by Brad Pitt. A really stand up and cheer flick.
THE DESCENDANTS – A heartfelt drama starring George Clooney. Even better than Up in the Air, which I loved.
THE ARTIST – The film to beat. An ode to the silent film era with fine performances. Don’t doubt this one until you see it. It’s quite impressive.
THE HELP – Biggest competition for The Artist. Best all around cast. Great novel turned into a great film.
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS – Best Woody Allen film in quite awhile. If the field had 10 nominees, I would have put this at number 10.
The two films that shouldn’t have been nominated –
THE TREE OF LIFE – Yes, I know in some circles this film by Terrence Malick is a masterpiece. Not to me. I found it utterly confusing and not entertaining at all. An ambitious picture…performances are good…visuals are impressive. But that’s where it ends.
EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE – This is a touching film and I did enjoy it, but there are certain elements of it that don’t quite work. Once again, solid performances carry the picture but top 10 material (or 9 in the case of Oscar), it is not.
So, if these 2 films were not deserving…then what was? Well, I have a few choices that should have made the list. Another gripe is that the Academy should have left the field at 10…not 9. What’s the point in leaving that 10th film out? Yes, it probably would not have won anything anyway, but just having the tagline ‘Oscar nominated’ goes along way with dvd sales and box office receipts. The following films would have received a nomination…if I were in charge.
DRIVE – Ryan Gosling, who also deserved a best actor nod for this role, leads a stellar cast in the pure adrenaline rush of a film. It’s cinema it its purest form. Solid story…raw reality.
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 – The culmination of more than a decade long series goes out with a bang. Technically stunning…visually impressive…and the best performances of the series, Harry Potter’s finale was the perfect ending to one of the best film franchises of all time.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL – Odd choice. Perhaps. Without a doubt one of the most entertaining couple of hours spent in a movie theater this year, Tom Cruise’s latest action extravaganza hit all the right notes. Word of mouth was great on this one…and deservedly so.
I do agree with most of the acting categories and 2011 provided lots of high quality performances. George Clooney, Viola Davis, Christopher Plummer, and Melissa McCarthy are the front-runners. However, I see a chance for upset from Michelle Williams and Octavia Spencer. Here is a list of all of the nominees – (my picks are in bold)
Best Picture
“The Artist”
“The Descendants”
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
“Hugo”
“Midnight in Paris”
“The Help”
“Moneyball”
“War Horse”
“The Tree of Life”
Best Actor
Demian Bichir, “A Better Life”
George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”
Gary Oldman, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”
Brad Pitt, “Moneyball”
Best Actress
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”
Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh, “My Week With Marilyn”
Jonah Hill, “Moneyball”
Nick Nolte, “Warrior”
Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”
Max Von Sydow, “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
Best Supporting Actress
Berenice Bejo, “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain, “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”
Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs”
Octavia Spencer, “The Help”
Best Director
Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”
Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”
Alexander Payne, “The Descendants”
Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”
Best Original Screenplay
Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”
JC Chandor, “Margin Call”
Asghar Farhadi, “A Separation”
Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, “Bridesmaids”
Best Adapted Screenplay
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxton, Jim Rash, “The Descendants”
John Logan, “Hugo”
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon, “The Ides of March”
Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian, “Moneyball”
Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughn, “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”
Best Animated Feature
“A Cat In Paris”
“Chico & Rita”
“Kung Fu Panda 2″
“Puss in Boots”
“Rango”
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Bullhead (Belgium)
Footnote (Israel)
In Darkness (Poland)
Monsieur Lazhar (Canada)
A Separation (Iran)
Original Score
“The Adventures of Tintin,” John Williams
“The Artist,” Ludovic Bource
“Hugo,” Howard Shore
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” Alberto Iglesias
“War Horse,” John Williams
Best Original Song
“Man or Muppet,” The Muppets; Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
“Real in Rio,” Rio; Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown, Lyric by Siedah Garrett
Best Achievement in Art Direction
“The Artist”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″
“Hugo”
“Midnight in Paris”
“War Horse”
Best Achievement in Cinematography
“The Artist”
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
“Hugo”
“The Tree of Life”
“War Horse”
Best Achievement in Costume Design
“Anonymous”
“The Artist”
“Hugo”
“Jane Eyre”
“W.E.”
Best Documentary Feature
“Hell and Back Again”
“If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front”
“Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory”
“Pina”
“Undefeated”
Best 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”
Best Achievement in Film Editing
“The Artist”
“The Descendants”
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
“Hugo”
“Moneyball”
Best Achievement in Makeup
“Albert Nobbs”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″
“The Iron Lady”
Best Animated Short Film
Dimanche/Sunday
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life
Best Live Action Short Film
“Pentecost”
“Raju”
“The Shore”
“Time Freak”
“Tuba Atlantic”
Best Achievement in Sound Editing
“Drive”
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
“Hugo”
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
“War Horse”
Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
“Hugo”
“Moneyball”
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
“War Horse”
Best Achievement in 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”
Tune in Sunday, February 26 at 8 p.m. on ABC to see Billy Crystal host the Oscars…and to see who the winners will be.
MY TOP 10 FILMS OF 2011 (in no particular order)
WAR HORSE
MONEYBALL
THE HELP
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL
DRIVE
HARRY POTTER AND DEATHLY HALLOWS 2
HUGO
THE DESCENDANTS
SUPER 8
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
“Tintin” wasn’t a nominee for Animated Feature because it’s a motion-capture film and isn’t from-scratch animation.
I should have mentioned that fact. I also should have mentioned that I knew that, but I think that the Academy should ‘change’ their rules in regards to what is considered animation. Motion capture might not be traditional, from scratch animation, but it still animation and Tintin’s attention to detail was phenomenal. Also, the Golden Globes awarded it Best Animated Feature. Bottom line is that I don’t agree with the Academy’s requirements for Best Animated Feature…and Tintin was one of the top 5 of the year. Rango was quite good too and I hope it wins the Oscar.