Oscars Post-mortem, Part 4: Favourite Nuggets

You can't catch everything there is to catch at the Oscars in one viewing. Half the joy is going back and putting the telecast under a microscope, looking for all the tiny bemusing details. These are my favourite such nuggets from the show:

Someone from Alessandro Bertolazzi's cheering section records his Oscar speech on a phone with a Suicide Squad Joker skin. How apropos.

Oscars Post-mortem, Part 1: Fashions

Nothing snaps me out of an Oscar hangover quite like gawking at red carpet eye-candy, and there was lots of it going around on Sunday night. I'm no style a-fashion-iado, but I know what I like, so humour me while I drool over the hottest looks one last time before digging into the telecast itself...

One Category at a Time: Best Actor

Dammit, SAG. Y'know if it weren't for you, this would be one of the easiest calls of Oscar night. So utterly dominant was one contender for so much of the season, it seemed unthinkable that we'd have this tight a race for Best Actor, but so it is. It's a true two horse sprint to the finish in one of those rare categories that we know La La Land can't win.

Review - La La Land

We all know the how the showbiz story goes: Boy and girl meet, boy and girl fall in love, boy and girl's careers diverge. It's a sturdy formula that the movies have retooled and retold a million times, from the silent escapades of Show People to the melodramatic tumult of A Star is Born (all three of them, and counting) to the worldly post-modernism of Annie Hall to the silent escapades of The Artist – Funny how things come full circle.

Point being, if you want to play that old song again, you need to riff; Improvise; Make it special. Fortunately for hopeless romantics everywhere, 32 year old writer/director Damien Chazelle is indeed a special talent, who has now performed a spectacular riff on the 'Hollywood love story' in La La Land;
A dazzling musical ode to a city, to a genre, and to anyone who ever dared to dream large and love larger.

It was Chazelle's sizzling sophomore feature Whiplash that put him on the map two years ago, snagging a trio of Oscars and topping this critic's 'Best of 2014' list. So when it was announced that his next dream was to make an original movie musical – that rarest of beasts – I was on board. All pretense of objectivity aside, I probably loved this film before the ink was dry on the first draft of the screenplay.

Oscar Telecast Retrospective Part 2: Mad Max's Golden Hour

With Rock laying waste to the elephant in the room through that biting monologue, it was time to get on with the show...

The Huntsman sisters, beautiful bad-asses Emily Blunt and Charlize Theron, flirt with writers everywhere while introducing Best Original Screenplay, which went to Spotlight's Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer (not “John”, Charlize!).

The victory was not only richly deserved, but also immediately exposed the Thank-You Ticker for the disastrous experiment that it was, as Singer began his speech by repeating “We've gotta thank...” four times over with numerous names in between.

Review - The Ides of March

One only need know the title of George Clooney's The Ides of March – aptly named for the day of a fateful backstabbing – to suspect that this political drama is less to do with public policy and more to do with the cutthroat chess match that plays itself out on the other side of the curtain. As designed by Clooney and his co-writers Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon (the latter of whom penned the original play), the actual issues are peripheral as seen from the vacuum in which jaded campaign strategists ply their splenetic trade; people are played against each other, secrets divulged, secrets kept, trust severed, but all with a purpose. All for the cause of The Campaign.

Review - Drive

A few thoughts on Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive, an art house character study wrapped in a violent crime drama and advertised as a high-speed action movie:

Ryan Gosling plays a nameless driver for hire, running the gamut from Hollywood stunt work to manning the getaway car for various mob jobs. He is a soft spoken man of few words, but beyond his humble facade lies a dangerous disposition. When the mother and son who live down the hall from him become innocent, unintended targets of a tense mob conflict, the circumstances unleash the driver's deceptively powerful sting.

One Category at a Time: Best Actor

Johnny Depp, one of America's most elite actors (though it may be easy to forget, given his resume of late), stars in an adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's The Rum Diary, written and directed by Barry Robison. I'm sure everyone is eager to see Depp take on a role that doesn't involve Jack Sparrow or Tim Burton. I know I am.

Ryan Gosling probably missed a nomination this past year by the skin of teeth, having given one of 2010's best performances in Blue Valentine. If the Academy wants to make it up to him (not saying they necessarily do), they may pay closer attention to his work in George Clooney's The Ides of March, in which he plays a disillusioned political staffer.

As for George Clooney himself, after laying low in 2010, he's on course to have a big year starring in Alexander Payne's The Descendants and his own directorial project The Ides of March. He faces internal competition from the latter's Ryan Gosling, but he is the main attraction in the former, which will allow him to tap into that well of understated emotion that he does so well.

David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method has two prime contenders in Viggo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender, playing Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung respectively. Will vote splitting ruin both their chances? Will one be pushed to Supporting? Can they both sneak in? These questions depend on a number of factor's, including how well the film is received, but for the time being, it's safe to assume that biographical roles are in for their fair share of awards attention.

And finally, is Hollywood ready to forgive Mel Gibson? He's got a plum role in Jodie Foster's The Beaver, as an unbalanced man who can only communicate with others through a hand puppet. Oscar loves a good comeback, although it may still be too soon after Gisbon's tabloid antics for them to welcome him back to the flock with a nomination. We shall see.

Predicted five:
George Clooney in The Descendants or The Ides of March
Johnny Depp in The Rum Diary
Mel Gibson in The Beaver
Ryan Gosling in The Ides of March
Viggo Mortensen in A Dangerous Method

Also consider: Antonio Banderas The Skin That I Inhabit, Damien Bichir A Better Life, Matt Damon We Bought a Zoo, Michael Fassbender A Dangerous Method, Ralph Fiennes Coriolanus, James McAvoy The Conspirator, Brad Pitt Moneyball, Michael Shannon Take Shelter.

Fails and Wins of the Epic Variety

Now that I've had a chance to mull things over a bit, it's time for me to decide where I stand when it comes to this year's slate of Academy Award nominees. All said and done, things went more or less according to plan, so it's easiest to discuss my observations on an individual basis.

-The first thing that strikes me is how much the overall nominations were hogged by all the Best Picture nominees. Only four non-Best-Picture nominees (Biutiful, Alice, Harry Potter, Dragon) received multiple nominations. Beyond a smattering of single-nominated films, all the nominations went to Best Picture contenders. Each one as at least 4 nominations.

-With twelve noms to The King's Speech including Sound Mixing, I think it's safe to say it's the frontrunner.

-The most glaring surprise is the omission of Christopher Nolan in Best Director... again. Frustrating more than shocking. I might be a little more surprised if they hadn't done the exact same thing with Memento and The Dark Knight.
FAIL

-So sad that Ryan Gosling couldn't manage a nod for his astonishing work in Blue Valentine (FAIL), but so happy for Javier Bardem breaking through with his challenging and terrific performance in Biutiful (WIN). Other than that, no real surprises in the acting categories.

-More egregious than Christopher Nolan's snub in Best Director is Lee Smith's snub in Film Editing. How the editors branch failed to call Inception one of the five best edited films of the year is beyond me!
FAIL! FAIL! FAIL!

-I Am Love's nom in Costume Design came out of nowhere, but it's a smart contemporary nomination and a pleasant surprise.
WIN

-Relieved to see How to Train Your Dragon make it in for Original Score.
WIN

-No "Shine" for Best Song?
FAIL

-No Alice for Best Makeup!
WIN

-Exit Through the Gift Shop for Best Documentary!
HUGE WIN

-Dogtooth for Best Foreign Film?
???

My Award nominations: Actor

Crowded field, as always. Wish I could include more. My five Best Actor picks are:

GEORGE CLOONEY in The American:
George Clooney is at his understated best playing the most professional of professional killers with a non-fussy attitude and an excellent sense of dramatic timing. The film's quiet, observational style is the perfect stage for the subtlety and detail of Clooney's performance. He doesn't need much dialogue; his face does all the talking.

AARON ECKHART in Rabbit Hole:
Nicole Kidman is getting most of the press for her terrific performance in Rabbit Hole, but Aaron Eckhart is equally brilliant, playing a character who staunchly clings to every memory of his son in order to subdue a bitter rage that simmers just beneath a stoic front. Watching him finally lash out is painful but entirely understandable.

JESSE EISENBERG in The Social Network:
Eisenberg gives a highly mannered yet nuanced performance as Zuckerberg, or rather, a quasi-alternate-universe projection of Zuckerberg. He doesn't try to do an imitation, but carves out a unique and complicated social outsider who seems to suffer from both an inferiority and superiority complex all at once, wanting to belong, but on his own.

JAMES FRANCO in 127 Hours:
He’s the film's biggest asset, holding all 90 minutes of the movie almost entirely by himself, bringing not only a lot of energy and charisma, but also the restraint and tact to evoke his character's arc from blissful ignorance to his moment of epiphany. What I’ll ultimately remember 127 Hours as is a gripping performance piece from a skilled actor.

RYAN GOSLING in Blue Valentine:
A wholly realized, lived-in performance that cuts close to the bone. Gosling turns himself inside out for Derek Cianfrance's devastating marital drama, embodying all the love, anger, fear, compassion, and regret that goes hand-in-hand with marriage all at once, but in different proportion and focus depending on the progression of his character.

Just missed: Javier Bardem in Biutiful, Jeff Bridges in True Grit, Leonardo DiCaprio in Inception, Robert Duvall in Get Low, Colin Firth in The King's Speech

Predictions - January 2011

Happy New Year, one and all!

I'd say it's high time my sidebar predictions were updated, and the most noteworthy changes in the wake of the critics awards are:

-Winter`s Bone makes a big entry into Best Picture and Supporting Actor.
-The Town also joins the Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay, and Supporting Actor races.
-Black Swan dives into Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, and Cinematography.
-The Fighter now appears in Best Director and double dips in Supporting Actress.
-Ryan Gosling and Jesse Eisenberg join Best Actor.
-Additions in the craft categories: Alice in Art Direction, Shutter Island in Art Direction & Makeup, True Grit in Costume, The Social Network in Score, and 127 Hours in Score & Sound Editing.

I'm also going to venture some preliminary winner predictions before the guild awards start pouring in. From this point in the race, this is how I see it going down on Oscar night:

Best Picture: The King's Speech
Best Director: David Fincher, The Social Network
Best Actor: Colin Firth, The King's Speech
Best Actress: Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, The Fighter
Best Original Screenplay: The King's Speech
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Social Network
Best Cinematography: Inception
Best Film Editing: The Social Network
Best Art Direction: The King's Speech
Best Costume Design: Alice in Wonderland
Best Original Song: "I See The Light", Tangled
Best Original Score: The King's Speech
Best Sound Mixing: Inception
Best Sound Editing: Inception
Best Visual Effects: Inception
Best Makeup: The Wolfman
Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3
Best Documentary: Waiting for Superman
Best Foreign Language Film: Life, Above All

SAG nominees!

And they are:

Best Ensemble
Black Swan
The Fighter
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
The Social Network

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges, True Grit
Robert Duvall, Get Low
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours

Best Actress
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Hilary Swank, Conviction

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Fighter
John Hawkes, Winter’s Bone
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham-Carter, The King’s Speech
Mila Kunis, Black Swan
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

Best Stunt Ensemble
Green Zone
Inception
Robin Hood


Some observations:

-This week's critics awards have shown a lot of love for John Hawkes and Jennifer Lawrence, both of whom give great performances in Winter's Bone. They both earn noms with SAG as well. I'm thinking the Best Picture nomination about which I've long been skeptical could be in the cards after all.

-There's clearly a lot of support for Black Swan. It scooped a nod for Best Ensemble from The Town, and Mila Kunis completes the hat-trick of nominations from the BFCA, HFPA, and SAG. I think Best Picture is probable for this film as well.

-The shutouts of Blue Valentine and Another Year is a bitter pill to swallow for Oscar hopefuls Michelle Williams, Ryan Gosling, and especially Lesley Manville, who could be falling victim to category confusion.

-Hilary Swank but not Sam Rockwell? Did not see that coming.