I'm not too thrilled about the Oscar race this year. With the exception of The Help, I thought the crop of nominees seemed a little random. I didn't see most of them, actually, so I guess my opinion doesn't hold much weight.... I just felt like a lot of really great films were more worthy of a nomination. That's where my list comes in! *Warning: may contain slight spoilers!*
10. A Better Life
This movie totally made me cry! Seriously, I was bawling at the end when the Mexican dad had to get deported, leaving his vulnerable teenage son (and US citizen) to fend for himself in the ghettos of LA. I am so happy that Demian Bichir got a best actor nomination. His performance was truly heartbreaking. Politics aside, it's just wrong to tear families apart, and this movie shows the direct consequences of doing such a thing.
9. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
In the beginning, I was very skeptical about an American version of a Swedish story. I thought, "Well maybe if they adapted the story a little and have it take place in America, then it might be okay." But they didn't. It would take place in Sweden and the characters would be speaking English with a Swedish accent. Stupidest thing I ever heard! But then Fincher signed on to be the director. I thought, "Well if Fincher's doing it, it can't be THAT bad." And the buzz just kept on building. Then they cast Rooney Mara, a relative unknown, which I thought was a smart move. Supposedly, Natalie Portmann and Scarlett Johansson were up for the part of Lisbeth Salandar, and I know the movie would have suffered if either them of were cast in that part. I didn't think anyone could be as good as Noomi Rapace, but Rooney nailed it. She was even better! And although the film as a whole was pretty much just like the Swedish version, I felt like the American version was a little bit better. The performances were slightly better, and the look of the film was better, too.
8. X-Men First Class
Michael Fassbender stole the show! Heck, he stole 2011! But more on that later. I went into this movie knowing nothing about Fassbender, and came out of it wanting as much of him as I could get! The whole time I was watching X-Men, I thought, "Who is that playing Magneto? He is fabulous!" So I looked him up and discovered that he was the one in Inglourious Basterds who didn't give the German three! So I of course had to watch Inglourious Basterds like five times after I discovered Fassbender was in it, haha! Anyway, I love the X-Men movies (with the exception of the Wolverine movie which was truly awful) and X-Men First Class is just as good! Mostly because Michael Fassbender stole the show!
7. Cedar Rapids
Does anyone remember this movie? Did anyone even see it? It's so whimsically delicious! It's about a bunch of insurance agents (the most exciting people on Earth!) who all come together at Cedar Rapids (the most exciting place on Earth!) for an insurance convention. Hilarity ensues. All parties give excellent and hysterical performances. If you haven't seen this one yet, please do!
6. Win Win
This movie made me want to adopt a 16 year old troubled boy. Paul Giamatti's Mike is a high school wrestling coach who takes in a 16 year old boy, Kyle, whose drug addict mother has abandoned him. Mike discovers that Kyle has a talent for wrestling. That is what this film is about on the surface, anyway. It's also about redemption and second chances. About finding love and family and in the most unlikely places. Sounds totally lame and cheesy, but the movie presents these themes in a very funny way.
5. 50/50
Where is 50/50 in the Oscar race? I thought for sure it would be this year's token hip indie film. Guess not. That's too bad because it really ought to be. What would you do if you were in your 20's and found out that you have cancer, with a 50% chance of living? I would mostly certainly freak out. Joseph Gordon Levitt's character, takes a more laid back approach, and doesn't really freak out until toward the end when he takes his best friend for a death ride, in a pretty funny scene. It's a touching movie that doesn't turn the subject of cancer into a cheesy sob fest.
4. Beginners
I know Christopher Plummer is getting all the praise for this movie and will most definitely win tonight, but honestly, I thought Ewan McGregor and the dog made this film. I feel for Ewan sometimes. He's such an incredibly talented actor, yet it seems that in every movie he's in, he always gets overshadowed by someone else. In Moulin Rouge, it was Nicole Kidman who got all the praise. In The Ghost Writer, it was Polanski who got the attention. In I Love You Philip Morris, Jim Carrey was the star. Poor little Ewan! How many times must he take off his pants for someone to notice him?? ::Sigh:: Moving forward, this was an adorable movie with an adorable dog who spoke with subtitles! What more can you ask for?
3. Bridesmaids
I don't understand why people are so shocked that women can be funny. I'm a little confused as to why this "women in comedy" movement has become as big as a deal as it is. I guess it is nice that women are finally being acknowledged for being funny, but I feel like women have been funny for decades! And to me, it shouldn't be such a HUGE deal! But whatever. I'm glad it is being acknowledged on such a large scale and it seems that Bridesmaids is the Halle Berry (the vessel that's opened doors) to women in comedy. I'm not gonna lie. I want Melissa McCarthy to win tonight. I don't think her chances are good, but wouldn't it be great if she won? She had hands down the best lines in Bridesmaids, and she delivered them flawlessly! ("I apologize, I'm not even confident which end that came out of." "I'm glad he's single because I'm gonna climb that like a tree.") She gets the most laughs in a movie full of laughs and I think it's only fitting to give the award to the woman who pooped in a sink, rather than the one who pooped in a pie. Hands down, Bridesmaids is the funniest movie of the year!
2. The Help
This movie has gotten a lot of slack for being too white...or something. I see where all the politics are coming from, but I can't deny what I felt while watching this movie, which was EVERYTHING! Seriously, one minute I'm crying, the next, I'm laughing! Then I'm angry, then I'm happy! It's an emotional roller coaster! Viola Davis has my vote tonight, though I feel bad because every year Meryl Streep is nominated, I want her to win, and she doesn't; then finally this year I feel like she might actually win, and I want Viola to win! I'm so torn! Yes, some feel like The Help was too soft, not realistic, doesn't accurately portray the times, blah, blah, blah. I loved it! And that's all that matters to me!
1. Shame
Michael Fassbender!!!!! I can not believe he wasn't nominated for best actor. SERIOUSLY?!?! He's brilliant in this movie! BRILLIANT, I say!! I'm telling you, everyone on the internet and I are super pissed that Fassbender was overlooked! He should win. Screw Jean Dujardin! Just give it to Fassbender! Just give it to him!! If I were at the Oscars tonight, I would pull a Kanye, grab the mic from Dujardin (or Clooney...it might be him too), and say, "Ima let you finish, but Fassbender gave one of the best performances of ALL TIME!!!" Oh, man, how funny would that be? Anyway, enough of my rant. Let's talk about the brilliance of Shame. This film stuck with me for weeks after I saw it. I'm still thinking about it. It's so good! Not only are the performances exceptional, the camera work was great, too. I don't always pay attention to camera work (good to know my time spent in film school really taught me something) unless it really stands out, and it really stood out in Shame. There were a lot of long takes that lasted three, five, seven minutes, even! In today's MTV world, that's a long time for one take. There's a scene where Michael Fassbender is running for maybe five minutes straight. Just running. Sounds boring, but it's not. The story is very intriguing as well. It's about Brandon, a sex addict, who's sister comes to town, and invades his life. The story has layers upon layers to it, unfolding a deeper, darker core, that is never completely spelled out to the audience, yet, the audience knows what's at the heart of Brandon's shame. (See what I did there? I should write blurbs for DVD jacket covers!) In conclusion, Shame is a superb movie that was unfairly left out of the Oscar race this year. And also, Michael Fassbender's penis.
As for the rest of the nominated films.... (I wasn't very good this year. I didn't see many of them. I just wasn't that interested in the ones I didn't see.)
The Artist - I think this one is going to win. It was cute. Not Best Picture cute, but good for a random Tuesday night when you have nothing else to do cute. Plus, a dog!
The Decendants - Didn't see
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Didn't see
Hugo - Didn't see
Midnight in Paris - I liked this one, but something about it just seemed...off. It definitely has fantasy elements to it that were sometimes hard to swallow.
Moneyball - Didn't see
Tree of Life - This felt like a 2 hour long trailer. And - DINOSAURS!
War Horse - Didn't see
10. A Better LifeThis movie totally made me cry! Seriously, I was bawling at the end when the Mexican dad had to get deported, leaving his vulnerable teenage son (and US citizen) to fend for himself in the ghettos of LA. I am so happy that Demian Bichir got a best actor nomination. His performance was truly heartbreaking. Politics aside, it's just wrong to tear families apart, and this movie shows the direct consequences of doing such a thing.
In the beginning, I was very skeptical about an American version of a Swedish story. I thought, "Well maybe if they adapted the story a little and have it take place in America, then it might be okay." But they didn't. It would take place in Sweden and the characters would be speaking English with a Swedish accent. Stupidest thing I ever heard! But then Fincher signed on to be the director. I thought, "Well if Fincher's doing it, it can't be THAT bad." And the buzz just kept on building. Then they cast Rooney Mara, a relative unknown, which I thought was a smart move. Supposedly, Natalie Portmann and Scarlett Johansson were up for the part of Lisbeth Salandar, and I know the movie would have suffered if either them of were cast in that part. I didn't think anyone could be as good as Noomi Rapace, but Rooney nailed it. She was even better! And although the film as a whole was pretty much just like the Swedish version, I felt like the American version was a little bit better. The performances were slightly better, and the look of the film was better, too.
Michael Fassbender stole the show! Heck, he stole 2011! But more on that later. I went into this movie knowing nothing about Fassbender, and came out of it wanting as much of him as I could get! The whole time I was watching X-Men, I thought, "Who is that playing Magneto? He is fabulous!" So I looked him up and discovered that he was the one in Inglourious Basterds who didn't give the German three! So I of course had to watch Inglourious Basterds like five times after I discovered Fassbender was in it, haha! Anyway, I love the X-Men movies (with the exception of the Wolverine movie which was truly awful) and X-Men First Class is just as good! Mostly because Michael Fassbender stole the show!
Does anyone remember this movie? Did anyone even see it? It's so whimsically delicious! It's about a bunch of insurance agents (the most exciting people on Earth!) who all come together at Cedar Rapids (the most exciting place on Earth!) for an insurance convention. Hilarity ensues. All parties give excellent and hysterical performances. If you haven't seen this one yet, please do!
This movie made me want to adopt a 16 year old troubled boy. Paul Giamatti's Mike is a high school wrestling coach who takes in a 16 year old boy, Kyle, whose drug addict mother has abandoned him. Mike discovers that Kyle has a talent for wrestling. That is what this film is about on the surface, anyway. It's also about redemption and second chances. About finding love and family and in the most unlikely places. Sounds totally lame and cheesy, but the movie presents these themes in a very funny way.
Where is 50/50 in the Oscar race? I thought for sure it would be this year's token hip indie film. Guess not. That's too bad because it really ought to be. What would you do if you were in your 20's and found out that you have cancer, with a 50% chance of living? I would mostly certainly freak out. Joseph Gordon Levitt's character, takes a more laid back approach, and doesn't really freak out until toward the end when he takes his best friend for a death ride, in a pretty funny scene. It's a touching movie that doesn't turn the subject of cancer into a cheesy sob fest.
I know Christopher Plummer is getting all the praise for this movie and will most definitely win tonight, but honestly, I thought Ewan McGregor and the dog made this film. I feel for Ewan sometimes. He's such an incredibly talented actor, yet it seems that in every movie he's in, he always gets overshadowed by someone else. In Moulin Rouge, it was Nicole Kidman who got all the praise. In The Ghost Writer, it was Polanski who got the attention. In I Love You Philip Morris, Jim Carrey was the star. Poor little Ewan! How many times must he take off his pants for someone to notice him?? ::Sigh:: Moving forward, this was an adorable movie with an adorable dog who spoke with subtitles! What more can you ask for?
I don't understand why people are so shocked that women can be funny. I'm a little confused as to why this "women in comedy" movement has become as big as a deal as it is. I guess it is nice that women are finally being acknowledged for being funny, but I feel like women have been funny for decades! And to me, it shouldn't be such a HUGE deal! But whatever. I'm glad it is being acknowledged on such a large scale and it seems that Bridesmaids is the Halle Berry (the vessel that's opened doors) to women in comedy. I'm not gonna lie. I want Melissa McCarthy to win tonight. I don't think her chances are good, but wouldn't it be great if she won? She had hands down the best lines in Bridesmaids, and she delivered them flawlessly! ("I apologize, I'm not even confident which end that came out of." "I'm glad he's single because I'm gonna climb that like a tree.") She gets the most laughs in a movie full of laughs and I think it's only fitting to give the award to the woman who pooped in a sink, rather than the one who pooped in a pie. Hands down, Bridesmaids is the funniest movie of the year!
This movie has gotten a lot of slack for being too white...or something. I see where all the politics are coming from, but I can't deny what I felt while watching this movie, which was EVERYTHING! Seriously, one minute I'm crying, the next, I'm laughing! Then I'm angry, then I'm happy! It's an emotional roller coaster! Viola Davis has my vote tonight, though I feel bad because every year Meryl Streep is nominated, I want her to win, and she doesn't; then finally this year I feel like she might actually win, and I want Viola to win! I'm so torn! Yes, some feel like The Help was too soft, not realistic, doesn't accurately portray the times, blah, blah, blah. I loved it! And that's all that matters to me!
Michael Fassbender!!!!! I can not believe he wasn't nominated for best actor. SERIOUSLY?!?! He's brilliant in this movie! BRILLIANT, I say!! I'm telling you, everyone on the internet and I are super pissed that Fassbender was overlooked! He should win. Screw Jean Dujardin! Just give it to Fassbender! Just give it to him!! If I were at the Oscars tonight, I would pull a Kanye, grab the mic from Dujardin (or Clooney...it might be him too), and say, "Ima let you finish, but Fassbender gave one of the best performances of ALL TIME!!!" Oh, man, how funny would that be? Anyway, enough of my rant. Let's talk about the brilliance of Shame. This film stuck with me for weeks after I saw it. I'm still thinking about it. It's so good! Not only are the performances exceptional, the camera work was great, too. I don't always pay attention to camera work (good to know my time spent in film school really taught me something) unless it really stands out, and it really stood out in Shame. There were a lot of long takes that lasted three, five, seven minutes, even! In today's MTV world, that's a long time for one take. There's a scene where Michael Fassbender is running for maybe five minutes straight. Just running. Sounds boring, but it's not. The story is very intriguing as well. It's about Brandon, a sex addict, who's sister comes to town, and invades his life. The story has layers upon layers to it, unfolding a deeper, darker core, that is never completely spelled out to the audience, yet, the audience knows what's at the heart of Brandon's shame. (See what I did there? I should write blurbs for DVD jacket covers!) In conclusion, Shame is a superb movie that was unfairly left out of the Oscar race this year. And also, Michael Fassbender's penis.
As for the rest of the nominated films.... (I wasn't very good this year. I didn't see many of them. I just wasn't that interested in the ones I didn't see.)
The Artist - I think this one is going to win. It was cute. Not Best Picture cute, but good for a random Tuesday night when you have nothing else to do cute. Plus, a dog!
The Decendants - Didn't see
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Didn't see
Hugo - Didn't see
Midnight in Paris - I liked this one, but something about it just seemed...off. It definitely has fantasy elements to it that were sometimes hard to swallow.
Moneyball - Didn't see
Tree of Life - This felt like a 2 hour long trailer. And - DINOSAURS!
War Horse - Didn't see
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