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(photo: Dave_B_ )
Over at La Figa, Firedoglake‘s politics, entertainment and pop culture blog, Lisa Derrick will be live blogging the Oscars, including the Red Carpet special. Derrick put up a post yesterday on what she thinks we have to look forward to during the Oscars, hinted at the fact that the “French,” through The Artist, could sweep the Oscars and she highlighted the “heavyweight” battle in Best Director category.
So, why is the guy that writes about WikiLeaks, drones, the Occupy movement, torture, etc, doing a post on his Oscar picks?
I graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a Film/Video degree. I enjoy writing about film. I especially enjoy writing about films that help call attention to important political or social issues in society (see my review of Rampart starring Woody Harrelson, which I just posted this weekend).
I won’t claim to be a professional movie critic, but I do like to use film to interrogate the world and I also appreciate directors/producers/screenwriters, etc, that dare to interrogate the world or provoke thought in society through film. Plus, I really just like movies, and I have seen many of the films up for awards tonight.
I think the buzz surrounding The Artist and actresses in The Help is probably a good indication that they will do really well. But, what kind of surprises will there be, if any?
Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer will probably win Actress and Supporting Actress awards. They both deserve it, but I think if any upsets happen it could be from Michelle Williams. I also think it would be great to see Melissa McCarthy take home the award for Supporting Actress.
Gary Oldman is why you watch Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. I would like to see Oldman win here but Jean Dujardin will probably take the award. And, Christopher Plummer looks like a lock, but given the fact that I still remain surprised at how many nominations Moneyball received, I think it would be great to see Jonah Hill take home the award for Supporting Actor.
As for documentaries, Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory will take home the award. The film is the culmination of a series of films on a tragic story of injustice that had the effect of actually freeing the subjects of the film, the West Memphis 3. And, the short documentary will probably go to Saving Face, a film about a “British-Pakistani plastic surgeon works to help women who have been injured in acid attacks, while his patients struggle to come to terms with the aftermath of their disfigurement.” But, I would like to see Incident in New Baghdad, about soldier Ethan McCord who can be seen saving two wounded in children in the “Collateral Murder” video released by WikiLeaks, take the award.
The animated short should go to The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. Here is the trailer for this fun short.
A Separation by Ashgar Farhadi is a captivating and dark drama mystery that tells the story of an Iranian man and his wife who split. The man hires a caregiver for his father, who has Alzheimer’s. The caregiver’s faith makes it difficult for the woman to give the man’s father the care he needs. One day, an incident happens and the caregiver falls down the stairs (or so she claims) and then the woman, who was apparently pregnant, tries to have the man convicted of manslaughter for giving her a miscarriage when she fell down the stairs. It’s a powerful film and, as the drums of war against Iran continue to beat, I expect Farhadi to remind us all of how good the Iranian people are when he accepts the award, because they are good people and because the people in this film are the characters who would be the most impacted if the country was bombed.
When I think about The Descendants, I think it would win a lot more awards tonight if it did not have to beat The Artist. Nonetheless, Alexander Payne should take home an award for adapted screenplay.
Woody Allen is my pick for original screenplay but I don’t think he will win the Oscar for Best Director. Director of The Artist, Michel Hazanavicius, should walk away with the award, along with a Best Picture award.
If you need a way to measure how good my picks might be, I have seen 21 of the films on Martin Scorsese’s list of 85 films you have to see to know anything about film. It’s a fantastic comprehensive list for anyone who doesn’t just like film but also is into the history of cinema. (And Lisa Derrick highlighted it in her post last night.)
I did like The Artist. From caleb36 here at FDL, this is, in my opinion, one of the best descriptions of why the film is so wonderful:
It is a charming and profound look at old Hollywood through French eyes. The onset of sound in the middle of the movie is a metaphor for the traumatic changes induced by the emergence of our contemporary world just about at the time the silent film period was ending.
Below are my picks. And, in case you are interested, here is my list of top films from 2011 that I put up at the end of last year.
*
OSCAR PICKS
Best Supporting Actor:
Will Win: Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
Should Win: Jonah Hill (Moneyball)
Best Actress:
Will Win: Viola Davis (The Help)
Should Win: Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)
Best Supporting Actress:
Will Win: Octavia Spencer (The Help)
Should Win: Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)
Best Animated Feature:
Will Win: Rango
Should Win: Chico & Rita
Best Art Direction:
Will Win: Hugo
Should Win: Hugo
Best Cinematography
Will Win: Tree of Life
Should Win: Tree of Life
Best Costume Design
Will Win: W.E.
Should Win: Hugo
Best Documentary Feature
Will Win: Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Should Win: Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Best Documentary Short
Will Win: Saving Face
Should Win: Incident in New Baghdad
Best Film Editing
Will Win: The Artist
Should Win: The Descendants
Best Foreign Language:
Will Win: A Separation
Should Win: A Separation
Best Makeup:
Will Win: The Iron Lady
Should Win: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Best Original Score:
Will Win: The Artist
Should Win: The Artist
Best Original Song:
Will Win: “Man or Muppet” (The Muppets)
Should Win: ”Man or Muppet” (The Muppets)
Best Animated Short Film:
Will Win: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
Best Live Action Short Film:
Will Win: The Shore
Best Sound Editing
Will Win: War Horse
Should Win: Hugo
Best Sound Mixing
Will Win: War Horse
Should Win: Hugo
Best Visual Effects
Will Win: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Should Win: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Best Adapted Screenplay
Will Win: The Descendants
Should Win: The Descendants
Best Original Screenplay
Will Win: Midnight in Paris
Should Win: Midnight in Paris
Best Actor
Will Win: Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
Should Win: Gary Oldman (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)
Best Director:
Will Win: Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
Should Win: Alexander Payne (The Descendants)
Best Picture:
Will Win: The Artist
Should Win: The Descendants
21 Comments
I think you mean Gary Oldman. Gary Coleman isn’t available to pick up the Oscar.
Not to mention that Diff’rent Strokes has a limited fan base among Academy members.
Good catch. Got to keep readers on their toes. Obviously, Coleman isn’t nominated. Fixed.
I agree with you completely about Michelle Williams, I think it was a superior performance; that said, no problem with Davis winning, she was excellent. Won’t predict a win, but if there is a dark horse with a chance in Best Picture, it is Hugo; it has a lot of strange little things the Academy often hones in on that the public doesn’t, including homage to film itself.
speaking of films, I was sent this one today via the net. Let your life be the friction that stops the machine. not in todays schedule but note worthy.
Good assessment.
Here’s a link I’ve been sharing on the many homages in Hugo:
10 Classic Films You Must Watch Before Seeing Martin Scorsese’s Hugo
i’m strangely disconnected from this year’s oscars. a resident of Hollywood and one who works in and around the biz i’m usually all fired up for our annual Prom Night. this year i’ve managed to see only three of the Best Pic Picks: “The Artist”, “The Descendants” and “Midnight In Paris”.
with the relentless Critic and Studio sniping against ‘The Artist’, i am rooting for a full ‘Artist’ sweep. also happy to support a movie filmed entirely in town, not Canada or Romania (no offense to Canada or Romania, we need production jobs here too).
and a bronx cheer to the Academy for refusing to let the two (only two!) Best Song nominees perform tonight depriving me of Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords in action.
the sun has begun to peek out, but the fog is still hanging heavy over Hollywood so i think the starlets are gonna be freezing their artificially-enhanced tatas off on the red carpet.
it took a while but it’s plenty clear in the IE now. I can’t stand movie theaters anymore.
Book Salon up with John Nichols’ Uprising: How Wisconsin Renewed the Politics of Protest, from Madison to Wall Street hosted by Robert W. McChesney
It’s a tough one but here are my picks
Best Actor Barack Obama
Supporting Actor Jon Corzine
Best Actress Nancy Peolosi
Supporting Actress John Boehner
Best foreign Language The Republican Debates
Best short film Politicians speak the truth
Best live action short film Libya
Best adapted screenplay Osama Bin laden
Best Costume Rev Al Sharpton
Wow, that is a pretty good and way cool list. Seen most all, but has been several decades.
The Academy overlooked or snubbed Golf In The Kingdom, surely the best feature film about a short, rough subject, finally made from the 1972 novel by Michael Murphy — the Esalen Institute founder, not the famous actor, plus Joanne ‘Scandal’ Whalley is featured.
Ha. Does Obama singing Al Green win Best Song? Or are you going to give that one to Mittens for his rendition of “America, the Beautiful”?
Yes, well, the Academy snubbed Andy Serkis and they also snubbed The Interrupters, which should have been given a nomination for Best Documentary.
Love that, I guess Mittens gets it.
Not to be outdone by the Oscars, W/L just released 5 million emails.
In any case, US politics deserves Emmys, not Oscars. US politics is the longest running formulaic TV show in the history of mankind. Somehow, we all keep tuning in to see what drama unfolds next, even though we know it is going to be putrid, revolting and horrifying.
On it – launching live blog. I got my priorities straight. Can’t be MIA on this.
Hi Kevin have you seen what wikileaks just released trying to post but it won’t let me
Hi kevin keep trying to post info it says error error, very odd indeed
Really odd will not let me post
strange why can I not post the statement from wikileaks but can post these messages