Woohoo!!! The Oscar Nominations are out and my movie binge has paid off. I’ve already seen 9 of the 10 Best Picture nominations; and half of the feature length movies receiving nominations in any category (including Foreign and Documentaries).
This is one of the best starts I’ve ever had going into the Oscar Countdown (the days between the nominations and the actual awards).
Best Picture
So far my personal favorites in the best picture category are ‘127 Hours’, ‘The Social Network’, and ‘Inception’. However, ‘Toy Story 3’ and ‘The King’s Speech’ have a lot going for them. ‘Toy Story 3’ which was a fantastic end to the series, is going into the Oscars as the highest grossing movie of the year which could give it an edge; while ‘The King’s Speech’ has received 12 total nominations, more than any other movie. I should also note that ‘The King’s Speech’ is the only one of the 10 I haven’t seen… and I am REALLY looking forward to it.
For the most part, the 10 nominations are pretty solid. ‘The Fighter’ and ‘The Kids are All Right’ are both great movies with amazing ensemble performances. And I was delighted to see ‘Winter’s Bone’ on the list. ‘Winter’s Bone’ is told very simply and is extremely compelling… and the performances, especially those from its younger cast members, are pretty darn amazing.
The nomination for ‘Black Swan’ was expected, but I will say that I didn’t think the movie, from a story stand point, was very good… I think it was very predictable. However, the cinematography was outstanding… and Natalie Portman was at her best.
The only movie that I have an issue with is ‘True Grit’. I just don’t think it was all that great. And listen… I LOVE the Coen Brothers, but I question the inclusion of ‘True Grit’. Now, I’m not saying ‘True Grit’ is horrible, it wasn’t bad… but it’s not on the same level as previously nominated Coen Brothers films like ‘Fargo’, ‘Barton Fink’, O Brother Where Art Thou?’ or ‘No Country for Old Men’… and on heels of last year’s Best Picture nomination for ‘A Serious Man’, my least favorite movie of 2009, I can’t help but think the Coen Brothers have reached a place in their career where they can take a poo on film and get nominated. Harsh? Probably.
SCHUTZHAPPENS PICK: ‘127 Hours’
LIKELY WINNER: ‘The Social Network’ or ‘The King’s Speech’
Actor in a Leading Role
I guess it goes without saying Jeff Bridges isn’t my top choice here. I adore Jeff as an actor and a person… but… you know. You can’t have everything.
In addition, I haven’t seen ‘Biutiful’ or ‘The King’s Speech… however, I’ve NEVER been disappointed by a Javier Bardem or Colin Firth performance. Heck, Javier made ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ tolerable… a little tolerable.
The big surprises for me this year were Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) and James Franco (127 Hours). Let me rephrase… it’s not a surprise that they received nominations for their performances… I’m just surprised at how dang great they were.
‘The Social Network’ was the fifth Jesse Eisenberg film I’ve seen… and you know? He never made it onto my radar until last year’s ‘Zombieland’, (which is a great movie, by the way). He’s always been a solid performer… but at six years my junior… he’s always seems so darn young to me.
James Franco, on the other hand, is the biggest surprise of them all. Although I’ve know of James Franco since 1999, when he was on the short lived, Emmy winning, star making juggernaut, TV show ‘Freaks and Geeks’ [also staring Seth Rogen (Knocked Up), Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother), Linda Cardellini (ER), Samm Levine (Inglorious Bastards), Martin Starr (Party Down), Busy Phillips (Cougar Town)], I’ve never been a huge James Franco fan. Plus, ‘127 Hours’ is based on a true story that I already knew, about a guy stuck in a cavern by himself. So, going into ‘127 Hours’ I wasn’t very excited… it was a story I already knew starting an actor I didn’t particularly care for… and well… you can never judge a book by its cover. Despite all my misgivings, ‘127 Hours’ was my personal pick for Best Picture and James Franco… well…
SCHUTZHAPPENS PICK: James Franco, ‘127 Hours’
LIKELY WINNER: Colin Firth, ‘The King’s Speech’
Actress in a Leading Role
I still need to see ‘Blue Valentine’ and ‘Rabbit Hole’ so, at this point, I can’t comment on Nicole Kidman or Michelle Williams. Both are wonderful actresses so I am expecting solid performances… however, I don’t think either of them will win.
Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right) was as great as she was in ‘American Beauty’ and even though she won the Golden Globe I think an Oscar win on February 27th is unlikely. Plus, I actually liked Julian Moore’s performance in this film more… and she’s not nominated at all.
I love that Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone) received a nomination. She has no chance of winning but at 20 years old, she’s a new face that we’re going to see a lot of and her inclusion on the nomination list is 100% merited.
Okay… so let’s cut through the BS. This is Natalie Portman’s year. Although I didn’t particularly like ‘Black Swan’, I liken Natalie’s performance to Jamie Foxx in ‘Ray’. As horrible as I thought ‘Ray’ was as a complete thought, nothing could take away from the sheer brilliance of Jamie Foxx’s performance. Now, I’m not saying ‘Black Swan’ was horrible… it just wasn’t… you know… oh it doesn’t matter:
SCHUTZHAPPENS PICK: Natalie Portman, ‘Black Swan’
LIKELY WINNER: Natalie Portman, ‘Black Swan’
Actor in a Supporting Role
I’ve seen four out of five performances in this category. I could change my mind after seeing Geoffrey Rush in ‘The King’s Speech’, however he didn’t win the Golden Globe… and as much as I like Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right), Jeremy Renner (The Town), and John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone)... I’m pulling for Christian Bale (The Fighter) all the way… and I’m pretty sure he’ll get it. And if you are familiar with the diversity of Christian’s career you’ll understand what I’m talking about:
SCHUTZHAPPENS PICK: Christian Bale, ‘The Fighter’
LIKELY WINNER: Christian Bale, ‘The Fighter’
Actress in a Supporting Role
Melissa Leo, ‘The Fighter’, has this in the bag and I couldn’t be happier. If you every used to watch NBC’s ‘Homicide: Life of the Street’ you might remember Melissa as the necktie wearing, slightly mannish, token female detective. Well, when the show ended in 1999, it would have been easy to forget about Melissa… and I did… until 2008 she made a small independent movie with a whole lot of buzz called ‘Frozen River’ for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Then she moved over to HBO staring in the wonderful series about post-Katrina New Orleans called ‘Treme’, and now… she is almost unrecognizable as Christian Bale and Mark Walberg’s mother in ‘The Fighter’. Tremendous.
Why am I so sure she will win? Well… Melissa Leo is as talented as Meryl Streep… and it’s not a secret anymore. We’re going to see a lot of her in the future.
Beyond Leo, Amy Adams was also VERY good in ‘The Fighter’ and I am sure Helena Bonham Carter is excellent in ‘The King’s Speech’… and well… I not really sure why Hailee Steinfeld is nominated for ‘True Grit’… it seems strange to have her in the mix when Julian Moore was left out.
And before I close this section, I need to recognize the fifth nominee, Jacki Weaver, who is nominated for ‘Animal Kingdom’. If ‘The Fighter’ didn’t exist, Jacki would be my pick. Like Melissa, Jacki plays a mother who would do anything for her boys… except instead of raising boxers; Jacki raises drug dealers and murderers. There is a bone chilling scene where you get to see the sociopath inside a loving mother when she orders a hit on a witness in an attempt to get one of her kids off… brilliant.
SCHUTZHAPPENS PICK: Melissa Leo, ‘The Fighter’
LIKELY WINNER: Melissa Leo, ‘The Fighter’
Directing
With the field including Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan), David O. Russell (The Fighter), Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech), David Fincher (The Social Network), and the Coen Brothers (True Grit)… someone needs to explain to me why Chris Nolan AND Danny Boyle weren’t nominated in this category.
Chris Nolan directed ‘Inception’ which was pretty brilliant. He weaved 3 or 4 simultaneous stories together flawlessly. And Danny Boyle directed ‘127 Hours’… a movie where James Franco appeared on screen alone for over an hour giving Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis a lesson on how to rock the one man show.
I mean… come on! I thought the omission of Julian Moore was a bit strange… but Chris Nolan and Danny Boyle? It’s just strange.
SCHUTZHAPPENS PICK: Chris Nolan AND Danny Boyle as write in candidates.
LIKELY WINNER: David Fincher, ‘The Social Network’… with Nolan and Boyle out of the mix why not give it to the guy who made a movie about Facebook interesting.
Documentary Feature: ‘Exit through the Gift Shop’… it’s actually the only one in this category I’ve seen (so far)… but its great! It’s a wonderful documentary.
Foreign Language Film: I haven’t seen any of these yet… but due to Javier’s nomination for Best Actor, ‘Biutiful’ has a HUGE advantage.
Adapted Screenplay: I secretly hope ‘Toy Story 3’ wins… but I’m pretty sure Aaron Sorkin will win for ‘The Social Network’
Original Screen Play: Wow… this is a tough category this year. It’s anyone’s ballgame… but if I was forced to gamble… I would go with ‘The Kids Are All Right’… the subject matter is pretty Hollywood friendly.
Animated Future Film: ‘Toy Story 3’… although ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ was REALLY good.
Art Direction: ‘Inception’
Cinematography: ‘Black Swan’
Costumes: ‘Alice in Wonderland’
Film Editing: ‘127 Hours’
Makeup: I can’t weigh in on this one yet, I’m 0 for 3 in this category.
Original Score: ‘The Social Network’
Original Song: Tossup between ‘Toy Story 3’ and ‘Country Strong’
Sound Editing: ‘Inception’
Sound Mixing: ‘Inception’… indecently, ‘Salt’ is also nominated in this category and it was a pretty fun movie.
Visual Effect: ‘Inception’
Well folks, those are my first impressions of the Oscar nominations… I still have 27 days of movie watching ahead of me before the Oscar telecast… so I’ll offer a briefer synopsis of my picks on February 26th (the day before).
Also… I should probably warn you. Oscar Countdown is a ‘religious’ time for me… so if you’re one of my readers who doesn’t enjoy my insane movie talk… you might want to take February off. I‘ll miss you… but I thought I’d let you know.
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