I never really had friends who enjoyed watching the telecast, which was fine because it's really a tradition reserved for my mom and me. We both know when it's acceptable to talk during the broadcast, when to keep our mouths shut and, most importantly, we've actually seen most of the movies.
And now, the hate. The entire premise that the Academy Awards have anything to do with the "best" films of a particular year is beyond bunk. It's politics, pure and simple, covered with the same depth and perspective as the horse race primary coverage for the Republican presidential nomination. None of it has to do with the actual quality of the candidate, but how much money he has in the bank and how many commercials he can put on the air. It's a competition, yes. But one of marketing savvy, not filmmaking (just ask the Weinsteins).
And even if it was a legitimate competition between films, what's the point of that? Can you REALLY fairly compare "Tree of Life" to "Hugo?" And why would you want to in the first place? Ranking art (or at least attempts at art) is a premise that completely undermines the idea of art in the first place.
And if that argument doesn't convince you how silly it all is, then this one should: "War Horse" was nominated for Best Picture. Yes, "Extremeley Loud and Incredibly Close" is also an injustifiable inclusion in the category, but at least I could sit through the entire thing. I found "War Horse" to be so tedious and predicatable that I actually got up and left half-way through, something I've never done before. (And this from a girl who has a slight equine obsession.)
It wasn't until I became a professional film critic that any of this really bothered me because it suddenly became part of my job to participate in the ranking, or at least comment on it. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to watch the Oscars tonight. I'll be with my mom, with Billy Crystal on-screen, just like the good old days. But when so-and-so's name is announced as the winner, I won't be thinking that anyone really "won."
So now that I've taken all the joy and relevance out of the Oscars, here are my picks for the winners. Please keep in mind that politics really isn't my beat, but I did a fair amount of research -- and made a few Hail Mary picks of faith--so this really is my best effort. Let me know how you fared!
Alison Gang's Oscar Picks
84th Academy Awards 2012
You can read my justifications for the first six categories here.
- Best Picture: "The Artist"
- Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
- Best Actor: Jean Dujardin, "The Artist" (but Clooney is almost as likely a winner)
- Best Actress: Viola Davis, "The Help"
- Best Supporting actor: Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"
- Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, "The Help"
- Best Animated Feature Film: "Rango"
- Best Foreign Film: "A Separation"
- Best Original Screenplay: "Midnight in Paris"
- Best Adapted Screenplay: "The Descendants"
- Best Art Direction: "Hugo"
- Best Costume Design: "The Artist"
- Best Cinematography: "The Tree of Life" (this is one of the few picks I'm making out of sheer hope, because Malick's film should be recognized for something and this would be the most fitting category)
- Best Film Editing: "The Artist"
- Best Makeup: "The Iron Lady" (though I really want to be wrong. I'm pulling for "Potter." If "Albert Nobbs" wins, I might jump out a window.)
- Best Sound Editing: "Hugo"
- Best Sound Mixing: "Hugo"
- Best Visual Effects: "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" (really, how could anything else win?)
- Best Original Song: "Man or Muppet"
- Best Original Score: "The Artist"
- Best Documentary: "Undefeated" (but I'm rooting hard for "Pina")
- Best Documentary Short: "God is the Bigger Elvis" (admission: haven't seen any films in this category, but this sounds like a promising pick)
- Best Animated Short: "The Fantastic Flying Books for Mr. Morris Lessmore"
- Best Live Action Short: "The Shore"
I'd say you did pretty well. I'll also say that Viola Davis was robbed, as was Emmanuel Lubeski for "Tree of Life." The images in "Hugo" were beautiful, but so heavily treated in post it's hard to tell where cinematography left off and visual effects began.
ReplyDeleteI'd say you did pretty well. Viola Davis was robbed, as was Emmanuel Lubeski for "Tree of Life." The images in "Hugo" were beautiful, but so heavily doctored in post it's hard to tell where cinematography ends and visual effects begin.
ReplyDelete