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The Oscar roundup... so far
Jan. 31st, 2011 11:11 pmI always try to see all the movies nominated for Best Picture in a given year. I think I may have to change this now that the category has expanded to 10 movies. Still, providing the Academy doesn't pull a Golden Globe and start nominating films like "The Tourist," we'll continue to get along fine.
So far my pick for best picture is The Social Network. I'd call it my generation's Citizen Kane, except it's funnier and lacks any references to sledges. It's smartly written, well acted, well directed and topical. It'd get my vote.
I also really enjoyed Black Swan. Natalie Portman turned in an excellent performance; great art direction and cinematography elevated it, and that Swan Lake tune was pretty darn catchy. I really admire the camera direction in the film: the tight handheld closeups of Portman's head as she walks, the you-are-there lurch of the camera when Portman gets lifted up. True, the story is straightforward, but that's not a sin here. The suspense comes in seeing how Nina's nightmare will unfold, and in trying to figure out what's real and what isn't in any given scene.
True Grit was a great crowd-pleasing tall tale of a movie, and I'm glad to see it's done well at the box office. I wouldn't be sad to see it win an award or two, but there are worthier contenders out there.
Winter's Bone is the opposite of a crowd-pleaser: it's a bleak, hillbilly-noir version of True Grit, only without the humor or the comforting stand-in patriarch. Jennifer Lawrence turns in a strong performance as a girl willing to do anything to find her father; John Hawkes is memorable as the dangerous uncle who warns her off her quest. If the words "bleak," "chilling" and "suspenseful" appeal to you, make sure to track this one down.
The King's Speech is a fine movie. Really. It's also a paint-by-numbers Oscar film that does its best to check off every box on the Extras-Winslet-Speech list. Colin Firth (Pride and Prejudice) plays a repressed Englishman who must overcome a physical challenge (read: speech impediment) to discover himself and fight Nazis. Geoffrey Rush (Shine) plays the eccentric genius who helps him. Everything ends upliftingly to stirring music. The only surprise is Helena Bonham Carter, who does turns in a sharp, lively-but-strong performance in a role she has not played a hundred times already.
Toy Story 3 is a worthy cap on the Toy Story trilogy, but it's not really a Best Picture contender. Inception was one of the most original summer blockbusters, but it does suffer from convoluted storytelling, thin characters, and the occasional loss of narrative focus. I want to see it win Best Sound, and it'll be neck and neck with TSN for best film score.
That's all I've seen so far. 3 more to go.
So far my pick for best picture is The Social Network. I'd call it my generation's Citizen Kane, except it's funnier and lacks any references to sledges. It's smartly written, well acted, well directed and topical. It'd get my vote.
I also really enjoyed Black Swan. Natalie Portman turned in an excellent performance; great art direction and cinematography elevated it, and that Swan Lake tune was pretty darn catchy. I really admire the camera direction in the film: the tight handheld closeups of Portman's head as she walks, the you-are-there lurch of the camera when Portman gets lifted up. True, the story is straightforward, but that's not a sin here. The suspense comes in seeing how Nina's nightmare will unfold, and in trying to figure out what's real and what isn't in any given scene.
True Grit was a great crowd-pleasing tall tale of a movie, and I'm glad to see it's done well at the box office. I wouldn't be sad to see it win an award or two, but there are worthier contenders out there.
Winter's Bone is the opposite of a crowd-pleaser: it's a bleak, hillbilly-noir version of True Grit, only without the humor or the comforting stand-in patriarch. Jennifer Lawrence turns in a strong performance as a girl willing to do anything to find her father; John Hawkes is memorable as the dangerous uncle who warns her off her quest. If the words "bleak," "chilling" and "suspenseful" appeal to you, make sure to track this one down.
The King's Speech is a fine movie. Really. It's also a paint-by-numbers Oscar film that does its best to check off every box on the Extras-Winslet-Speech list. Colin Firth (Pride and Prejudice) plays a repressed Englishman who must overcome a physical challenge (read: speech impediment) to discover himself and fight Nazis. Geoffrey Rush (Shine) plays the eccentric genius who helps him. Everything ends upliftingly to stirring music. The only surprise is Helena Bonham Carter, who does turns in a sharp, lively-but-strong performance in a role she has not played a hundred times already.
Toy Story 3 is a worthy cap on the Toy Story trilogy, but it's not really a Best Picture contender. Inception was one of the most original summer blockbusters, but it does suffer from convoluted storytelling, thin characters, and the occasional loss of narrative focus. I want to see it win Best Sound, and it'll be neck and neck with TSN for best film score.
That's all I've seen so far. 3 more to go.
