OSCARS - 2012

[RobertR]

Here are the nominees.

Actor in a Leading Role

• Demián Bichir in "A Better Life"
• George Clooney in "The Descendants"
• Jean Dujardin in "The Artist"
• Gary Oldman in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
• Brad Pitt in "Moneyball"

Actor in a Supporting Role

• Kenneth Branagh in "My Week with Marilyn"
• Jonah Hill in "Moneyball"
• Nick Nolte in "Warrior"
• Christopher Plummer in "Beginners"
• Max von Sydow in "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"

Actress in a Leading Role

• Glenn Close in "Albert Nobbs"
• Viola Davis in "The Help"
• Rooney Mara in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
• Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady"
• Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn"

Actress in a Supporting Role

• Bérénice Bejo in "The Artist"
• Jessica Chastain in "The Help"
• Melissa McCarthy in "Bridesmaids"
• Janet McTeer in "Albert Nobbs"
• Octavia Spencer in "The Help"

Animated Feature Film

• "A Cat in Paris" Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli
• "Chico & Rita" Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
• "Kung Fu Panda 2" Jennifer Yuh Nelson
• "Puss in Boots" Chris Miller
• "Rango" Gore Verbinski

Art Direction

• "The Artist"
  Production Design: Laurence Bennett; Set Decoration: Robert Gould
• "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
  Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
• "Hugo"
  Production Design: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
• "Midnight in Paris"
  Production Design: Anne Seibel; Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil
• "War Horse"
  Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

Cinematography

• "The Artist" Guillaume Schiffman
• "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Jeff Cronenweth
• "Hugo" Robert Richardson
• "The Tree of Life" Emmanuel Lubezki
• "War Horse" Janusz Kaminski

Costume Design

• "Anonymous" Lisy Christl
• "The Artist" Mark Bridges
• "Hugo" Sandy Powell
• "Jane Eyre" Michael O'Connor
• "W.E." Arianne Phillips

Directing

• "The Artist" Michel Hazanavicius
• "The Descendants" Alexander Payne
• "Hugo" Martin Scorsese
• "Midnight in Paris" Woody Allen
• "The Tree of Life" Terrence Malick

Documentary (Feature)

• "Hell and Back Again"
  Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner
• "If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front"
  Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman
• "Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory"
  Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
• "Pina"
  Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel
• "Undefeated"
  TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas

Documentary (Short Subject)

• "The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement"
  Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin
• "God Is the Bigger Elvis"
  Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson
• "Incident in New Baghdad"
  James Spione
• "Saving Face"
  Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
• "The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom"
  Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen

Film Editing

• "The Artist" Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius
• "The Descendants" Kevin Tent
• "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
• "Hugo" Thelma Schoonmaker
• "Moneyball" Christopher Tellefsen

Foreign Language Film

• "Bullhead" Belgium
• "Footnote" Israel
• "In Darkness" Poland
• "Monsieur Lazhar" Canada
• "A Separation" Iran

Makeup

• "Albert Nobbs"
  Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle
• "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
  Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng
• "The Iron Lady"
  Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland

Music (Original Score)

• "The Adventures of Tintin" John Williams
• "The Artist" Ludovic Bource
• "Hugo" Howard Shore
• "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Alberto Iglesias
• "War Horse" John Williams

Music (Original Song)

• "Man or Muppet" from "The Muppets" Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
• "Real in Rio" from "Rio" Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown Lyric by Siedah Garrett

Best Picture

• "The Artist" Thomas Langmann, Producer
• "The Descendants" Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers
• "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" Scott Rudin, Producer
• "The Help" Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers
• "Hugo" Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers
• "Midnight in Paris" Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers
• "Moneyball" Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers
• "The Tree of Life" Nominees to be determined
• "War Horse" Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers

Short Film (Animated)

• "Dimanche/Sunday" Patrick Doyon
• "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg
• "La Luna" Enrico Casarosa
• "A Morning Stroll" Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe
• "Wild Life" Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby

Short Film (Live Action)

• "Pentecost" Peter McDonald and Eimear O'Kane
• "Raju" Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren
• "The Shore" Terry George and Oorlagh George
• "Time Freak" Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey
• "Tuba Atlantic" Hallvar Witzø

Sound Editing

• "Drive" Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis
• "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Ren Klyce
• "Hugo" Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty
• "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
• "War Horse" Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom

Sound Mixing

• "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
  David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson
• "Hugo"
  Tom Fleischman and John Midgley
• "Moneyball"
  Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and Ed Novick
• "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
  Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin
• "War Horse"
  Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson

Visual Effects

• "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
  Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson
• "Hugo"
  Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning
• "Real Steel"
  Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg
• "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"
  Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett
• "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
  Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

• "The Descendants" Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
• "Hugo" Screenplay by John Logan
• "The Ides of March" Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
• "Moneyball" Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin Story by Stan Chervin
• "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Screenplay by Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan

Writing (Original Screenplay)

• "The Artist" Written by Michel Hazanavicius
• "Bridesmaids" Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
• "Margin Call" Written by J.C. Chandor
• "Midnight in Paris" Written by Woody Allen
• "A Separation" Written by Asghar Farhadi

[RobertR]

And, some thoughts.

 

You can tell that voting took place a few weeks back. Before Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close got pummelled by critics and ignored by audiences.

 

The Artist is clearly the front runner. If there's an upset, I think only The Help, Midnight in Paris, and The Descendants have a chance to pull it off.

 

The Foreign Language Film category is probably stronger than the Best Picture category. Also, good for the Academy for nominating A Separation for Original Screenplay. That's a terrific adult film with a smart script.

 

I thought Tintin was a shoe-in for a Best Animated Feature nomination. Shows what I know. I'm happy Rango is going to win though.

 

As usual, the Documentary category is more about what the film is about than how well it's made. Although, I hear Pina is terrific.

 

The Artist is going to win Best Score even though it uses the theme from Vertigo for the climax of the movie. Discuss.

 

FWIW, I've seen 7 of the 9 Best Picture nominees, missing The Descendants and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. I'll likely see The Descendants before the awards are handed out. Also, I highly, highly recommend A Separation which I believe is opening in Milwaukee on February 10th.

 

Robert

[bjkrautk]

Here are the nominees.

 

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

• "The Descendants" Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash

Since I know there are a number of Community fans, yes, that is the same Jim Rash who plays Dean Pelton.

 

Also, having seen The Muppets, I hope Brett from Flight of the Conchords wins the Oscar. Once you know he helped write the music, you can't un-hear it.

Yet another year I've managed to miss the Oscar nominees almost completely, mostly because I never went out to see "Moneyball" in the theater.

[RobertR]

I'll agree with the general sentiment that it's not a very exciting list of nominees. But, other than Harry Potter, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and Bridesmaids getting Best Picture nominations, I don't see much out there that would excite the general public and be credible. It's not like The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is some huge hit which would make the Awards more interesting to the general public.

 

Likewise, Drive and Warrior didn't exactly set the box office on fire. And, it's always a longshot that a foreign film gets a nomination unless it's a big hit.

 

So, like usual, we get a lot of middle of the road picks that appeal to the Baby Boomer demographic. The Help appeals to women and is about IMPORTANT ISSUES. Hugo and The Artist are about film history. The Descendants and Moneyball are popular dramas anchored by two of Hollywood's biggest stars. Midnight in Paris is the art house hit. Tree of Life is the critically acclaimed art film. War Horse and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close are the ones that aim straight for emotions.

 

Robert

[dadofandrew]

Never during Moneyball did I think I was watching Pitt and Hill do excellent work.

[umphrey]

Moneyball should have been right up my alley but I was disappointed.

[jjfanec]

Never during Moneyball did I think I was watching Pitt and Hill do excellent work.

Agree completely. It was a fine movie with good not great performances. It was a really down year for movies in my mind. The movies that were supposed to be Oscar contenders like Shame, The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo, J Edgar, and others disappointed. I think this year a movie like Moneyball looks much better than it was. There were numerous movies from last year I thought were better

[Raw Biz]

Never during Moneyball did I think I was watching Pitt and Hill do excellent work.

Agree completely. It was a fine movie with good not great performances. It was a really down year for movies in my mind. The movies that were supposed to be Oscar contenders like Shame, The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo, J Edgar, and others disappointed. I think this year a movie like Moneyball looks much better than it was. There were numerous movies from last year I thought were better

I thought Pitt was good but not sure he deserves a nom. I really don't understand why Hill got nominated because his role didn't really require anything (wasn't really emotional, no physical transformation, etc.). He was fine but it definitely wasn't Oscar-worthy in my eyes.

I was also a big fan of The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo. Maybe it's because I never read the books or saw the Swedish version but I thought it was a really good movie and should've been nominated for Best Picture. Out of the noms, I've only seen Hugo and Moneyball but hope to watch The Help, Tree of Life, Midnight in Paris and possibly War Horse in the next month. It also seems like The Artist is the big frontrunner but I don't see what the big deal is. I haven't seen it and it could be really good but it just seems like a big reason it's a frontrunner is because it's a silent movie and an homage to that era. It just seems pretentious to me.

 

[RobertR]

I thought Pitt was good but not sure he deserves a nom. I really don't understand why Hill got nominated because his role didn't really require anything (wasn't really emotional, no physical transformation, etc.). He was fine but it definitely wasn't Oscar-worthy in my eyes.

I was also a big fan of The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo. Maybe it's because I never read the books or saw the Swedish version but I thought it was a really good movie and should've been nominated for Best Picture. Out of the noms, I've only seen Hugo and Moneyball but hope to watch The Help, Tree of Life, Midnight in Paris and possibly War Horse in the next month. It also seems like The Artist is the big frontrunner but I don't see what the big deal is. I haven't seen it and it could be really good but it just seems like a big reason it's a frontrunner is because it's a silent movie and an homage to that era. It just seems pretentious to me.

 

I think Pitt is getting a little extra credit for Moneyball. Pitt, more than anyone, kept the project alive when a lot of people would have let it die after Soderbergh's version got the "no go" from the studio. And, Pitt has the reputation of the being a "character actor trapped in a leading man's body" and this is one of the times he really embraced his star persona for a film. Moneyball isn't a great film, but I think you can make a good case that it works because Pitt and Hill work.

 

I liked The Artist albeit with some issues. However, "pretentious" isn't the word I'd use for it. Not for a film that relies on a cute dog to get laughs. The team behind The Artist seems to just like taking older film types and recreating them as their OSS 117 series of films is a throwback to 60s spy spoofs. To me, The Artist is basically a better spin on the Austin Powers type of throwback film.

 

Besides, "pretentious" should be saved for Tree of Life. And I liked that film a lot. Mind you, I also write 2500+ word, nerdy dissections of Kurosawa's movies, so that should say something about where I'm coming from.

 

Robert

 

 

[Raw Biz]

I thought Pitt was good but not sure he deserves a nom. I really don't understand why Hill got nominated because his role didn't really require anything (wasn't really emotional, no physical transformation, etc.). He was fine but it definitely wasn't Oscar-worthy in my eyes.

I was also a big fan of The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo. Maybe it's because I never read the books or saw the Swedish version but I thought it was a really good movie and should've been nominated for Best Picture. Out of the noms, I've only seen Hugo and Moneyball but hope to watch The Help, Tree of Life, Midnight in Paris and possibly War Horse in the next month. It also seems like The Artist is the big frontrunner but I don't see what the big deal is. I haven't seen it and it could be really good but it just seems like a big reason it's a frontrunner is because it's a silent movie and an homage to that era. It just seems pretentious to me.

 

1I liked The Artist albeit with some issues. However, "pretentious" isn't the word I'd use for it. Not for a film that relies on a cute dog to get laughs. The team behind The Artist seems to just like taking older film types and recreating them as their OSS 117 series of films is a throwback to 60s spy spoofs. To me, The Artist is basically a better spin on the Austin Powers type of throwback film.

 

Like I said, I admit I haven't seen it. I'm interested in it just because of all the talk but that's about it. Maybe "trendy" is a better word? Just because it's something so different, everybody is clamoring about it. I'm sure the weak year has a lot to do with it but I just don't understand how a black & white, silent, French movie (I know the title cards are still in English) could be the frontrunner for Best Picture in 2012. If people want to vote for the homage movie, I'd rather have Hugo. Again, I haven't seen The Artist so I guess it's kind of unfair for me to judge but The Artist seems like pure Oscar-bait that only a select handful of people (mainly cinephiles) would like, whereas Hugo has appeal to moviegoers of all ages and types.

[RobertR]

I think "gimmicky" is the word I'd use for The Artist.

 

I've seen the movie. Twice in fact due to circumstances. And I don't see how it's the frontrunner either except that it's a film that plays broadly and it's a real crowd pleaser. How this may win Best Picture while better post-1927 silent films like City Lights got shut out will be a mystery to me.

 

FWIW, here's my personal ranking of the BP nominees that I've seen.

 

Tree of Life - Pretentious as it is, the 50s childhood scenes really hit home with me. Plus it is beautiful, even if the Sean Penn bookends are problematic.

Midnight in Paris - Fun. Briskly paced. No bloat. A novel concept which is treated playfully. And good and funny performances throughout the cast.

War Horse - Yes, it is a sentimental tearjerking melodrama featuring a horse. It doesn't try to hide that at all. Plus, Spielberg is taken for granted, the windmill shot would be the highlight of most director's filmographies.

Hugo - Can 15 to 20 great minutes about cinematic history elevate an otherwise o.k. movie to Best Picture? It does look great throughout, but it's a kids film for adults.

Moneyball - Solid across the board, but is there any greatness in it?

The Artist - A simple story told well. Well acted. Distinctive. Very slight.

The Help - It's well acted, but it seems to bounce between wanting to tackle serious issues and being cartoony.

 

 

Robert

[Schlitz001]

I've seen all of the movie except for "Hugo" and "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close". I want to see those two movies before I dismiss the nominees completely as being another weak Oscar field. So far there is not one movie that you can point to and say that it defined movies in 2012, but most of the nominees that I've seen so far were at least enjoyable. Robert, I largely agree with how you have them ranked. I'm no student of film, but here's how I list them so far:

The Tree of Life - It's a film that I was absorbed in right away. I'm a child of the 80's not the 50's, but it still evoked those feelings of growing up in middletown America, love, family, relationships, and the inherent beauty in reality.
The Descendants - I want to hear someone's impression who hasn't been to Kauai or Hawaii. I think a big part of my love for this movie is it's gorgeous scenery. It deals with death and infidelity, which are two subjects that most people have to deal with on some scale so it was interesting to wonder how I would have handled the situations from various character perspectives.
Midnight in Paris - It's a fresh script and Owen Wilson is great in it.

Moneyball - Moneyball disappointed me. I've already done a short review in the Moneyball thread. My dislike has a lot to do with the baseball inaccuracies and building this into more of a Hollywood story in the end.
The Artist - I liked this as a love story, except that in the end nobody truly falls in love. A lot of the movie was predictable, including the ending. I guess its a good emulation of the silent genre, but I wish they would have tried something more daring.
War Horse - OK, I was moved, but more in a "Movie of the Week" sort of way. Gather the kids and sit down and enjoy this one.
The Help - Robert, your summary is good. When I got to the scene with the lawn full of "commodes" I started wondering if they should have played the movie a little bit more seriously.

I'm glad "Drive" didn't get nominated. That movie proved to me that there is sometimes a fine line between genius and complete garbage. The movie had so much potential, but continued to go nowhere. I did however really enjoy "Ides of March", but maybe only because it's an election year. Rango is really good too. I can't wait to see the rest of the nominees!

[RobertR]

The Artist - I liked this as a love story, except that in the end nobody truly falls in love. A lot of the movie was predictable, including the ending. I guess its a good emulation of the silent genre, but I wish they would have tried something more daring.

The Help - Robert, your summary is good. When I got to the scene with the lawn full of "commodes" I started wondering if they should have played the movie a little bit more seriously.

I wouldn't even call The Artist that good an emulation of the silent era. There's nothing in it as ambitious as what Chaplin, Keaton, Murnau, Eisenstein, Dreyer, etc. were producing on a regular basis. Granted, there were plenty of movies in that era that were right on the level of The Artist, but The Artist looks positively quaint when compared to City Lights,The General, Safety Last,The Passion of Joan of Arc, Battleship Potemkin, Nosferatu, Metropolis, Haxan, Nanook of the North, Intolerance, or Sunrise....

 

My biggest problem with The Help was Bryce Dallas Howard as the face of institutional racism. She's a complete paper tiger made to look like a fool when anyone bothers to stand up to her. As a metaphor she's a complete failure completely underselling how ingrained and powerful racism is. It's as big a cheat as the main character delivering a big speech to save the day. I understand that you don't always have to treat every serious subject with complete earnestness, but it's hard to take any of the character "triumphs" seriously with that weak of a villain. The Help tries to have it both ways, and, IMO, comes up short in both directions. Although, it must be said, fine acting across the board.

 

Robert

[Raw Biz]

Finally saw Midnight in Paris last night. I was a big fan. Definitely something original and I thought it was a lot of fun. I also saw Warrior a month ago and forgot to write how much I loved it. Definitely thought that should have been nominated for Best Picture but at least Nolte got some love.

[homer]

The Artist - I liked this as a love story, except that in the end nobody truly falls in love. A lot of the movie was predictable, including the ending. I guess its a good emulation of the silent genre, but I wish they would have tried something more daring.

I wouldn't even call The Artist that good an emulation of the silent era. There's nothing in it as ambitious as what Chaplin, Keaton, Murnau, Eisenstein, Dreyer, etc. were producing on a regular basis. Granted, there were plenty of movies in that era that were right on the level of The Artist, but The Artist looks positively quaint when compared to City Lights,The General, Safety Last,The Passion of Joan of Arc, Battleship Potemkin, Nosferatu, Metropolis, Haxan, Nanook of the North, Intolerance, or Sunrise....

Watched The Artist last night. It was good but not great. I think the thing I liked the best was the lack of dialog (obviously, since it was a silent movie for all intents and purposes). I'm always a fan of "showing not telling" (love the first act of Wall E) and they were able to convey some real subtle moments without saying a word. So I commend them for that and for having the guts to make a silent movie. But on the whole, even though the cinematography was great I didn't think the script was all that clever or terribly interesting which is keeping me from loving this movie.

[RobertR]

My predictions:

 

Actor in a Leading Role

 

•George Clooney in "The Descendants"

 

It could easily be Dujardin, but I think Clooney as kind of the ultimate Hollywood insider gets it here.

 

Actor in a Supporting Role

 

•Christopher Plummer in "Beginners"

 

Plummer's been the frontrunner all along, and I don't think anything has changed.

 

Actress in a Leading Role

 

•Viola Davis in "The Help"

 

I could see Meryl Streep picking up her first since Sophie's Choice, but Viola Davis has been the frontrunner for awhile and The Help is very popular.

 

Actress in a Supporting Role

 

•Octavia Spencer in "The Help"

 

I suppose Bejo is a Dark Horse, but I think Spencer is as much a lock as anyone.

 

Animated Feature Film

 

•"Rango" Gore Verbinski

 

I've no doubt that the French films are good, but Rango has this in the bag.

 

Art Direction

 

•"The Artist"

Production Design: Laurence Bennett; Set Decoration: Robert Gould

 

Hugo could and probably should get the win here, but I think The Artist is going to pick up some wins as part of its roll to Best Picture.

 

Cinematography

 

•"The Tree of Life" Emmanuel Lubezki

 

Whatever else you can say about Tree of Life, spectacular cinematography is among its chief assets.

 

Costume Design

 

•"Jane Eyre" Michael O'Connor

 

This might be the most competitive category of the night as I think Hugo and The Artist are both in contention. I'll go with the Gothic romance.

 

Directing

 

•"The Artist" Michel Hazanavicius

 

I don't think there's a split this year, although Scorsese picking one up seems the only other possibility.

 

Documentary (Feature)

 

•"Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory"

Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs

 

When in doubt, go with the one most of the Academy has heard of.

 

Documentary (Short Subject)

 

•"Saving Face"

Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

 

I know nothing here except for what I read and this is apparently the favorite.

 

Film Editing

 

•"The Artist" Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius

 

I'm taking this as a bellweather for Best Picture.

 

Foreign Language Film

 

•"A Separation" Iran

 

Frankly, A Separation is a better movie than all of the Best Picture nominees.

 

Makeup

 

•"The Iron Lady"

Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland

 

Why not?

 

Music (Original Score)

 

•"The Artist" Ludovic Bource

 

I hate the decision to use the theme from Vertigo for the climax, but this "silent" film wouldn't work as well as it does without the lush score.

 

Music (Original Song)

 

•"Man or Muppet" from "The Muppets" Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie

 

Lock of the night.

 

Best Picture

 

•"The Artist" Thomas Langmann, Producer

 

Hugo or The Help seem like the only films with a shot, but I don't see an upset brewing.

 

Short Film (Animated)

 

•"La Luna" Enrico Casarosa

 

No idea. Wild guess.

 

Short Film (Live Action)

•"Raju" Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren

 

I haven't seen any, but my understanding is that this is the serious one among a group of funnier ones. I'm hoping it stands out in a crowd and the comedies split the vote.

 

Sound Editing

 

•"Hugo" Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty

 

The Artist isn't eligible.

 

Sound Mixing

 

•"Hugo"

Tom Fleischman and John Midgley

 

The Artist isn't eligible.

Visual Effects

 

•"Rise of the Planet of the Apes"

Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett

 

Andy Serkis plus CGI apes for the win.

 

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

 

•"The Descendants" Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash

 

I hope Community works the Oscar into Dean Pelton's office when it returns.

 

Writing (Original Screenplay)

 

•"Midnight in Paris" Written by Woody Allen

 

A Separation has the best screenplay. The Artist could pull the upset, but I think Woody takes this one and I don't have an issue with it. The premise is clever, the voices of the characters are pitch perfect, and Woody throws in a surprising twist in the third act with the Belle Epoque.

 

That's how I see it anyways. Use these picks in your Oscar pool at your peril.

 

Robert

[TooLiveBrew]

"Rango" Gore Verbinski

 

I just watched this tonight. It's beyond phenomenal.

 

I'll hint at one spoiler - Timothy Olyphant's performance is particularly good.

[JackNicholson1974]

I reluctantly saw the Artist this past weekend. I have to say, I did enjoy it quite a bit.

[EdgarDiazRocks]

I predict I won't watch.

[DKM4Boston]

My picks are the same as RobertR's above with the following exceptions:

 

Best Actor: Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Art Direction: Hugo

Costume Design: The Artist (Jane Eyre very well could take this one.)

Live Action Short Film: Time Freak (this should definitely be the winner, but it may not actually win because it is so similar to last year's winner, 'God of Love'. The Shore should probably win if Time Freak doesn't. P.S. watch Time Freak! It is my favorite movie of any this year!)

[brettac1]

I predict I won't watch.

I would make the same prediction for myself. This is definitely the least I have cared about the Oscars in quite a while.

[jjfanec]

I predict I won't watch.

I would make the same prediction for myself. This is definitely the least I have cared about the Oscars in quite a while.

Completely agree but yet I did end up watching a few minutes

[TooLiveBrew]

Gotta love Seth Rogen...

 

http://i.imgur.com/b0iee.jpg

[RobertR]

Some random thoughts:

 

Billy Crystal, although looking like he's had more plastic surgery than necessary, wasn't inspired but was dependable. That pretty much describes the show itself which was one of the shortest ones.

 

I think Cirque de Soleil probably came across better in person than it did on screen, but I'll take them in place of the best song performances.

 

Streep taking home her third Oscar and first in nearly 30 years probably is the upset of the night.

 

At least this year's Oscars didn't suffer from cognitive dissonance. This was a nostalgia laced Oscars with Hugo and The Artist being the big winners and Crystal with his vaudeville schtick and the nostalgic montages fit right in. It wasn't trying to be the young, hip Oscars and that fit with the actual award winners.

 

Not too good on my predictions with only 14 correct, which kind of does in the "most predictable Oscars ever" meme.

 

The Artist might be better appreciated if it was never nominated. Now the knives are going to come out.

 

The Academy got the Best Foreign Language Film right and I didn't have too many quibbles on the technical categories. So, neither the worst nor best year for the awards themselves.

 

Robert

[pitchleague]

My wife and I make our predictions every year on the fly. "And the Oscar goes to . . . " we hit pause on the DVR and make our guess and then hit play to see the winner and keep tallies from there.

 

I started off 4 for 4 and 6 of 7 but slowed down to a crawl and finished 12 of 24. I would have hit about 16-17 had I went with my gut instincts on "Hugo" more often.

 

Considering that I saw ONE of the nominated movies in ANY category (Harry Potter), I thought that was pretty good guesswork.