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End of the Year Oscar Predictions Posted on 11/29/11 06:34 PM \| Last edited on 11/29/11 06:34 PM Mood: Infested Read here on Booleanflix.com: http://www.booleanflix.com/2011/11/25/end-of-the-year-oscar-predictions/ Read here, featured on Hypable.com: http://www.hypable.com/movies/2011/11/27/end-of-the-year-oscar-predictions-2/ On Booleanflix.com (one of my sites), we’re kicking off the warming up of Oscar season with a series of Oscar related articles examining the idiosyncrasies of the Academy Awards. This first post is general predictions about what’s going to get nominated (set up into three categories) and why. Later, we’ll be sectioning off articles on actors, actresses, and why certain films don’t get nominated. Feel Harry Potter should finally get a shot at the big leagues? Feel Martin Scorsese should show the Academy a kid’s movie can still get nominated? Think DiCaprio’s finally going to nab the elusive golden statue? Then read on! Best Picture Primary -War Horse -Moneyball -The Tree of Life -Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 -Melancholia -The Descendants -The Artist -Midnight in Paris -Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -The Help Secondary -A Dangerous Method -Shame -The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -Martha Marcy May Marlene -Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy -Hugo -The Iron Lady -My Week with Marilyn -We Need to Talk About Kevin -We Bought a Zoo Tertiary -Drive -Win Win -Contagion -The Adventures of Tintin -Carnage -Warrior -Young Adult -Beginners -50/50 -Win Win Commentary: Even mere weeks before the final nominees are announced, it’s really hard to predict the possible nominees. Sometimes there’s a film that’s getting buzz as the ‘surefire win’ (see J. Edgar) that doesn’t get nominated. There are about thirty films that are getting buzz this time of the year (which is why I now hate the internet; don’t they know that this makes my job so much harder since only five to ten films are being nominated this year?) and I’ve separated them into primary films, secondary, and tertiary. Don’t just look at primary here; there’ll probably be three or four from the secondary category that’ll get nominated in the end with a tertiary coming out the winner. Stephen Spielberg’s War Epic/Period Piece/Comeback/Oscar Bait this year, War Horse is the frontrunner right now- that’s amazing, considering it hasn’t even been released yet. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 is the final Harry Potter film, and Warner Bros. has pulled out all stops (starting up a ‘For Your Consideration’ minisite, plastering photos all over Hollywood and handing out booklets to Oscar voters) for the best reviewed (and highest grossing) film of the year to finally grab a nomination- this may be luck for Potter, as it would end up being the third year in a row that the highest grossing film of the year got nominated for Best Picture (Avatar and Toy Story 3respectively). Melancholia and Tree of Life, both helmed by visionary directors and scoring hype at the Canne’s Awards back in March are considered guaranteed slots. George Clooney’s quiet drama, The Descendants is receiving a lot of hype, considering it is Alexander Payne’s first directorial showcase since the hit Sideways. George Clooney’s performance is generating hype too, after November’s The Ides of March; the Academy loves films that focus on everyday, human dramas, so this’ll definitely be a big winner. The Artist has generated a surprisingly large showcase on the web- it’s getting excellent reviews, but most people are elevating it to the status of Best Picture frontrunner. Personally, I don’t see it as a big winner at this stage, but Academy voters might feel the same way. Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris would probably be a much bigger bet if it were released during the traditional Oscar season- it was lost in a sea of March releases, and even though it scored really well with audiences in critics, there is a chance it’ll get overlooked. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, based on Jonathan Safran Foer’s bestselling novel, is directed by Stephen Daldry, who directed The Hours, Billy Elliot, and The Reader. It also stars Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock, featuring some supporting performances from Viola Davis and Max Von Sydow. Led by newcomer Thomas Horn, who is best known for winning Kids Jeopardy! a few years back (his character is a kid genius, so that won’t be much of a stretch). It hasn’t been released yet and considering the luck of many other Oscar hopefuls this year it could go either way- but many are betting on it being Best Picture caliber and getting a nomination for Daldry. It also centers around post 9/11, and its relevance might get it some appreciation. Now The Helpgenerally received O.K reviews and was mostly carried by the strength of its leading cast- I wouldn’t even consider it- but the Academy has this thing for old-style southern period pieces (see Forrest Gump and Driving Ms. Daisy) which will probably elevate it above the more competent films seen this year. Moneyball, which did surprisingly well among critics, quietly boasts Brad Pitt, Aaron Sorkin, and Bennett Miller amongst its critics. Right now, Pitt’s the biggest Best Actor contender of the year but the film’s generally stayed off the radar; but I can guarantee you that when it gets nominated, Sony Pictures will whip out the big guns to get this serious cred. A Dangerous Method, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Shame, Martha Marcy May Marlene, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy are all pretty much tied in my book. A Dangerous Method is being praised for the performances by its three leads but David Cronenburg’s direction, which was suspected to really carry the film here, is surprisingly understated here, which dropped it a notch from where it originally was- there’s a good chance it’ll still get a Best Picture nomination still, if the field’s wide enough. TheGirl with the Dragon Tatoo promises to score high with critics and be one of the best films of the year; but with the Academy’s new voting regime, which requires that all films (up to ten!) with more than five percent of number one votes to receive a nomination-The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is pretty controversial, a love-it-or-hate-it kind of thing that might turn off some voters and so there’s a chance it won’t get a nomination. The same goes for NC-17 rated Shame- but that effect might work backwards for the controversial Michael Fassbender film. It’s this year’s Blue Valentine and as Fox Searchlight is claiming to wear Shame’s MPAA rating as a “badge of pride” that might appeal to Academy members’ nature. Martha Marcy May Marlenefeatured a breakout/standout performance from the Olsen twins’ lesser known sister, Emily Olsen, being praised by critics along with T.Sean’s Durkin’s surprisingly well-crafted direction. Because of the lack of street cred it’s film makers has, I think the best thing that’ll be done for this film is put them on the radar for coming years, as seen in the past by people like Christopher Nolan and David Fincher. The Iron Lady(Meryl Streep), My Week with Marilyn (Michelle Williams), and We Need to Talk About Kevin (Tilda Swinton) owes their success to their star vehicles, which will undoubtedly make them big nominees in said categories but make them more iffy in others, mainly because the major categories are so densely packed in the first place. Hugo has been receiving spectacular reviews with Academy veteran Martin Scorsese’s name on the picture but considering that it’s considered a “children’s film” it probably won’t receive the respect it deserves (seen in past years by Harry Potter) but only in technical categories. Worth mentioning is that it’s the third best reviewed film of the year. Speaking of children’s films as Oscar nominees, Cameron Crowe’s We Bought a Zoo is sharing some of the discussion, but might get overlooked in the end, considering it belongs to none of the usual categories Academy members consider. Win Win, Young Adult, and Drive might not be candidates for different reasons. Win Win was released too early in this year to be the Indie favorite that always pops up. Young Adult, reunites Jason Reitman (Up in the Air) and Diablo Cody, who worked onJuno together, which went over well with critics. It’ll probably end up as one of the riper comedies of the year (with Bridesmaids) but it seems that at most, it’ll get a writingnomination for Cody perhaps a nomination for Charlize Theron. Drivewas one of the most talked about of the fall, and perhaps a screenplay nomination, but I don’t really see anybody writing it down, although it may surprise us. Contagion marketed itself as this year’s most ambitious directorial and promised to dominate acting categories and even braved a ‘For Your Consideration’ for Best Picture, but reviews were merely decent and doesn’t stand anywhere particularly winning-I think, however, director Sodernbergh could get a nomination for managing to balance a diverse cast of so many people. Roman Polanski’s Carnage, based on the Award- Winning play, is being praised highly from early reviews- it’s an offbeat comedy, though, and not really the Academy’s flavor. Lastly, The Adventures of Tintin is also a possibility, being, of course, Spielberg, but it is animated, and after Cars 2’s fail it seems that the Academy may be a little sore to replace Pixar so quickly. Best Director Primary -Steven Spielberg, War Horse -Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life -Lars Von Trier, Melancholia -Alexander Payne, The Descendants -David Cronenburg, A Dangerous Method Secondary -Bennett Miller, Moneyball -Stephen Daldry, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris -Tate Taylor, The Help -David Fincher, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Tertiary -Martin Scorsese, Hugo -David Yates, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 -Tomas Alfredson, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy -T. Sean Durkin, Martha Marcy May Marlene -Steven Soderbergh, Contagion Dark Horses: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist Thomas McCarthy, Win Win Jodie Foster, The Beaver Commentary: If you believe in my choices for the Best Picture category, then there really shouldn’t be many surprises for Best Director. Terrence Mallik and Lars Von Trier led their films with deliberate visions and carried their films all the way to early award shows and festivals- there the obvious frontrunners. Then, there’s Spielberg of course, who makes up for lack of early exposure and marketing with, well, being Spielberg. His last Oscar was for Saving Private Ryan, so he may pull a repeat with his mastery of War vision. Alexander Payne also heads thelist, having written the script as well as directed The Descendants. He didn’t score the Oscar back in 2004 for Sideways, of course he’ll get some credibility at this point. David Cronenburg directed A Dangerous Method, and perhaps if it does score a Best Picture nomination he’ll be dually credited for his method of direction. Bennett Miller, who directed Moneyball with quiet, nuanced vision is less likely but adequately suited for a nomination, boosted by Aaron Sorkin’s script, even if he and Sorkin don’t same the mutual vision that he and David Fincher did. If Extremely Loud is the big critical winner we expect it to be, then Daldry’s dark, cinematographically vibrant vision is sure to score him a second nomination, and perhaps a win. Woody Allen will definitely get a nomination if Paris receives a BP nomination, as he’s the basic credit for the film. Same for The Help- even if Taylor’s hand is a shadow to the powerful lead performances, he’ll still get credit for being involved so much in the production process. David Fincher’s also extremely likely, even if Tattoo ultimately doesn’t receive a Best Picture nomination. He might even win that one, considering how many felt his loss for The Social Network was a big snub. IfHarry Potter is as big as we suspect it’ll be, and won’t just get a pity vote for Best Picture, then that means David Yates will be ushered over to the party, too, for his continuous involvement in four films, or half of the entire franchise. Thomas Alfredson, in his English debut, could also stir a big controversy for Spy. Best Actor In the case of an actor likely to be nominated for more than one role in the year, the film with the star next to him is the one most likely to land him a nomination. Primary* -Brad Pitt, Moneyball -Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar -George Clooney, The Descendants/ The Ides of March -Ryan Gosling, Ides of March/Drive -Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Secondary -Brad Pitt, The Tree of Life -Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method -Daniel Craig, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -Michael Fassbender, Shame -Joel Edgerton, Warrior Tertiary -Thomas Horn, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -Ewan McGregor, Beginners -Colin Firth, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy -Christoph Waltz, Carnage -Matt Damon, We Bought a Zoo Dark Horses: Paul Giamatti, Win Win Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris Commentary: Leonardo DiCaprio was considered a shoe-in a couple months ago, before the bad reviews for Clint Eastwood’s period pieceon the controversial FBI head started flooding in. Critics still praise his powerhouse performance and dramatic transformation, even if the rest of the production failed. The bad reviews may ultimately drag down his performance, and in that case, it’ll go to the current frontrunner, Brad Pitt, for Moneyball. He doesn’t pull anything controversial or particularly tantalizing, but still pulls of his famed character with idiosyncratic, compelling style- he’s pretty much the fan favorite right now. He also recently revealed that he’s retiring from acting when he turns fifty, which is in three years, so we’ll want to award the man for his pretty decent career while we can. George Clooney heads off third with The Descendants- although he’s catching up with DiCaprio and Pitt now, running in his newly found sandals and Hawaiian shorts. Ryan Gosling is desperate this year too, starring in both Drive and The Ides of March. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy boasts a stellar British male cast that will probably garner most of its nominations (how the Academy loves their Brits) and that leaves veteran Gary Oldman, who has yet to win an Oscar either (DiCaprio’s future, if this continues) is also definitely in the running- early reviews praise the BAFTA winner’s dark portrayal of the famed literary character George Smiley. If Daniel Craig can burst out of his cool and calculating 007 shell in Tattoo, he might also score a nomination. Best Actress Primary -Kirsten Dunst, Melancholia -Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn -Viola Davis, The Help -Keira Knightley, A Dangerous Method -Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady Secondary -Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin -Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene -Jessica Chastain, The Tree of Life -Carey Mulligan, Shame Tertiary -Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs -Felicity Jones, Like Crazy -Mia Wasikowska, Jane Eyre -Charlize Theron, Young Adult -Zana Marjanovic, In the Land of Blood and Honey Dark Horses: Charlize Theron, Young Adult Rachel Weisz, The Whistleblower Commentary: This was the toughest field for me to write about. In my opinion, 2011 is the best year in a long time for female performances, as we’ve seen a lot of seriously brilliant stuff from newcomers and returning pros this year. If I had a choice, I’d nominate every actress filling up my primary and secondary slots. Kristen Dunst, who wowed critics and the O’Cannes this year with her lead performance in Melancholia is generating the most praise right now. Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn showcases a transformed Williams, who takes on the role of the Hollywood icon in the best ways. One moment, she’s stunning, vibrant, and exudes glamour; the next moment, she’s startlingly vulnerable and gripping to watch onscreen. Monroe’s dramatic lead in Marilyn lifts the film and ultimately guarantees her a nod. Viola Davis, nominated before for her supporting performances in Doubt has been known for her surprising lack of lead roles. This is her biggest one to date, and she is getting praised over and over for her raw, emotional performance in The Help- at this point, she’s definitely a lock for some wins. Keira Knightley is provocative and psychologically disturbed in A Dangerous Method- this formula scored the win for Natalie Portman last year, who Knightley seems to be channeling here. She provides the most perturbing performance on the list, so that makes her a standout in this race. Meryl Streep is guaranteed a nomination. Her performance in The Iron Lady as Margaret Thatcher is being given The King’s Speech treatment and might do for her what Speech did for Colin Firth, perhaps giving her a fourth win. Rooney Mara, who I’d gladly fit on this list if I could, completely transforms from girl-next-door to the shocking, incendiary performance as the title character in Tattoo, and promises to fill the shoes of Naomi Rapace, who starred in the original Swedish rendition. She is guaranteed to stun you in this amazing turn, as well as critics, and hopefully Academy members. As I wrote about in the Best Picture category, Emily Olsen gives an amazing, critic wowing performance in May Marlene, and even the fact that here performance is as high caliber as the rest displayed here its not enough to keep up with these actress’ history with Academy members (they’ve all been nominated before) giving them more credibility. The last actual big contender that I can see is Tilda Swinton, who is said to give heh most powerful performance to date in the real life horror story We Need to Talk About Kevin. Best Supporting Actor Primary -John Hawkes, Martha Marcy May Marlene -Rhys Ifans, Anonymous -Kenneth Brangah, My Week With Marilyn -Alan Rickman, Harry Potter And the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 -Christopher Plummer, Beginners Secondary -Lawrence Fishburne, Contagion -Tom Hardy, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy/Warrior -Jonah Hill, Moneyball -Max Von Sydow, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Jim Broadbent, The Iron Lady Tertiary* -Tom Hanks, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -Albert Brooks, Drive -Sean Penn, The Tree of Life -John Hurt, Tinker Tailor Soldier, Spy -Armie Hammer, J. Edgar Dark Horses: Michael Gambon, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 Andy Serkis, Rise of the Planet of the Apes Commentary: John Hawkes received an Academy Award nomination last year for his performance in Winter’s Bone, and holds his own against surprise standout Emily Olsen in Martha Marcy May Marlene. I think that he’s the real contender this year, but might get ultimately be forgotten.Anonymous didn’t do too well critically and is not going to do well amongst anything except for costume design and makeup, but seasoned performances from its A-List British actors, Rhys Ifans in particular, could get it a nom. Kenneth Branagh is praised for his performance in Marilyn, which should get him consideration considering Michelle Williams, in the spirit of her title character, took up most of the screen time of the film. Alan Rickman is Warner Bros. biggest bet for an acting nomination for Deathly Hallows, and it should hold its own against this year’s other performances even if he doesn’t actually win. Actors fromContagion, J. Edgar, Moneyball, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, andWarrior could also receive nominations. Best Supporting Actress Primary -Octavia Spencer, The Help -Judi Dench, J. Edgar -Vanessa Redgrave, Coriolanus -Jessica Chastain, The Help/Take Shelter -Emily Watson, War Horse Secondary* -Kate Winslet, Carnage -Jodie Foster, Carnage -Maria Dizzia, Martha Marcy May Marlene -Sandra Bullock, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -Helena Bonham Carter, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 Tertiary -Melanie Laurent, Beginners -Marion Cotilliard, Contagion/Midnight in Paris* -Bryce Dallas Howard, The Help -Emma Stone, The Help -Berenice Bejo, The Arist Commentary: Octavia Spencer and Judi Dench are guaranteed nominations, Spencer for her biting, visceral, and humanistic portrayal inThe Help, one especially good for a newcomer. Dame Judi Dench is frail yet powerful in her speak in J. Edgar, delivering a typically grand performance as the controversial FBI leader’s mother. Vanessa Redgrave is talked about among those who saw Corionalus, but its lack of connection to mainstream audiences might be her downfall. Carnagecould score nominations for Kate Winslet and Jodie Foster in comedic turns. We may see some other talked-about turns from The Artist, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and War Horse. Best Animated Feature Primary -The Adventures of Tintin -Kung Fu Panda 2 -Rio -Puss in Boots -Winnie the Pooh Dark Horses -Rango -Arthur Christmas Commentary: The Animated Feature is finally open for a non-Pixar feature this year, considering Cars 2’s abysmal reviews. The Adventures of Tintinis our definite main bet, as even Spielberg in animated form is sure to be a mix for success. Besides Tintin, Dreamworks is in the running, with Kung-Fu Panda 2 and Puss in Boots, both among the best-reviewed animated films of the year. There’s also a chance that Winnie the Pooh might score the crown, as its nostalgic, old fashioned feel and storytelling will definitely appeal to some voters. Then again, there’s also Rio-the Academy always favors musical animate films, and Rio is the most prominent on the list. Rango is the freshest one here, scoring excellent reviews, but might have been released too early in the year. Arthur Christmas is from the makers of the Academy Award winningWallace and Gromit and Flushed Away- but will its Christmas appeal no longer be relevant by voting time in February? At first glance, it seems like Spielberg’s crowding up the category again, but at deeper look, it’s really anybody’s game (although I am a bit disappointed Pixar’s out of the running; I would like to see how it would have played out if the Academy had to choose between its two loves, Spielberg and Pixar). Best Original Screenplay Primary -The Tree of Life -Midnight in Paris -Melancholia -Martha Marcy May Marlene -The Iron Lady Secondary -Carnage -Win Win -50/50 -Young Adult -Beginners Tertiary -J. Edgar -Like Crazy -Shame -Contagion -The Artist Best Adapted Screenplay Primary -The Descendants -Moneyball -War Horse -Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 -The Help Secondary -Carnage -Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy -We Need to Talk About Kevin Tertiary -We Bought a Zoo -A Dangerous Method -My Week with Marilyn -Hugo -The Adventures of Tintin Dark Horses: The Ides of March Best Visual Effects Primary -Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 -Rise of the Planet of the Apes -The Tree of Life -Melancholia -Hugo Secondary -Thor -X Men: First Class -Super 8 -Captain America: The First Avengers -Transformers: Dark of the Moon Tertiary -Immortals -Source Code -I Am Number Four -Pirate of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides -Sucker Punch Dark Horses: Sanctum Best Cinematography Primary -War Horse -The Tree of Life -Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy -Hugo -Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 Secondary -Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -Moneyball -The Ides of March -Hanna Tertiary -J. Edgar -The Iron Lady -Contagion -Jane Eyre -Anonymous Best Film Editing Primary -War Horse -The Artist -The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Secondary -Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 -Hanna -Hugo -Drive -The Tree of Life Tertiary -Martha Marcy May Marlene -My Week with Marilyn -Moneyball -Source Code -Captain America: The First Avenger Best Sound Mixing Primary -War Horse -Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 -The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy -Contagion Secondary -Hanna -Source Code -Thor -Captain America: The First Avenger -Transformers: Dark of the Moon Tertiary -Drive -Rise of the Planet of the Apes -Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -Limitless -Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Best Art Direction Primary -War Horse -Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 -The Tree of Life -Midnight in Paris -My Week with Marilyn Secondary -Melancholia -Hugo -Anonymous -A Dangerous Method -Thor Tertiary -Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -Immortals -Sucker Punch -The Eagle -Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Commentary (For All Technical Categories): This year, there have been two big Oscar films that are also technical heavy (Tree of Life andMelancholia)- it’s well known that the Academy favors visual effects done by films that have fared well critically , despite the visual impressiveness of other films (Tron Legacy, and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader both got snubbed last year) as we see in past years movies like Inception and King Kong have been nominated. This year, we see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 as the frontrunner. No matter how you feel about the franchise and how much you doubt it’ll do well in major categories, I think this is the one category people will bet this getting nominated for. If anything, the saga should at least be praised for its impressive technicals. Other nominees at this stage look like Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which was done by the visual effect guys behind Avatar and Captain America: The First Avenger for their impressive use of the motion-capture method. Hugo is praised for its cinematography and elaborate set pieces. Those are the main headers, but if the Academy still feels like branching out and hitting mainstream audiences, then we’ll also see some well deserving superhero films likeThor and Captain America or big box-office hitters like Pirates of the Caribbean and Transformers: Dark of the Moon. I think that the biggest outer-contender of the lot would have to be Source Code. In sound mixing, I think maybe we’ll see some of Hanna and Contagion. Best Costume Design Primary -Jane Eyre -The Artist -The Help -Anonymous -War Horse Secondary -My Week With Marilyn -A Dangerous Method -Hugo -The Iron Lady -Midnight In Paris Tertiary -J. Edgar -The Conspirator -Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides -The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -Melancholia Best Original Score Primary -War Horse -The Artist -The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 -The Adventures of Tintin Secondary -The Tree of Life -Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -Contagion -Hugo -J. Edgar -Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Tertiary -Rango -Jane Eyre -Moneyball -We Bought a Zoo -The Ides of March Best Original Song Nominees for this category may include multiple pieces from each of these films, the most likely in order of first to last. -The Muppets -Rio -Happy Feet Two -Joyful Noise -Footloose -The Help -Cars 2 Best Documentary Feature Primary -Project Nim -The Interrupters -Being Elmo -Born to Be Wild -Cave of Forgotten Dreams Secondary -Tabloid -Page One: A Year Inside the New York Times -Buck -Senna -Into the Abyss Best Foreign Language Film Primary -Le Havre (Finland) -War of Flowers (China) -Footnote (Israel) -A Separation (Iran) -Monsieur Lazhar (Canada) It’s a pretty crowded field this year, but it will probably be narrowed down in coming months. We might get a good indicator of final nominees by how The Golden Globes played out, which happens about one month before the Oscars. Even if you don’t like the nominees (too busy crying about Harry Potter’s last snub, maybe?) it’ll still be great to see Billy Crystal hosting again, and you really can’t miss Spielberg. He’ll definitely be there.
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Run the World (Critics) Posted on 08/30/11 10:32 AM \| Last edited on 08/30/11 10:32 AM Note: This is the American version of the feature I wrote for Booleanflix.com, which is a British movie site, so if there’s anything British in here, well… Note #2: This blog will be more enjoyable if you read my previous blog post on Cars 2. Note #3: I AM NOT A PSYCHOPATH. Any actions on my part in this blog post are meant to be portrayed as humorous. Please. Don’t call 911. The new President of the United States sits at his desk for the first time. He has just been appointed the new position, and this is the first moment of peace he’s had all week. He takes a moment to admire his big shiny desk (and hopes nobody thinks he’s overcompensating for something) then checks himself out in the mirror on the wall. His tie is in Windsor knot. Churchill wore one, he thinks. Some old dead dude like that. It was in the handbook, somewhere. He knows that he has spent enough time lollygagging, and sighs before looking at the large pile of paper on his desk. His secretary told him that they were an assortment of bills, decrees, and letters that the old President left behind. Realizing there’d be someone to relieve him of the burden soon, he’d spent his last few weeks watching reruns of Glee and singing karaoke (all the while assuring parliament that he was fitting in as much work in as he could). The new President picked up the first piece of paper off the towering pile. It was a faded green envelope, non-formal. It looked like it was from a domestic, probably an admirer congratulating him on his new position or offering a nugget of wisdom. He opens the letter. Hey, Tubby! I hear you’re President now! Really moving up the chain now, eh? I hope you haven’t forgotten us old little people! ‘Course, you’re probably all busy schmoozing with blue bloods or sitting behind some big shiny desk! (Overcompensating for something, I’m sure!) You know you’ll never forget me! Or that little pact we made, eh? Come on. You know what I’m talking about. He gulps and puts down the letter for a moment. It could only be from one person. Jason. Another world he left behind, when he went into politics. He changed his name, his identity, his personality. But Jason found him. He must be just as crazy as the day I left the old neighborhood, he thinks. But of course, Jason would never let him forget who he used to be. Who he knew he still was. He was a critic. As hard as it was for him to admit, he was a critic. Like a law student fresh out of school with ideas about ethics and doing the right thing, he used to have ideals. He used to be self-righteous. He used to slam stupid movies and speculated on why filmmakers didn’t try to do better. But once he hit the real world, he knew. A good example is The Smurfs. Really, when someone sets out to make it, do they really think it’s good. Years and years previously, the director must have been working on quality when he was in film school. Swore that he’d never do anything like that. Every single joke in that movie involved wordplay on Smurf. He used to shudder at that. But when the director really started to try and sell screenplays or ideas, what happened? Was the only job he could get adapting a CGI children’s cartoon? Is it really that hard to appeal to popular culture and make a decent film? Pixar’s done it. Dreamworks, even. It’s films like these that prove that people are starting to listen to what critics have to say. The Dark Knight and Spiderman wouldn’t have performed so well if not for high critical acclaim, despite their big names. Cowboys and Aliens and The Green Lantern underperformed tremendously, Aliens ducking below studio expectations as well as critical ones. Even the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences seem desperate to branch out into popular culture, stamping nominations on big box offices such as Avatar and Inception. He finished the rest of the letter, ignoring side comments about big things he may be overcompensating for (limos, watches, etc…) and considering Jason’s other arguments supporting the case. He made his decision. He yelled to his secretary outside the office. “Janice, hold all my calls!” She yelled back. “Sir, you haven’t gotten any calls yet! And my name is Gloria!” “Very well, Janice!” He pushed aside all my other documents and started writing a new bill. I fired all the members of parliament and I hired all the people He could trust. He contacted Rolling Stone, Time, and an assorted number of people from rottentomatoes.com. Critics now ruled the world. *** Chaos, glorious chaos, typically ensued. Cars 2, banned. Transformers 3, banned. Smurfs, typically, banned. I closed that theatre shut myself. Critics that now headed parliament came to me daily with new reports. Production companies had to clear script checks and directorial shots with members of the government. Anyone now making a film with less than 60% on rottentomatoes.com would be sent to jail. We told M. Night Shyalman that if he wanted his filming license back, he would have to complete four more years of film school. Life was sweet. He decided to make a visit to his old pal Jason. When arriving at his apartment in Brooklyn, he was surprised to see a series of police vans outside of his building. He rushed to the head officer to see what was up. He asked what was wrong. “You won’t believe it! This nuthouse kidnapped John Lassetter, the dude who made Cars 2, and tortured him in his basement, demanding to know what was going on in his head! We found the dude barely alive and Jason weeping over one of those strawberry- scented Lazzo teddy bears from Toy Story 3!” He was a bit disappointed, but not entirely surprised. “Do you mind if I take a look inside?” The officer gestured for him to go ahead. He went inside and was pretty shocked by what he saw. There was a shrine on the wall dedicated to Christopher Nolan. It said “For bringing Sci-fi back, we dedicate this to the Widely Proclaimed Mastermind.” He shuddered. There was a laptop on the metal table where he kept John Lassetter. Apparently he blogged live from the torture. He left and went back to my office. When he got back, he was horrified. Apparently, Steven Spielberg and James Cameron were both sent to jail. “Why?!” He demanded from one of the critics. “They both scored below 60% on the tomatometer. That’s the law.” “How come?” He cried. “Neither of them has made an indecent film!” “Yeah, but expectations are higher now. People don’t appreciate these films without the bad films to compare them to, so they score lower.” He started to realize the effects of his actions. “What happened to the guys who stopped making bad films? The ones not in jail?” “Well, they lost their jobs. They’re on the streets. Making those films were their only means of living. Pleasing the lowest common denominator, if you know what I mean.” He shuddered. He publicly resigned from his post, changed back the laws, and apologized to several film makers. Except M. Night Shayalman, they all agreed. He could do with a couple of lessons. “So what are you going to do now?” "I'm watchin Glee and singing karaoke. Peace out.”
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There's Always Room for a Sequel Posted on 08/17/11 02:34 PM \| Last edited on 08/17/11 02:34 PM Mood: Saturated There’s Always Room for a Sequel Also featured on Booleanflix.com! You know that feeling- that wonderful satiated feeling after you’ve had a good flick or two. You’re sitting down with your gut popped out and you’re too full to get up and turn off the DVD player. Even when you’ve had a pretty bad movie with just one too many bad jokes or too-big explosions (and you’re running out of Pepcid) you’re satisfied. But then you think, after tasting a blandness on your tongue and feeling a rumble in the back of your stomach- I could really go for a sequel. Or two. This is exactly the kind of hunger that Hollywood preys on- after hitting the jackpot with a new film that they hadn’t fully anticipated the heights of, they milk the entertainment train for all it’s worth. Because they know that even the best of critics, who know that the sequels are just pieces that pale by comparison to the original- will be drawn to them. When you really love a movie, you always wish for more. Always. Turning the point of view to our Hollywood filmmakers and production companies, all they can make are sequels- or prequels, or remakes, or adaptions, or board-game based plots. After looking at this week’s top 10, I noticed that only 3 movies running in theaters that don’t fit into any of those categories. And all of them are either R-Rated comedies that are starting to go out of fashion, or star-studded romantic ones. Pixar Studios, the film company in which I had the most faith in, was the one movie that I felt could never fall into that convention. When they announced Cars 2, I thought that maybe if they plotted it well and kept they old heart, maybe it would fare well. Nevertheless, it was bashed by critics, and after viewing it I agree. It was pretty pathetically done and its best trait was merchandising appeal. Most franchises, I notice, fall by the third installment. Shrek and Shrek 2 were both Dreamworks winners, and the second being one of the highest grossing movies [domestically], they fell into convention too, using cheap tricks and ploys. But these days, I am happy to announce, they are underestimating critics. Cowboys and Aliens, the remake of the graphic novel, had really high hopes, both commercially and critically, but failed both, the latter, I believe, the cause of the precedent. The third film sent the Shrek films spiraling downwards over 100 million, domestically. Sequels that fell in standard include the Spiderman films. The first was brilliant, the second even more so, but the cinematic heights of that is probably what caused the filmmakers of the third to become cocky. I predict the same will happen to the Iron Man series come the third, due to the “Curse of the Second Sequel” as I like to call it, as well as the absence of director John Faverau and the commercial incorporation of the new “Avengers” plot. If Warner Bros. Batman saga were not done by Christopher Nolan (whose films just get better and better, though his Academy Award snub last season might faze him) and produced by Warner, my favorite film production company (having kept Chris Nolan as well as helming The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter) I might have larger doubts about this one. These thoughts were aroused in me once more, after reading the simplistic and overused plot of the film. But the plots of all his films seem simple, yet he always manages to place that magic touch of his… Right now, there are two Snow White films being made (one starring Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth, the other Hailee Steinfeld), and they seem to be following the Red Riding Hood prose Catherine Hardwicke took with this year’s Amanda Seyfried remake. There is also a Battleship film in the works, though I suspect they just slapped the name on it along with production rights to make a few bucks. Marvel, who has sold its soul to the Devil (also known as Disney), are remaking all their superhero films (and they’re working hard to actually make them good to get more money) and will eventually join the characters together to get fans from each group to join. It hasn’t even been 10 years since the first Spy Kids, but the Weinstein Company seems that’s long enough to squeeze money out of—I mean—present a rebooted series for an all new generation. Also to watch for in the next few years are kids’ literary adaptations- since Harry Potter ended, there will be a lot more people trying to be the first to take after Potter’s main audience. Also look out for books divided into separate parts- Liongate’s The Hunger Games and Summit’s last installment of Twilight—Harry Potter’s biggest literary competitors—are following that pattern. The biggest point I’m trying to make is the end of the original movie. Production companies, no matter how detailed their charts, no matter how much demographical studies done into the late hours of the night, never know what’s going to be a hit. Which is why they always leave plot holes in every film they do in hopes of being able to pick up a sequel. Rupert Wyatt, director of the recent Rise of the Planet of the Apes admits to doing this (in so many words), and almost every other major Hollywood film does this. One group of films, I noticed, actually holds its own and doesn’t aim for sequels, not necessarily. They don’t intend to make much money, though they do have ulterior motives. Oscar Bait. Of course, maybe most Oscar films just don’t aim for sequels because most of the major characters die at the end due to some terminal illness or sinking ship.
3 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: leeloo1967 on 8/19/11 at 06:07 AM 0 Replies \| Report Abuse leeloo1967 on 8/19/11 at 06:07 AM 0 Replies \| Report Abuse leeloo1967 on 8/19/11 at 06:08 AM Excellent blog Jason:) ~I agree on all points~~~Hollywood has turned into nothing more than a greedy machine plus enough with the remakes already!! What happened to making a film with an orginal idea?~ 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
Oscar Talk Posted on 08/05/11 12:08 PM \| Last edited on 08/05/11 12:08 PM Oscar Talk I know Oscar season doesn’t technically start until mid- November and we’re currently in the ‘Summer Blockbuster’ rut, but it’s always fun to start predicting the year’s Oscar nods- of course, it’s easy to go off target on this. Last year, everyone’s bets were on Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere and this year everyone predicted Cars 2 had the Animated Feature category nailed down along with Tom Hanks’s quiet contemporary Larry Crowne. But alas, no one can predict the fall of Pixar or the sudden love for Harry Potter (after years and years of getting the cold shoulder) which makes this primetime for next year’s Oscar pickings. We say this pretty much every award season, but this year is definitely the biggest one in a while. The Best Picture category has been shortened from ten to “up to ten” as the Academy has so kindly put it, so there will be lots of heated competition to get into those slots. This year, we have multiple things: the return of Steven Spielberg after a decade of silence, the return of the mysterious Terrence Malick after 25 years, the finale of Potter, after ten years of snubs, an American rehashing of the highly acclaimed (and controversial) Swedish Dragon Tattoo, and some other pickings of the usual Oscar-esque nature. 1.Tree of Life Terrence Malick, director of critically acclaimed films such as Thin Red Line is a very mysterious director. He doesn’t come out into the open much, preferring to stay silent behind the camera, and even that he doesn’t do much. He has reemerged after 25 years, and Life is a prime Oscar picking. A very emotional, very visually startling piece that Oscar voters eat right up, with all the powerful acting of Oscar favorites Sean Penn and Brad Pitt (who has yet to win one). 2.War Horse Steven Spielberg has stayed pretty silent for the past decade- he’s served as producer on a countless number of films, some hits (Super 8) and some misses (The Legend of Zorro). He directed Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but the crusader hasn’t got much love from the Academy lately- don’t take it too personally, Indy, the Academy doesn’t nod towards action/adventure types much anyway. So, Spielberg returns to his roots in War Horse, a film based on the book by Michael Marpurgo and the Tony- winning play (which kind of gives it an edge). It’s a period piece, neigh, a war piece (Spielberg’s specialty), and has timeless emotional appeal, as well as being a showcase for his directorial and family- oriental flair. The Academy will eat this up, and you have to admit, so will everyone else. 3.Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Now, I know you may say it’s my inner Potter fan speaking here (If you read my similar entry for last year’s Oscars, I did put a lot of faith in Potter but never placed it in Best Picture) but I have legit reasoning for having faith in the Academy. Well, first of all, it’s the final film. The last film in the biggest franchise ever. That’s got to get it some love, right? If you recall, the Lord of the Rings trilogy didn’t even get a win until Return of the King. By now, the Academy’s well aware that Potter, a critically acclaimed series of films as good as the rest of ‘em, has been snubbed. A similar snub has come from Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, and they praised Inception properly for it the next year. Deathly Hallows, as well as being the most critically acclaimed film of the year (Standing at 97% on Rottentomatoes, higher than any other film currently in theatres) by countless critics, even getting 4 Apples on the NY1 review. Critics have accepted it as a spectacular film. Audiences have (the Biggest Motion Picture Opening of All Time, Most Advanced Ticket Sales, Biggest 15- Day Release, beating Avatar). A tweet by Dave Karger stated that the Oscar voters saw the film and “loved it.” I honestly believe (and I had my own serious doubts) that this will score a Best Picture nod, as it fully deserves to. Warner Bros. recently told the press that they plan to “push for a [best picture] nomination” at the Oscars this year (as well as their later films of the year Contagion and J. Edgar) 4.The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo David Fincher, who’s been recognized properly by the Academy twice in three years for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and last year for The Social Network, has not yet won an Oscar for films he truly deserves them for but had been outmatched by films and filmmakers just as worthy. Dragon Tattoo is not the Academy’s usual breed, though this does seem like a film that will be on their radar (with strong lead actors as well as hard, tense direction) This, however, is a remake of the Swedish hit not recognized properly by the academy, and was very controversial. They have, however, recognized controversial films in the past (Silence of the Lambs, The Departed). Tattoo also provides a showcase for newcomer Rooney Mara (whom Fincher tested out on The Social Network), and may prove a shoot to stardom for her as Naoomi Rapace’s rendition of Lisbeth Sander did. 5.The Descendants A movie that needs to really pack heat if it wants to compete with the neck-and-neck films listed above, The Descendants is a directorial showcase for Alexander Payne, who wrote the Oscar winning screenplay Sideways, which means this is one of the films to watch out for. Starring George Clooney, this movie is evocative of Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere, except it’s more of a showcase for Clooney’s acting. 6.The Ides of March Another showcase for George Clooney, this has directorial showcase written all over it- he was nominated before for the Best Director by the Academy, and by the looks of the trailer, it promises to be a taut, thrilling film that’s more talky then action. It proves to be showcases for Clooney as well as Ryan Gosling, who plays the lead. 7.Contagion Directed by Stephen Sodenbergh, (who has done plenty of films such as the Ocean’s Eleven series) Contagion is not typical Academy fare, but is driven by an international star studded cast that includes Marion Cotilliard, Matt Damon, Lawrence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwenyth Paltrow and Kate Winslet. If the film is critically acclaimed enough the Academy will probably toss it a couple of nods; they’ve been known for the occasional oddball before. 8.Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Featuring another star-studded international cast, Spy comes from the director of Let the Right One In, a Swedish film that won over many critics in 2009. This is his English debut, one based on the classic novel. The cast includes Colin Firth fresh off his Oscar win, along with BAFTA winner Gary Oldman, along with John Hurt, Tom Hardy, and Ciaran Hands among others. Again, spy movies are not among typical Academy fare but a strong scripting may get it a nod. 9.The Iron Lady Meryl Steep, an Academy favorite, may just get her third win in this historical drama. Periods are favorites of the Academy, especially when it comes to acting showcases, Shakespeare in Love, The Queen, and The King’s Speech having proven that in past years. 10. Young Adult Oscar winning writer Diablo Cody once again joins Jason Reitman, director of the surprise hit Juno for Young Adult, a film about a writer in an identity crisis who stalks her old high school boyfriend in attempt to rediscover herself. It has been praised as Cody’s most mature film to date. 11. Moneyball Based on the book by Michael Lewis (who scribed The Blind Side, I which the 2009 surprise hit was based on, scoring a Best Actress win for Sandra Bullock and a Best Picture nod as well as skyrocketing to a $250 million dollar gross). The screenplay is being adapted by Aaron Sorkin, who, fresh off of his Oscar win for The Social Network, has proved himself practiced at making dull topics like statistics captivating on screen. 12. The Help Based off of Kathryn Stockett’s monumental bestseller, The Help chronicles the story of Skeeter, a young white woman aspiring to become a journalist, who interviews a series of maids for a book exposing the hypocrisy of the racist white women they work for. The book has been criticized as glossing over major issues and the film looks like it follows that pattern, but it is led by a strong female cast that includes Emma Stone, Viola Davis, and Octavia Spencer. 13. J. Edgar Helmed by Clint Eastwood, who hasn’t won an Oscar since his 2006 film Letters from Iwo Jima, Edgar features Academy veterans like Milk screenwriter Dustin Lance and Leonardo DiCaprio, who seems really determined to nab his first Oscar. RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, HUGO, THOR, SOURCE CODE and SUPER 8 seem like they will join Potter in the visual effects and technical categories (along with other choice films that scored major nods). Cars 2 marks the fall of Pixar and it looks to me like the noms will be between Rio, The Adventures of Tintin, and Kung-Fu Panda 2, with the win going to Rango. Surprises that could come later this year include One Day, from the director of An Education, or A Dangerous Mind from underrated director David Cronenburg. Any, all, or even none of these films could make it- but for now, these are the ones to watch. EDIT: Also on Booleanflix.com, which I now write for- http://www.booleanflix.com/2011/08/08/early-oscar-predictions/
21 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: leeloo1967 on 8/05/11 at 07:23 PM Superb blog Jason:)!! ~Very well done~~~I really hope David Fincher doesnt get robbed by the Academy again~ 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Mr. Dufresne on 8/05/11 at 10:03 PM Great blog, Jason. I honestly do believe that Harry Potter will get a Best Picture nomination (I don't think it'll win, but I definitely think it will be nominated this time). I doubt it'll pick up acting nominations (maybe Alan Rickman, though it'd be great if there were more), but a soundtrack nomination is a shoe-in. The soundtrack for all of Deathly Hallows is one of my favorites of all time. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Eldest2005 on 8/06/11 at 10:55 AM I don't know about score, as it did use the original Hedwig's theme at the end of the movie. Then again, Prisoner of Azkaban did get nominated for it. 2 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 8/06/11 at 04:37 PM Trent Reznor's score for "The Social Network" incorporated "In the Hall of the Mountain King" a really old song, and still won. Plus, it's not like it's stealing- the score was made from a previous Potter film. 2 Replies \| Report Abuse Eldest2005 on 8/06/11 at 05:05 PM Oh. I was thinking that because since Black Swan, which had a great score, wasn't nominated because of using something that was already made. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118029326 Report Abuse Zach N. on 8/13/11 at 01:05 PM The same thing happened with True Grit. Since its score was based off of gospel songs. It's a darn shame. The oscars counts out some of the best scores. Black Swan was eerily fantastic to listen too. Report Abuse Mr. Dufresne on 8/06/11 at 09:23 PM Yeah, but it had plenty of original themes. I'm pretty sure that won't stop it from qualifying. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse adler-s on 8/06/11 at 12:53 AM very interesting! unfortunately, I haven't watched some, but they should be in the thereabouts of Oscar 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Hawaiianguy2991 on 8/06/11 at 02:01 AM Good work man, most of these did not come out yet but a few like The Tree of Life I still have not seen yet. Harry Potter will get a BP nomination, I'm sure of it. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Scott W. on 8/06/11 at 09:06 AM Nice blog! I have a feeling DHP2 might turn out to be the return of the king of harry potter. I've also heard alot of great stuff about midnight in paris. i haven't seen it yet, but with all the buzz i'll be very interested in seeing it. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Eldest2005 on 8/06/11 at 10:53 AM 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Eldest2005 on 8/06/11 at 10:56 AM It will get nominated, but winning seems like a little bit of a long shot. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Eldest2005 on 8/06/11 at 10:50 AM On Best Animated Feature, don't forget the Winnie the Pooh movie, that movie got really good reviews that will challenge Rango for the award. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Eldest2005 on 8/06/11 at 10:52 AM Oh, wait, that wasn't 70 minutes long. Sorry. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Bill T. on 8/08/11 at 02:26 PM Fine blog looking ahead to Oscar season! It's been a really good year for film thus far, giving the voters alot to consider some Oscar season and this is a nice primer. Well done! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Ryan M. on 8/08/11 at 03:55 PM I think Suckerpunch could be added to the Visual Effects nominations, and possibly the sound editing too! I also look foward to seeing Cantagion, Nice blog :) 2 Replies \| Report Abuse Eldest2005 on 8/08/11 at 04:41 PM It might given the limit of 5 nominations. But it'll go against (of my predictions thus far) Pirates 4, Transformers 3, HP 8, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. But with the reviews it got, I bet it'll get plenty of nominations at Golden Raspberries. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 8/08/11 at 05:19 PM I thought so too about those other films (I Am Number Four, Green Lanturn) but the Academy usually only nominates high acclaimed films, even for minor categories. Look at the past few years. (The Harry Potter films for one thing, Inception, E.T...) Oh- and last year's short list ranged from 20-something films of all quality, but only good reviewed films (Iron Man 2, HpDh Part 1) were nominated even though technically superior films like TRON: Legacy were also being considered. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Eldest2005 on 8/08/11 at 06:26 PM Yeah, it was a huge shock that Tron Legacy didn't make it for Best Visuals, which it deserved. Inception had the best of the 5 nominated, but I would have given it to Tron Legacy. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse movieswithmitch.com on 8/08/11 at 10:15 PM it's fun to talk Oscar talk. Nice blog. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Logan V. on 8/09/11 at 04:56 PM I really hope "Moneyball" gets good reviews. Awesome blog! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
Oscar Talk Posted on 08/05/11 12:08 PM \| Last edited on 08/05/11 12:08 PM Oscar Talk I know Oscar season doesn’t technically start until mid- November and we’re currently in the ‘Summer Blockbuster’ rut, but it’s always fun to start predicting the year’s Oscar nods- of course, it’s easy to go off target on this. Last year, everyone’s bets were on Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere and this year everyone predicted Cars 2 had the Animated Feature category nailed down along with Tom Hanks’s quiet contemporary Larry Crowne. But alas, no one can predict the fall of Pixar or the sudden love for Harry Potter (after years and years of getting the cold shoulder) which makes this primetime for next year’s Oscar pickings. We say this pretty much every award season, but this year is definitely the biggest one in a while. The Best Picture category has been shortened from ten to “up to ten” as the Academy has so kindly put it, so there will be lots of heated competition to get into those slots. This year, we have multiple things: the return of Steven Spielberg after a decade of silence, the return of the mysterious Terrence Malick after 25 years, the finale of Potter, after ten years of snubs, an American rehashing of the highly acclaimed (and controversial) Swedish Dragon Tattoo, and some other pickings of the usual Oscar-esque nature. 1.Tree of Life Terrence Malick, director of critically acclaimed films such as Thin Red Line is a very mysterious director. He doesn’t come out into the open much, preferring to stay silent behind the camera, and even that he doesn’t do much. He has reemerged after 25 years, and Life is a prime Oscar picking. A very emotional, very visually startling piece that Oscar voters eat right up, with all the powerful acting of Oscar favorites Sean Penn and Brad Pitt (who has yet to win one). 2.War Horse Steven Spielberg has stayed pretty silent for the past decade- he’s served as producer on a countless number of films, some hits (Super 8) and some misses (The Legend of Zorro). He directed Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but the crusader hasn’t got much love from the Academy lately- don’t take it too personally, Indy, the Academy doesn’t nod towards action/adventure types much anyway. So, Spielberg returns to his roots in War Horse, a film based on the book by Michael Marpurgo and the Tony- winning play (which kind of gives it an edge). It’s a period piece, neigh, a war piece (Spielberg’s specialty), and has timeless emotional appeal, as well as being a showcase for his directorial and family- oriental flair. The Academy will eat this up, and you have to admit, so will everyone else. 3.Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Now, I know you may say it’s my inner Potter fan speaking here (If you read my similar entry for last year’s Oscars, I did put a lot of faith in Potter but never placed it in Best Picture) but I have legit reasoning for having faith in the Academy. Well, first of all, it’s the final film. The last film in the biggest franchise ever. That’s got to get it some love, right? If you recall, the Lord of the Rings trilogy didn’t even get a win until Return of the King. By now, the Academy’s well aware that Potter, a critically acclaimed series of films as good as the rest of ‘em, has been snubbed. A similar snub has come from Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, and they praised Inception properly for it the next year. Deathly Hallows, as well as being the most critically acclaimed film of the year (Standing at 97% on Rottentomatoes, higher than any other film currently in theatres) by countless critics, even getting 4 Apples on the NY1 review. Critics have accepted it as a spectacular film. Audiences have (the Biggest Motion Picture Opening of All Time, Most Advanced Ticket Sales, Biggest 15- Day Release, beating Avatar). A tweet by Dave Karger stated that the Oscar voters saw the film and “loved it.” I honestly believe (and I had my own serious doubts) that this will score a Best Picture nod, as it fully deserves to. Warner Bros. recently told the press that they plan to “push for a [best picture] nomination” at the Oscars this year (as well as their later films of the year Contagion and J. Edgar) 4.The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo David Fincher, who’s been recognized properly by the Academy twice in three years for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and last year for The Social Network, has not yet won an Oscar for films he truly deserves them for but had been outmatched by films and filmmakers just as worthy. Dragon Tattoo is not the Academy’s usual breed, though this does seem like a film that will be on their radar (with strong lead actors as well as hard, tense direction) This, however, is a remake of the Swedish hit not recognized properly by the academy, and was very controversial. They have, however, recognized controversial films in the past (Silence of the Lambs, The Departed). Tattoo also provides a showcase for newcomer Rooney Mara (whom Fincher tested out on The Social Network), and may prove a shoot to stardom for her as Naoomi Rapace’s rendition of Lisbeth Sander did. 5.The Descendants A movie that needs to really pack heat if it wants to compete with the neck-and-neck films listed above, The Descendants is a directorial showcase for Alexander Payne, who wrote the Oscar winning screenplay Sideways, which means this is one of the films to watch out for. Starring George Clooney, this movie is evocative of Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere, except it’s more of a showcase for Clooney’s acting. 6.The Ides of March Another showcase for George Clooney, this has directorial showcase written all over it- he was nominated before for the Best Director by the Academy, and by the looks of the trailer, it promises to be a taut, thrilling film that’s more talky then action. It proves to be showcases for Clooney as well as Ryan Gosling, who plays the lead. 7.Contagion Directed by Stephen Sodenbergh, (who has done plenty of films such as the Ocean’s Eleven series) Contagion is not typical Academy fare, but is driven by an international star studded cast that includes Marion Cotilliard, Matt Damon, Lawrence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwenyth Paltrow and Kate Winslet. If the film is critically acclaimed enough the Academy will probably toss it a couple of nods; they’ve been known for the occasional oddball before. 8.Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Featuring another star-studded international cast, Spy comes from the director of Let the Right One In, a Swedish film that won over many critics in 2009. This is his English debut, one based on the classic novel. The cast includes Colin Firth fresh off his Oscar win, along with BAFTA winner Gary Oldman, along with John Hurt, Tom Hardy, and Ciaran Hands among others. Again, spy movies are not among typical Academy fare but a strong scripting may get it a nod. 9.The Iron Lady Meryl Steep, an Academy favorite, may just get her third win in this historical drama. Periods are favorites of the Academy, especially when it comes to acting showcases, Shakespeare in Love, The Queen, and The King’s Speech having proven that in past years. 10. Young Adult Oscar winning writer Diablo Cody once again joins Jason Reitman, director of the surprise hit Juno for Young Adult, a film about a writer in an identity crisis who stalks her old high school boyfriend in attempt to rediscover herself. It has been praised as Cody’s most mature film to date. 11. Moneyball Based on the book by Michael Lewis (who scribed The Blind Side, I which the 2009 surprise hit was based on, scoring a Best Actress win for Sandra Bullock and a Best Picture nod as well as skyrocketing to a $250 million dollar gross). The screenplay is being adapted by Aaron Sorkin, who, fresh off of his Oscar win for The Social Network, has proved himself practiced at making dull topics like statistics captivating on screen. 12. The Help Based off of Kathryn Stockett’s monumental bestseller, The Help chronicles the story of Skeeter, a young white woman aspiring to become a journalist, who interviews a series of maids for a book exposing the hypocrisy of the racist white women they work for. The book has been criticized as glossing over major issues and the film looks like it follows that pattern, but it is led by a strong female cast that includes Emma Stone, Viola Davis, and Octavia Spencer. 13. J. Edgar Helmed by Clint Eastwood, who hasn’t won an Oscar since his 2006 film Letters from Iwo Jima, Edgar features Academy veterans like Milk screenwriter Dustin Lance and Leonardo DiCaprio, who seems really determined to nab his first Oscar. RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, HUGO, THOR, SOURCE CODE and SUPER 8 seem like they will join Potter in the visual effects and technical categories (along with other choice films that scored major nods). Cars 2 marks the fall of Pixar and it looks to me like the noms will be between Rio, The Adventures of Tintin, and Kung-Fu Panda 2, with the win going to Rango. Surprises that could come later this year include One Day, from the director of An Education, or A Dangerous Mind from underrated director David Cronenburg. Any, all, or even none of these films could make it- but for now, these are the ones to watch.
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Films that Disturb Me Posted on 08/02/11 11:46 AM \| Last edited on 08/02/11 11:46 AM Mood: Fresh AS A CHILD, I was not scared of monsters or ghosts or things that lurked in the shadows. I didn’t fear red- faced demons that hid in my closet. I knew that there was no creature that lived under my bed. Yes, we live in rationalized, modern-day culture. Where childish fantasies and fears become less and less existent, as the real world becomes more accessible and those fears are brought up at a sooner age as traditionally placed and portrayed. I was scared of real things- I knew of stalkers and killers that struck past night, knowing it was possible that they could be hiding in my closet or in the shadows or under my bed. A very real, very disturbing world, now portrayed in film. It could be said that monsters in the past portrayed in films such as Dracula and Frankenstein were used as metaphors for real threats and films- but as we know, film was much less controversial and had to reach us in ways that the smartest of us—those also wise enough to comprehend it—to see it. It would go a bit far to say that The Human Centipede doesn’t disgust me. It horrifies me. But as I was watching the trailer for David Schwimmer’s Trust this morning, a film about an online predator that stalks a teenage girl, that I realized that it is films like that that really manage to disturb me. Modern technology has enabled us to do a great many things- that’s one of the themes that the film starts out with. But the fact that advancement may in fact cause things like this to happen is frightening. Perhaps the most frightening thing to me about it is the naivety of the teenage girl- she in fact believes she is in a relationship. That raises the question- is modern technology even worth it? This question translates many times in other films- just watch any Lifetime film. Perhaps the one reassuring fact about these films is that, perhaps, that they will put awareness and caution in the minds of families everywhere.
12 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: Anthony B. on 8/02/11 at 12:29 PM I always thought that killers and psychos were more disturbing than monsters or ghosts, because of that "realness" thing. As a kid, I was more afraid by Scream or Jaws than Alien for example (even though this one scared me a little :D). So far, I think the more disturbing movie I've watched would be Rec. Efficient and really REALLY frightening. Interesting topic Jason (the name fits pretty well with that blog ^^) 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 8/17/11 at 02:35 PM Yeah, I haven't heard that before. :) 0 Replies \| Report Abuse leeloo1967 on 8/02/11 at 07:07 PM 0 Replies \| Report Abuse leeloo1967 on 8/02/11 at 07:08 PM ~I dont know whether modern technology is worth it or not but what I do know is that sadly young people are paying the price~~~Its just a shame....a crime shame~~~Now that is very disturbing~ 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 8/17/11 at 02:36 PM I know, not a day goes by where I don't see something like that on the news. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse adler-s on 8/03/11 at 12:03 AM 0 Replies \| Report Abuse adler-s on 8/03/11 at 12:03 AM good points here and it's the realism in the things we things we watch that actually spooks us 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 8/17/11 at 02:36 PM Thank you- good point. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Jhon E. on 8/03/11 at 03:03 AM I was scared of the dark till about 10... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 8/17/11 at 02:36 PM Dude, I'm still scared of the dark. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse american psycho on 8/03/11 at 10:23 AM If the story is more realistic in a movie then its more disturbing. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 8/17/11 at 02:37 PM Definitely. Though it's not like I'm not scared of Insidious or Paranormal Activity... 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
Why Harry Potter Should Be Recognized by the Academy in 2011 Posted on 07/02/11 11:31 AM \| Last edited on 07/02/11 11:31 AM Mood: Irritated Why Harry Potter Should Be Recognized By The Academy Harry Potter, the epic saga that defined a generation, that evoked a legacy of passion, that exuded the sense of phenomenon, is now drawing to a close. This movie, like most children’s literary adaptions (though this was one of the first, it was the one that proved how successful they could be) has not been recognized by the academy as a proper piece of film making. This one is different than other pieces, because it actually is one. I think that the series can be seen as two separate pieces- the first three, then the last five. The first three of the series were wholesome, adventurous family entertainment that garnered five star reviews for being cute, but never astonishing. They were reminiscent of pieces such as WILLOW or the original CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, but never gave off any particular critical vibes. The last few, though, thanks to the careful hands of David Yates, prove to be sophisticated movies that were examples of contemporary film making at its best- which is exactly what the academy is looking for. (LORD OF THE RINGS proved this!) I’m glad that the series has not fallen into a commercial rut after being snubbed by the academy so countlessly. I doubt it, but I hope they fully acknowledge the series for it is this year. (I’m scared they won’t because they said they’re lowering the number of BEST PICTURE slots from 10 to somewhere between 5 and 10) These movies are excellent. Like I said before, the first few were better recognized for being more story related pieces than character or acting wise. That’s great. But the last few were more human dramas, focusing on the complexities of adolescence set against an equally complex magical background. It is also so beautifully directed and adapted- I don’t see why no one will recognize that, probably because their more focused on the [in a fan aspect] story. My doubts grow deeper because this last film ditches the human drama for a much less complex form of it, but more along the action. I hope the academy is hungry for well cinematographed magic this year, because that’s the only chance I see HP in the running this year- but I really, really, reallyreallyreallyreally hope they do.
18 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: Dylan Smith on 7/02/11 at 12:32 PM Well, it seem there might not be a whole lot of Oscar noms this year due the fact that there has only been a few good films recognized by the public. But if The Deathly Hallows Part 2 does get the noms for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Director, then it should really be interesting to see how the Oscars turn out. Anyway, a wonderful job done Jason. I do hope you have a wonderful week and God Bless you. Thanks, dome back and see me. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 7/02/11 at 02:10 PM True. Very true. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Eldest2005 on 7/02/11 at 12:40 PM Seeing at it is the last one, they may give more attention to it. But I don't see it getting a Best Picture or Director nomination. 2 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 7/02/11 at 02:09 PM I don't either, but they really, really should. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 7/02/11 at 02:10 PM At the least, they're definitely giving it a technical award, no doubt about it. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse girly g. on 7/02/11 at 10:22 PM yes but the other movies have received technical nominations before if i remember correctly. i don't know if they will give it more than that or not but i think that i will have to see the last one to know if it will deserve it or not- i wasn't a big fan of the last two installments but we will see 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 7/03/11 at 10:26 AM The Academy loves spreading the love- it'll at least score a cinematography or visual effects award. They always love giving the visual effects award to a critically praised movie. (Inception, The Dark Knight, Avatar) Report Abuse Ryan M. on 7/02/11 at 01:25 PM I'd love for Bonham-Carter to get a nomination for Supporting Actress. She really deserves it. In fact, just a nomination for Adapted Screenplay would be great; just to show some recognition. Nice blog; I totally agree :) 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 7/02/11 at 02:12 PM She, along with a couple others. But I think that they'd look at her first. I also think that Desplat could get a win for his score- he's already an academy favorite (Though he hasn't ever won one) so it would be time for him to get it. (Last year he was nominated for The King's Speech, you know how they feel about close snubs, just look at Colin Firth) 0 Replies \| Report Abuse dn_smith86 on 7/02/11 at 01:32 PM The first three, as you group them, were well received not merely because of their "wholesomeness", but because of their delicate whimsy and solid storytelling ability. I actually view them as three groups, 1-2 (The adventurous entertainment) 3-4 (The pinnacle of both the story and character development) and 5-7 (The menial eye candy which David Yates ruined). The franchise had a terrific start (3 being the stand-out) but I'm sorry to say that it has severely dwindled with Yates at the reins. The latter films had no focus, poor structure, and, overall, a depleting interest in exactly where the story began and where is going. 6 is a prime example of this considering how much of a jumbled mess it was. "7: Part 1" was a step up for Yates, but it was still bottom tier of the series. I can still enjoy a better part of the series and like to see it do well, but this is nowhere near the caliber of films selected by The Academy (who in and of themselves often fail to nominate THE best films of any given year). The moral of the story? Franchise = Good, but lost a lot of steam during the Yates years. Academy appreciation = absolutely not, unless Yates produces something the likes of which I've never seen (which is highly unlikely). Just be happy with the technical and artistic design nominations and leave the big awards to the films that really deserve it... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 7/02/11 at 02:06 PM I see where your coming from, but I really appreciated the unique formatting of the series. I hear a lot of people complaining about part 1, because it was basically just a prologue, but think about it this way: it's pretty complex for a movie that's basically about nothing. I agree with your thoughts about 1 and 2, but it was because of those reasons it wouldn't be recognized by the academy- they don't appreciate the way it appeals in soft grand scope. They are timeless pieces, classics. The last few, I believe were a different kind of good- they represent well made contemporary films, I believe. I liked how the backdrops were the magical stories, complex and dark as the books. The human drama takes center stage and I thought it was gently done. It all comes down to the way you appreciate the format of it- I thought that David Yates actually did a decent job. Although I feel that the final battle will probably be more sharp as opposed to grand scope, though I thought his direction was polished without sacrificing rawness. The point I was making is that these films do deserve it. Even if the final film isn't the best of the year they should really select it to pay homage to the entire series. It is a generation defying piece of work- classic pieces of work. At least give it the nominations because these pictures are always some of the best of the year, if not the pinnacle. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse CACB on 7/02/11 at 02:56 PM Great blo man. I think the Academy might just nominate it for Best Pic IF there's not enough nominees... however, I don't see it getting Best Director/Screenplay, but maybe as I said, Picture, as its the last film of the series and there might not be enough nominees. I see it getting for technical stuff like cinematography, editing effects, costumes etc. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 7/03/11 at 12:34 PM Thank you. I think there are some ways the academy can wedge reasons into nominating it, from some elements, (Look very closely at trailer!) but it would be quite a stretch since they lowered the number of slots and it would be the first 3D winner... O_o 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Cody Fairless-Lee on 7/02/11 at 03:46 PM AWESOME BLOG!!!! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse grouchyeditor.com on 7/02/11 at 05:19 PM I have to agree with dn smith. I thought the first four movies were magical, but then Yates came along and pretty much screwed things up. The last Potter film has no chance of winning Best Picture, and probably won't be nominated, but I'd be happy to see the series get some kind of recognition. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Mr. Dufresne on 7/03/11 at 12:35 AM I love the first two Harry Potter films dearly because of nostalgia (and they are fun movies to sit and watch. The third one was my favorite in the series until Deathly Hallows Part 1, which I haven't bought yet, so technically I've only seen it once. But as a fan of the books and movies in general, I was blown away with how good Deathly Hallows Part 1 was. I actually think Yates did a very good job with the 5th, and while the 6th is good, I had some problems with it. Part 1, however, was phenomenal in plenty of ways, so much so that Part 2 is my most anticipated film of 2011. And I agree, Oscars for this franchise, at least nominations, are definitely overdue. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Hawaiianguy2991 on 7/04/11 at 08:25 PM Have to also agree with dn_smith. Yates in my opinion blew it, even the fourth film was so-so. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Daniel Mumby on 7/05/11 at 08:29 AM Good post. Bear in mind that the series was given a special award at the BAFTAs earlier this year, so depending on how much you think the BAFTAs and Oscars cross over there may be some form of special award for the series in 2012 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
Wherein I Kidnap the Head of Pixar, Commit Inception, and See Tom Hanks in his Pajamas... Posted on 07/01/11 12:03 PM \| Last edited on 07/01/11 12:03 PM Mood: Irritated John Lassetter slowly opens his eyes, his lids caked together with the residue of a dreamless sleep. The bright, straining light of a desk lamp pierces his eyes; he does not know where he is. He is tied up and strapped to an uncomfortable metal chair- he does not know how long he’s been there or how he got there. He shakes his head, and finds that every little motion sends needles of pain stabbing throughout his cranium. The room is empty except for a metal table, the lamp, and a man standing in front of him. Some crazy amateur movie reviewer named Jason. Jason: What did you do with John Lassetter?! John: (Startled) What do you mean? I am John Lassetter! Jason: Don’t feed me this crap! Tell me what you did with that animation genius! John: I am John Lassetter! I am that widely proclaimed genius! Jason: Who are you working for?! Dreamworks? Fox? Universal? My brother who always laughed at my unrequited faith in Pixar?! John: What are you talking about? Jason: (Paces back and forth in front of the scared film maker) I think we both know. I think we both know that you are the reason Pixar sold itself into commercialism! Threw away its garnered critical success for a spy movie! John: You mean Cars 2? Jason: No I mean Saving Private Ryan! Yes Cars 2! Everyone knew that Cars got off easy critically, but you just had to go ahead and make an extra buck through merchandising through a SPY movie! A spy movie, John! Led by Mater! You sacrificed heart and sophistication for cheap family laughs like, like- John: Like, what? Jason: Like Shrek 3! John: I’m sorry! Jason: No you’re not! Pixar’s long gone! Toy Story 3 was the height of your career and after that you’ve decided you’re just going to take the easy way out and just try to make three year olds happy through stupid humor and money-making premises! You know now that you’re going to get top-box offices no matter what you do and it’s just SICK! Sick! Let’s just hope that 2012’s Brave brings you back on top… John: It will! Jason: No! Pixar will never be the same due to this royal screw up of yours! Every review you receive from now on will be lower than ever… we will always remember this flop of yours… get out! You make me sick. John: But I can’t! You have me trapped here! Jason: What do you mean John, we are but inside your subconscious! John: What are you saying? Jason: I think we both know. John: You mean I’m dreaming? Jason: Yes John. Inception. John: Inception? You mean I’m in your dream right now? Jason: No, John. John: Are you saying that… it’s me who’s dreaming? Jason: No. John: So one dream inside one other dream catapulting us into the limbo state of subconsciousness and therefore trapping us into one totally new being? Jason: Oh come on, I’m not Christopher Nolan. I’m not smart enough to come up with crap like that. John: You don’t mean… Jason: Yes. We are in the mind of none other than Tom Hanks. ~Wherein Tom Hanks wakes up~ Tom: Aaaaaagh! Tom wakes up, to find that he is safely surrounded by his Pixar stuffed toys in his racecar bed. Tom: (Talking to a Buzz Lightyear stuffed toy) Whew, Buzzy. I learned a lot today. That Lassetter really shouldn’t mess with critics. And that Jason is one heckuva psychopath. I also learned one other thing. Buzz Stuffed Toy: What is that, Tommy? Tom: That maybe I can get through finishing Inception without my brain crying. Buzz Stuffed Toy: I thought that people stopped making Inception jokes a while ago. Tom: Yeah, but I’m Tom Hanks. I’m always behind times. Haven’t you seen my last few movies? Buzz Stuffed Toy: Nope. But everyone pretends they have to look cool, though. Tom: Hey! I do the same thing! ~Wherein Tom Hanks Continues to Pretend He Knows What Larry Crowne was even about~ P.S. If anyone asks, John Lassetter is not hidden in my basement, screaming. He’s just taking a really long shower back at Pixar Studios…
16 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: Ryan M. on 7/01/11 at 01:18 PM Funniest thing I've seen in ages! Awesome blog! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 7/01/11 at 02:21 PM Thank You! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse CACB on 7/01/11 at 02:05 PM Haha, good job! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 7/01/11 at 02:21 PM Thanks! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Cody Fairless-Lee on 7/01/11 at 02:45 PM Luv this blog, Jason! Let's just hope BRAVE will succeed! Very funny!!!! :D 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 7/01/11 at 02:49 PM Thank you! The first trailer was released last week and I think it can go either way, by the looks of it. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Rostron2 on 7/01/11 at 03:10 PM LOL 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 7/01/11 at 03:50 PM I'll be here all week. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Daniel Mumby on 7/01/11 at 06:16 PM Nice work Jason. This would make a great short story if you wanted to rewrite it 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 7/01/11 at 07:29 PM Thanks! But if I did publish it as a short story I might get taken in for questioning... 0 Replies \| Report Abuse leeloo1967 on 7/01/11 at 07:31 PM Now that's entertainment!!! Awesome blog Jason:)!! ~I hope John Lassatter reads this & gets the msg very clearly~ 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 7/01/11 at 08:10 PM I would hope he would. He's in my basement. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse leeloo1967 on 7/02/11 at 04:36 AM Will he be deprived of food, water & sleep? 2 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 8/17/11 at 02:39 PM Oh, come on. I'm not THAT crazy... Report Abuse leeloo1967 on 8/18/11 at 03:52 AM Well I just thought you'd give him the full treatment......u know teach him a lesson;) Report Abuse CinematicMethod.com on 8/24/11 at 01:19 PM Funny stuff Jason! I really hope Brave rebounds, I feel like it will. Pixar faith! -Kyle, CinematicMethod.com 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
Pixar's Irony Posted on 05/14/11 01:22 PM \| Last edited on 05/14/11 01:22 PM Mood: Thoughtful Pixar's Irony: Why Pixar Has Been So Successful Critically Pixar Animation Studios has held an unprecedented reign over the animated movie business over the last 25 years. It is the inventor of the computer animated film, and evoked a generation of success in that aspect of the film industry. It has critics wrapped around its little finger-- holding box office records as well as a multitude of five-star reviews. Their movies' impeccable combination of humor, clever writing, and wonderful stories are proclaimed as the reasons. But really, deep down, it's the irony located at the heart of each of their films that generate so much critical attention. One of the finer points of film is the deep messages located between the lines of the script-- the underlying truth to the words the stories portray- there are many technicalities to the way stories are made-- this is true with literature as well as screen pieces. With Pixar, it has become relatively easy for them to be ironic in the inception stages of their story making. It's like making the two centers of the story opposite, than making the rest of it connect the two. Here are some examples: Ratatouille: The irony in the Brad Bird directed Ratatouille is evident. Rats, considered the most vile and disgusting of all animals, in a kitchen, here they are the most despised and unwelcome. Make that restaurant one in Paris, the food capital of the world, and well.... that's a bit self-explanatory. The message of this film is "Anyone can cook," which, underlying, is "Anyone can be a great artist". That artist is found in the rat, the thing you'd least expect to become a chef. The irony makes the message clearer. Monsters, Inc. Monsters, Inc. was Pixar's first eligible movie for an Academy Award in Best Animated Feature, but it was unfortunately defeated by the Dreamworks canon Shrek. It was remembered by many as when Pixar got beaten by their own game. Dreamworks was the first to adapt their method of computer animation. Getting back to Monsters, Inc., the irony in this film was, on the outside, intended for humor. There were three effects here. 1. A business run by monsters, the most reckless creature of the imagination, actually being organized and like normal people. 2. Monsters scared children on purpose. 3. Monsters were scared by children. That added to the surprise factor, the vice-versa turning table effect. Pixar is applauded for their creativity and evident imagination-- but really, creativity is nothing but simplicity. If you have an idea at it's simplest stage, it's praised as originality. And there's nothing wrong with that. The underlying message of this story is to what really a monster is-- and to get to know and love something based on your own experience. Finding Nemo Finding Nemo, one of Pixar's most widely praise accomplishments, is arguably the most relatable film of the Pixar Industry. It's age-old father-son story was beautiful and resonant. The irony of this one was the unfunny clownfish. Instead, he is nervous, bumbling, and businesslike. The irony in characterization instead of story was also one evident in Pixar's second film, A Bug's Life, with the male ladybug. Evidence of irony, whether it's story, plot, or plot elements, is evident in their other movies. Toy Story, WALL-E, Cars, and basically all other films find their heart in the irony. Even The Incredibles, where if you think of, is made up of a lot of ironic story accents. (Superheroes getting sued, a superhero having a mid-life crisis, etc.) Each movie company has its own flare (Dreamworks goes for funny, for example) and Pixar's is irony. It works out extremely well-- it's very clever, and makes each of their movies more enticing. Look for it next time you watch a Pixar movie.
8 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: american psycho on 5/14/11 at 03:16 PM Interesting! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Ryan M. on 5/14/11 at 03:46 PM Wow, this was really interesting! Brilliant work! :) 0 Replies \| Report Abuse simon m. on 5/14/11 at 06:15 PM Excellent work. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Cody Fairless-Lee on 5/14/11 at 07:18 PM GR8 blog....PIXAR is one of my fav studios!!!! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Michael A. on 5/15/11 at 12:39 AM Great blog! Clever analysis, man... 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Mr. Dufresne on 5/15/11 at 04:04 AM This is pretty interesting, especially for Pixar fans liek myself. Good blog! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Eldest2005 on 5/15/11 at 08:44 AM Very good blog. I didn't notice all the irony until now. Guess I never bothered to think about it just because I really loved Pixar. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Dylan Smith on 7/02/11 at 08:35 PM A interesting point Jason. I never noticed the common themes on modern society featured in Pixar, I guess that why they've been doing well in the recent years, is because of their ability to blend realism and creativity together in a fascinating concept. Anyway, interesting blog sir. I do hope you have a fantastic week and God bless you. Thanks, come back and see me. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
My Predictions for the 83rd Academy Awards Posted on 01/15/11 10:47 AM \| Last edited on 01/15/11 10:47 AM Mood: Excited 84th ACADEMY AWARD PREDICTIONS By Jason Lalljee Oscar Nominations Mailed in—January the 14th, 2011 Oscar Nominations Announced- January the 25th, 2011 Oscar Winners- February the 27th, 2011 Yesterday, the ballots for the academy awards were mailed in. They will be announced in ten days. Meanwhile, I will bring to you the movies that are almost a sure shot at a nomination. After all, it’s the beginning of the year. With all the limited release, big actors, big director junk going on at the end of last year, I think I’ve got safe guesses. BEST PICTURE- 1. The Social Network 2. Black Swan 3. The King’s Speech 4. Inception 5. The Fighter 6. True Grit 7. Winter’s Bone 8. 127 Hours 9. The Town 10. Toy Story 3 Winner: Okay, I know it’s really not fair. There are so many more awesome movies (The Ghost Writer, Animal Kingdom, Exit Through the Gift Shop, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Please Give) but these are only the ones that are going to be nominated. Not the ones that deserve it. The winner however is also not fair. It irks me when there’s a movie where everyone knows the frontrunner—there’s no anticipation. Here, it’s the Social Network. Hopefully, the academy will surprise me—if they do, then Network’s up against The King’s Speech, Inception, Black Swan, The Town, and 127 Hours. Toy Story 3, as the best reviewed movie of the year and the finale of the blockbuster animation saga will get an honorable mention for being just so. HONORABLE MENTION: The Ghost Writer BEST DIRECTOR- 1. Christopher Nolan, Inception 2. David Fincher, The Social Network 3. Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech 4. Joel and Ethan Coen, True Grit 5. Danny Boyle, 127 Hours 6. David Aronofsky, Black Swan 7. Ben Affleck, The Town 8. Roman Polanski, The Ghost Writer 9. Debra Granik, Winter’s Bone 10. David O. Russell, The Fighter Winner: In my opinion, it’s going to be between Nolan and Fincher. The academy has a knack for grouping people together (like if one wins best picture, it also wins best director, actor, screenplay, etc.) which is why Fincher is here. (And because Network was pretty awesome). The academy will feel bad for not acknowledging The Dark Knight two years ago, which was a terrible mistake. Joel and Ethan Coen are contenders every year, and True Grit was good, but didn’t really show off their chops. People are forgetting about Ben Affleck since The Town was earlier this year, but when his name comes to mind you’re like “Oh Yeah!” so, yeah, he’ll be there. Again with grouping, The King’s Speech director Tom Hooper is here. Danny Boyle, after his smash hit at the awards Slumdog Millionaire a while ago will be her. David Aronofsky’s Black Swan was a standout, and the fact that he did The Wrestler won’t hurt. Roman Polanski for adding a stylish whip as in The Pianist, Winter’s Bone is apparently Granik’s best. And again, with the Fighter, its grouping. BEST ACTOR- 1. Colin Firth, The King’s Speech 2. Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network 3. Jeff Bridges, True Grit 4. Ewan McGregor, The Ghost Writer 5. Leonardo DiCaprio, Inception 6. James Franco, 127 Hours WINNER- Between Colin Firth and Jesse Eisenberg. I personally think it should be Colin Firth, and a lot of academy award members won’t go with Eisenberg because he’s younger. However, his performance in Network was really good, which puts him up as a contender against Firth. Jeff Bridges will get recognized as the one eyed cowboy in Grit, and yes, Ewan’s performance I The Ghost Writer, which many, many people forgot about and DiCaprio, again with grouping, but his performance was good. BEST ACTRESS- 1. Natalie Portman, Black Swan 2. Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone 3. Chloe Grace Mortez, Kick A 4. Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right 5. Noomi Rapace, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo 6. Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine WINNER- Natalie Portman, Black Swan. Duh. After all the hype for her performance, some members who haven’t even seen it will vote for her. Probably the only sure guess of this whole prediction. A couple months ago, before Swan, everyone was betting on Jennifer Lawrence in Bone, because it made the movie so good. The Academy will recognize Chloe Mortez for her shocking performance—come on, she’s the Linda Blair (The Exorcist) of the 21st century! The Kids is memorable for Annette Bening and Julianne Moore, so it makes sense for Bening to get nominated. Rapace, in any other ceremony, would give Portman a real run for her money. But this is almost strictly American voters, which means more will know of Portman. Michelle Williams because of her and Ryan Gosling’s…outlandish performances in Blue Valentine. BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR- 1. Christian Bale, The Fighter 2. Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right 3. Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech 4. Andrew Garfield, The Social Network 5. Joseph-Gordon Levitt, Incecption 6. Jeremy Rener, The Town WINNER- Bale’s dramatic transformation in Fighter will impress many people. He would win, but his biggest competitor here is Rush in King’s Speech—imagine them battling head to head. Except then, Garfield comes butting in. If I’m right, and Network is the grouper this year, than he will be the one indeed picking this award up. However, they may just feel sorry for King’s Speech because Network’s getting everything and give the award to Rush. BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS- 1. Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech 2. Julianne Moore, The Kids Are All Right 3. Amy Adams, The Fighter 4. Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole 5. Olivia Williams, The Ghost Writer 6. Mila Kunis, Black Swan WINNER- NOTE: If there was one more slot, it’d probably go to Hailee Seinfeld in True Grit.** Okay, the win here is pretty tight, but I’d say it’s Carter vs. Moore vs. Adams. Carter’s performance is as typically strong as Firth’s and Rush’s in King’s Speech, The Kids Are All Right will cry for an honorable mention, and like Hilary Swank a couple years ago, Adams has been mostly rom-com, but now, she displays serious chops and I think the academy will recognize that. BEST ANIMATED FEATURE- 1. Toy Story 3 2. How to Train Your Dragon 3. Tangled 4. The Illusionist 5. Despicable Me WINNER-Despicable Me! No, I’m kidding. And yes, I’m allowed to kid when something is so completely obvious—because when an animated feature is also nominated for best picture, it’s kind of a giveaway that the winner is when nominated for best animated feature. And yes, if you’ve been under a rock for the past two years, the answer is Toy Story 3. BEST ART DIRECTION- 1. Inception 2. Black Swan 3. True Grit 4. Alice in Wonderland 5. The King’s Speech 6. Burlesque WINNER- Inception. In case it doesn’t win any other awards, they’ll give it this. And after all, it deserves it. However, they might feel sorry for the penultimate potter, which has drastically improved in art direction and cinematography. Note that Inception is Potter’s biggest competition in that category too. BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY 1. Inception 2. The Last Exorcism 3. The Ghost Writer 4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 5. The Social Network 6. Black Swan WINNER: Again, it’s between Inception and Potter—while Potter improves drastically from the last one with it s expansive landscapes and shocking settings, so does Inception, in its own way. BEST COSTUME DESIGN- 1. Alice in Wonderland 2. Black Swan 3. True Grit 4. The King’s Speech 5. The Town 6. Burlesque WINNER- Probably Alice in Wonderland, but if it had to be anyone else, it would be Burlesque, then Black Swan. BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY- 1. Waiting For Superman 2. Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work 3. Exit Through the Gift Shop 4. Restrepo 5. The Tillman Story WINNER: Waiting For Superman. However, Exit Through the Gift Shop is its real competition. BEST FILM EDITING- 1. Inception 2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 3. The Social Network 4. The King’s Speech 5. The Fighter WINNER: Between Inception, which has got Nolan’s flair to back it up, Potter, whose got all that money and hard work to make it look its best put into it, or actually the Social Network, which has got good old fashion smooth sails, and grouping wouldn’t hurt either. BEST VISUAL EFFECTS- 1. TRON: Legacy 2. Inception 3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 4. Iron Man 2 5. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World WINNER-Finally, a fun one. But it is pretty tough here… TRON: Legacy’s ratings are boosted because of its dazzling imagery…Inception has got Nolan’s typical resonation, Potter is a duh on the nomination….will the Academy be willing enough? Iron Man 2, probably not—but Scott Pilgrim—oh, its fantasy-comedy hybrid will give the others quite a run… BEST MAKEUP- 1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 2. Alice in Wonderland 3. Black Swan 4. True Grit 5. The Last Exorcism WINNER- Alice in Wonderland, because even the plants are wearing makeup here. BEST ORIGINAL SCORE- 1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 2. Inception 3. The King’s Speech 4. The Social Network 5. Black Swan WINNER: Here is one I’m sure Potter will get NOT because the academy feels sorry for it. Alexandre Desplat’s score is almost a definite win, if not for The Social Network or Inception. BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY 1. The King’s Speech 2. Inception 3. The Kids Are All Right 4. The Town 5. The Fighter WINNER: The King’s Speech, hands down. With no Network in the way, it’s a sure shot. BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY 1. The Social Network 2. True Grit 3. Winter’s Bone 4. 127 Hours 5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 WINNER: The Social Network. It’s worth noting that this year was quite a year for successful adapted screenplays—Charles Portis’ True Grit, Winter’s Bone, and 127 Hours were all done well. A lot of people forget HP was once a novel, but hopefully, this year, they will remember… Yes, there are a lot more categories (Sound Mixing, Film Editing) But I won’t bore you with those details. In 10 days, I will examine my predictions with the actual nominations, and we will see how wrong I am—however, I am very rarely wrong. PLEASE COMMENT! -JL
22 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: Zach N. on 1/15/11 at 10:52 AM Dude, Hailee Steinfeld will win for best supporting actress. For sure. Without a doubt in my mind. Also, best score should be going to either Inception or Social Network, Harry Potter will not win that at all. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 1/15/11 at 11:53 AM I think it will be network or inception--but as I noted, hp7 IS a real competitor this year. IMO. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Zach N. on 1/15/11 at 12:58 PM Well, I feel the HP7 score can't compare to Daft Punk or A.R. Rahman's scores this year. Like yeah, Alexandre is an amazing composer (his Fantastic MR. Fox score is the best), but there are better scores this year than HP7. Also, Black Swan is disqaulified from being an original score, so it doesn't need to be on your top 5. True Grit is also disqualified which pisses me off cause its so great :/ 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Connor G. on 1/15/11 at 11:01 AM I noticed Robin Hood wasn't on your list for any of the visual awards. I think it deserves Art Direction and Costume Design. And The Town was adapted from a book. I really like your list. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 1/15/11 at 11:52 AM Well, the short list was announced a couple days ago, and Robin Hood wasn't there. So I didn't put it. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse dudemeister on 1/15/11 at 11:13 AM Agree with everything here, but I don't think McGregor will get anything, I think his slot will go to Ryan Gosling. But seriously, if Bale does not win. I will be beyond pissed, just the thought of him not winning pissed me off. Plus Oscars like sharing the love, and Rush already has one. And I agree on Eisenberg, I think he should win, but if he does, I believe that would make him the youngest ever to win? Plus his mostly comedic filmography and geeky nature might turn off some voters 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 1/15/11 at 11:54 AM I had Ryan Gosling there, actually. But then I remembered the Ghost Writer-- Bale SHOULD Win. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Bob M. on 1/15/11 at 11:36 AM I will be stunned if The Social Network wins any awards. Best picture IMO is The King's Speech. Good work..... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 1/15/11 at 11:55 AM Really? A lot of people think it should. I wonder... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Bob M. on 1/15/11 at 12:36 PM It was well made but what's so spectacular about it? The acting is OK, not great. The story is not one that hasn't been told before. I think people are fired up about it because it's about Facebook. Other than that, what's it got going for it? Nothing I can see anyway. Who knows, maybe I just don't get it...... 4 Replies \| Report Abuse EnglishCrumpet on 1/16/11 at 12:56 AM Have to disagree. It's exceptionally well made. The screenplay is the best of any film throughout the year. Performances are great, story is completely gripping, and due to the Facebook theme has the unique ability to make its audience feel involved in the narrative. It's come out on top at virtually every critic awards group since November so don't be surprised to see it sweep the Oscars! Report Abuse Bob M. on 1/16/11 at 11:29 AM I will be surprised obviously since the acting was average IMO. There is no way a sane person picks anyone from that movie over Colin Firth or Geoffery Rush. I can see it winning screenplay. It's well written. The story, though, has been done many times before - courtroom/legal dramas are very common. The Facebook story-line makes it popular in the 18 - 30 demographic. We'll see.......... Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 1/16/11 at 03:35 PM Wow...I didn't mean to start a debate. But, I kind of agree with both of you. Report Abuse Michael A. on 1/17/11 at 03:11 AM the screenplay was the best but i agree, it's a little overrated and only its relevance to today's generation is what makes it so loved... Report Abuse CACB on 1/15/11 at 12:43 PM Nice predicitions. I think Network will win Picture, Director, Adaptd Screenplay and maybe Editing? Bale should win Supporting Actor, and I wish Amy Adams won for Supporting Actress, but I think that will got to Leo, who I think wasn't in your list? 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Mr. Dufresne on 1/15/11 at 08:48 PM I loved Harry Potter's score, but I think Inception's should win that hands down; instantly memorable. I also think HTTYD deserves a nomination for it's score, but it just might not get it. And I think Toy Story 3 should get a screenplay nomination (I think it would be for adapted since it's a sequel). Also, I sort of doubt it, but I do hope HP7 gets a bunch of nominations; it really deserves to imo. And since Toy Story 3 likely won't win Best Picture, I'd love to see Inception win (though I doubt it, since they didn't nominate The Dark Knight). I haven't seen The Social Network, though. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse EnglishCrumpet on 1/16/11 at 12:59 AM Nice picks although Nicole Kidman and Julianne Moore are both viewed as Lead not Supporting. I would replace them with Hailee Steinfeld and Melissa Leo. Also there is no chance Chloe Moretz will make it in there, and Ewan McGregor wasn't in The Fighter. Otherwise good choices!! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 1/16/11 at 10:01 AM Did I Say The Fighter? I meant THE GHOST WRITER. I think I put someone from the Fighter there originally but only changed the name. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Halimali on 1/16/11 at 06:13 AM I feel so many of your predictions will become true. I give my vote for Colin Firth as best actor. His role is so oscar material 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Michael A. on 1/17/11 at 03:09 AM solid list...i love the love for chloe moretz and inception...but i feel you're giving too much love to harry potter and not enough for restrepo... 0 Replies \| Report Abuse simon m. on 1/22/11 at 06:11 AM For me, it is The Fighter all the way. That doesn't mean I think The Fighter will sweep the awards. The overrated The Social Network is going to sweep the awards. I think it should be The Fighter, David O. Russell, Firth, Portman, Bale and Leo. I think that Firth, Portman, Bale and Leo have a chance. The Fighter and David O. Russell have no chance in Hell. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Hawaiianguy2991 on 2/05/11 at 02:33 AM I know Colin Firth, Natalie Portman, and The social network will each win there categorys. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse



End of the Year Oscar Predictions Posted on 11/29/11 06:34 PM \| Last edited on 11/29/11 06:34 PM Mood: Infested Read here on Booleanflix.com: http://www.booleanflix.com/2011/11/25/end-of-the-year-oscar-predictions/ Read here, featured on Hypable.com: http://www.hypable.com/movies/2011/11/27/end-of-the-year-oscar-predictions-2/ On Booleanflix.com (one of my sites), we’re kicking off the warming up of Oscar season with a series of Oscar related articles examining the idiosyncrasies of the Academy Awards. This first post is general predictions about what’s going to get nominated (set up into three categories) and why. Later, we’ll be sectioning off articles on actors, actresses, and why certain films don’t get nominated. Feel Harry Potter should finally get a shot at the big leagues? Feel Martin Scorsese should show the Academy a kid’s movie can still get nominated? Think DiCaprio’s finally going to nab the elusive golden statue? Then read on! Best Picture Primary -War Horse -Moneyball -The Tree of Life -Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 -Melancholia -The Descendants -The Artist -Midnight in Paris -Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -The Help Secondary -A Dangerous Method -Shame -The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -Martha Marcy May Marlene -Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy -Hugo -The Iron Lady -My Week with Marilyn -We Need to Talk About Kevin -We Bought a Zoo Tertiary -Drive -Win Win -Contagion -The Adventures of Tintin -Carnage -Warrior -Young Adult -Beginners -50/50 -Win Win Commentary: Even mere weeks before the final nominees are announced, it’s really hard to predict the possible nominees. Sometimes there’s a film that’s getting buzz as the ‘surefire win’ (see J. Edgar) that doesn’t get nominated. There are about thirty films that are getting buzz this time of the year (which is why I now hate the internet; don’t they know that this makes my job so much harder since only five to ten films are being nominated this year?) and I’ve separated them into primary films, secondary, and tertiary. Don’t just look at primary here; there’ll probably be three or four from the secondary category that’ll get nominated in the end with a tertiary coming out the winner. Stephen Spielberg’s War Epic/Period Piece/Comeback/Oscar Bait this year, War Horse is the frontrunner right now- that’s amazing, considering it hasn’t even been released yet. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 is the final Harry Potter film, and Warner Bros. has pulled out all stops (starting up a ‘For Your Consideration’ minisite, plastering photos all over Hollywood and handing out booklets to Oscar voters) for the best reviewed (and highest grossing) film of the year to finally grab a nomination- this may be luck for Potter, as it would end up being the third year in a row that the highest grossing film of the year got nominated for Best Picture (Avatar and Toy Story 3respectively). Melancholia and Tree of Life, both helmed by visionary directors and scoring hype at the Canne’s Awards back in March are considered guaranteed slots. George Clooney’s quiet drama, The Descendants is receiving a lot of hype, considering it is Alexander Payne’s first directorial showcase since the hit Sideways. George Clooney’s performance is generating hype too, after November’s The Ides of March; the Academy loves films that focus on everyday, human dramas, so this’ll definitely be a big winner. The Artist has generated a surprisingly large showcase on the web- it’s getting excellent reviews, but most people are elevating it to the status of Best Picture frontrunner. Personally, I don’t see it as a big winner at this stage, but Academy voters might feel the same way. Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris would probably be a much bigger bet if it were released during the traditional Oscar season- it was lost in a sea of March releases, and even though it scored really well with audiences in critics, there is a chance it’ll get overlooked. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, based on Jonathan Safran Foer’s bestselling novel, is directed by Stephen Daldry, who directed The Hours, Billy Elliot, and The Reader. It also stars Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock, featuring some supporting performances from Viola Davis and Max Von Sydow. Led by newcomer Thomas Horn, who is best known for winning Kids Jeopardy! a few years back (his character is a kid genius, so that won’t be much of a stretch). It hasn’t been released yet and considering the luck of many other Oscar hopefuls this year it could go either way- but many are betting on it being Best Picture caliber and getting a nomination for Daldry. It also centers around post 9/11, and its relevance might get it some appreciation. Now The Helpgenerally received O.K reviews and was mostly carried by the strength of its leading cast- I wouldn’t even consider it- but the Academy has this thing for old-style southern period pieces (see Forrest Gump and Driving Ms. Daisy) which will probably elevate it above the more competent films seen this year. Moneyball, which did surprisingly well among critics, quietly boasts Brad Pitt, Aaron Sorkin, and Bennett Miller amongst its critics. Right now, Pitt’s the biggest Best Actor contender of the year but the film’s generally stayed off the radar; but I can guarantee you that when it gets nominated, Sony Pictures will whip out the big guns to get this serious cred. A Dangerous Method, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Shame, Martha Marcy May Marlene, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy are all pretty much tied in my book. A Dangerous Method is being praised for the performances by its three leads but David Cronenburg’s direction, which was suspected to really carry the film here, is surprisingly understated here, which dropped it a notch from where it originally was- there’s a good chance it’ll still get a Best Picture nomination still, if the field’s wide enough. TheGirl with the Dragon Tatoo promises to score high with critics and be one of the best films of the year; but with the Academy’s new voting regime, which requires that all films (up to ten!) with more than five percent of number one votes to receive a nomination-The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is pretty controversial, a love-it-or-hate-it kind of thing that might turn off some voters and so there’s a chance it won’t get a nomination. The same goes for NC-17 rated Shame- but that effect might work backwards for the controversial Michael Fassbender film. It’s this year’s Blue Valentine and as Fox Searchlight is claiming to wear Shame’s MPAA rating as a “badge of pride” that might appeal to Academy members’ nature. Martha Marcy May Marlenefeatured a breakout/standout performance from the Olsen twins’ lesser known sister, Emily Olsen, being praised by critics along with T.Sean’s Durkin’s surprisingly well-crafted direction. Because of the lack of street cred it’s film makers has, I think the best thing that’ll be done for this film is put them on the radar for coming years, as seen in the past by people like Christopher Nolan and David Fincher. The Iron Lady(Meryl Streep), My Week with Marilyn (Michelle Williams), and We Need to Talk About Kevin (Tilda Swinton) owes their success to their star vehicles, which will undoubtedly make them big nominees in said categories but make them more iffy in others, mainly because the major categories are so densely packed in the first place. Hugo has been receiving spectacular reviews with Academy veteran Martin Scorsese’s name on the picture but considering that it’s considered a “children’s film” it probably won’t receive the respect it deserves (seen in past years by Harry Potter) but only in technical categories. Worth mentioning is that it’s the third best reviewed film of the year. Speaking of children’s films as Oscar nominees, Cameron Crowe’s We Bought a Zoo is sharing some of the discussion, but might get overlooked in the end, considering it belongs to none of the usual categories Academy members consider. Win Win, Young Adult, and Drive might not be candidates for different reasons. Win Win was released too early in this year to be the Indie favorite that always pops up. Young Adult, reunites Jason Reitman (Up in the Air) and Diablo Cody, who worked onJuno together, which went over well with critics. It’ll probably end up as one of the riper comedies of the year (with Bridesmaids) but it seems that at most, it’ll get a writingnomination for Cody perhaps a nomination for Charlize Theron. Drivewas one of the most talked about of the fall, and perhaps a screenplay nomination, but I don’t really see anybody writing it down, although it may surprise us. Contagion marketed itself as this year’s most ambitious directorial and promised to dominate acting categories and even braved a ‘For Your Consideration’ for Best Picture, but reviews were merely decent and doesn’t stand anywhere particularly winning-I think, however, director Sodernbergh could get a nomination for managing to balance a diverse cast of so many people. Roman Polanski’s Carnage, based on the Award- Winning play, is being praised highly from early reviews- it’s an offbeat comedy, though, and not really the Academy’s flavor. Lastly, The Adventures of Tintin is also a possibility, being, of course, Spielberg, but it is animated, and after Cars 2’s fail it seems that the Academy may be a little sore to replace Pixar so quickly. Best Director Primary -Steven Spielberg, War Horse -Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life -Lars Von Trier, Melancholia -Alexander Payne, The Descendants -David Cronenburg, A Dangerous Method Secondary -Bennett Miller, Moneyball -Stephen Daldry, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris -Tate Taylor, The Help -David Fincher, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Tertiary -Martin Scorsese, Hugo -David Yates, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 -Tomas Alfredson, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy -T. Sean Durkin, Martha Marcy May Marlene -Steven Soderbergh, Contagion Dark Horses: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist Thomas McCarthy, Win Win Jodie Foster, The Beaver Commentary: If you believe in my choices for the Best Picture category, then there really shouldn’t be many surprises for Best Director. Terrence Mallik and Lars Von Trier led their films with deliberate visions and carried their films all the way to early award shows and festivals- there the obvious frontrunners. Then, there’s Spielberg of course, who makes up for lack of early exposure and marketing with, well, being Spielberg. His last Oscar was for Saving Private Ryan, so he may pull a repeat with his mastery of War vision. Alexander Payne also heads thelist, having written the script as well as directed The Descendants. He didn’t score the Oscar back in 2004 for Sideways, of course he’ll get some credibility at this point. David Cronenburg directed A Dangerous Method, and perhaps if it does score a Best Picture nomination he’ll be dually credited for his method of direction. Bennett Miller, who directed Moneyball with quiet, nuanced vision is less likely but adequately suited for a nomination, boosted by Aaron Sorkin’s script, even if he and Sorkin don’t same the mutual vision that he and David Fincher did. If Extremely Loud is the big critical winner we expect it to be, then Daldry’s dark, cinematographically vibrant vision is sure to score him a second nomination, and perhaps a win. Woody Allen will definitely get a nomination if Paris receives a BP nomination, as he’s the basic credit for the film. Same for The Help- even if Taylor’s hand is a shadow to the powerful lead performances, he’ll still get credit for being involved so much in the production process. David Fincher’s also extremely likely, even if Tattoo ultimately doesn’t receive a Best Picture nomination. He might even win that one, considering how many felt his loss for The Social Network was a big snub. IfHarry Potter is as big as we suspect it’ll be, and won’t just get a pity vote for Best Picture, then that means David Yates will be ushered over to the party, too, for his continuous involvement in four films, or half of the entire franchise. Thomas Alfredson, in his English debut, could also stir a big controversy for Spy. Best Actor In the case of an actor likely to be nominated for more than one role in the year, the film with the star next to him is the one most likely to land him a nomination. Primary* -Brad Pitt, Moneyball -Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar -George Clooney, The Descendants/ The Ides of March -Ryan Gosling, Ides of March/Drive -Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Secondary -Brad Pitt, The Tree of Life -Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method -Daniel Craig, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -Michael Fassbender, Shame -Joel Edgerton, Warrior Tertiary -Thomas Horn, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -Ewan McGregor, Beginners -Colin Firth, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy -Christoph Waltz, Carnage -Matt Damon, We Bought a Zoo Dark Horses: Paul Giamatti, Win Win Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris Commentary: Leonardo DiCaprio was considered a shoe-in a couple months ago, before the bad reviews for Clint Eastwood’s period pieceon the controversial FBI head started flooding in. Critics still praise his powerhouse performance and dramatic transformation, even if the rest of the production failed. The bad reviews may ultimately drag down his performance, and in that case, it’ll go to the current frontrunner, Brad Pitt, for Moneyball. He doesn’t pull anything controversial or particularly tantalizing, but still pulls of his famed character with idiosyncratic, compelling style- he’s pretty much the fan favorite right now. He also recently revealed that he’s retiring from acting when he turns fifty, which is in three years, so we’ll want to award the man for his pretty decent career while we can. George Clooney heads off third with The Descendants- although he’s catching up with DiCaprio and Pitt now, running in his newly found sandals and Hawaiian shorts. Ryan Gosling is desperate this year too, starring in both Drive and The Ides of March. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy boasts a stellar British male cast that will probably garner most of its nominations (how the Academy loves their Brits) and that leaves veteran Gary Oldman, who has yet to win an Oscar either (DiCaprio’s future, if this continues) is also definitely in the running- early reviews praise the BAFTA winner’s dark portrayal of the famed literary character George Smiley. If Daniel Craig can burst out of his cool and calculating 007 shell in Tattoo, he might also score a nomination. Best Actress Primary -Kirsten Dunst, Melancholia -Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn -Viola Davis, The Help -Keira Knightley, A Dangerous Method -Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady Secondary -Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin -Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene -Jessica Chastain, The Tree of Life -Carey Mulligan, Shame Tertiary -Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs -Felicity Jones, Like Crazy -Mia Wasikowska, Jane Eyre -Charlize Theron, Young Adult -Zana Marjanovic, In the Land of Blood and Honey Dark Horses: Charlize Theron, Young Adult Rachel Weisz, The Whistleblower Commentary: This was the toughest field for me to write about. In my opinion, 2011 is the best year in a long time for female performances, as we’ve seen a lot of seriously brilliant stuff from newcomers and returning pros this year. If I had a choice, I’d nominate every actress filling up my primary and secondary slots. Kristen Dunst, who wowed critics and the O’Cannes this year with her lead performance in Melancholia is generating the most praise right now. Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn showcases a transformed Williams, who takes on the role of the Hollywood icon in the best ways. One moment, she’s stunning, vibrant, and exudes glamour; the next moment, she’s startlingly vulnerable and gripping to watch onscreen. Monroe’s dramatic lead in Marilyn lifts the film and ultimately guarantees her a nod. Viola Davis, nominated before for her supporting performances in Doubt has been known for her surprising lack of lead roles. This is her biggest one to date, and she is getting praised over and over for her raw, emotional performance in The Help- at this point, she’s definitely a lock for some wins. Keira Knightley is provocative and psychologically disturbed in A Dangerous Method- this formula scored the win for Natalie Portman last year, who Knightley seems to be channeling here. She provides the most perturbing performance on the list, so that makes her a standout in this race. Meryl Streep is guaranteed a nomination. Her performance in The Iron Lady as Margaret Thatcher is being given The King’s Speech treatment and might do for her what Speech did for Colin Firth, perhaps giving her a fourth win. Rooney Mara, who I’d gladly fit on this list if I could, completely transforms from girl-next-door to the shocking, incendiary performance as the title character in Tattoo, and promises to fill the shoes of Naomi Rapace, who starred in the original Swedish rendition. She is guaranteed to stun you in this amazing turn, as well as critics, and hopefully Academy members. As I wrote about in the Best Picture category, Emily Olsen gives an amazing, critic wowing performance in May Marlene, and even the fact that here performance is as high caliber as the rest displayed here its not enough to keep up with these actress’ history with Academy members (they’ve all been nominated before) giving them more credibility. The last actual big contender that I can see is Tilda Swinton, who is said to give heh most powerful performance to date in the real life horror story We Need to Talk About Kevin. Best Supporting Actor Primary -John Hawkes, Martha Marcy May Marlene -Rhys Ifans, Anonymous -Kenneth Brangah, My Week With Marilyn -Alan Rickman, Harry Potter And the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 -Christopher Plummer, Beginners Secondary -Lawrence Fishburne, Contagion -Tom Hardy, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy/Warrior -Jonah Hill, Moneyball -Max Von Sydow, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Jim Broadbent, The Iron Lady Tertiary* -Tom Hanks, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -Albert Brooks, Drive -Sean Penn, The Tree of Life -John Hurt, Tinker Tailor Soldier, Spy -Armie Hammer, J. Edgar Dark Horses: Michael Gambon, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 Andy Serkis, Rise of the Planet of the Apes Commentary: John Hawkes received an Academy Award nomination last year for his performance in Winter’s Bone, and holds his own against surprise standout Emily Olsen in Martha Marcy May Marlene. I think that he’s the real contender this year, but might get ultimately be forgotten.Anonymous didn’t do too well critically and is not going to do well amongst anything except for costume design and makeup, but seasoned performances from its A-List British actors, Rhys Ifans in particular, could get it a nom. Kenneth Branagh is praised for his performance in Marilyn, which should get him consideration considering Michelle Williams, in the spirit of her title character, took up most of the screen time of the film. Alan Rickman is Warner Bros. biggest bet for an acting nomination for Deathly Hallows, and it should hold its own against this year’s other performances even if he doesn’t actually win. Actors fromContagion, J. Edgar, Moneyball, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, andWarrior could also receive nominations. Best Supporting Actress Primary -Octavia Spencer, The Help -Judi Dench, J. Edgar -Vanessa Redgrave, Coriolanus -Jessica Chastain, The Help/Take Shelter -Emily Watson, War Horse Secondary* -Kate Winslet, Carnage -Jodie Foster, Carnage -Maria Dizzia, Martha Marcy May Marlene -Sandra Bullock, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -Helena Bonham Carter, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 Tertiary -Melanie Laurent, Beginners -Marion Cotilliard, Contagion/Midnight in Paris* -Bryce Dallas Howard, The Help -Emma Stone, The Help -Berenice Bejo, The Arist Commentary: Octavia Spencer and Judi Dench are guaranteed nominations, Spencer for her biting, visceral, and humanistic portrayal inThe Help, one especially good for a newcomer. Dame Judi Dench is frail yet powerful in her speak in J. Edgar, delivering a typically grand performance as the controversial FBI leader’s mother. Vanessa Redgrave is talked about among those who saw Corionalus, but its lack of connection to mainstream audiences might be her downfall. Carnagecould score nominations for Kate Winslet and Jodie Foster in comedic turns. We may see some other talked-about turns from The Artist, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and War Horse. Best Animated Feature Primary -The Adventures of Tintin -Kung Fu Panda 2 -Rio -Puss in Boots -Winnie the Pooh Dark Horses -Rango -Arthur Christmas Commentary: The Animated Feature is finally open for a non-Pixar feature this year, considering Cars 2’s abysmal reviews. The Adventures of Tintinis our definite main bet, as even Spielberg in animated form is sure to be a mix for success. Besides Tintin, Dreamworks is in the running, with Kung-Fu Panda 2 and Puss in Boots, both among the best-reviewed animated films of the year. There’s also a chance that Winnie the Pooh might score the crown, as its nostalgic, old fashioned feel and storytelling will definitely appeal to some voters. Then again, there’s also Rio-the Academy always favors musical animate films, and Rio is the most prominent on the list. Rango is the freshest one here, scoring excellent reviews, but might have been released too early in the year. Arthur Christmas is from the makers of the Academy Award winningWallace and Gromit and Flushed Away- but will its Christmas appeal no longer be relevant by voting time in February? At first glance, it seems like Spielberg’s crowding up the category again, but at deeper look, it’s really anybody’s game (although I am a bit disappointed Pixar’s out of the running; I would like to see how it would have played out if the Academy had to choose between its two loves, Spielberg and Pixar). Best Original Screenplay Primary -The Tree of Life -Midnight in Paris -Melancholia -Martha Marcy May Marlene -The Iron Lady Secondary -Carnage -Win Win -50/50 -Young Adult -Beginners Tertiary -J. Edgar -Like Crazy -Shame -Contagion -The Artist Best Adapted Screenplay Primary -The Descendants -Moneyball -War Horse -Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 -The Help Secondary -Carnage -Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy -We Need to Talk About Kevin Tertiary -We Bought a Zoo -A Dangerous Method -My Week with Marilyn -Hugo -The Adventures of Tintin Dark Horses: The Ides of March Best Visual Effects Primary -Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 -Rise of the Planet of the Apes -The Tree of Life -Melancholia -Hugo Secondary -Thor -X Men: First Class -Super 8 -Captain America: The First Avengers -Transformers: Dark of the Moon Tertiary -Immortals -Source Code -I Am Number Four -Pirate of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides -Sucker Punch Dark Horses: Sanctum Best Cinematography Primary -War Horse -The Tree of Life -Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy -Hugo -Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 Secondary -Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -Moneyball -The Ides of March -Hanna Tertiary -J. Edgar -The Iron Lady -Contagion -Jane Eyre -Anonymous Best Film Editing Primary -War Horse -The Artist -The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Secondary -Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 -Hanna -Hugo -Drive -The Tree of Life Tertiary -Martha Marcy May Marlene -My Week with Marilyn -Moneyball -Source Code -Captain America: The First Avenger Best Sound Mixing Primary -War Horse -Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 -The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy -Contagion Secondary -Hanna -Source Code -Thor -Captain America: The First Avenger -Transformers: Dark of the Moon Tertiary -Drive -Rise of the Planet of the Apes -Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -Limitless -Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Best Art Direction Primary -War Horse -Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 -The Tree of Life -Midnight in Paris -My Week with Marilyn Secondary -Melancholia -Hugo -Anonymous -A Dangerous Method -Thor Tertiary -Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -Immortals -Sucker Punch -The Eagle -Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Commentary (For All Technical Categories): This year, there have been two big Oscar films that are also technical heavy (Tree of Life andMelancholia)- it’s well known that the Academy favors visual effects done by films that have fared well critically , despite the visual impressiveness of other films (Tron Legacy, and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader both got snubbed last year) as we see in past years movies like Inception and King Kong have been nominated. This year, we see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 as the frontrunner. No matter how you feel about the franchise and how much you doubt it’ll do well in major categories, I think this is the one category people will bet this getting nominated for. If anything, the saga should at least be praised for its impressive technicals. Other nominees at this stage look like Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which was done by the visual effect guys behind Avatar and Captain America: The First Avenger for their impressive use of the motion-capture method. Hugo is praised for its cinematography and elaborate set pieces. Those are the main headers, but if the Academy still feels like branching out and hitting mainstream audiences, then we’ll also see some well deserving superhero films likeThor and Captain America or big box-office hitters like Pirates of the Caribbean and Transformers: Dark of the Moon. I think that the biggest outer-contender of the lot would have to be Source Code. In sound mixing, I think maybe we’ll see some of Hanna and Contagion. Best Costume Design Primary -Jane Eyre -The Artist -The Help -Anonymous -War Horse Secondary -My Week With Marilyn -A Dangerous Method -Hugo -The Iron Lady -Midnight In Paris Tertiary -J. Edgar -The Conspirator -Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides -The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -Melancholia Best Original Score Primary -War Horse -The Artist -The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 -The Adventures of Tintin Secondary -The Tree of Life -Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -Contagion -Hugo -J. Edgar -Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Tertiary -Rango -Jane Eyre -Moneyball -We Bought a Zoo -The Ides of March Best Original Song Nominees for this category may include multiple pieces from each of these films, the most likely in order of first to last. -The Muppets -Rio -Happy Feet Two -Joyful Noise -Footloose -The Help -Cars 2 Best Documentary Feature Primary -Project Nim -The Interrupters -Being Elmo -Born to Be Wild -Cave of Forgotten Dreams Secondary -Tabloid -Page One: A Year Inside the New York Times -Buck -Senna -Into the Abyss Best Foreign Language Film Primary -Le Havre (Finland) -War of Flowers (China) -Footnote (Israel) -A Separation (Iran) -Monsieur Lazhar (Canada) It’s a pretty crowded field this year, but it will probably be narrowed down in coming months. We might get a good indicator of final nominees by how The Golden Globes played out, which happens about one month before the Oscars. Even if you don’t like the nominees (too busy crying about Harry Potter’s last snub, maybe?) it’ll still be great to see Billy Crystal hosting again, and you really can’t miss Spielberg. He’ll definitely be there.
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Run the World (Critics) Posted on 08/30/11 10:32 AM \| Last edited on 08/30/11 10:32 AM Note: This is the American version of the feature I wrote for Booleanflix.com, which is a British movie site, so if there’s anything British in here, well… Note #2: This blog will be more enjoyable if you read my previous blog post on Cars 2. Note #3: I AM NOT A PSYCHOPATH. Any actions on my part in this blog post are meant to be portrayed as humorous. Please. Don’t call 911. The new President of the United States sits at his desk for the first time. He has just been appointed the new position, and this is the first moment of peace he’s had all week. He takes a moment to admire his big shiny desk (and hopes nobody thinks he’s overcompensating for something) then checks himself out in the mirror on the wall. His tie is in Windsor knot. Churchill wore one, he thinks. Some old dead dude like that. It was in the handbook, somewhere. He knows that he has spent enough time lollygagging, and sighs before looking at the large pile of paper on his desk. His secretary told him that they were an assortment of bills, decrees, and letters that the old President left behind. Realizing there’d be someone to relieve him of the burden soon, he’d spent his last few weeks watching reruns of Glee and singing karaoke (all the while assuring parliament that he was fitting in as much work in as he could). The new President picked up the first piece of paper off the towering pile. It was a faded green envelope, non-formal. It looked like it was from a domestic, probably an admirer congratulating him on his new position or offering a nugget of wisdom. He opens the letter. Hey, Tubby! I hear you’re President now! Really moving up the chain now, eh? I hope you haven’t forgotten us old little people! ‘Course, you’re probably all busy schmoozing with blue bloods or sitting behind some big shiny desk! (Overcompensating for something, I’m sure!) You know you’ll never forget me! Or that little pact we made, eh? Come on. You know what I’m talking about. He gulps and puts down the letter for a moment. It could only be from one person. Jason. Another world he left behind, when he went into politics. He changed his name, his identity, his personality. But Jason found him. He must be just as crazy as the day I left the old neighborhood, he thinks. But of course, Jason would never let him forget who he used to be. Who he knew he still was. He was a critic. As hard as it was for him to admit, he was a critic. Like a law student fresh out of school with ideas about ethics and doing the right thing, he used to have ideals. He used to be self-righteous. He used to slam stupid movies and speculated on why filmmakers didn’t try to do better. But once he hit the real world, he knew. A good example is The Smurfs. Really, when someone sets out to make it, do they really think it’s good. Years and years previously, the director must have been working on quality when he was in film school. Swore that he’d never do anything like that. Every single joke in that movie involved wordplay on Smurf. He used to shudder at that. But when the director really started to try and sell screenplays or ideas, what happened? Was the only job he could get adapting a CGI children’s cartoon? Is it really that hard to appeal to popular culture and make a decent film? Pixar’s done it. Dreamworks, even. It’s films like these that prove that people are starting to listen to what critics have to say. The Dark Knight and Spiderman wouldn’t have performed so well if not for high critical acclaim, despite their big names. Cowboys and Aliens and The Green Lantern underperformed tremendously, Aliens ducking below studio expectations as well as critical ones. Even the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences seem desperate to branch out into popular culture, stamping nominations on big box offices such as Avatar and Inception. He finished the rest of the letter, ignoring side comments about big things he may be overcompensating for (limos, watches, etc…) and considering Jason’s other arguments supporting the case. He made his decision. He yelled to his secretary outside the office. “Janice, hold all my calls!” She yelled back. “Sir, you haven’t gotten any calls yet! And my name is Gloria!” “Very well, Janice!” He pushed aside all my other documents and started writing a new bill. I fired all the members of parliament and I hired all the people He could trust. He contacted Rolling Stone, Time, and an assorted number of people from rottentomatoes.com. Critics now ruled the world. *** Chaos, glorious chaos, typically ensued. Cars 2, banned. Transformers 3, banned. Smurfs, typically, banned. I closed that theatre shut myself. Critics that now headed parliament came to me daily with new reports. Production companies had to clear script checks and directorial shots with members of the government. Anyone now making a film with less than 60% on rottentomatoes.com would be sent to jail. We told M. Night Shyalman that if he wanted his filming license back, he would have to complete four more years of film school. Life was sweet. He decided to make a visit to his old pal Jason. When arriving at his apartment in Brooklyn, he was surprised to see a series of police vans outside of his building. He rushed to the head officer to see what was up. He asked what was wrong. “You won’t believe it! This nuthouse kidnapped John Lassetter, the dude who made Cars 2, and tortured him in his basement, demanding to know what was going on in his head! We found the dude barely alive and Jason weeping over one of those strawberry- scented Lazzo teddy bears from Toy Story 3!” He was a bit disappointed, but not entirely surprised. “Do you mind if I take a look inside?” The officer gestured for him to go ahead. He went inside and was pretty shocked by what he saw. There was a shrine on the wall dedicated to Christopher Nolan. It said “For bringing Sci-fi back, we dedicate this to the Widely Proclaimed Mastermind.” He shuddered. There was a laptop on the metal table where he kept John Lassetter. Apparently he blogged live from the torture. He left and went back to my office. When he got back, he was horrified. Apparently, Steven Spielberg and James Cameron were both sent to jail. “Why?!” He demanded from one of the critics. “They both scored below 60% on the tomatometer. That’s the law.” “How come?” He cried. “Neither of them has made an indecent film!” “Yeah, but expectations are higher now. People don’t appreciate these films without the bad films to compare them to, so they score lower.” He started to realize the effects of his actions. “What happened to the guys who stopped making bad films? The ones not in jail?” “Well, they lost their jobs. They’re on the streets. Making those films were their only means of living. Pleasing the lowest common denominator, if you know what I mean.” He shuddered. He publicly resigned from his post, changed back the laws, and apologized to several film makers. Except M. Night Shayalman, they all agreed. He could do with a couple of lessons. “So what are you going to do now?” "I'm watchin Glee and singing karaoke. Peace out.”
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There's Always Room for a Sequel Posted on 08/17/11 02:34 PM \| Last edited on 08/17/11 02:34 PM Mood: Saturated There’s Always Room for a Sequel Also featured on Booleanflix.com! You know that feeling- that wonderful satiated feeling after you’ve had a good flick or two. You’re sitting down with your gut popped out and you’re too full to get up and turn off the DVD player. Even when you’ve had a pretty bad movie with just one too many bad jokes or too-big explosions (and you’re running out of Pepcid) you’re satisfied. But then you think, after tasting a blandness on your tongue and feeling a rumble in the back of your stomach- I could really go for a sequel. Or two. This is exactly the kind of hunger that Hollywood preys on- after hitting the jackpot with a new film that they hadn’t fully anticipated the heights of, they milk the entertainment train for all it’s worth. Because they know that even the best of critics, who know that the sequels are just pieces that pale by comparison to the original- will be drawn to them. When you really love a movie, you always wish for more. Always. Turning the point of view to our Hollywood filmmakers and production companies, all they can make are sequels- or prequels, or remakes, or adaptions, or board-game based plots. After looking at this week’s top 10, I noticed that only 3 movies running in theaters that don’t fit into any of those categories. And all of them are either R-Rated comedies that are starting to go out of fashion, or star-studded romantic ones. Pixar Studios, the film company in which I had the most faith in, was the one movie that I felt could never fall into that convention. When they announced Cars 2, I thought that maybe if they plotted it well and kept they old heart, maybe it would fare well. Nevertheless, it was bashed by critics, and after viewing it I agree. It was pretty pathetically done and its best trait was merchandising appeal. Most franchises, I notice, fall by the third installment. Shrek and Shrek 2 were both Dreamworks winners, and the second being one of the highest grossing movies [domestically], they fell into convention too, using cheap tricks and ploys. But these days, I am happy to announce, they are underestimating critics. Cowboys and Aliens, the remake of the graphic novel, had really high hopes, both commercially and critically, but failed both, the latter, I believe, the cause of the precedent. The third film sent the Shrek films spiraling downwards over 100 million, domestically. Sequels that fell in standard include the Spiderman films. The first was brilliant, the second even more so, but the cinematic heights of that is probably what caused the filmmakers of the third to become cocky. I predict the same will happen to the Iron Man series come the third, due to the “Curse of the Second Sequel” as I like to call it, as well as the absence of director John Faverau and the commercial incorporation of the new “Avengers” plot. If Warner Bros. Batman saga were not done by Christopher Nolan (whose films just get better and better, though his Academy Award snub last season might faze him) and produced by Warner, my favorite film production company (having kept Chris Nolan as well as helming The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter) I might have larger doubts about this one. These thoughts were aroused in me once more, after reading the simplistic and overused plot of the film. But the plots of all his films seem simple, yet he always manages to place that magic touch of his… Right now, there are two Snow White films being made (one starring Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth, the other Hailee Steinfeld), and they seem to be following the Red Riding Hood prose Catherine Hardwicke took with this year’s Amanda Seyfried remake. There is also a Battleship film in the works, though I suspect they just slapped the name on it along with production rights to make a few bucks. Marvel, who has sold its soul to the Devil (also known as Disney), are remaking all their superhero films (and they’re working hard to actually make them good to get more money) and will eventually join the characters together to get fans from each group to join. It hasn’t even been 10 years since the first Spy Kids, but the Weinstein Company seems that’s long enough to squeeze money out of—I mean—present a rebooted series for an all new generation. Also to watch for in the next few years are kids’ literary adaptations- since Harry Potter ended, there will be a lot more people trying to be the first to take after Potter’s main audience. Also look out for books divided into separate parts- Liongate’s The Hunger Games and Summit’s last installment of Twilight—Harry Potter’s biggest literary competitors—are following that pattern. The biggest point I’m trying to make is the end of the original movie. Production companies, no matter how detailed their charts, no matter how much demographical studies done into the late hours of the night, never know what’s going to be a hit. Which is why they always leave plot holes in every film they do in hopes of being able to pick up a sequel. Rupert Wyatt, director of the recent Rise of the Planet of the Apes admits to doing this (in so many words), and almost every other major Hollywood film does this. One group of films, I noticed, actually holds its own and doesn’t aim for sequels, not necessarily. They don’t intend to make much money, though they do have ulterior motives. Oscar Bait. Of course, maybe most Oscar films just don’t aim for sequels because most of the major characters die at the end due to some terminal illness or sinking ship.
3 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: leeloo1967 on 8/19/11 at 06:07 AM 0 Replies \| Report Abuse leeloo1967 on 8/19/11 at 06:07 AM 0 Replies \| Report Abuse leeloo1967 on 8/19/11 at 06:08 AM Excellent blog Jason:) ~I agree on all points~~~Hollywood has turned into nothing more than a greedy machine plus enough with the remakes already!! What happened to making a film with an orginal idea?~ 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
Oscar Talk Posted on 08/05/11 12:08 PM \| Last edited on 08/05/11 12:08 PM Oscar Talk I know Oscar season doesn’t technically start until mid- November and we’re currently in the ‘Summer Blockbuster’ rut, but it’s always fun to start predicting the year’s Oscar nods- of course, it’s easy to go off target on this. Last year, everyone’s bets were on Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere and this year everyone predicted Cars 2 had the Animated Feature category nailed down along with Tom Hanks’s quiet contemporary Larry Crowne. But alas, no one can predict the fall of Pixar or the sudden love for Harry Potter (after years and years of getting the cold shoulder) which makes this primetime for next year’s Oscar pickings. We say this pretty much every award season, but this year is definitely the biggest one in a while. The Best Picture category has been shortened from ten to “up to ten” as the Academy has so kindly put it, so there will be lots of heated competition to get into those slots. This year, we have multiple things: the return of Steven Spielberg after a decade of silence, the return of the mysterious Terrence Malick after 25 years, the finale of Potter, after ten years of snubs, an American rehashing of the highly acclaimed (and controversial) Swedish Dragon Tattoo, and some other pickings of the usual Oscar-esque nature. 1.Tree of Life Terrence Malick, director of critically acclaimed films such as Thin Red Line is a very mysterious director. He doesn’t come out into the open much, preferring to stay silent behind the camera, and even that he doesn’t do much. He has reemerged after 25 years, and Life is a prime Oscar picking. A very emotional, very visually startling piece that Oscar voters eat right up, with all the powerful acting of Oscar favorites Sean Penn and Brad Pitt (who has yet to win one). 2.War Horse Steven Spielberg has stayed pretty silent for the past decade- he’s served as producer on a countless number of films, some hits (Super 8) and some misses (The Legend of Zorro). He directed Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but the crusader hasn’t got much love from the Academy lately- don’t take it too personally, Indy, the Academy doesn’t nod towards action/adventure types much anyway. So, Spielberg returns to his roots in War Horse, a film based on the book by Michael Marpurgo and the Tony- winning play (which kind of gives it an edge). It’s a period piece, neigh, a war piece (Spielberg’s specialty), and has timeless emotional appeal, as well as being a showcase for his directorial and family- oriental flair. The Academy will eat this up, and you have to admit, so will everyone else. 3.Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Now, I know you may say it’s my inner Potter fan speaking here (If you read my similar entry for last year’s Oscars, I did put a lot of faith in Potter but never placed it in Best Picture) but I have legit reasoning for having faith in the Academy. Well, first of all, it’s the final film. The last film in the biggest franchise ever. That’s got to get it some love, right? If you recall, the Lord of the Rings trilogy didn’t even get a win until Return of the King. By now, the Academy’s well aware that Potter, a critically acclaimed series of films as good as the rest of ‘em, has been snubbed. A similar snub has come from Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, and they praised Inception properly for it the next year. Deathly Hallows, as well as being the most critically acclaimed film of the year (Standing at 97% on Rottentomatoes, higher than any other film currently in theatres) by countless critics, even getting 4 Apples on the NY1 review. Critics have accepted it as a spectacular film. Audiences have (the Biggest Motion Picture Opening of All Time, Most Advanced Ticket Sales, Biggest 15- Day Release, beating Avatar). A tweet by Dave Karger stated that the Oscar voters saw the film and “loved it.” I honestly believe (and I had my own serious doubts) that this will score a Best Picture nod, as it fully deserves to. Warner Bros. recently told the press that they plan to “push for a [best picture] nomination” at the Oscars this year (as well as their later films of the year Contagion and J. Edgar) 4.The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo David Fincher, who’s been recognized properly by the Academy twice in three years for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and last year for The Social Network, has not yet won an Oscar for films he truly deserves them for but had been outmatched by films and filmmakers just as worthy. Dragon Tattoo is not the Academy’s usual breed, though this does seem like a film that will be on their radar (with strong lead actors as well as hard, tense direction) This, however, is a remake of the Swedish hit not recognized properly by the academy, and was very controversial. They have, however, recognized controversial films in the past (Silence of the Lambs, The Departed). Tattoo also provides a showcase for newcomer Rooney Mara (whom Fincher tested out on The Social Network), and may prove a shoot to stardom for her as Naoomi Rapace’s rendition of Lisbeth Sander did. 5.The Descendants A movie that needs to really pack heat if it wants to compete with the neck-and-neck films listed above, The Descendants is a directorial showcase for Alexander Payne, who wrote the Oscar winning screenplay Sideways, which means this is one of the films to watch out for. Starring George Clooney, this movie is evocative of Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere, except it’s more of a showcase for Clooney’s acting. 6.The Ides of March Another showcase for George Clooney, this has directorial showcase written all over it- he was nominated before for the Best Director by the Academy, and by the looks of the trailer, it promises to be a taut, thrilling film that’s more talky then action. It proves to be showcases for Clooney as well as Ryan Gosling, who plays the lead. 7.Contagion Directed by Stephen Sodenbergh, (who has done plenty of films such as the Ocean’s Eleven series) Contagion is not typical Academy fare, but is driven by an international star studded cast that includes Marion Cotilliard, Matt Damon, Lawrence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwenyth Paltrow and Kate Winslet. If the film is critically acclaimed enough the Academy will probably toss it a couple of nods; they’ve been known for the occasional oddball before. 8.Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Featuring another star-studded international cast, Spy comes from the director of Let the Right One In, a Swedish film that won over many critics in 2009. This is his English debut, one based on the classic novel. The cast includes Colin Firth fresh off his Oscar win, along with BAFTA winner Gary Oldman, along with John Hurt, Tom Hardy, and Ciaran Hands among others. Again, spy movies are not among typical Academy fare but a strong scripting may get it a nod. 9.The Iron Lady Meryl Steep, an Academy favorite, may just get her third win in this historical drama. Periods are favorites of the Academy, especially when it comes to acting showcases, Shakespeare in Love, The Queen, and The King’s Speech having proven that in past years. 10. Young Adult Oscar winning writer Diablo Cody once again joins Jason Reitman, director of the surprise hit Juno for Young Adult, a film about a writer in an identity crisis who stalks her old high school boyfriend in attempt to rediscover herself. It has been praised as Cody’s most mature film to date. 11. Moneyball Based on the book by Michael Lewis (who scribed The Blind Side, I which the 2009 surprise hit was based on, scoring a Best Actress win for Sandra Bullock and a Best Picture nod as well as skyrocketing to a $250 million dollar gross). The screenplay is being adapted by Aaron Sorkin, who, fresh off of his Oscar win for The Social Network, has proved himself practiced at making dull topics like statistics captivating on screen. 12. The Help Based off of Kathryn Stockett’s monumental bestseller, The Help chronicles the story of Skeeter, a young white woman aspiring to become a journalist, who interviews a series of maids for a book exposing the hypocrisy of the racist white women they work for. The book has been criticized as glossing over major issues and the film looks like it follows that pattern, but it is led by a strong female cast that includes Emma Stone, Viola Davis, and Octavia Spencer. 13. J. Edgar Helmed by Clint Eastwood, who hasn’t won an Oscar since his 2006 film Letters from Iwo Jima, Edgar features Academy veterans like Milk screenwriter Dustin Lance and Leonardo DiCaprio, who seems really determined to nab his first Oscar. RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, HUGO, THOR, SOURCE CODE and SUPER 8 seem like they will join Potter in the visual effects and technical categories (along with other choice films that scored major nods). Cars 2 marks the fall of Pixar and it looks to me like the noms will be between Rio, The Adventures of Tintin, and Kung-Fu Panda 2, with the win going to Rango. Surprises that could come later this year include One Day, from the director of An Education, or A Dangerous Mind from underrated director David Cronenburg. Any, all, or even none of these films could make it- but for now, these are the ones to watch. EDIT: Also on Booleanflix.com, which I now write for- http://www.booleanflix.com/2011/08/08/early-oscar-predictions/
21 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: leeloo1967 on 8/05/11 at 07:23 PM Superb blog Jason:)!! ~Very well done~~~I really hope David Fincher doesnt get robbed by the Academy again~ 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Mr. Dufresne on 8/05/11 at 10:03 PM Great blog, Jason. I honestly do believe that Harry Potter will get a Best Picture nomination (I don't think it'll win, but I definitely think it will be nominated this time). I doubt it'll pick up acting nominations (maybe Alan Rickman, though it'd be great if there were more), but a soundtrack nomination is a shoe-in. The soundtrack for all of Deathly Hallows is one of my favorites of all time. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Eldest2005 on 8/06/11 at 10:55 AM I don't know about score, as it did use the original Hedwig's theme at the end of the movie. Then again, Prisoner of Azkaban did get nominated for it. 2 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 8/06/11 at 04:37 PM Trent Reznor's score for "The Social Network" incorporated "In the Hall of the Mountain King" a really old song, and still won. Plus, it's not like it's stealing- the score was made from a previous Potter film. 2 Replies \| Report Abuse Eldest2005 on 8/06/11 at 05:05 PM Oh. I was thinking that because since Black Swan, which had a great score, wasn't nominated because of using something that was already made. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118029326 Report Abuse Zach N. on 8/13/11 at 01:05 PM The same thing happened with True Grit. Since its score was based off of gospel songs. It's a darn shame. The oscars counts out some of the best scores. Black Swan was eerily fantastic to listen too. Report Abuse Mr. Dufresne on 8/06/11 at 09:23 PM Yeah, but it had plenty of original themes. I'm pretty sure that won't stop it from qualifying. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse adler-s on 8/06/11 at 12:53 AM very interesting! unfortunately, I haven't watched some, but they should be in the thereabouts of Oscar 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Hawaiianguy2991 on 8/06/11 at 02:01 AM Good work man, most of these did not come out yet but a few like The Tree of Life I still have not seen yet. Harry Potter will get a BP nomination, I'm sure of it. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Scott W. on 8/06/11 at 09:06 AM Nice blog! I have a feeling DHP2 might turn out to be the return of the king of harry potter. I've also heard alot of great stuff about midnight in paris. i haven't seen it yet, but with all the buzz i'll be very interested in seeing it. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Eldest2005 on 8/06/11 at 10:53 AM 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Eldest2005 on 8/06/11 at 10:56 AM It will get nominated, but winning seems like a little bit of a long shot. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Eldest2005 on 8/06/11 at 10:50 AM On Best Animated Feature, don't forget the Winnie the Pooh movie, that movie got really good reviews that will challenge Rango for the award. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Eldest2005 on 8/06/11 at 10:52 AM Oh, wait, that wasn't 70 minutes long. Sorry. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Bill T. on 8/08/11 at 02:26 PM Fine blog looking ahead to Oscar season! It's been a really good year for film thus far, giving the voters alot to consider some Oscar season and this is a nice primer. Well done! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Ryan M. on 8/08/11 at 03:55 PM I think Suckerpunch could be added to the Visual Effects nominations, and possibly the sound editing too! I also look foward to seeing Cantagion, Nice blog :) 2 Replies \| Report Abuse Eldest2005 on 8/08/11 at 04:41 PM It might given the limit of 5 nominations. But it'll go against (of my predictions thus far) Pirates 4, Transformers 3, HP 8, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. But with the reviews it got, I bet it'll get plenty of nominations at Golden Raspberries. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 8/08/11 at 05:19 PM I thought so too about those other films (I Am Number Four, Green Lanturn) but the Academy usually only nominates high acclaimed films, even for minor categories. Look at the past few years. (The Harry Potter films for one thing, Inception, E.T...) Oh- and last year's short list ranged from 20-something films of all quality, but only good reviewed films (Iron Man 2, HpDh Part 1) were nominated even though technically superior films like TRON: Legacy were also being considered. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Eldest2005 on 8/08/11 at 06:26 PM Yeah, it was a huge shock that Tron Legacy didn't make it for Best Visuals, which it deserved. Inception had the best of the 5 nominated, but I would have given it to Tron Legacy. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse movieswithmitch.com on 8/08/11 at 10:15 PM it's fun to talk Oscar talk. Nice blog. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Logan V. on 8/09/11 at 04:56 PM I really hope "Moneyball" gets good reviews. Awesome blog! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
Oscar Talk Posted on 08/05/11 12:08 PM \| Last edited on 08/05/11 12:08 PM Oscar Talk I know Oscar season doesn’t technically start until mid- November and we’re currently in the ‘Summer Blockbuster’ rut, but it’s always fun to start predicting the year’s Oscar nods- of course, it’s easy to go off target on this. Last year, everyone’s bets were on Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere and this year everyone predicted Cars 2 had the Animated Feature category nailed down along with Tom Hanks’s quiet contemporary Larry Crowne. But alas, no one can predict the fall of Pixar or the sudden love for Harry Potter (after years and years of getting the cold shoulder) which makes this primetime for next year’s Oscar pickings. We say this pretty much every award season, but this year is definitely the biggest one in a while. The Best Picture category has been shortened from ten to “up to ten” as the Academy has so kindly put it, so there will be lots of heated competition to get into those slots. This year, we have multiple things: the return of Steven Spielberg after a decade of silence, the return of the mysterious Terrence Malick after 25 years, the finale of Potter, after ten years of snubs, an American rehashing of the highly acclaimed (and controversial) Swedish Dragon Tattoo, and some other pickings of the usual Oscar-esque nature. 1.Tree of Life Terrence Malick, director of critically acclaimed films such as Thin Red Line is a very mysterious director. He doesn’t come out into the open much, preferring to stay silent behind the camera, and even that he doesn’t do much. He has reemerged after 25 years, and Life is a prime Oscar picking. A very emotional, very visually startling piece that Oscar voters eat right up, with all the powerful acting of Oscar favorites Sean Penn and Brad Pitt (who has yet to win one). 2.War Horse Steven Spielberg has stayed pretty silent for the past decade- he’s served as producer on a countless number of films, some hits (Super 8) and some misses (The Legend of Zorro). He directed Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but the crusader hasn’t got much love from the Academy lately- don’t take it too personally, Indy, the Academy doesn’t nod towards action/adventure types much anyway. So, Spielberg returns to his roots in War Horse, a film based on the book by Michael Marpurgo and the Tony- winning play (which kind of gives it an edge). It’s a period piece, neigh, a war piece (Spielberg’s specialty), and has timeless emotional appeal, as well as being a showcase for his directorial and family- oriental flair. The Academy will eat this up, and you have to admit, so will everyone else. 3.Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Now, I know you may say it’s my inner Potter fan speaking here (If you read my similar entry for last year’s Oscars, I did put a lot of faith in Potter but never placed it in Best Picture) but I have legit reasoning for having faith in the Academy. Well, first of all, it’s the final film. The last film in the biggest franchise ever. That’s got to get it some love, right? If you recall, the Lord of the Rings trilogy didn’t even get a win until Return of the King. By now, the Academy’s well aware that Potter, a critically acclaimed series of films as good as the rest of ‘em, has been snubbed. A similar snub has come from Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, and they praised Inception properly for it the next year. Deathly Hallows, as well as being the most critically acclaimed film of the year (Standing at 97% on Rottentomatoes, higher than any other film currently in theatres) by countless critics, even getting 4 Apples on the NY1 review. Critics have accepted it as a spectacular film. Audiences have (the Biggest Motion Picture Opening of All Time, Most Advanced Ticket Sales, Biggest 15- Day Release, beating Avatar). A tweet by Dave Karger stated that the Oscar voters saw the film and “loved it.” I honestly believe (and I had my own serious doubts) that this will score a Best Picture nod, as it fully deserves to. Warner Bros. recently told the press that they plan to “push for a [best picture] nomination” at the Oscars this year (as well as their later films of the year Contagion and J. Edgar) 4.The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo David Fincher, who’s been recognized properly by the Academy twice in three years for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and last year for The Social Network, has not yet won an Oscar for films he truly deserves them for but had been outmatched by films and filmmakers just as worthy. Dragon Tattoo is not the Academy’s usual breed, though this does seem like a film that will be on their radar (with strong lead actors as well as hard, tense direction) This, however, is a remake of the Swedish hit not recognized properly by the academy, and was very controversial. They have, however, recognized controversial films in the past (Silence of the Lambs, The Departed). Tattoo also provides a showcase for newcomer Rooney Mara (whom Fincher tested out on The Social Network), and may prove a shoot to stardom for her as Naoomi Rapace’s rendition of Lisbeth Sander did. 5.The Descendants A movie that needs to really pack heat if it wants to compete with the neck-and-neck films listed above, The Descendants is a directorial showcase for Alexander Payne, who wrote the Oscar winning screenplay Sideways, which means this is one of the films to watch out for. Starring George Clooney, this movie is evocative of Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere, except it’s more of a showcase for Clooney’s acting. 6.The Ides of March Another showcase for George Clooney, this has directorial showcase written all over it- he was nominated before for the Best Director by the Academy, and by the looks of the trailer, it promises to be a taut, thrilling film that’s more talky then action. It proves to be showcases for Clooney as well as Ryan Gosling, who plays the lead. 7.Contagion Directed by Stephen Sodenbergh, (who has done plenty of films such as the Ocean’s Eleven series) Contagion is not typical Academy fare, but is driven by an international star studded cast that includes Marion Cotilliard, Matt Damon, Lawrence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwenyth Paltrow and Kate Winslet. If the film is critically acclaimed enough the Academy will probably toss it a couple of nods; they’ve been known for the occasional oddball before. 8.Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Featuring another star-studded international cast, Spy comes from the director of Let the Right One In, a Swedish film that won over many critics in 2009. This is his English debut, one based on the classic novel. The cast includes Colin Firth fresh off his Oscar win, along with BAFTA winner Gary Oldman, along with John Hurt, Tom Hardy, and Ciaran Hands among others. Again, spy movies are not among typical Academy fare but a strong scripting may get it a nod. 9.The Iron Lady Meryl Steep, an Academy favorite, may just get her third win in this historical drama. Periods are favorites of the Academy, especially when it comes to acting showcases, Shakespeare in Love, The Queen, and The King’s Speech having proven that in past years. 10. Young Adult Oscar winning writer Diablo Cody once again joins Jason Reitman, director of the surprise hit Juno for Young Adult, a film about a writer in an identity crisis who stalks her old high school boyfriend in attempt to rediscover herself. It has been praised as Cody’s most mature film to date. 11. Moneyball Based on the book by Michael Lewis (who scribed The Blind Side, I which the 2009 surprise hit was based on, scoring a Best Actress win for Sandra Bullock and a Best Picture nod as well as skyrocketing to a $250 million dollar gross). The screenplay is being adapted by Aaron Sorkin, who, fresh off of his Oscar win for The Social Network, has proved himself practiced at making dull topics like statistics captivating on screen. 12. The Help Based off of Kathryn Stockett’s monumental bestseller, The Help chronicles the story of Skeeter, a young white woman aspiring to become a journalist, who interviews a series of maids for a book exposing the hypocrisy of the racist white women they work for. The book has been criticized as glossing over major issues and the film looks like it follows that pattern, but it is led by a strong female cast that includes Emma Stone, Viola Davis, and Octavia Spencer. 13. J. Edgar Helmed by Clint Eastwood, who hasn’t won an Oscar since his 2006 film Letters from Iwo Jima, Edgar features Academy veterans like Milk screenwriter Dustin Lance and Leonardo DiCaprio, who seems really determined to nab his first Oscar. RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, HUGO, THOR, SOURCE CODE and SUPER 8 seem like they will join Potter in the visual effects and technical categories (along with other choice films that scored major nods). Cars 2 marks the fall of Pixar and it looks to me like the noms will be between Rio, The Adventures of Tintin, and Kung-Fu Panda 2, with the win going to Rango. Surprises that could come later this year include One Day, from the director of An Education, or A Dangerous Mind from underrated director David Cronenburg. Any, all, or even none of these films could make it- but for now, these are the ones to watch.
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Films that Disturb Me Posted on 08/02/11 11:46 AM \| Last edited on 08/02/11 11:46 AM Mood: Fresh AS A CHILD, I was not scared of monsters or ghosts or things that lurked in the shadows. I didn’t fear red- faced demons that hid in my closet. I knew that there was no creature that lived under my bed. Yes, we live in rationalized, modern-day culture. Where childish fantasies and fears become less and less existent, as the real world becomes more accessible and those fears are brought up at a sooner age as traditionally placed and portrayed. I was scared of real things- I knew of stalkers and killers that struck past night, knowing it was possible that they could be hiding in my closet or in the shadows or under my bed. A very real, very disturbing world, now portrayed in film. It could be said that monsters in the past portrayed in films such as Dracula and Frankenstein were used as metaphors for real threats and films- but as we know, film was much less controversial and had to reach us in ways that the smartest of us—those also wise enough to comprehend it—to see it. It would go a bit far to say that The Human Centipede doesn’t disgust me. It horrifies me. But as I was watching the trailer for David Schwimmer’s Trust this morning, a film about an online predator that stalks a teenage girl, that I realized that it is films like that that really manage to disturb me. Modern technology has enabled us to do a great many things- that’s one of the themes that the film starts out with. But the fact that advancement may in fact cause things like this to happen is frightening. Perhaps the most frightening thing to me about it is the naivety of the teenage girl- she in fact believes she is in a relationship. That raises the question- is modern technology even worth it? This question translates many times in other films- just watch any Lifetime film. Perhaps the one reassuring fact about these films is that, perhaps, that they will put awareness and caution in the minds of families everywhere.
12 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: Anthony B. on 8/02/11 at 12:29 PM I always thought that killers and psychos were more disturbing than monsters or ghosts, because of that "realness" thing. As a kid, I was more afraid by Scream or Jaws than Alien for example (even though this one scared me a little :D). So far, I think the more disturbing movie I've watched would be Rec. Efficient and really REALLY frightening. Interesting topic Jason (the name fits pretty well with that blog ^^) 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 8/17/11 at 02:35 PM Yeah, I haven't heard that before. :) 0 Replies \| Report Abuse leeloo1967 on 8/02/11 at 07:07 PM 0 Replies \| Report Abuse leeloo1967 on 8/02/11 at 07:08 PM ~I dont know whether modern technology is worth it or not but what I do know is that sadly young people are paying the price~~~Its just a shame....a crime shame~~~Now that is very disturbing~ 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 8/17/11 at 02:36 PM I know, not a day goes by where I don't see something like that on the news. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse adler-s on 8/03/11 at 12:03 AM 0 Replies \| Report Abuse adler-s on 8/03/11 at 12:03 AM good points here and it's the realism in the things we things we watch that actually spooks us 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 8/17/11 at 02:36 PM Thank you- good point. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Jhon E. on 8/03/11 at 03:03 AM I was scared of the dark till about 10... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 8/17/11 at 02:36 PM Dude, I'm still scared of the dark. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse american psycho on 8/03/11 at 10:23 AM If the story is more realistic in a movie then its more disturbing. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 8/17/11 at 02:37 PM Definitely. Though it's not like I'm not scared of Insidious or Paranormal Activity... 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
Why Harry Potter Should Be Recognized by the Academy in 2011 Posted on 07/02/11 11:31 AM \| Last edited on 07/02/11 11:31 AM Mood: Irritated Why Harry Potter Should Be Recognized By The Academy Harry Potter, the epic saga that defined a generation, that evoked a legacy of passion, that exuded the sense of phenomenon, is now drawing to a close. This movie, like most children’s literary adaptions (though this was one of the first, it was the one that proved how successful they could be) has not been recognized by the academy as a proper piece of film making. This one is different than other pieces, because it actually is one. I think that the series can be seen as two separate pieces- the first three, then the last five. The first three of the series were wholesome, adventurous family entertainment that garnered five star reviews for being cute, but never astonishing. They were reminiscent of pieces such as WILLOW or the original CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, but never gave off any particular critical vibes. The last few, though, thanks to the careful hands of David Yates, prove to be sophisticated movies that were examples of contemporary film making at its best- which is exactly what the academy is looking for. (LORD OF THE RINGS proved this!) I’m glad that the series has not fallen into a commercial rut after being snubbed by the academy so countlessly. I doubt it, but I hope they fully acknowledge the series for it is this year. (I’m scared they won’t because they said they’re lowering the number of BEST PICTURE slots from 10 to somewhere between 5 and 10) These movies are excellent. Like I said before, the first few were better recognized for being more story related pieces than character or acting wise. That’s great. But the last few were more human dramas, focusing on the complexities of adolescence set against an equally complex magical background. It is also so beautifully directed and adapted- I don’t see why no one will recognize that, probably because their more focused on the [in a fan aspect] story. My doubts grow deeper because this last film ditches the human drama for a much less complex form of it, but more along the action. I hope the academy is hungry for well cinematographed magic this year, because that’s the only chance I see HP in the running this year- but I really, really, reallyreallyreallyreally hope they do.
18 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: Dylan Smith on 7/02/11 at 12:32 PM Well, it seem there might not be a whole lot of Oscar noms this year due the fact that there has only been a few good films recognized by the public. But if The Deathly Hallows Part 2 does get the noms for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Director, then it should really be interesting to see how the Oscars turn out. Anyway, a wonderful job done Jason. I do hope you have a wonderful week and God Bless you. Thanks, dome back and see me. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 7/02/11 at 02:10 PM True. Very true. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Eldest2005 on 7/02/11 at 12:40 PM Seeing at it is the last one, they may give more attention to it. But I don't see it getting a Best Picture or Director nomination. 2 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 7/02/11 at 02:09 PM I don't either, but they really, really should. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 7/02/11 at 02:10 PM At the least, they're definitely giving it a technical award, no doubt about it. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse girly g. on 7/02/11 at 10:22 PM yes but the other movies have received technical nominations before if i remember correctly. i don't know if they will give it more than that or not but i think that i will have to see the last one to know if it will deserve it or not- i wasn't a big fan of the last two installments but we will see 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 7/03/11 at 10:26 AM The Academy loves spreading the love- it'll at least score a cinematography or visual effects award. They always love giving the visual effects award to a critically praised movie. (Inception, The Dark Knight, Avatar) Report Abuse Ryan M. on 7/02/11 at 01:25 PM I'd love for Bonham-Carter to get a nomination for Supporting Actress. She really deserves it. In fact, just a nomination for Adapted Screenplay would be great; just to show some recognition. Nice blog; I totally agree :) 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 7/02/11 at 02:12 PM She, along with a couple others. But I think that they'd look at her first. I also think that Desplat could get a win for his score- he's already an academy favorite (Though he hasn't ever won one) so it would be time for him to get it. (Last year he was nominated for The King's Speech, you know how they feel about close snubs, just look at Colin Firth) 0 Replies \| Report Abuse dn_smith86 on 7/02/11 at 01:32 PM The first three, as you group them, were well received not merely because of their "wholesomeness", but because of their delicate whimsy and solid storytelling ability. I actually view them as three groups, 1-2 (The adventurous entertainment) 3-4 (The pinnacle of both the story and character development) and 5-7 (The menial eye candy which David Yates ruined). The franchise had a terrific start (3 being the stand-out) but I'm sorry to say that it has severely dwindled with Yates at the reins. The latter films had no focus, poor structure, and, overall, a depleting interest in exactly where the story began and where is going. 6 is a prime example of this considering how much of a jumbled mess it was. "7: Part 1" was a step up for Yates, but it was still bottom tier of the series. I can still enjoy a better part of the series and like to see it do well, but this is nowhere near the caliber of films selected by The Academy (who in and of themselves often fail to nominate THE best films of any given year). The moral of the story? Franchise = Good, but lost a lot of steam during the Yates years. Academy appreciation = absolutely not, unless Yates produces something the likes of which I've never seen (which is highly unlikely). Just be happy with the technical and artistic design nominations and leave the big awards to the films that really deserve it... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 7/02/11 at 02:06 PM I see where your coming from, but I really appreciated the unique formatting of the series. I hear a lot of people complaining about part 1, because it was basically just a prologue, but think about it this way: it's pretty complex for a movie that's basically about nothing. I agree with your thoughts about 1 and 2, but it was because of those reasons it wouldn't be recognized by the academy- they don't appreciate the way it appeals in soft grand scope. They are timeless pieces, classics. The last few, I believe were a different kind of good- they represent well made contemporary films, I believe. I liked how the backdrops were the magical stories, complex and dark as the books. The human drama takes center stage and I thought it was gently done. It all comes down to the way you appreciate the format of it- I thought that David Yates actually did a decent job. Although I feel that the final battle will probably be more sharp as opposed to grand scope, though I thought his direction was polished without sacrificing rawness. The point I was making is that these films do deserve it. Even if the final film isn't the best of the year they should really select it to pay homage to the entire series. It is a generation defying piece of work- classic pieces of work. At least give it the nominations because these pictures are always some of the best of the year, if not the pinnacle. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse CACB on 7/02/11 at 02:56 PM Great blo man. I think the Academy might just nominate it for Best Pic IF there's not enough nominees... however, I don't see it getting Best Director/Screenplay, but maybe as I said, Picture, as its the last film of the series and there might not be enough nominees. I see it getting for technical stuff like cinematography, editing effects, costumes etc. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 7/03/11 at 12:34 PM Thank you. I think there are some ways the academy can wedge reasons into nominating it, from some elements, (Look very closely at trailer!) but it would be quite a stretch since they lowered the number of slots and it would be the first 3D winner... O_o 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Cody Fairless-Lee on 7/02/11 at 03:46 PM AWESOME BLOG!!!! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse grouchyeditor.com on 7/02/11 at 05:19 PM I have to agree with dn smith. I thought the first four movies were magical, but then Yates came along and pretty much screwed things up. The last Potter film has no chance of winning Best Picture, and probably won't be nominated, but I'd be happy to see the series get some kind of recognition. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Mr. Dufresne on 7/03/11 at 12:35 AM I love the first two Harry Potter films dearly because of nostalgia (and they are fun movies to sit and watch. The third one was my favorite in the series until Deathly Hallows Part 1, which I haven't bought yet, so technically I've only seen it once. But as a fan of the books and movies in general, I was blown away with how good Deathly Hallows Part 1 was. I actually think Yates did a very good job with the 5th, and while the 6th is good, I had some problems with it. Part 1, however, was phenomenal in plenty of ways, so much so that Part 2 is my most anticipated film of 2011. And I agree, Oscars for this franchise, at least nominations, are definitely overdue. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Hawaiianguy2991 on 7/04/11 at 08:25 PM Have to also agree with dn_smith. Yates in my opinion blew it, even the fourth film was so-so. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Daniel Mumby on 7/05/11 at 08:29 AM Good post. Bear in mind that the series was given a special award at the BAFTAs earlier this year, so depending on how much you think the BAFTAs and Oscars cross over there may be some form of special award for the series in 2012 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
Wherein I Kidnap the Head of Pixar, Commit Inception, and See Tom Hanks in his Pajamas... Posted on 07/01/11 12:03 PM \| Last edited on 07/01/11 12:03 PM Mood: Irritated John Lassetter slowly opens his eyes, his lids caked together with the residue of a dreamless sleep. The bright, straining light of a desk lamp pierces his eyes; he does not know where he is. He is tied up and strapped to an uncomfortable metal chair- he does not know how long he’s been there or how he got there. He shakes his head, and finds that every little motion sends needles of pain stabbing throughout his cranium. The room is empty except for a metal table, the lamp, and a man standing in front of him. Some crazy amateur movie reviewer named Jason. Jason: What did you do with John Lassetter?! John: (Startled) What do you mean? I am John Lassetter! Jason: Don’t feed me this crap! Tell me what you did with that animation genius! John: I am John Lassetter! I am that widely proclaimed genius! Jason: Who are you working for?! Dreamworks? Fox? Universal? My brother who always laughed at my unrequited faith in Pixar?! John: What are you talking about? Jason: (Paces back and forth in front of the scared film maker) I think we both know. I think we both know that you are the reason Pixar sold itself into commercialism! Threw away its garnered critical success for a spy movie! John: You mean Cars 2? Jason: No I mean Saving Private Ryan! Yes Cars 2! Everyone knew that Cars got off easy critically, but you just had to go ahead and make an extra buck through merchandising through a SPY movie! A spy movie, John! Led by Mater! You sacrificed heart and sophistication for cheap family laughs like, like- John: Like, what? Jason: Like Shrek 3! John: I’m sorry! Jason: No you’re not! Pixar’s long gone! Toy Story 3 was the height of your career and after that you’ve decided you’re just going to take the easy way out and just try to make three year olds happy through stupid humor and money-making premises! You know now that you’re going to get top-box offices no matter what you do and it’s just SICK! Sick! Let’s just hope that 2012’s Brave brings you back on top… John: It will! Jason: No! Pixar will never be the same due to this royal screw up of yours! Every review you receive from now on will be lower than ever… we will always remember this flop of yours… get out! You make me sick. John: But I can’t! You have me trapped here! Jason: What do you mean John, we are but inside your subconscious! John: What are you saying? Jason: I think we both know. John: You mean I’m dreaming? Jason: Yes John. Inception. John: Inception? You mean I’m in your dream right now? Jason: No, John. John: Are you saying that… it’s me who’s dreaming? Jason: No. John: So one dream inside one other dream catapulting us into the limbo state of subconsciousness and therefore trapping us into one totally new being? Jason: Oh come on, I’m not Christopher Nolan. I’m not smart enough to come up with crap like that. John: You don’t mean… Jason: Yes. We are in the mind of none other than Tom Hanks. ~Wherein Tom Hanks wakes up~ Tom: Aaaaaagh! Tom wakes up, to find that he is safely surrounded by his Pixar stuffed toys in his racecar bed. Tom: (Talking to a Buzz Lightyear stuffed toy) Whew, Buzzy. I learned a lot today. That Lassetter really shouldn’t mess with critics. And that Jason is one heckuva psychopath. I also learned one other thing. Buzz Stuffed Toy: What is that, Tommy? Tom: That maybe I can get through finishing Inception without my brain crying. Buzz Stuffed Toy: I thought that people stopped making Inception jokes a while ago. Tom: Yeah, but I’m Tom Hanks. I’m always behind times. Haven’t you seen my last few movies? Buzz Stuffed Toy: Nope. But everyone pretends they have to look cool, though. Tom: Hey! I do the same thing! ~Wherein Tom Hanks Continues to Pretend He Knows What Larry Crowne was even about~ P.S. If anyone asks, John Lassetter is not hidden in my basement, screaming. He’s just taking a really long shower back at Pixar Studios…
16 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: Ryan M. on 7/01/11 at 01:18 PM Funniest thing I've seen in ages! Awesome blog! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 7/01/11 at 02:21 PM Thank You! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse CACB on 7/01/11 at 02:05 PM Haha, good job! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 7/01/11 at 02:21 PM Thanks! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Cody Fairless-Lee on 7/01/11 at 02:45 PM Luv this blog, Jason! Let's just hope BRAVE will succeed! Very funny!!!! :D 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 7/01/11 at 02:49 PM Thank you! The first trailer was released last week and I think it can go either way, by the looks of it. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Rostron2 on 7/01/11 at 03:10 PM LOL 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 7/01/11 at 03:50 PM I'll be here all week. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Daniel Mumby on 7/01/11 at 06:16 PM Nice work Jason. This would make a great short story if you wanted to rewrite it 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 7/01/11 at 07:29 PM Thanks! But if I did publish it as a short story I might get taken in for questioning... 0 Replies \| Report Abuse leeloo1967 on 7/01/11 at 07:31 PM Now that's entertainment!!! Awesome blog Jason:)!! ~I hope John Lassatter reads this & gets the msg very clearly~ 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 7/01/11 at 08:10 PM I would hope he would. He's in my basement. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse leeloo1967 on 7/02/11 at 04:36 AM Will he be deprived of food, water & sleep? 2 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 8/17/11 at 02:39 PM Oh, come on. I'm not THAT crazy... Report Abuse leeloo1967 on 8/18/11 at 03:52 AM Well I just thought you'd give him the full treatment......u know teach him a lesson;) Report Abuse CinematicMethod.com on 8/24/11 at 01:19 PM Funny stuff Jason! I really hope Brave rebounds, I feel like it will. Pixar faith! -Kyle, CinematicMethod.com 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
Pixar's Irony Posted on 05/14/11 01:22 PM \| Last edited on 05/14/11 01:22 PM Mood: Thoughtful Pixar's Irony: Why Pixar Has Been So Successful Critically Pixar Animation Studios has held an unprecedented reign over the animated movie business over the last 25 years. It is the inventor of the computer animated film, and evoked a generation of success in that aspect of the film industry. It has critics wrapped around its little finger-- holding box office records as well as a multitude of five-star reviews. Their movies' impeccable combination of humor, clever writing, and wonderful stories are proclaimed as the reasons. But really, deep down, it's the irony located at the heart of each of their films that generate so much critical attention. One of the finer points of film is the deep messages located between the lines of the script-- the underlying truth to the words the stories portray- there are many technicalities to the way stories are made-- this is true with literature as well as screen pieces. With Pixar, it has become relatively easy for them to be ironic in the inception stages of their story making. It's like making the two centers of the story opposite, than making the rest of it connect the two. Here are some examples: Ratatouille: The irony in the Brad Bird directed Ratatouille is evident. Rats, considered the most vile and disgusting of all animals, in a kitchen, here they are the most despised and unwelcome. Make that restaurant one in Paris, the food capital of the world, and well.... that's a bit self-explanatory. The message of this film is "Anyone can cook," which, underlying, is "Anyone can be a great artist". That artist is found in the rat, the thing you'd least expect to become a chef. The irony makes the message clearer. Monsters, Inc. Monsters, Inc. was Pixar's first eligible movie for an Academy Award in Best Animated Feature, but it was unfortunately defeated by the Dreamworks canon Shrek. It was remembered by many as when Pixar got beaten by their own game. Dreamworks was the first to adapt their method of computer animation. Getting back to Monsters, Inc., the irony in this film was, on the outside, intended for humor. There were three effects here. 1. A business run by monsters, the most reckless creature of the imagination, actually being organized and like normal people. 2. Monsters scared children on purpose. 3. Monsters were scared by children. That added to the surprise factor, the vice-versa turning table effect. Pixar is applauded for their creativity and evident imagination-- but really, creativity is nothing but simplicity. If you have an idea at it's simplest stage, it's praised as originality. And there's nothing wrong with that. The underlying message of this story is to what really a monster is-- and to get to know and love something based on your own experience. Finding Nemo Finding Nemo, one of Pixar's most widely praise accomplishments, is arguably the most relatable film of the Pixar Industry. It's age-old father-son story was beautiful and resonant. The irony of this one was the unfunny clownfish. Instead, he is nervous, bumbling, and businesslike. The irony in characterization instead of story was also one evident in Pixar's second film, A Bug's Life, with the male ladybug. Evidence of irony, whether it's story, plot, or plot elements, is evident in their other movies. Toy Story, WALL-E, Cars, and basically all other films find their heart in the irony. Even The Incredibles, where if you think of, is made up of a lot of ironic story accents. (Superheroes getting sued, a superhero having a mid-life crisis, etc.) Each movie company has its own flare (Dreamworks goes for funny, for example) and Pixar's is irony. It works out extremely well-- it's very clever, and makes each of their movies more enticing. Look for it next time you watch a Pixar movie.
8 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: american psycho on 5/14/11 at 03:16 PM Interesting! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Ryan M. on 5/14/11 at 03:46 PM Wow, this was really interesting! Brilliant work! :) 0 Replies \| Report Abuse simon m. on 5/14/11 at 06:15 PM Excellent work. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Cody Fairless-Lee on 5/14/11 at 07:18 PM GR8 blog....PIXAR is one of my fav studios!!!! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Michael A. on 5/15/11 at 12:39 AM Great blog! Clever analysis, man... 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Mr. Dufresne on 5/15/11 at 04:04 AM This is pretty interesting, especially for Pixar fans liek myself. Good blog! 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Eldest2005 on 5/15/11 at 08:44 AM Very good blog. I didn't notice all the irony until now. Guess I never bothered to think about it just because I really loved Pixar. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Dylan Smith on 7/02/11 at 08:35 PM A interesting point Jason. I never noticed the common themes on modern society featured in Pixar, I guess that why they've been doing well in the recent years, is because of their ability to blend realism and creativity together in a fascinating concept. Anyway, interesting blog sir. I do hope you have a fantastic week and God bless you. Thanks, come back and see me. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse
My Predictions for the 83rd Academy Awards Posted on 01/15/11 10:47 AM \| Last edited on 01/15/11 10:47 AM Mood: Excited 84th ACADEMY AWARD PREDICTIONS By Jason Lalljee Oscar Nominations Mailed in—January the 14th, 2011 Oscar Nominations Announced- January the 25th, 2011 Oscar Winners- February the 27th, 2011 Yesterday, the ballots for the academy awards were mailed in. They will be announced in ten days. Meanwhile, I will bring to you the movies that are almost a sure shot at a nomination. After all, it’s the beginning of the year. With all the limited release, big actors, big director junk going on at the end of last year, I think I’ve got safe guesses. BEST PICTURE- 1. The Social Network 2. Black Swan 3. The King’s Speech 4. Inception 5. The Fighter 6. True Grit 7. Winter’s Bone 8. 127 Hours 9. The Town 10. Toy Story 3 Winner: Okay, I know it’s really not fair. There are so many more awesome movies (The Ghost Writer, Animal Kingdom, Exit Through the Gift Shop, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Please Give) but these are only the ones that are going to be nominated. Not the ones that deserve it. The winner however is also not fair. It irks me when there’s a movie where everyone knows the frontrunner—there’s no anticipation. Here, it’s the Social Network. Hopefully, the academy will surprise me—if they do, then Network’s up against The King’s Speech, Inception, Black Swan, The Town, and 127 Hours. Toy Story 3, as the best reviewed movie of the year and the finale of the blockbuster animation saga will get an honorable mention for being just so. HONORABLE MENTION: The Ghost Writer BEST DIRECTOR- 1. Christopher Nolan, Inception 2. David Fincher, The Social Network 3. Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech 4. Joel and Ethan Coen, True Grit 5. Danny Boyle, 127 Hours 6. David Aronofsky, Black Swan 7. Ben Affleck, The Town 8. Roman Polanski, The Ghost Writer 9. Debra Granik, Winter’s Bone 10. David O. Russell, The Fighter Winner: In my opinion, it’s going to be between Nolan and Fincher. The academy has a knack for grouping people together (like if one wins best picture, it also wins best director, actor, screenplay, etc.) which is why Fincher is here. (And because Network was pretty awesome). The academy will feel bad for not acknowledging The Dark Knight two years ago, which was a terrible mistake. Joel and Ethan Coen are contenders every year, and True Grit was good, but didn’t really show off their chops. People are forgetting about Ben Affleck since The Town was earlier this year, but when his name comes to mind you’re like “Oh Yeah!” so, yeah, he’ll be there. Again with grouping, The King’s Speech director Tom Hooper is here. Danny Boyle, after his smash hit at the awards Slumdog Millionaire a while ago will be her. David Aronofsky’s Black Swan was a standout, and the fact that he did The Wrestler won’t hurt. Roman Polanski for adding a stylish whip as in The Pianist, Winter’s Bone is apparently Granik’s best. And again, with the Fighter, its grouping. BEST ACTOR- 1. Colin Firth, The King’s Speech 2. Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network 3. Jeff Bridges, True Grit 4. Ewan McGregor, The Ghost Writer 5. Leonardo DiCaprio, Inception 6. James Franco, 127 Hours WINNER- Between Colin Firth and Jesse Eisenberg. I personally think it should be Colin Firth, and a lot of academy award members won’t go with Eisenberg because he’s younger. However, his performance in Network was really good, which puts him up as a contender against Firth. Jeff Bridges will get recognized as the one eyed cowboy in Grit, and yes, Ewan’s performance I The Ghost Writer, which many, many people forgot about and DiCaprio, again with grouping, but his performance was good. BEST ACTRESS- 1. Natalie Portman, Black Swan 2. Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone 3. Chloe Grace Mortez, Kick A 4. Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right 5. Noomi Rapace, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo 6. Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine WINNER- Natalie Portman, Black Swan. Duh. After all the hype for her performance, some members who haven’t even seen it will vote for her. Probably the only sure guess of this whole prediction. A couple months ago, before Swan, everyone was betting on Jennifer Lawrence in Bone, because it made the movie so good. The Academy will recognize Chloe Mortez for her shocking performance—come on, she’s the Linda Blair (The Exorcist) of the 21st century! The Kids is memorable for Annette Bening and Julianne Moore, so it makes sense for Bening to get nominated. Rapace, in any other ceremony, would give Portman a real run for her money. But this is almost strictly American voters, which means more will know of Portman. Michelle Williams because of her and Ryan Gosling’s…outlandish performances in Blue Valentine. BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR- 1. Christian Bale, The Fighter 2. Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right 3. Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech 4. Andrew Garfield, The Social Network 5. Joseph-Gordon Levitt, Incecption 6. Jeremy Rener, The Town WINNER- Bale’s dramatic transformation in Fighter will impress many people. He would win, but his biggest competitor here is Rush in King’s Speech—imagine them battling head to head. Except then, Garfield comes butting in. If I’m right, and Network is the grouper this year, than he will be the one indeed picking this award up. However, they may just feel sorry for King’s Speech because Network’s getting everything and give the award to Rush. BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS- 1. Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech 2. Julianne Moore, The Kids Are All Right 3. Amy Adams, The Fighter 4. Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole 5. Olivia Williams, The Ghost Writer 6. Mila Kunis, Black Swan WINNER- NOTE: If there was one more slot, it’d probably go to Hailee Seinfeld in True Grit.** Okay, the win here is pretty tight, but I’d say it’s Carter vs. Moore vs. Adams. Carter’s performance is as typically strong as Firth’s and Rush’s in King’s Speech, The Kids Are All Right will cry for an honorable mention, and like Hilary Swank a couple years ago, Adams has been mostly rom-com, but now, she displays serious chops and I think the academy will recognize that. BEST ANIMATED FEATURE- 1. Toy Story 3 2. How to Train Your Dragon 3. Tangled 4. The Illusionist 5. Despicable Me WINNER-Despicable Me! No, I’m kidding. And yes, I’m allowed to kid when something is so completely obvious—because when an animated feature is also nominated for best picture, it’s kind of a giveaway that the winner is when nominated for best animated feature. And yes, if you’ve been under a rock for the past two years, the answer is Toy Story 3. BEST ART DIRECTION- 1. Inception 2. Black Swan 3. True Grit 4. Alice in Wonderland 5. The King’s Speech 6. Burlesque WINNER- Inception. In case it doesn’t win any other awards, they’ll give it this. And after all, it deserves it. However, they might feel sorry for the penultimate potter, which has drastically improved in art direction and cinematography. Note that Inception is Potter’s biggest competition in that category too. BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY 1. Inception 2. The Last Exorcism 3. The Ghost Writer 4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 5. The Social Network 6. Black Swan WINNER: Again, it’s between Inception and Potter—while Potter improves drastically from the last one with it s expansive landscapes and shocking settings, so does Inception, in its own way. BEST COSTUME DESIGN- 1. Alice in Wonderland 2. Black Swan 3. True Grit 4. The King’s Speech 5. The Town 6. Burlesque WINNER- Probably Alice in Wonderland, but if it had to be anyone else, it would be Burlesque, then Black Swan. BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY- 1. Waiting For Superman 2. Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work 3. Exit Through the Gift Shop 4. Restrepo 5. The Tillman Story WINNER: Waiting For Superman. However, Exit Through the Gift Shop is its real competition. BEST FILM EDITING- 1. Inception 2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 3. The Social Network 4. The King’s Speech 5. The Fighter WINNER: Between Inception, which has got Nolan’s flair to back it up, Potter, whose got all that money and hard work to make it look its best put into it, or actually the Social Network, which has got good old fashion smooth sails, and grouping wouldn’t hurt either. BEST VISUAL EFFECTS- 1. TRON: Legacy 2. Inception 3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 4. Iron Man 2 5. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World WINNER-Finally, a fun one. But it is pretty tough here… TRON: Legacy’s ratings are boosted because of its dazzling imagery…Inception has got Nolan’s typical resonation, Potter is a duh on the nomination….will the Academy be willing enough? Iron Man 2, probably not—but Scott Pilgrim—oh, its fantasy-comedy hybrid will give the others quite a run… BEST MAKEUP- 1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 2. Alice in Wonderland 3. Black Swan 4. True Grit 5. The Last Exorcism WINNER- Alice in Wonderland, because even the plants are wearing makeup here. BEST ORIGINAL SCORE- 1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 2. Inception 3. The King’s Speech 4. The Social Network 5. Black Swan WINNER: Here is one I’m sure Potter will get NOT because the academy feels sorry for it. Alexandre Desplat’s score is almost a definite win, if not for The Social Network or Inception. BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY 1. The King’s Speech 2. Inception 3. The Kids Are All Right 4. The Town 5. The Fighter WINNER: The King’s Speech, hands down. With no Network in the way, it’s a sure shot. BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY 1. The Social Network 2. True Grit 3. Winter’s Bone 4. 127 Hours 5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 WINNER: The Social Network. It’s worth noting that this year was quite a year for successful adapted screenplays—Charles Portis’ True Grit, Winter’s Bone, and 127 Hours were all done well. A lot of people forget HP was once a novel, but hopefully, this year, they will remember… Yes, there are a lot more categories (Sound Mixing, Film Editing) But I won’t bore you with those details. In 10 days, I will examine my predictions with the actual nominations, and we will see how wrong I am—however, I am very rarely wrong. PLEASE COMMENT! -JL
22 Comments \| Send This \| Comments: Zach N. on 1/15/11 at 10:52 AM Dude, Hailee Steinfeld will win for best supporting actress. For sure. Without a doubt in my mind. Also, best score should be going to either Inception or Social Network, Harry Potter will not win that at all. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 1/15/11 at 11:53 AM I think it will be network or inception--but as I noted, hp7 IS a real competitor this year. IMO. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Zach N. on 1/15/11 at 12:58 PM Well, I feel the HP7 score can't compare to Daft Punk or A.R. Rahman's scores this year. Like yeah, Alexandre is an amazing composer (his Fantastic MR. Fox score is the best), but there are better scores this year than HP7. Also, Black Swan is disqaulified from being an original score, so it doesn't need to be on your top 5. True Grit is also disqualified which pisses me off cause its so great :/ 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Connor G. on 1/15/11 at 11:01 AM I noticed Robin Hood wasn't on your list for any of the visual awards. I think it deserves Art Direction and Costume Design. And The Town was adapted from a book. I really like your list. 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 1/15/11 at 11:52 AM Well, the short list was announced a couple days ago, and Robin Hood wasn't there. So I didn't put it. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse dudemeister on 1/15/11 at 11:13 AM Agree with everything here, but I don't think McGregor will get anything, I think his slot will go to Ryan Gosling. But seriously, if Bale does not win. I will be beyond pissed, just the thought of him not winning pissed me off. Plus Oscars like sharing the love, and Rush already has one. And I agree on Eisenberg, I think he should win, but if he does, I believe that would make him the youngest ever to win? Plus his mostly comedic filmography and geeky nature might turn off some voters 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 1/15/11 at 11:54 AM I had Ryan Gosling there, actually. But then I remembered the Ghost Writer-- Bale SHOULD Win. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Bob M. on 1/15/11 at 11:36 AM I will be stunned if The Social Network wins any awards. Best picture IMO is The King's Speech. Good work..... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 1/15/11 at 11:55 AM Really? A lot of people think it should. I wonder... 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Bob M. on 1/15/11 at 12:36 PM It was well made but what's so spectacular about it? The acting is OK, not great. The story is not one that hasn't been told before. I think people are fired up about it because it's about Facebook. Other than that, what's it got going for it? Nothing I can see anyway. Who knows, maybe I just don't get it...... 4 Replies \| Report Abuse EnglishCrumpet on 1/16/11 at 12:56 AM Have to disagree. It's exceptionally well made. The screenplay is the best of any film throughout the year. Performances are great, story is completely gripping, and due to the Facebook theme has the unique ability to make its audience feel involved in the narrative. It's come out on top at virtually every critic awards group since November so don't be surprised to see it sweep the Oscars! Report Abuse Bob M. on 1/16/11 at 11:29 AM I will be surprised obviously since the acting was average IMO. There is no way a sane person picks anyone from that movie over Colin Firth or Geoffery Rush. I can see it winning screenplay. It's well written. The story, though, has been done many times before - courtroom/legal dramas are very common. The Facebook story-line makes it popular in the 18 - 30 demographic. We'll see.......... Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 1/16/11 at 03:35 PM Wow...I didn't mean to start a debate. But, I kind of agree with both of you. Report Abuse Michael A. on 1/17/11 at 03:11 AM the screenplay was the best but i agree, it's a little overrated and only its relevance to today's generation is what makes it so loved... Report Abuse CACB on 1/15/11 at 12:43 PM Nice predicitions. I think Network will win Picture, Director, Adaptd Screenplay and maybe Editing? Bale should win Supporting Actor, and I wish Amy Adams won for Supporting Actress, but I think that will got to Leo, who I think wasn't in your list? 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Mr. Dufresne on 1/15/11 at 08:48 PM I loved Harry Potter's score, but I think Inception's should win that hands down; instantly memorable. I also think HTTYD deserves a nomination for it's score, but it just might not get it. And I think Toy Story 3 should get a screenplay nomination (I think it would be for adapted since it's a sequel). Also, I sort of doubt it, but I do hope HP7 gets a bunch of nominations; it really deserves to imo. And since Toy Story 3 likely won't win Best Picture, I'd love to see Inception win (though I doubt it, since they didn't nominate The Dark Knight). I haven't seen The Social Network, though. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse EnglishCrumpet on 1/16/11 at 12:59 AM Nice picks although Nicole Kidman and Julianne Moore are both viewed as Lead not Supporting. I would replace them with Hailee Steinfeld and Melissa Leo. Also there is no chance Chloe Moretz will make it in there, and Ewan McGregor wasn't in The Fighter. Otherwise good choices!! 1 Replies \| Report Abuse Jason Lalljee on 1/16/11 at 10:01 AM Did I Say The Fighter? I meant THE GHOST WRITER. I think I put someone from the Fighter there originally but only changed the name. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Halimali on 1/16/11 at 06:13 AM I feel so many of your predictions will become true. I give my vote for Colin Firth as best actor. His role is so oscar material 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Michael A. on 1/17/11 at 03:09 AM solid list...i love the love for chloe moretz and inception...but i feel you're giving too much love to harry potter and not enough for restrepo... 0 Replies \| Report Abuse simon m. on 1/22/11 at 06:11 AM For me, it is The Fighter all the way. That doesn't mean I think The Fighter will sweep the awards. The overrated The Social Network is going to sweep the awards. I think it should be The Fighter, David O. Russell, Firth, Portman, Bale and Leo. I think that Firth, Portman, Bale and Leo have a chance. The Fighter and David O. Russell have no chance in Hell. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse Hawaiianguy2991 on 2/05/11 at 02:33 AM I know Colin Firth, Natalie Portman, and The social network will each win there categorys. 0 Replies \| Report Abuse

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End of the Year Oscar Predictions

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Films that Disturb Me

Why Harry Potter Should Be Recognized by the Academy in 2011

Wherein I Kidnap the Head of Pixar, Commit Inception, and See Tom Hanks in his Pajamas...

Pixar's Irony

My Predictions for the 83rd Academy Awards

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