Oscars 2012

[Chris Knipp]

The Oscar nominations are in. The Best Picture nominations are:

THE ARTIST
THE DESCENDANTS
MONEYBALL
MIDINGHT IN PARIS
THE TREE OF LIFE'
THE HELP
HUGO
EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE
WAR HORSE

That's right: nine, not ten. I am in agreement with the first five. The last four are predictable Academy choices and they are all extremely well crafted films. WAR HOURSE is such a "pile of cliches" (as Richard Brody says it is by intention) that I didn't even write a review of it. THE HELP is a very well meaning film and the actors are appealing and good. For all its skill HUGE seems a big disappointment to me, but though I was taken to task for saying so, it appeals successfully to the child and the child in us. EXTREMELY LOUS etc. evidently has an extremely flawed source novel. I loved watching the boy actor at work. He's evidently quite as bright as the kid he's playing. There are some essential choices here: MONEYBALL and TREE OF LIFE and THE DESCENDANTS had to be there and I knew THE ARTIST would be. It looks like the winning but small MY WEED WITH MARILYN didn't make it, but it gets some big acting nominations, as do some other films not many people may even go out to see, like the one with Glenn Close and the mediocre biopic with Merl Streep.

Of the documentary nominations I've only seen one of the five and that is the only much celebrated one that I didn't respond to, PINA. Of the foreign film nominations there are only two I have seen, FOOTNOTE and A SEPARATION, certainly both worthy choices, though THE SEPARATION happens to be another of the most praised films that I fail to respond to. It also gets one of the Original Screenplay nominations; its intricacy (and relative clarity) has impressed many people. The five Original Screenplay nominations are:

THE ARTIST
BRIDESMAIDS
MARGIN CALL
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
A SEPARATION

I am happy for Woody Allen's getting three important nominations this year. He has written many well crafted screenplays. He has not often been celebrated for them. I'm also glad about MARGIN CALL, which I think a significant debut, an intelligent and timely film. I'm not really an Oscars person. I follow it, but not with true enthusiasm. Before I don't think of it that much and when it's over I forget about it. Except when something happens as did with BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, a travesty. I hope there won't be one this year, but it looks like there may be. I really only care about the Best Picture choice much. That's why my best lists are only of films and not of actors or other aspects of the complicated process of making a movie.

Join the fray!

[Johann]

Something tells me The Descendants will win big. I haven't seen it, but scuttlebutt for this one is big.

I can't believe The Adventures of TinTin was left out of the Best Animated Feature category, especially after winning at the Golden Globes!
Boggles the brain.

I haven't seen any best picture nominees except The Tree of Life. Here's hoping Malick wins Best Director.
He deserves that one at the very least.
All in all I'm not sure this was a stand-out year for movies.
Lars von Trier and Terrence Malick were the only bringers of serious cinematic fruit to my mind.
And Trier is ignored again by the Academy. Who knew?
They figure that just because he won't go to America to accept a statuette they can just plain ignore him.
He's a Modern Titan to me. Ignore him at your own peril.

Yes, lots of safe choices for the Oscars this year. No films that changed the game.

[tabuno]

I shared Johann's disbelief that The Adventures of Tin Tin didn't get nominated for Best Animated Feature Film, especially with having five nominees. The distinguishing feature about this British-skewed backdrop is that it has a old-fashioned enhanced by contemporary means, somewhat I would imagine The Artist (which I haven't seen) may have benefitted from. Tin Tin almost seems too old fashioned, too archaic and was perhaps too well put together that it looked too simple and too pedestrian. In other words, the movie was too good.

I am very glad that Extremely Loud and Incredible Close was recognized by the Oscar because I feel that it is among the top films of the year - especially for its well-balanced and creative handling of an important subject matter and difficult topic to bring to the screen successfully. I am wondering if the problem was the courageous decision to produce this movie and that the critics and public just aren't ready for it yet. Hopefully time will be the true gauge of what I consider this superb film.

[Chris Knipp]

The many loyal fans of EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE (including you, tabuno) are vindicated, because the Academy recognizes it, despite the lack of a critical consensus in its favor. Vulture includes it in its Worst Movies of the Year feature , however. I would never go that far, because I acknowledge that it's a well-made film, with a good cast, even if I don't like the screenplay and probably wouldn't like the source novel either.

TINTIN probably should have gotten an animation nomination. I believe its use of motion capture was an advance, so it was not so old fashioned.

Other disappointments or lacks are that THE ARTIST did not get more nominations for its technical and acting work, and Albert Brooks, who was expected to get a nomination for Supporting Actor in the snubbed DRIVE, was passed over, and tweeted ""I got ROBBED. I don't mean the Oscars, I mean literally. My pants and shoes have been stolen. And to the Academy: 'You don't like me. You really don't like me.'"' Richard Brody of the NYer, who was among various bloggers and movie writers who commented on the nom pros and nom cons, was quite disappointed, as I am, that the grwoudswell of critical opinion for MARGARET got it no nomination at all. He commented

The biggest surprise in the major categories is the well-deserved nomination of Demián Bichir for Best Actor for his role in Chris Weitz’s “A Better Life

He calls A BETTER LIFE "a passionate, meticulously realistic drama ," but I frankly found it lackluster and it didn't make a lasting impression on me. I like Bechir better in "Weed." Brody wanted BRIDESMAIDS to get more. He notes (which explains my not seeing them) that most of the Best Foreign nominations "came in from the blue," with super short qualifying showings so nobody has seen them. BEGINNERS was expected but left out (not my beef)

I agree (with you, Johann) that Lars von Trier should not be shut out of the Oscars, and the omission of any mention of MELANCHOLIA is glaring. But the awards season is when you find out who's been charming the judges and who's been ignoring or offending them. Von Trier has traditionally done very well at Cannes, which is more sophisticated and more international than the Academy Awards. But this year at Cannes -- after a favorable reception of MELANCHOLIA -- he was later declared persona non grata for a statement at a public interview that was considered offensive. And it wasn't the kind of comportment that endears directors to the Academy.

I would consider the nomination of blockbusters and CGI-laden actioners irrelevant; that's why I put them in a separate list this year. However they are more entertaining than some of the Oscar nominated films that are viewed as entertaining.

[Chris Knipp]

A writer on Word & Film had this to say:

It’s a scandalous year at the Oscars. Despite being recognized as one of the year’s best films by … pretty much everyone, Lars Von Trier’s “Melancholia” earned zero nominations, not even for Kirsten Dunst’s bravura performance as a clinically depressed newlywed with a penchant for global cataclysm. Meanwhile, two actors who we typically associate with ridiculous comedies — Jonah Hill (“Moneyball”) and Melissa McCarthy (“Bridesmaids”) — both got the nod. And once again, Glenn Close and Meryl Streep will fight to the death over that Best Actress statuette.

Business as usual?

I would bet against TREE OF LIFE, and am prepared to be disappointed this year in the Best Picture category. Still it is not such a terrible year when some seemingly mainstream movies like MONEYBALL, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, MONEYBALL, AND THE DESCENDANTS are all very good, and can attract Oscar nominations too.

P.s. I was surprised and disappointed that Amy Goodman on Democracy Now!, who has been broadcasting from Sundance this week, made no mention on the show of the sudden death of Bingham Ray, the SFFS's new director.

[tabuno]

It's great to hear Chris mention the "glaring" omission of Melancholia, a movie I haven't seen yet but is on my must see list (one of the reasons I haven't posted my ten movies of the year list yet).