Oscars 2012

[Chris Knipp]

EXTREMELY LOUD is about a little boy who is borderline Asperger's -- mild autism -- running all around the boroughs of New York searching for a meaningless clue. He is essentially avoiding feeling anything. And that cuts against making us feel anything, even with the intro showing people jumping from the Twin Towers and a series of desperate phone messages from Tom Hanks. It didn't jerk my heartstrings. I guess I was paying too much attention.

[tabuno]

It's disappointing to me that this lofty and reputable Forum would treat Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close like a stepchild of films and not discuss this movie on a thread of its own, instead of a sidenote under 2011 Oscar topic. Personally, this movie so far is in the running for my top pick for 2011 Best Movie and I'm extremely glad that this movie was incredibly close and making Best Picture Oscar nomination that I feel it deserves.

As a social worker who has worked with grief issues and also children with disabilities, I found myself transfixed by the powerful, emotive portrayal of the devastating impact of random, sudden death syndrome can be. This movie captured both the painful psychological intensity, the almost insane anger and the need to either close up or hyper-actively seek out some explanation. There was no manipulation in this movie, except for real life and how humans are manipulated by their experential perceptions and their resulting emotions. This movie is a powerful and important contribution to the human experience and worthy of time-tested standard in its depiction of a major incident in human history.

Too many critics are seeking some lofty, artistic overarching unifying theory of 9/11 which is likely lost in the physical parallel of string theory and quantum mechanics. This movie doesn't have to rely on fancy photograph cinematography or gimmicks but good acting and dialogue to move the audience that is able to fathom the depths of this movie in its raw form. Sometimes, simplicity and straight-forward ordinary human "everyman" characters count for more than the sometimes sophisticated and convoluted character acting required in films.

This superb presentation offers us a much needed human look into some of the most important elements of being alive even as some of die.

[Chris Knipp]

It's disappointing to me that this lofty and reputable Forum would treat Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close like a stepchild of films and not discuss this movie on a thread of its own, instead of a sidenote under 2011 Oscar topic.

It does have a thread of its own. You just needed to scroll down a bit. The thread has had 122 hits. We can discuss the movie there, if you like

http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.p...Daldry-2011%29

[tabuno]

This is my second oops on this Website and the second in the past month. I'm getting too old.

[Johann]

The movie is clearly needed by some.

[Chris Knipp]

Oscar handicappers may find the BAFTA nominations interesting. The following BBC America comments point out where the Oscars have followed or departed from BAFTA final choices. A full list of the BAFTA nominations will be found here. The BAFTAawards ceremony will air on BBC America February 12, 2012. Following are the nominations in key categories with comments from a BBC America website.

Best Film
Of the past five winners of the Best Film Academy Award, three have also been BAFTA winners, the exceptions being The Queen in 2007 (the Oscar went to The Departed), and Atonement in 2008 (beating No Country For Old Men). The nominees are:
The Artist
The Descendents
Drive
The Help
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Best Actor
Again, three out of the past five winners have been a direct match, Mickey Rourke’s astonishing work in The Wrester took BAFTA gold over the Academy-preferred Sean Penn in 2009, and Colin Firth getting his BAFTAs in early for A Single Man in 2010. He won both the following year for The King’s Speech. The BAFTA nominations are:
Brad Pitt – Moneyball
Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
George Clooney – The Descendents
Jean Dujardin – The Artist
Michael Fassbender – Shame

Best Actress
Here we’re on even safer ground, with four of the past five winners being a direct match. The sole exception being Carey Mulligan, who won the BAFTA for her role in An Education, where Sandra Bullock won the Oscar for The Blind Side.
Bérénice Bejo – The Artist
Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams – My Week With Marilyn
Tilda Swinton – We Need To Talk About Kevin
Viola Davis – The Help

Best Supporting Actor
And once again the two academies are in almost total accord, with Geoffrey Rush’s win last year for The King’s Speech being the sole exception over the past five years. Christian Bale won the Oscar for The Fighter.
Christopher Plummer – Beginners
Jim Broadbent – The Iron Lady
Jonah Hill – Moneyball
Kenneth Branagh – My Week With Marilyn
Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Ides of March

Best Supporting Actress
Had Melissa Leo not won the Academy Award last year, and allowed Helena Bonham Carter to sweep in regally and swipe it for her performance as The Queen Mother in The King’s Speech, there would be a clean sweep of accord between our two nations. So close, and yet…
Carey Mulligan – Drive
Jessica Chastain – The Help
Judi Dench – My Week With Marilyn
Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids
Octavia Spencer – The Help

Best Director
Here, we’re on shakier ground again, with only three out of five shared winners. Last year, David Fincher won the BAFTA for The Social Network, whereas the Oscar went to Tom Hooper for The King’s Speech. And back in 2007, Paul Greengrass won the BAFTA while Martin Scorsese took the Academy Award.
Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
Nicolas Winding Refn – Drive
Martin Scorsese – Hugo
Tomas Alfredson – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Lynne Ramsay – We Need To Talk About Kevin

Elsewhere in the BAFTA nominations sheet, there are a couple of noteworthy categories that have no equal at the Oscars:

Outstanding British Film
My Week With Marilyn
Senna
Shame
Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy
We Need To Talk About Kevin

Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director or Producer
Attack The Block – Joe Cornish (Director/Writer)
Black Pond – Will Sharpe (Director/Writer), Tom Kingsley (Director), Sarah Brocklehurst (Producer)
Coriolanus – Ralph Fiennes (Director)
Submarine – Richard Ayoade (Director/Writer)
Tyrannosaur – Paddy Considine (Director), Diarmid Scrimshaw (Producer)

Some critics have already noted that Olivia Colman has been cruelly snubbed for her astonishing performance in Tyrannosaur, either as Best Supporting Actress or even Best Actress. So if you want our tip for a future awards dead cert, it is her.

--January 30, 2012.

[Johann]

I've decided not to watch the Oscars this year.

I wish luck to Robert Richardson and Martin Scorsese and hope that Tree of Life wins something.
Other than that, I couldn't care less about the other nominees. Yawnfest.

The contributions to cinema were few and far between in 2011...