Academy Awards 2013

[OrphanPip]

OK, it's that time of year again.

It wasn't the most exciting year for movies, but there were a handful of decent films. Seth MacFarlane will be the host, some of the early press has already been pretty negative. A lot of people seem to doubt his ability to perform live. However, in MacFarlane's defense, I saw him live at a festival junket once (back when Family Guy was cancelled) and he seemed quite capable of commanding a stage.

On to the nominees.

In the Best Picture category:

Amour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Mis.
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

Out of this category, Amour is the only film I haven't seen. The selections are solid but not very exciting. Beasts was a great little independent film, but I know it doesn't have a chance in hell to win. I'm also disappointed that Moonrise Kingdom didn't get a nom. I'm thinking the Academy will go for Argo or Zero, and maybe Lincoln if they are feeling conservative.

Actor in a Leading Role:

Bradley Cooper
Daniel Day-Lewis
Hugh Jackman
Joaquin Phoenix
Denzel Washington

I'm fairly confident that Day-Lewis will win this.

Actress in a Leading Role:

Jessica Chastain
Jennifer Lawrence
Emmanuelle Riva
Quvenzhane Wallis
Naomi Watts

Naomi Watts has great buzz from Impossible, but I didn't see it yet. I found Lawrence and Chastain were competent but nothing special. Wallis was great, but a child won't win. I didn't get to see Riva's performance, so I'm not sure who will get this Oscar.

Actor in a Supporting Role:

Alan Arkin
Ronert De Niro
Philip Seymore Hoffman
Tommy Lee Jones
Christoph Waltz

Ah, not sure about this category either. I'm leaning towards Tommy Lee Jones or Christoph Waltz. I would have liked to see DiCaprio nominated in this category.

Actress in a Supporting Role

Amy Adams
Sally Field
Anne Hathaway
Helen Hunt
Jackie Weaver

Helen Hunt was great in The Sessions, but I think Anne Hathaway will walk away with this prize.

The other noms here: http://oscar.go.com/nominees

I think Spielberg is probably a good bet for the directing nod.

So, Lit-Net, any thoughts on this years Oscars crop?

[kelby_lake]

Not as excited this year. Film choices are too predictable.

[Bibliophile79]

I want to see Les Mis win Best Pic, but it will probably go to Lincoln or Argo. I can't see ZDT winning because Hurt Locker won not too long ago.

DDL is a cinch to win Actor, but Jackman could surprise everybody

Want to see J-La (as Will Ferrell called her) win Best Actress, but it'll probably go to Jessica

Anne Hathaway for Best Supporting

Supporting Actor could go to anybody, and even though Waltz won at the Globes, I could see Tommy Lee Jones win

And Speilberg for Director

[Alexander III]

Waltz deserves to win Supporting Actor, he is a beast of dialogue. Though Di Caprio's performance in Django was equally remarkable to Waltz's.


On A side note I decided to watch Le Mis online yesterday as dvd quality was available, thankfully I chose to watch it online and not in the cinema, I had to stop after 15 minutes, it was horrible, there is a reason a large segment of the male population detests musicals and in this film the essence of why musicals are hated was perfectly expressed. It was like watching a soap-opera, something with was consciously trying to play with your emotions and was pathetic at it. The film traumatized me with its ugliness.

[Ecurb]

I've seen Argo, Les Miz, Life of Pi, Lincoln and Silver Linings Playbook. Les Miz is horrid. Like academy award winner "Chicago" before it, it casts non-singers in all the lead roles, and then butchers (unsurprisingly) the numbers. Les Miserables is a strange musical, tragic and operatic in theme and mood, but more like a Broadway show in terms of musical style. Lest anyone think I dislike musicals – I don’t. They’re one of my favorite art forms. Indeed, I love Les Miz, and I’ve seen it on the stage three times.

Since the score of Les Miz is more operatic than most musical scores, the lack of singing talent amongst the performers in Les Miz was striking. Russell Crowe (the baritone Jauvert) can’t sing. The ominous, foreboding nature of his character sould be portrayed through the deep baritone of his songs -- but he can't sing. Hugh Jackman has a pleasant, small, almost falsetto voice that’s inappropriate for the Jean Valjean operatic-tenor anthems. Anne Hathaway’s numbers were simply embarrassing. Her two big songs (“I Dreamed a Dream” and “Come to Me”) were musically understated, but emotionally overblown. I’ll grant that death-bed arias can make the viewer wonder how someone dying of TB can maintain the lung power to hit the high notes – but what’s the alternative? Apparently, it is to have Anne Hathaway whisper the songs, with tears streaming down her pretty-but-disease-ravaged face. I hid my eyes during the numbers to avoid embarrassment. Both songs are excellent – the music should produce the emotional resonance of the scene, not the weeping, diseased face of the performer.


I’ll grant that the Parisian revolutionaries – Marius and his crowd (who were not played by movie stars) – were better. The attempts at realism didn’t work, though. The “Lovely Ladies” number is supposed to be a comic song sung by prostitutes – but the comedy was ruined by the realism. How funny is it to see disease and poverty-ridden prostitutes singing a song? The Sascha Baron Cohen comic numbers suffered from the same failing (although less so, because Cohen was himself so slapstick that he brought some fun back to the numbers). Musicals are supposed to be fun. Les Miz is tragic (for a musical) – but the director seemed reluctant to let any fun peep through even in the comic numbers.

The stage version of Les Miz is a story, told through song. The movie tried to tell the story visually, and tack the poorly-sung songs on, as a sort of appendage. With the exception of the revolution numbers (“I can Hear the People Sing, Red and Black, Drink with Me”), it didn’t work. The realism marred the revolution scenes, too. There just weren’t enough revolutionaries to scare up a decent revolution. IN the play, the audience just assumed that there were extra forces off stage. The realism of the movie made it clear that there weren’t.

What's next? Anne Hathaway whispering the high notes in La Traviata? Richard Gere dancing the prince in Swan Lake (like he did in "Chicago")? Penelope Cruz as Carmen?

Life of Pi and Silver Linings were fun, but hardly memorable. The two leads in Silver Linings were just not quite believable enough or sympthetic enough to make anyone care about them.

I enjoyed Lincoln and Argo.

[Desolation]

I hope Django wins everything it's nominated for...It's the only "not safe" choice of the bunch. I enjoyed what I've seen of the other movies, but they're all so standard "GIVE ME AN OSCAR!" movies.

[Alexander III]

I hope Django wins everything it's nominated for...It's the only "not safe" choice of the bunch. I enjoyed what I've seen of the other movies, but they're all so standard "GIVE ME AN OSCAR!" movies.

yes yes yes

[MorpheusSandman]

they're all so standard "GIVE ME AN OSCAR!" movies.These types of films make up 95% of every year's Academy Award, which is why I simply don't bother anymore. Plus, they have a long track record of getting things just plain, bass-ackwards wrong.

[qimissung]

You boys. Of course the Oscars have rather ordinary movies. It's Hollywood, after all. They are never going to give the award to anything too unconventional.

I've only seen four of them, Les Miz, Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty, Django Unchained. You know, I enjoyed Silver Linings, but how did it even get nominated for Best Picture? Really? And Bradley Cooper for Best Actor? I thought he did a good job in it. I have not been interested in his body of work until this. I liked Les Miz, but Ecurb, your thoughts on it are so on the mark. I just liked the play so much better. When will they realize that plays and movies are not necessarily interchangeable? Oh right, when they can't make any money on it.

I was sort of hoping Rust and Bone would be nominated, or at least Marion Cotillard. But no. For Best Picture I think it will be Lincoln, best actor, Day Lewis, Best Director, Spielberg. For Best Actor Denzel Washington or Joaquin Phoenix would also get my vote. I really enjoyed Flight. The Master I found enigmatic; the relationship between the two leads was fascinating.

Best Actress, it's a toss up between Chastain, Riva and Watts. I hope to see Amour and The Impossible here pretty soon. But Naomi Watts is always thoughtful and luminous. Best Supporting Actor, Waltz or De Niro. Best Supporting Actress, yeah probably Anne Hathaway, but it would be fine with me if Helen Hunt won, or Sally Field.

I need to see Lincoln still and Amour and Beasts of the Southern Wild, The Sessions, and The Impossible. That last one is a little embarrassing, but I'll watch it. I mean out of that whole Tsunami thing and two white people are the ones they end up making the movie about. I wish I had some money to throw around. I think there's a good movie to be made with some of the people that it really affected. Unlike you guys, Django Unchained was not one of my favorites, nor do I think it was one of Tarantino's best. That's probably still Pulp Fiction. My personal favorite is Kill Bill: Volume Two. I mean, The Bride, come on! But Christopher Waltz is so compellingly watchable when he is on the screen. I love his voice, like liquid silk.

Have any of you all heard of this movie that will be showing at Sundance? :


About three years ago, Randy Moore, a struggling screenwriter living in Burbank, had an out-there idea: What if he took a tiny camera and, without asking permission, began shooting a narrative movie at Disney theme parks?


It's called Escape from Tomorrow; here's an article about it in the LA Times:


http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-sundance-2013-escape-from-tomorrow-disneyland-randy-moore-release-20130118,0,1748760.story

[islandclimber]

It always has shocked me that the Oscars take such a myopic view of cinema. American and english language only pretty much. It would be nice to see foreign films compete for best picture. And foreign actors and actresses compete for those awards as well.

Denis Lavant's performance in Carax's latest "Holy Motors" was by far the acting performance of the year, if not of this new decade. He gave life to a character unlike anything in cinematic history, and showcased a versatility (brilliantly I might add) unmatched in the world of acting, all in a single film. It's a travesty that he is absent from this list, and that "Holy Motors" did not receive a nomination for best foreign film.

[MorpheusSandman]

Even when it comes to their best foreign film noms, they're almost always films in the American/Western mode of filmmaking. I mean, it's understandable in the sense that America has undoubtedly had the biggest influence in terms of cinema worldwide, but if you're looking overseas for the best films I'd think they'd be more interested in the unusual and original. As I said in the "last movie you saw" thread, Dogtooth may not have been a great film, but it was refreshing to see something so startlingly original up for best foreign film... but of course it loses to the utterly conventional In a Better World.

[Pierre Menard]

These types of films make up 95% of every year's Academy Award, which is why I simply don't bother anymore. Plus, they have a long track record of getting things just plain, bass-ackwards wrong.


I still bother in the sense that I'll watch it, but yes, I put very little stock in the Academy and it's opinion. It's pretty meh.

[MorpheusSandman]

It is strangely watchable, however little one cares for the results. I do think the Academy respects the art and magic of filmmaking, and I think the ceremony tends to reflect that... I just think their tastes tend to suck.

[OrphanPip]

Well the Academy will always commend the most prestige because it is the body of American actors, directors, producers, and various technical staff that determine the results. The tastes are conventional because there's such a large body of people (5783 voting members as of 2012 according to wiki) involved in determining the results, but they are a large body of people who have given much of their life to film as an art.

I'm more surprised by the conventional tastes of the Golgen Globes voters, who are members of the foreign press.

[qimissung]

It always has shocked me that the Oscars take such a myopic view of cinema. American and english language only pretty much. It would be nice to see foreign films compete for best picture. And foreign actors and actresses compete for those awards as well.

Denis Lavant's performance in Carax's latest "Holy Motors" was by far the acting performance of the year, if not of this new decade. He gave life to a character unlike anything in cinematic history, and showcased a versatility (brilliantly I might add) unmatched in the world of acting, all in a single film. It's a travesty that he is absent from this list, and that "Holy Motors" did not receive a nomination for best foreign film.

I've heard good things about "Holy Motors," and it's on my list of movies to see, IslandClimber.

[islandclimber]

I've heard good things about "Holy Motors," and it's on my list of movies to see, IslandClimber.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

[faithosaurus]

I'm really hoping Jennifer wins best actress. She's so talented.

And Django Unchained was awesome; better than I thought it would be.

[qimissung]

Saw Amour. It has moved to the top of my list. I wish it would win, although I think that's unlikely.

[islandclimber]

Amour is such a splendid film. It's nice to see it was nominated for best picture, Haneke for best director, Rivas for best actress. Yet, Jean-Louis Trintignant, was so magical in this film and was a huge snub. His performance and Lavant's in Holy Motors were certainly the best of the year on the male side of the coin (with Mads Mikkelsen and Daniel Day Lewis as honourable mentions here)...

[qimissung]

He was magical, wasn't he!?

[DSsentialDScott]

I need to have an Oscar Weekend and watch most of these nominees. I've heard good things about Zero Dark Thirty and the extended previews for Les Mis looked very promising in theaters. Django was overhyped by a lot of my friends so I put off seeing it until I can be a little more objective (when people oversell movies for me, I tend to feel let-down if it doesn't meet my inflated expectations).

But, I do think Seth MacFarlane will be an entertaining host. I saw him host another live, televised event (I forget what it was now), but he was pretty funny.

[qimissung]

Looking forward to the show tomorrow. I personally think the best part are the winner's speeches. Why does no one else like themmmm??? I hate when they play the music and try to hustle them off the stage. Not only is it their big moment, I would think, ostensibly, it's why we're all watching.

Anywho, I found this article on Oscar-nominated film-editors which was quite interesting:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/22/showbiz/movies/oscar-nominated-editors-ew/index.html?iref=allsearch

I never did manage to see Argo or Lincoln. Oh well. Would I enjoy them, do you think? I don't really care for politics, although I do find Lincoln the man interesting.

[Desolation]

Lincoln's good. I mean, it's the kind of movie that you really enjoy when you're watching, but hardly think about after you leave the theater (which, unfortunately, seems to be the case with many of the recent top Oscar picks). Daniel Day-Lewis naturally delivers an amazing performance. It should be noted that the movie focuses entirely on the last few months of his life, though, and is mostly concerned with politics.

I never could gather up the energy to care about Argo or Zero Dark Thirty, but I might check them out once they hit RedBox.

[qimissung]

Thanks, Desolation. Actually, I enjoyed Zero Dark Thirty. I would probably enjoy Argo, also, although I'm sure there's little about it to separate it from the herd, so to speak.

[OrphanPip]

Argo is still getting flak in Canada for making it seem like the CIA was primarily responsible for saving the US citizens. It was an alright movie though.

[qimissung]

What?!? Americans take credit for something they didn't do? I find that very hard to believe. :D Here's a little something about it:


http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2013/02/23/ken_taylor_former_canadian_ambassador_still_feels_ slighted_by_argo.html

[TheFifthElement]

Argo is still getting flak in Canada for making it seem like the CIA was primarily responsible for saving the US citizens. It was an alright movie though.
Equally so in Britain as the film portrays the British embassy staff as having turned away the Americans but in fact they took them in at great personal risk. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/9622647/Ben-Afflecks-new-film-Argo-upsets-British-diplomats-who-helped-Americans-in-Iran.html

Should a movie which is such a gross misrepresentation win any plaudits?

[Emil Miller]

Well it's not the first time US film makers have let the facts get in the way of a good storyline. Objective Burma ( starring Errol Flynn ) implied that the US was a major player in the WWII Burma campaign.

'Even though it was based on the exploits of Merrill's Marauders, the film was withdrawn from release in the United Kingdom after it infuriated British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and drew protests about the Americanization of an almost entirely British, Indian and Commonwealth conflict.'

Then there is the more recent U-571 about the capture of an Enigma code machine.

'According to U-571, it was the US Navy that recovered the code machine, but the device was really captured by the crew of HMS Bulldog.
They disabled and seized German submarine U-110 to retrieve the device.'

But then the American cinema's view of history has often, though not entirely, been erratic to the point of being laughable. The Agony and the Ecstasy, about Michelangelo's painting of the Sistine Chapel, comes to mind. One critic's view was: 'The vulgarity of the whole concept has none of the joyfully enthusiastic philistinism of a de Mille; rather its tone is a dry, almost cynical, condescension.'

[qimissung]

Equally so in Britain as the film portrays the British embassy staff as having turned away the Americans but in fact they took them in at great personal risk. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/9622647/Ben-Afflecks-new-film-Argo-upsets-British-diplomats-who-helped-Americans-in-Iran.html

Should a movie which is such a gross misrepresentation win any plaudits?

Probably not, but it will not stop them if they are intent on doing so, I assure you (and as you well know :D).

But on a more serious note, there is the matter of adapting material taken from real life and imposing a narrative designed for the screen on it. Something has to go, it can't all be up there on the screen. This question was also addressed concerning the events in zero Dark Thirty and in the Chilean film No.

And Emil, not to mention one of my favorite movies The Great Escape which is based on real events, none of which included Americans (sorry, Steve McQueen).

[Tabac]

The Comcast homepage yesterday had someone listing his choices for 10 Worst Best-Picture-Awards, followed by his choice for the one that should have received the Oscar. These went back as far as the eary 40s. It was interesting. I think the article is still available today.

[qimissung]

My favorite Oscar presenter was short and rather furry. :D

[faithosaurus]

So...I may have cried when Jen won best actress. Tears of joy.

[MystyrMystyry]

Yes indeed, Faithosaurus :)

[Snowqueen]

Jenifer Lawrence is a good actress and she looked very pretty. I cried when she fell!


My favorite Oscar presenter was short and rather furry. :D

I admit he was cute. :D

[Calidore]

I never actually realized it before, but hearing about the 50th anniversary tribute at the Oscars made it click that all the James Bond actors from the 50 years of the series are still alive. I can't believe the Oscars didn't want to get them all together on stage because they'd just be "standing around awkwardly." What a huge boat to miss. On the other hand, apparently they did bring out 76-year-old Shirley Bassey to sing "Goldfinger" live, which I'm going to have to look up on Youtube.

For those who saw the show, how was the Bond celebration?

[qimissung]

That's a very good idea, Calidore. I wonder why they didn't do that? That would have been a lot of fun. I thought Shirley Bassey did a good job. I think the song was the extent of the celebration, that and a brief montage.

So, how did everyone like the results? I wish "Lincoln" and "Zero Dark Thirty" had gotten more awards; I didn't pick any winners this year, although I did have some favorites.

Thank you, Snowqueen. I know you're feelings about him. :D I guess the word is that by using Seth McFarlane we got, well, Seth McFarlane. Go figure. :D

[Snowqueen]

.

Thank you, Snowqueen. I know you're feelings about him. :D I guess the word is that by using Seth McFarlane we got, well, Seth McFarlane. Go figure. :D

:lol: You know me well now, Qimi. Seth McFarlane was a good host too. lol

[Adolescent09]

As a person who has been suffering with bipolar disorder for years, I find Cooper's depiction of bipolar quite laughable. Silver Linings Playbook has a lot of big names, lots of flash, and 0 substance. Man, what a crappy snoozefest.

[qimissung]

Well, you would know better than I, but the director's son also has bipolar disorder. I have a family member who has struggled with depression, and a few of the scenes with his family struck very close to home for me. On the whole, I was just kinda glad to see mental illness depicted on the big screen, and to see these people grappling with it while actually trying to live their lives, and make them good lives.

[Shaman_Raman]

I watched the second half of it. I actually enjoyed Seth MacFarlane, although I'm a Family Guy fan, so that may make me biased. Did anyone find it weird for Michelle Obama to present the last award? Not that it's the end of the world, it just seemed to be unnecessary. I would have rather seen Jack Nicholson crack more jokes, he's an amazingly comic actor who no one sees too much of in the public light.

[Adolescent09]

Well, you would know better than I, but the director's son also has bipolar disorder. I have a family member who has struggled with depression, and a few of the scenes with his family struck very close to home for me. On the whole, I was just kinda glad to see mental illness depicted on the big screen, and to see these people grappling with it while actually trying to live their lives, and make them good lives.

I'm going really overboard this evening, qimi, and I apologize for my impertinence. I've had a lousy day and I am prone to vent when I am upset (just like everyone else). I really didn't think the movie was terrible, I just get upset when I see foreign movies and 'underground' movies too obscure to even be classified as 'independent' that get ignored by the academy when they are far better candidates for rewards... in my opinion that is! :D

[qimissung]

I watched the second half of it. I actually enjoyed Seth MacFarlane, although I'm a Family Guy fan, so that may make me biased. Did anyone find it weird for Michelle Obama to present the last award? Not that it's the end of the world, it just seemed to be unnecessary. I would have rather seen Jack Nicholson crack more jokes, he's an amazingly comic actor who no one sees too much of in the public light.

I agree. I think the Obamas are going in for the "we're just folks (who wear designer clothes, send our kids to private schools and run with the power elite of the world)" thing in a big way. That's the only explanation I can think of.


I'm going really overboard this evening, qimi, and I apologize for my impertinence. I've had a lousy day and I am prone to vent when I am upset (just like everyone else). I really didn't think the movie was terrible, I just get upset when I see foreign movies and 'underground' movies too obscure to even be classified as 'independent' that get ignored by the academy when they are far better candidates for rewards... in my opinion that is! :D

You weren't impertinent! I apologize for leaving that impression. :D And you are absolutely right on that score. I've more or less accepted the academy's limitations, but still I get annoyed at them. I mean, really? Argo? I haven't seen it yet, and I'm sure it's a decent movie, but such a safe choice. As one critic explained, it's one that puts the academy itself in a good light. Taking the whole self-congratulatory thing to a whole new level, imho. (:D)