For people like me – people that enjoy film that is – today is ‘holy’ day….well let’s just say holiday so we don’t sound sacrilegious. Today we honor all that is good and beautiful in film, and where we try to forget that we ever thought it was a good idea to Redbox “The Backup Plan”.
I know a lot of people think that the relevance of the Academy Awards is suspect. They feel that any award show that does not consider box office success as factor in determining awards is not in touch with the people. Well what I have to say about that is…a. ‘The people" are not that bright. If they were, we would not have to endure “Transformers 3” this summer., b. “The people” have their own show. It is called The People’s Choice Awards, and they are fully welcome to give “New Moon” (or whichever Twilight movie came out this year, I honestly cannot remember) their Best Picture award this year., and c. yes, it is true…choosing what is supposedly the best picture is subjective. But what isn’t subjective about art? Furthermore, I would argue that ‘Best’ does not mean ‘Most Popular’. Of course, those terms do not NEED to be mutually exclusive, but the reality is that they are more often than not.
There is also the other side of the debate. The one where ‘artsy’ people think that just because a film like “The Kings Speech” - which is quite beautiful in its subtlety - is not edgy enough or not enough loaded with moral ambiguity that it cannot be considered worthy of a Best Picture. I for one felt like “The Social Network” was the best film of last year, but I feel it in my very bones that “The Kings Speech” will win. And really how can one argue with the SAGs, the BAFTAs, the Directors Guild, The Producers Guild, etc. These are people who are experts in their fields, and they ALL think that “The Kings Speech” is the best movie of the year.
When I see a film I watch it with a more critical eye than most movie goers. I see editing, art direction, and cinematography…I notice sound, musical score, continuity…and I absolutely take note of writing and acting. All of these things make up the whole of a movie. A movie worthy of Best Picture fires on all cylinders. These are the technical aspects of a film. And in a sense they can be measured. What is more ambiguous is the art of the film. And this is where people diverge in opinion. For me…art is something that evokes an emotion, which ultimately inspires action. I do not require a happy ending, but I do require a feeling that there is some sort of redemptive value in the end. This is probably why I really didn’t like “There will be Blood” and why I can’t quite fully dismiss “127 Hours” even though I didn’t love that film.
I will be the first to admit that the Academy doesn’t always get it right. Case in point…”Shakespeare in Love” should never have beat out “Saving Private Ryan” for Best Picture. Tommy Lee Jones for “The Fugitive” should have never beat out Ralph Fiennes for “Schindlers List”, etc. But…having said that, I would still rather see “Shakespeare in Love” win an Oscar than “Dude, Where’s My Car”.
Anyway, I could go on about this for hours. But back to the frivolity…Oscar Sunday is a day to be celebrated with Shrimp Cocktail, Sparkling Cider, and treats. For me this day is like what it must feel like for people on Super Bowl Sunday or Daytona 500 day, if you are into those sorts of things. And I know there are those of you out there mocking my excitement, but I say to you… seriously? And you think it is fun to watch 4 hours of cars driving around in circles? Meh…to each their own, right?
With that I leave you with my Top Ten Films of 2010 list and my Oscar predictions for the major categories. I now need to rest up for tonight.
1. Social Network
2. Kings Speech
3. Toy Story 3
4. Black Swan
5. The Town
6. Inception
7. The Fighter
8. The Illusionist
9. Never Let Me Go
10. Winters Bone
Oscar Predictions - 2011
I know a lot of people think that the relevance of the Academy Awards is suspect. They feel that any award show that does not consider box office success as factor in determining awards is not in touch with the people. Well what I have to say about that is…a. ‘The people" are not that bright. If they were, we would not have to endure “Transformers 3” this summer., b. “The people” have their own show. It is called The People’s Choice Awards, and they are fully welcome to give “New Moon” (or whichever Twilight movie came out this year, I honestly cannot remember) their Best Picture award this year., and c. yes, it is true…choosing what is supposedly the best picture is subjective. But what isn’t subjective about art? Furthermore, I would argue that ‘Best’ does not mean ‘Most Popular’. Of course, those terms do not NEED to be mutually exclusive, but the reality is that they are more often than not.
There is also the other side of the debate. The one where ‘artsy’ people think that just because a film like “The Kings Speech” - which is quite beautiful in its subtlety - is not edgy enough or not enough loaded with moral ambiguity that it cannot be considered worthy of a Best Picture. I for one felt like “The Social Network” was the best film of last year, but I feel it in my very bones that “The Kings Speech” will win. And really how can one argue with the SAGs, the BAFTAs, the Directors Guild, The Producers Guild, etc. These are people who are experts in their fields, and they ALL think that “The Kings Speech” is the best movie of the year.
When I see a film I watch it with a more critical eye than most movie goers. I see editing, art direction, and cinematography…I notice sound, musical score, continuity…and I absolutely take note of writing and acting. All of these things make up the whole of a movie. A movie worthy of Best Picture fires on all cylinders. These are the technical aspects of a film. And in a sense they can be measured. What is more ambiguous is the art of the film. And this is where people diverge in opinion. For me…art is something that evokes an emotion, which ultimately inspires action. I do not require a happy ending, but I do require a feeling that there is some sort of redemptive value in the end. This is probably why I really didn’t like “There will be Blood” and why I can’t quite fully dismiss “127 Hours” even though I didn’t love that film.
I will be the first to admit that the Academy doesn’t always get it right. Case in point…”Shakespeare in Love” should never have beat out “Saving Private Ryan” for Best Picture. Tommy Lee Jones for “The Fugitive” should have never beat out Ralph Fiennes for “Schindlers List”, etc. But…having said that, I would still rather see “Shakespeare in Love” win an Oscar than “Dude, Where’s My Car”.
Anyway, I could go on about this for hours. But back to the frivolity…Oscar Sunday is a day to be celebrated with Shrimp Cocktail, Sparkling Cider, and treats. For me this day is like what it must feel like for people on Super Bowl Sunday or Daytona 500 day, if you are into those sorts of things. And I know there are those of you out there mocking my excitement, but I say to you… seriously? And you think it is fun to watch 4 hours of cars driving around in circles? Meh…to each their own, right?
With that I leave you with my Top Ten Films of 2010 list and my Oscar predictions for the major categories. I now need to rest up for tonight.
1. Social Network
2. Kings Speech
3. Toy Story 3
4. Black Swan
5. The Town
6. Inception
7. The Fighter
8. The Illusionist
9. Never Let Me Go
10. Winters Bone
Oscar Predictions - 2011
Best Picture: The Kings Speech
Best Director: David Fincher for The Social Network
Best Actor: Colin Firth for The Kings Speech
Best Actress: Natalie Portman for Black Swan
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale for The Fighter
Best Supporting Actress: Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit
Best Animated Film: Toy Story 3
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Kings Speech
Best Original Screenplay: The Social Network
1 comments:
Ummm, I need to get out more. I haven't seen any of the movies on your top 10 list including Toy Story 3. I do have that one on DVD, but I haven't ever set down watched it with Delaney. I need to do that!
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