Last year, I nailed 18 out of 24 categories and still lost our annual Oscar Smackdown to my wife....on a tiebreaker. Coming off another loss to the wife in the Grammy Challenge, I really need this one. Desperately.
So, here we go:
Leading Actor: Jeff Bridges
Leading Actress: Sandy Bullock
Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz
Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique
Animated Feature: I didn't like Up at all, but it will win. It didn't offer anything new to the Pixar canon, just the same old sentimental, nostalgia for childhood button pushing. Fantastic Mr. Fox was much more fun to watch.
Art Direction: Avatar
Cinematography: The Hurt Locker
Costume Design: The Young Victoria. Haven't seen it, but it's a period piece about royalty. It's required to win.
Directing: Kathyrn Bigelow. She's come a long way since Point Break and James Cameron hasn't.
Documentary Feature: I already told you The Cove was great.
Documentary Short: The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant
Film Editing: The Hurt Locker. Great tension in the editing.
Foreign Language Film: Peru is nominated for the first time, but will lose to Germany and The White Ribbon.
Makeup: Star Trek, I guess.
Original Score: Up
Original Song: "The Weary Kind" Again, there's some Academy law that says T-Bone Burnett is required to win when nominated.
Short Film Animated: A Matter of Loaf and Death. You can't go against Wallace and Gromit.
Short Film Live Action: The Door. This category is where Oscar championships live and die. It's a crapshoot.
Sound Editing: Avatar
Sound Mixing: Avatar
Visual Effects: Duh. Avatar.
Screenplay Adapted: Up in the Air
Screenplay Original: Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds
Best Picture: Up in the Air is my kind of movie, The Hurt Locker was just OK, and Inglourious Basterds was really fun and entertaining, but I can't deny the power of Avatar.
You can hear a recap of the results tomorrow morning at 7:05 a.m. right here on WPCC Sports Radio 1410.
5 comments:
I gotta disagree that Up didn't bring anything new to Pixar. The one thing that struck me about the film was how different it was... For one, it introduces kids pretty frankly (especially in the beginning) to very adult issues like loss/death, life regrets, unrealized dreams and lifelong procrastination — the bitter griefs of old age. And all this makes the message of the rest of the film all the more provoking to the adult, as trite as it may be — carpe diem.
The characters are, from an animation standpoint, certainly the best humans Pixar has ever produced — constantly expressive and rather endearing, the essence of human expression is reproduced really well especially in old Carl. Yeah, Boo from Monsters, Inc. was sickeningly adorable and will always be my favorite, but Carl is more realistic and interesting. And Carl is, IMO, among the most rounded and tangible characters in the Pixar pantheon (certainly the best human).
To wrap this up I'll just add that I enjoyed the 3D experience — the 3D effects were for the most part pretty subtle and just added to the immersion rather than constantly shoving 3D objects in front of my nose like so many had done before.
Sure it wasn't perfect and the interaction was meh at times, but all-in-all it was my favorite Pixar film since Monsters, Inc. (though Finding Nemo and WALL-E are strong contenders for their own reasons). I'd say Up brought realism and relevance more so than any other Pixar flick, with an actual dose of inspiration and motivation.
/end Pixar_geekout
I appreciate your comments, Phi Z.
I realize I'm in the minority on this one. I just didn't feel good about Up.
I think the consultation with the fertility specialist in the opening montage put me off and they just couldn't get me back after that. Then the talking dogs came on and blew the rest for me.
I was absolutely blown away by Wall-E, especially the first 40 minutes or so, and I was hoping to have the same experience with Up.
So... who won? You or the wife?
Yeah, I will admit those dog translator collars were terribly off-putting, but thankfully also forgettable.
I don't know how you do it. But you always do it.
-Brownie
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