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The Oscars: It’s been fun!


This post might be a little long because this will be my last post regarding this year’s Oscars season. This blog is fairly new (nearly one month old), but I have made lots of posts regarding this year’s movie award season. But…there’s something else. This is the first year I’ve REALLY followed the Award season. I mean, I’ve always loved the Oscars…but I’ve usually been more of a casual observer than a serious analyzer. Last year, my interest in the Oscars grew with the release of such movies as Precious, Avatar and The Blind Side. But this year, truly, I’ve become really invested in the awards…mostly because the Oscar bait movies of this year have been SO good!

I think the biggest thing I learned is that Awards are crazy political. And I don’t mean “political” as in “liberal vs. conservative”, I mean political as in “movie studios campaign like crazy”. And the campaigning actually pays off. I don’t mean to offend anyone, because The King’s Speech is a really beautiful movie…but Harvey Weinstein played the game…and it paid off. The King’s Speech walked away, not only with Oscars for Picture, Direction and Writing…but also all the Guild awards (except the WGA because it wasn’t eligible). But…if you’re going to become fully invested in these awards, that’s something you gotta accept. And that’s OK. I guess in a way it makes this whole race a little more exciting. I think the Oscars are a decent balance of  ”politics and actual talent”.

But, anyway, enough about that. Let’s talk about the actual ceremony. I think you all should read my live blog of it from that night. It’s a quick, snappy easy read that really details most of my thoughts on the wins and presenters. So…read it!

But, quickly…how did Anne and James do? I have to mostly agree with the general consensus. Anne Hathaway was stronger than James Franco. She was lively and energetic. She sang well (although her moment was weirdly interrupted by James Franco walking on stage wearing a dress. Why?) James, well, he looked weird. Awkward. Very nervous. There was SO much hype surrounding this ceremony. It seemed like people either thought they’d be amazing, or completely bomb. And, with the fact that he was a nominee, I think James just had so much pressure on him.

But, honestly, Roger Ebert called this the worst ceremony he has ever watched. While I do think this ceremony was weaker than some from the past (Ellen, Hugh, Jon, Chris, Steve, Alec), I…believe the hosts did an admirable job. I really really enjoyed the opening montage. It was very cliche, but I enjoyed it a lot. The opening monologue was kind of weak, but having their mom’s speak at them from the audience was a cute touch. So…honestly…the ceremony was a disappointment…but I’m not as bitter or negative as the mass general audience was. Oh well!

Who would I like to see host next year? Tina Fey…with either Amy Poehler, Steve Carell, Alec Baldwin or Steve Martin…or maybe just Tina Fey alone. Moral of the story: get Tina Fey!

And, honestly, hopefully, Anne Hathaway will get another chance in a few years with a better co-host.

How do I feel about the winners? Very predictable. By the time Tom Hooper beat David Fincher for Best Direction, I pretty much knew The King’s Speech was going all the way. None of my favorite favorites really won, but I expected that and I accepted it. And, really, all the winners were very deserving. And the speeches were really nice. Colin Firth was witty, but he choked up at the end. Natalie Portman looked really honored and happy and proud. And when she said she wished the award was the chance to work with the other nominated actresses, I think that was the most sincere thing I heard anyone say during that ceremony. Very sweet.

I was dreading Christian Bale’s speech. But he sounded good. And his speech was easy to listen to. And he too choked up and that made it the more genuine. Aaron Sorkin and David Seidler (the writers) had great speeches because…um…they’re writers! And I really liked how Colleen Atwood (Costume designer for Alice), just read her well worded speech from a piece of paper. I don’t see why more people don’t do that. Many people see it as a sign of “cockiness” and “insincerity”…I see it as a sign of “having a lot to say and wanting to make sure they say it!” Luke Matheny (dude with the Napoleon Dynamite hair who won for Best Short)  BTW is my hero. I hope he doesn’t get a haircut!

By far the best moment of the night for me was Kirk Douglas announcing Best Supporting Actress. So funny. C’mon guys! And I thought Melissa Leo was funny and charming and genuine.

While I’m on that note. Once again, we are reminded, when predicting the winners, it’s always best to just go safe. So I laugh at the people who thought Annette Bening would beat Natalie Portman. Hailee Steinfeld would beat Melissa Leo. Geoffrey Rush would beat Christian Bale. Christopher Nolan would beat David Seidler for Best Screenplay. I laugh at you guys for trying to create more controversy and drama when there didn’t need to be. I don’t know why people made such a big deal out of Melissa Leo’s “Consider” posters, but clearly the Academy does not care. Moving on…

Again, check out my live blog for more recaps on that night.

So…this is it. The Movie Awards season is officially over. There are a few more movie awards that I usually follow that have yet to announce their winners (Saturn Awards, NAACP Image Awards, Young Artists Awards)…but those are “lesser awards” that don’t really matter much. The Awards season is over. And it’s been fun. It’s so weird thinking back to November and how much the race has changed.

OK…it hasn’t changed that much! Most people, even back then, predicted The King’s Speech would win the big one. But a lot of people also thought Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter would win for their respective categories. But, slowly, Christian Bale and Melissa Leo both crept up the race and became clear (deserving) front runners. Many also thought Bill Murray, Matt Damon and the ladies from Black Swan would get Supporting nominations…but that didn’t happen. And of course, Andrew Garfield was deemed a front runner and a lock for a nomination…until people discovered how awesome John Hawkes was.

In terms of the Lead acting categories…not much changed either. Colin Firth and Natalie Portman have always been front runners. Actually, Black Swan was pretty much the first “Oscar buzz” movie I heard about. I think the gap between Natalie Portman and Annette Bening was much closer back in November…but, really, by the time the Broadcast Film Critics Awards came around, most people agreed Natalie Portman was miles ahead of her competition. I remember Lesley Manville getting A LOT of buzz early on…but it tragically died down and she unsurprisingly ended up with nothing nada zip. Also, of course, many people thought Robert Duvall was safe a nomination…but was bested by Javier Bardem.

And with every movie season, there are movies like Nine and Lovely Bones that start out with so much buzz…but it’s later killed by poor (or severely mixed) critical reception and/or box office. Those movies this year include Love and Other Drugs, For Colored Girls, Hereafter, Never Let Me Go, and How Do You Know.

And then there were movies like Blue Valentine, Buried, Scott Pilgrim, Made in Dagenham, Rabbit Hole, Another Year, and The Way Back that never really got much awards attention despite glowing reviews. It was a tough year, man.

But, this movie season has allowed me to discover many a movie, and that is why I am pleased to reveal my personal top 10. Granted, I have not seen every movie that came out in 2010, but if I stumble upon one and it changes my life for the better, I’ll immediately update this list.

MY TOP 10 in order to best to “least best” (for now…):

  1. Rabbit Hole
  2. The Kids are All Right
  3. 127 Hours
  4. Easy A
  5. The Fighter
  6. Winter’s Bone
  7. The Social Network
  8. Despicable Me
  9. Never Let Me Go
  10. Date Night

Hm…is there really anything else I need to say about this Awards season? Not really. Just that it was a fun ride and I look forward to next year.

But that doesn’t mean this blog is over. There’s still the Emmys, The Tonys, and more TV recaps (Glee!) and more! So keep readin’ and keep livin’ life!

Thanks for reading!

2011
02/28
CATEGORY
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OSCAR PREDICTIONS


It’s weird. I haven’t been writing many posts on the Movie Award season lately. I’ve been so focused on Glee and The Grammys that the Oscars have sort of been on my back burner. But, let’s be honest, the period between post-BAFTA Awards and the Oscars are kinda dull. By this time, everyone has seen the movies (well at least the ones that matter) and already have an opinion. So what more is there to talk about? Well…since I’ve been absent from this debate, before I get on with the predictions, I’m going to bullet point my thoughts on a few issues that have come up.

  • Melissa Leo. Why, Melissa Leo? Didn’t you realize you were the bonified front runner? She may have lowered her chances with her weird display of desperation. I don’t think it’s a HUGE deal, but it was pretty stupid of her. She needs to do what most actors do…pretend not to care about awards until they win that award. It’s just the way it is. At least she made the Supporting Actress race more interesting!
  • and…um…that’s really it…see what I mean? DULL…

Let’s get on with the predictions. For a full list of nominees, click here.

BEST PICTURE:

Will Win: I have stayed up nights thinking this through. I am shocked that The King’s Speech is doing so well after The Social Network won all the Critics Awards. Most people are predicting that TKS is going to win. That seems to be the safest choice. But, you know what, if I predict that TKS is going to win and TSN ends up winning, I’d feel pretty crummy for not going with my gut. So, you know what? That’s it. I believe that despite everything else, The Social Network is going to prevail this Sunday. When was the last time a British film won? Like 10 years ago? I think the Academy is edgier than that.

Who I’d Like To See Win: Either one of those films winning would satisfy me. Actually any of these 10 nominees. This is truly a strong bunch of films. However, 127 Hours has virtually gotten no love this Award Season. That’s crazy considering this film is truly a work of art. It just is art. So, even though I know that movie has NO CHANCE in hell, the movie will always be a winner in my heart.

BEST LEADING ACTOR:

Will Win: Jeff Bridges and Javier Bardem are pretty much 4th and 5th in this race. And that’s OK. They’ve already won (and they were very recent wins). I don’t think the Academy would foolishly give them another Oscar so soon. James Franco (127 Hours) is hosting, but I think that would ultimately hurt him more than it would help him (like when Neil Patrick Harris hosted the Emmys when he was clearly a front runner to win…but he lost). Yeah…Colin Firth is going to win here for his great performance in The King’s Speech.

Who I’d Like to See Win: I don’t want to over praise one movie in this post, but James Franco and Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) gave the best male performances this year…but I think Colin Firth is overdue and older than those two nominees. And I have to admit, what Colin Firth did in the movie was impressive. I’d like to see Colin Firth win.

BEST LEADING ACTRESS:

Will Win: Is this a trick question? Many people for some reason think Annette Bening is going to win. No…just no. I LOVED her performance in The Kids are All Right and early in the season I was hoping she’d be the front runner in the race…but let’s face the facts, she isn’t. The winner will be Natalie Portman (Black Swan).

Who I’d Like to See Win: In  my opinion, Natalie Portman is only stronger than Michelle Williams. I think the strongest person technically in the category is Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole). But does Kidman REALLY need another Oscar? With the way her career was headed, this nomination was her award. I’d actually love to see the young Jennifer Lawrence win for her extremely understated performance in Winter’s Bone.


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

Will Win: Geoffrey who? It has to be/It’s gotta be Christian Bale for The Fighter. Yes, Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech) did beat Bale at the BAFTAs, but so what? The British are naturally going to prefer British actors and movies. I don’t even know why they nominate American movies. There is no reason why Bale can’t win the Oscar.

Who I’d Like to See Win: Christian Bale gave a wonderful performance. But, c’mon, I hate his rambling speeches. And besides, how amazing would it be to see John Hawkes win after so little buzz and so much doubt. It would be a beautiful “Esperanza Spalding” moment. But, clearly, I wouldn’t begrudge a Bale win.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

Will Win: Before Melissa Leo sent those weird “Consider” ads, most people agreed that Leo was the clear front runner. But now, this race has gotten much more interesting. Jacki Weaver and Amy Adams have not gotten any more buzz, but the buzz for Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) has grown, and with her BAFTA win, many are saying Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech) could win. Yes…those two could. But they won’t. I’d like to think the Academy would be smart enough to disregard those ads and vote based who they think is the best. If that’s the case, then I think veteran actress Melissa Leo (The Fighter) will still win…but probably by a pretty small margin.

Who I’d Like to See Win: But me? I think Amy Adams was the best thing about The Fighter. I’m biased because she’s one of my favorite actress, but I’d love to see her win an Oscar after 3 nominations!

BEST DIRECTING:

Will Win: Again, this is pretty much between The King’s Speech’s Tom Hooper (who won the DGA) and The Social Network’s David Fincher (who won every other award…but they were lesser awards nonetheless). I think if I’m going to predict The Social Network to win Best Picture, then there’s no reason why I wouldn’t pick David Fincher as my prediction pick.

Who I’d Like to See Win: Hmm…I guess I’d have to say David Fincher again. The way he directed this movie was unconventional and different and relevant. He really deserves the award considering the nominees. There were better directed movies that didn’t make the cut, but I won’t get into that. DF 4 da WIN!

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

Will Win: This is a tough one actually. The screenplays for Another Year and The Fighter are pretty much out of the race. I’m tempted to say The Kids Are All Right but that might be wishful thinking on my part. The Academy got so much criticism for snubbing Christopher Nolan for Best Direction, they might respond to that by giving him an Oscar for his Inception screenplay. But I’m gonna play it safe and predict David Seidler for The King’s Speech…I mean if The King’s Speech is such a front runner to win Best Picture, I see no reason why it wouldn’t win this award.

Who I’d Like to See Win: Like 127 Hours, another underrated gem has been the Comedy-Drama The Kids are All Right. The Academy’s never been afraid to give the quirkier movie the Oscars (Little Miss Sunshine, Juno, Eternal Sunshine). I’m afraid that’s probably not going happen this year…but it would be so cool if Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg won for their daring movie.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

Will Win: Does this even require analysis? This is the part of the Movie Awards season where everything becomes extremely predictable. Even if The Social Network loses Best Picture and Direction, Aaron Sorkin is definitely going to win. He just is. Deal with it.

Who I’d Like to See Win: Well…honestly…I’d like to see Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy win for 127 Hours. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. It’s such a great movie. And the fact they were able to take this one man memoir and turn it into a relevant and inspirational feature film is just fascinating.

BEST ANIMATED FILM:

Will Win: Hmm…well How to Train Your Dragon did win the Annie Award. But that’s because Disney and Pixar are lame-os who are still holding a grudge over Kung Fu Panda beating Wall-E like a billion years ago (two thoroughly mediocre forgettable movies…but I guess Wall-E was better…but that’s not the point). Anyway, it was very obvious that HTTYD was going to win that award, just like it’s obvious that Toy Story 3 has this award in the bag. (I mean…it was nominated for Best Picture…so…yeah…)

Who I’d Like to See Win: You know what? I just watched The Illusionist. And I so would not complain if that small, French film won.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:

Will Win: Biutiful and In a Better World has been getting so much attention because Javier Bardem was nominated, and In a Better World won the Golden Globe. So…being familiar with how unpredictable this category is, I’m going to cross those two movies out. Algeria’s Outside The Law looks unknown and forgotten…I think Outside the Law will win.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:

Will Win: Hmm…this one’s hard. I’m gonna say Inception…actually I think Inception will take most of the technical awards.

BEST EDITING:

Will Win: How was Inception snubbed a nomination? WTF? Um…The Social Network…

Who I’d Like to See Win: 127 Hours

BEST ART DIRECTION:

Will Win: This is an instance where I think Alice in Wonderland will beat Inception.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN:

Will Win: I can see Alice in Wonderland taking this one too.

Who I’d Like to See Win: Alice in Wonderland needs to win this award. Not necessarily for the costumes in Wonderland, but for those beautiful “blue” costumes in the real world.

BEST MAKE UP:

Will Win: Best to play it safe: The Wolfman.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:

Will Win: Sigh…is The Social Network really the front runner in this category. Nah…I’m gonna go with The King’s Speech.

Who I’d Like to See Win: Anyone but The Social Network. (Great movie. Cool score…but the score wasn’t THAT great.)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:

Will Win: Hm…honestly…I think Alan Menken and Glenn Slater will win for “I See the Light” for movie Tangled.

BEST SOUND MIXING: and BEST SOUND EDITING:

Will Win: Inception will win both of these awards. Moving on.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:

Will Win: And Inception will win this one also.

Who I’d Like to See Win: It would be cool to see team behind Harry Potter win but…I guess we’ll have to wait until next year where they’ll probably have a much better chance.

BEST DOCUMENTARY:

Will Win: Exit it Through the Gift Shop.

Eh…sorry don’t care about short films. But hopefully we’ll see more controversy during the ceremony.

So those are my predictions! Some daring choices but hopefully it’ll pay off. Who do you think will win? Check back on Monday and Tuesday where I’ll recap the wins and the ceremony (if I have the chance to watch it.)

Thanks for reading.

2011
02/23
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Bubbling Under “Alternate-Oscar” Award Winners!!!


Sigh…let’s just get this over with…

For the nominations (and explanation of what the hell I was attempting) click here.

11th Best Picture:

WINNER: I hate to obsess over a movie yet again, but Rabbit Hole is one of the best, under-rated movies of 2010. Not to begrudge Nicole Kidman’s beautiful, very deserving performance, but her nomination seems a bit incomplete without Aaron Eckert and the actual movie next to her.

HOWEVER…realistically, The Town was the next one up. Most people even predicted that the movie would get nominated over Winter’s Bone or The Kids Are All Right. I, however, did not.

6th Best Leading Actor:

WINNER: It sucks that all of Mark Wahlberg’s co-stars got nominated for The Fighter, except Mark Wahlberg himself.

HOWEVER…I think if there were a 6th nominee, it would have been Ryan Gosling, and this is fueled by his Blue Valentine costar getting it on the “Actress” side. In my original predictions, I did say that Robert Duvall would get nominated over Javier Bardem. But now, I’m beginning to realize that Get Low lost a LOT of buzz between October of 2010 and now. However, Blue Valentine was slowly gaining buzz (esp. since it went from being rated NC-17 to R). I know I never mentioned this, but I believed that if one of them got the nomination, the other one would. I thought they were most likely going to be nominated together…if one of them were to get nominated (I know that makes no sense but bare with me!). That did not happen…but Michelle Williams’ nomination shows us that Blue Valentine was on the voters’ radar, thus I actually think Ryan Gosling was the next one up with Duvall at a close 7th.

6th Best Leading Actress:

WINNER: It would have been really awesome if Hailee Steinfeld had been nominated for LEAD.

AND YOU KNOW WHAT? I think Steinfeld (True Grit) was the next one up. It was probably really close, but I think she ultimately got higher ranked in Supporting category (well…obviously, right?)

6th Best Supporting Actress:

WINNER: Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) was snubbed.

AND ALSO…he was definitely the next one up. That is all.

6th Best Supporting Actor:

WINNER: Mila Kunis (The Black Swan) was also a front runner that I believe was snubbed. It’s upsetting…

BECAUSE…she was probably 6th.

6th Best Original Screenplay:

WINNER: There were better screenplays than these three…but if I had to pick one from this pick of front runners, I’d say the winner is Blue Valentine…

BUT…it’s quite clear that the clear front runner for a nomination was Black Swan.

6th Best Adapted Screenplay:

WINNER: Read the play, Rabbit Hole, then watch the movie. A very beautiful adaption.

BUT…The Town was probably the next one up

6th Best Director:

WINNER: Danny Boyle directs 127 Hours with so much heart, passion and inspiration. He should have been nominated!

BUT…Christopher Nolan’s snub caused much more controversy. He probably missed the nomination by a mere few points.

4th Best Animated Feature:

WINNER: Pixar isn’t the only studio that makes amazing animated films with heart. Anyone who didn’t cry watching Despicable Me is a robot.

YET…I knew it would come down to between Tangled and The Illusionist for that third spot. The Illusionist ended up joining TS3 and HTTYD, but I suspect Tangled was at a close 4th.

5th Best Original Song:

WINNER: The real nominations in this category disappointed me. Why couldn’t the Academy give Carrie Underwood the respect she deserves with her amazing “There’s a Place For Us” from the film Narnia.

HOWEVER…I suspect Dianne Warren’s “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” got plenty of votes…just not enough!

6th Best Original Score:

WINNER: The score for Never Let me Go was so beautiful. So remarkable. So British. Why wasn’t it nominated? Why?

BUT…In all honesty, the more agreed upon shocking snub was Danny Elfman’s Alice in Wonderland.

6th Best Documentary:

WINNER: I’m not going to lie, I have not seen any other documentary besides Waiting for Superman…but by-doggit, that movie is one of the best of the year!

AND…Waiting for Superman was probably closest to get a nomination.

OK…So, that’s that! That was fun. In awards news, I plan on predicting the BAFTA awards. Check around for those! Thanks for reading!

2011
02/08
CATEGORY
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Bubbling Under “Alternate-Oscar” Award Nominations!


Does it seem like I’m devoting too much time covering the Movie Award season? Well…I’m sorry. I’m trying to breakout and discuss other things. But this season has been SO exciting. I still cannot believe The King’s Speech is winning so many guild awards. Y’know, Academy voters, if you truly want to be spontaneous and create a “Crash beating Brokeback Mountain” moment…how about you give the big prize to 127 Hours? Or Jennifer Lawrence for Winter’s Bone? Hell! I wouldn’t even mind Jeremy Renner pulling a surprise win (even though I kinda think Andrew Garfield should’ve been nominated over him…) Anything! Let’s create some excitement!

Anyway, so many bloggers are making top 10 lists and even their own Award shows. I decided to do something different. I’m going to create an Awards where the nominees are contenders that were strong front runners for a nomination, but didn’t get one. That is to say, that if they ranked each of the categories 1 to 20, they would’ve been maybe 6-10, “bubbling under”. Get it? Bare with me.

This is literally what I think would have been 6th or 7th in each category. I don’t have any “secret insider knowledge”. I’m just guessing, I guess. It was just a fun experiment for me. I’m obsessed with these awards.

These nominations are, however, not my personal opinion! It’s just what I presume. The nominations are below. But later, I am going to announce the winners, and those actually will be my opinion (and I’m also going to offer insight as to which contender I actually believe got 6th…but they won’t necessarily be “the winner”). I’ve had so many views and readers (according to my stats) for the 3 weeks this blog has been live. It’s meant so much. But I don’t think I have a strong enough fanbase, so I’m not going to make fan voting very official. But…if you have any ideas or recommendations of what direction I should go towards, then feel free to email me at:

unassumingeuonym@gmail.com

OK Then…here are the nominations. For the real list of the real Oscar Nominations, click here.

11th BEST PICTURE:

Another Year

Blue Valentine

The Ghost Writer

Rabbit Hole

The Town

6th BEST LEADING ACTOR:

Johnny Depp-Alice in Wonderland

Leonardo DiCaprio-Inception

Robert Duvall-Get Low

Ryan Gosling-Blue Valentine

Mark Wahlberg-The Fighter

6th BEST LEADING ACTRESS:

Anne Hathaway-Love and Other Drugs

Lesley Manville-Another Year

Julianne Moore-The Kids Are All Right

Hailee Steinfeld-True Grit

Hilary Swank-Conviction

6th BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

Matt Damon-True Grit

Michael Douglas-Wall Street

Andrew Garfield-The Social Network

Sam Rockwell-Conviction

Justin Timberlake-The Social Network

6th BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

Marion Cotillard-Inception

Barbara Hershey-The Black Swan

Mila Kunis-Black Swan

Lesley Manville-Another Year

Dianne Wiest-Rabbit Hole

6th BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

Biutiful

Black Swan

Blue Valentine

6th BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

The Ghost Writer

Rabbit Hole

The Town

6th BEST DIRECTION:

Danny Boyle-127 Hours

Lisa Cholodenko-The Kids are All Right

Christopher Nolan-Inception

4th BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:

Despicable Me

Megamind

Tangled

5th BEST SONG:

“You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me”-Burlesque

“There’s a Place for us”-Narnia

“Shine”-Waiting for Superman

6th BEST SCORE:

Alice in Wonderland

Never Let me Go

Toy Story 3

6th BEST DOCUMENTARY:

The Lottery

The Tillman Story

Waiting for Superman

So, those are the nominations. Winners in a week. For your own input, email me at unassumingeuonym@gmail.com

I’m going to sleep now!

2011
02/01
CATEGORY
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SAG Awards Movie Predictions


So the SAG Awards are tomorrow night, presumably airing on TBS, or one of those other cable channels where the sitcom show reruns they air are more interesting than their original programs (kidding, guys!). But I am excited. I love these awards, mostly because it’s just one step closer to the Oscars…the more important award. Again kidding…actually Meryl Streep winning the SAG a couple years ago remains one of my favorite award show moments ever. The world’s greatest actress still gets excited about winning awards. Go figure!

Anyway, here are my predictions for all the categories. Full list of nominations here. For my TV award predictions, click here.

MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Will win: This is really easy. There is no way in hell Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) is winning this. James Franco might be a spoiler. But, at this point, it has to go to Colin Firth for his performance in The King’s Speech. If he loses, it’ll probably be one of the biggest snubs in the history of history!

Should win: I loved Colin Firth’s performance in The King’s Speech. It reminds me of Claire Danes performance in the TV movie Temple Grandin. Colin Firth’s character obviously has a mental problem, but it seems like Firth cares more about the emotions and insecurities behind the character, instead of perfecting a stutter. However, I feel like lately I’ve been rooting for Firth only  because one) he’s an older veteran actor who has never won before. And two) because he plays an undeniably difficult role. However, if I were to be true to my heart, I have to say it’s James Franco’s thoughtful performance in 127 Hours that gets me the most.

FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Will win: Annette Bening is an older, veteran actress that probably gets a lot of respect in the actor’s world. So I wouldn’t be too shocked if she won for The Kids Are All Right, especially since Meryl Streep did shockingly beat Kate Winslet a couple years ago. I think the SAGs sometimes show more respect towards older actresses. However, it would still be pretty silly not to make Natalie Portman (Black Swan) you’re first choice. She has received way too much buzz.

Should win: Portman winning would make me happy, but on my list, she’s literally in 4th place. It was really Nicole Kidman’s performance in Rabbit Hole that made me think the most.

MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Will win: Could Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech) pull an upset? Nah. Surely, most actors agree with the critics and the Hollywood Foreign Press: Christian Bale gave the strongest performance this year.

Should win: Let’s make a deal: Christian Bale can win the Oscar for his druggy, physically demanding performance in The Fighter. But how ’bout John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone) takes the final prize this time for his subtle, beautiful performance in this year’s under-the-radar gem.

FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Will win: Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) is officially in the race, but considering the SAGs track record…I think Melissa Leo will grab another award for her role in The Fighter.

Should win: After seeing The King’s Speech, I have officially fallen in love with Helena Bonham Carter. She was so calm, quiet, delicate and perfect in the movie. But, it would be so awesome if Amy Adams won, a performance I thought was stronger than Melissa Leo’s.

CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE

Will win: I had a really tough time with this one. For me, it came down between The Social Network and The Fighter. Some people people are saying The Fighter will win because it’s been dominating in the supporting categories, and because it won the Best Ensemble award at the Critics awards. But…I would fight that and say that Dreamgirls also won the SAG for best supporting actor and actress, but it did not win Best Cast a few years ago. Also, a couple years ago, Hairspray won the Critics Award for Best Ensemble but it did not win the SAG Award. Clearly, the SAGs have their own brains. Also in the last 15 years the SAGs have been in existence, most of the Best Cast winners have been bonified Best Picture front runners. It’s difficult because The Social Network didn’t really have much of a cast, but it is a huge front runner for Best Picture come Oscar time. I figure The voters are already going to award The Fighter for 2 awards…they may want to spread the love. So…that being said, if Slumdog Millionaire can win beating movies with “stronger, more traditional” ensembles like Doubt and Milk – movies with more recognizable, respected movie stars, then I think that The Social Network will win this one. (Although, I do this hesitantly, if I could choose more than one possibility, I’d put The Fighter up there.) So…The Social Network it is!

Should win: I’m crushed, however, that a true ensemble like The Kids are All Right isn’t getting more buzz. That movie would get my vote!

So, there it is. My predix and pix! This was a lot easier than the TV awards, I’ll tell you that. Check back soon for a recap after the SAG awards announce the winners. Bye for now!

2011
01/29
CATEGORY
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Oscar Nominations!!!


For a full list of nominations, click here or here or here. They’re everywhere!!!

OMG! The Oscar noms were announced this morning. A lot of excitement and buzz. Actually…there weren’t that many surprises, but I did get some of my earlier predictions wrong. Oh well! Well…let’s see what’s going on with each category.

PICTURE:

I got best picture 100% right. And I am soooo glad. Many people thought that The Town would take a nomination over Winter’s Bone or 127 Hours, but it didn’t. All I can say is: good! The Academy made the right choice. Again, I would have loved to seen Rabbit Hole…but it can’t be Christmas every day. Overall, no surprises here.

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE:

So Colin Firth, Jesse Eisenberg, James Franco and Jeff Bridges got nominated like expected…but Robert Duvall was snubbed in favor of Javier Bardem’s performance in Biutiful. I haven’t seen that movie, nor Get Low, so I have no idea how I feel about that. I guess I’m happy that something semi-shocking happened this morning. I’m just bummed that I predicted wrong. Javier Bardem and company campaigned hard, and he was awarded. As for the four other actors I mentioned earlier: their nominations = completely deserved!

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE:

OK! So I was wrong! Kill me! I thought Steinfeld would get a nomination for lead…instead she was nominated for supporting, leaving that “fifth spot” open for Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine). I’m not terribly shocked that Williams got nominated…I’m just shocked she got nominated while Gosling didn’t. I thought after Michelle Williams’ name was announced,  that Gosling would also be a lock. I guess, I dunno, voters liked her performance more…or maybe the “Actor” category is just a little more competitive. I dunno…but this is a great nomination. My views on the film may be mixed, but I think the performances were great. Way to go!

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:

First off, I am very excited and happy that John Hawkes got a nomination for Winter’s Bone. It was completely unexpected. I am psyched. However…I am pretty bummed that Andrew Garfield ended up getting snubbed. He gave two of the best performances this year (Social Network, Never Let me Go). I am pretty depressed that he didn’t end up with a nomination for either performance. But…the other nominees in the category are very strong. I dunno…I guess Garfield had to be the one left off. It’s times like these that I wish the categories were expanded from 5 to 6. Sigh. Moving on to more disappointing news…

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:

The ladies of The Fighter, Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech) and Hailee Steinfeld all got nominations. Because Steinfeld was not moved up to lead, Mila Kunis (Black Swan) ended up getting the boot in favor of Jacki Weaver for Animal Kingdom. I am neither a huge fan of the movie or the performance, but Weaver is a well respected older actress who, I guess, really deserves a chance. As for Kunis: all I can say is that she’s young and that there will be more opportunities for her. (And hey! A SAG nomination, a Golden Globe nomination and a Critics Choice nomination must somehow be equivalent to an Oscar nomination, right?). Lesley Manville and Barbara Hershey were also (unsurprisingly) snubbed.

DIRECTING:

I, for one, am pleased with these nominations. But DAY-UM, Christopher Nolan was snubbed for Inception. Most people (like me) thought he was a definite lock. This is a snub that everyone’s going to be talking about. Considering that I enjoyed the five movies that were actually nominated more, I personally am completely fine with this snub thankyou very much! And, hey, he still got a nomination for screenplay!

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

Fans of Another Year must be a little happy. Yes, Lesley Manville didn’t get the nomination, but at least Mike Leigh did for his screenplay. I didn’t predict him (I put Black Swan in his place), but I’m not too shocked about this either. Mike Leigh was nominated a couple years ago for Happy Go Lucky while the acclaimed star of the film, Sally Hawkins, got nothing nada zip! History repeating itself, y’all!

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

No surprises here. I predicted all five of these right. Yay!

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:

Same. I knew “The Illusionist” would take that spot (How to Train Your Dragon and Toy Story 3 were undeniable locks. At least Tangled got a Best Original Song nomination. So the big loser ended up being Despicable Me. It’s OK Despicable Me, I still love you!

OTHER OBSERVATIONS:

1. Waiting for Superman was terribly snubbed for “Best Documentary”. I thought it was a front runner…to win! I guess even the Oscar voters don’t care about the public school system!

2. Barney’s Version and The Way Back must have some really great makeup…both were nominated over more obvious choice Alice in Wonderland. Um…OK? I’m not judging. Whatevs. I guess I have to watch the movies to get it. The Wolfman also got nominated, which was the only prediction I got right in this category.

3. Must not be Alice in Wonderland’s morning. John Powell’s score for How to Train Your Dragon was nominated over Danny Elfman’s Alice in Wonderland. I do not object to this at all.

4. Best Original Song only got 4 nominations (they usually have 5, right?). “Country Strong” ended up getting a nomination (Gwyneth Paltrow’s CMA performance might have helped). The really big snub was Dianne Warren’s “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” from the movie Burlesque. A disturbing snub. More disturbing snubs include John Legend’s “Shine” for Waiting for Superman and Carrie Underwood’s “We Belong Together” for Narnia. Oh well…still a good set of nominations.

5. Hereafter did get nominated for Visual Effects. I did not think it had a chance in hell. Poor Scott Pilgrim…snubbed by the man.

Films that received 0 nominations include Never Let me go, Scott Pilgrim, Made in Dagenham, Burlesque, Easy A, Narnia, Waiting for Superman, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Get Low, Conviction, Frankie and Alice, Somewhere, Kick-Ass, The Tillman Story, For Colored Girls, Mother and Child, Mother, Uncle Boonmee, The Ghost Writer, Shutter Island

Most awful snub: Andrew Garfield

Most awesome surprise: John Hawkes

Movie that has too many nominations: eh…nothing really…

Best movie with 0 nominations: Never Let me Go

Overall, I only got 4 out of the 24 categories completely right…but I still guessed a lot of the individual nominees correct. I probably got more than half right…I’m just too lazy to count them all.

Overall part 2.0, a few shocks and surprises here and there…but nothing out of the ordinary. The King’s Speech scored the most nominations (it also won the PGA Award earlier this week). Does that mean The King’s Speech is the official front runner. Honestly, this is probably as exciting as the award season will get…so soak it in.

Meanwhile, the SAG Awards are this weekend. Check back here later this week for my predictions on who will win. Hopefully, I’ll do a better job predicting that than I did predicting this…

GOOOO OSCARS!!!!

2011
01/25
CATEGORY
academy awards
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oscars
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Golden Globes Recap!


I hate the morning after the Golden Globes. There are sooo many pointless recaps pretty much saying the same thing. So…I hope you read mine! :)

For a full list of winners, click here. For my TV predictions click here. For my movie predictions click here.

MOVIE AWARD WINNERS

It’s official, guys! The Social Network is going all the way! Shame on those of you who still thought The King’s Speech. Why would that move win? TSN has won literally every single award before it. The Social Network won 4 awards, including Best Motion Picture Drama, Directing, and Screenplay. I rightly predicted that they would win those three. It also won for Best Original Score. Like I’ve stated, I liked the score…but I just don’t understand the buzz. I’m not gonna lie: I wasn’t too happy about that win.

It’s official! We have at least 3 acting front runners. Christian Bale, Colin Firth and Natalie Portman all won for their respective categories, not only for this awards show…but every other awards show leading up to it. Very deserved wins and I predicted all of them. I, however, did not predict for Melissa Leo to win. I thought Amy Adams would for The Fighter, but it’s become clear that Melissa Leo has become a front runner. I’m still not terribly confident though. I still think Amy Adams and potentially Hailee Steinfeld still have a chance to prevail.

Most of the other winners were predictable. Toy Story 3 won for Animated Feature. Dianne Warwick’s song from Burlesque won for Best Original Song. The Kids are All Right and star Annette Bening rightfully won for the Comedy/Musical categories.

Another shock was the Danish film In a Better World beating out strong contenders like I am Love and Biutiful. I didn’t say my predictions for those because I hadn’t seen any of the films, but I personally thought one of those two would win. The director Susanne Bier looked really happy and excited.

Lastly, I rock. I’m probably the only person in the world that correctly predicted that Paul Giamatti would win for Barney’s Version beating out Johnny Depp. I don’t really have much interest in watching the movie, but I’m just glad I was proven right.

I got 11 of my 13 predictions right. BOOYAH!

TV AWARD WINNERS

The TV Awards have historically been much more unpredictable than the Movie Awards, and even the Emmys. Yet, I still got most of my predictions right. I guess I’m amazing. The best win of the night that got me crying was Chris Colfer’s. He looked so shocked and surprised. His whole cast was so proud of him (esp. Lea Michele) and his speech was funny, fast and heartfelt. I don’t think Glee deserved the trophy for Best Television Series-Musical or Comedy…but I’m happy Chris Colfer won. I’m also happy for Jane Lynch who also won in her category.

Another big winner show was Boardwalk Empire which won for Best Drama Series and also Best Actor in a Drama Series Steve Buscemi (which I  easily predicted). Many people thought it was an upset considering how great Mad Men was, but I knew the Golden Gloes usually go for new blood…like they did with True Blood a couple years ago. The one win that nearly shocked the bejesus out of me was Katey Sagal winning for Sons of Anarchy. She beat out front runners like Julianna Margulies, Elizabeth Moss and Kyra Sedgwick. Considering, she wasn’t even nominated for an Emmy a few months back (many people believed she was snubbed), I was very shocked, but happy. I’ve never caught SOA, but I love Katey Sagal (Married with Children, Futurama, 8 Simple Rules) and I’m glad she’s finally getting recognition. She also looked very happy and gracious.

Clare Danes (Temple Grandin) and Al Pacino (You Don’t Know Jack) winning was no huge surprise, but still deserved. I was so happy to see the real Temple Grandin again. When she hugged her producer and Clare Danes, I nearly wept. She gives the best hugs ever (and I love her cowboy shirts). Best moment of the night. However, Carlos the miniseries ended up winning the big award, which wasn’t a huge surprise, but I predicted The Pacific.

Jim Parsons also won to much glee! And so did Laura Linney for the comedy acting categories. I guess 30 Rock’s reign really is over. Another award show. Another award show without awards. Maybe the SAG Awards will change that.

I got 7 of my 11 predictions right. Still respectable.

THE CEREMONY

So overall, I thought the ceremony was fine. There seemed to a few technical problems here and there but it all ran smoothly and in time. Some of the speeches rambled like no tomorrow (Christian Bale, Al Pacino). Some of the speeches were nice and sweet (Chris Colfer, Natalie Portman) and some were barely given a chance (Steve Buscemi, Katey Sagal).

Robert Deniro won a special award. His speech was pretty much a stand up routine. There were a couple funny jokes, but it was overall awkward. I didn’t like the jab at public schools. I went to a private school for middle school and high school, but  I still think that was a little too mean and elitist.

Some of the presenters were pretty great. Andrew Garfield was oh-so adorable messing up (I cannot wait for Spiderman, y’all!!). Tina Fey and Steve Carell showed why they should do more projects together (they both were nominated that night for their TV shows, but they also should’ve been nominated for the underrated Date Night). Robert Downey Jr. was actually quite hilarious, creepy, but hilarious.

Last, Ricky Gervais. I’m sorry… I thought he was…HILARIOUS! OMG! He was awkward. He did not waste anytime bashing on The Tourist and their bullshit nomination. Someone had to say it. Also his jabs at Sex and the City 2 were hilarious. He’s probably never going to be asked to host again though. Whatevs. Totally worth it!

So, that’s my recap. The GGs had a lot of predictable wins for the movie side, but not so much for the TV side. There was laughter, drunken rant, and a lot of alcohol (same thing). I’m about to watch the Kings Speech. So when I do…I’l try to put up a quick review.

Oh! And happy Martin Luther King Day!

2011
01/17
CATEGORY
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