Wednesday, February 23, 2011

I'm green for the red carpet.

I may have mentioned before that I used to love the Oscars.
I still love them, really, I just don't celebrate quite the way I did when I was a kid. But they are truly a spectacle. The whole thing is glamorous and completely overdone and you can oogle at James Franco and Johnny Depp and drool over the beautiful gowns on those rails of actresses, all the while being extremely jealous that this is their idea of a night out, which calls into question your sad little 8 to 5. But that is not the point.

I have always chastised myself on Oscar night when it comes to the big ticket awards, and my having only seen one or two of the films. I can't really have an opinion on the others, so it kind of takes some of the fun out of the whole event. So this year, I have made it my mission to see as many of the nominated films [for best picture, not for the whole shebang, geez] as possible. So far I have made it through 7 of the 10, which I think is a pretty good percentage. Better still, I am planning to see at least two more before the big night Sunday.

To be honest, I can't decide who deserves it most. Of course I'm willing to make some general druthers.
And the nominees are:
Best Picture Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kid's Are Alright, The King's Speech, 127 Hours, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, True Grit, Winter's Bone   Actor in a Leading Role Javier Bardem, Jeff Bridges, Jesse Eisenberg, Colin Firth, James Franco   Actress in a Leading Role Annette Bening, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lawrence, Natalie Portman, Michelle Williams   Directing Black Swan, The Fighter, The King's Speech, The Social Network, True Grit

See the full list here.
So far, I've seen:
Black Swan Natalie Portman rocked it, and the movie itself was unlike anything I've seen in that genre. The music was fantastic, and I loved seeing Mila Kunis in something different [I kind of wish she had snagged a supporting nom, but that's why I'm not in the Academy]. In my opinion, Natalie has a shot.

Toy Story 3 I cried, everyone I watched it with cried. Never before have I cried at an animated film. Not even Up. I would love to see the Academy break the mold with a win for an animated film, but I don't think it will happen. Woody and Buzz won my heart though [Tom Hanks is an all-time favorite for me, in any role]. Especially Buzz en EspaƱol.

Inception Partly because lkj and I have been really into dreams lately, and partly because this movie really got in your head and made you believe something like this was actually possible, I think Inception has a shot for the big one. Really amazing film, and the cinematography was incredible. Plus, I mean, you gotta love Leo DiCaprio and Ellen Page. I've been on the Leo train since Romeo + Juliet, and Ellen Page has never left me disappointed. 

The Social Network Totally blindsided me. I thought it was going to be just good, and it was actually fantastic. Well written, well shot, well directed. Jesse Eisenberg was wonderful, I definitely think he has a shot at his nomination. And I think that because of the current social climate, this one might run away with Best Picture. I would be ok with that.

True Grit I went out of the box to see this one, because I'm not a big Western fan. I'm glad that I did, though, because Jeff Bridges was hilarious. I actually laughed out loud multiple times at his lines. And Matt Damon, oh Matt Damon. I was pleasantly surprised with his role as well. I also really enjoyed the score. Although Jeff Bridges definitely deserved his nomination, I don't see him pulling past the Eisenberg/Firth powerhouse.

The Fighter My favorite thing about this movie was Christian Bale. Hands down. He plays a great crack addict, and I've seen him in such a variety of roles that it I am blown away by his talent. The film itself was a good drama, Amy Adams stepped out of the box a little bit, but all in all, I don't think it holds a candle to some of these other nominees. Also, on a personal level, I can't ever really take Marky Mark seriously. But that's just me.

The King's Speech I was so excited about this one because I heart Colin Firth, and he did not disappoint. Although maybe a little trite at times, the film was shot beautifully, and Colin knocked it out of the park. So did Geoffrey Rush. Together they were awesome. And hilarious. I think they both have a good chance at snagging their noms, as well as Helena Bonham Carter, although I have a slight prejudice against her from HP [again, that's just me, and I'm aiming for unbiased here...] 

This week I'm knocking out 127 hours [which I am nervous and excited for. Nervous because I've heard it's kind of graphic, excited because it's James Franco] and The Kid's Are All Right.
I'm really excited about this year's awards now that I have invested some time and research, which was pretty enjoyable, I might add. In fact, I think a little celebration might be in order. Nothing fancy, no gowns or anything [that's throwback]. 
Just a little wine, and a lot of oogling. 

Yours, truly

2 comments:

  1. I've made this my mission too haha. And those two movies are the same ones that I have yet to seen. Oh I wish we were in the same city again so that we could knock them out together!!!

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  2. I talked about this a few blogs back but I too have the same mission. I'm just shy The Kings Speech and you better believe I'm taking a personal afternoon on Friday to go see it. It's good to know that even though it's been years since I've seen a movie with you, we have similar opinions on the ones we've both seen.

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