Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Ceremonies 22-31 (1950-1959)

So here we are at the end of another decade and time for me to look through the ten ceremonies that took place in the 1950s and if any of the nominees deserved to win more than the film that actually took home the prize. However first of all I wanted to have a look at the films that weren't nominated from the 1949-1958 period classics such as Singin' in the Rain, Guys and Dolls and a lot of Hitchcock's output including Vertigo and Rear Window were cut out not to mention the films that Kurosawa and Bergman were making overseas. It just seems a bit of a shame that the stunning but shallow Biblical epics and the dreary war films were passed in favour of some of these films which have stood the test of time more than the final nominees. With that rant over let's get on with the review.

Ceremony 22: 1950 
Winner: All the King's Men
Nominees: Battleground, The Heiress, A Letter to Three Wives, Twelve o'clock High
Did the Right Film Win?: Yes
It seems that Broderick Crawford's political corruption drama was definitely the best of the bunch from the 1949 selection. Of the others The Heiress was a dreary melodrama and the two war films Battleground and Twelve O'Clock High had their moments but were ultimately unmemorable. Only A Letter to Three Wives stood out as a possible contender hence director Joseph L Mankiewicz winner the prize for Best Director and winning the Best Picture prize the year after.

Ceremony 23: 1951 
Winner: All About Eve
Nominees: Born Yesterday, Father of the Bride, King Solomon's Mines, Sunset Boulevard
Did the Right Film Win?: Yes
Not a lot of discussion here either All About Eve garnered a lot of nominations and they were all richly deserved in one of the best films of all time. If we're splitting hairs then Sunset Boulevard would be the only other real contender but Eve wins it for me every time.

Ceremony 24: 1952
Winner: An American in Paris
Nominees: Decision Before Dawn, A Place in the Sun, Quo Vadis, A Streetcar Named Desire
Did the Right Film Win?: No
Though a charming musical film I don't feel that An American in Paris has the lasting effect that some of the other nominees do. While it's probably better than espionage yarn Decision Before Dawn or biblical epic Quo Vadis it is a toss-up between the other two films for Best Picture. A Place in the Sun did have a great star-making turn from Liz Taylor but A Streetcar Named Desire just edges it for me as it grabs you from beginning to end and had three of the four acting categories sown up only a certain Mr Brando was left out in the cold.

Ceremony 25: 1953 
Winner: The Greatest Show on Earth
Nominees: High Noon, Ivanhoe, Moulin Rouge, The Quiet Man
Did the Right Film Win?: No
Possibly the first case of the Academy giving a 'last chance' Oscar to someone who won't have another chance to win one was the fact that Cecil B Demille's film won Best Picture this year. It's true that its live circus atmosphere stays with you but apart from that I'm struggling to remember many details about it. Of the other nominees it is a bit more of a dead cert this year as I would've probably chosen High Noon if I'd been picking as it is the best of a mediocre bunch has a clear storyline and some great performances.

Ceremony 26: 1954
Winner: From Here to Eternity
Nominees: Julius Caesar, The Robe, Roman Holiday, Shane
Did the Right Film Win?: Yes
Sort of a mixed bag this year with another big epic, a Shakespeare adaptation, a romantic comedy and a Western as the contenders however it is this Hawaiian war film that is still the iconic piece thanks in no small part to that beach kiss.

Ceremony 27: 1955
Winner: On the Waterfront
Nominees: The Caine Mutiny, The Country Girl, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Three Coins in the Fountain
Did the Right Film Win?: Yes
There's no going against Elia Kazan's brilliant tale of union corruption and lost dreams with Marlon Brando not a contender but an actual winner. Of the others both The Caine Mutiny and The Country girl showed promise but there was no matching this brilliant film on the night.

Ceremony 28: 1956
Winner: Marty
Nominees: Love is a Many Splendored Thing, Mister Roberts, Picnic, The Rose Tattoo
Did the Right Film Win?: Maybe
It honestly depends on your taste in films but for me Marty was the best of this bunch thanks to Ernest Borgnine's performance as the unlucky in love butcher. Mister Roberts and Picnic were also good films with one being a great war film and the other featuring possibly William Holden's greatest turn. But for me the fact that Marty was set over only 24 hours and the great ensemble cast means that it was my favourite from those on offer.

Ceremony 29: 1957
Winner: Around the World in Eighty Days
Nominees I've Watched: Giant, The King and I, The Ten Commandments
Nominees Not Available To Me: Friendly Persuasion
Did the Right Film Win?: No
Personally another poor year with this overlong mess stunning Academy members with its exotic locations, slapstick comedy and numerous cameos. Of the other three that I have seen it is Giant that I would pick for a strong turn from Liz Taylor and also from James Dean although for a musical The King and I is also captivating. For me though I'd go for Giant as an alternative winner to this overblown epic.

Ceremony 30: 1958 
Winner: The Bridge on the River Kwai
Nominees: Peyton Place, Sayonara, Twelve Angry Men, Witness for the Prosecution  
Did the Right Film Win?: Not for Me
So my reasons for saying that the River Kwai wasn't the right winner is because my favourite film of all time 12 Angry Men was up against it. It didn't really stand a chance as it was shot in black-and-white and predominantly stayed in the same set but ultimately people have remembered it more fondly than Kwai. Witness for the Prosecution is also worth a mention for Charles Laughton's great turn as the lawyer and Marlene Dietrich for playing the sultry femme fatale so well.

Ceremony 31: 1959
Winner: Gigi
Nominees I've Seen: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Defiant Ones, Separate Tables
Nominees Not Available: Auntie Mame
Did the Right Film Win?: No
Another musical set in France starring Leslie Caron wins again however the other three nominees in this category were deserved winners. I think for me I would pick Separate Tables due to the ensemble nature of the piece and the fact that it got two of the four acting awards that year. Paul Newman and Liz Taylor sparkle together in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof while Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis have a great chemistry in The Defiant Ones. For me though it's all about the British hotel drama and some great turns from Niven, Kerr, Lancaster and Hayworth.

So those are my picks for the 1950s sees you in the 1960s probably next year some time.

Oscars 2012: Why Billy Crystal is an awesome host

Obviously there have been a lot of controversies surrounding this year's Oscars and one in particular concerns the hosting duties which were taken over by Billy Crystal after Eddie Murphy left when producer Brett Ratner was fired. Now I know a lot of people were looking forward to hearing Murphy's opening gambit but for me the news of Crystal's hosting is brilliant seeing as last year we had the terrible James Franco and the just about bearable Anne Hathaway. In a night in which The Artist will no doubt sweep the board Crystal's brand of old-school Hollywood will be fitting with the evening's proceedings. But for those unfamiliar with Crystal's hosting style and in particular his opening song I present to you the previous eight opening numbers from the man and my commentary on each.

1990 

Crystal's first stab at hosting saw him hit some nerves during his opening monologue hitting out at the academy for not nominating Bruce Beresford for directing eventual Best Picture winner Driving Miss Daisy. His opening song was very short and some films didn't get very much time to be sung about but even still we knew that there was more to come and Crystal had definitely established himself as a great Oscar host.

1991 

This was the year that Billy Crystal's opening medley became the star of the show however he still was able to put in a few digs in about studio heads and Donald Trump. This year showed how adept he was at putting the names of the nominated films into popular songs and the finale where all five were put together was pure class.
To see this video in full go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0lWrZL0EHE&feature=relmfu

1992 
Once again Crystal did the old tease saying he wouldn't launch into the song before doing it and this year it was a beauty coming to a crescendo with a tribute to Barbara Streisand whose film The Prince of Tides was nominated despite her not getting a directing nod. The whole thing was sung to the Don't Rain on my Parade theme which obviously can be linked back to Babs herself. This was also the year of Crystal's infamous Silence of the Lambs parody.
To see this video in full go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCAi1744Sa0&feature=relmfu

1993
This year Crystal actually came on dragging the Oscar and then he came on and talked about how everybody want him to come on as someone from their movie. The Crying Game got a lot of jokes made about it as we all know now there was a big reveal involving a certain private area. He also ended up bringing out some props to resemble various nominees before launching into his yearly musical number. This time it ended with the infamous moment where Crystal sat on Clint Eastwood's lap while singing about his film Unforgiven to the tune of Unforgettable.
To see this video in full go to : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF6fpn8Ts68&feature=relmfu 

1997
After four years away Crystal returned and by this time was a steady pair of hands not even teasing the fact that he might go into the medley this was also the first time that Crystal announced the number of nominees for Best Picture. From his breathless sing-a-long to a Shine piano track to singing the plot of Secrets and Lies to the theme of The Brady Bunch his big finale saw him sing about Fargo to Frank Sinatra's Chicago song. This year definitely proved that Crystal still had it and that's why he was invited back the following year.
To see this video in full go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSMB4r5QmTg&feature=relmfu

1998
Predictably entering the stage on Titanic, Crystal launched almost immediately into his opening medley pausing briefly between songs mainly to get a picture taken while sitting on Jack Nicholson's lap. The two highlights for me was As Good as it Gets sung to Let's Call the Whole Thing Off and The Full Monty sung to Hello Dolly.
To see this video in full go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYR2YJhRwTU&feature=relmfu

2000 
Now the highlight of his set Crystal starts by singing then goes into addressing some of the guests, including The Sixth Sense's Hayley Joel Osment currently residing in the where are they now file, before going back to sing about that film to the tune of People. For me it is his ode to Michael Caine which is the highlight here sung to the tune of Mame and includes a dig at him for making Jaws 4 but hey he did get a house out of it. 
To see this video in full go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK76GlXddyw&feature=relmfu

2004

We thought at the time this might be Crystal's last ceremony as after this the Oscars looked to edgy more contemporary hosts such as Chris Rock, Jon Stewart and Ellen however after Steve Martin co-hosted a couple of years back it was only a matter of time before Crystal returned. But eight years ago he still had it making references to Sofia Coppola putting a horse's head in Peter Jackson's bed and also singing about how long the Lord of the Rings trilogy was something we all know too well. 


So what will his songs be about this year well I've got a hunch that The Tree of Life could be sung to That's Life while I think The Artist's musical number will be performed in silence but there's only one way to find out and that's to watch and remember i will be live tweeting the event so follow me @mattstvworld

Matt's Alternate Oscars

It's Oscar Time again and obviously on Sunday night there will be much tweeting from me and then the Oscar Blog will follow soonafter but for the first time I'm presenting my films that should've been there and don't be surprised if a lot of names turn up in the same categories. Apart from in the Best Picture category I'll try and keep my comments about the nominees brief but you know what I'm like I do waffle on.

Best Picture: Drive

Not only should Drive be nominated for this year's Best Picture but there's no doubt in my mind that it should win the top prize. If you don't want to take my word for it then how about Denzel Washington's wife, who watches all the nominated films on DVD when her husband can't be bothered, she also believes this was the film of the year and should win. But why? Simply it's an exquisitely joyous piece of cinema evoking memories of times gone by while simultaneously keeping things modern. Great performances from Ryan Gosling as the mysterious Driver backed up Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman and Bryan Cranston all add to the film as does the great soundtrack. I think you just know when you're watching a great film and when I watched Drive I felt just that.

Nominees:

Bridesmaids - To be fair Oscar has at least acknowledged comedy with The Artist but this brilliant all-female affair should be nominated for me than its excellent screenplay. The fact that this proved that women could do the gags just as well as the men meant that this was a fairly landmark piece of work and it was bloody hilarious.

Poetry - This Korean film made very few end of year lists but was a beautifully shot piece with a masterful lead performance. A film about growing old and losing part of yourself while still trying to do the right thing is set against an old lady trying her hardest to write a poem. Completely heart-breaking but at the same time strangely uplifting this film deserved to be seen by more people.

Senna - A brilliantly shot film about a man taken to soon which was brilliantly shot and engaging so much so that you wouldn't think that this was a documentary. Asif Kapadia's film about the life of Ayrton Senna took me by surprise the first time I saw it as I wasn't an F1 fan but the great trick of this film is making you see the man behind the sport. On the way to the inevitable ending there was rivalry, greed and a man who wanted to give back to the town from which he came and I personally loved every minute of it. 

Shame- Steve McQueen's story of a sex addict trying to deal with his life and look after his emotionally unstable sister is a supremely artistic work by a man who has an eye for detail. Every shot is perfectly crafted giving you a look into this man's world and the way he thinks. I was totally taken aback with how much I admired this film, especially given the content, so McQueen and lead actor Michael Fassbender did a brilliant job making you see through the nudity to a study of a torn and complex individual.

The Skin I Live In - I think generally Pedro Almodovar's output has been great but this was a film that I found a lot darker than his usual Penelope Cruz starring comedy drama. This film was a thriller with both sex and violence and an intriguing lead performance from Antonio Banderas as a plastic surgeon wanting to create a new skin but being driven by revenge after an incident involving a family member. This was shocking but incredibly well put-together and written by Almodovar and his brother just a great watch that held my attention from beginning to end

Take Shelter - I watched this film very recently and am still intrigued why it wasn't nominated for any Oscars seeing as that it is an American production starring two Academy Award nominees. At its heart is a terrific performance by Michael Shannon, see below, as Curtis  a man who is convinced that a disaster is on its way and is desperate to try and protect them. The great thing about this film is how director Jeff Nichols takes us inside Curtis' head so we're never sure if we're seeing his own visions or what is actually happening. This is a well written film letting the actors say a lot with saying very little and even the young actress playing Curtis' deaf daughter is fantastic. This is what modern American film-making should look like it's just a shame Oscar focuses on saccharine melodrama instead.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - A couple of nods for Gary Oldman and the film's script means that this has at least been given some sort of recognition. However Tomas Alfredson's big screen adaptation of John Le Carre's classic work deserved to be given a great deal more nominations that it was. This is a moody and atmospheric piece full of great supporting performances and a real feeling that you are there with Smiley as he carries out his investigations on his spying colleagues. I think a lot has been said about Oldman's performance but if others like Tom Hardy, Mark Strong and Benedict Cumberbatch weren't there to back him up then he wouldn't seem half as good. This was much more than a film just about spies and the characters really resonated once the film had finished.

Tyrannosaur - Paddy Considine's debut feature showed that the actor had learnt well from the directors he had previously acted for. It's a shame that Oscar seems to skip over British realism films as this odd romance between a drunk and a battered woman was involving and deftly crafted by Considine who kept the story simple yet involving. Two great leads in Peter Mullan doing drunk and gruff and Olivia Colman doing timid yet strong and both excel in these roles as does Eddie Marsan as Colman's violent husband. While some of the material here could be seen as clichéd Considine and his cast create something beautiful out of the hatred on display and really make you think about other people's lives and their daily grind.

We Need to Talk About Kevin - Quite a lot has been said about this film which shows how a mother's love can get over even the worst atrocities that her son commits. Tilda Swinton's harassed Eva is the star here as we see her dealing with motherhood and then with a tragedy that Kevin has caused and in each instance director Lynne Ramsay gives us reason to care for her and even the outwardly evil Kevin. This film is about whether we are truly born evil or if we are a product of our environment and how our views can change about our own families. Ramsay has a great eye and keeps the dialogue brief but effective which ultimately produced one of my favourite films of the year.

Best Director: Nicholas Winding Refn (Drive)

As well as being brilliantly acted, Drive is definitely the best directed film of the year thanks to Nicholas Winding Refn's skill at bringing out the best in his characters like he did with Bronson a few years ago. I just love how he was able to put together this crime story and romance together and guide you through the streets of L.A. and Driver's world. Winding Refn will hopefully be noticed by Oscar soon, as he has already done by BAFTA, but when he does we can all say we got there first. 

Nominees:
Tomas Alfredson (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) - Like with Let The Right One in it was Alfredson's way of diverting this film away from the genre in which it should sit that made it so satisfying.
Pedro Almodovar (The Skin I Live In) - When Almodovar has a film out he should always be recognised as best director, even though he rarely is, The Skin I Live In was for me his best film in years but even in a film involving major plastic surgery you can still see all his directorial markings. 
Steve McQueen (Shame) - Not all former artists can make the transition to film director so seamlessly but after Hunger it seems that McQueen has a real eye for focusing in on characters and with his first fully fictional work he gives a film all about desire whether it is wanted or not.
Lynne Ramsay (We Need to Talk About Kevin)- After years away from the director's chair, Ramsay returned with a very hard job to make this film featuring mass murder and somewhat unlikeable characters a cinematic hit and she did this and more making We Need to Talk About Kevin one of the best reviewed films of the year.

Best Actor: Michael Shannon (Take Shelter)

Take Shelter - Bad dream by teasertrailer
Michael Shannon was nominated for an Oscar three years ago for being the best thing in Sam Mendes' now forgettable domestic period piece Revolutionary Road. In Take Shelter he brings his sort of nervy looks to the forefront to play Curtis a hard-working family man with a deaf daughter who starts getting visions of a possible disaster and decides to spend all of his time and money on putting together a strong enough shelter for his family. Shannon's skill is making us wonder whether Curtis is completely bonkers or there is something more to his visions and he also gives a man who clearly loves his family and is worried about the future. I'm completely shocked that Shannon wasn't nominated in a category which sees fairly ordinary turns from Brad Pitt and George Clooney but then they have the star power that Shannon unfortunately doesn't possess. 

Nominees: 
Michael Fassbender (Shame) - If you can get over seeing his member multiple times in the first five minutes then you'll totally be won over by Fassbender's performance as Brandon a man with a fragile past who gets by on the thrill of sex who has to deal with his unreliable sister for me his turn bought to mind Christian Bale in American Psycho, which surely isn't a bad thing.
Brendan Gleason (The Guard) - Building on his great turn in In Bruges, Gleason once again hit the right tone between comedic and dramatic as Sergeant Gerry Boyle a small town policeman who has to deal with a large scale drug deal and forms an odd couple relationship with Don Cheadle's US Cop.
Gleason had me laughing throughout although he also handled the moments of poignancy perfectly this was certainly a role that didn't get the credit it deserved.
Ryan Gosling (Drive) - A role that wasn't showy enough for Oscar, but then I suppose you could say the same about Gary Oldman, Gosling's central performance in Drive was what tied everything together and he let his face do the talking throughout as Driver was a character with few words but a lot of intensity. I thought definitely the law of averages would see one Gosling performance be nominated but sadly this wasn't the case.
Daniel Henshall (Snowtown) - With Animal Kingdom last year Australia had a strong showing however no love seems to have been given to Snowtown in which Daniel Henshall is completely captivating as a drifter who charms all the people in a small Australian suburb before going on a killing spree convincing some of the locals to join him in bumping off people he felt deserved to die. Henshall's ability to make John Bunting seem charismatic one minute and then the next completely terrifying surely deserves recognition but this sadly wasn't the case.

Best Actress: Catherine Deneuve (Potiche)

It is shocking to me that in her lengthy career the legendary Catherine Deneuve has only been nominated for one Oscar and that her role in the brilliant comedy Potiche has completely gone unnoticed. In the film Deneuve essentially plays a trophy wife who is called to run her husband's company once he is taken ill and changes things for the better. Deneuve makes Suzanne her own and makes the screen sparkle as her diminutive frame makes its away around this factory as she brings colour to this drab institution. Deneuve's chemistry with Gerard Depardieu was also great allowing these two legends to sparkle together including a very interesting dance sequence. A combination of both great comic timing and a sprinkling of pathos made this for me one of the best roles of the year but was left out of Oscar's list presumably because it was in a foreign language, from a comedy and saw an older woman who was comfortable in her own skin. 

Nominees: 
Olivia Colman (Tyrannosaur) - Probably best known for her comedic roles, Olivia Colman had a great year impressing in both Tyrannosaur and The Iron Lady and it is her performance in the former that I thought was fantastic. As Hannah she shows us a woman who is desperate to get on with her everyday life despite the fact that her husband treats her horribly and eventually finds solace in her relationship with a kindly drunk. Colman's everywoman persona fit well in but we also saw her flex her acting chops in some of the film's grittier scenes.
Jeong-Hi Jun (Poetry) - Like with Deneuve it's no surprise that another older foreign lady got left out of the running because what Jeong-Hi Jun demonstrated in Poetry deserves some sort of recognition. She was able to effortlessly portray a woman who has to deal with the fact that her grandson has been involved in a gang rape while at the same time finding out she is going senile. Her small frame and timid nature completely contrast with everything that is happening to her and Jun's expressions and body language perfectly portray what this woman must be going through.
Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene) - I suppose Oscar couldn't include everybody in its list but I would've preferred to see Olsen's turn as the young girl taken in by a cult than Rooney Mara's impression of Noomi Rapace from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Olsen's talents are evident as she is able to give us the two sides of this character the one that is receptive to the cult's charms and the other who is trying to shake off her old life and readjust to normal society. I hate to use the word star-making turn but that's exactly what this was and for me Olsen should've been this year's Jennifer Lawrence in the Best Actress category.
Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin) - No surprise here either with Swinton's Eva being one of the most captivating characters of cinema in 2011 as a woman who has no desire to be a mother in the first place but sticks with her role despite the fact that her son does some disgusting things. Like with all the performances featured here it's not so much about the words given as the performance as a whole and that's especially true of Swinton as the scenes which focus on Eva in the present day are almost without dialogue and she is still able to give us a full-fleshed performance which is more that I can say for some of those that are nominated for an Oscar this year.


Best Supporting Actor: Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes Clip 2 by teasertrailer
Well I think we all know that anybody donning a motion capture suit was never going to be nominated for an Oscar but I think it's about time they did because as Caesar, Serkis was definitely the heart of Rotpota. In fact I think putting him in the supporting category is almost doing him a disservice as he has to lead so much of the action he could almost feature in the lead category. It must be such a difficult job to convey so much emotion without saying a single word but Serkis manages this as he leads the ape uprising against Brian Cox and Draco Malfoy out of Harry Potter. He is able to combine ape mannerisms with the human ones that have been bestowed upon him by his master and most of all we are able to sympathise with his plight and understand why he did what he did in the first place. Serkis is a great actor with or without the motion capture, as we saw when he played Ian Dury, but in the apes film he proved that this new technology can still produce top notch performances. 

Nominees: 
John Hawkes (Martha Marcy May Marlene) - To me Hawkes was better here than in Winter's Bone last year as the charismatic cult leader who is able to charm the girls in his group only to abuse them later on.
Ezra Miller (We Need to Talk About Kevin) - As the older version of Kevin, Miller is both sinister and creepy but in the final scenes he still lets us sympathise with his character.
Michael Smiley (Kill List) - Hitmen don't come any more charming than Smiley's Gal in this British horror thriller as he convinces his old mate to do one more batch of killings.
Luis Tosar (Cell 211) - Almost a list of villains here, Tosar is brilliant as the prison top dog who takes the lead during a prison break unaware that one of the supposed inmates is the institute's newest guard.

Best Supporting Actress: Sarina Farhadi (A Separation)

A Separation has done surprisingly well during this awards season with a Best Foreign Film award definitely on the cards as well as a nod in the screenplay category. However with most Iranian films director Asghar Farhadi looked close to home when casting the daughter of the warring couple in the film as his own daughter Sarina ended up getting the part. For me her role was the pivotal one in this film and she played it with a wide-eyed innocence which gave way to a better understanding of the way the world works as the film goes on. Her Termeh has to decide which of her parents to live with and her decision is seemingly based on an incident that happens during the film which is something that makes her question her trusting nature. I thought Sarina was completely natural in front of the camera and easily one of the best things about the film but as I've said before performances in films not in the English language tend to be overlooked in the acting categories. 

Nominees: 
Jessica Chastain (Take Shelter) - She has been nominated for The Help but for me Chastain's best performance of the year was where she played Michael Shannon's worried wife who has to take control once she realises her husband's altered mental state.
Elle Fanning (Super 8) - After wowing in Somewhere the more talented of the Fanning sisters was once again a strong presence in Super 8 as Alice the young teen who all the boys love but has got a lot of family issues.
Carey Mulligan (Shame) - For so beautifully singing her own version of New York, New York Mulligan deserves a nomination for me she captured the fragility of her character perfectly.
Shailene Woodley (The Descendants) - As George Clooney's elder daughter, Woodley has garnered a few nods but Oscar seemingly bumped her possibly because of her age which is a shame as she perfectly handled the role of a troubled teen forced to be a role model to her young sister following her mother's accident.

Best Original Screenplay: Abi Morgan and Steve McQueen (Shame)

The beauty of Shame's screenplay is to give us a central character who is seemingly unlikeable yet is able to convey a sense of humanity to the audience. There is also a lot of scenes that don't feature any dialogue yet speak volumes and the relationship between Fassbender and Mulligan's brother and sister is never fully explored so Morgan and McQueen let us make our own mind up about what has happened in the past. It is a testament to both of them that we never really think about how great these characters are and how hard it must be to write a script that features few heavy dialogue led scenes.

Nominees: 
Drake Doremus and Ben York Jones (Like Crazy)- Doremus and Jones' bare bones script allowed the two lead actors to improvise to an extent but at the same time they understood how two people who start dating and then fall in love would interact with each other.
Michelangelo Frammartino (La Quattro Volte) - Though The Artist's screenplay will highlight the fact that a silent film still has a script but it is Frammartino's completely silent goat movie which still gives us a great character who is a man who interacts better with animals than he does with other people.
Ignazio Martinez De Pison and Fernanda Trueba (Chico and Rita)- The two men involved with writing this surprise animated film nominee perfectly capture the jazz scene in Cuba and give us one of the best cinematic romances of the past few years.
John Michael McDonaugh (The Guard) - Perfectly combining a cop story, a comedy and a character study McDonagh's screenplay is equally as great as his brother's work on In Bruges.

Best Adapted Screenplay: Lynne Ramsay and Rory Kinnear (We Need To Talk About Kevin)

Lionel Shriver's source novel is written as a series of letters from mother Eva to her son Kevin and through that the readers learn the backstory between the two and how Eva's life has changed since the incident that Kevin has caused. But obviously this couldn't work on the big screen so Ramsay and Kinnear had to turn this into a multi-layered screenplay and turn the content of the letters into a compelling story with equally real characters. Though the performances is what the critics have focused on I think the adaptation is equally as important for the filmic version of this popular yet hard to read novel. 

Nominees:
Augustin and Pedro Almodovar (The Skin I Live In) - The Almodovar brothers have created a screenplay that keeps you guessing to the character's motives and identities until the very last word.
Hossein Amini (Drive)- It's a testament to Amini that I didn't think Drive was based on a book and the dialogue that he uses seems completely original and the characters different from anything else that has been seen this year.
Richard Ayoade (Submarine) - A film that relies heavily on its dialogue and its lead character's first person narrative is lucky to have the brilliant Ayoade adapting the source material as well directing.
Shaun Grant (Snowtown) - Grant's screenplay is based on true events and the books written around it but he still has worked hard to recreate and imagine various conversations that happened before and during the atrocious murders that the film centres on.

Best Documentary: Senna

I do think enough has been said about this film apart from the fact that it is ridiculous that it hasn't even been nominated for an Oscar as it seems like the obvious choice to win the award.

Nominees:
Bobby Fischer against the World - A film not just about chess but about a tortured individual who was addicted to his game.
The Interrupters - A great documentary that I would've chosen as the winner had Senna been nominated for an Oscar this follows a group of former gang members who now try and stop the violence in their native Chicago
Life in a Day - Kevin McDonald's ambitious project where people sent in video diaries about what happened to them on a certain July day in 2010 and from there is able to create an interesting and thought provoking film.
Project Nim - A film about an ape who didn't form a planet but that was taught to sort of behave like a human only to end up in captivity and one that wasn't played in motion capture by Andy Serkis. 

Best Animated Film: Arietty

As happy as I am to see Chico and Rita nominated in this category I would love to see it sit alongside the latest Studio Ghibli outing as the team adapt The Borrowers to fit in with their own unique animated style. Here director Hiromasa Yonebayashi creates another fantasy world with brilliant characters and as you can imagine from a Ghibli film the animation is just completely beautiful. As both Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle got nominations I was surprised that this masterful film wasn't nominated in a category that includes Puss in Boots and Kung Fu Panda 2. 

Nominees: 
The Adventures of Tintin - Though this wasn't great it still is superior to some of the other nominated films and anything that features a script written by Joe Cornish and Edgar Wright deserves recognition somewhere.
My Dog Tulip - A film that's brilliant animation makes up for its uneven story this was another film that didn't make an impact on its release but if we're honouring animated films then this deserves to at least be nominated.

Best Film Not in the English Language: The Skin I Live In


I have said a lot about this already but the fact that this Spanish film hasn't even been recognised by Oscar shows a great discrepancy between the American awards and the BAFTAs in which it won this award.

Nominees: 
Cell 211- A gripping and engaging prison break thriller from Spain is a lot better than most of the thrillers currently being release in Hollywood.
How I Ended This Summer - A film that relies slightly on the cabin fever that occurs with two men on a desolate station in the Arctic Ocean, this Russian movie has two great performances and a simply yet affecting screenplay.
Poetry - I've already talked about the beauty and brilliant performances in this Korean masterpiece in my list of Best Films of the year so have a read of that.
La Quattro Volte - A film coming out of Italy looking at four seasons in a small village and the reliance on goat farming it sounds like it would be completely dull but on the contrary this is one of the most compelling films that I saw throughout last year.

Quick Picks: 
Cinematography: Newton Tomas Siegel (Drive)
Editing: Chris King and Greggers Sall (Senna)
Art Direction: Carlos Bodelon (The Skin I Live In)
Costume Design: Pascaline Chavanne (Potiche)
Make-Up: Victoria Down (Rise of the Planet of the Apes)
Visual Effects: Wayne Eaton (Super 8)
Sound: Mark Ulano (Super 8)
Sound Editing: Ben Burtt (Super 8)
Score: Cliff Martinez (Drive)
Original Song: Brett McKenzie - Life's a Happy Song (The Muppets)

That's my opinion so tell me what you think leave a comment below. 

Oscars 2012 Digested

So Tuesday saw the revelation of who made it to the final hurdle and were nominated for an Academy Award there were a few surprises but most of it had been predicted as the fight between a silent movie star, a Parisian orphan, some African American maids, a British prime minister, a horse and a depressed father of two who looks a bit like George Clooney. In this blog I'll take you through all the runners and riders in the major categories

BEST PICTURE 

The Artist 

What it's about: A silent movie star goes into a downward spiral following the advent of sound cinema while at the same time a star is born in a young actress who started out in one of his films.
Why it's nominated: It harks back to old school cinema which would appeal to the older member of the academy but apart from that it's a charming film that more than deserves the awards it's been nominated for.
What its chances are: A favourite to sweep the board and pick up the Best Picture award and personally I do feel at this stage it can't be beaten. But a lot can change between now and the end of February.
Odds: 2/9

The Descendants

What it's about: A man living in Hawaii must bring his family together when his wife slips into a coma while at the same time trying to finalise a property deal for the land that his family have inherited.
Why it's nominated: It is the token offbeat film of the pack but one that has picked up a lot of steam thanks to star George Clooney who is good at picking up Oscar votes despite that his own film The Ides of March doesn't figure here.
What its chances are: It's basically the only film that can beat The Artist at this stage and even then it would be a massive upset, I do believe that it should be happy to have won the Best Drama award at The Golden Globes
Odds: 9/2

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

What it's about: A young boy tries to discover the meaning of a key that his father, who died during 9/11, left him before he died.
Why it's nominated: This was one of the surprise entries into the Best Picture category and one that got a rapturous applause when it was revealed to be in the mix. This is the only film I haven't seen but from the reviews I have read it isn't great and of all of these films it has the lowest IMDB rating by quite some margin. I'm guessing its here because it's good Oscar bait with its subject matter of 9/11 and its awards-friendly cast of Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock.
What its chances are: I honestly think it should just be happy with the nomination here as this will simply be the also-ran film and will be quickly forgotten about post-awards season.
Odds: 40/1

The Help

What it's about: A young writer decides she is going to create a story based on the life of the African American maids who serve the wealthy families in her hometown.
Why it's nominated: This was the film I didn't really want to see in the list but that was mainly because I had a bet that it wouldn't be nominated and now I owe a friend a coffee. This is the token message film about not judging people just because of the colour of their skin and does contain some great performances from its predominantly female cast three of whom have picked up nominations.
What its chances are: While it has picked up a nod throughout every awards season I feel The Help's best chances are in the acting categories.
Odds: 33/1

Hugo

What it's about: A young Parisian orphan who lives at a train station tries to discover the secret behind a mechanical man he and his father were building.
Why it's nominated: Mainly because it's directed by Martin Scorsese but more than that its success is similar to that of The Artist in that they both reference the early days of cinema. In the case of Hugo it goes right back to the dawn of cinema and its French roots it also helps that it looks fantastic and as you will see I feel it will pick up a few awards.
What its chances are: Despite being nominated for the most awards this year I feel that Hugo will most likely triumphant in the awards that honour artistic merit and not in the Best Picture category.
Odds: 12/1

Midnight in Paris

What it's about: An American writer, who has accompanied his girlfriend and her family to Paris, finds himself travelling back to the city in the 1920s where he meets some of his icons and falls in love.
Why it's nominated: Again mainly for nostalgic reasons as the scenes in twenties Paris must appeal to the old guard of the academy. This is also a return to form for Oscar favourite Woody Allen whose films have often been given acting or writing nominations however this is the first Allen film to be nominated for an Oscar since Hannah and Her Sisters in 1986.
What its chances are: Again this won is here due to a strong campaign being launched on its behalf and I think while the film isn't successful maybe Allen will be elsewhere.
Odds: 33/1

Moneyball

What it's about: The manager of a baseball team who became the first person to use computer statistics to put his team together rather than taking the advice of his scouts.
Why it's nominated: Possibly due to the script written by Aaron Sorkin or possibly due to Oscar favourite Brad Pitt taking the starring role but my theory is due to its message of triumph over adversity and never giving up on your beliefs. I'm also guessing that a large number of the Academy voters are baseball fans and remember this incident when it first occurred.
What its chances are: Again this is a film that is just filling a gap in the list and I wouldn't be surprised if it was one that just about made it in.
Odds:40/1

The Tree of Life

What it's about: If I'm honest I'm really not sure but it does tell the story of a 1950s family who are rocked by the death of one of its sons and it follows another of the sons coping with the effects of this in the present day.
Why it's nominated: I don't really know as The Tree of Life was a film that the critics went crazy over but I'm yet to meet a real person who actually liked because I thought it was very pretentious and it thought it was an important movie that had to be seen by everyone. I'm guessing the combined force of director Terrence Malick, who only makes one film per decade, with stars Brad Pitt and Sean Penn was enough to get this one a nod.
What its chances are: No chance whatsoever this is the bookie's outside pick for a reason and out of all of the Best Picture nominations this is the one that is most likely to go away with absolutely nothing.
Odds: 50/1

War Horse

What it's about: A horse which is bought by a Devon farmer goes on to have a massive impact on many lives during World War I.
Why it's nominated: I feel the war setting must have something to do with it and I think members of the academy were probably charmed by it's tale of friendship and perseverance. It also helps that its director is academy favourite Steven Spielberg who is always on the campaign trail when he feels he has film that may appeal to the Oscar voters.
What its chances are: At one time this was the favourite to win Best Picture but that was before The Artist started getting honours around the festival circuits perhaps if this was released in another year it would triumph but I think it may just have to be content with some technical awards instead.
Odds:14/1


Best Actor 

Nominees: Demien Bicher (A Better Life), George Clooney (The Descendants), Jean Dujardin (The Artist), Gary Oldman (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) and Brad Pitt (Moneyball)
Thoughts: Of the four acting categories this is definitely the strongest and the one that still has some mystery behind it. George Clooney has to be the favourite here as he's been nominated almost every year and has previously won a Supporting Actor prize but this could be the year for his Leading Actor accolade. It is too early to say that Clooney has a lock on the award as The Artist's Jean Dujardin could still take this one and for me both performances were excellent. If I were a member of the academy I would cast my vote for Oldman's subtle performance in Tinker, Tailor as I felt it was utterly mesmerising but I think that he's lucky just to be nominated and despite losing the Oscar he may win the Bafta instead. A Better Life is the least familiar of the titles on this list but Bicher gives a great turn as a Mexican illegal immigrant who is trying to give his son the life he never had. It seems then that Brad Pitt is the weak link here while I didn't mind him in Moneyball it was never  a performance that I felt worthy of awards recognition.
Prediction: I wouldn't say George Clooney had it in the bag but I'm going to plump for him nonetheless.



Best Actress 

Nominees: Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs), Viola Davis (The Help), Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady) and Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)
Thoughts: Like with Clooney, Meryl Streep is an Oscar favourite who holds the record for the most nominations in the acting categories with a previous sixteen nods however she has only ever won best actress once and that was almost thirty years ago. Though The Iron Lady has had a mixed response, I am yet to see it myself, one thing nobody has any doubt on is that Streep's performance/impression is fantastic. Streep's closest rival has to be The Help's Viola Davis, who has picked up a couple of awards so far, who again gives a strong turn as the maid who finally decides she's had enough and reveals her stories for a book told from the point of view of the staff. If Streep wasn't present I would've said that Glenn Close would've had a good chance as she both drags up and puts on an accent in the Irish-set Albert Nobbs and Michelle Williams has also appealed to the Oscar voters by inhabiting the role of Marilyn Monroe. The outside choice, and also the surprise nomination, is Rooney Mara who for me was the best thing about the English Language version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo however I would've said that Tilda Swinton deserved the nomination more and would've been my pick to win.
Prediction: At this stage I can't see Streep being beaten.



Best Supporting Actor 

Nominees: Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn), Jonah Hill (Moneyball), Nick Nolte (Warrior), Christopher Plummer (Beginners) and Max Von Sydow (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)
Thoughts: This is the battle of the British actors with Brangah's Laurence Olivier impression going up against Plummer's gay man who is dying of cancer. At 82 years of age it seems that Plummer would have to be the favourite playing against type as the man who has finally been allowed to come out of the closet after years of lying to his son in addition it would also be good to see Plummer awarded for his many years on the big screen so Branagh might have to wait a few more years for his award. Ironically another 82 year old, Max Von Sydow, is also nominated here but he was the surprise nominee in this category and I can't see him winning. Of the other two Frat Pack favourite Jonah Hill was, in my opinion, the best thing about Moneyball as I feel he excelled in his first drama role but won't manage to be the old guard here and as much as I liked Warrior I wasn't overly wowed by Nolte's mumbling turn as the recovering alcoholic father.
Prediction: Christopher Plummer to win.


Best Supporting Actress 

Nominees: Berenice Bejo (The Artist), Jessica Chastain (The Help), Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids), Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs) and Octavia Spencer (The Help)
Thoughts: This was the category that offered up no surprises when it was announced and I feel the eventual winner, Octavia Spencer, will be no surprise either. In The Help Spencer plays the feistier of the two central African American characters and dominates the screen against Viola Davis' more subtle performance. For me though I preferred Spencer's co-star, and fellow nominee, Jessica Chastain who provided the comic relief in The Help as a ditzy housewife who herself is ostracised from the town's group of society girls. I'm still not sure why Berenice Bejo is nominated in the supporting category as her performance was just as integral to The Artist as Jean Dujardin's was but maybe they thought she had better luck if she wasn't up against Meryl Streep. For me though the award should go to one of the other two nominees, I thought Janet McTeer was the best thing about Albert Nobbs as her impression of a man was more convincing than Glenn Close's while Melissa McCarthy gets the token comedy award for playing the role of Megan in Bridesmaids and proving that she was more than just the token fat girl.
Prediction: At this stage there's no beating Octavia Spencer.


Best Director 

Nominees: Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris), Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist), Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life), Alexander Payne (The Descendants) and Martin Scorsese (Hugo)
Thoughts: This one really feels like an old boys club with veteran directors Allen, Malick and Scorsese all featuring within the ranks. It seems that at this stage Scorsese is the favourite to win the award which will shockingly be only his second Oscar but that's mainly because he won the Golden Globe. To be fair Hugo is Scorsese's lovechild and one of his most personal films with it being a love letter to the days of early cinema it captures perfectly his love of the first French directors. Talking of French directors it is part-French Hazanavicius who is my pick to win the award as again The Artist is his creative vision and you can just see how much direction has gone into that film. An outside bet might be Malick who the Academy will give the award to for his great body of work prior to the awful Tree of Life but I don't see either Woody Allen or Alexander Payne having any chance of a win. It could well be a split decision with The Artist taking Best Picture and Scorsese triumphing here but I don't think so.
Prediction: This is probably my biggest punt of the lot but I'm going to predict that Michel Hazanvicius wins this one.


Original and Adapted Screenplay 

As I mentioned earlier Woody Allen's success might come elsewhere and I feel that he could get another Best Original Screenplay award for Midnight in Paris whose message of not dwelling in the past is a good one. Allen's biggest competition here has to be Michel Hazanvicius' script for The Artist as the film itself may sweep the board it might just get this award anyway. Original Screenplay is an interesting category as it also features the Iranian film A Separation and banking crisis drama Margin Call neither of which I would've predicted featuring here but if you're looking for an outside bet you could do a lot worse than Kristen Wiig and Paul Feig's script for the brilliantly hilarious Bridesmaids.

There are some big names in the adapted screenplay category also with George Clooney among the names that adapted The Ides of March for the big screen and last year's winner Aaron Sorkin for co-adapting Moneyball. It is also good to see Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy here as i felt the adaptation of John Le Carre's original source novel was one of the best things about the film while Hugo also had a great script even if it was outshone by the spectacular visuals. But my pick has to be former winner Alexander Payne who co-adapted Kaui Hart Hemmings' original book alongside Nat Faxon and Community's Jim Rash.
Predictions: Original Screenplay - Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris) and Adapted Screenplay - Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash (The Descendants)

Animated Film 

Nominees: A Cat in Paris, Chico and Rita, Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots and Rango
Thoughts: This is the first time I can remember a Pixar film, in this case Cars 2, being eligible but not being nominated in the Animated Film category. After back-to-back wins for Ratatouille, Wall-E, Up and Toy Story 3 the animation studio fails to even make the grade falling to two films from rival studio Dreamworks. Those two films, Kung Fu Panda 2 and Puss in Boots, both opened to mix critical response but did tremendously well at the Box Office which I'm guessing is why they're here. However if a commercial success is going to win this award once again I feel it will be Rango as it has a broader appeal throughout the age ranges thanks to it's Western pastiche. But it is nice to see smaller films being given recognition while I'm not aware of French film A Cat in Paris it looks like a fairly interesting piece and I'll look forward to watching it whenever it's available over here. But by a country mile my favourite of the five is the sumptuous hand-drawn Latin American cartoon Chico and Rita which is the only nominee here to not be a film made for children and in the history of this award it is the only non-child-friendly animation to be nominated in this category..
Prediction: I am torn I feel that Chico and Rita may well win but the more logical choice is Rango which is what I feel I must plump for.

Foreign Language Film 

Nominees: Bullhead (Belgium), Footnote (Israel), In Darkness (Poland), Monsieur Lazahar (Canada) and A Separation (Iran)
Thoughts: I'm not a fan of how the Oscars pick their Best Foreign Language Feature nominees as each country is only allowed to submit one film despite many countries producing more than one superior film per year. I'm going to have a moan about snubs elsewhere in this article but where is The Skin I Live In or Poetry? Both brilliant pictures not nominated here as they should be. I have to say the majority of these films are yet to be released in the UK so I haven't had a chance to see them but thankfully one of my favourite films of last year has been nominated and that is A Separation. The film throws a spotlight on the mighty Iranian film industry and is an accessible film that deals with everyday issues but within the context of Iranian society. As it has previously won a Golden Globe and is one of the only foreign films ever to get a screenplay nomination I have to say it has to be the favourite by a large margin.
Prediction: A Separation to get the deserved win.


The Best of the Rest 

Don't worry I'm not going to bore you by going through all twenty four categories here, you've probably already had enough of me wittering on, but I'm just going to whizz through some of them. In a large number of the categories I can see it being a straight up duel between Hugo and The Artist with the dead certs being the former for Production Design and the latter for Original Score. I think the technical awards will be split between War Horse and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 with The Iron Lady picking up the award for make-up. In the Original Song category there are only two nominations and for me Flight of The Conchords' Bret McKenzie is a clear favourite for his song from The Muppets. Most of this year's Best Documentaries don't feature in the Best Documentary category so I'm going to say that Wim Wenders' 3D film about ballerina Pina Bausch will win the award. And don't ask me about the short film categories as I never ever am able to predict those so you'll have to sort that out on your own.

Snubs 

Well most people's favourite film of last year, including mine, was Drive which failed to get a look in apart from in the prestigious Sound Editing category and I'm sorry but that wasn't a knock to all you sound editors out there. I thought at least Albert Brooks would get a Supporting Actor nod but it seems he has lost out to Max Von Sydow. The fact it is nominated for Best Film at the BAFTAs proves that we Brits are always right.
The biggest surprise in the acting categories is that Tilda Swinton's portrayal of a distraught mother in We Need to Talk About Kevin hasn't been nominated after figuring in all of the other award lists up to now. I think that is mainly because former winner Swinton has trashed the Oscars in the past so they felt justified in their decision to give her nomination to Rooney Mara.
Other actresses who were denied a place on the list include Elizabeth Olsen and Olivia Coleman whose Tyrannosaur co-star Peter Mullan also deserves a mention.

However the biggest mistake seems to be leaving Senna out of the list for Best Documentary when it was the best documentary by some miles and for some it was there film of the year. We have known that it hadn't made it for quite some while as it wasn't even on the long-list but once again BAFTA gets it right and at least it will win one major award during the season.
And finally there's nothing once again this year for Kevin O'Connell the sound mixer who holds the record for the most Oscar nominations without ever winning anything to be fair though he'd only worked on The Muppets this year. 

Please leave your comments below about who you think will win the awards and who you think should've been nominated.

Next Years Oscar Nominees

So with Eddie Murphy announced as host and Brett Ratner is the producer of the event what of the films that will be competing for the big prize come next year? Although it is only September I've decided to give my initial thoughts on what the Best Picture Nominees will be although I may revise it come December. I'm going on the presumption that there will be ten nominees however there are rumblings that there will be between five and ten which will just confuse the bejsus out of everyone. Without further ado here we go...

The Artist

Michel Hazanvicus' almost silent movie has been gaining awards buzz ever since lead actor Jean Dujardin won the Best Actor award in Cannes. It is certainly different and will appeal to the older members of the Academy who like a film that hark back to the silent movie days in Hollywood. I can see the main reason preventing the film's rise will be its lack of star power and its lack of a relevant theme. However the plus points count out the negative ones and I reckon this will definitely get a spot in the final nomination list.


The Descendants 

Alexander Payne has recently specialised in comedy drama films about sad looking men going on life defining journeys and both About Schmidt and Sidways have been nominated and won Oscars. Couple this with the fact that Academy favourite George Clooney is once again a favourite to feature in the Best Actor category. The only problem I have with the film featuring here is that there are several indie life affirming films coming out around the same time and this spot could easily be taken by We Bought a Zoo or Young Adult however the odds seem to be in the favour of Payne's film, at least for now.


Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 

Stephen Daldry, Tom Hanks, 9/11 and an acclaimed source material should definitely add up to Oscar gold. Daldry's last two features - The Hours and The Reader have both been nominated for Best Picture and Hanks has had five Oscar nominations and two wins. Then there's the story of a young boy searching for the lock that fits the key that his father, who died in 9/11, left to him. In fact this may be a little too saccahrine for the Academy's taste but it definitely seems to me that this one appeals to the patriotic academy voters.

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 

Blockbusters don't tend to fare well at the Oscars especially if they're part of a franchise. However occasionally an Inception or a Lord of the Rings slips through the net and goes on to get a nomination. It is no secret that the Warner Bros. team are mounting a campaign to get the final film in the Potter series to be recognised at the Oscars presumably as a way of honouring the Potter films as one. The obvious disadvantages are that this isn't a 'serious' film and more than that it is seen as a film aimed predominantdly at children. For me it just depends how strong the campaign is and more importantly how many films will be in the running for Best Picture this year.

The Ides of March 

George Clooney's fourth film as director is picking up as much buzz as his second, Good Night and Good Luck, a film for which he recieved a Best Director and Best Picture nomination. With a cast featuring the red-hot Ryan Gosling and dependable supporting men Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti this looks set to be one of the major favourites for the Best Picture category. Clooney is an expert at politicking and if one of his films gets in this year I think it will be The Ides of The Descendants however the main problem here could be the split of votes between this and another predominantly male drama on the list. 

The Iron Lady 

Harvey Weinstein strikes again. The man behind some of the bigges Oscar campaigns of the last fifteen years has bought the US distrbution rights to this Margaret Thatcher biopic. This sees the second teaming up star Meryl Streep and director Phyllida Law after their frivolity in Mamma Mia this is much more of a serious subject. What worries me here is that the yanks love a monarch but do they love a prime minister and one that wasn't particularly likeable. I'm sure Weinstein will weave his magic once more and Meryl will definitely be in that Best Actress pool but then there's no surprise there. 

J. Edgar 

Of the two biopics jostling for Oscar contention, Eastwood's film about former law enforcement chief J. Edgar Hoover may just have the edge over Meryl and Thatcher. The main reason for this is the film is said to have a stunning lead performance by Leonardo DiCaprio which could finally bag him the Best Actor Oscar. Although it is true that one biopic may cancel out the other and neither will feature in this year's list it is much more likely that Clint might pick up a third Oscar for a film that he has directed.

Midnight in Paris 

Like with Harry Potter, the people behind Woody Allen's latest film are really pushing for this to be his first film nominated for Best Picture since Hannah and Her Sisters in 1986. To its credit Midnight in Paris is a perfectly made and is full of while questioning the love of nostalgia. While other Allen films have netted awards and nominations for its stars such as Dianne West, Mira Sorvino and Penelope Cruz, Midnight in Paris is much more of an ensemble piece. However at the same time will the Academy see Allen as past it now? I'm not sure how big the push will be for the award but with no real life issues to tackle or major names attached to it I fear that Midnight in Paris may just miss out on a nod.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy 

Tomas Alfredson's adaptation of the classic cold war thriller has gained critical accolades and also might be the dark horse entry this year with the academy favouring old school stories like this. Gary Oldman's performance has been earmarked for an Oscar nod also and the fine supporting cast and Alfredson's superb direction also may be up for a few statuettes. However the film's main obstacle might be the split in votes between it and The Ides of March which both feature a majorly male cast talking a lot in rooms.

War Horse

War? What is it good for? Well for Steven Spielberg it usually means a Best Director Oscar having previously picked up them for Schindler's List and Saving Privae Ryan. It might also be good for seeing one of his films get in the nominated shortlisted for the first time since Munich in 2005. War Horse combines a popular story, with a  World War I Setting, a cute kid and an even cuter animal and some fine supporting players. Like with Harry Potter this could fine academy snobbery laundered upon it but I feel that Spielberg's film might just clinch it at the ceremony.

However I could be wrong and may well post an updated list at the beginning of next year along with some of the possible acting contenders.


I'm taking a bit of a break from the film blog at the moment but will be back at the end of the year with my Top 25 of 2011.

5th Annual Oscar Blog

I can't believe its five years but here we are once again, Oscar time and once again against my better judgment I am staying up and tweeting away. I aim to get an hours kip in between 10 and 11 but fail and instead try and find a stream online that is showing E!'s Red Carpet Footage which I do but later on I have a problem keeping a stream the deatils of which I won't bore you with here. Instead let's crack on with my thoughts from that evening starting with the Red Carpet.

11:02 pm: E!'s footage begins Ryan Seacrest interviews the gorgeous and talented Jennifer Lawrence who I so want to win Best Actress but who so won't. Seacrest tries to quiz her on her future projects, she says her big break is coming soon, which beggars the question, does the film you're nomianted for an Oscar for not qualify as your big break?

11:04 pm: Up in the Sky Box now with E!'s Fashion Police which this year include Kelly Osbourne for some reason. I'm just not sure what qualifies Kelly to be a Fashion Police Officer but then she's really not been qualified to do anything she's turned her hand to up to this point so who know's she might be good at it? (Later on in the programme it turns out she can't identify dress fabrics, so it's not a great start)

11:13 pm: My future wife Mila Kunis just steps out of her car looking amazing as always

11:18 pm: A pre-recorded interview with James Franco and Anne Hathaway is aired, Franco disses Ricky Gervais, I like him already.

11:23 pm: There is a shot of Michelle Williams in her car unable to get out, maybe one of her fellow nominees has put her hex on her not to appear at the awards, my guess is Nicole Kidman.

11:25 pm: Haillee Steinfeld, another actress who should win but won't, is now being interviewed by Seacrest. Seacrest seems to have commandeered a blimp and is using it to write messages to tonights nominees as he directs Hailee's eyes to the message that says 'Good Luck' on the Goodyear Blimp.

11:33 pm: I really don't get Russell Brand, he marries one of the prettiest women in the world in Katy Perry and then brings his mum to the awards. I'm sure Mrs. Brand is a lovely lady but come on!!!

12:02 am: Not a lot is really happening, Kevin Spacey is wittering on about producing The Social Network and is generally trying to be witty and entertaining.

12:18 am: Helena Bonham Carter has arrived in a dress that is very reserved for her, she obviously didn't follow the Tilda Swinton rule, ridiculous dress = surprise win.

12:20 am: Ryan Seacrest is interviewing Hilary Swank about being a presenter, I'm guessing she's gutted that she was nominated for Conviction this year just like she wasn't nominated for Amelia the year before. Swank really shouldn't base her career on starring in films that she thinks will get her award nominations.

12:24 am: Back to the Fashion Police who have described Bonham Carter's dress as 'conservative' they obviously saw those pictures that Helena and Tim Burton took with the Camerons on New Years Day.

12:28 am: Hugh Jackman is now being interviewed saying that he loved The Social Network, The Fighter, 127 Hours and Inception because he wants to work with the directors of all of these films in the future. Obviously forgetting that he starred in The Prestige which was directed by Inception's Christopher Nolan.

12:33 am: Matthew Mcconaughey is being interviewed, this is possibly the closest he will ever get to an Oscar. My guess is that he's bought the weed for the losers to smoke when they get beaten by someone less deserving of the award.

12:37 am: Christian Bale is approaching the platform, I wonder what accent he will be doing tonight.

12:38 am: It seems he's plumped for Walford Market Trader I can just imagine him asking Billy Mitchell to mind the stall for him. But actually it does sound like the exact voice he used in The Prestige, I wonder if that's to remind Hugh Jackman that he was actually in that film.

12:51 am: Mark Wahlberg says that The Fighter will win two awards, he obviously knows that Melissa Leo and Christian Bale have got in the bag.

12:57 am: Natalie Portman and her baby bump are taking their sweet time getting down the Red Carpet as E!'s coverage finishes we've got the half-hour lul between this finishing and the ceremony starting.

1:28am: Finishing off the 30 minute ABC Pre-show we see a scene with the Oscar producer talking with the over-enthusiastic presenter. Just as the interview finishes Steven Spielberg turns up to mop the producer's brow. In my eyes that's rather extreme canvassing but it will no doubt see War Horse sweep the board next year.

1:32 am: The awards kick off with a parody of Inception in which Anne Hathaway and James Franco decide to invade Alec Baldwin's head to get hosting ideas. This is fairly ironic to fans of 30 Rock as Baldwin had a line the other week 'I don't sleep on planes, I'm afraid I might get incepted.'

1:34 am: The parody finds Hathaway and Franco invade all the films, like Billy Crystal used to do, they go The Social Network, then The Fighter in which they try really bad Boston accents out and to True Grit where Franco tells Bridges 'I loved you in Tron'

1:35 am: Morgan Freeman appears as the narrator of the sequence, 'because I have a soothing voice' this is followed by parodies of The King's Speech and Black Swan. So nothing for Winter's Bone, The Kids are All Right, Toy Story 3 or Franco's 127 Hours.

1:36 am: The whole thing ends with a relevant Back to the Future skit in which Hathaway and Franco arrive at the ceremony in a DeLorean.

1:40 am: Hathaway and Franco are mid-prattle, they're very nice but not particularly funny. Hathaway comes out with the line 'it used to be you get naked, you get nominated.' I must've missed her Oscar nomination for the classic movie that is Havoc.

1:41 am: Hathaway has some predictable banter with her mum, who is in the crowd, the various what are you wearing? gags both amuse and tire the audience in equal measure.

1:42 am: James Franco does the same thing but with his randy old grandma who seems to want to hit on Mark Wahlberg. Franco's nan gets the biggest ovation of the night so far, maybe the crowd are anxious to see some actual famous people.

1:43am: Tonight's pointless theme seems to be linking in films that have already won awards to certain categories the first one is Gone with the Wind followed closely by Titanic.

1:44 am: The award for Art Direction is oddly the evening's first and it goes to Alice in Wonderland, which is also a surprise win in this category. This is followed by the cinematography award which rightly goes to Inception's Wally Pfister although I thought this would be Roger Deakins' year for his work on True Grit.

1:52 am: Kirk Douglas comes on to present the Supporting Actress Award. He starts hitting on Anne Hathaway, I think Michael may have a new stepmom. As a sidenote there is no Christoph Waltz or Mo'Nique tonight, it used to be that last year's winners would present to this year's winners obviously Oscar has already forgot about both of them.

1:56 am: Kirk Douglas keeps eating up the time and the crowd keep laughing at his 'crazy old man bit'

1:58 am: Melissa Leo wins for The Fighter, after hitting on Kirk she trips on her words and then said two years ago, when she was previously nominated and lost, Kate Winslet made it look so 'Fing, easy', my guess is that it won't be back to back Oscars for Leo.

2:02 am: The lovely Mila Kunis and the 'he was alright in Social Network' Justin Timberlake come on to present the animated features, Timberlake keeps telling Kunis he's Banksy, I still don't get why. The reminiscences of old films which have won this award starts again as the two are lit by a Shrek backdrop.

2:05 am: Animated Short goes to the Australian film The Lost Thing and not to the favourite Pixar's Day and Night however Pixar does get one as Toy Story 3 gets Animated Feature and I finally get a prediction right.

2:13 am: Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin give a nod to the dress code of the first academy awards by coming down in rather snappy white tuxedos.

2:15 am: Aaron Sorkin gets the award for Adapted Screenplay and even though he does his ultra-fast Sorkin pace speech he is still getting played off. This annoys me somewhat as Kirk Douglas has obviously eaten through quite a lot of the time.

2:21 am: The King's Speech's scribe David Seidler gives a very personal, touching and classy speech about how he came to write the script that one him Best Original Screenplay.

2:26 am: Another of my predictions starts to come true as Anne Hathaway starts to do a rendition of 'On my Own' from Les Miserables changing the lyrics to insuinate that Hugh Jackman was going to duet with her, like she did with him two years ago, but instead opted out. Anne's a very good singer but the whole thing seems a little unnecessary.

2:27 am: After Hathaway has finished warbling, Franco comes out in drag telling Anne that if she got to wore a tux he could come out in a blonde wig and dress. He does a gag about getting a text from Charlie Sheen which gets a lukewarm response. The fact that he both dragged up and did a Sheen joke reeks of desperation from the hosts and we've still got another two hours left.

2:28 am: New best mates (Dame) Helen Mirren and Russell Brand come out to present Best Foreign Language Feature. Their banter is funny enough however the biggest misstep here was getting Brand to read out the names of the nominated producers of each film, it was a little odd hearing his London dialect pronounce some of the more delicate French names. The Danish - In a Better World was the winner here.


2:33am: Reese Witherspoon comes out to present the Best Supporting Actor award, ever the pro she doesn't do any jokes or crazy and just gets on with her job.

2:35 am: Another prediction come true as Christian Bale wins for The Fighter, he doesn't have a lot to say because Melissa Leo has stolen all of his profanities and as he mentions he isn't going to drop the 'F-Bomb' like she did. However there is a good bit in his speech where he thanks the real Dick Eklund and plugs Dick's website as he know trains young people to box, and you know, stay off the crack and that.

2:41 am: Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman come on and are seemingly giving an 'Introduction to Film Studies' lesson in which they harp on about sound and vision and what makes a film. But in fact they are out to present Best Original Score.

2:42 am: John Williams gets another pay check as a collection of his scores are played in this overlong pre-amble.

2:44 am: After what seems like forever the Score award is finally presented to Trent Reznor of all people which is actually quite deserved his Social Network piece actually does stick in your head. And well done to Atticuss Ross who won the award with him another Brit win.

2:48 am: With all the films featuring lesbian love scenes - Black Swan, Kids Are All Right etc. Its interesting that the only lesbian kiss of the evening was between one of the winning sound mixers from Inception and her wife.

2:52 am: More for Inception as Richard King wins Sound Editing

2:54 am:  It seems that Marissa Tomei was the token pretty actress chosen to go to the dreaded sci-tech awards because the nerds there never get to see a real woman for 364 days of the year.

2:57 am: Best Make-Up was an odd category as two of the nominees - Barney's Version and The Way Back, didn't really seem to have used that much make-up so the only logical winner was Rick Baker for The Wolfman who has won this award about a million times before.

3:00 am: We are rushing through the awards as Coleen Atwood wins for Best Costume Design. This know means that Alice in Wonderland has more awards than The King's Speech and the same amount as The Social Network.

3:01 am: Atwood is wittering on, reading off cards and doesn't care when the 'you're going on too long love' music starts playing.

3:03 am: We get another montage, this time of people saying what their favourite Best Original Song Winner has been. Obama comes on to tell us that his is 'As Time Goes by' from Casablanca, methinks he should be trying to quash the problems in Libya rather than appear on the Oscars.

3:04 am: Kevin Spacey appears to introduce the first two songs. He does a little sing-song himself and displays more charisma than either of our two hosts. We then have Randy Newman who performs the ace song from Toy Story 3 - We Belong Together.

3:05 am: Mandy Moore and the guy who plays Chuck sing their number from Tangled. Moore looks fine but Chuck looks very uncomfortable, maybe he's on one of his covert missions?

3:13 am: We quickly go through Best Documentary Short and Best Original Short the latter of which goes to the only American entry - God of Love. Me smells fix.

3:18 am: An odd supposed comic sequence in which several films, including Harry Potter and Twilight, have their spoken lines auto-tuned to sound like the characters are singing. This is entertaining for about 10 seconds but then becomes increasingly annoying.

3:22 am: Best Documentary Feature goes to Inside Job. There is a rather pot-kettle moment when all the multi-millonaire movie executives and film stars applaud the director when he mentions that none of the bankers or financial advisers have gone to jail yet since the recession. I personally thought that Restrepo would win this and then the movie industry could show their support for the troops.

3:27 am: Billy Crystal comes on to talk about old Oscar hosts and shows a hologram of Bob Hope. Crystal gets more laughs than Hathaway and Franco have all night. Does that mean Crystal will host next year? or maybe it will just be the Hope hologram.

3:32 am: Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. come on the stage to present Best Visual Effects, I have expect Chris Rock to appear at this point and ask Law who he is.

3:33 am: Law makes a joke about Downey Jr.'s past, so when Ricky Gervais did it was considered horrible and slanderous but when his buddy does it, its totally acceptable.

3:34 am: Inception wins its fourth award and this sees an Oscar go to a local Staffordshire lad, well done son.

3:36 am: The Social Network wins for editing. Even though this was my prediction I still feel this was an odd choice and it should've gone to either Black Swan or 127 Hours.

3:42 am: We get the other two nominees for Best Song first Florence and the Machine, filling in for Dido and A.R. Rahman and then Gwyneth Paltrow of all people!

3:47 am: Randy Newman rightfully wins this award. Newman has been nominated about 20 times in the past but only won once for Monsters Inc. His speech is one of the funniest of the night but for all the wrong reasons.

3:53 am: Celine Dion comes out to sing 'Smile' over the lovely clips of dead people. This is just what I want to watch at this time in the morning. But at least she didn't sing my 'Heart Will Go On' over many old film stars who died of heart attacks.

3:54 am: Mario Monicelli, the Italian director who died after jumping through his hospital window is shown, maybe Celine should've sung 'Jump' by Van Halen or a variation of The Beatles' 'She Came in through the Bathroom Window' 'He Jumped out through the Hospital Window'.

3:56 am: I'm sure being sung over by Celine Dion is just how Dennis Hopper would've like to have been remembered.

4:03 am: Tom Hooper beats David Fincher to the Best Director award which is basically a spoiler for The King's Speech winning Best Picture as well. Hooper's speech is very gracious as he thanks his mum for discovering the play in the first place. This speech sees Hooper's mum trend on Twitter for a while.

4:08 am: There is a video presentation of The Governer's Ball in which legends of the film industry are honoured. This year includes Francis Ford Coppola and Eli Wallach. I remember when these legends used to get to deliver speeches on the night instead of just attending an event that gets shown here. I'm sure speeches from Coppola and especially Wallach would've been more entertaining than some of the stuff that has been shown tonight.

4:15 am: Jeff Bridges gives a little introduction to each clip of the Best Actress nominees. During his little pre-amble about Natalie Portman he says that she has always shown a love for the craft of film-making I must've missed that love in films such as Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, My Blueberry Nights and No Strings Attached. 

4:17 am:Portman wins Best Actres for Black Swan. Portman's fiancee helps her up the stairs to collect her award. This is probably because she is pregnant but I like to think that he is so jealous and over-protective that he doesn't even trust her to make a small walk less she be swept off her feet by a more attractive man.

4:18 am: Portman starts showing off listing all the directors she's worked with - Luc Besson, Mike Nichols etc.

4:20 am: I think what would liven up the event is if Portman starts seeing her face on different members of the audience and starts stabbing them one by one. My suggestion - start with Russell Brand.

4:21 am: Sick bags at the ready as Portman thanks fiancee for giving her her greatest role to date. 

4:22 am: Sandra Bullock seems notably upset that Jeff Bridges is a back to back nominee this year and she isn't maybe that's because she hasn't made any films since The Blind Side.

4:23 am: There's a shot of Colin Firth after his clip from The King's Speech has been shown, seen behind Firth is Harvey Weinstein who is laughing as he realises that all his politicing and campaigining has paid off and that he is laughing all the way to the bank.

4:25 am: Firth wins gives gracious speech but I preferred his BAFTA acceptance as it had a bit more humour to it.

4:34 am: Next year's Best Director winner Steven Spielberg comes on to present Best Picture

4:35 am: As we haven't seen any of the Best Picture nominees throughout the night we have a big montage. For me this spoils most of the films up for the award as the ends of Black Swan, The Kids are All Right and some spoilery bits from Inception are all seen and played over the clips is the final speech from The King's Speech.

4:37 am: As had been thought The King's Speech did win Best Picture. The producers thank Hooper, Seidler and the cast but only mention Firth, Rush and Bonham Carter I'm upset that former Neighbours star Guy Pearce doesn't get a credit for his portrayal of Edward VIII. Fun Fact: Pearce has appeared in back to back Best Picture winners as he was in the start of last year's winner The Hurt Locker he is the first actor to do this since Russell Crowe in 2001.

4:40 am: Sick bags at the ready moment number two. The final film talked about by our hosts is The Wizard of Oz this sees local school kids ushered in to sing Somewhere Over the Rainbow. This doesn't seem a very fitting end to the ceremony.

4:41 am: All tonight's winners return to the stage, some of them sing along others stand there akwardly and I wonder if Melissa Leo has been teaching them the F Word backstage.

4:44 am: The ceremony comes to an end.

After the awards I feel really deflated and wonder why. Hathaway was charming enough but Franco didn't really add anything but this may be because he was also nominated and I think it was hard to host as a nominee also. I mainly feel that the ceremony was underwhelming as there was no real surprises save maybe Tom Hooper's victory over David Fincher. There also didn't seem to be many comic sequences and celebrations of former winners and the comic sequences that were present fell flat. There were some nice classy speeches mainly from the Brits but also from Aaron Sorkin and Randy Newman and I did enjoy Leo's F Bomb and Kirk Douglas in general. But I felt the school kids coming on at the end was just a little wrong and disturbing.

From what happened tonight I feel next year we need the comedians back - Billy Crystal did a good showing and I think that may have been an audition for next year's ceremony I do miss his songs. I also think we should go back to having the Best Picture nominees mentioned throughout the night this would stop the spoilerish montage of all ten that we had at the end of the night. Overall a rather slapdash affair and if Franco and Hathaway indeed tried to incept some hosting tips from Baldwin's mind then they didn't really do a very good job. Oh well here's to the Oscars in 2012 where I reckon it will be a battle between Spielberg's War Horse and Eastwood's J. Edgar.