the oscars 2012

[Jack's Smirking Revenge]

what is everyone expecting to do well this year? the shortlist is looking quite weak this year i think, especially compared to last year when we had the king's speech, the fighter, black swan and inception all up for best picture.

i can see the artist taking a lot, as it stormed the golden globes and the baftas (which are usually very biased towards british films). i can see hugo surprising a few people, and i really hope it does because it was an excellent little film. i'd like to think rooney mara will get best actress for the girl with the dragon tattoo, but it'll probably go to meryl streep

best picture
the artist
the descendants
extremely loud and incredibly close
the help
hugo
midnight in paris
moneyball
the tree of life
war horse

best actor
demián bichir (a better life)
george clooney (the descendants)
jean djuardin (the artist)
gary oldman (tinker tailor soldier spy)
brad pitt (moneyball)

best actress
glenn close (albert nobbs)
viola davis (the help)
rooney mara (the girl with the dragon tattoo)
meryl streep (the iron lady)
michelle williams (my week with marilyn)

supporting actor
kenneth branagh (my week with marilyn)
jonah hill (moneyball)
nick nolte (warrior)
christopher plummer (beginners)
max von sydow (extremely loud and incredibly close)

supporting actress
bérénice bejo (the artist)
jessica chastain (the help)
melissa mccarthy (bridesamaids)
janet mcteer (albert nobbs)
octavia spencer (the help)

best director
woody allen (midnight in paris)
michael haranavicius (the artist)
terrence malick (tree of life)
alexander payne (the descendants)
martin scorsese (hugo)

best original screenplay
the artist
bridesmaids
margin call
midnight in paris
a separation

best unoriginal screenplay
the descendants
hugo
the ides of march
moneyball
tinker tailor soldier spy

best animated feature
a cat in paris
chico & rita
kung fu panda 2
puss in boots
rango

best foreign language film
bullhead
footnote
in darkness
monsieur lazhar
a separation

best cinematography
the artist
the girl with the dragon tattoo
hugo
the tree of life
war horse

best editing
the artist
the descendants
the girl with the dragon tattoo
hugo
moneyball

best art direction
the artist
harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2
hugo
midnight in paris
war horse

best costume design
anonymous
the artist
hugo
jane eyre
w.e.

best make-up
albert nobbs
harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2
the iron lady

best original score
the adventures of tintin
the artist
hugo
tinker tailor soldier spy
war horse

best original song
the muppets
rio

best sound mixing
the girl with the dragon tattoo
hugo
moneyball
transformers: dark of the moon
war horse

best sound editing
drive
the girl with the dragon tattoo
hugo
transformes: dark of the moon
war horse

best visual effects
harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2
hugo
real steel
rise of the planet of the apes
transformers: dark of the moon

best feature documentary
hell and back again
if a tree falls: a story of the earth liberation front
paradise lost 3: purgatory
pina
undefeated

best short documentary
the barber of birmingham: foot soldier of the civil rights movement
god is the bigger elvis
incident in new baghdad
saving face
the tsunami and the cherry blossom

best short animation
dimanche
the fantastic flying books of mr. morris lessmore
la luna
a morning stroll
wild life

best short film
pentecost
raju
the shore
time freak
tuba atlantic

 

[charliepanayi]

It is a generally weak year I think, but The Artist is a great film and I hope it wins as is expected, as it deserves to and it's miles better than anything else nominated for Best Picture. My predictions for the major categories are:

The Artist
Michel Haznavicius
George Clooney
Viola Davis
Christopher Plummer
Octavia Spencer
Midnight in Paris (original screenplay)
The Descendants (adapted screenplay)
Rango

 

[Jack's Smirking Revenge]

i thought there were very few surprises in the end. i think the biggest was prbably the girl with the dragon tattoo taking the editing award, and i thought war horse would take at least one of the sound-related ones.
i was very pleased for jean dujardin and octavia spencer - they both seemed genuinely thrilled to have won their awards.

the highlight of the night was definitely admiral aladeen spilling kim jong-il's ashes over ryan seacrest. that was absolutely priceless.

 

[ribbit]

Seriously? I never watch these lame award shows, but that's pretty ridiculous. They give Ralph Fiennes a snake like head and take away Meryl Streep's wrinkles. Who gets best makeup? Meryl Streep.

 

[Jack's Smirking Revenge]

i expected harry potter to take best make-up, but i'm really not surprised that it went to the iron. some of the work they did in that was excellent.

 

[AerithG]

I think the Oscars are lame. They usually have the dumbest movies up in the categories, and I get sick enough of watching stars on television shows and on the 'big screen', let alone watching them get more fame from ticket sales. >>;

 

[Richard B Riddick]

I never watch the oscars...

I was always cynical about it & thought it was an over-rated popularity contest made for established directors and movie stars to give themselves an excuse to pat themselves on the back over their newest works which made millions of dollars in the box office but were mediocre or average at best.

Nearly all of my favorite movies have never won one. (Its possible my taste is shite, but we don't have to go there, do we? )

I think the matrix should have won at least one on its effects. It didn't. I think that shows how political and flawed the process is...

Their tendency to ignore fantasy and scifi genres is annoying too. Its only recently that Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings and others have begun to gain credibility, I s'pose.

But, I do have to admit, they do get it right once in awhile and sometimes the awards are justified.

 

[charliepanayi]

Genres like SF and fantasy (even animation and comedy) tend to get shut out by the Oscars, the voters are old and have pretty conservative tastes unfortunately.

But I would point out The Matrix won four technical category Oscars, one of which was for visual effects!

 

[Shaissa]

A bunch of Harry Potter fans were all mad about it not winning some awards.. I mean seriously who cares what some people think? I don't watch these awards at all, I will decide what I think is good and not good thank you very much

 

[Richard B Riddick]

Genres like SF and fantasy (even animation and comedy) tend to get shut out by the Oscars, the voters are old and have pretty conservative tastes unfortunately.

But I would point out The Matrix won four technical category Oscars, one of which was for visual effects!

I checked, you're right.

I knew it won four 'Academy Awards'.

I just didn't know an Academy Award was an Oscar.

 

[Will Graham]

The academy votes on them, so it's really just down to what a group of people tend to think is the best. I know Liam Neeson abstains almost every year because he reckons he would just vote for his pals

 

[Jack's Smirking Revenge]

and something like 80% of the voters are old, white males

 

[Donald Trump]

Comedy is the genre that gets ignored, the last comedy movie to win an Oscar for Best Movie was Annie Hall and that was in 1977. I'm not sure how they managed to not nominate Senna for best documentary at least.

 

[charliepanayi]

Senna's omission was bewildering, I imagine it's because F1 isn't very popular in the USA. And Shakespeare in Love was an Oscar-winning comedy in the late 90s, it was the first since Annie Hall.