My Thoughts on the 2012 Oscars + My Picks

by Chip Kaufmann

Back at the very first Academy Awards ceremonies when Wings won for Best Picture (see special DVD pick), things were very different. Just like today’s Golden Globes there were awards given for Best Comedy in addition to Best Drama.

There was also an award given to the Best Artistic Production (critical choice as opposed to popular choice) which in 1927 went to Sunrise. That category was quickly abandoned along with the practice of awarding Best Actor & Actress to performers for multiple roles (Emil Jannings and Janet Gaynor were the first winners).

This year Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain would have qualified under those guidelines for their performances in several 2011 films (Jane Eyre, Shame, X-Men: First Class for Fassbender, The Debt, The Help, The Tree of Life for Chastain).

One of the changes to the Oscars in recent years has been to expand the number of Best Picture nominees from 5 to 10 last year and 9 this year (don’t ask about the discrepancy) while leaving the other major categories (Best Actor, Actress / Best Supporting Actor, Actress / Best Director) stuck at 5. While 9 Best Picture nominees this year is a bit of a stretch, leaving the other categories at 5 is criminally negligent.

There have been more great performances in all 4 categories this year then there have been for quite some time. You could also have added a couple of names to the Best Director category as well. Nevertheless it is what it is and so without further pontification…here are my picks and preferences for the 6 major awards.

• Best Actor: George Clooney (The Descendants)…. My Preference: Same.
• Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer (Beginners)…. My Preference: Max von Sydow (Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close).
• Best Actress: Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)…. My Preference: Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs).
• Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer (The Help)…. My Preference: Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs).
• Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)…. My Preference: Martin Scorsese (Hugo).
• Best Picture: The Artist…My Preference: Same.

This how I think it will turn out this year however Oscar loves novelty (especially when it celebrates Hollywood) so I would not be surprised if The Artist were to win most of the major awards. We’ll find out on February 26th. Start making your preparations now.

My Take on Award Season and Oscar

by Michelle Keenan

It’s award season in the film industry. Roll out the red carpet, the botox and the fashion police! If the Golden Globes are any indicator of the road to Oscar then we have a pretty good inkling of all that glitters gold come February 26.

My colleague Chip Kaufmann and I are not film critics in the snarko-typical sense. While there are films that make it altogether too easy to sling a snarky arrow or hurl a verbal barb, Chip and I would rather celebrate what’s great in film than run it down. This award season in particular echoes that sentiment with two films that celebrate film.

The Artist and Hugo lead the nominations this year with 10 and 11 nominations, respectively, including nominations for Best Picture. The Artist is a love letter to Hollywood. It’s a silent film that plays to a 21st century audience. It is a beguiling film with wonderfully broad audience appeal. It offers a tip of the hat to dozens of other films throughout, but you don’t have to ‘get’ the references in order to enjoy the film.

Hugo, while not dripping with the charm of The Artist, is an homage steeped even deeper in film history. Hugo tells the story of the rediscovery of one of film’s greatest pioneers, George Melies. Melies was a true magician and a man ahead of his time. Hugo is movie magic. For a film geek like me, these two films make the awards season that much more special.

But then again, so does George Clooney! This year viewers will get a double whammy of prettiness with the presence of Clooney and Pitt and their lovely counterparts. As Bridesmaids star and Best Supporting Actress nominee Melissa McCarthy said, “They’re so beautiful … It’s almost too much!” The superstar power will surely make more viewers tune in (for how long is another question).

So who will take home Oscar gold? Often the folks we want to see win the coveted statuette are not the ones that do, but this year (with the exception of a few omissions) the nominations are pretty solid, and come Oscar night the biggest surprises will likely be on the red carpet. In a nutshell here’s how I think it will go:

• The Best Picture race is between The Artist and The Descendants. I think The Artist will take Best Picture and George Clooney will take Best Actor for The Descendants.
• In the Best Actress category the critic in me says they’ll give it to Meryl Streep for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher, but the moviegoer in me wants Viola Davis to win for The Help. How will it play out? Streep will get it for Best Actress and Octavia Spencer gets Best Supporting Actress for the The Help.
• Best Supporting Actor will likely (and in my opinion deservedly) go to Christopher Plummer for Beginners.
• Best Original Screenplay seems like a sure thing for Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris. Best Adapted Screenplay is more of a toss up and all are deserving of it, but at first blush it looks like they’ll give it to Alexander Payne for The Descendants.
• Like the film or hate the film, Best Cinematography should, hands down, go to Tree of Life this year.
• And last but not least, it’s a tight competition for Best Director this year, but I am hoping they give it to Martin Scorsese for Hugo. Hugo is a complete deviation from typical Scorsese fare. He succeeded brilliantly in making movie magic, in paying homage to early cinema, and capturing the feel of an old fashioned movie while utilizing state-of-the-art new technology.