The Oscars: Will Win/ Should Win
Posted By: Sally Vox
Filed Under: Movies, Opinion on February 22, 2010
The Oscars are right around the corner and it’s time to make my annual guess predictions about how the Academy is gonna fuck it up this year. Remember this: The nominees are chosen by experts…and then voted on by the Academy(rich white people), many of which have not seen all of the nominated movies. I’ve also included who I believe SHOULD win the award, based on my own senile preferences and observations.
Original Screenplay
I love how the screenplay is usually the least recognized part of the movie making process. A screenplay should be fresh, coherent, and not lacking in the ingredients which make a movie great (read: The Writers Journey).
| Will Win | Should Win | ||
| Inglorious Basterds | I believe the Academy has enough experience with Tarantino (think Pulp Fiction) that they will recognize this as his most mature(and polished) script yet. If Avatar wins this category, I WILL kill someone. Not a threat, a PROMISE. | Inglorious Basterds | Tarantino has done it again. His self proclaimed masterpiece is everything a script should be: Action packed, great dialogue, twists, surprises, and all the elements of the Writer’s Journey. |
Adapted Screenplay
| Will Win
|
Should Win | ||
| An Education | I believed that the Academy would narrow it down to this film, and Up In the Air. An Education would edge out the more “indie” Up In the Air. (see Juno) | District 9 | It is a retelling of the director’s own short film, in expanded fashion, keeping the same style, themes and setting. The strength of the underlying themes in both the short film and the feature are what make this a winner in my book. |
Visual Effects
| Will Win
|
Should Win | ||
| Avatar | With all the hype surrounding the breathtaking 3D, the only way this would be snubbed would be the “I want to set myself apart from the masses” mentality, aka poser syndrome(unlikely). | Avatar | I believe that the 3D in this movie will revolutionize the industry. (See Defense of Avatar) |
Sound Mixing
| Will Win
|
Should Win | ||
| Avatar | I believe Avatar is gonna have the Titanic effect (11 wins), so this would overshadow others in this category. | The Hurt Locker | The sound of sand crunching under foot, the multiple layers of explosions, and the most perfect gunfire I’ve experienced in a movie…this SHOULD win. |
Sound Editing
| Will Win
|
Should Win | ||
| Avatar | See Previous. | Inglorious Basterds | Tarantino is a soundtrack genius. He has this notion of: why try to one-up someone who has already done it better before. The perfectly pilfered pieces he has chosen almost overwhelm a scene. They tell you how to feel, and for once…being manipulated feels good. (on a sidenote: I know its not soundtrack it’s sound editing…but I’m pretty sure this counts since they are prerecorded songs) |
Short Film (Live)
| Will Win
|
Should Win | ||
| Kavi | Slumdog Millionaire rip off. I’m pretty sure no one has seen these clips, but this one has Oscar bait stamped all over it. | Instead of Abracadabra | Funny, witty, wrapped in an easily consumable package. The movie exemplifies the balance of naivete and realism which we all must face sometime in our life. I love this film. |
Short Film (Animated)
| Will Win
|
Should Win | ||
| Logorama | This had a lot of hype, though rightly earned. | Logorama | This movie is almost preachy. It flirts with preachiness like an alter server. But…it has just the right amount of edge to win me over. It also has a unique art style (mixing 3D with 2D logos) which makes it more than worthy of the Oscar. |
Original Song
| Will Win
|
Should Win | ||
| Take it All | An Academy that names Chicago (ugh) as Best Picture will eat up this horrible, horrible knock off song…horrible F minus | Almost There | Disney at it’s best. The song exemplifies an evolved Disney message: Don’t just wish on the fucking star, work for it, you lazy bum. |
Original Score
| Will Win
|
Should Win
|
||
| Avatar | I’m not sure about this one. My pick might edge out Avatar in the end. I’m just going on the “Titanic” factor here. (Then again, Titanic had the bagpipes so this might be different) | Up | The theme song notes are light, airy, though a bit reminiscent of Musetta’s Waltz. The rest of the score reflects each scene without overcoming it, which to me is a winning formula. |
Makeup
| Will Win
|
Should Win
|
||
| The Young Victoria | I have no idea why these type of movies win Costume and Makeup. I’m pretty sure its because most of the academy was alive during these time periods, so they recognize the authenticity. | Star Trek | Eric Bana as a Romulan. COME ON DUDE. If they had some klingons…this would be a homerun win for me. |
Foreign Language
| Will Win
|
Should Win
|
||
| Ajami | I don’t wanna be racist here…but I think you can figure it out. It was made in Israel. I’ve seen it…and honestly, I don’t think it should have been nominated (Too heavy handed in its narrative) | The White Ribbon | A perfect film in my opinion. Maybe I’m a sucker for black and white, but this film about a small, rural town excited me like no other. The rawness of the movie remind me of Elephant Man, another black and white film. |
Editing
| Will Win
|
Should Win
|
||
| Avatar | Going with Titanic train again. This is not the WORST choice they could make, given that Cameron is an action scene genius. He puts you in the scene like no other director out there (suck it Michael Bay). TERMINATOR 2, ALIENS, TRUE LIES. DONE, SON | Inglorious Basterds | Tarantino’s editor, Sally, has worked on him forever…and dammit to hell they make a good team. Tarantino’s editing style is a fusion of the oldschool and the new, which is both fresh and exciting. The scene in the film room near the end? Cinematic GENIUS. THIS MAN IS A GOD. |
Documentary Short
| Will Win
|
Should Win
|
||
| China’s Unnatural Disaster | With the way Haiti has captivated the media…China’s similar disaster makes good Oscar bait. Not a bad choice, but not the best in my opinion. | The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant | Documentaries are supposed to demonstrate problems or individuals that represent our nation as a whole. This is a perfect example of our greatest national problem: the economy. |
Documentary Feature
| Will Win | Should Win | ||
| Food, Inc. | Hyped to no end, but I agree, it was a good movie. | Food, Inc. | This was a great retelling of The Jungle, written by Upton Sinclair. It once again goes into how bad that food you stuff down your throat really is. America needed another wake up call, so 10 points to Griffendor this movie for doing so. |
Directing
| Will Win | Should Win | ||
| Avatar- Cameron | Come on man…even though James Cameron is a self important douche, this guy has changed the ways movies are made. His ability to put all the ideas in his head onto that screen…Bravo sir. | Inglorious Basterds | This guy though…he deserves an Oscar for this film, no joke. This was a movie that makes cinephiles like me cry with joy. It was a movie made for people who love movies, executed with mastery that can only come from selling your soul to the devil. The music, the script, the acting…none of it would have been the same with another man at the helm. |
Costume
| Will Win | Should Win | ||
| The Young Victoria | See Makeup. I bet the Academy has these very same costumes in their closets. | Coco Before Chanel | I loved this movie. It’s a more mature Devil Wears Prada. The fashion in the film is integral to the story, and I think the designers knocked this one out of the park. But hey, why give the costume design award to a movie to a movie purely devoted to fashion when you could give it to another dime a dozen period piece. |
Cinematography
Ah this is my favorite Technical Category. Love lovvvve lovvee guessing this one.
| Will Win | Should Win | ||
| Avatar | Dirty cheating Cameron with his damn 3D make this one almost a given. FUCK YOU, CHEATER. | Inglorious Basterds | The cinematography is the most art house I’ve seen in a LONG time. The set pieces are gorgeous, the colors dynamic and striking, the framing…orgasmic. I’ll probably write an article simply praising the cinematography of this film. To the director and his cinematographer I say…Bravo. |
Art Direction
| Will Win | Should Win | ||
| Avatar | I’ll admit, Pandora was directly ripped out of Cameron’s mind…and he has done something that has never been seen before (except for in Aliens, but its okay since Cameron directed that too) | Sherlock Holmes | Color me faggot, but I love steampunk aesthetics. This was the movie Wild Wild West aspired to be, and unless I’m missing anything, probably the best Steampunk inspired American film I have ever seen. |
Animated Feature
| Will Win | Should Win | ||
| Up | Pixar has this golden aura around it that gives it extra Academy-cred. (I’m still bitter about Kung Fu Panda not being awarded the prize last year). | Up | I really want Princess and the Frog to win, simply because it seemed like an evolution of Disney, while Up was simply a well-done rehash of past stories. But I admit, the execution of Up was better, so I give the nod here. |
Supporting Actress
| Will Win | Should Win | ||
| Vera Farmiga | It will probably be one of the nominees from Up in the Air, simply because they have these very Oscar-bait roles (corporate zombie/ testy bitch) I think she’ll edge out the newer Anna Kendrick on grounds of familiarity. | Maggie Gyllenhall | For a movie that no one has seen, Crazy Heart is a moving film. This is largely in part because of the chemistry between Jeff Daniels and Maggie Gyllenhall which captivated the viewer from start to finish. |
Supporting Actor
| Will Win | Should Win | ||
| Cristoph Waltz | He won the Golden Globe, and he has enough momentum to win this. Please, let him win this. | Cristoph Waltz | Hans Landa is one of my top villains of all time. He has the charm of Lecter with the evilness of…i dunno, Amon Goethe in Schindler’s List. His delightful Landa’isms will haunt my memory forever. Tarantino may have wrote the character, but Waltz brings him to life. That’s a BINGO! |
Actress
| Will Win | Should Win | ||
| Sandra Bullock | Ugh, she won the Golden Globe, and has crazy momentum. I really did not think she even deserved a nod for this bread and butter role. No stretch AT all. Play yourself in a movie? Get an Oscar. | Gabourey Sibide | Wow, I’m pretty sure this girl was really abused after seeing her magnificent performance in Precious. Not the best movie, but captivating nonetheless because of this great actress. Oh, and its very uncommon for a black person to win this award. (Halle Berry was one and then…thats it) |
Actor
| Will Win | Should Win | ||
| George Clooney | Ugh, this guy. It’s weird to see nippled Batman even nominated, but his performance was Oscar Bait worthy enough to get their vote. Mickey Rourke(old messed up guy) got shunned last year by a more widely known character actor (Sean Penn). | Jeff Bridges | No, not Harry from Dumb and Dumber, thats Jeff Daniels. This movie is this years “The Wrestler”. No one has seen it, but it is infinitely touching and powerful, thanks to Jeff Bridges. I guess I’m a sucker for those character stories with a tortured protagonist. |
Best Picture
| Will Win
|
Should Win | ||
| Avatar
|
Come on, 2 billion dollars…changing the industry…guy who made Titanic. I don’t like it, but I understand their choice. | Inglorious Basterds
|
To me, this was a perfect movie. The setting, the dialogue, the acting, the music…all top notch. For the cinema lover, this is the holy grail, this is our Koran. Tarantino uses ALL the tricks in the book, without being tired/ passe. He takes us somewhere we’ve never been (he changed goddamn history), and captivates the audience in an interesting, though sometimes boring, film. I will say it again—I love this movie, and anyone who loves movies should feel the same way. |
About the Author
Writing: The problem of and solution to all life's problems.Comments (6)
nothing like rating and awarding art. i think you’re sleeping on hurt locker though. the brits love that film as much as they love their young victoria wardrobe. it just took 6 baftas. also think you’re missing an african american or minority the academy will have to vote in this year to ensure an african american/minority audience tuning in during 2011.
Yeah, a lot of the Avatar wins might be interchanged with Hurt Locker: including Best Director and Best Picture. I predict that one or the other will sweep (ala the BAFTA awards). No contest on the visual effects category though.
Wow, watching right now…I am PISSED that inglorious lost screenplay–that is the worst. In proficiency, freshness and style…there is no way hurt locker is better. Better advertised maybe.
I wish you’d liveblogged.
haha yeh, i should have. but it was a severe dissappointment for me. after inglorious lost, i lost all hope. I like how nobody knew about this movie until the last two months, when the academy was voting. It was a good movie, but it stole a lot of awards today.
well, just goes to show you how meaningless these awards are, on the plus side, losers get like million dollar gift baskets