Academy Awards

The 2011 Academy Awards are supposed to highlight outstanding movie-making. I often feel that the actual movies take a back seat to a lot of other junk that goes on. I personally could give less than 2 farts about who is wearing what or who shows up with whom on the Red Carpet. A lot of hype has been directed to the hosts of this year's Oscars. I am actually a big fan of both of the hosts. While I don’t mind a good show, I am more concerned with who wins the awards. I found the actual field of movies this year to be a little lacking. There was nothing in this field that I hated. There were a few movies that I really loved. Most of the movies this year were just ok. They left me thinking “This is the 10^th best movie this year, really?” Having said that, I made several observations about the movies that I saw (I saw everything nominated for a major category, plus all the shorts). This will be a list of my observations.

THE FREAKY and the FREAKED OUT

“Black Swan” was the freakiest movie of the year. Even with my untrained eye it was obvious that main character had ISSUES!!!! Anyone with a psych degree should watch this movie and attempt to diagnose what this girl had. I love the psychological thriller aspect of this movie. I like that you are never really sure what is reality and what is imagined in this movie. I appreciated the local connection as many of the dancers in this movie were from the Pennsylvania Ballet (I have season tickets). Hopefully this movie will inspire a new generation of ballet fans so I am not sitting in the seats with old ladies all the time.

“Black Swan” was the freakiest movie but the movie that freaked me out the most was “127 Hours”. (I AM GOING TO TALK ABOUT SPECIFICS OF THE PLOT. IF YOU WANT TO GO IN FRESH BE WARNED). This movie is based on the true story of Aron Ralston, An adventurer who goes on a rock climb and gets stuck in a canyon. The only way he ultimately can free himself is to CHOP OFF HIS OWN ARM!!! I was sitting in the theater trying to imagine if I could have the will to chop off my own arm even in the face of certain death. It reminds me that people can get into situations that are so desperate they could do the unimaginable.

KIDS: Love ‘em/Hate’em

I traditionally hate seeing kids at the Oscars. Sorry, I am heartless, but usually, I don’t feel they are deserving. Usually, I think that people lower their standards because kids are cute and young and all this stuff. If you are nominated for an award you have to achieve, not just do a good job “for a kid”. This year there are actresses under 21 nominated for awards. I thought Hailee Steinfeld was amazing. I hate westerns in general but I loved “True Grit”. Miss Steinfeld was great. She was on screen with Matt Damon and Jeff Bridges and I really didn’t care about them. She played an able-bodied but quirky character with knowledge beyond her years. Maybe this was not a stretch for her but I still thought she played it well. Jennifer Lawrence was great in “Winter’s Bone”. I have to admit I didn’t care for this movie too much at all. I appreciated the look into Appalachian living but that is about it. Miss Lawrence made this movie bearable for me.

I guess in the traditional sense “Toy Story 3” is a kid’s movie. In reality, I LOVE PIXAR. I do not think they have made a bad movie (I have not seen all of them so that maybe uninformed). This movie is wonderful for all ages. The level of technical achievement is great. The storytelling is excellent. I love the characters. This movie is well deserving of a best picture nomination.

MY ARTSY GEEK HEART MADE GLAD

I LOVED “INCEPTION” even though I did guess the ending in the first ten minutes. I loved it. It was a great science fiction movie. I have to admit to a man crush on Leo DiCaprio; not gonna lie. The dude can just act his butt off. The story is well thought out. The special effects are amazing. The movie is thought provoking. Imagine what kind of industry would arise if we had the ability to plant thoughts in people’s mind. What would people pay to manipulate others as well as to remove painful memories from their own life? The idea of infiltrating dreams and getting paid for it is a neat concept that is explored by this movie. 20 years ago a Sci-fi like this wouldn’t even be considered for best picture. The fact that it both did well at the box office and gets noticed for its artistic value makes my geek heart happy. I still get funny looks when I wear my star trek shirts in public, but hey, we are making progress.

I saw the play “Rabbit Hole” a few years ago at the Arden Theater. I didn’t remember it until I saw the first 5 minutes of the movie. This is a very good adaptation. They added locals to make it more like a movie and less a stage production, but they stayed very true to the dialogue and the script. Seeing both productions highlights the difference between theater and movies and shows how they are both different but equally valuable.

THE MOST COMPETITIVE

In my opinion the best actor category was by far the deepest and most competitive field in this year's Oscars. All 5 performances are very strong. I would have no problem with any of these actors winning. In addition, the best supporting actor category was really strong. Some of these performances in another year could have been best actor performances. I loved Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech), Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right) and Christian Bale (The Fighter). I could make my annual argument that actresses don’t get as much cool material as men do, but I won’t.

RELEVANCE

The “Social Network” was the most socially relevant movie of the field. The idea of social media for good or for ill has significantly changed many of our lives. The revolutions in the Middle East while not started by social media, have used things like Facebook, twitter, and YouTube as instruments. While many would say this is a good thing, there is the possibility that these media can be used for ill. I have to admit, I LOVE FACEBOOK. Probably more than most. I got to the facebook party relatively early (one of the benefits of having a Rutgers email address for teaching marching band). Like most early facebook users, I was not concerned with the legal battles going on but was rather worried about “friending” and “poking” people. To see a representation of the people and the problems behind the scenes was great. I will not debate the accuracy of the portrayals, but will just accept that this is one side of the story. This is still a great movie. My only complaint was that I thought that Jesse Eisenberg was Michael Cera!

Here is who I think should win. These are not predictions. These are the people I think should win. The great thing about art is that we can all like something different and still be valid.

Picture - The King’s Speech

Actor – Javier Bardem, Biutiful

Supporting Actor – Christian Bale, The Fighter

Actress – Natalie Portman, Black Swan (not really committed to this one)

Supporting Actress – Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

Directing – The King’s Speech

Writing (Adapted Screenplay) – The Social Network

Writing (Original Screenplay) - Inception