This post is about the 2011 Oscar nominations and my opinion on them. Before I continue, I feel I should share that I have not seen many of the nominated films. I have created a list with my roommates, however, and am planning on seeing them all before the Oscars are aired.
These films are:
The Social Network
Rabbit Hole
Blue Valentine
Biutiful
Animal Kingdom
The Town
These are films from what I consider "the most important categories," which are Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Supporting Actor.
Surprises within Best Picture category for me were The Kids Are All Right and Winter's Bone.
The Kids Are All Right was, funnily enough, just all right. Many critics labeled this movie as a fresh take on lesbian relationships, but I found it highly unrealistic. The couple was very stereotypical: there was the given "butch", Annette Bening's character, (her name was Nic; I mean -- come on!) who tended to be more aggressive with her children and seemed to have a much more feminist outlook on life. The "mother" of the two, Julianne Moore's character (Jules), was kinder and more lenient on her children's behavior. Also, she was the one who cheated on her wife with her sperm donor.
This, to me, made the film very disappointing. I went in, looking forward to seeing a healthy relationship between two lesbian mothers, and instead, saw drama that takes place in any other films about dysfunctional families. The thought that ran through my head when Mark Ruffalo's character (Paul) and Jules kissed for the first time was, "Wow. How original. Another movie about an unfaithful spouse." Is it possible for there to be a movie about a lesbian couple without any typical Hollywood drama to ensue between the two? I have not seen it yet.
The movie started with promise; Nic and Jules' kids, Joni and Laser, decide to contact the man who provided their mothers with sperm. After getting more background information on Paul, viewers become interested on how this interaction is going to take place.
The first meeting is, as to be expected, awkward, but also, endearing. I was excited to see what happened next.
However, what happened next was an introduction of the mothers to Paul, and the attraction between
Jules and Paul becomes evident. This is when I lost interest.
I feel I cannot give the most secure criticism of Winter's Bone because I was very tired when watching it. I fell asleep for maybe ten minutes. That, obviously, makes the movie sound very boring, and to be honest, I was slightly bored. However, I might need to give it a second chance because of how tired I was when first watching it.
As of right now, my favorite Best Picture nominee is The King's Speech. In all honesty, it was one of the most beautiful movies I have seen in a while. The cinematography, the writing, the acting, the story, etc. were phenomenal. I wanted to see it again the moment I walked out of the theater.
The competitor of The King's Speech is clearly The Social Network, which I have not seen yet! I just can't imagine anything better at this point! I understand that if The Social Network won, it would be contemporary idea winning best picture, but I really hope that the decision is not purely based on that. Because if that is the case, then the academy has no idea what it is doing. Hopefully, I will see The Social Network soon and have an opinion on whether it is better than The King's Speech or not. It is going to be tough to beat, though.
On to Best Director:
No big surprises in this category for me. I saw many news articles with titles like, "What happened to Christopher Nolan?" or "Do the Oscars hate Christopher Nolan?" I agree that he does not deserve to be nominated for best director, but I was pleased to see him in the category for best original screenplay. Inception, worldwide, made $823,576,195. To see a director create a movie with that much success was nice to witness. It was the first, significantly successful movie in a long time that was not based off of a well-known superhero, and it was not a remake of another big movie. It was an original screenplay, and it took off! That is why I am hoping Christopher Nolan wins best original screenplay because he created a new world and did a great job of putting it on screen.
My favorite director in the category is, again, Tom Hooper, the director of The King's Speech. The movie was so well done, it kept me intrigued and at the edge of my seat the entire time. Every scene and sequence was constructed in a way that kept the audience clinging to the actors' every words. The cinematography was, in a word, exquisite. There was not one part that I did not enjoy, and there was nothing I could complain about.
However, I am happy with the entire list of directors. I would be pleased if any of them won, especially the Coen brothers. Their remake of True Grit really hit home for me, and they have always been a pleasure to watch. They would be my next directors of choice to win the category.
Best Actress:
As mentioned before, I still need to watch Rabbit Hole and Blue Valentine, so I cannot remark on Nicole Kidman's or Michelle Williams' performances. Nevertheless, I have liked them in every other movie they have been in. I am sure they did fabulous in these movies!
As of right now, my favorite actress in the category is Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone. In my opinion, her performance was flawless. What I valued most in her acting was that it seemed as if she wasn't really acting! She was so comfortable in the environment and mixed with the other characters very well. She was as strong and independent as a middle-aged woman, but she was portraying a mere 17-year-old girl who is forced to find her drug-dealer father and, at the same time, do all she can to keep her family intact.
It would be a pleasure to see Lawrence win because I think it would be unexpected. It seems as if it is already decided that Natalie Portman is going to win best actress. I would be pleased with this win as well, but I honestly do not believe that she gave the best performance as an ACTRESS. She gave the best performance as a professional DANCER. I know that she trained, lost weight, went through hell, etc. to become a dancer, but her actual acting in the movie seemed almost predictable and weak. She really gave me no chills or surprise at any part in the movie. Even when she transforms in the end, the editing and cinematography had more of an impact on me.
That being said, I would be happier to see Portman win over Annette Bening. I already gave my opinion about The Kids Are All Right above, and I was honestly shocked to see that Bening was nominated and Julianne Moore was not. I love Annette Bening, don't get me wrong, but I thought she gave a mediocre performance. She is a fantastic actress, and I put more blame on the screenplay of the movie than on her. Moore was in the movie more (haha), and viewers got to see more depth in her character than Bening's. I was surprised with her nomination and very surprised with the exclusion of Moore's.
Best Actor:
Colin Firth. Colin Firth. Colin Firth.
What more could be said?
Well, actually...quite a lot.
His acting in The King's Speech left me speechless (get it?). The stuttering must have been a struggle in itself, and it was so believable! His performance left me frustrated, heartbroken, furious, and blissful all in one sitting.
I have not seen Javier Bardem's or Jesse Eisenberg's performances yet, but after seeing Colin Firth, it really is hard to believe that anyone could be better. He WAS his character; viewers could see his every thought and could feel his pain with every word he uttered that came out as a stutter.
The very first scene of the movie tugged at the audience's heart strings as his character, King George VI, gives a halting speech to all of England. With each stutter, the microphone picks up every word, and it echoes throughout the entire stadium. This happens over and over, and the people closest to him begin to exchange glances with one another. Firth's face is fallen and utterly discouraged by this failure. His mouth trembles with emotion, and his eyes are shining and wide. The scene goes on for what seems like hours, and I began, without realizing it, to bite my cheek in anticipation. Firth had me at his first stuttered word.
I have heard countless people predict that Jesse Eisenberg will win for best actor, and since I have not seen The Social Network yet, I can not disagree with this. However, he has tough competition with Colin Firth. Firth made me tear up over the course of the movie multiple times, and I found myself praying and hoping that he would be successful with his reign over England. The connection between him and the other characters in the movie, especially with his speech therapist, Lionel (Geoffrey Rush), is fluid and incredibly realistic. That factor, and even the obtrusiveness of certain objects used in the cinematography gave a feeling as if I were intruding in on his life. He was hidden, literally and metaphorically, and through his performance, Colin Firth opened up tremendously to the characters acting with him and to the audience by the end of the movie.
Jeff Bridges was, as usual, great, and I really enjoyed James Franco's performance as well. I would be happy to see any of these two win as well, but, in my opinion, none of these guys lived up to Colin Firth's performance. In my eyes, he was perfect and deserves the oscar above the other nominees.
Best Supporting Actress:
The only nominee in this category that I have not seen is Jacki Weaver in Animal Kingdom. Other than that, I have seen all the other actresses, and my favorite so far is Melissa Leo in The Fighter.
Surprises within this category were, Hallee Steinfeld and, sadly, Helena Bonham Carter.
I am not saying these two were not great in the movies they performed in! I thought they were! In Hallee Steinfeld's case, I was merely confused as to why she was not in the category for best actress. The story focused on her the entire time, and she was the narrator throughout the film. I am aware of how young she is, but it seems strange that she is up for best supporting actress, and Jeff Bridges is up for best actor.
And I love Helena Bonham Carter! I could never diss her as an actress. Nevertheless, I thought her performance was not on par with the other actresses in the category. To be honest, I forgot about her halfway through The King's Speech. She did very well, no doubt about that, but she was overshadowed by the other people in the movie with her and the other nominees for best supporting actress.
I have never been a big Amy Adams fan, but I honestly wasn't surprised to see her nominated. In fact, I think the only reason she was nominated for this performance was because it was the first movie she has been in where she isn't a meek, timid, and frightened young girl. If it had been any other actress, I do not believe they would have been nominated. She really did not bring much to The Fighter, other than a nice punch in one scene and an enemy to Melissa Leo's character.
Melissa Leo was very natural in The Fighter. She worked well as a conflicted mother, trying to make both of her sons as happy as the other. She did wonderful in trying to seem indifferent to her son's (Christian Bale) crack addiction, and at the same time, showed us viewers how much it was tearing her apart. There was one scene in which she feels betrayed by her family and starts throwing dishes at her husband. She's shaking with rage, her face is red, and yet, she seems to be at the brink of tears. At this point in the movie, I thought to myself, "She should win best supporting actress." Each emotion she illustrated was done with ease, yet so much effort at the same time. I would be very pleased to see her win the category.
Last, but not least, Best Supporting Actor:
The only movie in this category that I have not seen is The Town, but I heard Jeremy Renner did a fantastic job in it. He was unbelievable in The Hurt Locker, and I am sure his performances just get better and better.
Who I believe deserves the win for this category is Christian Bale. How he has never been nominated beforehand is a mystery to me! After this performance, I am sure more and more nominations will keep coming, but this is the movie that he deserves to win for. He was, undeniably, the best part of The Fighter. The first scene it showed him, I knew, just by his expression, that he was a drug addict.
And from there, his portrayal of an addict and of a brother who simply loves his family was flawless. When the film starts, his attitude seems to be one of apathy. As a trainer, he words hard for his brother and does all he can to help him win. Other than that, he does not care what his family thinks about his addiction and even jokes about it when he gets arrested. However, this all changes when he sees a documentary of his addiction on television and witnesses his baby son crying as Bale's character gets hauled off to jail. From there, his process of "getting clean" and fighting to get his brother in shape for fighting is full of unbelievable struggles, emotions, and obstacles to overcome.
On his first nomination ever, I believe that Christian Bale deserves the win for best supporting actor.
All the other nominees were fantastic as well, but Christian Bale was number one in my opinion.
SO THERE WE HAVE IT! Give me some feedback and your own opinions! Sorry I cut this off pretty shortly, but I did not want to make this post too long.
Talk to you later!
