Oscars 2012: First Thoughts

The Road to Wrestlemani...the Oscars have finally begun. Most would agree it was a pretty weak year in film. There are a score of movies that came out last year which would probably be taking home the award this year. That is just not the case though, so let's take a look at some of the nominations or lack there of

Best Picture
“The Artist”
“The Descendants”
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
“The Help”
“Hugo”
“Midnight in Paris”
“Moneyball”
“The Tree of Life”
“War Horse”

With different rules this year one of the biggest questions was how many movies would be nominated in this category. In order to be nominated for best picture the movie needed to receive at least 5% of the vote. Many thought that because the field was weak this year it would lead to fewer nominees. Instead it led to more. With the most surprising selection being “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” followed closely by “The Tree of Life.” Both of these movies left critics and audiences highly divided walking out of the theater. Despite the Academy not normally supporting comedies, I honestly thought that “Bridesmaids” would make it through this year, sadly it was not to be as the combination of Tom Hanks and September 11th seems too strong a pull for the older Academy voters. While it was never going to happen weren’t you kind of hoping to see the final Harry Potter movie get nominated, say what you wish about the series, bit if you put away any bias you may have it was a good movie, and one of the best this year. Not an artistic choice, but a really well done movie.

BEST DIRECTOR
Michel Hazanavicius ("The Artist")
Alexander Payne ("The Descendants")
Martin Scorsese ("Hugo")
Woody Allen ("Midnight in Paris")
Terrence Malick ("The Tree of Life")


Four of the five directors nominated also were nominated for the Director's Guild Award. While it may shock some to see Steven Spielberg off the list, the more surprising diss is without question David Fincher for his take on “The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo.” Spielberg is usually snubbed come awards season, it didn't help that his horse movie wasn't as so much good as it was sentimental. Fincher did terrific work, well maybe not terrific but certainly better than Terrence Malick whose own star couldn’t even understand “The Tree of Life.”

BEST ACTOR
Demián Bichir ("A Better Life")
George Clooney "The Descendants")
Jean Dujardin ("The Artist")
Gary Oldman ("Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy")
Brad Pitt ("Moneyball")

Clooney, Pitt, and Dujardin, were obvious selections and while it seems to be a two man race between Clooney and Dujardin many thought that two of the biggest rising stars in Hollywood would get the nod as well. Without a doubt the biggest snubs of the day came in this category with the exclusion of Michael Fassbender and Ryan Gosling. Gosling had three fantastic performances in “The Ides of March,” “Drive,” and “Crazy, Stupid Love” (which would actually get him a supporting nomination). But Fassbender seemed like the bigger snub of the two, though it makes more sense as Academy voters typically don't support naked men. But seriously has anyone seen “A Better Life’ besides Christoph Waltz?

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")

A lot of people are surprised that Rooney Mara made the list; I am not one of them. She did well but many of the experts thought that took away from Tilda Swinton for Let's Talk About Kevin. I didn't see this one so can't speak to it. Moving on.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh ("My Week with Marilyn")
Jonah Hill ("Moneyball")
Nick Nolte ("Warrior")
Christopher Plummer ("Beginners")
Max von Sydow ("Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close")

Love that Nick Nolte got nominated for “Warrior.” This was one of my favorite movies of the year and I suggest every guy out there go out and watch this one. This is one of the reasons that Tom Hardy got cast as Bane. The movie was marketed wrong initially, but it had a lot of great action sequences and was a fun watch. I did not think that Jonah Hill was going to get nominated either, but was glad to see him on the list. Now the question is did Albert Brooks deserve the nomination. He certainly was good but I completely forgot about his performance until people kept talking about it which may be the most telling sign of his deserving the honor.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Bérénice Bejo ("The Artist")
Jessica Chastain ("The Help")
Melissa McCarthy ("Bridesmaids")
Janet McTeer ("Albert Nobbs")
Octavia Spencer ("The Help")

It is surprising that Bejo got nominated in this category and not for lead actress, but that was her decision to make as she submits herself into the category. Melissa McCarthy getting nominated was well deserved for her performance and also a way to make up for the fact that her movie didn't make it to the big one. But everyone knows this award will belong to Octavia Spencer by the end of the night.

Best Animated Film
“A Cat in Paris”
“Chico & Rita”
“Kung Fu Panda 2”
“Puss in Boots”
“Rango”

How did Puss in Boots get nominated? And while “Cars 2” didn't make it, and didn't deserve to make it I'm still surprised it didn't make it. This will be the first year in a while that Pixar won't walk away with the major award, which means this field is wide open.

Finally how are there only two songs nominated for Best Song. Man or Muppet will go head-to-head with Real in Rio. But where is the love, for songs from Elton John, Mary J. Blidge, and this year's Golden Globe winner Madonna all being left off the list. Even with the prospect of a Muppet performance at The Oscars it is surprising not to see more nominations, and for that matter where is the love for last year's winner Trent Reznor. His score for “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” is what garnered a lot of the early buzz for the movie. You certainly could take off one of John Williams’s two nominations for scores as that are completely interchangeable and sound like every other Spielberg movie he worked on
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Those were my thoughts. What did you think? Let me know.

Warrior

Oooh and Aaahs rang out across the theater during almost every fight seen. The audience cheered and applauded during all the high points of the movie, and had I turned around I'm sure there would have been some grown men fighting to hold back the tears. The movie hits on all the right points and is an impressive piece of work.

The first thing you need to do as soon as you walk into the theater is suspend possibility over some of the events that take place. Suspend the fact that two nobodies could just walk into a 16-man tournament with a grand prize of 5 million dollars. While one brother enters as an internet sensation which doesn't usually work out, the other is a late minute addition because a trainer put in a good word. Once you ignore that people can just enter hugely marketed tournaments rather than finding other more proven fighters you'll be able to enjoy the movie a little more.

The movie opens on Tommy played by Tom Hardy showing up at his father's door after a 14 year absence. His brother Brendan played by Joel Edgerton lives by Philadelphia and is now a teacher raising a family with his high school sweetheart. All three men have not said a word to each other for years, in a backstory that slowly reveals itself during the course of the movie. They do not force the details to come out but rather they reveal themselves naturally, which is a credit to the writing staff. Some information though must be inferred as a family, with what one can assume is a dark past, would probably not vocalize their problems in a casual confrontation. It adds to a realism behind the family dynamic and allows the mind to wander on just what this father, played by Nick Nolte, did to his family that led to all this. Also leading to the realism is the striking similarities between Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy, I'd be lying if I said I didn't confuse the two actors during the first half of the story, they really do look like brothers.

The first half of the movie is full of family dynamic minced in with a sliver of MMA fighting, just enough to keep your interest until the second half which is full of MMA fighting mixed in with the loose ends of the story. The choreography and camera work reels you into the cage. Despite knowing how the movie ends up, having seen movies like this before and the trailers that actually tell you, you find yourself bobbing and weaving gripped to the edge of your seat for the outcome of the fight. That is not to say the fighting was the only good part of the movie, quite the contrary the story is gripping and filled with dark realism that will attract the audience to the story and force them to care about the outcome.

Gavin O'Connor not only directs the film but is also the movie's producer and writer. With a lot at stake he does not disappoint. His past work in Miracle and to a lesser extent Pride and Glory no doubt helped him craft his story properly with a mixture of sports and family ties that are motifs in his other movies as well. He spends a lot of his time and effort around his characters giving equal time and sympathy to each brother. From the director's chair he is able to get the most out of all of his male leads and his supporting cast.

Hardy is a beast in the movie and looks like he is always ready to pounce or go postal on anyone who would dare enter a ring with him. His persona reminds me of Goldberg for all my wrestling fans out there. He is impossible not to like inside the ring, outside he keeps everything bottled up and it impressed me that Hardy could capture the persona of man like this. He churns out a nuanced performance filled with gaffes and ticks that may look out of place, but that is an accurate portrayal of a man afraid to reveal himself. While Hardy is a dark and brooding figure, he plays the perfect counterbalance to Edgerton's family focused Brendan. Brendan is more methodical and thoughtful character, and it is easier to understand his wants and needs. While you'll root for Tommy because he is a bad ass, you'll want to support Brendan because he's a good guy and deserves something to go his way. Past his prime, the physics teacher relies on skill and technique while Hardy is all power and fury. It is a credit to O'Connor and the male leads that they are able to capture the two men's personality and personify them in their fighting styles. Both characters are well developed and provide powerful performances that help to create an emotional connection.

Nolte's character is desperately seeking the forgiveness from his two sons for his past sins. Nolte is fantastic as a recovering alcoholic looking for a second chance, a perfect casting choice he no doubt is able to pull demons from his own past to inspire a man so desperate for redemption but unable to find it. Providing some level headedness to the family cohesion is Brendan's trainer played by Frank Gillo and Brendan's wife played by the beautiful Jenifer Morrison. While not nearly as flashy it shows where his support and levelheadedness comes from along with putting a face to what he fights for.

It is not just the story that keeps you interested in all the fights; it is the fights themselves as well. They are brilliantly choreographed and cut. The camera angles dart all over the place; this is really a credit to the editors who put the shots together. The shots are used perfectly to capture the emotion of the fight with plenty of close ups to feel like you are inside the cage. The stakes seemed raised and the emotional toll is high.

The hard work and consideration are impressive during both halves of the movie. The dreary scenes in Philadelphia compel you to care about the stakes laid out for the second half. The story and emotion of the fighter shines through the ring with every part of them on the line. It may or may not be an artistic tour de force but it is impossible not to care about these characters and that is something that has not been seen in the theaters for some time. A-