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Oscar Week Feature: Best Supporting Actor

As we get closer to Sunday’s festivities, it’s time to take a look at the Best Supporting Actor race. Before getting into the specifics, let me say that I will be shocked if my pick doesn’t win. This is because he’s been sweeping all the top awards leading up to the Academy Awards.

*Matt Damon – Invictus

*Woody Harrelson – The Messenger

*Christopher Plummer – The Last Station

*Stanley Tucci – The Lovely Bones

*Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds

As I’ve said in my two previous Oscar features, I have not seen all of the nominee’s pictures. The only film I’ve seen of these five is Inglourious Basterds. Waltz has this award in the bag, so I suppose it’s okay I haven’t seen the rest.

Damon pulled off a great South African accent, but I don’t think his film had legs; it just faded out as quickly as it came in. I’ve read The Lovely Bones, so although I haven’t seen the film, I know the character Tucci is playing. I wonder if he would have had a better shot in this category if the movie would have been better received. After decades in Hollywood, Plummer is receiving his first nomination. I am curious whether voters will take that into consideration.

I think the dark horse in this race is Harrelson. If anyone could upset Waltz, I think it might be him. Harrelson has put in some great performances over the years, but this movie may have just been too small to get proper recognition.

Waltz was just crazy good in ‘Basterds.’ When I first saw his movie, I wasn’t sure that I liked or even truly understood parts of the film. Waltz’s performance stood out even with my indecision about the rest of the production. He has been a fan and critic favorite since ‘Basterds’ was released.

My Pick: Christoph Waltz

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Categories Awards, Movies, Oscars

Oscar Week Feature: Adapted Screenplay

2 Mar

We’ve reached day two of my Oscar week breakdown. As I said yesterday, I’m discussing some of the top categories and nominees. In today’s installment, I’m going to look at the race for Best Adapted Screenplay.

*Neill Blomkamp &Terri Tatchell – District 9

*Nick Hornby – An Education

*Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell,

Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche – In the Loop

*Geoffrey Fletcher – Precious

*Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner – Up in the Air

As I said last time, I haven’t seen all of these movies. I will give an educated breakdown based on what I do know. I saw District 9 and I just didn’t get it. I know that some people felt this film was a completely new and different take on a typical alien-type movie, but I don’t see a winner here. I haven’t seen An Education, but I hear that it was very well written. For those who’ve seen it, what do you think stands out more: the writing or the acting?

The feeling of In the Loop’s nomination has been pretty straightforward across the board: surprise. This would be my long shot pick; I don’t see it going anywhere. I have yet to see Precious, but I have read the book. If the film is anything close to what I read, I know I won’t be disappointed. However, the words by Sapphire were so chilling that I can’t see it taking much to adapt them.

Up in the Air has been cleaning up in this category throughout the awards season. I think it would be a shock if Reitman and Turner did not take this category. Reitman is well-respected and comes from old Hollywood blood. He is the son of Ivan Reitman, director of hits such as Animal House and Ghostbusters.

My Pick: Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner

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Categories Awards, Movies, Oscars

Oscar Week Feature: Original Screenplay

1 Mar

Every day this week, leading up to Sunday’s 82nd Academy Awards, I am going to highlight a particular category and the nominees involved. In some categories, I may not have seen all the films. In that case, I will discuss and make my pick for winner accordingly. Today I will focus on the Original Screenplay Nominees.

*Mark Boal – The Hurt Locker

*Quentin Tarantino – Inglourious Basterds

*Allesandro Camon & Oren Moverman – The Messenger

*Joel Cohen & Ethan Coen – A Serious Man

*Bob Peterson, Pete Docter/

Story by: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy - Up

I have seen three of the five movies listed here. I have seen enough Coen films though, to have a fairly good idea of their writing style and abilities. Screenplays are obviously about the creativity and movement of words. Based on that, I’d have to eliminate Mark Boal. I thought The Hurt Locker was fantastic, but I don’t think it’s worth of this prize. There is no way that the team from Up have a chance at this award and I would argue against anyone who thinks otherwise. The Coen’s are incredible writers and always brings something new and weirdly different to each film they write. I don’t think enough people have seen this movie though. I honestly don’t know much about the writers from The Messenger, so I can’t really comment on them.

That brings me to the man I think deserves this award: Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino’s movie is so well written and original that it almost doesn’t need any other words. He is a one of a kind director and writer; only he would be able to write something so brave. Writing can be subjective and critiques on it can be even more so. I don’t know of anyone that can say Tarantino didn’t knock this script out of the park.

My Pick: Quentin Tarantino