Well, it was a long and excruciating winter break, but the blog is back! I can't stress enough how much I live in the mountains, and this winter was no less than brutal. Over 14 inches of snow at one point kept me stuck at home without internet for nearly two weeks which is more than enough to drive a man crazy.
Luckily for me, I had the films of 2010 to keep me company, and just like the music scene of last year, this was also an excellent year for film. In lieu of this week's Oscar nominee announcements I have decided to create my own awards for the blog.
Below are my nominees for the year, and you'll notice that the list is very diverse. 2010 was definitely the year of variety, as we saw trapped hikers, shifting dreamworlds, a few of our favorite toys, and even a period piece or two livening up the big screen. I thought that the Academy was pretty spot on with their nominees this year, minus the most glaring oversight of Danny Boyle's director snub (which I have remedied) and also a few qualms that I have with their Best Animated feature category.
In this day and age, animated films have reached a new era of enlightenment, and they've gotten so good that not even Pixar holds a monopoly on Best Picture quality material these days. In recent years, Dreamworks has shown us that they can make top quality animated films that are just as endearing and innovative as the house that Lasseter built. This is why I sincerely wish the Academy would do away with their specialized best Animated category so that Animated films may have a serious shot at winning Best Picture. Consider an animated film's current obstacles for a Best Picture Win:
1. It is highly doubtful that the Academy would bestow 2 "Best Picture" awards to one film. For example, if Toy Story 3 wins Best Animated Picture (which it will) would the Academy be willing to give it a (completely deserving) Best "Overall" Picture win on top of that, essentially double-dipping awards? Probably not.
2. If an animated film merits a Best Picture nomination while also being nominated for Best Animated Picture, then it is in theory the default winner for the Best Animated category, which basically makes the other films nominated obsolete since the Academy has already shown that one Animated film is superior
3. What sort of confusion will happen when more than one Animated films are inevitably nominated for Best Picture while the Best Animated Category still exists?
It's time the Academy stops seeing Animated films as a novelty, and recognize them as the accomplished films that they are.
Another qualm I have with the Academy is the lack of recogniton for actors who perform as digital characters or in voice over performances. Some of the best performances of our time have been ignored because of what the Academy sees as a lack of physical presence, most notably when the Academy chose to not nominate Andy Serkis' performance as Smeagol in the Lord of the Rings films. No one can deny the screen presence that Serkis brought to those films, and it was easily the most endearing role of the series. There have been others as well, including Tom Hank's understated performance as Woody throughout three Toy Story films, Robin Williams' exuberant performance as Genie in Aladdin (which garnered an "Honorary" award, but it's not the same)as well as Ben Burtt's innovative chips and chirps as the titular Wall-E. That all being said I have included my own category for those who do their acting inside the booth, or in front of a green screen because these fine actors more than make up for their lack of bodily presence onscreen with their masterful delivieries.
And so here are my nominees, check back later for the reveal of the winners in a video edition of Direct Hit.
Best Picture:
- · 127 Hours
- · Toy Story 3
- · The Social Network
- · Black Swan
- · Winter’s Bone
- · Inception
- · True Grit
- · The King’s Speech
- · Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
- · How to Train Your Dragon
Best Ensemble Cast
- · The Social Network
- · Winter’s Bone
- · Toy Story 3
- · Black Swan
- · Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Best Actor:
- · Colin Firth – The King’s Speech
- · James Franco – 127 Hours
- · Leonardo DiCaprio – Inception
- · Mark Wahlberg – The Fighter
- · Jeff Bridges – True Grit
Best Actress:
- · Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone
- · Hailee Steinfeld – True Grit
- · Natalie Portman – Black Swan
- · Annette Benning – The Kids Are All Right
- · Julianne Moore - The Kids Are All Right
Best Supporting Actor
- · Christian Bale – The Fighter
- · Andrew Garfield – The Social Network
- · Geoffrey Rush – The King’s Speech
- · Matt Damon - True Grit
- · Mark Ruffalo – The Kids Are All Right
Best Supporting Actress
- · Amy Adams - The Fighter
- · Melissa Leo – The Fighter
- · Helena Bonham Carter – The King’s Speech
- · Chloe Grace Moretz – Kick-Ass
- · Mila Kunis – Black Swan
Outstanding Performance in a Voice-Over/Digital Role
- · Tom Hanks as Woody – Toy Story 3
- · Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear – Toy Story 3
- · Don Rickles as Potato Head – Toy Story 3
- · Jay Baruchel as Hiccup – How To Train Your Dragon
- · Steve Carrell as Gru – Despicable Me
·
Best Director
- · Christopher Nolan – Inception
- · Danny Boyle – 127 Hours
- · David Fincher – The Social Network
- · Darren Aranofsky – Black Swan
- · Joel and Ethan Coen – True Grit
Best Cinematography
- · 127 Hours
- · Inception
- · Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince Part 1
- · Black Swan
- True Grit
Best Original Screenplay
- · Inception
- · The Kids Are All Right
- · The King’s Speech
- · Black Swan
- · The Fighter
Best Adapted Screenplay
- · Toy Story 3
- · 127 Hours
- · The Social Network
- · Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
- · How to Train Your Dragon
Music – Best Original Score
- · TRON: Legacy
- · The Social Network
- · How To Train Your Dragon
- · 127 Hours
- · Inception
Music – Best Original Song
- · If I Rise by Dido and A.R. Rahman – 127 Hours
- · Derezzed by Daft Punk – Tron Legacy
- · Sticks and Stones by Jonsi – How To Train Your Dragon
Best Visual Effects
- · Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Part 1
- · Inception
- · TRON: Legacy
- · Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
- · Alice in Wonderland
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- Cory Pratt
