Winner Breakdown: Best Picture

Best Picture

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

And here we are! Best Picture. I thought I'd give a little, tiny, mini review of each film, just a couple of thoughts, and then tell you who I think is going to/could/possibly/who I want to win is. 

Hugo: I wasn't a huge fan of Hugo. I think that was mostly because I couldn't stand the 3D. While I know a lot of others found it revolutionary, I felt like I was watching a motion capture film for the first little bit, and was confused at the beginning, because I knew it was supposed to be live action. I'm picky, so this bothered me a lot, because it was excessive 3D, and made everything look unrealistic. However, the acting was great. Asa Butterfield was very strong, and held his own as Hugo. And of course, Ben Kingsley was great. The pacing of the story I found to be a little off. The last 45 minutes or so were very strong, while the first hour or so were a little weak. Not my favourite, but very willing to give it a 2nd chance. 

Moneyball: Moneyball was my absolute favourite film of the year. And I do not like baseball. Wittily wrote by Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, with fantastic performances from Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill, this movie is not a typical underdog movie. I went into this movie not expecting much, but I came out adoring it. Brad Pitt's work was subtle but just great. Jonah Hill did extremely well in his first drama, and rightfully nominated. It was a great story, different, but had a good point to it, and didn't go overboard on the underdog thing. Well paced, well told, well acted. I would NOT mind it winning at all. 

The Descendants: Honestly, I really, really enjoyed this movie. It was the very first R-rated film I saw in theaters (no, The King's Speech was not rated R in Canada), and I thought it was great. It's a sad, yet comedic story, and I found myself laughing one moment and tearing up the next. Clooney does so well as the clueless father, and Shailene Woodley steps up to the plate and really owns all the material she's written. Another well told story, with lots of emotions, but it never tries too hard like....

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: I went and saw this one with one of my best friends who has read the book. So naturally I felt bad telling her I didn't enjoy the movie much. Granted, I feel it would work a lot better as a book, and am willing to read it. I just felt everyone making this movie tried way too hard to make it emotional, and sad, but didn't follow through with a lot of things Oskar told us about himself. There were inconsistencies, and it was just an okay movie. 

War Horse: I adored War Horse. I'd read the book before seeing the movie, and recently went and saw the stage production in Toronto. It was a really well done movie. While most people thought it was a little choppy, the beginning too long, and just very sappy, I'd disagree. While I agree the beginning was long, I loved every second of it. I would've been happy watching 2 hours of Albert and Joey bonding on the farm, to be honest. I like character development the best. But this film I just genuinely really enjoyed. WWI is so hopeless, and while they didn't touch on it as much as they did in the book/play, I can't help feeling sad and emotionally attached to films about WWI. All the performances were great, and you saw a lot of different sides to the war. (However, after watching the play, which was a lot more war focused, I'd have loved to seen the movie version of that. Which was gritty, and sad, and just so.. war sucks). 

Midnight in Paris: I didn't love this movie the same way other people did. It was quite good, and charming, but it wasn't my favourite movie of the year. It was a clever idea, and really talked about nostalgia in a clever way. Owen Wilson surprised me as being a decent actor. Rachel McAdams was as adorable as ever (even though she was a stupid character). And of course, Marion Cottilard was great. Along with a huge list of cameos, including those of Allison Pill, Tom Hiddleston, Kathy Bates, etc. A cute movie, that I felt I would've enjoyed more had I picked up on a lot more of the literary references. 

The Help: I read the book before seeing the film. The book was just so good, and the movie was too. I'm a sucker for enjoying these movies. Things like the Blindside, and Dolphin Tale, and The Help. The Help had a truly magnificent cast, and they were all brilliant in their own. It was a great story, with fantastic performances from all the cast; Emma Stone (though her accent wasn't great all the time), Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain, etc. A good girly movie. 

The Tree of Life: Reading reviews before this movie, I saw 95% of the reviews either looooved the film, or despised it with all their hearts. Wondering which box I was going to be in after watching, I found it was neither. I enjoyed the movie, yes, but it wasn't my favourite of the year, nor did I lurrrve it. It was an interesting story, with Jessica Chastain being awesome, Brad Pitt being boss, and lots of lovely cinematography. it was  a very good picture, but certainly not for everyone. 

The Artist: And this movie, ladies and gentlemen, it our very clear winner. The Artist has been winning everything in sight since it debuted at Cannes last year. Sure, many saw it as a gimmick, but most agree that even if there had been talking in the film, it still put out the 2 most charming performances of the year. Jean Dujardin was fabulous as George Valentin. He has the most expressive face, and carried the story so well. Berenice Bejo was equally charming, overacting the way they did in silent films, but still giving us a cute and powerful performance. This movie was simply a charming, charming movie, which was incredibly well done. While Moneyball was my favourite film of the year, I'm not unhappy to see the Artist take this. These newcomers to Hollywood were fantastic, and truly deserve recognition for their film. Any film that could take this from The Artist, is most likely Hugo. Hugo is up for the most nominations this year (11), and has won a Best Picture here and there (though not very often), it's another homage to silent films, and it's helmed by Scorsese. Others film to make a little competition (though not very much), are The Descendants and The Help. But count on The Artist winning. Really. 

Will Win: The Artist
Could Win: Hugo
Dark Horse: The Descendants/The Help
Who I Want to Win: Moneyball

Winner Breakdown: Best Actor

Oscar Predictions

Best Actor
- Demian Bichir (A Better Life)
- George Clooney (The Descendants)
-Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
- Gary Oldman (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)
- Brad Pitt (Moneyball)

And here we are, with another big showdown. This time, Jean Dujardin vs George Clooney. Jean Dujardin is a star over in France, having worked with Artist director Michel Hazanavicius many times. But this year is his "American" debut (really worldwide). He stars as the silent film star being left behind while talking pictures are on the rise, and he truly gives the most charming performance of this year. He has such an expressive face, which is so essential to silent films. He is extraordinarily charming, but also gives a very moving performance, in the latter half of the film, dealing with his fall from fame, and loss of fortune. The second to last scene (spoiler: the potential suicide scene) is really amazing. Spoiler: the scene with the gun in his mouth is just so perfect, and so well done. End spoiler. On the other hand we have George Clooney. George has been around for sometime, has 3 (now 4) Acting Nominations, 2 writing nominations and a directing nomination. He won for his first acting nomination, Supporting Actor in Syriana back in 2006. This year's The Descendants brings a much subtler piece for Clooney. He plays a clueless father who needs to look after and get to know his children after their mother is in a coma and will be taken off life support, but also discovers his wife was cheating on him. Clooney was quite brilliant in this role too. It was a much subtler role than Dujardin's was, but he played it so well. We have comedic moments where he shines (when Matt King confronts his wife's lover), and emotional moments where he is his best (saying goodbye to his wife). And I'd say George and Jean are pretty neck in neck. George won the Critics Choice, The Golden Globe (Drama), National Board of Review, while Jean won the BAFTA, The Cannes Best Actor, Golden Globe (Comedy), and the SAG. Dujardin has recently been picking up steam, having won 2 awards in a row (BAFTA and SAG). But either of them could really win it. I'm going to predict Jean Dujardin for the win right now. He's a big newcomer, and isn't likely to return to the Oscar race next year, while Clooney might. Clooney already has 1 statute, and very few Frenchman have won this award. Dujardin's role was also in the Artist, which is the frontrunner, giving him an edge over Clooney. So Dujardin it is. And really, I'm happy either either winning. They both had great performances, and both deserve awards. I'm happy either way!

Will Win: Jean Dujardin
Could Win: George Clooney
Dark Horse: Brad Pitt
Who I Want to Win: George Clooney/Jean Dujardin

Winner Breakdown: Screenplays

Writing (Adapted Screenplay):
- The Descendants
- Hugo
- The Ides of March
- Moneyball
- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy


This year was very much composed of book adaptations in the best picture category. Of the 9 nominees, 6 are based upon books, though surprisingly only 3 of those made it in (Moneyball, Descendants and Hugo). So far, it looks like the competition will be between the 3 Best Picture nominees. Behind The Descendants we have Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon. Payne previously won an Oscar (his only) for his writing for Sideways. Behind Hugo is John Logan, who hasn't won an Oscar yet, but was previously nominated for Gladiator and The Aviator. And for Moneyball we have Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. Zaillian has been nominated 4 times and won for Schindler's List, and Sorkin has been nominated twice, winning for his work on last year's The Social Network. (Ides writers both have been nominated for 1 other film, and TTSS are first time nominees). So we're really looking at the BP nominees. But personally, I feel the award will go to Moneyball. Zaillian and Sorkin made a smart baseball film, with some humour, but also with some wit, and passion. It's a well-written script, and may be Moneyball's best shot at anything. It's won lots of Film Critics awards (Toronto, San Diago, etc), and it has the powerhouse's of Zaillian and Sorkin. If anything is to upset this award, it'll be The Descendants, which just won the WGA Award for Best Adapted. Payne has previously won for Sideways, and both films will be duking it out for (possibly) the only awards they have shots at. But I'm going to have to put Moneyball as the winner, just over The Descendants, though I wouldn't be shocked if The Descendants took it.

Will Win: Moneyball
Could Win: The Descendants
Dark Horse: The Ides of March
Who I Want to Win: Moneyball



Writing (Original Screenplay):
- The Artist
- Bridesmaids
- Margin Call
- Midnight in Paris
- A Separation


This category was interesting since there weren't too many Original Screenplay's this year. This is Margin Call's only nomination, and it's not likely to win. The clear winner here is Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris. It won the Golden Globe and the Writers Guild Award. I'd say it's pretty much a lock-in, with Allen previously winning 2 Writing Awards, and being nominated a total of 15 times (just for writing). This one is a pretty clear winner. However, The Artist could make an upset (as could Bridesmaids), but I wouldn't seriously think on it, as it's not at all likely. 




Will Win: Midnight in Paris
Could Win: The Artist
Dark Horse: Bridesmaids 
Who I Want to Win: Midnight in Paris

Winner Breakdown: Film Editing

Film Editing:
- The Artist
- The Descendants
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
- Hugo
- Moneyball


This is another one of those categories where I understand it, but have a hard time noticing it when I watch the actual films. But what I do know about this category is has correlations with Best Picture. 5 our of the last 10 awards has the Best Picture winner also won editing. And those within the editing nominees are usually also Best Picture nominees. While TGWTDT was not a Best Picture nominee, I don't think you should count it out just yet. However, Hugo, having nabbed tons of nominations in the technical fields, and The Artist being the frontrunner, I'd say the race is between these two. But I wouldn't count any of these films out of the race. Yes, The Descendants and Moneyball are less likely, but I'd say they still have a shot. I'd even like to see Moneyball win, since I thought it was extremely well put together, and isn't likely to win much (or anything) this year. However, I'm officially predicting Hugo to win, but if anyone will steal it, it'll be The Artist, and equally challenging opponent.


Will Win: Hugo
Could Win: The Artist
Dark Horse: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Who I Want to Win: Moneyball

Winners Breakdown: Sound Mixing & Editing

I'm going to start breaking down each category (or 2 at a time) and let you know my thoughts on who I want to win, and who I think will win. Starting it off with the Sound Categories! 


Sound Editing:
-Drive
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
- Hugo
- Transformers: Dark of the Moon
- War Horse

Now, I'm no expert on Sound Editing. I know it's the creation of Sound Effects, but that's really about it. But when it comes to Sound Effects, and just general sound recording in films, I'd say Hugo and War Horse will be the biggest competitors, and I'm leaning more towards Hugo because of how many nominations it's received it'll most likely sweep in the Technical Awards. But don't count out the others. The real underdog here is Drive. This being it's only nomination, I wouldn't be surprised to see it win in this category.

Will Win: Hugo
Could Win: War Horse
Dark Horse: Drive
Who I Want to Win: War Horse


Sound Mixing:
-The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
- Hugo
- Moneyball
- Transformers: Dark of the Moon
- War horse


Sound mixing I know a teeny bit more about. It's the mixing of levels of the already created sound, dialogue and music. Again, I'd probably say War Horse and Hugo are the big names here, but I particularly enjoyed the mixing in Moneyball- I actually noticed it. I'm betting for War Horse for this one (since it's either that or Hugo for both I figured it'd bet both on different categories, getting, likely, one right). Here I'd like to see Moneyball win. We'll see about that. 

Will Win:War Horse
Could Win: Hugo
Dark Horse:Moneyball
Who I Want to Win: Moneyball

The 84th Annual Academy Awards

The nominations are finally out! The Academy went with nine Best Picture nominees. I went with eight in my predictions and all eight of those made the list. How could I have known EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE would snag a nod in the top category? And what? A tenth film would have really been that bad? Round it out, people!

First of all, I was 82% right with my predictions. My worst showing came from the Original Screenplay category. MARGIN CALL? Who knew? There are some mistakes I'm quite pleased about. The first is Terrence Malick for Best Director for THE TREE OF LIFE, which also made its way into the Best Picture race when so many people had written it off. The new Best Picture voting system favours films that have passionate followings and that definitely applies to this polarizing picture.

Other happy surprises this morning include Gary Oldman's Best Actor nomination for TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, which also managed a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination; Melissa McCarthy for Best Supporting Actress in BRIDESMAIDS, which also scored a Best Original Screenplay nod; and Max von Sydow for Best Supporting Actor in EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE. All three names were tossed around but were never sure things and I'm happy to see them amongst this list.

Unacceptable oversights on the Academy's part include Michael Fassbender for Best Actor in SHAME. This snub is reason enough for me to consider not watching the show. Tilda Swinton in WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN was also overlooked. I never really thought she could make it in such a competitive year but Elizabeth Olsen was incredible in MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE. 50/50 missed on the Best Original Screenplay category too. And Albert Brooks was overlooked for his delicious turn in DRIVE. Oh, and what about PROJECT NIM for Documentary Feature or the Golden Globe winner for Best Animated Feature, THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN?! And to top it off, all of these incredible films were ignored completely in all the other categories (except for DRIVE, which scored a Sound Editing, and TINTIN, which scored an Original Score nod).

Oh, and did anyone notice that THE HELP did not score a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination? I guess that Best Picture win is looking a little less likely.

Here is the full list of nominees for the 84th annual Academy Awards. The winners will be announced on February 26, 2012.

(Scroll over any film title for the original Black Sheep review.)

BEST PICTURE

THE ARTIST
THE DESCENDANTS
EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE
THE HELP
HUGO
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
MONEYBALL
THE TREE OF LIFE
WAR HORSE

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Demian Bichir in A BETTER LIFE
George Clooney in THE DESCENDANTS
Jean Dujardin in THE ARTIST
Gary Oldman in TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
Brad Pitt in MONEYBALL

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Glenn Close in ALBERT NOBBS
Viola Davis in THE HELP
Rooney Mara in THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
Meryl Streep in THE IRON LADY
Michelle Williams in MY WEEK WITH MARILYN

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Kenneth Brannagh in MY WEEK WITH MARIYLN
Jonah Hill in MONEYBALL
Nick Nolte in WARRIOR
Christopher Plummer in BEGINNERS
Max von Sydow in EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Berenice Bejo in THE ARTIST
Jessica Chastain in THE HELP
Melissa McCarthy in BRIDESMAIDS
Janet McTeer in ALBERT NOBBS
Octavia Spencer in THE HELP

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

A CAT IN PARIS
CHICO AND RITA
KUNG FU PANDA 2
PUSS IN BOOTS
RANGO

CINEMATOGRAPHY

THE ARTIST
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
HUGO
THE TREE OF LIFE
WAR HORSE

ART DIRECTION

THE ARTIST
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2
HUGO
WAR HORSE

COSTUME DESIGN

ANONYMOUS
THE ARTIST
HUGO
JANE EYRE
W.E.

DIRECTING

THE ARTIST
THE DESCENDANTS
HUGO
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
THE TREE OF LIFE

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

HELL AND BACK AGAIN
IF A TREE FALLS: A STORY OF THE EARTH LIBERATION FRONT
PARADISE LOST 3: PURGATORY
PINA
UNDEFEATED

DOCUMENTARY SHORT

THE BARBER OF BIRMINGHAM: FOOT SOLDIER OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
GOD IS THE BIGGER ELVIS
INCIDENT IN NEW BAGHDAD
SAVING FACE
THE TSUNAMI AND THE CHERRY BLOSSOM

FILM EDITING

THE ARTIST
THE DESCENDANTS
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
HUGO
MONEYBALL

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

BULLHEAD (Belgium)
MONSIEUR LAZHAR (Canada)
A SEPARATION (Iran)
FOOTNOTE (Israel)
IN DARKNESS (Poland)

MAKEUP

ALBERT NOBBS
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2
THE IRON LADY

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN
THE ARTIST
HUGO
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
WAR HORSE

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)

MAN OR MUPPET from THE MUPPETS
REAL IN RIO from RIO

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)

DIMANCHE/SUNDAY
THE FANTASTIC FLYING BOOKS OF MR. MORRIS LESSMORE
LA LUNA
A MORNING STROLL
WILD LIFE

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)

PENTECOST
RAJU
THE SHORE
TIME FREAK
TUBA ATLANTIC

SOUND EDITING

DRIVE
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
HUGO
TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON
WAR HORSE

SOUND MIXING

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
HUGO
MONEYBALL
TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON
WAR HORSE

VISUAL EFFECTS

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2
HUGO
REAL STEAL
RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)

THE DESCENDANTS
HUGO
THE IDES OF MARCH
MONEYBALL
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)

THE ARTIST
BRIDESMAIDS
MARGIN CALL
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
A SEPARATION

Black Sheep predicts the 2012 Academy Awards

It's a shame the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided to change the Best Picture rules this year. Now, anywhere between five and ten films will be nominated for the field's most prestigious honour in a year that could have easily seen ten very deserving candidates fill those slots. Instead, each film must garner 5% of the first place vote in the Academy's intricate and complicated system to earn a slot in the Top 10. If only six films manage it, then so be it, there are only six nominees this year. At least they would know that the films nominated have passionate followings.

I predict eight films will be nominated for Best Picture tomorrow. A secret part of me really wants to say nine because I would love to see BRIDESMAIDS sneak in there too. I think it has a pretty good shot but I'm playing it conservatively. This way if I'm wrong, well I'll be happy to be it.

The following are my predictions in the eight major Oscar categories. The nominees will be announced tomorrow at 8:30 AM, my time. (That's PST, in case you don't know where I live.)

(Click on any title to read the original Black Sheep review)

BEST PICTURE

THE ARTIST
THE DESCENDANTS
THE HELP
HUGO
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
MONEYBALL
THE TREE OF LIFE
WAR HORSE

BEST DIRECTOR

Woody Allen for MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
Michel Hazanavicius for THE ARTIST
Alexander Payne for THE DESCENDANTS
Martin Scorsese for HUGO
Steven Spielberg for WAR HORSE

BEST ACTOR

George Clooney in THE DESCENDANTS
Jean Dujardin in THE ARTIST
Michael Fassbender in SHAME
Gary Oldman in TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
Brad Pitt in MONEYBALL

BEST ACTRESS

Glenn Close in ALBERT NOBBS
Viola Davis in THE HELP
Meryl Streep in THE IRON LADY
Tilda Swinton in WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN
Michelle Williams in MY WEEK WITH MARILYN

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Kenneth Brannagh in MY WEEK WITH MARILYN
Albert Brooks in DRIVE
Nick Nolte in WARRIOR
Christopher Plummer in BEGINNERS
Max von Sydow in EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Berenice Bejo in THE ARTIST
Jessica Chastain in THE HELP
Melissa McCarthy in BRIDESMAIDS
Janet McTeer in ALBERT NOBBS
Octavia Spencer in THE HELP

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

50/50
THE ARTIST
BEGINNERS
BRIDESMAIDS
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

THE DESCENDANTS
THE HELP
HUGO
MONEYBALL
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

Check back tomorrow for the full list of nominees and to see how I did. I've made a few risky choices so my fingers are crossed. Also, the term "risky" is relative in this scenario as we are in fact talking about Oscar predictions.

Moneyball

Moneyball, 2011
Directed by Bennett Miller
Potential Nominations Include: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Cinematography

Synopsis: It's 2001, and the Oakland A's is the lowest salary team in the league. Billy Beane, the General Manager is fed up with losing, and losing good players to richer teams. How can you make a good team when you're running on $40 million, when the Yankees are running on $120 million? When Billy meets Peter Brand, a player analysis, he introduces Billy into a new way of thinking about baseball that could change everything anyone's ever thought baseball was about, and change it forever.

Before you start thinking, I'm a little late on reviewing it, just like Midnight in Paris, this is my review after watching it a second time. I went and saw it in theatres a few weeks after it's release in September, and loved it. Now, I'm no baseball fan. Sure, I've been to a few games. I've seen the Jays several times over the years, and went and saw the Yankees in NYC last April, but overall, baseball is not my thing at all. It doesn't really captivate me, nor interest me. It's a little slow-running for me, personally. However, this film really invited me right in. It was a film about baseball, but there wasn't a whole lot of baseball in it.

The film consists of the behind-the-scenes of baseball. Billy Beane is trying to figure out how to build a successful team from a tiny budget. Peter Brand tells him you aren't buying players, you're buying wins. And by buying wins you're buying runs, meaning you have to get people "who get on base". So many players are overlooked for a variety of different reasons. And we see that there is value in different ways than people think.

The story was really well told, with a really honest screenplay. It was well-paced, and introduced enough that non-baseball fans could follow it, but it wasn't too simplistic, it was just right. Additionally, the cinematography of this film is completely underrated, as is the sound mixing. The cinematography on the big screen was pretty dazzling in a subtle way. The green of the field was surrounding, and the montage scenes were beautifully shot, as were the everyday things, such as the dressing room and stands at night, the empty fields, everything. It probably won't be nominated, but I loved it anyways.

Along with that, the score by Mychael Dana is perfect for this film. It's slow-paced, and just so inspirational sounding. It's simple, and is so effective. The sound mixing for this film is great. So many times we have silence, and it's so effective. Silence, except for the sound of a ball hitting a bat, or just the low notes of the cello. While the score isn't thrilling by itself, it's extremely effective paired with the film.

I'd also like the mention the acting. Brad Pitt was really good in this film. He played all the different sides of Billy Beane so well, going from father, to GM, anger, love, pride, and competitiveness, and teacher. He was very convincing in his role, and expect him to receive a nomination, though I felt Clooney will likely steal the win, having given a slightly better performance. I've become a big fan of Brad Pitt lately. Not just the looks or whatever, but find him to be a really good actor, and always makes really good choices. Would love to see him win an Oscar, but sadly, it won't be this time. Additionally, like Owen Wilson in Midnight in Paris, it's nice to see an actor who is usually in terrible movies (Superbad just being one of them) do a serious role, and show some potential. This especially paid off for Jonah Hill, having been great as Peter Brand, the awkward, statistics whiz kid that Billy befriends. He really showed some good potential, and he has a good shot at making the Supporting Actor cut on Tuesday.

Honestly, if this film won Best Picture, I wouldn't be disappointed. It was my favourite film of the awards season, and the year, before War Horse strolled along, and I still enjoyed it very much. It was incredibly well done, looks, story, acting, etc. While the Artist was a great film, I'd love to see this film win the Big Prize, but frankly, it's not going to happen, though I'd love to see it happen.

9/10

A Look at the Pre-Cursor Oscar Nominations

Hello folks! Just wanted to quickly say, before I get started, thanks for all the international views! It truly means a lot! (:

Anyways, so as you all know, a bunch of Pre-cursor Oscar nominations were released within the last week. We had the Critics Choice Awards, The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Nominations, and the Golden Globes.

Starting with the Critics Choice Awards, we didn't see too many surprises here. All the Best Picture's were to be expected, and along with all the acting awards. Though one surprise, at least I thought, was the choice for "Bridesmaids" to be nominated for Best Acting Ensemble. I haven't seen this film, knowing it's only some raunchy movie that features women (instead of the usual men) and filled with sex, but other than that, i don't know much about it. Maybe it's not surprised, but to me, it was. Additionally, we saw the nomination of Andy Serkis for his motion capture role in the Rise of the Planet of the Apes. There's been a big lobby going on for his nomination at the Oscars, and it looks like it's starting to head in the right direction.

The SAG Nominations didn't hold all that many surprises, though, again, we saw Bridesmaids for Best Cast in a motion picture. And all the films nominated, at least last year, ended with Best Pictures nods. Could this mean Bridesmaids is going for Oscar Gold? Time will tell! The only surprises we have here is the nomination of Demian Bichir from A Better Life, and Armie Hammer being Nominated for J. Edger and Jonah Hill for Moneyball. Though Gary Oldman and Michael Fassbender both were snubbed in the Best Actor Category.

The Golden Globes, again, not too many surprises. The Descendants, The Help, Hugo, Moneyball, War Horse, The Artist, Bridesmaids, My week with Marilyn, Midnight in Paris, 50/50. You get the idea.

Overall, the Race seems to be on.

So far, leading the nominations are:
The Artist- 19 (6 GG, 3 SAG, 10 CC)

The Help- 17(5 GG, 8CC,  4 SAG)
Hugo- 14 (3GG,11 CC, 0 SAG)
Descendants- 14 (5GG, 7CC, 2 SAG

It looks like these 4 will be the big contenders for Best Picture on Oscar night.

Gary Oldman and Tinker Tailor Solider Spy were snubbed, overall, in general.

Harry Potter (though it's been included in several of the art & tech categories, and should do well come Oscar night) has also been unincluded in any of the Best Picture/Ensemble categories. The elusive Alan Rickman has also not appeared on any nominations list, though his performance was good, I'm frankly not surprised. They should hold out hope for an art/tech award and nomination only

Shame has also received very few nominations, though Fassbender was nominated at the Critics Choice Awards and the Golden Globes .

War Horse has received some but not many nominations, including Speilberg being snubbed for Best Director at the Golden Globes.

And Albert Brooks and Shailene Woodley both were, shockingly, snubbed out of the SAG nominations, though they will both, most likely end up with the Oscar nom.

Needless to say, the race has been shaken up a little, though has solidified many already favourites, and given perspective on what to expect January 24th. Predictions will be updated by tomorrow morning, and happy Christmas and awards season!

MONEYBALL

Written by Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin

Directed by Bennett Miller

Starring Brad Pitt, Johan Hill and Philip Seymour Hoffman

Billy Beane: There are rich teams; there are poor teams; then there’s fifty feet of crap; and then there’s us.

These days, it seems that when it comes to conversations about the American economy, the focus is on the increasing divide between the rich and the poor. In MONEYBALL, that same gap is affecting America’s favourite pass time, baseball. How can a team that only has $40 million to pay its players possibly compete with teams that have three times that amount at their disposal? The answer is simple. Input everything you know about the players into a computer and let it do all the thinking for you. And once you have all your algorithms in place, you can apply them to the sport and rob it of all spontaneity and excitement.

Unfortunately, some of the fun and excitement that usually spills over from the sport itself into the baseball movie genre, has also disappeared from MONEYBALL. Bennett Miller’s second film after his incredible debut, CAPOTE, is a succinct account of how former Oakland Athletics general manager, Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), changed the way major league baseball teams were formed in 2002. Inspired by a concept that was brought to him by his new assistant (Jonah Hill), Beane began adding players to his roster who were notorious for getting on base. The logic was that these players cost way less and produced more consistent, if not necessarily showy, results. MONEYBALL then becomes a waiting game to see if his theory pays off and less about the actual success of the players themselves.

Pitt gives a fine performance as the frustrated Beane, choosing to play most of his struggle internally while presenting with great confidence to all who doubt him. As strong as his performance is, it is not as impressively nuanced as the turn given by Philip Seymour Hoffman as the unfortunate coach who has to play with Beane’s team of mismatched baseball rejects. Even Hill shines as a young actor who is showing more and more promise in dramatic parts. No, the trouble with MONEYBALL is not the acting but rather the thin subtext of the script. Having gone through three hands before going into production, it comes across as self-important but doesn’t have the gravitas to back it up. As a result, MONEYBALL is solid entertainment, but it never manages to crack it out of the park.