Cesar Award Winners

The French equivalent of the Oscars.

• Best Film : UN PROPHETE
• Best Director : Jacques Audiard for UN PROPHETE
• Best Actor : Tahar Rahim for UN PROPHETE
• Best Actress : Isabelle Adjani for LA JOURNEE DE LA JUPE
• Best Sup. Actor : Niels Arestrup for UN PROPHETE
• Best Sup. Actress : Emmanuelle Devos for A L’ORIGINE
• Best Promising Actor : Tahar Rahim for UN PROPHETE
• Best Promising Actress : Mélanie Thierry for LE DERNIER POUR LA ROUTE
• Best First Film : LES BEAUX GOSSES
• Best Original Screenplay : UN PROPHETE
• Best Adapted Screenplay : MADEMOISELLE CHAMBON
• Best Music : LE CONCERT
• Best Sound : LE CONCERT
• Best Art Direction : UN PROPHETE
• Best Costume : COCO AVANT CHANEL
• Best Cinematography : UN PROPHETE
• Best Editing : UN PROPHETE
• Best Foreign Film : GRAN TORINO
• Best Documentary : L’ENFER DE HENRI-GEORGES CLOUZOT

A Prophet opened in NY and LA last Friday.

The Guilds

The winners of the technical guilds (get ready for a massive glut of information):

AMERICAN CINEMA EDITORS (ACE Eddies)
Film Editing:
Drama Film- The Hurt Locker- Bob Murawski & Chris Innis
Comedy Film- The Hangover- Debra Niel-Fisher
Documentary Film- The Cove- Geoffrey Richman
Animated Film- Up- Kevin Nolting

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS (ASC)
Cinematography- The White Ribbon- Christian Berger



ART DIRECTORS GUILD (ADG)
Period Film- Sherlock Holmes
Fantasy Film- Avatar
Contemporary Film- The Hurt Locker

CINEMA AUDIO SOCIETY (CAS)
Sound Mixing- The Hurt Locker

COSTUME DESIGNER GUILD (CDG)
Fantasy Film- The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus- Monique Prudhomme
Period Film- The Young Victoria- Sandy Powell
Contemporary Film- Crazy Heart- Doug Hall

MOTION PICTURE SOUND EDITORS (MPSE)
Special Effects\Foley Sound Editing- Avatar
Dialogue\ADR Sound Editing- Inglourious Basterds
Music Sound Editing- Avatar

Shutter Island

Much hullabaloo was made over the fact that Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island was moved from a prime, Oscar-bait release date last fall, to the dread of mid-February, typically a place holder month for garbage studio's want to quickly dispose of. Why would the films distributor, Paramount Pictures, make such a move for such a well-pedigreed film. Money? Production problems? The film sucked? Why? Well, after viewing Scorsese's Shutter Island, I don't care, all I care about is the smooth finesse of an amazing filmmaker putting under the spell of submission to his well-polished suspense noir. It may not be an Oscar film, but who cares; it's a spellbinding mystery-- one that has deeper intentions for the more serious moviegoer, but also works a classic whodunnit thriller for the fans looking for genre fun. It may have been old hat for a filmmaker so accomplished, but really who cares: Shutter Island, in the grand Hitchcockian tradition of suspense, is a technically extraordinary piece of pop filmmaking.

Everything feels deliberate in Shutter Island, from the Bernard Hermann-like orchestration, to the camera moves by ace cinematography Robert Richardson (a favorite of both Scorsese and Tarantino.) And sometimes, I strongely think, that when even an untrained eye (hey, I'm no filmmaker) can spot the technical percision of scenes, from the sound to the camera work, to the production; when all these forces come together in a startling and revealing way, it makes for an exciting movie. I believe even the detractors of this film will undeniably say it's a well-made movie. That part is exciting for me as fan, but what else is exciting about Shutter Island is that it's all wrapped up in a question.

The film is exclusively set on an island in Boston Harbor (circa 1954) where a mental instition sits called Ashcliffe. It's like Alcatrax for the crazies. First we meet "duly appointed federal marshall" Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio-- in his fourth outing with Scorsese after Gangs of New York, The Aviator and The Departed) vomiting on a ferry boat; then meeting his partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo), and right off the bat, there's something off-kilter-- the dialouge is very pulpy, a tad stylized. The frame is foggy. We, with the cops, are being transported into a very movieland experience. But one rooted in historical context, with 50s Cold War era a perfect setting for a film exploring the nature of sanity. All of that plays into Teddy, a vetern of the WWII, still tramuaized. Teddy is also carrying another burden, the loss of wife Dolores (Michelle Williams.) Not giving anything away here; it's all in the first scene of the film.

Once docked on the island, everything is a bit queer-- again playing with Cold War conventions of mind control; even the patients of Ashecliffe seem knowledgable of A-bombs and human experiemention. Teddy and Chuck are there specifically because a patient-- Rachel Solondo, apparently disappeared the night before. She escaped from her locked on the outside, barred-in room, as Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley), chief of Ashecliffe describes, "it's as if she evaporated." However, this is only the icing on the cake, and as with, I feel compelled to divulge nothing more of the principle plot, as the twists, and Scorsese's masterful turning of the screw are a real pleasure, one that should be naturally felt and admired, not damaged. The twists have this effect of being predictable and not all at once. There's familiar beats that suspenseful films (even the great ones) take on sometimes, and yet it's all the way it's staged. Like Hitchcock, Scorsese handles some of these turns with great applomb, always keeping the audience one step ahead, and one step behind at the same time. And the delight of Shutter Island, is that this a rare mystery that ends in a mystery. It's far from the director's best, but his slight of hand tricks are just as unnerving as ever.

Technically as stated, the film is amazing from Dante Ferretti's creepy sets, to Richardson's cinematography and Sandy Powell's costumes. All of them are Scorsese vets, and again do ace work. More credit should go to his longtime film editor Thelma Schoonmaker, who keep the pace and tone of Shutter Island; I thought the film was a bit too long, but had a great ebb and flow sense. The performances are terrific-- DiCaprio finds the tricky balance of his performance, and plays to that question at the center, without giving an answer. The supporting cast includes Kingsley, Ruffalo, Williams, and etereal Emily Mortimer as the missing patient, and a magnetic Patricia Clarkson (all I will say is that her one scene is probably my favorite of the film.)

A grand thriller, cleverly in classic noir fashion. I likey! B+

British Academy of Film & Television Awards

And the BAFTA (Britain's equivalent of the Oscars) winners are:


PICTURE: The Hurt Locker
BRITISH PICTURE: Fish Tank
DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
ACTOR: Colin Firth, A Single Man
ACTRESS: Carey Mulligan, An Education
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mo'Nique, Precious
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: The Hurt Locker- Mark Boal
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Up in the Air- Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner
ANIMATED FEATURE: Up
FOREIGN FILM: A Prophet
PRODUCTION DESIGN: Avatar- Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg & Kim Sinclair
COSTUME DESIGN: The Young Victoria- Sandy Powell
MAKE-UP & HAIR: The Young Victoria- Jenny Shircore
CINEMATOGRAPHY: The Hurt Locker- Barry Ackroyd
FILM EDITING: The Hurt Locker- Bob Murawski & Chris Innis
SCORE: Up- Michael Giacchino
SOUND: The Hurt Locker
VISUAL EFFECTS: Avatar
BRITISH DEBUT: Duncan Jones, director of Moon
ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD: Kirsten Stewart

There's a surprise-- I wasn't expecting the British contingent to really go full force for The Hurt Locker, however with filmmaking that strong and vastly superior, I am delighted. I suppose you can sign me up for Team Bigelow.

Berlin Film Festival Winners

• GOLDEN BEAR (Best Picture): Bal (Honey)- From Turkey
• SILVER BEAR (2nd Place): If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle- From Romania
• BEST DIRECTOR: Roman Polanski, The Ghost Writer-- opened in NY & LA Friday, film stars Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan; Polanski couldn't accept his prize because he still under house arrest for his 70s action.
• BEST ACTOR: (tie) Grigoriy Dobrygin and Sergei Puskepalis, How I Ended This Summer- From Russia
• BEST ACTRESS: Shinobu Terajima, Caterpillar- From Japan
• BEST SCREENPLAY: Apart Together- From China
• TEDDY AWARD: The Kids Are All Alright- stars Annette Bening and Julianne Moore as a lesbian couple; to be released this summer by Focus Features.

Writers Guild Winners

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Hurt Locker- Mark Boal

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Up in the Air- Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner

The Top Ten Analysis

Here, are as I see them, the pros and cons of the 10 Best Pictures and their chances of winning.




AVATAR
Pros:

• 9 Oscar nominations, the most of this year (tied with The Hurt Locker)
• Biggest box office smash of all time
• Golden Globe winner for Best Picture drama (the first ever for a science fiction film)
• Widespread nominations from many of the filmmaking disciplines (art direction, cinematography, editing, sound, music), as well as widespread love from the guilds.
• ABC would love for it to happen (i.e.-- let's boost those sagging Oscar ratings)
• James Cameron has crafted and undisputed game-changer of a film-- love it or hate it, it's a force to be reckoned with...

Cons:

• Widespread guild love didn't come from the actors branch (which is the largest portion of the Academy), nor the writers branch-- no film has won best picture without a screenplay or acting nomination since Grand Hotel in the 1930s.
• Some may not take it seriously-- the Academy is made up of stuffy, older film snobs, and genre films have never been their cup of tea.
• Neither has science-fiction films, despite two being nominated this year.
• It's the biggest box office champ of all time, that may hurt it, as much as it helps.
• James Cameron may be respected, but I doubt he's loved-- the Academy roots for it's friends.
• Cameron and team, already won for a game-changer in 1998; that may be enough.

THE BLIND SIDE
Pros:

• Uplifting message films are right up the Oscar's alley (Gentleman's Agreement; Kramer vs. Kramer; Forrest Gump; Rain Man)
• True story!
  
• Surprise big hit.
• Sandra Bullock's big year, with the media going gong crazy over her.

Cons:

• The quality of film-- many like it (even love it?), but is there much passion for it.
• Sandra Bullock?
• The liberal Academy may not stomach it very well.
• Sports movies never win the big prize, except for Rocky-- is this on that level?
• Wasn't nominated for a film editing Oscar, no film has won picture without a film editing nomination since 1980's Ordinary People.
• Picture and Bullock were the only nominations it got-- no director, no screenplay.
  

DISTRICT 9
Pros:

• Critically accalimed film produced by Peter Jackson.
• Introduces several fresh talents: director Neill Blomkamp and actor Sharlto Copely
• Nominated for film editing Oscar, a true must for serious picture contention.
• Widespread guild love-- it even won over the writers.
• It's a classic allegory cleverly disguised as genre film-- voters may appreciate the artistry.
• The movie wasn't expensive to make, but it doesn't look that way.
• Surprise big hit.
  

Cons:

• Sci-Fi-- the Academy doesn't get it, even when it's great (see: 2001: A Space Odyssey; Close Encouinters of the Third Kind)
• The film is fairly violent, I could see older Academy members getting turned off by it, or not watching it at all.
• No acting nominations, the actors are the biggest branch of the Academy.
• No nomination for direction.
  

AN EDUCATION
Pros:

• British-- the Academy lurves that (Tom Jones; Hamlet)
• Period Film.
• Got acting and writing nods.

Cons:

• Directed by a woman; that's never happened.
• It would be the lowest grossing best picture ever-- this is usually a fairly populist group.
• The actors and writers liked it, but no one else did apparently-- no film editing nomination-- no film has won picture without a film editing nomination since 1980's Ordinary People.
• No nomination for direction-- it's in the bottom five for sure.
• How many people have actually seen it?

THE HURT LOCKER
Pros:

• Nominated for most awards (tied with Avatar)
  
• Winner of the DGA award, the most common link to Best Picture.
• Winner of the PGA award, meaning the Producers liked it too.
• Widespread guild and tech love (cinematography, film editing, score, sound)
• Nominated for acting and writing-- the only film besides Inglourious Basterds and Precious to sweep all fields.
• Timely subject matter
• War drama-- the Oscars love war movies-- going all the way back to All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
• For the first time ever, a film directed by a woman is one of the front runners for best picture-- history making-- the Academy likes to do the right thing.
• Industry admiration for Bigelow.
• Press admiration for Bigelow.

Con:

• It would be the lowest grossing best picture winner ever!

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
Pros:

• Widespread guild love, garnering nominations for acting, writing, cinematography, editing, sound.
• Actors and writers love it (SAG Ensemble winner: think Crash)
• New found respectability for Quentin Tarantino--he's an auteur, and he's popular.
• War and period film, albeit revisionist.
• Surprise big hit.
• Harvey Weinstein is back the film (think: everything is the 1990s and Kate Winslet last year.)

Cons:

• Still a fairly polarizing film.
• Christoph Waltz is favored to win-- some may think that's enough.
• Harvey Weinstein.

PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL "PUSH" BY SAPPHIRE
Pros:

• Based on a novel-- adapted screenplays win more often than originals.
• Received nominations for acting, writing and film editing-- widespread love.
• Decent box office, if a bit short than expected from metoric press coverage.

Cons:

• One of the most polarizing films of the year.
• Would be one of the lowest grossing best picture winners ever, probably the lowest with inflation.
• About African American women-- the Academy is sexist, and a bit racist sometimes.
• General momentum for the film has been downhill since wide release-- not a good sign.

A SERIOUS MAN
Pros:

• The Coen brothers are very respected in the Academy: Fargo; No Country For Old Men.
• Nominated for screenplay.

Cons:

• Picture and screenplay are all it got.
• No acting nominations-- the actors make up the biggest portion of the Academy.
• No film editing nominations-- no one has managed that since since 1980's Ordinary People.
• Would be the lowest grossing best picture ever.
• No director nomination-- it was in the bottom five for sure.
• Polarizing film-- many loved; equally many hate it.

UP
Pros:

• Beautifully realized, masterfully storytelling-- the quality is there, and I bet few will argue with that.
• Pixar is a venerable institution-- it's won lots of Oscars, but this is it's first best picture.
• Nominated for screenplay, sound, and score-- widespread academy appeal.
• Massive big hit.
  

Cons:

• It's animated, and the bias for them is no secret for Academy members, as unfair has it may seem to animation enthusiasts.
• It will likely win animated feature, why honor it here.
• No editing nomination-- not since 1980 and Ordinary People has that happened.
• It was surely in the bottom five, sadly.

UP IN THE AIR
Pros:

• Actors and writers movie for sure; actors make up the biggest part of the Academy.
• Favored for adapted screenplay-- most best picture winners are based on other material.
• Timely subject matter-- probably the timiliest of all ten nominees with the focus of losing jobs.
• George Clooney is very popular.
• Jason Reitman has been working this movie like crazy, but many may feels he's due after Thank You For Smoking and Juno.
• Nominated for best director (was most likely in the Top Five)
• Good Box Office, even if it never really became the Zeitgeist movie many thought it would.

Cons:

• Surprisingly no film editing nomination-- it's been twenty years since a film won without it, and many point that to the reason Brokeback Mountain lost to Crash in 2005.
• A loss of momentum.
• Many feel that Jason Reitman may have been over-working this.
  

Saturn Award Nominations

The alternative to the Oscars-- OR IS IT?

The Saturn Awards give attention to the big, the genre, the sci-fi, and the whatever. I truly don't think this organization makes much sense.

In reality the "Count Dracula Society" (not making this up) was formed in the 70s to celebrate the best of gothic filmmaking, as well as television and literature.

BEST SCIENCE FICTION FILM
The Book of Eli
Knowing
Moon
Star Trek
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
X-Men Origins: Wolverine

BEST FANTASY FILM
Avatar
Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince
The Lovely Bones
The Time Traveler's Wife
Watchmen
Where the Wild Things Are

BEST HORROR FILM
The Box
Drag Me to Hell
Frozen
The Last House on the Left
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Zombieland

BEST ACTION\ADVENTURE\THRILLER
2012
Brothers
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Law Abiding Citizen
The Messenger
Sherlock Holmes

BEST DIRECTOR
J.J. Abrams, Star Trek
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Neill Blomkamp, District 9
James Cameron, Avatar
Guy Ritchie, Sherlock Holmes
Zack Synder, Watchmen
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

BEST ACTOR
Robert Downey, Jr., Sherlock Holmes
Tobey Maguire, Brothers
Viggo Mortensen, The Road
Sam Rockwell, Moon
Denzel Washington, The Book of Eli
Sam Worthington, Avatar

BEST ACTRESS
Catherine Keener, Where the Wild Things Are
Melanie Laurent, Inglourious Basterds
Alison Lohman, Drag Me to Hell
Natalie Portman, Brothers
Zoe Saldana, Avatar
Charlize Theron, The Burning Plain

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Woody Harrelson, Zombieland
Stephen Lang, Avatar
Frank Langella, The Box
Jude Law, Sherlock Holmes
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Malin Ackerman, Watchmen
Diane Kruger, Inglourious Basterds
Rachel McAdams, Sherlock Holmes
Lorna Raver, Drag Me to Hell
Susan Sarandon, The Lovely Bones
Sigourney Weaver, Avatar

BEST YOUNG ACTOR
Taylor Lautner, The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Bailee Madison, Brothers
Brooklynn Proulx, The Time Traveler's Wife
Max Records, Where the Wild Things Are
Saorsie Ronan, The Lovely Bones
Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Road

BEST WRITING
Avatar- James Cameron
District 9- Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell
Inglourious Basterds- Quentin Tarantino
Star Trek- Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci
Watchmen- Alex Tse & David Hayter
Where the Wild Things Are- Spike Jonze & Dave Eggers

BEST ANIMATED FILM
A Christmas Carol
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Monsters vs. Aliens
The Princess & the Frog
Up

BEST MUSIC
Avatar
Drag Me to Hell
The Lovely Bones
Red Cliff
Sherlock Holmes
Up

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince
Inglourious Basterds
Nine
Red Cliff
Sherlock Holmes
Watchmen

BEST MAKE-UP
The Book of Eli
District 9
Drag Me to Hell
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Star Trek
Terminator: Salvation

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Avatar
District 9
Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince
Sherlock Holmes
Star Trek
Watchmen

BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS
2012
Avatar
District 9
Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince
Star Trek
Watchmen

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
District 9
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Lorna's Silence
Red Cliff
Taken
Thirst

London Film Critics Circle

PICTURE: A Prophet (Un Prophete)
DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
BRITISH FILM: Fish Tank
BRITISH DIRECTOR: Andrea Arnold, Fish Tank
ACTOR: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
ACTRESS: Mo'Nique, Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
BRITISH ACTOR: Colin Firth, A Single Man
BRITISH ACTRESS: Carey Mulligan, An Education
BRITISH SUPPORTING ACTOR: Michael Fassbender, Fish Tank
BRITISH SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Anne Marie Duff, Nowhere Boy
SCREENPLAY: In the Loop
FOREIGN FILM: Let the Right One In

The Films of the 2000s

the films of the 2000s from Paul Proulx on Vimeo.

Soon I'll compile my list of the decade-- I know I'm slow, but I'm always behind in watching the essentials!

Evening Standard Film Awards

BEST FILM: Fish Tank
BEST ACTOR: Andy Serkis, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
BEST ACTRESS: Anne Marie-Duff, Nowhere Boy
BEST SCREENPLAY: In the Loop
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: The Hurt Locker
PETER SELLER'S AWARD FOR COMEDY: Sasha Baron Cohen, Bruno
BEST DOCUMENTARY: Anvil! The Story of Anvil

For those out there saying "Huh?', have no fear the Evening Standards are a British film award and Fish Tank, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, and Nowhere Boy haven't come stateside yet.

Fish Tank stars Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds, Hunger) opens the soonest, and will be available on Demand as well. It was a winner of the Jury Prize at last years Cannes Film Festival.

Serkis was also nominated for BAFTA award for Best Actor.

Nowhere Boy is a film about the young life of John Lennon and will be released by The Weinstein Company hopefully sometime this year.

Precious: The Debate

The film Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire, with it's awkward and tongue twisting title has been a subject of debate and a certain level of resistance since it opened last November. Now that film scored six Oscar nominations, including best picture, that debate has perhaps reached it apex. On February 4, two days after the nominations were revealed, writer Ishmael Reed wrote an Op-Ed column in The New York Times, criticizing the film for reinforcing black stereotypes and accused the film of making middle class white audiences feel good about themselves, and that the film was made more so for them, than any black community. Reed writes:

"In guilt-free bits of merchandise like “Precious,” white characters are always portrayed as caring. There to help. Never shown as contributing to the oppression of African-Americans."

He continues by stating that the film has only been publicly endorsed by white audience, since it's debut in Sundance (where the film won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award, the first time in that's festival's history), to the white critics that phrased it on it's marketing material, all the way the AMPAS that nominated it for best picture. Reed also comments on the theme of incest in the film, questioning whether that's a predominately African American trait, and the problem with indoctrinating the title character in "white"-endorsed educational society, the one form of redemption in Clareece "Precious" Jones' life.

I've heard murmurs of controversy over Precious in newspaper articles and online tirades ever since the film opened, but I think Mr. Reed is overreaching here on more than a couple of levels. And the first thing is, how many white characters are there in Precious, I personally remember only one-- the female director of the school that Clareece (Gabourey Sidibe) gets kicked out of at the beginning. But that small part is really isn't the point. The characters that really help Precious get out of monstrous home life are her teacher Ms. Rain (Paula Patton) and Ms. Weiss (Mariah Carey), last time I checked neither Patton nor Carey were white. But I digress, I don't really see how a film like Precious seems to exist only to make white audience members feel good about themselves. I liked the movie a lot, but honestly, as a white audience member it wasn't exactly a happy movie going experience. It's brutal, but felt honest.

And I think that's where the problem lies-- possibly it feels to honest. The performances, especially those from Sidibe, as the victimized and abused and Mo'Nique as the abuser are so nakedly up there on the screen that it's hard for it not to come off incendiary. But the two actresses never fall into the realm of cliche poor "ghetto" folk. The point of Precious is not in she's illiterate, or that her father raped her (illiteracy and incest have never been purely black or white problems, they're universal, they just happen to be hers), the point is finding redemption in oneself over adversity. Clareece does this by writing, and as the film progresses she becomes better and more eloquent; she's not necessarily getting schooled by a purely "white" curriculum, as Mr. Reed asserts in comparing the film to the Michelle Pfieffer film Dangerous Minds, but in it she seeks out the confidence to rid herself from the abuse.

In truth, the film is a bit muddled and visually schizophrenic, but I forgive it because of it's performances and the enthusiasm that director Lee Daniels exhibits-- he knows the right points when to hold back, and where to let it go without a net. And in the truth, and faux happy ending is entirely that, Precious, in many ways, won't be able carry on that emotional redemption into something tangible, but again there's a simplicity and honesty about that. Just because a story doesn't happily, doesn't mean it doesn't have something to offer, and that's true of all races. Some stories won't end well, and for filmmakers that have the guts to not sugar coat said stories deserve a little bit of credit.

In all honestly I think Mr. Reed meant to criticize the other best picture nominated film about an obese, illiterate African American: The Blind Side. For that film perfectly defines his idea of how white people are helpful, caring and philanthropic to the racial cause without questioning their role in it. Am I wrong? I don't mean to keep harping on the film, but for everything that feels real and acutely observed about Precious feels misguided and almost fantastical in The Blind Side. On serves as a gritty reminder of the hideousness that some people have to endure and the other serves as a tacky Hollywood by-product that seems about 20 outdated.

USC Scriptor Award

The Scriptors have spoken and the percipient this year is:

Up in the Air
written by Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner
based on the book by Walter Kirn




Established in 1988, the USC Scriptor Awards are an award given out the Friends of the USC Libraries, an organization that supports funding for the written and digital materials at USC libraries, they honor the adaptation of films, and honor both the screenwriters and the original authors.


USC Scriptor Awards at a Glance:


2008: Slumdog Millionaire
2007: No Country for Old Men
2006: Children of Men
2005: Capote
2004: Million Dollar Baby
2003: (tie) Mystic River; Seabiscuit
2002: The Hours
2001: A Beautiful Mind
2000: Wonder Boys
1999: The Hurricane
1998: A Civil Action
1997: L.A. Confidential
1996: The English Patient
1995: Sense & Sensibility
1994: The Shawshank Redemption
1993: Schindler's List
1992: A River Runs Through It
1991: Fried Green Tomatoes
1990: Awakenings
1989: The Accidential Tourist
1988: Charing Cross Road

In bold are USC Scriptors winners that also won the best adapted screenplay Oscar...so as you can see they aren't exactly the greatest prognisticators, but with Up in the Air's bountiful boon (the Golden Globe, Critics Choice Award, and a multitude of critics prizes, it's the clear frontrunner.)

By the Numbers

Here is a chart chronicling the critical and box office scores of our "Top Ten" respectively. I compiled the scores each received from Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic and the Broadcast Film Critics Association (aka: The Critics Choice), compiling how well respected each "candidate really is critically vs. the populist vote (aka: YOUR MONEY!), surprised at which film ranks last our terms of merit....hmmmmmm!

Academy Award Nominations

BEST PICTURE

• Avatar
• The Blind Side
• District 9
• An Education
• The Hurt Locker
  
• Inglourious Basterds
• Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
• A Serious Man
• Up
• Up in the Air

Ok, I'm trying to keep breathing, but I just want to scream-- The Blind Side, really? The freaking Blind Side is a best picture nominee. Out of all the scenarios in the world, I couldn't see it actually happen. Everything else is fine, really it's fine, good to great films all of the above, except one. I've been hearing murmers about it being a possibilty, but I couldn't believe it until I saw with my own eyes. And now I want to stab my own eyes to stop the pain. Why, Academy must you do this to ME?


BEST DIRECTOR

• Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
• James Cameron, Avatar
• Lee Daniels, Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
• Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
• Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

All predicted by just about everyone. I approve however.


BEST ACTOR

• Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
• George Clooney, Up in the Air
• Colin Firth, A Single Man
• Morgan Freeman, Invictus
• Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

Again, all predicted, I approve with the boring exception of Mr. Freeman. I'm proud the Academy didn't get all Invictus in our faces, but out of the five performances above, which do you remember the least?


BEST ACTRESS

• Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
• Helen Mirren, The Last Station
• Carey Mulligan, An Education
• Gabourey Sidibe, Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
• Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

Again, all predicted-- damn you Sandra Bullock and your cute-ness-- I'm not buying it; what did you do?


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

• Matt Damon, Invictus
• Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
• Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
• Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
• Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

It's been these same five names all season, and really I thought if anything was gonna change it would be Matt Damon's work which isn't all that interesting....just saying!


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• Penelope Cruz, Nine
• Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
• Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart
• Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
• Mo'Nique, Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire

The biggest shock is Maggie Gyllenhaal, who I thought was fairly dull in Crazy Heart, robbing a slot deserving to either Julianne Moore in A Single Man or one of the Inglourious Basterds gals. Nothing against Gyllenhaal, I adore her, and think she should have at least two nominations already (for Secretary and Happy Endings), but I resent her inclusion here, with what is her least spectacular part. Surprised Cruz was able to stay afloat since Nine all but died months ago-- they must really like her?


BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• The Hurt Locker- Mark Boal
• Inglourious Basterds- Quentin Tarantino
• The Messenger- Alessandro Caman & Oren Moverman
• A Serious Man- Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
• Up- Bob Peterson, Pete Doctor & Thomas McCarthy

This is good and bad thing-- everything up there is good-- really happy The Messenger sneaked in (it's a wonderful movie), however sad it took away (500) Days of Summer, which had it's only Oscar chance slip away. BOO!


BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• District 9- Niell Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell
• An Education- Nick Hornby
• In the Loop- Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci & Tony Rouche
• Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire- Geoffrey Fletcher
• Up in the Air- Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner

I really need to see In the Loop now!


BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

• Coraline
• Fantastic Mr. Fox
• The Princess & the Frog
• The Secret of Kells
• Up

What the hell is The Secret of Kells and what's it doing in Ponyo's place?


BEST DOCUMENTARY

• Burma V.J.
• The Cove
• Food, Inc.
• The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg & the Pentagon Papers
• Which Way Home

BEST FOREIGN FILM

• Ajami (Israel)
• El Secreto de Sus Ojos (Argentina)
• The Milk of Sorrow (Peru)
• Un Prophete (France)
• The White Ribbon (Germany)

BEST ART DIRECTION

• Avatar- Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg & Kim Sinclair
• The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus- Dave Warren, Anastasia Massaro & Caroline Smith
• Nine- John Myhre & Gordon Sim
• Sherlock Holmes- Sarah Greenwood & Katie Spencer
• The Young Victoria- Patrice Vermette & Maggie Gray

Where's Inglourious Basterds here? Why does the Academy always ignore David Wasco's work-- he's a freaking genius.


BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

• Avatar- Mauro Fiore
• Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince- Bruno Delbonnel
• The Hurt Locker- Barry Aykroyd
• Inglourious Basterds- Robert Richardson
• The White Ribbon- Christian Berger

You know what would have been cooler: Where the Wild Things Are!


BEST COSTUME DESIGN

• Bright Star- Janet Patterson
• Coco Before Chanel- Catherine Letierre
• The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus- Monique Prudhomme
• Nine- Colleen Atwood
• The Young Victoria- Sandy Powell

I knew Bright Star would get in here, too bad it didn't get in anywhere else-- that movie is soooo pretty. I would argue that Jane Campion makes 19th Century England even more dreamy than Pandora.


BEST FILM EDITING

• Avatar- Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua & James Cameron
• District 9- Julian Clarke
• The Hurt Locker- Bob Murawski & Chris Innis
• Inglourious Basterds- Sally Menke
• Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire- Joe Klotz

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

• Avatar- James Horner
• Fantastic Mr. Fox- Alexandre Desplat
• The Hurt Locker- Marco Beltrami & Buck Sanders
• Sherlock Holmes- Hans Zimmer
• Up- Michael Giacchino

I know I must sound like a broken record, but is James Horner's score really considered that good? I thought it was awful, and frankly took me out the movie more than a couple of times.


BEST ORIGINAL SONG

• "Almost There," The Princess & the Frog- by Randy Newman
• "Down in New Orleans," The Princess & the Frog- by Randy Newman
• "Loin de Paname," Paris 36- by Reinhardt Wagner & Frank Thomas
• "Take it All," Nine- by Maury Yeston
• "The Weary Kind,' Crazy Heart- by Ryan Bingham & T-Bone Burnett

BEST DOCUMENARY SHORT SUBJECT

• China's Unnatural Disaster
• The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner
• The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant
• Music by Prudence
• Rabbit a la Berlin

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

• French Roast
• Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty
• The Lady & the Reaper
• Logorama
• A Matter of Loaf & Death
  

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

• The Door
• Instead of Abracadabra
• Kavi
• Miracle Fish
• The New Tenants

BEST MAKE-UP

• Il Divo
• Star Trek
• The Young Victoria

BEST SOUND MIXING

• Avatar
• The Hurt Locker
• Inglourious Basterds
• Star Trek
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

BEST SOUND EDITING

• Avatar
• The Hurt Locker
• Inglourious Basterds
• Star Trek
• Up

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

• Avatar
• District 9
• Star Trek

Alright, I think I've calmed down slightly, but still The Blind Side, I think I would've been happier if the surprise nominee was The Hangover or The Jonas Brothers 3-D Experience (just kidding about that), but still it's not right. I find it odd that the only nominations it got were Picture and Actress, proving there wasn't any other conceivable place to nominate it. I'm just going to say it: it's the worst best picture nominee in the last 20 years, potentially even longer. Once it's stopped being remembered as a huge moneymaker, and the maturing side of Ms. Bullock, what left to remember about it? I'm not trying to be mean, but am I the only one who saw the freaking thing....it's not that good! Anyway, enough of that...yay District 9! And Inglourious Basterds! And The Hurt Locker! And Up! And Precious! And Up in the Air!

I'm starting to breathe normally again...

Grammy Awards

I'm only paying attention to the movie categories, so here we go (I hear someone named Taylor was the queen of music last night, however that might be...)


BEST ORIGINAL SCORE SOUNDTRACK:
Up- Michael Giacchino

BEST INSTRUMENTAL COMPOSITION (Film):
Up- Michael Giacchino- "Married Life," the beautiful prologue-- you're lying if you didn't cry through that.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG:
"Jai Ho," Slumdog Millionaire-- that stupid song is still winning awards after irritating me so much last year-- boo! And it was against Bruce Springstein's "The Wrestler" and Karen O.'s song from Where the Wild Things Are....ugh!

I post this just because I hope the bountifully talented Mr. Giacchino gets the right recognition for Up. I love his scores for The Incredibles, WALL-E, and "Lost." I think he's probably in the lead to, with the Golden Globe win.

Oscar Predictions

This will be proven irrelevant in about 7 1\2 hours, but what the hell, here are my go-for-broke, 11th hour predictions for the Academy Awards.

BEST PICTURE

• Avatar
• An Education
• District 9
  
• The Hurt Locker
• Inglourious Basterds
• Invictus
  
• Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
• A Serious Man
  
• Up
  
• Up in the Air

Avatar, Hurt Locker, Precious, Basterds and Up in the Air are totally for-sure things in-- the rest are somewhat shakier. An Education fits right in with the Academy safe zone (period movie, British casts, respectable, and slightly boring), as does Invictus, again boring. District 9 and A Serious Man are both passion pieces in that people that love them, really looooove them. And Up, because Pixar rocks, and WALL-E was robbed last year, and they know it.

Longshots: Crazy Heart; Nine; The Messenger; Julie & Julia; Star Trek
Crazy Longshots and BS: The Hangover; The Blind Side



BEST DIRECTOR

• Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
  
• James Cameron, Avatar
• Lee Daniels, Precious
  
• Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
• Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

Longshots: Michael Hanake, The White Ribbon; Neill Blompkamp, District 9
Please God No: Clint Eastwood, Invictus


BEST ACTOR

• Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
• George Clooney, Up in the Air
• Colin Firth, A Single Man
• Morgan Freeman, Invictus
• Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

BEST ACTRESS

• Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
• Helen Mirren, The Last Station
• Carey Mulligan, An Education
• Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
• Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

• Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
  
• Alfred Molina, An Education
• Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
  
• Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
• Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Other Possibilities: Christian McKay, Me & Orson Welles; Alec Baldwin, It's Complicated; Matt Damon, Invictus; Anthony Mackie, The Hurt Locker


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
• Melanie Laurant, Inglourious Basterds
  
• Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
• Mo'Nique, Precious
• Julianne Moore, A Single Man

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• (500) Days of Summer
• The Hurt Locker
• Inglourious Basterds
• A Serious Man
• Up

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• Crazy Heart
• District 9
  
• An Education
• Precious
• Up in the Air

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
• Coraline
• Fantastic Mr. Fox
  
• The Princess & the Frog
• Up
  

BEST ART DIRECTION

• Avatar
• Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince
  
• Inglourious Basterds
• Nine
• Sherlock Holmes
  

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

• Avatar
• The Hurt Locker
• Inglourious Basterds
• Nine
  
• The White Ribbon

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

• Bright Star
• Coco Before Chanel
• Nine
  
• Inglourious Basterds
• The Young Victoria

BEST FILM EDITING

• Avatar
• District 9
• The Hurt Locker
• Inglourious Basterds
• Up in the Air

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

• Avatar
• The Informant!
• Sherlock Holmes
• A Single Man
  
• Up

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

• Avatar- "I See You"
• Crazy Heart- "The Weary Kind"
• Nine- "Cinema Italiano"

BEST SOUND MIXING

• Avatar
• District 9
• The Hurt Locker
• Star Trek
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

BEST SOUND EDITING

• Avatar
• District 9
• The Hurt Locker
  
• Star Trek
• Up

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

• 2012
• Avatar
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

BEST MAKE-UP

• District 9
• The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
• Star Trek

I didn't include predictions for Foreign Film or Documentary due to my own ignorance, but we shall see what develops...and how right\wrong I am:

Any thoughts?