Reel Insight #72 - 2012 Oscar Nominations Special

I can't believe it's only been two weeks! Feels like a lifetime that we've been away from the mic.  Anyway, no actor/actress this week because, like the rest of you, we have been anxiously awaiting the Oscar nominations, which we discuss at length.  But we stick to our usual first half of the show by discussing new films watched and talk about what our favorite parts of the Oscar ceremonies are and who we'd like to see host.

Give it a listen and email your thoughts to reelinsight[at]gmail[dot]com. We love feedback and we love to read your feedback while casting. Our "theme" music is from Kevin MacLeod with Incompetech. Also, join the Facebook Fan Page and subscribe on iTunes to stay updated. Thanks for listening!

Saturday's Sims Screenshots: #67

It's been awhile, but Ryan (f/k/a Hatter) is back and he moved a spot up the leaderboard after being the first to know this one from Crazy, Stupid Love:

And next:

Leaderboard:
Nick - 12
Andy - 9
Jason, Ryan - 5
James, Jess, Kai, Mom, MovieNut14 - 4
Kano - 3
David, Dylan, Stevee - 2
Adam, Angela, Brian, Marc, Red - 1

Friday's New Feature Films: 1/27/12

The Grey

I have to admit, when I saw Liam Neeson taping broken, jagged shooters to his hands so he could fight a hungry wolf in the snow, I kinda laughed out loud (while being extremely curious). However, I hear this just might be pretty damn intense, so I'll check it out eventually. For now, I'm destined to hunt down the three Best Picture nominees I skipped the first time around.

Man on Ledge

Sam Worthington on a ledge. Might he possibly be any more charismatic in this situation? Probably not. I'd only really care to see this if it ends with him accidentally slipping and taking Elizabeth Banks down with him.  Someone let me know, k? I don't mind spoilers in a situation like this.

One for the Money

The title says it all, no? Is Heigl really in it just for the money? Well, looking at her resume, it's certainly not for art or respect so yeah, I'd say that's a fair assessment. (Yes, I know it's based on a book.)

Thursday's Three: Random Thoughts on the 2012 Oscar Ballot

The Oscar nominations were announced this past Tuesday. and I gotta say I was pretty underwhelmed, but that's not surprising since I was underwhelmed by film in 2011 in general, and I can say that with a clear conscience because I saw a lot more than I usually do. Anyway, this is what stuck with me, for better or worse, after the nominations were announced by the stunning Jennifer Lawrence.

MY OMG THOUGHTS

Gary Oldman for Best Actor

After being one of the most talented actors around for the last 30 years, one who manages to seamlessly transform himself at every turn, Gary Oldman FINALLY nabbed a nomination. I haven't seen Tinker Tailor Solider Spy yet, but any nomination for this man is long overdue and now I can't wait to see the film.

Rooney Mara for Best Actress

It seemed hardly anyone had heard of Mara prior to the backlash of "She's going to play Lisbeth?" blazed through the Internet.  However, I wasn't familiar enough with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo to make a judgment on how the girl who played Zuckerberg's ex might handle the dark role. However, I found her badassery quite stunning. Not as likable as Noomi Rapace's performance, but extremely awesome nonetheless.

No Cars 2 for Best Animated Feature

Pixar's grip on the Academy has been broken this year. Since the Best Animated Feature category was inducted into the Academy Awards in 2002, Pixar films have always been at least nominated (not in 2002 or 2005, since there were none to nominate) and have usually won (except in 2001 for Monsters, Inc. and 2007 for Cars.) So I have to wonder what was going through the executives' heads when they thought a sequel to one of their least liked films was the way to go. Maybe this is a wake up call they need.  No real offense to Pixar as I'm highly anticipating Brave this summer, but I rarely go gaga over their annual offerings anymore because they've felt a bit lazy.

MY WTF THOUGHTS

Bridesmaids for Best Original Screenplay

Apparently shitting in a sink and in the street is considered art as long as you're wearing a dress. Okay, I admit there is more to Bridesmaids than just the extreme gross-out humor near the beginning, but despite love for Kristen Wiig, I still think it was just average at best and find the nomination little more than a throw-the comedies-a-bone-to-appease-the-masses move.

Jonah Hill for Best Supporting Actor

Though I wasn't crazy about Beginners, and Hill did do a good job in Moneyball, I'm still hoping Christopher Plummer will nab the gold on Oscar night, because I'm not sure I can live in a world where the phrase "Oscar Winner Jonah Hill" would be paraded around the trailer for The Sitter 2.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close for Best Picture

Say what? How, oh, how did this get nominated? No I haven't seen, nor do I particularly care to, but this was barely a blip in the film world and it managed to surpass The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Drive, plus a plethora of other films that looked 10 times better.

So the Academy, in its infinite and infallible wisdom, changed the rules to say there would no longer definitely be 10 films in the Best Picture category, but only those most deserving, with a minimum of five nominees. Oh really? Let's take a look at some numbers, shall we?

Nominated Film	RT Critic Rating	IMDb User Rating
The Artist	97% - Fresh	8.5
The Descendants	89% - Fresh	7.9
The Help	76% - Fresh	8.1
Hugo	94% - Fresh	8.2
Midnight in Paris	93% - Fresh	7.8
Moneyball	95% - Fresh	7.8
The Tree of Life	84% - Fresh	7.1
War Horse	77% - Fresh	7.4
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close	47% - ROTTEN	6.3

I think pathetic is the only way to sum it up. How much cash do you think was shelled out for that nomination? Again no, I haven't seen it, and yes, tastes vary, and no the general consensus isn't the final word, but it's not to be completely ignored either and this nomination remains the biggest head-scratcher of all. There's still a chance these numbers might change as more people may actually go see Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close now that it has a nomination, completists like myself or general moviegoers who think "Oh, it was nominated. It must be good." But I doubt that the paid critics will find it any more favorable than they already do.

By the way, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.2 on IMDb. Drive has a 93% and an 8.1. And though I know it'd never get the nomination, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 has a 96% and an 8.1. In other words, why not fill out that tenth spot with something respectable? I'm just saying.

For a more thorough discussion check out Episode #72 of the Reel Insight Podcast this Sunday as Jess and I discuss this oddball list of nominees (and snubs) at length. So do your thoughts mirror mine or do you have an entirely different list of OMG and WTF thoughts? Let me know in the comments.

Monday's Movie Review: The Artist (No Spoilers)

It's a rare thing to see something different in film these days. It feels as though all avenues have been explored. So instead of trying, and failing, to come up with something completely different, sometimes a good idea is to go back and revive something old to make it new again, because retro is always in. And thus The Artist, a black & white silent film, was released in a world that is comfortably reliant on sound.

The Artist follows two actors, one a veteran of the silent film industry, the other a fresh face that easily transitions into the world of talkies. As the song says the times are a changin' and soon George (Jean Dujardin), the silent film star, is no longer the A-list actor he once was. Instead everyone wants to see and hear spunky Peppy (Bérénice Bejo), with whom George became smitten during her days as an extra on one of his films.

Technically speaking, the film is magnificent. There are certain shots and scenes that took my breath away. If anything from Hollywood needs reviving, it'd be a more consistent use of black & white film. And despite recent controversy, the score is the infectious glue that holds it all together. The most shocking though is the use of sound. It truly amazed me how much I was captivated by the sound effects, not realizing the impact they have until used (very minimally) in the context of a silent film. Sound is clearly something we've taken for granted all these years, and The Artist's ability bring that theme to the foreground is cleverly stunning.

However, when it comes to the story and characters, everything else is quite surface level. The story is far from original and the characters, in true silent film fashion, wear their expressions loud and proud all over their beautiful faces, leaving little room for any mystery or depth. So much of a performance is lost without dialogue and tone as clues to what the character is thinking and feeling. The Artist left no question about what was going to happen next, and though desperate times called for desperate measures in George's life, there was never a sense of tension, leaving me feeling very little for these people. It's not that I didn't want George and Pippy to be happy, but when they weren't, I wasn't sad about it and I found myself challenged with being emotionally invested in anything beyond the technical aspects.

Perhaps I'm being unfair in judging The Artist against a set criteria for modern films. However, since it will be pitted against many other films that fit that criteria, it would be unfair not to, otherwise, the film falls prey to being a gimmick with its on set of rules. The Artist does rise above that, but instead of being a great film, like so many say, I found it to be just good film blessed with great technical elements.

Rating: