So, the nominations for this years Academy Awards were released today. I haven't seen nearly as many of these pictures as I would have liked; I especially regret not seeing True Grit or the Social Network in theatres, but there may still be time for the first one.
Still, not having seen most of these films shouldn't preclude my weighing in with a few opinions; after all, this is the internet!
Hardest Choice: Best Animated Feature
The superlative and stunningly animated How to Train Your Dragon, or what may be the best threequel ever, Toy Story 3? I don't think Pixar has ever lost this one, but if there was ever a year they might, Dreamworks has given them a very credible opponent. Also, there is a possibility of vote migration, as Toy Story 3 is also up for regular ol' Best Picture, only the third animated film ever to do so.
Sci-Fi REPRESENT!
No spaceships, aliens, or time travel in Chris Nolan's brilliant Inception, but it is the closest thing to a genre champion this year, and 8 nominations are nothing to sneeze at. It would be my favourite for Best Picture if they hadn't snubbed Nolan for Best Director!
Score Snub
Tron: Legacy wasn't a great film, but it had first-rate production design, and an absolutely top notch score by techno duo Daft Punk; I can't believe they didn't get a nod.
I mean, how cool would it have been to see Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails frontman and Oscar nominee for The Social Network) go head to head with two guys never photographed without their helmets? Ah well, now I will just have to pin my hopes on Hans Zimmer's awesome score for Inception.
Writing
Nolan's Inception script might be a little convoluted to get the nod from Academy, and there are those who felt it lacked emotional heft (these people are fools), so if I had to pick Original Screenplay for the Oscar Pool today, I would probably go with The King's Speech, based solely on buzz. And I am not sure what The Social Network or Toy Story 3 were 'adapted' from, but for Adapted Screenplay, my sentimentality and respect for the Coen Brothers love of language draws me to True Grit. Read the novel by Charles Fortis if you get the chance.
Plan of Attack
All right, of the ten Best Picture nominees, I have only seen Inception and Toy Story 3. I can rent The Social Network, but I might as well buy it because Aaron Sorkin is one of my all-time favourite writers and director David Fincher is no slouch either. If I rush, I can catch True Grit and The Kings' Speech in theatres, and if I can figure out some way of seeing Black Swan, that gives me the inside track on, lessee here...48 nominations!
Guess I had better get started, huh?
On the contrary, daft punk have been photographed numerous times sans robot costumes, and have even performed without them as well. :) But I know what you mean. It would have been ultra cool to see the two droids sitting in the crowd!
ReplyDeleteI'll be hard pressed to choose between inception and social network. Both tracks were fantastic imo!