By now I feel I've written plenty of thoughts about the nine films up for the biggest prize at this weekend's Oscars. As for predictions, everyone and their grandmother is doing those and none of mine really deviate from the general chorus.* My two biggest hunches: Seth McFarlene won't be nearly as bad as everyone expects (I mean think about it, is he likely to be that much worse than an out-dated Billy Crystal or a stoned James Franco?) and Jessica Chastain could pull an upset (controversial film aside, she's given at least 4 Oscar-worthy performances in the last 18 months).So instead than focus on the movies that are going to be mentioned on stage on Sunday, here are some of the ones who won't be honored but should be. A few of my Oscar wishes are:
- That Moonrise Kingdom had gotten a Best Picture nod. It's a great film that's teeming with Wes Anderson-ness without ever feeling overly quirky. Unfortunately, it's likely that if Moonrise had made it in it would have been at the expense of either Silver Linings Playbook or Beasts of the Southern Wild.
- Looper had gotten recognized for Best Original Screenplay. Even aside from the fact it succeeds in making a time travel plotline that actually holds up to scrutiny, Johnson's film uses its sci-fi premise to craft a compelling story about consequences and owning up to one's choices. In contrast, Flight, a nominated film that also shares this theme, has a strong opening act followed by 110 minutes of storytelling that could be generously described as awful.
- As I touched on when talking about his film, I'd have loved to see Dwight Henry get acknowledged for Best Supporting Actor.
- Ditto Jean-Louis Trintignant for Best Actor.
- The Grey, for anything. Alright, maybe it's not Oscar-worthy when compared to the other nominees. But it is a film that was utterly ignored and should have gotten some recognition before falling into the vast sea of forgotten gems. A deceptive marketing campaign made it look like just another entry into the improbable recent winter subgenre of 'Liam Neeson being badass', one in which most of the films are interchangeable (see also Statham, Jason, entire filmography of). Instead, The Grey manages to be a shockingly serious and at times soul-crushing dark man vs. wild story, containing heavy meditations on death and a bleak exploration of faith (or lack thereof) and survival. People expecting a wolf-punching action movie were disappointed but the rest of us got a film that was much more powerful, and it deserved better than being left in the February dumping ground.
Picture: Argo
Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis
Actress: Lawrence
Supporting Actor: De Niro
Supporting Actress: Hathaway
Director: Speilberg
Of these I'm least confident about Spielberg (his biggest real competition wasn't nominated but many voters could try to snub him to make up for it) and the Supporting Actor race (Tommy Lee Jones or Arkin could be spoilers, it's a stacked slate).
Amen on Chastain. It's the more technically demanding and nuanced performance, and she is "due" in terms of the number of noticeable performances she's given, compared to Lawrence. But it is entirely dependent on how much the Academy wants to shun ZDT.
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