2010 Oscar Predictions and Desires

BEST PICTURE
What will win: The Hurt Locker
What should win: It’s a tough year, with a lot of strong candidates. The timeliness of Up in the Air will never quite be matched, the bold imagination of Tarantino makes Inglourious Basterds a viable candidate, but The Hurt Locker hits all the right notes and when it takes home Oscar gold tomorrow night, it will be well-deserved.

BEST DIRECTOR
Who will win: Kathryn Bigelow
Who should win: Kathryn Bigelow. It takes guts for a chick to handle such male-dominated material with such a light hand. The Hurt Locker is visually stunning and beautifully intimate, and we have Bigelow to thank for that.

BEST ACTOR
Who will win: Jeff Bridges
Who should win: Jeff Bridges. Crazy Heart may not be his most solid performance, and it may not be what made him a star, but if Kate Winslet taught us anything, sometimes there’s a long-overdue exception lurking amongst the candidates. It’s Bridges’ year.

BEST ACTRESS
Who will win: Sandra Bullock
Who should win: Carey Mulligan. She showed us that delicacy and progression is a little harder to hone into than a fashionable Southern accent and a faux blonde hairdo. Mulligan is a star, and her turn as 16-year-old Jenny in An Education is a performance that won’t soon be forgotten, which isn’t likely the case for any of the other nominees.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Who will win: Christoph Waltz
Who should win: Christoph Waltz. No other actor could have made Colonel Hans Landa as effectively lovable and sinister all in one go. Waltz is a marvel.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Who will win: Mo’nique
Who should win: Mo’nique. She rises through her comedic ashes to play a powerhouse role, with just enough dignity to keep her from going over-the-top.

BEST ORIGNAL SCREENPLAY
What will win: It’s a toss-up between Inglourious Basterds and The Hurt Locker, with The Hurt Locker taking a slight advantage 
What should win: Inglourious Basterds. Tarantino took a multi-layered script, told in four different languages, with an enormous cast, and somehow kept it cohesive, engaging, and within the realms of his wildest imagination. The Hurt Locker will have it’s fair share of Oscar glory - Tarantino deserves at least one piece of recognition for this feat.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
What will win: Up in the Air
What should win: Up in the Air. Jason Reitman loosely adapted a book, making it more timely, cinematic, and beautiful. And like Tarantino, he deserves condolences for delivering such a solid film.

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING
What will win: The Hurt Locker
What should win: Inglourious Basterds. Sally Menke weaved through Tarantino’s spindling narrative meticulously. What could have been muddled was concise. She’s the master of her game.

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
What will win: Avatar
What should win: Avatar. If anything, it’s beautiful to watch, and was an enormous special effects milestone. And while it may be a lonelier night for Avatar than previously expected, it should tick through the visual awards with ease.

This was posted 1 year ago. Notes.
Shutter Island (R); Scorsese, 138 mins. Scorsese proves he’s the grand master with this glamorous homage to the psychological thrillers of the 1950s. Leonardo DiCaprio delivers an astonishing performance as Teddy Daniels, a U.S. Marshal sent to investigate the disappearance of a mental patient from a New England asylum on the mysterious Shutter Island. When a hurricane traps Teddy and his new partner (Mark Ruffalo) on the island, they begin to discover all is not as it appears. Scorsese has fun with the material (based off Dennis Lehane’s novel of the same name) and it shows. Musical cues and familiar plot devices are reminiscent of Hitchcock, and the it-was-a-dark-and-stormy-night-ness of it all tells the audience right off the bat that this is a gothic ghost story of the mind, a journey well worth taking. And don’t worry: as soon as you think you’ve figured it out, you realize you haven’t. Grade: A

Shutter Island (R); Scorsese, 138 mins.

Scorsese proves he’s the grand master with this glamorous homage to the psychological thrillers of the 1950s. Leonardo DiCaprio delivers an astonishing performance as Teddy Daniels, a U.S. Marshal sent to investigate the disappearance of a mental patient from a New England asylum on the mysterious Shutter Island. When a hurricane traps Teddy and his new partner (Mark Ruffalo) on the island, they begin to discover all is not as it appears. Scorsese has fun with the material (based off Dennis Lehane’s novel of the same name) and it shows. Musical cues and familiar plot devices are reminiscent of Hitchcock, and the it-was-a-dark-and-stormy-night-ness of it all tells the audience right off the bat that this is a gothic ghost story of the mind, a journey well worth taking. And don’t worry: as soon as you think you’ve figured it out, you realize you haven’t.

Grade: A

This was posted 1 year ago. Notes. .
Paranormal Activity (R) ; Peli, 86 mins. Not quite the scariest movie of the decade, but pretty close. This low-budget word-of-mouth success story is chilling to the bone, with scenes that will stay with you far past your bedtime. It isn’t a ghost story so much as an examination of evil and its attack on an individual, but it is effective all the same. See it before the hype ultimately nips it in the bud. Grade: B

Paranormal Activity (R) ; Peli, 86 mins.

Not quite the scariest movie of the decade, but pretty close. This low-budget word-of-mouth success story is chilling to the bone, with scenes that will stay with you far past your bedtime. It isn’t a ghost story so much as an examination of evil and its attack on an individual, but it is effective all the same. See it before the hype ultimately nips it in the bud.

Grade: B

This was posted 2 years ago. Notes. .
Where the Wild Things Are (PG) ; Jonze, 101 min. A fantastical story about Max, an active and somewhat destructive child in turmoil over the recent split of his parents and lack of support from his older sister. He creates a vivid world inhabitated by monstrous Wild Things, for whom he becomes king. These Wild Things forge the family he feels he’s lacking, all the while a firm reminder that, though love can conquer all, it is no easy feat. Spike Jonze has created a beautiful little film about childhood, maturity and everlasting imagination. Although a firm storyline is never set in place, there is no need for it in this emotional, visually stunning walk on the wild side. Grade: A-

Where the Wild Things Are (PG) ; Jonze, 101 min.

A fantastical story about Max, an active and somewhat destructive child in turmoil over the recent split of his parents and lack of support from his older sister. He creates a vivid world inhabitated by monstrous Wild Things, for whom he becomes king. These Wild Things forge the family he feels he’s lacking, all the while a firm reminder that, though love can conquer all, it is no easy feat. Spike Jonze has created a beautiful little film about childhood, maturity and everlasting imagination. Although a firm storyline is never set in place, there is no need for it in this emotional, visually stunning walk on the wild side.

Grade: A-

This was posted 2 years ago. It has 0 notes. .
An Education (PG-13) ; Scherfig, 95 min. A seamless exploration of growing up and dealing with our missteps, An Education is Lone Scherfig’s elegant masterpiece about the hardships of a teenager growing up in 1960’s England. Carey Mulligan plays (and is) Jenny, in perhaps the most noteworthy female performance of the year. Her naivity transforms flawlessly to womanhood before our eyes. She is truly a wonder to behold. Peter Sarsgaard plays the older man who swoons her, taking her into his magical, glamorous world. This should fare well come Oscar season - Best Picture and Best Actress nods should be a lock. And deservedly so. Grade: A

An Education (PG-13) ; Scherfig, 95 min.

A seamless exploration of growing up and dealing with our missteps, An Education is Lone Scherfig’s elegant masterpiece about the hardships of a teenager growing up in 1960’s England. Carey Mulligan plays (and is) Jenny, in perhaps the most noteworthy female performance of the year. Her naivity transforms flawlessly to womanhood before our eyes. She is truly a wonder to behold. Peter Sarsgaard plays the older man who swoons her, taking her into his magical, glamorous world. This should fare well come Oscar season - Best Picture and Best Actress nods should be a lock. And deservedly so.

Grade: A

This was posted 2 years ago. Notes. .
A Serious Man (R) ; Coen/Coen, 105 min. If you seek a happily ever after, don’t seek anything by the Coen brothers. But if you seek a beautifully acted, compelling and profound examination of 1960s Jewish family life, here is your smorgasbord. Michael Stuhlbarg plays Larry Gopnik, a man on the verge of losing everything. This is tragic, beautiful stuff; everything you’ve come to expect from the Coens by now. Grade: A

A Serious Man (R) ; Coen/Coen, 105 min.

If you seek a happily ever after, don’t seek anything by the Coen brothers. But if you seek a beautifully acted, compelling and profound examination of 1960s Jewish family life, here is your smorgasbord. Michael Stuhlbarg plays Larry Gopnik, a man on the verge of losing everything. This is tragic, beautiful stuff; everything you’ve come to expect from the Coens by now.

Grade: A

This was posted 2 years ago. Notes. .
Jennifer’s Body (R) ; Kusama, 102 min. Elements of misplaced dialogue aside, Jennifer’s Body is pure, unmediated fun. Megan Fox lends herself well to the dim role, but it’s Amanda Seyfried who shines, and Adam Brody who steals the show. If you’re looking for profound cinema, look again. But if you’re up for a fun horror romp, check it out. Grade: B

Jennifer’s Body (R) ; Kusama, 102 min.

Elements of misplaced dialogue aside, Jennifer’s Body is pure, unmediated fun. Megan Fox lends herself well to the dim role, but it’s Amanda Seyfried who shines, and Adam Brody who steals the show. If you’re looking for profound cinema, look again. But if you’re up for a fun horror romp, check it out.

Grade: B

This was posted 2 years ago. It has 1 note. .