Like every year, certain movies, actors, actresses, etc., are favorites in each category. This year's Oscars has nine Best Picture Candidates, but the public only sees three that are in contention for the prize: The Artist, The Descendents, and Hugo.
None of those films earn my vote.
Don't misinterpret me, all three of these films are outstanding. The Artist is an authentic, black-and-white portrayal of how film has transform from its silent era. It's basically a non-musical version of Singin' in the Rain. The Descendants is the best George Clooney film I've seen to date, and in it he plays an irresponsible Hawaiian father coping with the destruction of his family. Hugo – the best out of the three – is Martin Scorsese's latest masterpiece, showing a nostalgic view of film and its origins.
But even with these three sluggers nominated, none of them deserve the win over The Tree of Life. This is probably one of the best films I've ever seen – if not the best – and deserves more than a nomination. Never has a film better illustrated the value of life, and how its value varies to each person. It was a nice surprise to see The Tree of Life get an Oscar nod, but nothing would satisfy me more than to see it go all the way.
Are all nine Best Picture contestants even worthy of a nomination in the first place? I would say so for all the films except Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close – a film about an autistic boy who loses his father in the 9/11 attacks and seeks a secret left behind after the tragedy. The premise of the film can easily win the audience's hearts, but the idea of having the 9-year-old protagonist roaming the streets of NYC with a stranger struck me as absurd.
Otherwise, I'm relatively pleased with this year's decisions: Moneyball is the best sports movie I've ever seen, War Horse is the best Spielberg creation since 2005's Munich, the cast in The Help is a great ensemble to watch, and Midnight In Paris is, well, a Woody Allen movie.
The competition for the Best Actor award should stir up some debate as well. I believe the Academy is choosing between Jean Dujardin for The Artist and George Clooney for The Descendants – who both won awards at the Golden Globes.
I have to disagree with the organization's picks, however. These two performances were terrific, yes, but Demián Bichir stole the show in A Better Life. Bichir provided humane beauty in his role as a single father working extreme hours as a landscaper to provide for his ungrateful son.
Meryl Streep, as always, is in contention for the Best Actress statuette, this time for her unparalleled impersonation of Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. Her portrayal of the former English Prime Minister is uncanny, but not nearly great enough to save the film's horrible execution. I will be rooting for Viola Davis to upset the crowd for her portrayal as an African-American maid in The Help.
The Best Supporting Actor category should be a no-contest. The obvious winner will be Christopher Plummer's playful presentation as a gay man in Beginners. How actors like Jonah Hill, Nick Nolte, and Max von Sydow earned a nomination is beyond me, especially when candidates like Albert Brooks in Drive would've been more understandable.
There isn't much to criticize about the nominees for Best Supporting Actress. To me, this is the harshest competition of the Oscars this year. Octavia Spencer deserves the victory, however, because her role in The Help is so memorable.
The Academy yet again robbed Andy Serkis of a nomination, as he won't be recognized for his impeccable talent portraying the CGI Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. To me, an actor/actress should be based on how inclusive he/she is to a role. I want to see von Sydow attempting to be as good of a CGI ape as Serkis is.
Also surprisingly absent from the list are Cars 2 and The Adventures of Tintin for Best Animated film. Although I wasn't a fan of Tintin, I thought it was a lock for sure. Instead, foreign animated films A Cat in Paris and Chico & Rita awkwardly rest in their place. My pick would have been Cars 2, but in its absence I believe Johnny Depp's Rango destroys its competition.
The 84th Academy awards will air this Sunday at 7 p.m. on the ABC network.
Email: jacobkno@buffalo.edu
