Oscar Prep 2012: Best Picture Edition

Dear Phil,

First of all, apologies for being quite a bit less prolific with my postcards of late.  Life is busy these days with a wedding happening, and also a possible tri-country move.  That said, the 84th Academy Awards wait for no man, so let's get our Oscar prep back on track...

Here's my best guess for this year's Best Picture contenders:

Midnight in Paris

 

I'd be pretty surprised if I didn't hear this movie called on Oscar nomination morning.  It's fun, it's original, it's well-made, well-acted, well-directed and it's both commercial and artful (a disturbingly rare combination these days).  Granted, it's a comedy, which traditionally works against it, but I feel like it could easily take the nomination spot that the Academy seems to reserve for a slightly more mainstream hit (God forbid that spot should go to The Help). 


Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close



Okay, first of all, this poster is awesome.  Second, I'm actually in the middle of this novel by Jonathan Safran Foer right now, and I have to say, it's made me more excited than ever to see the movie.  Also: Two time Oscar winner Tom Hanks.  Oscar winner Sandra Bullock.  Four time Oscar nominated screenwriter Eric Roth.  Three time Oscar nominated director Stephen Daldry.  Touching Father/Son story.  9-11.  This movie is stacked.  At the moment, it's my front runner for the win.

Drive



I'm a little bit torn on this one because I can't honestly say I thought it was a great movie.  That said, it was certainly kind of a fascinating movie, and the fact that I'm so conflicted about it means it was doing something right -- I'm just not totally sure what that something was.  I enjoyed the hyper-stylized, low dialogue, crazy violent weirdness of it all, but there were some plotholes (yeah, I said plotholes) that I couldn't quite get past.  What is Albert Brooks' operation exactly?  Because he's not mafia, and it kind of seems like it's just him going around killing people on his own.  Yet the movie asks you to believe he's Michael Corleone -- I feel like this is the key place where director Nicolas Winding Refn failed to fully flesh out a pretty significant element and as a result the whole film suffered.  Anyway, whatever.  I'd be okay with this nomination, if only because it seems totally preposterous that this bizarre of a movie was so well-received.  And I love a preposterous success story. 

Martha Marcy May Marlene



Guys, I'm not kidding about this: Martha Marcy May Marlene (or as Silentkillerica and I call it: MMMM) may be the best movie I have seen this year.  Due the disturbing subject matter (My boss's mom: "Describe it in one sentence."  Me: "Young girl escapes from physically, sexually, and psychologically abusive cult."  My boss's mom: "Oh."), it's possible the Academy will keep it out of the Best Picture race and just nominate Elizabeth Olsen for Best Actress.  I want to go on record as saying that would be a mistake.  This is a five nomination movie: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Cinematography.  There I said it.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2



My hatred of 3D movies notwithstanding, I do believe this franchise deserves some recognition for accomplishing what is, I think, a pretty spectacular feat:  Bringing to life a dauntingly successful book franchise that seemed to leave even the most avid fans satisfied.  Four directors, two screenwriters and a cast of thousands produced eight movies in ten years which, okay, weren't perfect, but were certainly well-executed, and at times downright masterfully done.  Not an easy task, friends.  The Twilight Saga should take a lesson.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo



So, I haven't actually read these books yet, but I will say that if anything could get me psyched about a story that involves multiple rapes and other generally terrible atrocities, it's this preview.  I literally can't stop watching it.  There's an energy and intensity about it -- the cast, the art direction, the subject matter -- that just feels like a set up for Oscar momentum.  Also there's something about David Fincher's near win last year that makes me think he's out for blood.

The Artist



I love the idea of a movie this weird getting such universal acclaim.  Jean Dujardin, John Goodman, Penelope Ann Miller, and Bérenice Bejo in a silent movie about pre-talkie Hollywood.  Yes, please.
  
War Horse



Alright, the thing is, I saw this musical on Broadway and two things made it awesome: 1) the onstage musicians (great), and 2) the puppeteers operating the horses (amazing).  However, to my knowledge, the Steven Spielberg-helmed film version will not have either of those things.  Thus, what we're left with for the movie is a plot that is at best deeply derivative -- essentially, "Black Beauty Goes to War."  I'm not saying it won't be good, possibly even great, but I just want us all to be honest about what's happening here.  I'm pretty sure no one involved in this endeavor wrote Anna Sewell a check, but I want it noted that somebody should've.  War Horse will likely earn a Best Picture nomination, but not so much my admiration for plot originality.

Margin Call



For some reason, I'm oddly thrilled about the fact that this movie is even being bandied about on Oscar speculation lists such as this one.  After all, what's not to love about a sleeper indie propelled into the Oscar race from almost total obscurity by the zeitgeist?  Look for a more comprehensive post about Margin Call later this week, but for now let me say this: Jeremy Irons, you sexy beast. 

Other possibilities:

The Iron Lady -- Okay, yes.  I do work for the company that made this movie, but I mean, please: historical biopic of Margaret Thatcher starring Oscar darling Meryl Streep?  Please.  My only concern about Iron Lady is that it's directed by Phyllida Lloyd who also brought us the film version of Mama Mia! (possibly the worst movie in the history of the world).  But, you know, we all get one mulligan, right?

The Ides of March -- I'm including this one because I had it on my original prep list back in August, however, truth be told I'm actually less sure about this prediction now than I was before I actually saw the movie.  I certainly didn't hate it.  George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, and Philip Seymour Hoffman all turned in solid performances (not to mention an appearance from the oft-discussed love of my life, Max Minghella).  Also, I've never been a particular fan of Evan Rachel Wood, but in Ides I thought her performance actually worked in the overall context of the movie.  All that said, I feel like Ides of March just lacked the depth and staying power needed to earn a spot in the Oscar top ten.  The script was a little thin in places, and even though there were good moments, it ultimately felt a bit too light to compete with the rest of the heavyweights for the Oscar championship belt.  However, George Clooney seems to have some sort of weird voo doo going with the Oscars.  He may be able to ride the early buzz he got, and eek out a nomination.

Moneyball -- Here's the thing: I totally believe, barring some rogue last minute surge-to-the-finish contenders, that Moneyball will get nominated.  However, whenever I think of it, all I can see in my mind's eye is that totally bland poster of Brad Pitt looking over his shoulder, and I feel sort of underwhelmed about the whole thing.  That said, I did enjoy this movie -- particularly, as previously noted, the contributions of Jonah Hill and Aaron Sorkin, so I'm going to give it a conditional thumbs up where the nomination is concerned.

J. Edgar -- Another Biopic.  Oscar darling Clint Eastwood.  Oscar winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black.  Also, the much nominated, under-recognized, much beloved Leonardo DiCaprio.  That said, I just can't get that excited about it.  

Here's the transcript of a recent email conversation with my friend Ben:

Ben: Is it just me or is J. Edgar just Leo's redux of Howard Hughes and The Aviator?

Me: You're right  I feel like Leonardo DiCaprio has reached that point where he has consistently turned in a flush of amazing performances and is now overdue for recognition (almost uncomfortably so), but for whatever reason I can't get that excited about this particular role as the one that finally wins him the Oscar.  Maybe because I feel like I've seen it before.  I still feel like my favorite performance from him in previous years was Revolutionary Road for which he was not even nominated.   

Ben:  Agreed. 

Me: Have you noticed that dudes love LDiC?  Particularly white dudes.  I feel like I'm always having conversations with my white male friends -- most of whom are not normally movie enthusiasts -- who get weirdly effusive about LDiC's merit.  Something about his body of work really speaks to them in the way that say Matt Damon's does not.

Ben: I agree.  They do.  There's a lot of hetero love out there for Leo.

There are two things about J. Edgar that gives me pause: 1) On paper, it seems like a shoe in, but the reviews are mediocre at best.  This is never a good sign.  2)  The preview is boring.  Sorry, Clint Eastwood, but it's true.

What say you?  Any contenders I missed?

xo,
Lindy