84th Oscars Winners! Hugo takes 5, so does Thr Artist!

Best Picture: The Artist

Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

Best Actress: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

Best Actor: Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, The Help

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Best Original Screenplay: Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

Best Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne & Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, The Descendants

Oscar Predictions!

Final Predictions:

BEST PICTURE: The Artist
BEST DIRECTOR: Michel Hazanvicus
BEST ACTOR: Jean Dujardin, The Artist
BEST ACTRESS: Viola Davis, The Help
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Octavia Spencer, The Help
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Midnight in Paris
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: The Descendants

Independent Spirit Award Winners!

Jean Dujardin just might bring home the gold. Winners below:

Best Picture: The Artist
Best Director: Michel Hazanvicus, The Artist
Best First Feature: Margin Call
John Cassavates Award: Pariah
Best Screenplay: The Descendants
Best First Screenplay: 50/50

OSCAR PRESENTER LIST

So I 've decided to post the complete list of presenters at the 84th Academy Awards. Also wanted to note Sacha Baron Cohen will show up as 'The Dictator'. Complete list below.

Christian Bale
Halle Berry 
The Cast of Bridesmaids
Bradley Cooper
Tom Cruise

Oscar Opinions: Moneyball (2011)

Another homerun by Bennett Miller.

QUICK OPINIONS:
The film itself is actually very basic. What it is is Billy Beane, manager of the Oakland A's, is trying to make a better team. Problem is, that the team is 'under 50 feet of crap'. Beane brings in Peter Brand, a newly graduated stats freak. Peter thinks that a cheap team is possible, and they just need to find the 'misfit toys'. It's as most critics put it, 'a baseball movie that is for people who don't like baseball'.

I found out about this movie almost a year ago, and I put it on the top of my Oscar predictions, next to The Tree of Life. I was very happy that the film got a nomination. I cannot wait for Miller's next film, with Steve Carrell, Foxcatcher. No it's not the best film of the year, but it's one of. 'B+'

Oscar Opinions: Midnight in Paris

Woody Allen!

QUICK OPINIONS: 
Midnight in Paris  is not Allen's best, that is still held by Annie Hall. It's good to see Allen back in the Best Picture field, where he probably was snubbed for Match Point. Anyhow, this is a comedy to the utmost degree, with more laughs and chuckles than Bridesmaids. This might be an Allen rehash of The Purple Rose of Cairo, but this is still one of the best movies of the year. 'B+', and you can see it listed on 'Chinese Appease'.

Oscar Opinions: Hugo

More magical than Harry Potter. Moving on.

QUICK OPINIONS:
Trivia: Hugo was adapted from Selznick's 'THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET'. When I heard the film was to be directed by Scorsese, I thought two things: 1) Where's Leo? 2) HOLY MOLY! MARTIN SCORSESE, DIRECTOR OF RAGING BULL, IS DIRECTING A MOVIE BASED OF ONE OF THE BEST KIDS BOOKS OF THE PAST YEARS! YES!

I don't mean to boast, but I predicted Hugo right after the horrible trailer. Honestly, I was predicting only for Scorsese. After viewing the film for the first time, I was mixed. I didn't like Baron Cohen, I didn't like some of the visual style, and I didn't like the kids. The 3D helped though. The 2nd time I saw it, I actually saw some coherence in the changes of the story. Yes, John Logan changed the story a bit, but it was a good movie. I gave it an 'A-', and you can see it listed under Chinese Appease.

Oscar Opinions: The Help

So profits from The Help are in the black. Never mind.

QUICK OPINIONS:
Judging from the trailer, I honestly thought this movie would be a clunker. Mixing comedy and drama, about black maids? No big celebs either. 3-star reviews. Yeah...

Turns out, the film went above $100 Mil, and was in my local theater 'til 2 weeks ago. I thought the audience would be book-club members and girls, but I liked it too. On my old star-system, I gave it a 3.5, but with letter grade, it has a 'B+'. Hence, you can see it listed on 'Chinese Appease'.

WGA winners!

It's settled. With the Scripter and now the Adapted WGA, Alexander Payne looks to win his 2nd Oscar for writing The Descendants. Winners Below:

Original: Midnight in Paris
Adapted: The Descendants

Oscar Opinions: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

I loathe this movie. I haven't liked any films directed by Stephen Daldry.

QUICK OPINIONS:
So on my old star system, I gave this film a 1.5/4 Stars. Turns out, my letter system translated to a "D+". Since the nominations were announced, I've started to like this movie less and less. Before, I liked von Sydow, and Bullock. Now, I feel Sydow was used as at gimmick. His silence in the book was sufficiently explained, and was beautifully somber. The movie leaves 'The Renter' as a nameless man who can't speak for himself, for what reason? Why? Eric Roth leaves these questions unanswered for the worst. In the book, 'The Renter' was stated as Thomas Schell, Sr., a human bond to his dead son. The movie makes him as a kid's sidekick? Do I care if A kid looking for a key has Sydow sidekick? NO!

Scripter Winner!

The Scripter is an award for the Best Adaptation of previously published work, and The Descendants is the winner. What this means is that The Descendants will probably trump Moneyball come the 26th.

Oscar Opinions: The Descendants

The Descendants. Ah. Not Payne's best, that's still held by Sideways, but it's still pretty great.

QUICK OPINIONS:
So on my old Star-system, this film held a cozy 3.5/4 Stars. With a letter-scale adjustment, I can't help but promote it to an "A-". What the film has is drama, heart, comedy, conflict, and great performances. What it lacks is rewatch-ability. I cannot see myself watching the film again. It's just... I know what happens, know suspense, and no edge-of-your-seat laughs from watching it again. Still, "A-"

Oscar Opinions: The Artist

So the Academy Awards are in a week, and I can't help but think of the Best Picture nominees. The ones I love, the one I especially love, and the one I loathe. I have finally seen each film, and I will write some opinions of the films. To begin, The Artist.

QUICK OPINION:
I previously reviewed this film, giving this 4/4 Stars. Instead, with a new grading system, I will instead grant it an "A-". I thought on the basis of a film from 2011, it was the 2nd best. On the basis of a silent film, it takes silence as a gimmick. I also didn't think highly of the Original Score by Ludovic Bource. The film will win for music, but my vote goes to Hugo. As gimmicky as The Artist is, its a great film no matter what. It is 100% worthy of an "A-"

Golden Bear!

What is this Caesar Must Die? Its the winner of the Golden Bear in Berlin! Not that that's a good thing. It opened to mixed reviews, and it might head straight to TV. Terrible, because when I think 'Golden Bear', I think Thin Red Line, Magnolia, or most recently, A Separation. Anyways, that's just a quick news update.

Cannes we do it!

Cannes. The most important festival of all. Some argue Telluride or Toronto, or even Berlin. See, Cannes brought 1/3 of the nominees for Best Picture. They weren't the crappy ones like Extremely Loud, but it was The Artist, The Tree of Life, and Midnight in Paris. In 2010.. nothing happened. Anyways, Cannes also brought out Apocalypse Now, Fahrenheit 9/11, and others. There's actually been some new speculation, an I could not be more psyched. Potential nominees are Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master, Malick's Voyage of Time, and Allen's Nero Fiddled. I am insanely excited.

The Tree of Life wins at the ASC!

Go Lubezki! His acclaimed cinematography has won at the American Society of Cinematographers Awards, or ASC. Here's hoping for Oscar gold!

BAFTA WINNERS!

Doubts be gone. The Artist will win Best Picture. The Artist is sweeping, taking Jean Dujardin with it.

Winners:
Best Film: The Artist
Best Director – Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
Best Leading Actress – Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
Best Leading Actor – Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer(The Help)
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
Best Adapted Screenplay: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan)
Best Original Screenplay: The Artist (Michel Hazanavicius)
Best British Film: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Academy Fellowship: Martin Scorsese
Best Animated Film: Rango
Best Documentary: Senna
Best Film not in the English Language: The Skin I Live In
Production Design – Hugo (Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo)
Best Cinematography: The Artist (Guillaume Schiffman)
Best Editing: Senna (Gregers Sall, Chris King)
Best Original Music: The Artist (Ludovic Bource)
Best Costume Design: The Artist (Mark Bridges)
Best Sound: Hugo (Philip Stockton, Eugene Gearty, Tom Fleischman, John Midgley)
Outstanding Debut: Tyrannosaur
Best Visual Effects: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt 2
Best Make Up & Hair – The Iron Lady (Mark Coulier, J. Roy Helland, Marese Langan)
Best Short Film: Pitch Black Heist
Best Short Animation: A Morning Stroll
Outstanding Contribution To British Cinema: John Hurt

Oscar Luncheon!

Today was the Academy's "Oscar Luncheon", as shown below.

5% of number one's, used in the past.

I got my copy of Julian Schnabel's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. I looked at critic's scores on RT, and I noticed an abundance of 4/4 and 5/5's. Makes me question its lack of a Best Picture nomination. It's a film that really would've got a deserved nomination in the category.

OSCAR PREDICTIONS!

So the Super Bowl is on Sunday, but the Oscars are still more important. My predictions below:

BEST PICTURE:
The Artist
BEST DIRECTOR:
Michel Hazanvicus, The Artist
BEST ACTOR:
Split between George Clooney and Jean Dujardin
BEST ACTRESS:
Viola Davis, The Help
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Octavia Spencer, The Help