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