Academy Morning

Nominations are in, (Here in case you're curious) and man, it's been a while since they were announced so late. Overall, we mostly know how the season is turning out, so there aren't a huge number of surprises.

It's kind of odd. I think Christopher Nolan has perhaps the most obnoxious fanbase for a legitimately good director. But even I feel bad for him every Oscar morning. There's being overlooked, and then there's just being mean. In most other circumstances, missing out to the Coen Brothers would practically be an honor, but even that feels a little like a slap in the face. Not Reader slap, but still...the Coens were recently awarded, and True Grit, while a fine movie, was the Coens playing. (Although yes, both parties were better than the traffic cop work of Tom Hooper). To be dissed in favor of a genre remake, when that's what got your movie dissed last time? The Academy's constant snubbing feels so very palpably stubborn and contrarian, I think I'd rather be Barack Obama in the House, than Christopher Nolan at an Academy Luncheon.

Looking at the nomination totals, which don't always mean anything, but it's fun to consider; The King's Speech leads the total in nominations. This often happens with period pieces, but there will probably be a lot of talk (Of which I guess I'm now culpable) of it possibly being the dark horse to win best picture. It's certainly the most "traditional" type of Oscar movie, as opposed the clinical look at youth culture that is The Social Network, or the outright surreality of Black Swan. But in turn, if King's Speech does take the top prize, it will go from being seen as a nice little throwback that could, to an example of the Academy's stodgy and cowardly mores. It's what I call "the unflattering magnifying glass of success".

As for the acting nods. Not too many huge surprises here and there. Javier Bardem kind of came out of nowhere. A lot of people were wondering if the Social Network would get a nomination for one of its supporting players, but I think between the relative wetness of the cast, and maybe a little vote splitting, it wasn't a major shock. In any case, it's nice to see John Hawkes get some recognition. He's a true working actor, and I do personally like seeing Deadwood alums making good. Perhaps the most surprising miss at all was Mila Kunis. (And there's certainly room for the argument Stanfield was put in the wrong category because it was "easier") But even then, it's not an inconceivable snub, most of us were just surprised she was plowing through the precursors. It's kind of funny to think of all the That 70's Show actors, she'd be the first with an Oscar nomination. Heck, she even beat Ashton Kutcher to playing Natalie Portman's love interest. There might be concerns about her being one-note, but we'll see where her career takes her.

Back to Inception, it really is crazy to think the movie got left out for editing, when they really did edit the hell out of that thing. I'll be the first to admit Nolan loves his gimmicks, but just Black Swan could have easily been Burlesque-level laughable without its cast, Inception could have been a trainwreck without a steady methodical hand. (See Zardoz for when a film gets way ahead of itself) Sort of sad to see Tron: Legacy get left out of two nominations it did deserve. Daft Punk's innovative score really made the movie, but then again, Score is one of the most notoriously conservative of the categories. And while most of us forgot Hereafter even existed, the VFX branch really, really gets impressed with water-based money shots.

All-in-all, not the worst slate of nominations imaginable, although there will always be the requisite grouchiness. But as I remarked a week ago how audiences were surprisingly receptive to Oscar bait this year, it seems the Academy has in turn kind of been very, very old school with their selections this season.

A Year of Oscar Relevance?

A lot of folks have been kvetching about how bad this year has been for cinema. Actually not too uncommon, as there's always a requisite chorus of "Worst. Year. Ever.", especially from an internet that likes to use the always-disappointing summer season as a barometer.

However, what's looking like the lineup for Best Picture at this year's Academy Awards is looking...not too shabby. Most are predicting it will definitely include The Social Network, The Fighter, The King's Speech, Inception and The Black Swan. Rounding out the rest of the top ten are probably Toy Story 3, Winter's Bone, True Grit, 127 Hours and The Kids are Alright. The second wave is a little more vulnerable--sequels, remakes, cartoons, too small. But most prognosticators have this as the lineup. What's amazing is, this is overall a very excellent collection of films, regardless of which five would have made it in previous years. Probably one of the best slates in the last decade, and to be honest, the 2008 season was pretty much just propelled by two masterpieces.

Some of the box-office is pretty impressive all due considering. True Grit will be the Coen Brothers' biggest hit by far, and the most successful Western in twenty whole years. The Social Network was about internet drama, and was primarily unknowns. The King's Speech is one of those movies that always has a place in the Oscars, but audiences are biting more than they usually do. Then there is Black Swan. Female-driven drama. About ballet. But also rather horrific, if not trippy. Directed by a man not known for his commercial sensibilities. And 100 million is not out of the question. It's really a phenomenon that defies a lot of conventional wisdom. Even The Fighter, while not exactly unconventional, was probably looking like an also-ran months ago. (I'm sure there are those who will go on about Inception's miracle performance and...no. Christopher Nolan's career is not a miraculous shattering of conventional wisdom, but savvy combination of skill and timing.)

What's even more amazing is how...hip the slate of films is. The water cooler talk, the SNL parodies, whatever you want to call it. It seems the average person on the street cares about this slate of movies more than they usually do. Avatar may currently be the highest-grossing movie of all time, but even when it came out there was a sense it was more of a fad than anything really resonant. The backlash was also part and parcel of the phenomenon from the beginning. Inglourious Basterds and District 9 were surprise hits, but strangely under the radar. The Blind Side was huge but kind of had that "CBS" feeling. Up was there, but at this point, Pixar really feels more like a tradition than any of their movies are cultural phenomena, individually. But there is this overall sense that "adult" movies, even if different from the "adult" movies that defined yesteryear, are coming into their own.



I'm not one of those people who bemoans endlessly that studios are doing nothing but remakes and films based on comic books. It's not like a lot of film classics give us particularly probable protagonists and situations. The worlds presented in Gone With the Wind or Braveheart are no less fairy tales than what we see in Middle Earth or Hogwarts. But I have been concerned with a certain myopia from audiences. In past decades, familiarity worked via reliable stars or stories. This decade there has been something of a galvanization, where talents would rotate between very blatantly commercial material (well-done or otherwise) and personal, almost abrasive smaller projects. (which, once again, could be well done or otherwise) The quality per se has not been as bad as some make it out to be, but there was a palpable feel of running out of track. But does this season present a bit of a turning point?

Maybe it's from being burnt out on the steady diet of franchise films that has dominated the last decade. Maybe it's the indie generation starting to coalesce into an actual moviegoing public. Maybe the economy is just giving people too much free time. It could also just be a fluke, and next year we'll see audiences flock to The Hangover 2 and Breaking Dawn, while Tree of Life is left in the dust. In any case, it will be interesting to see what the ratings will end up like this year. The nominees are much stronger in popular consciousness, although there isn't a Lord of the Rings or Titanic level front runner either. Or maybe audiences are, in general, tired of the awards shows.