The Oscars 2012: The Noms, Predictions & Snubs

So, the Academy have just announced the Oscar nominations for this year with the help of the lovely Jennifer Lawrence but, as predicted, there were notable snubs for 2011's big hitters, Ryan Gosling and Michael Fassbender, as well as the absence of animation heavywights, Pixar. There was no place for acclaimed documentaries like Project Nim or Senna either, and no sign of my beloved Carey Mulligan. But enough negativity; lets take a look at who was included shall we...

BEST PICTURE

Nominations:

The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
The Help
Moneyball
War Horse
The Tree of Life

My winner: The Artist

Predicted winner: The Artist

Thoughts: Some good, if not great film choices here (bar The Artist and The Tree of Life). War Horse shouldn't be anywhere near this category and neither should Moneyball, but what about inexplicable inclusion of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close? Yeah, I've never heard of it either.

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BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Nominations:

Demian Bichir (A Better Life)
George Clooney (The Descendants)
Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
Gary Oldman (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)
Brad Pitt (Moneyball)

My winner: George Clooney

Predicted winner: Jean Dujardin/George Clooney

Thoughts: A mixed, but strong selection here with notable turns from Pitt and Oldman, even if some the films themselves weren't amazing. Clooney feel like the favourite after his Golden Globe success, but faces stiff competition from Dujardin and even a sterling effort from Brad Pitt.

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BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Nominations:

Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh (My Week With Marilyn)
Jonah Hill (Moneyball)
Nick Nolte (Warrior)
Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
Max Von Sydow (Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close)

My winner: Nick Nolte

Predicted winner: Christopher Plummer

Thoughts: Perhaps the fiercest category of the lot with some very strong performances here. Both Hill and Branagh are solid, but Nick Nolte was superb in Warrior and is probably not getting the credit he deserves. However, as per his Golden Globe win, Christopher Plummer seems odds on.

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BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Nominations:

Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs)
Viola Davis (The Help)
Rooney Mara (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo)
Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn)

My winner: Rooney Mara

Predicted winner: Meryl Streep

Thoughts: This has to be my least favourite category as being a fan of Williams, I was vastly underwhelmed by her role in My Week With Marilyn. Similarly, Streep's Thatcher isn't the most popular of sorts, but most likely to win. Rooney Mara, for me, was the most appealing so she gets my (some say outrageous) vote.

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BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Nominations:

Berenice Bejo (The Artist)
Jessica Chastain (The Help)
Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)
Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs)
Octavia Spencer (The Help)

My winner: Berenice Bejo

Predicted winner: Octavia Spencer

Thoughts: There's a distinct lack of Carey Mulligan here (predominantly for Shame, but also for a subtle effort in Drive) and I'm not happy. There's also an interesting nomination for Chastain who was superb in Take Shelter and just as good in The Tree of Life, but it recognised for The Help. My most likeable choice is Bejo in the fantastic The Artist, though.

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WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)

Nominations:

Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)
JC Chandor (Margin Call)
Asghar Farhadi (A Separation)
Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo (Bridesmaids)

My winner: Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)

Predicted winner: Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)

Thoughts: The surprise for me is how Bridesmaids is present; not only because it's a mainstream comedy, but for the fact it's a funny, albeit average film. Nice to see Margin Call here but again, The Artist steals it for me, even though Woody Allen could swipe it.

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WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)

Nominations:

Alexander Payne, Nat Faxton, Jim Rash (The Descendants)
John Logan (Hugo)
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon (The Ides of March)
Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian (Moneyball)
Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughn (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)

My winner: Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian (Moneyball)

Predicted winner: Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughn (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)

Thoughts: A good collection, but Aaron Sorkin has a slick, well written film in Moneyball, but the panel might opt for the Brit ensemble thriller Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, even though it was hit-and-miss with audiences, including myself.

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DIRECTING

Nominations:

Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)
Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life)
Alexander Payne (The Descendants)
Martin Scorsese (Hugo)

My winner: Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life)

Predicted winner: Any one of them

Thoughts: All worthy contenders and, in truth, I can see any one of these directors walking away with the prize. Malick is probably the outsider, even though The Tree of Life is a fantastically made film, but Scorsese will almost certainly be battling it out with Hazanavicius and Allen.

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ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Nominations:

A Cat In Paris

Chico & Rita
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

My winner: Rango/Chico & Rita

Predicted winner: Rango 

Thoughts: The lack of Pixar's presence is the big shock (or is it after Cars 2?). Rango is a wonderfully dark, quirky and beautifully animated movie, which has winner written all over it. Saying that, Chico & Rita is a lovingly made and charming foreign film.

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CINEMATOGRAPHY 

Nominations:

The Artist
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
The Tree of Life
War Horse

My winner: The Tree of Life

Predicted winner: War Horse/The Tree of Life

Thoughts: I didn't enjoy War Horse, but the thing I took from it was the battle scenes and visual scale of it. Having said that, Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life is a thing of sheer beauty, so therefore gets my vote.

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BIGGEST SNUBS:

Drive
Shame

Senna
The Skin I Live In 
Take Shelter
Submarine
Tyrannosaur 
Melancholia
50/50

Thoughts: Pretty self explanatory here. The worst ones left out are Drive and Senna, which I rate extremely highly and it's also a shame to see British flicks Submarine and Tyrannosaur forgotten as well. Oh, one final word: Shame.

Review: War Horse

Rating: PG
Duration: 146 mins

With the release of War Horse comes a new year. It's a film that will conveniently be fresh in everyone's mind just in time for Oscar season. Do not mistake intention for coincidence, mind, as Spielberg emerges from a successful 2011 with Tin Tin to begin the year with his adaptation of the beloved 1982 novel penned by Michael Morpurgo, as well as the acclaimed theatrical play of the same name.

However, one must take into account that this is based on a children's book, and the content is just that: from the off-set Spielberg plays it overly safe, with too many scenarios that feel anything but threatening or genuine, as the glossy construction of the backdrops and lighting remind us that we're in the midst of a movie world. 

The translation from page to big screen can debatably be deemed successful. Indeed, War Horse will entertain and appeal if you are visiting the cinema with the family on a care-free Sunday afternoon, whom have the capacity to embrace the unadventurous, secure nature of the story. If you don't fall into such a category and plan on seeing this as a precursor to a Friday night pub visit, you'll end up so deflated that you'll skip the beers and head straight home to weep in the corner of the utility room.

Undoubtedly, Spielberg shouldn't be discredited for a decade-long dip in an otherwise glittering career, either; renowned for directing some of the most enchanting movies of the 20th Century, his ability is unquestionable, yet his latest epic feels as if it's simply going through the motions. It relies upon an unadventurous audience happy to embrace Spielberg on reputation alone, who will watch in awe as he constructs a mundane and continuously safe narrative, and one that never once strays into even half-daring territory.

The biggest problem, aside from Spielberg showing his dealt hand right from the beginning is the drab pacing as, considering the 146 minute length, it noticeably drags. Furthermore, the characters he gives to us are so one dimensional that we never even begin to engage with or relate to them.

Having said that, War Horse is competently directed and produced: some visual aspects looks delightful thanks to some wonderful cinematography and a compelling, if not memorable score courtesy of John Williams adds for some atmosphere, but it never ventures from its overtly constrained boundaries, nor does it change into a higher gear when it needs to.

Arguably the best scenes are the ones that focus on the physical nature of war: the build up to enemy encounter as troops emerge from the WW1 trenches is vaguely reminiscent of Saving Private Ryan, which is where the similarities end. These well produced segments are unfortunately weighed down with an uneventful narrative and whimsical characterisation that plods along, as it fails to convince.

Emotionally, the acting never quite connects, as we are gifted an ensemble of British talent such as Peter Mullan, David Thewlis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddlestone and lead, Jeremy Irvine, but instead feels like a who's-who merely fighting for advertising space. What doesn't translate particularly well is how an emotionally complex, caring protagonist is demonstrable through the eyes of a horse. Unwisely, Spielberg decides to force physical expression and emotion where it simply cannot and should not exist: one memorable shot sees Joey (the horse) turn to glance behind him; a sad glint in his eye, followed by a troubled grimace. Priceless. Possibly a bad case of wind, but either way such portrayal doesn't bode well if one is to believe the story and buy into it without it appearing ridiculously contrived.

In short, we never witness any genuine danger or conflict: the entire film fails to challenge its audience, instead relying on family-friendly securities with a horse’s plight that seems impervious to harm as virtually everyone emerges unscathed: it's too damn considerate for its own good.

VERDICT: War Horse is typically classic in its Spielbergian storytelling, but never builds any momentum. At times it is pleasant and can be perceived as enjoyable on the most basic of levels. It boasts a talented cast that aren't utilised in a movie that gracefully, yet safely translates as a largely uninspiring tale. Ultimately it's far too comfortable and lazy, and Spielberg knows it.

One final note: look out for the comic relief in the form of a farmyard goose: a real contender to pip The Artist's Uggie the dog to the accolade of Most Charming Performance by an Animal.