82nd Annual Academy Awards / The Oscars

It’s one of my favorite times of year, right up there with my birthday and Kwanza, Oscar season. This Sunday, March 7th, all the Hollywood bigwigs are going to put on their Sunday best and paint the town red (clichés much?!). The Oscar awards are where Hollywood glitz and politics come to hump and produce often predictable but sometimes elating babes. I’ve been planning this blog for weeks but I didn’t want to throw things off by actually updating in a timely fashion so here I am, at 10:48pm on Wednesday night, blurting my thoughts on this year’s award show.

So this year they decided to “cast their nets wider” (whatever that means) and have 10 best picture nominations instead of 5. This makes my life more complicated as I try and watch all the best picture nominations before the big day and I also like to try and guess who’s going to win, naturally. This year I have pretty much spent most of my time trying to figure out who the 5 nominees would have been if they didn’t have 10. My guess is: Precious, Hurt Locker, Up in the Air, Avatar and Inglorious Bastards. Blind Side is automatically out because I don’t even understand why it was in, the rest are worthy contenders but I don’t think they really measure up to the five previously listed.
Here is where I cover my thoughts on the best picture nominations:

Avatar: As I have stated in my previous review, this film was totally amazing. BUT I don’t think it has all the qualities of a best picture. For me a best picture should be aces in script, acting, directing, cinematography etc. I just don’t think Avatar had all these in spades like some of the other films did. It’s sort of the same reason why I don’t think Titanic should have won best picture back in ’97.


The Blind Side: I didn’t watch this movie, I know that’s me being a snob in the most unforgiving way but I laughed my ass off in the preview. I just don’t understand why something that should have been a TV miniseries on a bad religious network is nominated for best picture. I probably will watch this (without paying for it obvs) and I will eat these words if I’m wrong....which I’m 99% positive I’m not.


District 9: I really enjoyed this film, especially when the dude jumps in the super suit and kicks some ass. That being said, is it really best picture material? I feel like if this movie actually changed anyone’s life then they must have been pretty sheltered prior to exposure to the film. Yes...apartheid IS bad. Points for cute baby aliens though, I could have cuddled the shit outta that little shrimp.


An Education: This movie was so relevant to me personally that it’s hard to remain unbiased. I liked the story and I thought the movie was amazing. Carey Mulligan definitely earned her nomination for best actress; it’s too bad she will wither in the shadow of Gabourey Sidibe in Precious. But considering this is one of her first big roles she’s not doing too bad for herself.


The Hurt Locker: I think this will win for Best Picture, and not because I loved it a ton because for the majority it’s really not my kind of film but because it has all those aforementioned elements AND it’s relevant to the average contemporary North American. Jeremy Renner was a very excellent mild-sociopath and he also is very sexy (can you believe he’s 39?!)


Inglourious Basterds: I believe this film has all those best picture qualities as well but I think that some of the questionable material and themes Quentin was working with will divert him from being a serious contender. I cannot see the Academy coming together unanimously on this one. I enjoyed this film more than Hurt Locker and District 9 and just as much as Avatar but for completely different reasons.


Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire: This is the film I believe should win for best picture. The producer of the Hurt Locker got caught campaigning for his independent film to win because it deserves to more than a “500 million dollar film”. I share the guy’s sentiments, but his film is not the indie flick I would choose. Precious has my vote. The acting is superb, Sidibe came out of nowhere to play Precious and she blew my mind. I would never have guessed that Mo’Nique had the acting chops she displayed in the film. The film was visually stimulating and at times experimental and the plot will definitely slap you in the face.

A Serious Man: I loved this movie but it was not funnier than Lebowski nor was it darker than No Country for Old Men, as I was promised. I was surprised this was nominated for best picture but I was glad to see it on the roster. I guess I would expect the Academy to overlook this sort of gem, I guess that’s the perks of 10 best picture nominations. This film was a delicious spread of oddness, hilariousness, Jewishness, grossness, tediousness and epic mundaness to the point of insanity.

Up: I can see why Wall-E was nominated for Best Picture but while I loved Up, I don’t think it should be nominated for best picture. Any film with talking dogs should not be nominated for best picture, no matter how adorably awesome they are.

Up in the Air: I didn’t see this but I want to so bad....maybe it will change my feelings completely about the best picture nominee but how will I ever know?!?!