The Oscars are the Super Bowl of the film world, the glitz and glimmer of it all is almost overwhelming. I don't know much about the fashion of the Oscars, but I do know a lot about the movies, and I know that a lot of the time I do disagree with the decisions the Oscars make. Here's my opinion on the winners of several of the major awards and what films I thought deserved to win instead.
Right off the bat, we're replacing the host. Billy Crystal is fine and all, but he's hardly relevant. I would get Steve Carell and Ricky Gervais to co-host; the opportunity for zany antics going on would just be awesome.
The first category up is cinematography; "Hugo" somehow managed to win over "The Tree of Life." This is absurd, anyone watching "The Tree of Life" had to be blown away by some of the visuals on display during that film. Even if you don't understand the film, the visuals were awesome; the sequence where the universe is created alone is better than the cinematography in most films.
"Actress in a Supporting Role" is probably the award I agree with the most. Octavia Spencer was great in "The Help" and was certainly the most deserving in this section. I'm a little confused why Bérénice Bejo was nominated for a best supporting award in "The Artist," her role is clearly a leading one, not a supporting one.
The "Animated Feature Film" award went to "Rango." I thought "Rango" was wonderful, hilarious and beautifully animated. I would also like to point out Pixar didn't win for "Cars 2," the first time they haven't won since "Cars" was their big release, I think there's a pattern here.
What was The Academy smoking when they picked "Hugo" to win for "Visual Effects"? At least three of the films in this category were far and away more impressive visually than "Hugo."
Christopher Plummer won "Actor In a Supporting Role" for "Beginners" and at 82, became the oldest actor ever to win an Oscar. I definitely agree with this decision, Plummer was terrific in "Beginners."
At this point in time, I'm not terribly impressed with Billy Crystal's hosting, he didn't have many funny moments and Chris Rock had a funnier joke than him thus far. He's been better than the last two years, but his hosting did not blow me away.
"Writing (Adapted Screenplay)" went to "The Descendants." I thought this award deserved to go to "Moneyball" or "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy." I thought "Moneyball" actually surpassed the book in terms of narrative, and "Tinker Tailor..." was an incredibly well written film. "Midnight in Paris" won for "Writing (Original Screenplay)." There were better films that weren't nominated — such as "Melancholia" or "Drive" — but I think this was the best of the nominees.
"Directing" went to Michel Hazanavicius for "The Artist." I thought Lars von Trier should have won for "Melancholia", but since von Trier wasn't nominated, Hazanavicius is a fine choice.
The award for "Actor In a Leading Role" went to Jean Dujardin of "The Artist." I won't complain too much about his performance because I thought he was very good and did a lot with his silent role, but I do think there were other options. For my choice, I'm going off the board here to pick Michael Shannon of "Take Shelter," his performance is incredible. He is so reserved and yet so powerful that I don't think anyone else matches up. Of the nominees I definitely think Gary Oldman of "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" was the best, but Shannon had the most impressive performance this year.
In terms of the "Actress In a Leading Role" category, I'm not terribly disappointed Meryl Streep won for "The Iron Lady," as she is a tremendous actress. However, I did think Viola Davis was the best of those nominated. Had I been able to choose an actress for this award, I think Jessica Chastain in "The Tree of Life" was by far the best performance this year.
"The Artist" won for the "Best Picture" category. I think this category in general is inexplicable. How did "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" manage a nomination over much more deserving films such as "Drive," "Melancholia" or "Take Shelter"? "The Artist" is fine, but I think "The Tree of Life" was a better choice.
This year's Oscars had the same disappointments as usual, but they still provide a good conversation for us filmgoers this year and for years to come.
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