Oscar update... 8/10

So I have seen the following Oscar nominated films:

Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit

Leaving the following as unseen:

127 Hours
Winter's Bone

I do not know if I will get to see either of those. I am not sure I can handle the amputation in 127 Hours and to be honest I hadn't even heard of Winter's Bone before reading the list of nominees. I read the synopsis and it doesn't draw me in (even though it is supposed to be really good).

Today I thought about which of these would have been the 5 nominees if there were only 5. I think it would be a combination of the following:

The Social Network
The King's Speech
True Grit
The Fighter
Inception
The Black Swan

I do not know which of those would have been kicked from the list... Maybe Inception, because of timing of release, but I actually think it was the most innovative movie up there. Black Swan is really about Natalie Portman's performance (as a film it is compelling, don't get me wrong, but there are narrative details not fleshed out that make this more about the performance). She can win Best Actress and it will be the requisite acclaim for the film. The Social Network and The King's Speech are the 2 that I hear the most about as possible winners. I read one article today citing The Social Network as the 'smartest film' in the list as it's reason for potentially winning. Hmmmmm, backlash for Avatar being so 'not smart'? I wonder. I found it snappy dialogue wise, but really the idea that a guy created facebook to impress a girl because he didn't know how else to... well... I will watch it again later and perhaps have a different reaction to it. The King's Speech was also really anchored by Colin Firth, he should win Best Actor, but it seemed to be more of an ensemble and a fabulous one at that. I am biased by my obsession with royalty through the ages. I loved The Fighter. It totally surprised me, but I will be happy if Christian Bale wins for Best Supporting Actor - incredible performance, really. And today I saw True Grit. It was really the most artful of all the ones I saw. If the Oscars are a measure of ART, it was conceptually the most complete and beautiful.

I still haven't decided how I will vote - probably for The King's Speech... or The Social Network. I do want to win the prize...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fringe 2024 - Friday, August 16th - A Terrific Afternoon of Shows!

Image
I caught three shows yesterday afternoon and had a wonderful time! Bright Lights - So funny and so well done! This script is hilarious but it only works because the acting and directing is so excellent! I mean, you have to figure those that attend a group for Alien Abduction "experiencers" are going to provide opportunity for huour but I was laughing so much! Great to see some of our finest local actors in this piece and some in roles you wouldn't expect to hilarious effect! See it! ROB AND CHRIS (BOBBY+TINA)-A NEW MUSICAL - Another excellent show. This one a new musical based on Collin Doyle's Let the Light of Day Through ( perhaps the best new script I have seen ever and I think of it often... ). The musical is the same but different, as it is a musical. But it is excellent. Doyle worked with Matt Graham to adapt the piece and it still has it's humour and heart break, but now with wonderful songs. I would avoid spoilers if you haven't seen the play as I th...
Read more

Sometimes it's hard to be nice... Lessons Learned with Donna Orbits the Moon and Spinsters in #yegtheatre this week...

Image
I caught two thought-provoking (and funny) shows this weekend.  Patricia Darbasie in Donna Orbits the Moon , Brianne Jang BB Collective Photography The first, Donna Orbits the Moon presented by Northern Light Theatre, was a one-woman show with the impressive Patricia Darbasie as Donna, a woman finding herself reacting with intense rage to inconveniences in her life. We are not exactly sure at the beginning why these moments are provoking such anger and violence, but there's something in the way that Donna tells the story that we are totally on her side. Indeed when I read a description online before seeing the show, I immediately connected. Too often we are expected to smile and be accommodating and the desire to say " No! " is often very strong with me. I see you, Donna! But there's something more to Donna's rage. There's a concrete reason she's suppressing and the reveal is deftly revealed in a touching and emotionally moving way (Directed by Trevor Sch...
Read more

Fringe 2024 - Saturday, August 24th - Young Wives and The Bells!

Image
I saw two shows on Saturday. I'm pacing myself this Fringe so I might not hit my usual 30+ total! But despite the slightly overcast weather, it was a nice day - not too hot and my feet could handle the walk to Sugar Swing and back to the main grounds! What a Young Wife Ought to Know - This was a very well done production of Hannah Moscovitch's script. I had not seen the show when it was done in the city in 2018 but was glad to catch it here at the Fringe. It deals with the challenges and trials of a young (a very young) wife in 1920s Ottawa dealing with managing her fertility despite a lack of support both socially and medically. This is pre-birth control pill times; this is back alley abortion and throw yourself down the stairs to end a pregnancy time; this is the time when women frequently dies in childbirth. This is the time when you are looked at with disgust and judged when you ask for help for how to prevent a pregnancy. Anyhow, the show was very well done. The cast of ...
Read more