The 84th Annual Academy Awards

The nominations are finally out! The Academy went with nine Best Picture nominees. I went with eight in my predictions and all eight of those made the list. How could I have known EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE would snag a nod in the top category? And what? A tenth film would have really been that bad? Round it out, people!

First of all, I was 82% right with my predictions. My worst showing came from the Original Screenplay category. MARGIN CALL? Who knew? There are some mistakes I'm quite pleased about. The first is Terrence Malick for Best Director for THE TREE OF LIFE, which also made its way into the Best Picture race when so many people had written it off. The new Best Picture voting system favours films that have passionate followings and that definitely applies to this polarizing picture.

Other happy surprises this morning include Gary Oldman's Best Actor nomination for TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, which also managed a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination; Melissa McCarthy for Best Supporting Actress in BRIDESMAIDS, which also scored a Best Original Screenplay nod; and Max von Sydow for Best Supporting Actor in EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE. All three names were tossed around but were never sure things and I'm happy to see them amongst this list.

Unacceptable oversights on the Academy's part include Michael Fassbender for Best Actor in SHAME. This snub is reason enough for me to consider not watching the show. Tilda Swinton in WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN was also overlooked. I never really thought she could make it in such a competitive year but Elizabeth Olsen was incredible in MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE. 50/50 missed on the Best Original Screenplay category too. And Albert Brooks was overlooked for his delicious turn in DRIVE. Oh, and what about PROJECT NIM for Documentary Feature or the Golden Globe winner for Best Animated Feature, THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN?! And to top it off, all of these incredible films were ignored completely in all the other categories (except for DRIVE, which scored a Sound Editing, and TINTIN, which scored an Original Score nod).

Oh, and did anyone notice that THE HELP did not score a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination? I guess that Best Picture win is looking a little less likely.

Here is the full list of nominees for the 84th annual Academy Awards. The winners will be announced on February 26, 2012.

(Scroll over any film title for the original Black Sheep review.)

BEST PICTURE

THE ARTIST
THE DESCENDANTS
EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE
THE HELP
HUGO
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
MONEYBALL
THE TREE OF LIFE
WAR HORSE

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Demian Bichir in A BETTER LIFE
George Clooney in THE DESCENDANTS
Jean Dujardin in THE ARTIST
Gary Oldman in TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
Brad Pitt in MONEYBALL

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Glenn Close in ALBERT NOBBS
Viola Davis in THE HELP
Rooney Mara in THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
Meryl Streep in THE IRON LADY
Michelle Williams in MY WEEK WITH MARILYN

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Kenneth Brannagh in MY WEEK WITH MARIYLN
Jonah Hill in MONEYBALL
Nick Nolte in WARRIOR
Christopher Plummer in BEGINNERS
Max von Sydow in EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Berenice Bejo in THE ARTIST
Jessica Chastain in THE HELP
Melissa McCarthy in BRIDESMAIDS
Janet McTeer in ALBERT NOBBS
Octavia Spencer in THE HELP

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

A CAT IN PARIS
CHICO AND RITA
KUNG FU PANDA 2
PUSS IN BOOTS
RANGO

CINEMATOGRAPHY

THE ARTIST
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
HUGO
THE TREE OF LIFE
WAR HORSE

ART DIRECTION

THE ARTIST
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2
HUGO
WAR HORSE

COSTUME DESIGN

ANONYMOUS
THE ARTIST
HUGO
JANE EYRE
W.E.

DIRECTING

THE ARTIST
THE DESCENDANTS
HUGO
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
THE TREE OF LIFE

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

HELL AND BACK AGAIN
IF A TREE FALLS: A STORY OF THE EARTH LIBERATION FRONT
PARADISE LOST 3: PURGATORY
PINA
UNDEFEATED

DOCUMENTARY SHORT

THE BARBER OF BIRMINGHAM: FOOT SOLDIER OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
GOD IS THE BIGGER ELVIS
INCIDENT IN NEW BAGHDAD
SAVING FACE
THE TSUNAMI AND THE CHERRY BLOSSOM

FILM EDITING

THE ARTIST
THE DESCENDANTS
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
HUGO
MONEYBALL

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

BULLHEAD (Belgium)
MONSIEUR LAZHAR (Canada)
A SEPARATION (Iran)
FOOTNOTE (Israel)
IN DARKNESS (Poland)

MAKEUP

ALBERT NOBBS
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2
THE IRON LADY

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN
THE ARTIST
HUGO
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
WAR HORSE

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)

MAN OR MUPPET from THE MUPPETS
REAL IN RIO from RIO

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)

DIMANCHE/SUNDAY
THE FANTASTIC FLYING BOOKS OF MR. MORRIS LESSMORE
LA LUNA
A MORNING STROLL
WILD LIFE

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)

PENTECOST
RAJU
THE SHORE
TIME FREAK
TUBA ATLANTIC

SOUND EDITING

DRIVE
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
HUGO
TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON
WAR HORSE

SOUND MIXING

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
HUGO
MONEYBALL
TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON
WAR HORSE

VISUAL EFFECTS

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2
HUGO
REAL STEAL
RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)

THE DESCENDANTS
HUGO
THE IDES OF MARCH
MONEYBALL
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)

THE ARTIST
BRIDESMAIDS
MARGIN CALL
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
A SEPARATION

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Black Sheep predicts the 2012 Academy Awards

It's a shame the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided to change the Best Picture rules this year. Now, anywhere between five and ten films will be nominated for the field's most prestigious honour in a year that could have easily seen ten very deserving candidates fill those slots. Instead, each film must garner 5% of the first place vote in the Academy's intricate and complicated system to earn a slot in the Top 10. If only six films manage it, then so be it, there are only six nominees this year. At least they would know that the films nominated have passionate followings.

I predict eight films will be nominated for Best Picture tomorrow. A secret part of me really wants to say nine because I would love to see BRIDESMAIDS sneak in there too. I think it has a pretty good shot but I'm playing it conservatively. This way if I'm wrong, well I'll be happy to be it.

The following are my predictions in the eight major Oscar categories. The nominees will be announced tomorrow at 8:30 AM, my time. (That's PST, in case you don't know where I live.)

(Click on any title to read the original Black Sheep review)

BEST PICTURE

THE ARTIST
THE DESCENDANTS
THE HELP
HUGO
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
MONEYBALL
THE TREE OF LIFE
WAR HORSE

BEST DIRECTOR

Woody Allen for MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
Michel Hazanavicius for THE ARTIST
Alexander Payne for THE DESCENDANTS
Martin Scorsese for HUGO
Steven Spielberg for WAR HORSE

BEST ACTOR

George Clooney in THE DESCENDANTS
Jean Dujardin in THE ARTIST
Michael Fassbender in SHAME
Gary Oldman in TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
Brad Pitt in MONEYBALL

BEST ACTRESS

Glenn Close in ALBERT NOBBS
Viola Davis in THE HELP
Meryl Streep in THE IRON LADY
Tilda Swinton in WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN
Michelle Williams in MY WEEK WITH MARILYN

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Kenneth Brannagh in MY WEEK WITH MARILYN
Albert Brooks in DRIVE
Nick Nolte in WARRIOR
Christopher Plummer in BEGINNERS
Max von Sydow in EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Berenice Bejo in THE ARTIST
Jessica Chastain in THE HELP
Melissa McCarthy in BRIDESMAIDS
Janet McTeer in ALBERT NOBBS
Octavia Spencer in THE HELP

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

50/50
THE ARTIST
BEGINNERS
BRIDESMAIDS
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

THE DESCENDANTS
THE HELP
HUGO
MONEYBALL
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

Check back tomorrow for the full list of nominees and to see how I did. I've made a few risky choices so my fingers are crossed. Also, the term "risky" is relative in this scenario as we are in fact talking about Oscar predictions.

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2011 CAST Awards

Awards season is one of my favourite times of the year but this current season has just been unbelievably busy for me. As a result, I have not been able to dedicate really any time to covering it, thus far. I will certainly be covering the Oscars when they're announced later this month and I will certainly be presenting my own Mouton d'Or awards shortly before that. In the meantime though, I participated again this year in the Cinema Appreciation Society of Toronto year end awards. This essentially involves mostly film bloggers submitting their favourite films from the last year and having those results tabulated by the originator of the idea, Mr. James McNally, from Toronto Screen Shots. Over 40 bloggers participated in the survey and these are the official results ... (Click any highlighted title for the Black Sheep Review.)

FILM TITLE	POINTS	MENTIONS	SEEN
1. Drive	548	31	36
2.The Artist	479	26	29
3. The Tree of Life	460	24	27
4. Attack the Block	386	25	36
5. Take Shelter	376	20	21
6. Midnight in Paris	330	24	31
7. Melancholia	306	19	26
8. Shame	284	19	28
9. Beginners	281	19	24
10. Martha Marcy May Marlene	279	20	24
11. Hanna	235	18	28
12. Café de Flore	207	9	13
13.The Raid	205	12	15
14. Blue Valentine	192	11	30
15. Bridesmaids	185	18	31
16.The Muppets	179	14	25
17. The Illusionist	174	11	22
18. The Descendants	172	11	16
19. Super 8	167	16	31
20. Contagion	167	14	22
21. The Interrupters	167	10	12
22. Tabloid	165	12	20
23. Hugo	162	10	23
24. The Trip	159	14	24
25. Meek’s Cutoff	159	10	18

I have to say that I'm very happy with the final results and not the least bit surprised to see DRIVE in first place. Seven out of the Top 10 films are also on my Top 10 so I can relate to the list. In fact the only title I think has no business anywhere near this list is ATTACK THE BLOCK really. Again though, bloggers thend to be of the geekier variety, or at least the one's in this group anyway, so it isn't a surprise to see it there. The geek factor is also why DRIVE as the best film of the year makes sense to me. All that underground, cult cinema style was bound to win out over everything else.

I was fortunate enough to participate in a podcast discussing the results of the CAST awards and you can link to that podcast here. (The CAST Awards Podcast 2011)

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MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

Written and Directed by Woody Allen

Starring Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard and Michael Sheen

Inez: The studios adore you; you’re in demand. Do you really want to give it all up just to struggle?

Every time I review a Woody Allen movie, it seems I address the same issues time and time again. This is likely because Allen always chooses to tackle the same themes – class, art and commerce, American values, inferiority and infidelity, to name but a few. Often times, he falls flat, which is entirely reasonable when one takes into account that he makes a movie every year, but once in a while, his recurring neurosis come together so perfectly, they reveal his true genius. MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, Allen’s 41^st feature film, embodies this culmination brilliantly and is perhaps his most enchanting film in years. It is unmistakably “Woody Allen” but for some cinephiles out there, that is cause for celebration and not reason to run away.

Allen opens MIDNIGHT IN PARIS the way he always does, with plain white titles on a black background and a plucky jazz track playing. Suddenly, he interrupts himself and goes into a montage of Paris postcard shots, spanning a day that sees all the sights, a heavy rain fall and the kind of charm that only an evening in Paris can provide. It isn’t that the montage itself isn’t also quintessentially Allen-esque that is striking; it is the interruption that announces that Allen is alert and making choices instead of just letting everything play out naturally. It also allows the viewer, or any remotely sentimental one anyway, to get fully sucked into the clichéd idea of Paris as the most romantic city in the world. The images themselves are stunning yet subtle, thanks to cinematographer, Darius Khondji (who has worked with Allen once before on ANYTHING ELSE, but we probably shouldn’t talk about that), allowing Paris to be its grand self and showing us very clearly how much Allen is in love with the city.

Owen Wilson is Gil, the Allen figurehead in this story (and a very suitable one at that). He is a successful Hollywood screenwriter who considers all his success to be built on the production of meaningless material. He and his fiancée, Inez (Rachel McAdams, who does materialistic and shallow all too well) find themselves in Paris on her parents’ dime, just as he has decided to try his hand at writing a novel in hopes of achieving a more respectable level of artistry. Their priorities are clearly at odds; she prefers to go out and party while he prefers to soak in the city’s elegance. More importantly, she is of the moment and he cannot help but long for a simpler time, when life was rich and not empty like the constantly moving present. Then one night, Gil gets exactly what he has been longing for. He is mysteriously whisked away to the Paris of yesteryear when the clock strikes midnight. Here he meets artists he has always admired and finds romance he has only dreamed of. If only he wasn’t from another era.

It may sound a little “je ne sais quoi” but MIDNIGHT IN PARIS is truly a magical experience and meant to be absurdist and surreal. The cast is delightful, from Marion Cotillard as Gil’s other world love interest to Michael Sheen as the pedantic windbag archetype Allen loves to mock so much. Paris, past and present, also presents Allen with an opportunity to showcase exquisite production designs and lovely costume pieces. The literary references may go above some heads but aside from that, it is practically impossible not to get caught up in the glamour of it all. Despite all of this allure though, what most distinguishes this work from so much of Allen’s previous work, is Allen’s shift towards resolution. Infamous for being trapped by the past, Allen now moves towards letting go of his illusions of the past, allowing for a catharsis that his films rarely ever achieve.

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