Oscar Nominations 2013

It's Oscar time, everybody! Normally, I don't really follow the Oscars - this has been due to a mixture of being busy (college, internships, etc) and thus not making it to the movies a lot and the fact that I rarely care for awards shows in general.

However, looking upon the list of nominees this year, I thought I'd give my two cents since I've broken some sort of personal record and seen like 8 movies in theaters this year. (And yes, spare me the glaring looks...I'm well aware that for someone so in to pop culture I don't seem to get out much.)

The Best Picture category is not a surprise in the least to me, despite the fact I've never heard of Amour. Beasts of the Southern Wild, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, and Silver Linings Playbook are all films I've been wanting to see but, other than knowing they've been getting rave reviews, I don't have a whole lot to say about.

Lincoln has swept the categories this year and I feel no other film is deserving of as many nominations as this picture, which details the struggle of passing the 13th Amendment during the beginning (and, spoilers, end) of President Lincoln's second term in the White House.  The film, I think, accomplished the rare blend of being in-depth, poignant, and significantly aware and delicate with the historical events while at the same time making it possible for a viewer unfamiliar with said events to follow along with ease. The film therefore was a historical biopic that was also immensely entertaining (unless, of course, you are the 900 year old woman in the row behind us who fell asleep and was snoring in the middle of the movie).

My major disappointment was that Moonrise Kingdom was only nominated in one category, albeit a major category (in my humble opinion); best original screenplay. I think it has a lot of contention this year but I feel like its major threat is Zero Dark Thirty. The film detailing the events behind Osama bin Laden's compound raid is another one I'd like to see at my earliest convenience, but truth be told as a Parks and Recreation fan I have a hard time with Chris Pratt being anyone other than Andy Dwyer, or, perhaps only slightly more appropriately, Bert Macklin.

I feel as though Brave will probably win Best Animated Feature but, not having seen ParaNorman, I think Wreck-It Ralph is much more deserving of the award. Brave was beautifully done and very entertaining to watch, but oddly enough for a category where Pixar usually sweeps Ralph felt like the more Pixar-ish film of the nominees. And yes, I say that knowing that at this point its basically semantics seeing as Disney-Pixar is practically one in the same now...which isn't a bad thing. What it comes down to is individual teams working on pictures - the writers and directors are really bringing the film to life and everything else is level playing field. By those merits, Ralph came out stronger and felt like a return to form on the whole innovative-but-still-emotionally-touching front. So that's what I mean when I say the non-Pixar Disney film felt more like Pixar than the Pixar film, I guess. And if Paperman doesn't take Best Animated Short I will flip tables. No lie.

Am I a bit disappointed that the Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey didn't get more nominations, especially with Howard Shore's beautiful soundtrack? Yes. Am I surprised? Not really. A lot of people couldn't get past the different tone of the film and found fault with the pacing. I understand those complaints, but the film was beautiful and faithful enough to have deserved at least Best Adapted Screenplay. It did take a nomination in Best Visual Effects, so I can be happy with that...albeit Snow White and the Huntsman also took a nomination there, so...

On the other hand, it shares a category with its only true contender, Marvel's the Avengers. I know, I know, Summer Blockbusters have no place on Oscar lists, but I cannot express how much I love this movie. I'm a complete Marvel fangirl to begin with, but Joss Whedon (my geeky overlord) deserved a spot for Best Adapted Screenplay or Best Direction. Because he's Joss-Friggin-Whedon and he deserves ALL the awards, and the Avengers was definitely a labor of love for him. If loving your work was criteria for awards, though, I'm sure the ceremony would run several hours longer.

I'm not sure how I feel about Adele's song from Skyfall being nominated for Best Original Song. I mean, I understand the politics behind it - she's Adele and the music industry it-girl, and it's a James Bond movie so duh, but the song wasn't good enough to win this category...so, for the sake of bluntness, I hope it doesn't. Then again, I'm just not a big James Bond song person. They all sound so cheesy and horrible to me. Except the Wings' "Live and Let Die". I love that song...and that probably says a lot about me.

Other than that, I do believe Skyfall earned the rest of its nominations. This was definitely the most engaging of the James Bond films of my lifetime and the cinematography played a large role in it. The film was brilliantly shot, and I guess the sound editing and mixing were good, too...I can't really say I pay attention to a film and say "wow! that sound editing is GENIUS!" but I wouldn't be too surprised if it was. I'm sure there's some politics involved where the sound categories can be seen as ones that have to be recognized (or the sound engineers union would pitch a fit), but hey, a nomination is a nomination.

So, as always, I may add to this list of observations at a later time, but right now Return of the King is on tv and, you know, priorities. What were your favorite movies of the year? What are your thoughts about the nominations? Let us know in the comments, on twitter, or on facebook!

Dispatches from the Popcorn Stadium: Skyfall

THE USUAL SPOILER WARNING APPLIES.

I've never been a big fan of the James Bond films. It isn't that I don't like them, or don't appreciate its place the big stew that is pop-culture, I just have never sought them out to watch. For a long time the only one I could verify having seen in its entirety was You Only Live Twice, and I enjoyed most of it. Goldeneye 64 was a fun game, and I (regretfully) watched Die Another Day in the theater. I took note when they changed tack with Casino Royale, but not enough to see it when it was in the theater.

With that in mind, it might not mean much when I say Skyfall was the best Bond film I have ever seen. It had all the swagger of the old-school Bond films, while still maintaining a serious and thoughtful edge. Daniel Craig does a great job playing an aging, damaged Bond who is in need of a nice long vacation. If only Javier Bardem's rogue MI6 agent would have let him be.

Bardem's performance was a real highlight of the film. Like the best Bond villains he was menacing and dangerous, but also extremely fun to watch. Somehow he walked a fine line, being both scary and hilarious.

I thought Sam Mendes and the cinematographer Roger Deakins did a very good job with how the film was shot. The casino in Macau, from Bond's entrance by water to the fight in the den of the "dragons", was really fun. And scenes set in the Scottish highlands are always welcome.

The film wasn't perfect, but then none are. The showdown at the end, while mostly fantastic, ended very quickly and was very anti-climactic. The escape from the holding cell, while the start of a great scene, just seemed a bit too unbelievable. Of course, this may just be that was yet another recent film where the bad guy intentionally gets caught to wreak havoc on the good guys. Still, couldn't that problem have been solved by a non-computer controlled lock?

Minor quibbles aside, this was a fun ride. If you have yet to see it, I recommend going out and finding it at your local theater or multiplex. Given how much money the movie has made, I'm guessing a lot of you have already taken that advice. As for me, I can't wait for the next one, when Bond battles Hank Scorpio and his evil comprehensive employee benefits program.

Coming Next: We see how the delicious sausage of the 13th Amendment is made in Lincoln, and then eat it for elevensies while watching The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey