Sin #88: Oscar Season 2011

After the Golden Globes nomination fiasco, where some of the worst-reviewed movies of the year were in for big awards (namely “The Tourist” and “Burlesque”), the Academy Awards nominations show a much saner choice of candidates for the top prizes. The 10-best list include: Black Swan, The Social Network, True Grit, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, The Fighter, Winter’s Bone, Toy Story 3, The King’s Speech and 127 Hours. There are fantastic movies on this list (including “True Grit”, a movie that was completely ignored at the Golden Globes), but since there are only 5 directing nominations, those usually reflect the five films that are truly in the race. The nominated directors are Darren Aronofsky for “Black Swan”, the Coen brothers for “True Grit”, David Fincher for “The Social Network”, Tom Hooper for “The King’s Speech” and David O. Russell for “The Fighter”. So those are the real best picture nominees. If I had to take a guess I would say that the winner will be “The Social Network”; not only has it won in almost every major awards event but it is also representative of our times and our cultural obsession with digital communication and social media (there seems to be rumors that “True Grit” is gaining momentum and that maybe “The King’s Speech” might take the award since it is a more “traditional” Oscar movie).

Just as in any year, there are upsets; one of the most prominent is Christopher Nolan’s snub as a directing nominee. After “The Dark Knight’s” snub a couple of years ago as a deserving Best Picture nominee, it is now clear that the Academy doesn’t really appreciate Nolan’s talent to produce smart and sprawling entertainments. His “Inception” is an outstanding movie of great imagination and technical craft; it is a grand work of ideas that caused endless debate among audiences. Even though it is my favorite movie of 2010, it is highly unlikely that it will be rewarded in any category except for the technical ones.

I am glad though that the Academy recognized the brilliant “Black Swan”. Aronofsky is quickly becoming one of cinema’s most audacious directors and his latest work is an amazing descent into madness set in the competitive world of professional ballet. It is safe to say that Natalie Portman will take the award for Best Actress, she surely deserves it. Colin Firth, the most probable winner for male acting, also deserves the recognition (he should have won for “A Single Man” a year ago).

It’s sad (but unsurprising) that the Oscars showed no love for “Scott Pilgrim” or “Tron: Legacy”. “Scott” should’ve been rewarded for its awesome editing and special effects and “Tron” for its brilliant soundtrack composed by Daft Punk. In the acting categories it’s incredible that Noomi Rapace wasn’t acknowledged for her work in the Millennium Trilogy or any of the actors in “Never Let Me Go”.

There are actually two happy surprises as Javier Bardem was nominated for his amazing work in “Biutiful” and the film got also a nod in Best Foreign movie (representing Mexico); also that “Exit at the Gift Shop” got a nod as best documentary (I would love to see a Banksy doppelganger at the podium, accepting the award). The one Oscar that nobody doubts is in Best Animated Feature with “Toy Story 3” which seems to be universally loved (except for maybe critic Armond White).

The Academy Awards will be hosted by Anne Hathaway and James Franco (who is also nominated for his great performance in “127 Hours”) and will air on February 27.

Sin #87: Let Go

Remember Michael Bay’s “The Island”? In the movie we were introduced to an underground colony of clones that were told that the outside world had suddenly become inhabitable (don’t really remember the specific reasons). After one clone discovers the secret of their seclusion (basically that they were being harvested for their organs) he decides to escape with a fellow prisoner (the gorgeous Scarlett Johansson). “The Island” is not interested in the child-like personalities of the clones and their tragic fates; it starts with an intriguing dystopia that never becomes more than window dressing for the later action sequences. The special effects were really good but the movie had a strange and ambiguous marketing campaign that turned it into Bay’s only box-office flop. I didn’t hate the movie (it’s certainly much better than “Pearl Harbor”, “Transformers”, “Armageddon” or any one of Bay’s spectacles for audiences with short attention-spans) but there’s a wasted potential in this intriguing premise since there’s no attempt to delve into the clones’ plight. And don’t even get me started on “Episode II: The Attack of the Clones”.

Just when I think that I won’t find a provocative science fiction story about clones, here comes a beautiful existential drama that goes deep into the issue. That would be Mark Romanek’s haunting “Never Let Me Go”.

It all starts at one of those British boarding schools where the children are well-groomed and well-behaved. But there’s something not quite right since the children can’t even cross the fence to pick up a ball and there’s a sense of despair when they gather to listen to the daily announcements from their principal. One day, a teacher decides to tell her students the truth; they will never grow old and lead happy lives. Their destinies are to become organ donors.

Kathy, one of the girls, begins to develop a crush on Tommy. But he is shy and angry and becomes seduced by Ruth, envious of Kathy’s harboring love. As the years pass Kathy begins to drift away but is always in wait for Tommy to love her. In one of their trips together they hear about a rumor that if a couple truly proved they were in love they would be given some more years to spend together before their donation.

“Never Let Me Go” is a heartbreaking film that makes us wonder about what it really means to be human. I’ve read some fascinating inquiries about the nature of the story relating to why didn’t the clones escape if they had the possibility to roam free and if there were really any “real” versions of themselves out there. I don’t think they had anywhere to go and that there were any “real” versions, which makes the story even more tragic. The performances are amazing all around, from Carey Mulligan who was Oscar-nominated for her performance in “An Education” to Andrew Garfield who will be the new Spiderman in next year’s reboot and who showed great range in Fincher’s “The Social Network”.

“Never Let Me Go” is yet another literary adaptation whose book I haven’t read; all I know is that it’s considered a masterpiece and impossible to film. As a stand-alone piece, the movie is amazing since it evokes a mood that we rarely see in Hollywood productions (it also refuses to end with a tidy and happy conclusion that would betray its fragile nature). Here’s a movie whose images and characters are not easy to forget.

Sin #86: Coming Attractions, First Half of 2011

Here are the most anticipated movies based on directors, actors and trailers for the first half of 2011:

-The Green Hornet (Gondry): Here’s the movie that takes Michel Gondry’s inventive style to the mainstream. Based on the popular TV series (which had Bruce Lee as a sidekick) the film features a much slimmer Seth Rogen in the title role (and also in the role of screenwriter) and an appealing visual style (which might be ruined by the 3D conversation). We can only hope for campy fun.

-Paul (Mottola): Another Rogen movie (this time he lends his voice to an alien) along with two of the funniest actors in British cinema as partners (I’m talking about the invaluable team of Nick Frost and Simon Pegg). “Paul” is directed by the guy who brought us “Superbad”. I’m sold.

-Rango (Verbinski): Johnny Depp is one of cinema’s busiest actors; here he takes the part of a chameleon (with the help of motion capture). “Rango’s” trailer is intriguing with a fantastic animation style and a talented cast (they all had to act out the movie and then were animated). There are always a handful of mediocre animated films every year but this one looks interesting.

-Jane Eyre (Fukunaga): Yet another adaptation of the famous Charlotte Bronte novel (I remember an excellent version with Charlotte Gainsborough and William Hurt in the nineties). This one features a very strong cast with Mia Wasikowska (of “Alice in Wonderland” fame) and Michael Fassbender, who is an amazing British actor who will star in the new X-Men movie later this year.

-Sucker Punch (Snyder): If anything, “Sucker Punch” has the most awesome trailer of 2011; it features hot girls, guns, robots, ninjas, you name it. Here is another kick-ass action movie by Zack Snyder (who is ready to bring his style to the Superman reboot). “Sucker Punch” might be one of the most entertaining movies of the year.

-Source Code (Jones): Duncan Jones’s film debut was the rather brilliant “Moon”, a classic sci-fi movie with a terrific performance by Sam Rockwell. For his next film he takes on another sci-fi premise working with a very strong cast lead by Jake Gyllenhaal. Even though it looks more commercially appealing then “Moon”, Jones has proven that he is a promising talent.

-Hanna (Wright): A 14-year old girl trained as an assassin? A global thriller from the director of “Atonement” and “Pride and Prejudice”? “Hanna” is quite an intriguing movie thanks to a promising trailer and an excellent cast (with Cate Blanchett and Eric Bana and lead by Saoirse Ronan, whose performance in “The Lovely Bones” was the best part of the movie).

-The Tree of Life (Malick): I’m not a fan of Terrence Malick (I hate the self indulgent mess that is “The Thin Red Line”) but the trailer of “The Tree of Life” is simply stunning, if a little ambiguous. The film has been in post-production for ages and the story is not yet quite clear. This might be an ambitious masterwork or yet another pretentious mess. We’ll have to wait and see.