The Righteous Prick 2012 Oscar Breakdown
The 2012 Oscar Nominations were announced for what I believe was the worst year in movies since 2005 (Crash beat Brokeback Mountain while Munich, my favorite movie of that year, never had a shot despite being nominated). Well this year has been the movie of the overrated and the boring. I have some positive things to say about some of this year’s nominees, but that wouldn’t be as much fun so I will try to keep the positivity to a minimum. For reference here is my recap of 2011 films (before I saw the excellent We Need To Talk About Kevin):
BEST PICTURE
In my movie wrap up of 2011 I rated Hugo as the most overrated film of the year and The Tree of Life in the top 5 most overrated films of the year, as well as the most pretentious film of all time. Both nominated for best picture. Awful. And Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is nominated. It is the only film of the ten nominated that I have not seen. And I have no intention of seeing it. Not because of any 9/11 movie fear or discomfort (United 93 is one of the greatest movies I have ever seen, but the academy only had the courage to nominate it for Best Director back in 2006, not best picture), but because I find the child actor so irritating in the commercials and previews that I am glad he lost his fictional father. That is how annoying I find him.
I have no problem with the other nominees and generally found the films to range from adequate to enjoyable. However here are the movies I think are clear snubs: The Ides of March, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, 50/50, We Need To Talk About Kevin and my long shot, but personal favorite Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The fact that WNTTAK and 50/50 were completely shut out is a travesty.
But thank goodness Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Drive were not nominated for Best Picture.
BEST ACTOR
When is Joseph Gordon-Levitt going to get some goddamn respect?! 500 Days of Summer shut out in 2009 and then 50/50 shut out this year. It makes me like JGL more to think that he is being stiffed by the industry because he does not play politics.
The nominees are fine I guess with that one omission. And I am surprised Michael Fassbender did not get nominated for Shame. Or that his penis was not nominated for best supporting actor.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Jonah Hill gets nominated for playing a fat quiet guy. The fu*k out of here!
Kenneth Branagh should win this, but Christopher Plummer has earned it (and his performance as Mike Wallace in The Insider was not nominated at all in 1999 – my top snub I can remember)
BEST ACTRESS
To quote Bill Burr, “Rooney Mara had to be fu*king Daniel Craig and if she wasn’t she deserves an award for best pantomiming of fu*king a guy.” Agreed. She looked great, she was great. I think she should win. Normally I bet Meryl Streep against the field because she is better than everyone, but The Iron Lady was not good. Like not good enough to tear her chances down.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jessica Chastain was in 147 movies this year so she deserves this. And she was great in The Help. And I think it would be funny if the only award for the The Help went to a white woman.
BEST ANIMATED FILM
They all sucked this year. Seriously, every animated movie I saw this year sucked. What a disappointment. Shame on you Pixar and shame on you Kung Fu Panda 2. I expect better from you guys.
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Rise of the Planet of The Apes – it needs to win something dammit!
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Really good category except Tinker Tailor is nominated. Really – a good adaptation? Was the book long, boring and dreary also or was that the gift of the screenwriter? Hugo can go fu*k itself. I think Moneyball wins simply because it was a great book about statistics that was made into a solid (but not great in my opinion) film.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Bridesmaids got nominated for best original screenplay? So I guess making a slightly less funny Old School/Hangover (I, not the lazy II) is now original! I’d like to see The Artist win because it would be weird to have a film with 10 words of dialogue win a screenwriting award.
4 COMMENTS
I agree with everything you say, and love this blog post, except the unneccessary description of Roony Mara’s unexpected “hotness” while she portrays a character who undergoes an extremely brutal rape. You are free to say what you like, but can you expand more on the content rather than this superficiality? Focusing on her appearance in this rape-filled film makes you complicit in Hollywood’s glamorization of rape against women.
Ms. Magazine talks of the original:
“The Swedish novel upon which this film is based was originally published under the title Men Who Hate Women. I prefer this, as it better articulates the sinister dynamics at play. This is not, after all, a story about what women look like (tattooed or otherwise), but about what women are capable of, even when subjected to the worst of men’s depravities.”
http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2010/04/14/the-rape-of-the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo/
As a gay man, I find your Oscar breakdown outrageous and offensive! (No, I’m just kidding. I don’t really care.)
Well I at least tried to take a shot at Bridesmaids.
JL could you make sure to say 8 times or more that Rooney was nominated because of talent. We wouldn’t know that even though it’s the oscars and it is assumed any nomination is because of talent. Exaggerating over why while quoting Bill Burr would make us believe it otherwise good sir. She survived a brutal fictional rape, give your respect!!
I also hope someone sent an email to Rooney Mara about choosing to agree to do movie posters that have her nude and seductively held by Daniel Craig. There is brutal rape! She should have had a poster where she held a sign that said stronger or maybe a knife through a rape kit to show us she’s gonna make it after all with her strength. Course that’d mean women have to take the hero in question down a notch that is a woman.
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