If Scrat Ran the Oscars: 2012 Edition

As is a yearly tradition; here’s the way that I thought the Academy Awards should have gone.  That is, if I were in charge of nominating/choosing.  One day, when I’m ruler of the world, I will be.

As usual, I’ve left out a few categories like documentary and short film, but who really cares about those anyways?  Again, this year, I’ve included a “My reasoning” section for each category – and don’t worry, not all of them are fawning over the films I felt were standouts.  Again, this year is my “Prediction/Actual Winner/Should Have Won” section.  “Should Have Won” only applies to films that were nominated and should have won but were not in my list.  Oh, and I worked on the formatting and revised the “→←” to indicate which film I would have chosen.  Enjoy!

BEST PICTURE

The Artist

Bridesmaids

Captain America: The First Avenger

Courageous

Jane Eyre

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

My Week with Marilyn

Thor

→Warrior←

X-Men: First Class

Prediction: The Artist

Actual Winner: -The Artist

My reasoning:  This was one of those years where it was kind of hard to come up with ten films that were just fantastic.  I’ll admit that Courageous, Jane Eyre, and My Week with Marilyn are kind of just fillers on my list.  But they were better films than War Horse or Hugo, and bounds better than The Descendants, The Tree of Life, and Midnight in Paris.   Also, with the exception of Green Lantern, this was the year of the comic book film.  All of Marvel’s films were much better than anyone expected them to be, thereby landing them on my list.  The Artist was better than I figured it would be, and it deserves the recognition it’s receiving.  And although Tom Cruise sucks, Ethan Hunt was back and possibly better than ever in the latest Mission Impossible film.  Additionally, you can’t discount the fantasticness of Kristen Wiig’s Bridesmaids.  However, when it really comes down to it, the most underrated film of the year was the best one.  Besides a slight lack of originality (which can easily be overlooked), Warrior was a knock-out in every way.  But, I’ll elaborate more as this rundown unfolds. 

BEST DIRECTOR
Michael Bay – Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Brad Bird – Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
→Gavin O’Connor – Warrior←
Matthew Vaughn – X-Men First Class

Prediction: Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist

Actual Winner: Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist

My reasoning:  I’ll avoid going on a rant as to why Alexander Payne, Woody Allen, and Terrence Malick were even nominated, but rather just mention that I didn’t quite think that Martin Scorsese deserved to be on my list.  Yes, he did well with the material he had to work with, but I wanted a film, not a promotion for the American Film Institute.  Hazanavicius rightfully belonged on my list, though, with his affection for the silent film being quite obvious in his direction.  However, I think that the big films were overlooked by the Academy, at least in the directing category.  Love him or hate him, Bay knows how to deliver a crowd pleasing film, and his work on the latest installment of the Transformers franchise is probably his best yet, despite the problems with the script.  The scope was epic, and he delivered.  Bird made the jump from smart, animated flicks to pulse-pounding live action flicks seamlessly.  It’s clear that his vision was fully realized for this entry in the Mission Impossible series, with little tinges of The Incredibles mixed in.  Also, there were some big kudos to Vaughn for essentially rescuing the X-Men franchise and doing it in a way that gave the prequel/reboot some style and pizazz.  However – and I know that this was probably a knee-jerk reaction – I thought O’Connor knocked Warrior out of the park.  Yes, there are some incredible fights, but he never loses the characters in the melee.  And he really knows how to pull at the heart strings.  So, once again, the most underrated movie deserved the award. 

BEST ACTOR

Jean Dujardin – The Artist

→Joel Edgerton – Warrior←

Michael Fassbender – X-Men First Class

Mel Gibson – The Beaver

Andy Serkis – Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Prediction: Jean Dujardin – The Artist

Actual Winner: Jean Dujardin – The Artist

My reasoning:  Don’t worry, Warrior isn’t going to sweep my list, but seriously, it’s a great film.  Okay, first off, why was George Clooney nominated?  Probably the most overrated performance of the year.  This was probably the hardest category to put together, because there were several great lead actor performances this year (Brad Pitt in Moneyball and Matthew McConaughey in The Lincoln Lawyer were alternates, and Chris Hemsworth in Thor and Chris Evans in Captain America: The First Avenger warranted notice).  Dujarin barely made my list, I’ll admit.  He’s great in his role, but I didn’t think that his performance was a nuanced as it’s alleged to be.  This has kind of been Fassbender’s year.  I have yet to see Shame, but I doubt his performance in that will elevate my thoughts of him above what I think of his performance as Magneto.  Fantastic, really, having him give such depth to the character that everyone knows.  When it comes down to it, despite how quirky the film is, Gibson kind of gave an all-in performance in The Beaver.  Yes, he’s kind of an industry pariah right now, but he’s still got it.  Props to Jodie Foster for taking a chance, and despite the lack of interest, it paid off.  Once again, the Academy has chosen not to nominate an actor who performed with motion capture.  Serkis’s performance as Gollum in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy was superior, but he was the standout performance in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and in a lead role really.  I honestly think that Demian Bichir was nominated so as not to have to nominate Serkis.  I haven’t seen A Better Life yet, but I doubt Bichir’s performance was better than Serkis’s.  However – and read the first sentence of this paragraph again – Edgerton was wonderful in Warrior – despite being a teacher, a position that is fortunately downplayed in the film.   Although Tom Hardy had a large part of Warrior, I felt as though his character took a back seat to Edgerton’s – which was probably wise on the part of the filmmakers.  Edgerton’s performance is much more complex and he deserved much more recognition than he received. 

BEST ACTRESS

Viola Davis – The Help
Charlize Theron – Young Adult

Mia Wasikowska – Jane Eyre

Kristen Wiig - Bridesmaids

→Michelle Williams – My Week with Marilyn←

Prediction: Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady

Actual Winner: Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady

My reasoning:  Okay, of the ladies nominated, I’ve seen all but Glenn Close in Albert Nobbs.  However, with the exceptions obviously of Davis and Williams, the other ladies’ performances were pure Oscar bait.  I was a bit surprised by Rooney Mara snagging a nomination for a role that Noomi Rapace spearheaded, but whatever.  Meryl Streep is merely an Oscar whore any more, despite being a gifted actress, so when I saw she’d be playing Margaret Thatcher, I called Oscar whoredom (if not Hollywood hack-job).  Davis was probably the most pleasant aspect of The Help, along with Emma Stone’s performance (which almost got a spot on my list) and Spencer’s supporting turn, but I feel like she’s merely the safe choice for a nomination.  Still, her performance was a standout this year.  When you think of Theron, you probably wouldn’t think she’d be garnering a nomination (on my list anyways) for a comedic performance – though, her performance is dark comedy, you might say.  Still, she’s the highlight of Young Adult, and is so awful that she’s great.  Wiig blew everyone away with Bridesmaids.  It’s nice to see The Hangover, but for women – and men who can appreciate that kind of humor.   It just goes to show that this “SNL” comedienne has more potential than MacGruber suggested.  Alongside Warrior, Jane Eyre was one of the more overlooked films of the year – especially given Wasikowska’s performance.  She was wonderful, and stood her ground against Fassbender.   However, when it came to spot-on performances; Williams walks away with this one.   Yes, this was kind of an Oscar whoring role, but Williams made it her own, and didn’t merely try to channel the sex appeal of the starlet.  She gave the character more depth than what the tabloids made her out to be, and she rightfully deserved recognition.      

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Kenneth Branagh – My Week with Marilyn

Michael Fassbender – Jane Eyre

Tom Hardy – Warrior

Tom Hiddleston – Thor
→Nick Nolte - Warrior←

Prediction: Christopher Plummer – Beginners

Actual Winner: Christopher Plummer – Beginners

My reasoning:  Yes, I do find it ironic that I have both Branagh and Hiddleston on the same list.  In case you didn’t know, Branagh directed Hiddleston in Thor, so you might say they deserve equal credit for Loki making an appearance here.  Of all the outright Marvel villains this year (the obvious exception being Fassbender’s Magneto – though one could make an argument that he’s not a villain, but I digress), Hiddleston’s cunning performance was the most compelling.  Branagh was great in My Week with Marilyn.  His determined theatrics were quite humorous, but probably weren’t too far from the truth.  As I was stating earlier, this was kind of Fassbender’s year.  His supporting turn in Jane Eyre was quite compelling, which is why he landed on this list as well as the lead actor’s.  Still, the only real competition in this category on my list, given my affection for the film as a whole, and the knock-out performance from all three men, was Hardy.  I didn’t quite think his role deserved “lead actor” status, but was more suited for this category.  However, when compared to Nolte, I didn’t find his performance as challenging.  He’s a beast, honestly, but I didn’t find the angst character as compelling as the redeemed sinner’s character.  I’m actually surprised that the Academy went ahead with a nomination for Nolte, in lieu of someone overrated like Albert Brooks in Drive.   Still, Nolte was a force to be reckoned with in Warrior.  I still don’t quite understand how he fit in at the end, but his performance spoke volumes with not as many words. 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Hayley Atwell – Captain America: The First Avenger

Kat Dennings – Thor

Keira Knightley – A Dangerous Method

→Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids←
Octavia Spencer – The Help

Prediction: Octavia Spencer – The Help

Actual Winner: Octavia Spencer – The Help

My reasoning:  Look, don’t get me wrong, I liked Berenice Bejo in The Artist.  It’s just that I liked Atwell and Dennings in their respective Marvel movies better.  Atwell wasn’t my first choice to play the fiery  love interest to Chris Evan’s Cap, but she was great. And quite frankly, Dennings was more memorable in Thor than freshly-minted Oscar winner Natalie Portman was.  That is to say, she was hilarious.   I don’t know about Janet McTeer in Albert Nobbs, since I haven’t seen it yet, but that performance looks to be Oscar whoring, once again.  Alternatively, Knightley in A Dangerous Method was borderline Oscar whoredom, but managed to emerge better than expected.  Yes, she played the crazy lady, but it was much deeper than that. I won’t say I’m surprised by the fact that Jessica Chastain was nominated.  Like Fassbender, this was kind of her year.  But I liked Spencer’s character in The Help more.  Honestly, of all of Chastain’s films this year, if she deserved a nomination for any of them, it would have been The Debt.  However, I’m kind of surprised the Academy didn’t go with her performance in the vastly overrated The Tree of Life.  Regardless, Spencer was hilarious in The Help and, honestly, she was the only real competition to McCarthy.  It seemed like every scene McCarthy was in in Wiig’s Bridesmaids, she stole it.  Utter hilarity, and rightfully nominated. 

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

The Artist

Bad Teacher

→Bridesmaids←

Horrible Bosses

Warrior

Prediction: The Artist

Actual Winner: Midnight in Paris

My reasoning:  Look! A category with Warrior nominated where it didn’t win!  I’m not going to say that the script for Warrior rewrote the sports film genre, but it did have an incredible amount of heart and well-constructed characters.  So, don’t hate on me for loving on that film so much.  It’s clear that Hazanavicius poured a great deal of love into his script for The Artist, and it’s evident when you see it on screen.  But to have to write a script with very limited dialogue (much less only one or two lines that are actually heard), it was obviously a labor of love.  I’m pretty sure that the script for Margin Call only got recognition because it was a current events topic, but otherwise it was kind of a hate-on-Wall-Street script with investor lingo.  I haven’t seen A Separation, but I can pretty much bet that it’s far better than that bloviating Paris love-fest that was Midnight in Paris.  Otherwise, this category belongs to the comedies.  Yes, both Bad Teacher and Horrible Bosses were not the most original flicks you’ve ever seen, but they were pretty darn hilarious.  Both took relatable circumstances and made them accessible.  As I mentioned in an earlier review, Bad Teacher successfully mocked the public education system – an institution that needed some foul-mouthed jabs.  Horrible Bosses took the idea that everyone has worked for that boss at one time, and made the most of its outlandish premise (even having Jennifer Aniston turn in a memorable performance).  However, let’s be honest.  Bridesmaids was the standout film in this category.  Mixing heartfelt humor with cattiness and (women’s) bathroom humor worked perfectly for the film, and is a testament for Wiig’s comedic genius on paper as well as in a lead actress role.   

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Atlas Shrugged: Part I

Jane Eyre

Moneyball

My Week with Marilyn

→X-Men: First Class←

Prediction: Hugo

Actual Winner: The Descendants

Should Have Won - Moneyball

My reasoning:  This was probably the hardest list to put together, based solely on the fact that I didn’t really know where to start.  Full disclosure: I haven’t read any of the source materials for any of the films on my list (with the exception of a few sporadic X-Men comics). Yes, Atlas Shrugged: Part I was shunned by critics, and generally didn’t meet the expectations of those who were looking for an anti-dote to typical Hollywood fare.  But the script shone bright enough to help look past the lackluster production values.  The script for Jane Eyre was probably one that felt the most authentic of the year.  Moneyball’s script was fun, despite its ample attention to stats, numbers, and player shuffling.  My Week with Marilyn was actually based on two works, but despite some stumblings, it felt like an authentic story.   However, when it gets down to it, the latest X-Men film was the superior work of the year.  It reeked of adherence to the source material, while still making it its own product.  Plus, it was complete fun with a nice retro vibe. 

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Kung Fu Panda 2

Puss in Boots

→Rio←

Rango

Prediction: Rango

Actual Winner: Rango

My reasoning: This was kind of a lackluster year for animated films.  Speaking of which, had anyone even heard of A Cat in Paris (a title that features to of my least favorite things) and Chico & Rita before the nominations came out?  So, really, it just came down to picking one that was better than the rest of its lackluster competition.  Rango was one of those movies that looked like it had potential, but the marketing was a bit deceiving.  Instead of a kid’s movie, it was a quirky send-up to spaghetti westerns that kids probably couldn’t appreciate.  Nice, but a little off. The Kung Fu Panda sequel had its merit, as did Puss in Boots (although, I though Puss was a little too reaching in some parts – and it kind of pains me to like a cat), but Rio was a lot better than I expected it to be (and that’s even with the ever annoying likes of George Lopez and Tracy Morgan), so I’ll give it to that little flick.    

BEST ART DIRECTION
→The Artist←

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Thor

X-Men: First Class

Prediction: The Artist

Actual Winner: Hugo

My reasoning:  I’m not going to lie: I don’t know much about what goes into this category.  However, I think the four blockbusters I listed deserved some credit for staging some impressive artistic qualities.  I’m sure it’s not easy transporting viewers into a world with wizards, pirates, gods, or mutants, but each of the respective filmmakers did a bang up job doing so.  However, the detailed nigh obsessive nature of those behind The Artist helped elevate the film to new levels.  There are very few set designers that could transport viewers back to the days of silent pictures, but this group did so with gusto.    

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II

→Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol←

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Warrior

X-Men: First Class

Prediction: The Tree of Life

Actual Winner: Hugo

My reasoning:  This is the first category where I completely disagree with the Academy.  I’m actually surprised that it took so long to get to such a category.  I will say this, however.  I don’t think that the actual nominees were real standouts.  Yes, The Artist, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Hugo had some unique cinematography, but they still felt a little too commonplace.  Though, Hugo’s 3D certainly helped its case.  The cinematography in War Horse felt a little too been-there-done-that.  And the awfulness that is The Tree of Life was only made worse by the pretentious nature of its artsy cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki.  Alternatively, the nominees I have all had their own unique versions.  Harry Potter featured vast battles paired with intimate settings.  Sherlock Holmes was fun with its slow mo style paired with close ups.   Warrior held up its end of the bargain by delivering a fight movie that didn’t merely focus on the cage.  (And look! Another category where Warrior didn’t win!) And the latest X-Men was a nice departure from the prior installments by proving that bigger isn’t always better.  However, when it came to pure genius of photography direction, look no further than the latest installment of the Mission Impossible franchise.  I could expound on the work by Robert Elswit, but the Burj Khalifa sequence alone is worth a thousand words.  

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II

Jane Eyre

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

→Thor←

X-Men: First Class

Prediction: The Artist

Actual Winner: The Artist

Should Have Won: Jane Eyre

My reasoning: Again, this is a category that I probably shouldn’t be talking about much, since I don’t really know anything about it.  However, has that ever stopped me before?  I haven’t seen Anonymous or W.E. yet, but I doubt they could sway me here.  I mean, the only film I agreed with the Academy with was Jane Eyre, but it’s predictable that it would be nominated, given that it’s a period piece.  Harry Potter has always been fairly impressive for its costume design, despite being a modern take on wizardry.  Two years ago, I said that Sherlock Holmes deserved the award, and the follow-up deserves notice.  However, it was really a toss-up between the two Marvel movies represented here.  Full disclosure: while I thought Captain America did pretty well with the period piece throwback flick, I didn’t think that Cap’s costume was a knock-out.  Hence, it’s absence from my list.  However, the retro feel to the X-Men suits in their latest flick were a nice touch.  But this category belonged to the Asgardian attire.  It would have been really easy to screw up the clothing of the gods, but Alexandra Byrne did quite well – especially with the two brother’s costumes.   

BEST EDITING

The Artist

Jane Eyre

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

→Warrior←

X-Men: First Class

Prediction: The Artist

Actual Winner: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

My reasoning: I’m sorry, but I don’t get why The Descendants was even nominated for this award.  Even if it had been edited down to a half-hour television episode, it still would have been too long (and boring).  Obviously, I agree with the Academy on nominating The Artist, but their nominees were the safe bets.  Again, I’m sorry, but I don’t get the love for Hugo.  Yes, it was a quaint little film, but it didn’t do much for me in terms of acclaim.  I can see why Moneyball and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo got nominations, but both were inferior films compared to my list.  Not that I’m convinced that I’m always right, but what are the odds that I’d be wrong.  Seriously, do the math.  Artsy period pieces (like The Artist and Hugo) can be self-indulgent at times and have a lot of unnecessary footage.  However, Jane Eyre did well with its scope, and maintained an artsy feel without succumbing to pretentiousness.  Ghost Protocol was just fun from beginning to end.  The action sequences were well staged, and cut together in a way that capitalized on the scope.  X-Men: First Class was in danger of becoming too much like other origin stories in the franchise, but was cut in a way that took advantage of the setting and talents.  The montage scene is a prime example of smart editing.  Like First Class, Warrior took advantage of a montage scene, but also cut the fight scenes together so well that you actually felt that you were in the cage with the fighters.  I know, it’s me loving on my favorite movie of the year again, but watch it and tell me I’m wrong.      

BEST MAKEUP
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II

→X-Men: First Class←

Prediction: The Iron Lady

Actual Winner: The Iron Lady

Should Have Won: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II

My reasoning: -  I’m only including Dragon Tattoo because it was fairly impressive what they did to Rooney Mara to make her so unappealing.  Otherwise the film didn’t really stand-out.  Obviously I haven’t seen Albert Nobbs, but I don’t think the gender-bending makeup would do much for me.  And the old age makeup in The Iron Lady was handled better than that of J. Edgar, but it was still the Oscar whoring aspect that I couldn’t’ quite overcome. However Harry Potter was pretty impressive, if for no other reason than Voldemort’s creepy snake makeup.  However, when it really gets down to it, you can’t really discount the makeup in X-Men: First Class – if only for Mystique’s make-up and prosthetics. 

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides – Hans Zimmer & Rodrigo y Gabriela

Jane Eyre – Dario Marianelli & Jack Liebeck

Last Night – Clint Mansell

Thor – Patrick Doyle

→X-Men: First Class – Henry Jackman←

Prediction: The Artist – Ludovic Bource

Actual Winner: The Artist – Ludovic Bource

My reasoning:  Of all the nominees on my list, I only own three of the soundtracks.  (Other than that, I bought the Captain America, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and Warrior soundtracks this year – and notice there’s a certain one that’s not nominated, just saying.)  Regardless, this is another category where I completely disagree with the Academy.  It’s not that the scores for any of the actually nominated films were bad (though, I haven’t seen/heard the one from Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), but they just didn’t stand out – and that’s saying something when John Williams’ scores aren’t memorable.  However, there were some memorable scores this year, some standouts, some underappreciated.  Obviously, anything Hans Zimmer touches is usually great, and his collaboration with Rodrigo y Gabriela for the latest Pirates score was no different.  (His second go-around with Sherlock wasn’t as memorable as his first, but still pretty good.)  Jane Eyre and Last Night both had subdued scores, but both were beautiful.  Doyle’s score for Thor was just what the film needed – grand but with intimate moments.  However, the best score came from the guy I’d never heard of.  Jackman did quite well making the retro vibe accessible to twenty-first century audiences, but also delivered a killer theme for Magneto.  Seriously, check it out.     

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“Courageous” by Casting Crowns – from Courageous

“Man or Muppet” – from The Muppets

→ “Star Spangled Man” – from Captain America: The First Avenger←

Prediction: “Man or Muppet” from The Muppets

Actual Winner: “Man or Muppet” from The Muppets

My reasoning:  Okay, first of all, I love Casting Crowns, which is why they ended up on my list.  Their song for the movie of the same title was perfectly fitting, but I think I liked the song more than the movie (which will probably draw the ire of some).  And don’t get me wrong, “Man or Muppet” was the highlight number of The Muppets – mainly because a certain individual makes a cameo appearance.  However, I was totally blown away by the awesomeness that is “Star Spangled Man”.  Who knew that a patriotic musical number could have found its way into a Marvel movie?  Fantastic.    

BEST SOUND EDITING

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Real Steel

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
→Transformers: Dark of the Moon←

Prediction: Hugo

Actual Winner: Hugo

My reasoning:  I did a little research, and it appears that this category is designed to recognize sound effects.  Thereby, the nominees on my list and on that of the actual ones all take a back seat to the one film on both.  If you saw Transformers: Dark of the Moon in IMAX, you have no reason to believe that this category could have been won by any other film, even though the other  films on my list were better than the ones on the Academy’s. 

BEST SOUND MIXING
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Thor
→Transformers: Dark of the Moon←

War Horse

Prediction: Hugo

Actual Winner: Hugo

My reasoning: From what I understand, this category is how well each of the elements of sound mesh together.  Dialogue, music, sound effects, etc.   Really, this was a walk-away win for Transformers again.  With all the sound effects mashed up against the dialogue and Steve Jablonsky’s score, it’s pretty easy to see why this one wins.  Sure the others were good, but nothing really compared to the extravaganza from Michael Bay.  Three of the other actual nominees (Girl, Hugo, and Moneyball) weren’t really worthy, but War Horse did have merit given its scope.  However, it really paled in comparison to Harry, Thor, and Ethan Hunt’s adventures. 

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II

Real Steel

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

→Transformers: Dark of the Moon←

Thor

Prediction: Hugo

Actual Winner: Hugo

My reasoning: Okay, so I almost agreed with the Academy here, but their love affair with Hugo even crept into this category.  Look, each of the other films, even Thor, have their merits, but all of them paled in comparison to Michael Bay’s threequel.  Not only did he up the ante on how well the Autobots and Decepticons looked, but he made them jump off the screen so well in eye-popping 3D.  The destruction of Chicago alone sealed the award for the technical geniuses behind the film in my opinion.  (And no, that’s not because I’m all about destroying the seat of corruption called Chicago, but I do find it a bit ironic.)  Otherwise, the only real competition was from Rise, because of Weta’s brilliant work on the Apes.  Thor was fun, Harry Potter got sent out on a nice note, and Steel was kind of like Transformers-lite.  So all great effects, but nothing like the real winner.     

Wrap up: 

Well, apparently I’m off a bit when it comes to prediction of screenplays, cinematography, and art direction, but otherwise I was right on.  Seriously, the only other iffy questions were for Best Actor and Best Actress, but I saw both coming.  Though, it really wouldn’t have surprised me to see the Academy award Clooney for his vastly overrated performance.  However, I really wish the majority would have pulled for Davis in the Best Actress race.  Yes, Williams’ performance was superior, but with the two woman race between Streep and Davis – Davis had the better role.  Whatever.  Did I mention that I didn’t even watch the ceremony?  Apparently that was a blessing.  Now, if a certain film that made several appearances on my list (aka the most underappreciated film of the year) had garnered a few more nominations, I might have thought about it.  However, having Billy Crystal host couldn’t get me to watch, but apparently I missed some Angelina leg.  I’m actually kind of thinking that some might be correct in thinking that next year, Sasha Baron Cohen should host the Oscars.  Regardless, there were no real surprises here.  Hollywood loves The Artist, but they didn’t want to completely leave out Hugo, so they showered it with technical awards.  Whatever, I’m over it. 

Basically, what the Oscars boils down to at this point is that the overwhelming majority of the Academy just likes to sit around and essentially [self-gratify themselves] for the whole world to watch.  I really don’t know why the Oscars is still a big deal when hardly anyone watches the movies that get awards.  For instance, The Artist has the third lowest box office take of the nine films nominated for best picture.  In fact, only The Help was a hit with audiences – though, some would argue that the box office hauls for War Horse, The Descendants, and Moneyball weren’t paltry by any means.  Still, where was the love for the big pictures of the year?  Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, anyone?  And where’s the love for Marvel?  Don’t get me wrong, Warrior was a great independent-ish movie, and I love it – obviously – but it wasn’t Oscar bait.  It didn’t have a social issue theme that’s taboo, it didn’t have an out-of-context biographical story, nor did it have a trendy director or cast.  Okay, I’m done ranting.  Basically the Academy is a bunch of self-adulating 1%ers.  Yeah, I said it.  They like to show their support for the Occupy Movement, but aren’t willing to do the dirty work.  Hacks, they are.  Seriously, I’m done.

While I’m sure I’ll do this again next year, I’m glad it’s over for this one.  But seriously; I’m looking forward to a slew of movies this year, including, but not limited to: Act of Valor, Wrath of the Titans, Mirror Mirror, Snow White and the Huntsman, Lockout, Dark Shadows, Men in Black III, Prometheus, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Brave, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Ice Age: Continental Drift, Ted, The Bourne Legacy, Total Recall, Sparkle, Resident Evil: Retribution, Dredd, Red Dawn (if it actually gets released), Skyfall, Gravity, World War Z, The Great Gatsby, Django Unchained, Les Miserables, Rock of Ages, Battleship, John Carter, The Amazing Spiderman, and, of course, The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.  Here’s hoping for an exciting year at the movies.