The OSCARS

For a few years now – since I have consciously followed the Oscars as a viewer, I noticed one specific trend, which is not necessarily a good thing.

It happened a few times – probably this is most remembered in my head in the Best Actor category, that the actor who should win – for best performance, best effort, an important role in his career, does not win the Oscar that year, when he gets nominated for that role. He gets the Oscar one year later, for a different film, of lesser power, importance and sometimes an easier, less important role.

Examples:

Russel Crowe. He should have been awarded the Oscar for his role in “Beautiful Mind” where he played the schizofrenic John Nash – Nobel laureate in Economics. But no, he got the Oscar for “Gladiator”.

Colin Firth. He deserved the Oscar for the role of a peculiar English professor in California of mid 20th century in “A Single Man”. No, he got it for “The King’s Speech”.

Another thing is not to nominate actors that should have been nominated for great roles, for playing outside of their emploi. Please note that in my opinion the two examples above actually rewarded the two actors as playing within their characteristics, not outside of their usual role selection. Which totally defeats the purpose the way I see it.

The other category: Best Picture. For some reason, actual best films get Oscars such as Best Sound Mixing or Best Editing and not in the so called ‘crucial’ categories.

Last year’s selection was very strong with Jesse Eisenberg and Javier Bardem. The year before a tie between Jeff Bridges and Colin Firth.

Who should win this year? First of all – Michael Fassbender was omitted in the nominations overall. Many have pointed this out and I second that. Shame isn’t perhaps a great film, but certainly Michael Fassbender is great in the role that he created.

Best Actor – Gary Oldman – for playing against his usual emploi.

Best Picture – Midnight in Paris – for a great come back of the great master of great cinema!

Best Director – Woody Allen. YES!

Best Writing – Woody Allen.

Best Writing Adaptation – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Best Foreign Film – tie between A Separation and In Darkness. This will be interesting.

Well, let’s see..

 

Advertisement

Montevideo – Taste of a Dream by Dragan Bjelogrlic

Serbian candidate for the Oscar.

An American style, big studio production. With all its up and downsides. Accompanied by Balkan traditional music.

It tells the story of the formation of the national football team in 1930 in Belgrade getting ready for the World Cup in Uruguay.

Painfully long – the way Gone with the Wind was.

Interesting again for those who are into costumes and period cinema. Certainly for football fans and those familiar with the complicated Balkan Gordian Knot aka the Balkan Powder Keg political situation in the 20th century.

The King’s Speech by Tom Hooper

The winner of too many Oscars for 2010. Colin Firth should have received the Oscar for his role in Tom Ford’s A Single Man.

Helena Bonham-Carter as Queen Mother is truly convincing. Her role as the éminence grise taking care of her husband and fully supporting him in all he does is very far from other roles she was known for.

Geoffrey Rush, as the failed actor from the Antipodes who had found his vocation as speech impediment expert, impeccable.

A great gallery of fantastic supporting role performances, good costume cinema. No more.

Inception by Christopher Nolan

A mind-blowing experience. This was truly the film of 2010 (as opposed to The King’s Speech which got the Oscar).

Leonardo DiCaprio fantastic as always, plus Ellen Page (previously known for her role in Juno) and, above all, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Other distinguished stars are Marion Cotillard and Michael Caine.

The plot is so disturbing and actually not obvious to pick up on, but once in the convention it is astonishing with its innovativeness and consequence.

A cult film and a true masterpiece.