84th annual Oscars

Having just squeaked in the ninth film on the Best Picture list, I will say poppets, I dropped the ball.  I normally would have shared my predictions with you prior to the red carpet, but alas; Sunday snuck up on and and I just had so much to do.  I had printed out a ballot for all of us to fill in, and we even put our five bucks into the kitty.  I did not fare well, overall, only getting twelve categories right.  I did not anticipate the love-fest for Hugo in the technical department, who walked away with five statues, tying with The Artist, which I thought was a much more... creative film.  I did bat 1.000 on the Big Six, correctly predicting Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress.  I was also very happy to see that Tree of Life was shunned.

Now Playing: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

The final entry on the 2012 Oscars list: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.  Starring a multitude of famous people, this a story centered around a boy named Oscar trying to cope with the loss of his father during 9/11. While the acting etc. was passable, I actually found the story the most compelling part of this movie.  Because I don't want to spoil it for you poppets, this will (by necessity) be a short review.  I just want to say that the unfolding of the six messages is probably some of the best tension you'll find in the top nine this year and the "reveal" at the end involving two of the main characters demonstrates quality plot development.  This is definitely the movie that surprised me most, in the best possible way: 3.5 out of 5 stars.

For Rent: 2012 Oscars

Normally, I don't do DVD movie reviews (I'd have to do this full-time if I did that) but since I watched so many Oscar nominees on video this year, I thought, what the heck.  So, here are my short thoughts.

Now Playing: War Horse / The Artist

Catching up quickly on the top nine, yesterday we went to see two more Oscar noms.

War Horse: okay, I'll admit that I didn't take this nomination very seriously.  I mean, a horse movie?  Best pic?  Come on.  But I put prejudice aside and settled in for the longest film on the list.  This is a movie about a boy who falls in love with a horse that isn't his, which fate conspires to become his and which a war takes from him.  The horse, Finders Key, is actually an amazingly trained animal, with many scenes relying on just him to carry it through; I would have never thought I'd be so moved by an animal, and yet...

The plot itself is quite epic, spanning many fronts of WWI, with the horse changing hands from English to German to French back to German and back again to English.  And while the horse-and-boy story is compelling, it's the side stories of Emilie and Gunther and Peter that really stick out. 

Well-acted, -directed and -paced, I can't find too many faults with this family-friendly drama.  It was a bit long and, paradoxically, I found it didn't spend enough time on certain vignettes (Gunther, especially).  And, relative to its running mates, War Horse is a good solid entry in the Best Picture category. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Now Playing: The Descendants / Chronicle

I am not doing very well in my pursuit to watch all nine nominations…

We were supposed to see War Horse and The Artist; then I chickened out due to impending snow and we went closer to home instead catching The Descendants and Chronicle.

Now Playing: Underworld: Awakening

I cheated. I’m supposed to be catching up on my Oscar contenders after weeks of neglect and what do I find myself watching on Tuesday? Underworld: Awakening. Good thing no one pays me to do this here “weblog”. (You know what’s funny? Spell-check underlined “weblog” but ignores “blog”.  Hmm.)

Now Playing: Hugo

Now that I’m mobile, the Oscar list needs to be whittled down.  Anything that can be watched on DVD has been, so I’m moving back to the theatre.  On Sunday evening, I took in the 3D version of Hugo, based on the fabulous kid’s book The Invention of Hugo Cabret.  Directed by the venerable Martin Scorcese and starring Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen and the wonderful Asa Butterfield (whom I loved in The Boy in Striped Pyjamas).