Best Picture Race 2011

(Top row from Left to right-Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, The King’s Speech.

Bottom row from Left to right-127 Hours, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, True Grit, Winter’s Bone.)

  

For the first time that I can remember I have seen all of the Best Picture nominees of the Academy Awards, in particular the 83rd Annual Academy Awards® .  Quite a feat especially since they expanded the category from five to ten pictures last year. (From 1944 to 2008, the Academy restricted nominations to five Best Picture nominees per year.)

From left to right: Academy Award winner Mo'Nique and Tom Sherak, President of the Academy announcing the nominees for Best Picture January 25, 2011.

Now that the awards are over and I already gave MY pick for Best Picture (linked at the end) here is a more detailed recount of what I thought about each film in alphabetical order. (You can read about each film at Wikipedia by CLICKING each poster below.)

______________________________________________________

BLACK SWAN What a wonderfully trippy film. From beginning to end this picture was just a psychotic break without going too over the top…or totally breaking from reality mostly due to great direction by Darren Aronofsky. Mila Kunis gives another good performance (I liked her performance in Book of Eli as well.) Natalie Portman gives a frenetic yet nuanced performance. It could have easily become scenery chewing and over the top yet didn’t.

______________________________________________________

THE FIGHTER A really good film that gave a different take on the boxer who must over come odds to become champ. This film focused on the boxer’s dysfunctional, yet supportive family. Melissa Leo was good, but Amy Adams was FANTASTIC. Every scene she was in, she was great. The star Mark Walhberg was good too, but Christian Bale had another FANTASTIC performance. His performance also could have been easily become scenery chewing and over the top yet didn’t.

 
 
 

______________________________________________________

INCEPTION Talk about a trip, like Black Swan, this film was sort of a psychotic break WITH ACTION. An excellent film that, even though it had a mind bending story, had an underlying storyline about guilt, grief and love loss. About 30 minutes into the movie I thought, yeah Paris folds onto itself that’s cool, but what else? Well when one of the antagonists interrupts the dream I started thinking “What was that about?” From that moment until the end I was completely into the picture. Great direction by Christopher Nolan and yes the picture is a special effects extravaganza, but great performances by Leonardo DiCaprio,  Marion Cotillard and the rest of the cast add to it. Last, but not least I have to point out Hans Zimmer’s work on the score.  The score is original music written specifically to accompany a film in order to enhance the dramatic narrative and the emotional impact of the scenes in question and Zimmer’s pulsating score did just that! Great direction, special effects, performances and score equal an excellent motion picture.

______________________________________________________

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT A really nice “dramedy”. Every year the academy tends to nominate a really good film that blends comedy, drama and good performances and this was it. Yes Annette Bening gets all the attention (and has some great dramatic scenes) but the rest of the cast, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska  & Josh Hutcherson are also very good. Mark Ruffalo in particular gives a performance that makes you like him, but makes you also think he’s kind of a jerk. A subtlety that’s not easy to accomplish.

______________________________________________________

THE KING’S SPEECH An excellent film all the way around. Great story, direction and pitch perfect acting by and Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. I expected this film to be a nice story of overcoming odds and I’ve read about the great acting, but EVERYTHING about the movie was excellent including the direction by Tom Hooper.

______________________________________________________

127 HOURS How can a movie about some guy who gets his arm trapped by a rock be interesting? Fantastically so. With a great performance by James Franco, the director Danny Boyle really finds ways to make a mostly solitary story interesting. I won’t tell you how, you just have to see it, but the ending is really emotional and I’m not talking about the “pivotal scene”. Great direction by Boyle and a REALLY great performance by James Franco.

______________________________________________________

THE SOCIAL NETWORK Another excellent film all the way around. Great direction, an excellent script and great acting. The WHOLE cast, even the supporting cast, gave great natural performances aided by the director David Fincher and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin. Fincher and Sorkin made a story about a bunch of geeks writing computer code interesting and compelling by combining it with a story about power, success and envy.

______________________________________________________

TOY STORY 3 Not much to say other than rarely (if ever?) is a second sequel good, nonetheless excellent and this one was. A very nice and touching way to tie up the trilogy. 

______________________________________________________

TRUE GRIT A really good film, with really good direction, script and performances. The true standout performance though was Hailee Steinfeld (pictured below right) who was EXCELLENT and commanded many scenes she was in. The story starts out with this little girl in pigtails making arrangements for her father’s burial and “making arrangements” is an understatement. She convincingly negotiated the price and the eventual bounty for her father’s killer with men twice (three times?) her age. That kind of convincing portrayal is quite an achievement for a 14 year old.

Hailee Steinfeld

______________________________________________________

WINTER’S BONE This film was so authentic in its story and acting it kind of turned me off when I watched it. It was only in retrospect that I realized what an achievement it was. Some of the most truly authentic acting I have seen in ANY picture last year. Jennifer Lawrence was EXCELLENT in the lead and many of the supporting cast was equally gritty and authentic. An excellent authentic film.

______________________________________________________

I can truly say that EACH OF THE TEN PICTURES I SAW deserved to be nominated for Best Picture. Each film was fantastic in its own right and while the award went to The King’s Speech, for each it SHOULD be an honor to be nominated. I have seen three of my favorites twice now and those being The Social Network, The King’s Speech, and Inception and they still hold up as excellent.

The Oscar is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry and having watched ten of their honorees, I have to say yeah, they know what they’re doing.

You can read MY picks for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards by CLICKING the graphic below

Related posts-

Lack of Diversity at the Oscars 2011

African Americans at the Academy Awards

Cool Black's Oscar Recap Past & Present

Cool Black's Entertainment Review 2010-Best Movie

The High Cost of the Oscars

OSCAR: The $135 Million Gift To Los Angeles

Lindsay Miller
The Fiscal Times
Mar. 1, 2011

Director Frank Capra may have called the Oscar “the most valuable but least expensive item of worldwide public relations ever invented by any industry." But producing Hollywood’s biggest night of the year hardly comes cheap. From the lavish food and drink to the gold-plated statuettes themselves, little expense is spared to make this night an entertainment extravaganza, not to mention the economic boost it gives to the city of Los Angeles – over $130 million. Here are a dozen surprising ways money is spent on the Academy Awards.


1. Best Picture Campaign: $15 million and up

From full-page ads in Variety and The Hollywood Reporter to swanky parties and screenings, studios spare little when it comes to championing their films for a best picture win. “The money spent is directly proportional to the ambition,” says a publicist who has worked on several campaigns. “A tiny indie could run a million, while a film like The Social Network could go as high as 15 million or more.”

2. Scalped Ticket: $85,000 and up

Oscar invitees sign a release promising not to resell or give away their coveted seats to the show—but that hasn’t always stopped scalpers. In a 2008 lawsuit, the Academy accused two companies of trying to hawk tickets for as much as $85,000 a pop. In 2009, the Academy brought another suit against an Arizona-based firm that advertised a seven-day trip to Hollywood that included an Oscar ticket, accommodations at the Bel Air hotel, a strut down the red carpet, and other cushy perks for $175,000.

3. Gift Bag: $75,000

Several invite-only gifting suites where stars are lavished with vacations, jewelry, skincare treatments, and other pricey perks are held the week of the awards. So even the losers end up winning: This year, Distinctive Assets, a Los Angeles-based marketing company, will send each Oscar nominee $75,000 worth of swag the morning after the show. Standouts include a getaway to the Maldives worth $16,000 and a six-month gym membership.

4. Champagne: $42,000

Moët & Chandon is providing the bubbly at this year’s official “after” party, the Academy Awards Governors Ball. Organizers expect more than 1,200 bottles of the brand’s Imperial selection to be served, and at $34.99 each, that’s nearly $42,000 of sparkling wine swilled and savored.

5. Red Carpet: $25,000-$30,000

The Oscars’ red carpet is an impressive 500 feet long and 33 feet wide—or 16,500 square feet. A spokesperson for Beverly Hills-based Red Carpet Systems says they would charge $7,500 to rent a red carpet that length at their standard width of just ten feet wide. In fact, most L.A.-area companies that provide the service charge an average of $1 and $1.50 per square foot of carpet. At that rate, the Academy’s walkway could cost as much as $24,750 before taking into account set-up fees, which can also be hefty. Red Carpet Systems says a project the size of Oscar’s could require a crew of about 16 men for four days, and at California’s minimum wage, the labor alone would cost another $3,768.

6. Truffles: $25,000

Master chef Wolfgang Puck has long been the creative force behind the Governors Ball menu. This year’s offerings include heaping tubs of caviar, gold-coated chocolate Oscars, and the most decadent ingredient of all: black truffles. Puck will shave them on pizzas and in a truffle aioli paired with asparagus, Iberico ham, and mizuna leaves. He plans to use about 25 pounds of the fungi—at $1,000 per pound.

7. Hair, Makeup, Eyelashes, Tanning, and More: $5,000-$11,000

On Oscar day, the most in-demand hairstylists, spray-tanners and makeup artists are dispatched to the homes of A-list stars. Top coiffeurs like Oribe reportedly command $5,000 per day—plus gratuity—with a complete hair and makeup team billing as much as $10,000. Add in the cost of eyelash extensions (up to $450), an in-home luxury mani/pedi ($250) and spray tanning by Hollywood favorites like Jimmy Coco ($125), and the total can easily creep beyond the $10K mark.

8. Gown: $4,000-$6,000

Most major celebs don’t pay for their red carpet dresses or diamonds: They borrow the pricey pieces from designers and jewelers. Still, it takes a top-notch wardrobe stylist to select the perfect look and negotiate those loans with fashion houses. Some of Hollywood’s top names, such as Rachel Zoe, command day rates between $4,000 and $6,000 for their services, a tab frequently footed by the movie studio, not the starlet.

9. Security Detail: $2,500-$3,000

Most high-powered A-listers use a bodyguard on a daily basis, but for a special event, they ramp up the protection. Aaron Cohen, founder of IMS-Security and author of Brotherhood of Warriors, has protected stars at previous Oscars. “A celebrity like Angelina [Jolie] will probably have ‘her guy,’ for lack of a better term, and one advance scout to coordinate before she arrives with on-site security,” he says. “They help handle the actual carpet drop with the protective agent, who would then arrive with her.” The cost for this 007-style service? From $2500 to $3000.

10. Getting Trim for the Tux: $500-$5,000

For leading men who want to get in shape fast, military-inspired classes at gyms like Barry’s Bootcamp run about $600 for a package 50 sessions. For one-on-one attention, some of Tinseltown’s most coveted trainers charge about $3,000 per private session. Meal delivery services and cleanses are also popular last-minute fixes. A three-day supply of detox juices from BluPrintCleanse runs $195, while Paleta, an organic food service in Los Angeles and New York City, charges $485 a week.

11. Car and Driver: $1,000-$3,750

With red-carpet arrivals starting in the afternoon and after parties stretching well into the wee hours, the cost of a chauffeured car on Oscar night can rival a mortgage payment. A 2:00 p.m. pick up and 2:00 a.m. drop off will break the $1,000 mark at most L.A. car services. Most companies charge $65 an hour, plus a 20 percent gratuity and additional service and fuel charges. Spring for the stretch limo that seats eight closes friends, managers, agents, and publicists—and you’re looking at as much as $3,750.

12. The Oscar Itself: $500 and up

Each eight-and-a-half-pound Oscar is cast in brittania metal and plated in copper and nickel silver before the finishing touch, a layer of 24-karat gold, is applied. Each statuette costs $500 to produce. While it’s difficult to know exactly how many awards will be handed out in any given year, at least 25 Oscars—$125,000 worth—will be presented on Sunday night’s show.

Related posts-
Cool Black's Oscar Picks 2011

Lack of Diversity at the Oscars 2011

African Americans at the Academy Awards

Cool Black's Oscar Recap Past & Present

External link-
http://abcnews.go.com/entertainment/oscars

83rd Academy Awards: Oscar Overview

By Aphrodite M.

 

Bob D'Amico  /  ABC

The 83^rd Academy Awards have come to a close and, of course, every viewer and reviewer has to put their two cents in about Hollywood’s greatest self-promotion machine. The ceremony didn’t veer too far off from the expected formula, unless one considers the double-mint hosting duo comprised of James Franco and Anne Hathaway.

 

Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images



Franco and Hathaway both had a nervous energy which made for an uneasy viewing experience although they did exude a heaping spoonful of sweetness and enthusiasm. James Franco in drag as Marilyn Monroe had the makings of a great Saturday Night Live skit but it seemed a forced attempt at hilarity. Hathaway’s comedic musical number presenting the nominees for the night showed off her surprisingly strong voice.

Although Franco and Hathaway are likable, young and fun they seemed to lack the commanding presence and innate humor of past Academy Awards hosts. The disparity was most notable when Billy Crystal took the stage. He had more charisma and personality than both of this year’s hosts put together. Also, Crystal’s anecdote, regarding his hosting experience when Bob Hope flipped him off after the cameras turned, was just the sort of material which holds the perfect mix of irreverence and interest to satisfy the audience at home and in the theatre.



Even Sandra Bullock, who is not regarded as a stand-up comedian or stage performer, showed enough comedic presence and timing, when presenting the nominees for actor in a leading role, to put her in the running for a better hosting option. She had a flare and comedic ease which overshadowed Franco’s and Hathaway’s desperate attempts at humor. Bullock’s, and of course Crystal’s, ease with language and comedy allowed the viewer to relax into the Academy ride without having to worry about who’s working the reigns.

Franco and Hathaway were a safe bet, though, considering the Hollywood crème de la crème were on edge after the Gervais-Gate uproar when Ricky Gervais’ irreverently and hilariously hosted this year’s Golden Globes.



Melissa Leo "Consider" ad (Variety)

Some of the more notable show highlights were Kirk Douglas' farcically aeonic presentation of the best supporting actress reveal followed by Melissa Leo’s F-bomb during her acceptance of said award. Leo's verbal slip-up was about as tremendous as her performance in The Fighter or the ad she placed for herself in Variety magazine promoting her Oscar nomination.

The show included live musical performances by Gwyneth Paltrow and Celine Dion. Paltrow’s performance was passable, although her voice lacked the strength and clarity to really warrant a live solo performance. It wasn’t bad but if one is commanding a stage with millions of viewers, it certainly wasn’t good enough. Dion’s voice was as magical and sharp as always and created a perfect accompaniment to the In Memoriam Tribute.

The female lead category held amazing nominees who were all deserving of the award. It’s no surprise Natalie Portman won, though, as she was the front runner and favorite. Her speech was enjoyable and she managed to thank nearly everyone in Black Swan which was an achievement in itself considering the time constraints. Also, unlike her previous acceptance speeches, she managed to avoid the use of profanity and any references to her fiancés amorous advances leading to her current impregnated state.

Colin Firth was hilarious when upon accepting the award for best actor he said, “I have a feeling my career’s just peaked.” His speech was just the right amount of cheeky fun, emotion and earnestness to make it one of the best acceptance speeches of the night. He also had the perfect exit, stating, “I have some impulses I have to tend to backstage.”

Two other expected and deserved wins for this year were best motion picture for The King’s Speech, which won four of its twelve nominations, and best supporting male actor, given to a heavily bearded Christian Bale.

The Oscars closed with a song from the students of the PS22 School. The performance was sweet, although the fluorescent green and royal blue t-shirts the children were wearing made them seem like miniature inmates rather than scheduled performers. Surely, the budget for the biggest award show of the year would allow for more appropriate attire for these featured performers.

Also, all of the nominees walking out on stage behind the singing students made it seem like a talent showcase where the well-dressed judges come out to close the show. Hathaway’s high-fiving and fervent “wooing,” as the performance came to a close, pretty much ruined any pleasant after-glow which may have been had by the home viewers.

Of course, no Oscar review would be complete without a fashion mention. Anne Hathaway wore some very flattering and eye-catching gowns throughout the show, but her limply styled, brassy locks detracted from the glamorous attire. My best dressed picks of the night are Halle Berry in a nude, sparkle and tulle Marchesa gown and Gwyneth Paltrow in a silver, sleek, simple and sexy Calvin Klein dress. Also, Cate Blanchett’s light lavendar Givenchy gown was the most imaginative with strategically placed beading and a structured, almost architectural top half.

The worst dressed? In my opinion, as long as people feel good in what they’re wearing and their fashion choices inspire them, then they should go for it. Fashion should be fun and adventurous. Hats off to the fashion risk takers and congratulations to all the winners and nominees.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

As featured on Picktainment.







Vindication of the Female Voice: The Academy and Sexism

by Aphrodite M.

Photo: Todd Wawrychuk / © A.M.P.A.S.

Last year Kathryn Bigelow was the first female director to win an Oscar for her war film Hurt Locker. Many saw this as a major breakthrough for females pursuing and successfully working in the field. Yet, many have been yelling fowl over this year’s Academy snub of Lisa Cholodenko and Debra Granik for best director nominees.

The films The Kids Are All Right and Winter’s Bone were both nominated for best picture but their female directors were not. Does this prove sexism runs rampant in Hollywood and amongst the Academy members, made up of the Hollywood elite, or is it really just a matter of preference or even ratios?

An easy answer is that there are 10 nominees for best picture while only 5 for best director. Obviously this means some very deserving candidates must be excluded. Why both of the excluded candidates were female directors is the question many want answered.

In an article written by Stacy Smith, on March 2010 for the Huffington Post, Smith looked at gender numbers on IMDbPro and found of those who directed major motion pictures in 2007, 109 directors were male while only 3 were female. Neda Ulaby, in her article on female directors for NPR, found in 2008 only 9 percent of the 250 top-grossing domestic films were directed by women. These disproportionate numbers have not changed much in 2011. The inequality of women in film also extends to most behind the scenes jobs and even to in-front-of-the-camera speaking roles.

Women are vastly underrepresented in the film industry although they make up 50 percent of the population. Lest we forget, women didn’t even have legislation enacted for equality in the workplace until the 1960’s.

There are plenty of women who would like to break in to the male-dominated industry but it seems they are not given the same opportunities as men by the major studios. Even Kathryn Bigelow had to have Hurt Locker independently funded outside of the studio system, and many tried to mitigate her achievements by passing off her success to her mentor and ex-husband James Cameron. On the other hand, a virtually unknown newcomer like John Kosinsky is given a $100 million budget to direct the major studio film Tron: Legacy.

Female directors such as Sophia Coppola and Lynn Shelton, who have commercial success and critical acclaim, are still not at the helm of studio-backed blockbuster films even though they have repeatedly proven their talent and worth by making runaway hits of small independent films.

Coppola even mentioned in her extras footage for the film Lost in Translation that there was a sort of mutiny among the crew who didn’t think she knew what she was doing. Lost in Translation was subsequently nominated for best film and best director and Coppola won the Oscar for best writing and original screenplay.

Catherine Hardwicke, who some may dismiss as making teenage fluff films, was wildly successful in her interpretation of the first Twilight film. She took a film with a very small budget and even tighter shooting schedule and created a blockbuster which grossed a $170 million profit for Summit Entertainment. Any male director who had done the same with teenage fluff, or action fluff or any other type of fluff would probably be set to make the next James Bond film.

            The industry may be passing over female directors but it is to its own detriment. The few women who have risen up through the ranks produce compelling films audiences love to watch with profits major studios demand. Some of these amazing directors include Penny Marshall, Lina Wertmüller, Jane Campion, Sophia Coppola, Kathryn Bigelow and Lynn Shelton. They prove that the female voice is not only monetarily viable but important and inspiring to both male and female viewers.

            Many argue female directors will get their due when they prove themselves through making quality films. This short-sighted argument fails to notice the quality is evident, while the opportunities are lacking. The Academy is made up of the Hollywood heavy hitters who run the system and the system does not seem to show a fair hand to both male and female directors of the same caliber. No one is arguing that a director should be hired merely for her gender, but when there is proven talent and success, there is no reason for disparaging treatment of one gender over another.

As featured on Picktainment.

Oscar 2009 Recap

Well the 81st Annual Academy Awards were definitely scaled down. The producers said they were trying something different and they did. What resulted didn’t seem like the biggest night in Hollywood to me. The stage was right in the audience’s lap and the usually lame musical numbers were…usually lame. Hugh Jackman is great, but when Beyonce can’t even make a musical number better, it’s bad. The FOW (Former Oscar Winners) presenting the acting awards was a nice idea, but when a FOW can’t read a teleprompter it became awkward. The best speeches from a FOW were the ones that seemed from the heart and not read.

Aside from the actual ceremony, the best moments were Heath Ledger’s and Kate Winslet’s wins. Heath Ledger’s acting has been excellent and his work as the Joker in TDK (The Dark Knight) was no different. I’ve only seen him in two previous films, Monster’s Ball and Brokeback Mountain, but he was excellent in both. When I watched him in TDK he wasn’t an actor playing a looney bin, he was just a looney bin. When an actor makes you believe in a character and makes you forget they are “acting” THAT’S ACTING.

Kate Winslet has been equally excellent for a long time. I’ve also only seen her in a few films, Titanic (of course), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Life of David Gale where she played “Bitsey Bloom”. The Life of David Gale was a horrible movie, but her performance was the best thing about the film and I said the film should have been called “The Life of Bitsey Bloom”. Congratulations to her, finally.

The winners in two of my favorite categories were:
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Dustin Lance Black for "Milk"

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Simon Beaufoy for "Slumdog Millionaire"

I kind of have my own personal backlash against Slumdog Millionaire. I probably would never watch a movie like this, just not my cup of tea, and all of the hype about it doesn’t endear it to me. I’ll probably watch it on DVD to see what all the hype is about, but I’m not rushing out to see it. Congratulations to it though for it is a true underdog story and congrats to all of the winners. Here’s to next year.

In case you missed it a list of the major winners followed by the funniest moment of the night.

BEST PICTURE
"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight) A Celador Films Production, Christian Colson, producer

LEAD ACTOR
Sean Penn in "Milk" (Focus Features)

LEAD ACTRESS
Kate Winslet in "The Reader" (The Weinstein Company)

DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle for "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (The Weinstein Company)

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Anthony Dod Mantle for "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)

This was the funniest moment of the night followed by the appearance that inspired it