To illuminate the difference between 2010 & 2009, one need go no further than examing the obligatory Coen Brothers offering. Last year's A Serious Man, a metaphoric, but ultimately quizzical foray into modern interpretations of ancient Judaic myth (I think...and I saw it twice, and I'm an English major), left everyone wondering where they missed a serious plot point. (Editor's note: I used all the good puns for this movie last year).
Grit, on the other hand was an atmospheric Coen-ization of a tried and true classic. It teemed with trademark Coen Brothers "dont-know-if-i should-laugh-or-cry" moments.
COSTAL'S WHAT IF HOLLYWOOD PLOT LINE: What if we could resurrect the old, crotchedy and girdled John Wayne from the original True Grit but cast him in a remake of Fargo directed by John Ford?
So, even though a double feature addition to the Costal house has kept me off the blog this season, here's my annual offering of ranked nominees:
10. True Grit: Moody and breath-taking. Hailee Steinfeld ran circles around that Dorothy Hamil bundle of androgeny who starred in the first movie (Nyaw...please find and add her name), but I felt like I was watching The Dude pretend to be The Duke.
8. 127 Hours: White knuckle thrill ride I watched through my fingers. James Franco, ivy league chic leading man, and Danny Boyle, intense Brit director who came to Oscar gold by way of zombies, are brillant. Franco literally played opposite a boulder and kept me hooked. But the film's short-coming is Boyle's. It felt truncated...amputated, if you will. Unlike Slumdog Millionaire, his Indian epic Best Picture of the '09/'08 season, this movie seemed to NEED Boylle's signature visual asides. He is known to ramble outside the confines of the narrative visually, providing music video-like vignettes within his films that are meant to accent the main plot line. Here they felt like plot fillers, not spices. A dense cranberry stuffing meant to mask a meager Thanksgiving bird. The result made the film seem both overdone and sparse at the same time.
7. Winter's Bone: I love Jennifer Lawrence. I love wolf sweaters. So slam dunk, right? The movie's ambling, journey sometimes played like white trash "Lord of the Rings." Yet, the all gal swamp boat ride was one of the most harrowing scenes of the season. Kudos for exposing the greatness of John Hawks, though. And Jennifer Lawrence should be Natalie Portman big by next year's ceremony. And I don't mean preggers.6. Inception: Visually stunning. Epic effects. Decent acting. Just plain fun. But the plot has more holes than Charlie Brown's Halloween costume. Director Chris Nolan will have his time. He rises with Spielberg-like speed to the blockbuster hall of fame. But not this year.
5. Black Swan: Natalie Portman was phenomenal. The last 25 minutes are a death drive. But overall, the plot seemed overdone and passe. It does unveil the type of genre hybrid I think will become more common as audience tastes mature in our desensitized digital world. Speaking of "Swan Songs..."
4. Toy Story 3: Not a dry-eye in the house as Buzz and Woody take their final (hopefully), computer-generated bows. But the strength is in the trilogy overall, not in this individual installment. Toy Story is Hollywood most dependable brand of the past 15 years. It deserves recognition. But Acadermy voters will find a Best Animated win as praise enough. Otherwise, Oscar rarely gives out series awards like it did in '02 with Return of the King.
performances, and subsequently, the real-life characters burrowed into my sub-conscious. I found myself pondering Melissa Leo's character for weeks. Evil or misunderstood? Do I pity her or hate her? Does she, in real life, deserve to be applauded by Hollywood at the Oscars? Definitely not, but I suspect she will be.During the film, I found myself willing Christian Bale's crackhead away from the crackhouse. His character could've gone either way at that climatic moment. Either scenario was plausible. And that's the power of the film. Investment. It's about investing in ourselves and our loved ones despite their trangressions. The film succeeds in demanding the same from its audience. The performances are so nuanced that the audience doesn't perceive the full complications or shades of each character until after the movie ends. That's a sign of greatness.
PS - Forget Black Swan! The sisters in this movie are scarier than any manic killer bird hallucination. Also, Amy Adams cat fight scene was hotter than the Portman/Kunis love scene. Maybe that says more about me than films, but, fahgettaboutit!
2. The King's Speech: Why not Best Picture? A bit dry. A bit short on climax. A bit long in self-importance. A bit too obviously built for the Oscar formula of handicap + Hitler = GOLD! Still, the interplay between Firth and Rush had my brain spewing a thesaurus of critical appraise words: clever, indelible, delightful. Yes, delightful! As lame as it sounds...delightful is the best word for it. Finally! A buddy movie for history buffs...and no cops...or dogs! Woo-hoo!
1. The Social Network: Few things are as unique or satisfying as an Aaron Sorkin script. Like that guy you used to sit up all night waxing philosophy with in college. You know the one. The only one you couldn't beat at Risk. Its like that guy rings the doorbell, and for a few hours, it's cool to act smart again. You talk fast. You drop obscure pop reference allusions like Arnold dropped the Gooch. The actors were also phenomenal (Andrew Garfield got robbed). Some gorgeous cinematography (see: everyone making a fuss over the crew scene). The editing and shot sequence moved with a flow that mimiced the technological innovation it tells tale of. Equal doses of legitimate Zuckerberg controversy and cheesy Zuckerberg media stunting (SNL?) make it a perfect homage to "the" Facebook.
But enough about me!
Best Picture: King's Speech
Best Director: David Fincher, The Falcon knows its rare that there is an Oscar night split between film and director, but it will happen tonight because Tom Hooper (King's Speech) is too young and most people don't credit his direction as the strength of the film (which is plain silly, but hey, who am I? I'll be wearing sweatpants and holding newborns tonight while the Falcon is talking to E! and learning how to pronounce Bottega Vaneta)
Best Actor: Colin Firth, A Hollywood coronation is held fot a film about a coronation.
UPSET SPECIAL: Best Actress: Annette Bening, Never underestimate Oscar's need to hand at least one award to a winless journey woman who everyone assumes already one, but has not. Conventional wisdom stands that they can give it to Portman another year for a lesser performance. Reference number: Denzel.
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo
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