Quick Oscar Wrapup
Posted on February 28, 2011 Posted by John Scalzi 15 Comments
Well, once again I got five out of six in the Oscar’s big categories, but where I usually fall down in the Supporting Actress category, this year I whiffed on the Director category, as The King’s Speech’s Tom Hooper bested David Fincher. I think this is somewhat outrageous, but hey, it’s not like I get a vote. And it’s not like Hooper is not deserving, just that I think Fincher is more so. Otherwise, not a bad Oscar loadout, and I was especially pleased to see Shaun Tan, Trent Reznor and Wally Pfister pick up Oscars, for Animated Short, Score and Cinematography, respectively. Everyone had a good night except poor David Fincher. Well, his day will come. Just you wait.
Do you think Fincher will have a shot with his remake of ‘Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’? Do they tend to discount English-language remakes of foreign films? From what I’ve heard, they’re going to make a version more faithful to the book than the Swedish movie, which I think it’s a great idea. I do wish he’d gone with Ellen Page for the lead, though.
I saw ‘The Kings Speech’ and thought it quite a good movie, but ‘Black Swan’, in my opinion, was better. I like that they have opened it to ten movies, but do they have to have ten? I was happy to see ‘True Grit” not win as I think the original better (except the girl in it-she made the movie) and how did this movie get nominated for best picture?
Tumbleweed, since Martin Scorsese won his Oscar for directing The Departed–a remake of the very good Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affair–I’d say the Academy isn’t prejudiced on that score.
Oops, make that Infernal Affairs.
Why has Geoffrey Rush shaved his head?
@Simon S. Rush is doing a play where his head is shaved. This was shown on CBS Sunday Morning a few weeks ago. It is rather an odd play.
I was little bit bothered by The Social Network since all the women in it where shrewish, sluts or wallpaper. Someone pointed this was to set up to show how the characters saw women. I felt that was a valid point.
And it’s not like Hooper is not deserving, just that I think Fincher is more so.
I think the Coens were more deserving that either, but I guess they got their golden sex toy love with No Country for Old Men — which I didn’t really like at all.
The only thing I have to say about the show beyond “least said soonest mended”? The folks the audience who hissed Tom Hooper when his name was called – grow the frak up. Just because the show is infantile, there’s no reason the audience has to be.
@Simon S. #5:
Rush shaved his head for the play he’s currently doing in New York — an adaptation of Gogol’s ‘Diary of A Madman’ –, which runs for another two sold out weeks. The production got fairly mixed reviews both in the US and Australia, but let’s face it the marquee value of Rush’s name puts a lot of bums on seats. http://www.bam.org/view.aspx?pid=2650
Y’know, if you got a co-writing credit for the adapted script for the OMW movie (and joined AMPAS), then you would get a vote.
Reznor in a tux… Never thought I’d see that.
Given that Reznor is seriously anti-RIAA, I wonder what the MPAA thinks about the Academy honoring his acheivement?
I just saw The King’s Speech over the weekend, and while I enjoyed it I don’t quite see why it was awarded best film. Don’t get me wrong – Colin Firth did a great job portraying King George and his speech impediment. But with all the drama within the film, it seemed to treat the real-world drama unfolding at the time as an afterthought. Up until the very end of the film (when the speech from the title takes place) it’s hard to really understand what consequence the king’s problem might have other than personal embarrassment.
Yay for Shaun Tan! That is all.
I made myself go into media blackout mode yesterday so that I could watch it at night after work (damn you Australia for being at the proper end of the Earth!) and I have t say this was the BEST. OSCARS. EVAAAAAARRRR!!!
Not only did local Brunswick boy and super nice guy Shaun Tan win (and he got absolutely NO recognition for his nomination in the Australian media prior to the awards, is was all Weaver, Rush and Kidman talk, which was just awful as he was easily Australia’s best hope) but my absolute idols in their fields – Trent Reznor and Aaron Sorkin – won Oscars as well. I yelled and screamed and crowed with glee when Trent’s name was read out, ans stood up and applauded when Aaron’s was.
Oh and I too missed out on Director, but I got all others correct and many of the “smaller” Oscars as well.
But with all the drama within the film, it seemed to treat the real-world drama unfolding at the time as an afterthought.
JohnH: I’m not being entirely snarky here, but you do realise that The King’s Speech was not a docudrama or even a mini-series about the events leading to the Second World War or even the Abdication Crisis. (Others have covered those subjects more than once. It’s like complaining that The Pacific didn’t really pay that much attention to British and Commonwealth troops in the Pacific theatre, or fully contextualise civilian life in Australia or New Zealand at the time. All worthy subjects, but it seems beside the point to criticise a film or television show for not achieving what it wasn’t even attempting to do.