Countdown to Oscar [Part II]
Don’t we all wish we could be Oscar voters and hand those trophies to the people and movies we liked the most? I know I do. Here’s my ranking of the nominees in the eight main categories. I ordered these films, scripts and performances based solely on my preference, not counting past snubs or losses or overall likeability of the nominee (titles link to the reviews).
Best Picture
- Midnight in Paris
- The Artist
- The Tree of Life
- The Help
- The Descendants
- Moneyball
- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
- Hugo
- War Horse
Best Director
- Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
- Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life
- Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris
- Martin Scorsese – Hugo
- Alexander Payne – The Descendants
Original Screenplay
- Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris
- Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig – Bridesmaids
- Asghar Farhadi – Jodaeiye Nader az Simin
- Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
- J.C. Chandor – Margin Call
(totally bummed Mike Mills didn’t get in for Beginners).
Adapted Screenplay
- Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash – The Descendants
- George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon – The Ides of March
- Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin; story by Stan Chervin – Moneyball
- Bridget O’Connor (†) and Peter Straughan – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
- John Logan – Hugo
Best Actor
- George Clooney – The Descendants
- Jean Dujardin – The Artist
- Demián Bichir – A Better Life
- Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
- Brad Pitt – Moneyball
Best Actress
- Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady
- Viola Davis – The Help
- Rooney Mara – The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
- Glenn Close – Albert Nobbs
(can’t comment on Michelle Williams because I haven’t yet seen My Week with Marilyn).
Best Supporting Actor
- Nick Nolte – Warrior
- Christopher Plummer – Beginners
- Max Von Sydow – Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
- Jonah Hill – Moneyball
(can’t comment on Kenneth Branagh, same case as Michelle Williams)
Best Supporting Actress
- Jessica Chastain – The Help
- Octavia Spencer – The Help
- Bérénice Bejo – The Artist
- Janet McTeer – Albert Nobbs
- Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids
Main agreements are among Best Director and Best Supporting Actor. Although The Artist was great, it was mostly propelled by style and plot rather than acting (though in retrospect, the performances needed to elevate to an much higher standard to support the enjoyment for an atypical film). So glad you put The Artist as your number two; anything lower I would have found questionable. 🙂 I have to disagree on your picks for Best Supporting Actress. Like I said, Berenice Bejo had to meet a much higher standard than those in The Help. I guess I can see where you’re going with Spencer, but I didn’t see much special with Chastain.
LikeLike
I think Jessica Chastain gave the best performance in “The Help”, and one of the best of the year. I think she would win every award (she beat every actress in the first ceremonies of the award season and some festivals) if she hadn’t also starred in The Tree of Life, thus splitting votes. Bérénice Bejo had to deal with the fact that she could not convey emotion through dialogue, but then again I don’t think her role demanded that much of her. The movie is pretty light.
LikeLike