2012 Oscars Catch-All

What do you need to vote for the SAGS? Just membership? or are there any other crazy requests?

Just membership.

You guys may be all annoyed and skeptical, but Hitler is pissed about Albert Brooks.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

You can skip them. They're not good. In fact, seeing that Payne was attached made me uninterested in The Descendants when I first saw the trailer because I disliked his other movies so much. I found them to be very focused on the self-pity of middle-aged, upper-middle class white guys. I don't expect that The Descendants will be much different.

heresy! Sideways is very good.

Slumberland wrote:

The Artist, which feels almost criminally overrated at this point. A well made curio but it offers almost no spin on the actual films its cribbing from.

Agree totally here.

ranalin wrote:
ClockworkHouse wrote:

You can skip them. They're not good. In fact, seeing that Payne was attached made me uninterested in The Descendants when I first saw the trailer because I disliked his other movies so much. I found them to be very focused on the self-pity of middle-aged, upper-middle class white guys. I don't expect that The Descendants will be much different.

heresy! Sideways is very good.

Sideways suffered from an absolutely abysmal marketing strategy that pitched it as a goofy buddy comedy.

Quintin_Stone wrote:
ranalin wrote:
ClockworkHouse wrote:

You can skip them. They're not good. In fact, seeing that Payne was attached made me uninterested in The Descendants when I first saw the trailer because I disliked his other movies so much. I found them to be very focused on the self-pity of middle-aged, upper-middle class white guys. I don't expect that The Descendants will be much different.

heresy! Sideways is very good.

Sideways suffered from an absolutely abysmal marketing strategy that pitched it as a goofy buddy comedy.

That's a problem with all of his movies, though. "The Descendants" was pitched as a Wes Anderson-esque dramedy when actually it's just a nice little film about a random set of life events for a family.

The main nice thing I have to say about "The Descendants", other than it's pleasant to watch, is that it's a bit of a love letter to Hawaii in an indirect way. In terms of the setting, etc. My wife grew up there and loved it for that.

Quintin_Stone wrote:
ranalin wrote:
ClockworkHouse wrote:

You can skip them. They're not good. In fact, seeing that Payne was attached made me uninterested in The Descendants when I first saw the trailer because I disliked his other movies so much. I found them to be very focused on the self-pity of middle-aged, upper-middle class white guys. I don't expect that The Descendants will be much different.

heresy! Sideways is very good.

Sideways suffered from an absolutely abysmal marketing strategy that pitched it as a goofy buddy comedy.

The most blatant case of false advertising I've seen since I sued the movie The Never Ending Story.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

You can skip them. They're not good. In fact, seeing that Payne was attached made me uninterested in The Descendants when I first saw the trailer because I disliked his other movies so much. I found them to be very focused on the self-pity of middle-aged, upper-middle class white guys. I don't expect that The Descendants will be much different.

I haven't seen his prior films, but I don't think your criticism of those really applies to his latest. Clooney's character is well off, but the struggles are universal:

Spoiler:

It deals with losing family, strained parental relationships, infidelity, etc.

I don't think any of these things are less affecting because of what the character's bank account looks like. And he is not a plantation owner, just a lawyer.

I just watched The Help LIKE A BOSS.

'Twas alright. More importantly, I haven't wanted to make sex with Jessica Chastain until this film. They've got her running around in some adorable outfits.

Glad to see some love for Midnight in Paris, not anything ground breaking in the movie mind you but I did enjoy the main twist of the movie and the implications of that plot device. The scene that sold me on the movie was about 10 seconds long and it involved a private investigator being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I audibly chuckled during that scene.

I'd like to see Allen get the Oscar for Direction but he's facing some really tough competition this year. More likely than not the Oscar nod is going to Hazanavicius or Payne.

Midnight in Paris really was delightful... Corey Stoll's Hemingway in particular, and it's a shame that he wasn't invited to the film's Golden Globes table, and isn't listed among the featured players in SAG's Best Ensemble award (while Carla Bruni as 'Museum Guide' is).

Slumberland wrote:

I just watched The Help LIKE A BOSS.

Now try watching it like a servent.

I usually have a few movies to root for when the Oscars roll around. This year not so much. I expect I'll like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo when I see it, but I haven't seen it yet. The only other things I've seen with any nominations for anything at all are Warrior and Rango. Warrior is excellent (And Nick Nolte's performance is genuinely very good) and Rango is my favorite animated thing I saw all year, but otherwise... I've got nothing in there to even watch for.

I haven't seen a single one of the best picture nominees and quite frankly don't plan to until I can get the one or two I find even moderately interesting on Netflix.

Big bucket of meh for me.

Just watched Moneyball it is very okay. Has some great moments and has some uninteresting moments. I really like sports management and sports movies so I was entertained.

Slumberland wrote:

Midnight in Paris really was delightful... Corey Stoll's Hemingway in particular, and it's a shame that he wasn't invited to the film's Golden Globes table, and isn't listed among the featured players in SAG's Best Ensemble award (while Carla Bruni as 'Museum Guide' is).

Ya this is probably my personal favorite of the year. It's just so adorable.

Thin_J wrote:

I usually have a few movies to root for when the Oscars roll around. This year not so much. I expect I'll like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo when I see it, but I haven't seen it yet. The only other things I've seen with any nominations for anything at all are Warrior and Rango. Warrior is excellent (And Nick Nolte's performance is genuinely very good) and Rango is my favorite animated thing I saw all year, but otherwise... I've got nothing in there to even watch for.

I haven't seen a single one of the best picture nominees and quite frankly don't plan to until I can get the one or two I find even moderately interesting on Netflix.

Big bucket of meh for me.

See Drive. DO IT NOW.

boogle wrote:

See Drive. DO IT NOW.

I expect I'll like it, but it doesn't come out till next Tuesday.

Also... didn't it get snubbed in every possible way at the Oscars?

*Quick glance says yes. One nomination for sound editing, and a lot of outcry that Albert Brooks got snubbed.

Thin_J wrote:
boogle wrote:

See Drive. DO IT NOW.

I expect I'll like it, but it doesn't come out till next Tuesday.

Also... didn't it get snubbed in every possible way at the Oscars?

*Quick glance says yes. One nomination for sound editing, and a lot of outcry that Albert Brooks got snubbed.

There were a lot of horrendous snubs this year. I'll see Drive this weekend if you see "Take Shelter".

Jayhawker wrote:

I hope Hugo kicks a lot of butt in the awards. It was among my favorite films ever. It was the kind of film where it had me thinking about it for days afterwords.

I think that it was a dedicated 3D film might have hurt it. We normally avoid them, but saw this on a whim. It was totally worth it, because a director like Scorsese already has a deep understanding on how to set-up a shot for maximum effect. Seeing how he handled 3D was fantastic. It never felt gratuitous or cheesy. I'm still not a fan of 3D as a standard for films, but it is great to see it put to such good use in a film whose story and actors didn't require it, but was enhanced by it nonetheless.

And if you have kids, take them now. It is this year's Up. It's not animated, but it is a kid's movie that is emotionally deep. It was so, so good.

I'm hoping Hugo does well also. It's a rare film that feels genuinely magical, without being overly trite or sentimental, and while dealing with relevant, interesting themes. However, I could see parents loving it while their children get bored, especially considering the subject matter of the film's latter sections.

Oh, and to anybody who hasn't seen it yet (shame on you), I would strongly advise against watching the Youtube link, as it contains third-act stuff.

Just saw Drive. The second it ended, I didn't get the hype. I mean, I liked it, but I didn't get it. It's now been about 20-25mins since I saw it, and just remembering it in retrospect, wow...I think I really loved it. I think what makes it so memorable, is it's amazing, truly amazing soundtrack.

I love what the director has accomplished here. I definitely recommend it.

Just saw "Shame". Interesting movie. Most depressing NC-17 movie ever, I think. A well done look into the lonely cycle of addiction / compulsion. Overall, though, had the feel of major ACTING going on. Like awkward parts where both leads didn't seem to be playing a part as much as acting, if that makes sense.

Seeing "The Artist" and possibly "Drive" tomorrow.

I hope Hugo kicks a lot of butt in the awards. It was among my favorite films ever. It was the kind of film where it had me thinking about it for days afterwords.

I think that it was a dedicated 3D film might have hurt it. We normally avoid them, but saw this on a whim. It was totally worth it, because a director like Scorsese already has a deep understanding on how to set-up a shot for maximum effect. Seeing how he handled 3D was fantastic. It never felt gratuitous or cheesy. I'm still not a fan of 3D as a standard for films, but it is great to see it put to such good use in a film whose story and actors didn't require it, but was enhanced by it nonetheless.

And if you have kids, take them now. It is this year's Up. It's not animated, but it is a kid's movie that is emotionally deep. It was so, so good.

Could be a bit spoilerish.

Double feature tonight, going to see Dragon Tattoo and Hugo. Man, they just cramp up the releases here in Mexico!! Gonna have to double feature most if I want to be prepared for Oscar night!

Plus it seems like they're back to Feb again... shorter time.

I saw 'the Descendants'. It was a pretty charming, seemingly heartfelt, and quietly humorous little film, but it didn't feel like it broke much in the way of new grounds. It was a good drama- a very good one, even, but I'd sooner see one of the year's more interesting films take down the title.

The Artist comes out here in a few days, and then Moneyball and The Ides of March come out on the 26th. I won't get a chance to see every great film within reasonable time (NZ gets films as much as nine months late), but even so, I doubt I'll watch the ceremony (on account of it being pretty worthless).

Just got back from Dragon Tattoo. Loved it. I haven´t read the novels or seen the swedish originals, but I love Fincher´s work, and I believe he was snubbed from director. I´ve seen Midnight in Paris, and Fincher deserves Allen´s spot.

Also, they claimed that this year, they´ll only nominate as many good movies as there are. They went with 9 this year, and Dragon Tattoo isn´t there. I´m not saying it should win Best Picture, but it damn well deserves a spot in there as well. Not pleased with these decisions, but it really doesn´t matter; Fincher´s work is always memorable, regardless of awards.

Highly recommended, and until I see the other nominees, Rooney Mara´s got my vote. I discovered her in Nightmare on Elm Street, loved her in Social Network, and she was superb here. I like she´s going places. I hope she continues accepting the right roles.

Just saw Moneyball. I don´t think me not liking baseball has anything to do with it, as I´ve loved other baseball related movies. Something just felt off. I mean, it´s a good story, likable characters, I just don´t understand the hype behind this. I consider this far, far, FAR from Brad Pitt´s best performance, simply because the character doesn´t demand much. I don´t understand the nominations. It´s a serviceable film, nothing else. Oscar has truly slumped in the last few years.

Just saw "The Artist". My mini-review if anyone cares.

So here's the thing about "The Artist". On the upside they did an amazing job of recreating the feel of classic silent films with some modern twists. On the downside they did an amazing job of recreating the feel of classic silent films with some modern twists.

By that I mean that while it's an interesting gimmick and clever to see a modern movie take a spin at making a movie of that style, the movie feels very dated. Not just because of the tech. It feels dated because the limits of what you can portray in a silent film limit what you can portray in terms of emotions. So the characters are either flat or over the top. Either way they're 2 dimensional and the resolution to the story kind of sucks in a way that it wouldn't if they were simply able to talk.

It felt like a gimmick from front to back. I feel like this story has done before, but better, with a traditional modern movie. Think Sunset Boulevard but without sound. Better yet, go see the movie (dollar theater recommended) and rewatch Sunset Boulevard. You'll realize that this movie shamelessly ripped off that one and it's nominated for an Oscar.

I haven't seen a few of the other nominees yet. Rectifying that a bit this weekend by watching Drive and Weekend in Paris. But so far this is the worst movie nominated in the Best Picture category.

Just came back from The Descendants. I really liked it, but I wouldn´t consider it Best Picture material. It´s very entertaining, it has some very good scenes, but in general, it didn´t wow me. Shailene Woodley as the older daughter Alexandra did surprise me though. Not only did I find her absolutely stunning, but I enjoyed her acting as well.

Still need to see Hugo and Ides of March. Not gonna see War Horse.