It’s showtime, so I thought I should go on record with my Oscar picks.
First, I suppose I should confess: I’ve seen fewer than half of the movies nominated for Best Picture. And of those, only one (Hugo!) in the theatre. The other three (Midnight in Paris, The Help, and Moneyball) have all come to me courtesy of RedBox in the last two weeks.
So let me start by telling you why I haven’t seen the others, aside from the fact that RedBox didn’t have them on offer…
The Tree of Life? Hadn’t heard of it until I checked the Oscar page two weeks ago. Brad Pitt stars in it, so I assume it made a big splash when it came out, but since I don’t have a television, I don’t see trailers, so I’m a bit clueless. I did youtube the trailer for it today, and based on those two minutes, I gathered that it’s about Brad Pitt being a father and raising a kid that turns out to be Sean Penn. Meh.
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close? I read this book and loved it, so I have no interest in seeing the movie. There’s a reason everyone always says the book was better. (Fight Club is the only movie I can think of that runs contrary to this rule. Any others?)
The Artist? Apparently the whole movie is silent? It’s probably great and artistically sound, but I’m guessing all of 100 Americans actually watched it. It seems like the kind of thing that people claim they enjoyed when they want to sound sophisticated, but that – in reality – they abandoned after twenty minutes to sneak into Sherlock Holmes.
War Horse? I know, this one is supposed to be great and – since it has Spielberg’s backing – it’s probably the front-runner for the Oscar. (See what I did there? Used a horse analogy to tee up a horse movie!) Call me un-American, but I don’t like horse movies. I didn’t like Black Beauty or Black Stallion as a kid, and I can’t see myself falling for War Horse. Especially because I also hate war movies. So the idea of watching two hours of horse + war = torture.
The Descendants? No clue what this movie is about, other than George Clooney. And while I love me some Clooney, I find it hard to imagine Dr. Ross on the stage when the Best Picture is awarded.
So of the movies I did see… none struck me as particularly Oscar-worthy, though I enjoyed them all. My favorite – from a sheer entertainment standpoint – was Midnight in Paris, even though it crapped the bed with a less-than-satisfying ending. I suppose if I had to award the Oscar, I’d give the nod to Hugo. It was the right blend of artsy and clever and beautiful and poignant that the Academy often rewards.
The only performance I’m really pulling for tonight is Christopher Plummer in “Beginners.” While the movie was touching, I’ll be honest: I’m voting for him based on his role as Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music. Georg was one suave hottie who could work a whistle. That deserves some applause, even if it is 35 years after the fact.
All right. Time for the red carpet.
pithypants 
I usually watch the movies too, but this year I’ve barely seen any of them. I should have used Netflix to my advantage this year… oh well.
Also, The Tree of Life Movie? Yeah, I have a TV and I hadn’t heard of it until the list of nominees. I don’t recall hearing anything about it, to be honest.
Enjoy the show! 🙂
Of all the movies nominated, Tree of Life was the only one that I have actually seen. Don’t let Brad and Sean stop you from seeing this movie. It’s absolutely an art film with beautiful cinematography and a highly compelling story-line told in an unconventional manner. I am not a movie buff, and I know nothing about film, but I can tell you, if you see this film, it will change how you think about your life and your family, even for just a few moments. Despite Brad’s role, the film did not make a splash, I think it’s because things are all a little too real in some moments, and completely abstract in others. You have to work for this film. I would say, it’s unrelenting, and worth seeing, though at moments you may wonder, “wtf is going on right now?”
ThinkingDJ, if I didn’t know better, I would think you were stoned when you watched it. Regardless, your endorsement has me intrigued. I’ll definitely check it out, as soon as RedBox deems me worthy.
haha, there are parts of the movie where you wonder if the writer and director were stoned when the made the film, but it comes together in an abstract way, I promise. 🙂
Another exception to the rule, ‘books are better than films’, is The Lord of the Rings. The films are just incredible, but the book is a little tedious. But I’m sure there are others! :]
I’ve been contrary and have refused to watch them – much to my bf’s chagrin. Perhaps I should rethinking, if only for the scenery?
Definitely! The scenery is gorgeous 🙂 New Zealand is incredibly beautiful and it really shows in the films.