The Mediatwin Blog

Oscar Grouch

So - that's that. The nominations for the 84th Academy Awards have finally been announced.

I'll leave it to the professionals to wade through the rights and wrongs of the various categories - but I have a few thoughts though...

Hugely disappointed that MELANCHOLIA - one of my favourites from last year - didn't get nominated at all. Hell, even REAL STEEL and KUNG FU PANDA 2 snagged one mention apiece. DRIVE, a very impressive flick, managed to grab just a solitary nom...for sound editing. What about Albert Brooks' superb performance in that movie...or Ryan Gosling's? Trent Reznor's excellent score for THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO? Zip.

But that's the way it goes. Some you win, some you lose...most you never even get a nomination for. By the way, it was curious that Spielberg was denied a Best Director nom for WAR HORSE. I'm not a huge fan of the film but the Academy traditionally falls for Steven in this category.

Bright spots: good to see Academy love for Terrance Malick. Rooney Mara getting nominated for her sterling work in DRAGON TATTOO. RANGO's nod in the Best Animated Film category.

I'll do proper predictions closer to the time but I suspect that, come the night of February 26th, THE ARTIST will clean up. It's a good film and its retro celebration of silent movies will undoubtedly strike a chord with the Academy's voters.

And talking of looking back and the Oscars...

REVIEW: War Horse (2011)

13 Jan 2012
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Oscar film mediatwin michael morpurgo review richard curtis steven spielberg war horse

A tender story of boy meets horse, boy loses horse, as his steed is despatched to France for service during the First World War. Steven Spielberg directing a screenplay co-written by Richard Curtis - itself adapted from Michael Morpurgo’s hugely successful children’s book and stage play. A cast showcasing some of the finest British acting talent around today.

So - er - why the long face?

Regrettably, the blame for WAR HORSE not being as effective as it could have been lies squarely with Spielberg and his directorial choices. The first third of the film, set in a pre-war farming village, sinks under a thick Hollywood glaze - Devon, as if recreated on a Hollywood backlot . No pastoral cliche is left unploughed, as Joey the foal gambols under Technicolor GONE WITH THE WIND skies to the cloying sounds of John Williams’ over-lush score.

Fortunately, the film does improve once Joey the horse is transported across the Channel and thrust into the nightmares of battle. There’s a welcome return of Spielberg’s grittier side, as the horrors of the First World War are superbly realised. One sequence - set in a battlefield’s No Man’s Land and bringing together two soldiers from different sides of the conflict - is dramatically stripped to the bone, tautly directed and is arguably the highlight of the film.

Steven Spielberg has proved himself at knowing - most of the time - exactly how to handle his audience. Whether it’s Indiana Jones chasing after Nazis, cute aliens promising “I’ll be right here” or sharks terrorising summer towns, he has masterfully demonstrated that he knows exactly which buttons he needs to push . Here, however, his manipulative tricks are clumsy and obvious. It’s the same kind of wrong-handed approach he brought to THE COLOR PURPLE and ALWAYS - suffocating the film under unnecessarily glossy visuals. At times, it feels more like somebody trying to imitate his style, rather than Spielberg himself.

Tellingly, as a contender for Oscar glory, WAR HORSE has gone from morning line favourite a few months ago to extreme long-shot. I suspect Spielberg’s next film - a biography of Abraham Lincoln - will prove more to the Academy’s taste. Still, let’s not be uncharitable - WAR HORSE isn’t a bad film and hardly destined for the knacker’s yard. It’s just that, with such a high pedigree of talent before and behind the camera, you’d expect more than what’s been trotted out.

My Oscar Reactions

28 Feb 2011
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I've never seen an Oscars show that didn't need judicious use of a fast-forward button, so I recorded last night's event and woke up to the expected (but not particularly welcome) news that THE KING'S SPEECH had cleaned up, winning many of the top trophies.

I predicted TKS to win but didn't believe it was the best candidate - THE SOCIAL NETWORK should have won, easy.

Colin Firth winning Best Actor for TKS was fine - he turned in a very touching performance and deserved to be recognised for it. The same goes for Natalie Portman winning Best Actress for BLACK SWAN - the (terrific) film may have proved to have been too "out there" for the Oscar voters to give it any other awards but I'm pleased that Portman's stunning fearlessness in her role was given the appropriate recognition.

Christian Bale won Best Supporting Actor for his showy role in THE FIGHTER (OK by me) and from the same film, Melissa Leo won Best Supporting Actress. I'm less enthusiastic about the latter - I had earmarked the award for Hailee Steinfeld's breakout performance in TRUE GRIT. I'd also argue that Steinfeld should have been in the Best Actress category, as her role dominates TG...

Even more controversial than TKS winning Best Picture - Tom Hooper taking a Best Director trophy home for the same film. Don't get me wrong - I liked TKS but ANY of the other nominees (Fincher, Aronofsky, Russell, the Coens) would have been a better choice. Dammit, this Oscar had David Fincher's name all over it for TSN. Shameful.

Screenplay Oscars went where everyone thought they would - Adapted to TSN's Aaron Sorkin and Original to TKS.

Of the other awards - TOY STORY 3 winning Best Animated Film was fully expected (and deserved). Great to see Nine Inch Nails' frontman Trent Reznor picked up the Best Score statuette for TSN. Another of my favourite films from last year was INCEPTION - good to see it collected four Oscars, albeit in the technical categories.

Initial reactions to the Oscar show itself appear to go from hostile to downright hostile; celebrated critic Roger Ebert called it "the worst Oscarcast I've seen". Looks like my fast-forward button will be getting a workout later...

The Fighter [REVIEW]

1 Feb 2011
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Boxing Christian bale David o russell Mark wahlberg Massachusetts Melissa leo Oscar The fighter film movie

Based on a true story, THE FIGHTER charts the true story of the rise and fall of two boxing brothers - wannabe contender Mark Wahlberg and fading former champ Christian Bale, on his uppers and addicted to crack. To make things worse, Wahlberg has another fight going on outside the ring, as new girlfriend Amy Adams clashes with his fiery mother and her equally belligerent daughters.

THE FIGHTER is an expertly put-together story of a blue-collar family battling for the American dream. You certainly can't fault the excellent cast - Bale particularly shines as the brother trying to escape the dark night of his drug addiction. It's a barnstorming performance and probably an odds-on favourite to scoop Bale an Oscar. Not as showy but equally impressive in a different way is Mark Wahlberg, giving quiet, impressive support. There's also Melissa Leo, terrifyingly formidable as their mother and promoter.

Director David O Russell finally comes back from the Hollywood wilderness he was exiled to after the abject failure of I Heart Huckabees. For the most part, the film ducks around the usual boxing cliches - although as we reach the climactic bout, the movie does slip into familiar territory. No matter - this is still a powerful film and highly recommended. it opens around the UK this Friday.

Oscar Grouch

REVIEW: War Horse (2011)

My Oscar Reactions

The Fighter [REVIEW]

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