Red Carpet Round-up

So, I have seen an unprecedented number of movies so far in 2012.  As much as I love movies, I don't get to actually go see them as much in the theatre as I would like.  But I saw one movie each weekend so far in 2012, and they were all Oscar nominees!  Though I'm afraid my picks will not be the actual winners, I still demand my voice be heard.  Which is really what blogging is all about.

1) The Descendants
Saw it New Years weekend.  Clooney, I mean.....come on.  Who doesn't love The Clooney?  And he is consitantly great.  Not only is he an exemplary human being, but also a great actor.  The movie itself wasn't my favorite movie ever, but it certainly had some Oscar-worthy moments.  Clooney saying goodbye to his dead wife? Heart-breaking.  Awkward dad-running around Hawaii?  Great.  Kissing Judy Greer?  Delightful.  But hands-down THE best moment in the entire film is when he tells his daughter, played by Shailene Woodley, while she's in the pool, that her mother is dying.  That scene you see in all the commercials, where she's crying underwater?  I would have given her an Oscar nomination just for that.  The biggest disappointment?  The Speers: Matthew Lillard and Judy Greer.  What more magical Hollywood power-couple could possibly exist?  And yet they are such a disappointment.  Well, Matthew Lillard is.  Judy Greer was phenomenal.  The first time I've seen her in a dramatic role, and she knocked it out of the park.  Lillard wasn't a disappointment, so much as his character was.  I wanted them to just be drunken and boozy boatful of fun.

2) Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Saw this with my dad, as a father-daughter date.  Such a movie would not normally pique my interest, but I love Gary Oldman, and I heard from reliable sources that it was great, and that it was a real thinker.  I love thinkers!  It was...good.  I mean, no, it really was good.  It wasn't one I would watch again.  It was a little confusing, because there were a lot of names that I had a hard time keeping track of, and there were a lot of hard-to-understand British accents.  Gary Oldman was great, but, frankly, I have NO IDEA how he got so much praise, not to mention an Oscar nom from it.  Because he was serious?  And...thought a lot?  Silently?  You know who I thought was the real standout?  Benedict Cumberbatch.  Not only does he have what is quite possibly the greatest name in the history of all mankind, but he's also just great.  He was captivating to watch, stole every scene he was in.  Maybe it's because he's kind of odd-looking, but he was my favorite part of the entire movie.  I had heard he was awesome as Sherlock Holmes, and I guess it's true.

3) Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Amazing.  Amazing amazing amazing.  I had read the book, by Jonathan Safron Foer, and it was so unique and different and wonderful.  I was worried about how it would translate into a movie, especially one with such a big-name cast.  And for as much of a book-to-movie critic as I am, I thought it was perfect.  And it was all thanks to a little boy named Thomas Horn.  Somehow, they plucked the most perfect boy-genius from Kids Jeopardy, and he carried the movie on his tiny amazing little shoulders.  The fact that he did not get an Oscar nomination is an absolute disgrace.  Obviously it's because he's only, like, 10, and it's so much more difficult for kids to get a nomination over grown-ups.  But for a performance this amazing to be overlooked is reprehensible.  Max Von Sydow did get a nomination as The Renter, which I was happy to see.  I loved him, but more-so because The Renter is probably my favorite character in the book.  His character was not explored that much in the movie.  Over any other movie, please, I implore you: see Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.  Read the book.  You won't regret it.

4) The Artist
Oh, The Artist.  After all the buzz buzz buzz I've heard about it, all the awards it won, I was chomping at the bit to see it.  But then it was playing nowhere.  Well, nowhere but NY and LA.  Which isn't so much convenient.  However, I finally discovered it playing at Carousel, and managed to snag the last seats in the front row of a packed theatre.  And it was soooo gooooood!  Gorgeous, funny, charming.  Jean DuJardin was amazing.  I truly think he deserves the Oscar.  As he deserved the other awards he's won.  He is just so charming!  The emotion he conveys without words, is admirable.  He's like Charlie Chaplin, Danny Kaye, and George Clooney, all rolled into one!  And Berenice Bejo is adorable and perfect as Peppy Miller.  And she wears the hell out of a hat, let me tell you.  And John Goodman's in it!  AND OH MY GOD THE DOG!  The dog.  Incredible.

The one film I haven't yet seen is The Help.  I just finished reading the book, and it was great.  I plan on seeing the movie, before the Oscars.  That is the one movie that just may throw a wrench in my plans/picks.

My Picks:

Best Picture: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Best Actor: Jean DuJardin

Best Actress: I don't have a horse in this race, but I'd love to see Michelle Williams win.

Actor in a Supporting Role: Max Von Sydow
-Should have been nominated: Benedict Cumberbatch, and ALAN RICKMAN!

Actress In a Supporting Role: Melissa McCarthy.  But again, I haven't seen The Help.  Octavia will probably take it home.

P.S. Another movie I saw recently, that was nominated for a bunch of stuff?  Midnight in Paris!  Paaaaaris.  Great.  I wish Owen Wilson's role had been played by...anyone other than Owen Wilson, but oh well.