By Dan Cohen, Santa Monica Reporter
Say what you will about the Academy Awards, they’re as reliable as any other year end prizes. It’s the show that’s really an endurance test. And while the whole enterprise has been derided as a venal and self serving family celebration, there are mitigating factors.
For one, the nominees are selected by professionals in their respective divisions. Actors nominate actors, art directors, art directors, writers, writers, etc. I think we can assume they know more about their work than we do, so the process seems sensible. (There are exceptions to this, but only one that’s really significant; the entire Academy votes to nominate Best Picture.) Once the field is narrowed down to four or five names (in all but the “Best Picture” category,) everybody votes for all categories.
What happens after that has been explained to me several times, but I still don’t understand it. When the final votes come in, Price Waterhouse makes ten piles of ten, placing the top choices in the first pile, the rest in the other nine, in descending order of popularity. Although what happens next is not secret, it remains a mystery. Two Academy members of long standing took me through the process, but after a few minutes, conceded that they didn’t really get it. Nor did anyone else they knew.
In any case, you know that the “race” concludes at a big television event where people are ranked first on whether they win or lose, then on their clothing, and finally on the content of their acceptance speeches. Length, like neatness, is also a factor. Afterwards they party while we turn to news on our flailing economy.
The recent addition of five titles to the “Best Picture” category has brought hisses from some quarters, cheers from others. Detractors point to it as a concession to the studios, which, in recent years have taken a back seat to more ambitious, mid budget indies, more than a few of which come from the UK. According to this argument, the extra slots make it easier for second rate work to get into the running. Supporters take the opposite view, that expansion affords greater variety.
The first year of “ten” favors the supporters’ argument. All ten nominated films have received respectable reviews. They represent most of the popular genres: Science fiction – “District Nine;” animation -“Up;” studio drama – “The Blind Side;” and low budget drama from Britain – “An Education,” a film that’s grossed less than 5 million. These in addition a sophisticated adult comedy -“Up In the Air,” a superior genre film – “Hurt Locker,” and the urban indie – “Precious.”
“Inglorious Basterds,” the international hit from Tarrantino, got the nod, as well as the latest Coen Brothers’, “A Serious Man,” which is anything but a hit. And then, of course, there’s “Avatar,” which, beyond all the commentary it’s generated, both good and bad, resides in a category all its own; biggest box office of all time.
To the expansion, I say, why not? As a culture we seem to be stuck on the idea of ten best lists. And though the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is constantly accused of cronyism, nepotism and plain old bad taste, this year’s nominees argue against that. Below, a handful of random notes on the highlights, none of which will help you win the office pool.
Best Picture
A friend and Academy member recently insisted that I choose between “Avatar,” or “Hurt Locker,” for Best Picture, as the town has pretty well identified these two as best in show. It seems to me like having to choose between Art and Sports, but then I’ve never been much for picking the best of anything. As for the others; “Up In The Air,” “Precious,” and “An Education,” provided me with a great deal of pleasure, for very different reasons. This is the way it’s supposed to be.
“A Serious Man,” an interesting but trying work, has limited appeal; had it not been made by the Coen brothers, it would never have made it to the big screen. I’ll talk about it when the DVD release happens.) I’ve discussed “An Education” in an earlier column, and I continue to admire it. “Precious,” another film of high caliber, grossed close to 45 million, more than five times its cost, and came to its success through director Lee Daniels’ uncompromising vision. Finally, what impresses about these three films is their disregard of tried and true convention. And when I say that I’m referring to more than the endings; I’m talking about the 95 or 100 minutes before the stories wrap.
For those trying to second guess the Academy, there’s this to consider; “Hurt Locker,” is a superior war film, but it’s been labeled “dark” by many Hollywood wags. Read, “hard to sit through.” I don’t think it’s any darker than a slew of other highly regarded war films, from Eastwood’s “Flags of Our Fathers,” to Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan.” It just has less dialogue. “Avatar” is literally its polar opposite, and more of an upper. You take it from there, but I’d bet on “Avatar.”
Best Actor
Jeff Bridges is considered a lock for “Crazy Heart.” As I said last week, he’s deserving of recognition, but I’m still haunted by Colin Firth’s quiet but fearless performance in “A Single Man.” Here, a reliable actor showed unexpected wizardry.
Morgan Freeman and George Clooney need no introductions; their careers flourish. But Jeremy Renner, a working actor who’s toiled in relative obscurity, came out of nowhere. War films rarely give actors the latitude to stand out, and “Hurt Locker’s” script is relatively spare, but Renner made the most of it, then took it one step further. Good thing he took off his helmet for some of the more daring moments; otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to read the nearly insane determination on his face as he goes about the thankless job of disarming IEDs.
Best Actress
How often do guilds of professionals honor the novices among them? Not often, in my experience. But this year actresses nominated two of their number who had never appeared in a single feature; Carey Mulligan (“An Education,”) an actress from British TV, and Gabourey Sidibe, (“Precious,”) a woman who’s never been in front of a camera before. They passed over better known names like Abbie Cornish in “Bright Star,” and Emily Blunt in “The Young Victoria.” Good for them!
Helen Mirren got yet another nomination for “The Last Station,” a film about the aged Leo Tolstoy. After debuting at Cannes the film struggled to get a distribution deal. Somehow it also got a nomination for Christopher Plummer. Once again, the membership went out of its way to honor little seen work.
Best Director
The fact that James Cameron, (“Avatar,”) and Kathryn Bigelow, (“Hurt Locker,”) were married many years ago, has not gone unnoticed by the Hollywood community. People have said that until “Locker,” Bigelow, who’s made several smart action films, has never been taken as seriously as her male peers. I think it has more to do with her material than her gender. In truth, this is by far the best script she’s directed. Whether she overtakes “Avatar” or not, she has now entered the major league.
Best Supporting Actress
A host of familiar names appear in this category. Mo’nique, a comic who turned heads with her volcanic energy, and won a Golden Globe, will most certainly take home an Oscar. But Anna Kendrick held her own against Clooney and Farmiga in “Up in The Air.” No small feat. The hope is that she’ll find other parts that expand on her talent.
Penelope Cruz must have been nominated for the way she spilled out of her costume in “Nine,” because it couldn’t have had anything to do with the mostly witless lines she read in this misbegotten mess. Why the academy looked past what’s probably her best work to date, in “Broken Embraces,” is beyond me, but it may have something to do with the way foreign films are considered. As I understand it each country puts forth one film for Academy consideration. Did that keep them from being able to nominate her for Almodovar’s latest? This is one of those questions that even my friends in the Academy aren’t sure about.
Best Supporting Actor
There are two unlikely nominees here; Christopher Plummer playing Tolstoy, and Christoph Waltz as the Nazi everybody loved to hate in “Inglorious Basterds.” I found Waltz’ performance humorous but mannered, maybe because the whole film left me cold.
Best Cinematography
The craft of filmmaking is so far along, and the tools so remarkable, that there are countless striking images set before us each year. Every movie I liked this year had a look that captured my attention from the first sequence. But Christian Berger’s black and white images in “The White Ribbon,” went beyond that. They kept us completely engaged in Michael Haneke’s challenging story about deviant behavior in a small German town back in 1913. I’ll have more to say about “White Ribbon,” in another column. At this moment it seems to be running neck and neck with the entry from France, “Un Prophete,” for best foreign language film.
Best Original Screenplay
The writers had the guts to nominate three “difficult” film this year; “The Messenger,” “Serious Man,” and “Hurt Locker.” They also went against the grain and recognized the animated “Up.” “Inglorious Basterds,” makes it five. Apparently the writers weren’t that impressed with Cameron’s script for “Avatar.” Weren’t there any other original scripts out there that merited their attention? I guess not. I fault the studios for their relentless search for the next Batman.
Best Adapted Screenplay
This has always struck me as an odd category. It stands to reason that if you start with strong material, from a book or play, you get a strong script. Countless lousy films have proved the opposite. This year, “District Nine,” “An Education,” “Precious, Based on the novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire,” and “Up in the Air,” came from novels. All were successful as film scripts. But there’s one more nominee, another Brit flick called “In the Loop.” I haven’t seen it. Does anyone out there care to comment?
There are scads more categories; music, editing, art direction, etc. etc.. They go on like the show itself, seemingly forever. Your only hope is that the material written for co-presenters Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will keep you conscious until the best picture is crowned. While the show starts at 6 PM on the west coast, it doesn’t get rolling in the east until 9. Good luck.
