Miscellany

There are a number of categories I'm going to breeze over here. I am going to have to maintain brevity if I ever hope to finish, and if I hope you'll actually read this post. So, then, let's get to it. I'm not going to order these by when I viewed them, and I will italicize anything I haven't seen.


Visual Effects

• Alice In Wonderland
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One
• Hereafter
• Inception
• Iron Man 2

This comes down to Alice in Wonderland and Inception to me, but really, there's no doubt. Inception takes the cake home. Now I wish they gave out cakes instead of statuettes. This is a movie people are picking for best picture, and it's really on the merits of the story and the visual effects with solid but not spectacular performances from the actors.

Editing

• 127 Hours
• Black Swan
• The Fighter
• The King's Speech
• The Social Network

Let's just dismiss The Fighter and The Social Network. I think The King's Speech's editing benefited more from the cinematography, and I think Black Swan's benefited from the directing. 127 Hours gets my nod here for pulling off the split screen and making me actually enjoy it. The thought of the split screen isn't a thought I like to have, but in 127 Hours' limited use, it fit perfectly without seeming forced.

Cinematography

• Black Swan
• Inception
• The King's Speech
• The Social Network
• True Grit

The King's Speech takes this one with very little question. Black Swan and True Grit did admirable jobs, and Inception would have been an interesting choice had it not relied so heavily on CGI - which is why I gave it the nod for visual effects. The King's Speech, I found had some very interesting shots that were there just enough for me to casually take notice. The cinematography wasn't in my face, but it was sensational.

Screenplay based on material previously produced or published

• 127 Hours
• The Social Network
• Toy Story 3
• True Grit
• Winter's Bone

127 Hours owns this without question. It took the story of a guy stuck under a boulder for 127 hours and made it not only entertaining and interesting but emotionally gut-wrenching and touching. I honestly didn't think I could be engaged in this story; I knew how it unfolded and how it resolved. Yet, there I was, leaning forward in my seat, face to the screen, waiting for the finish.

Screenplay written directly for the screen

• Another Year
• The Fighter
• Inception
• The Kids are Alright
• The King's Speech

I like The King's Speech enough that I'd like to give it the award here, but I can't. Inception is a highwire act that can only work if it's written just right. Anything else and the audience simply won't follow the story. Seeing as most people I know were able to understand what was going on, or at least reel themselves back in means they did a grand job here.

Directing

• Black Swan
• True Grit
• The Social Network
• The King's Speech
• The Fighter

If you know one thing about me when it comes to film, it's that I love me some Darren Aronofsky. I'll unabashedly say that I want him to get recognition. I will also say that after I saw Black Swan, I had a hard time believing this was the Aronofsky film generating all kinds of buzz. I liked Requiem, The Fountain and The Wrestler all a lot more than Black Swan. I just wasn't that impressed with it or with Natalie Portman - who people have been handing Oscars to ever since the movie was released.

Okay, we've established I have a total crush on Aronofsky, but this movie didn't do it for me. I look at the other films on this list and I'll cut The Social Network and The Fighter out. True Grit was good, but I think it was a lot of things and not necessarily the directing that went right in that movie. The King's Speech I think was also good for a lot of things other than its directing. With Black Swan though, I think the directing was the highlight. I liked Portman and Kunis. I liked the editing. I liked the score (oh, yeah, I totally love Clint Mansell too). None of those performances though is as good as the movie itself is. Aronofsky, as is usual, weaves them together just right to get the maximum out of every performance.

Shutter Island

• Best Picture
• Best Achievement in Directing
• Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score

Seriously, how did this movie not get nominated for anything? I realize it was released at a weird time - way out of Oscar season. I would have given it the above awards, plus given it serious consideration for screenplay based on previously published work. Heck I'd probably even nominate Ben Kingsly for supporting actor. This movie was phenomenal.