Yes, it's the time for the Oscars!
Here's looking at a few of the films that are amongst the contenders (nominated in one or more categories):
Toy Story 3
True Grit
The Town
Rabbit Hole
The Fighter
The King's Speech
Alice in Wonderland
Black Swan
Winter's Bone
Inception
Blue Valentine
127 Hours
Other films in the list of the nominees in diverse categories - that I have been lucky to see till now - are, namely:
The Social Network
The Kids Are All Right
Tangled
Iron Man 2
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
&
Salt
8 comments:
A very timely post. I am luckier.... as I have seen all the feature films in the contention in whatever category. I am happy that you finally got the chance to see 'The King's Speech' and 'Black Swan'. I loved them both. As much as I liked 'Inception', 'Alice in Wonderland', 'The Social Network' and 'The Kids Are All Right'. Unlike 'Alice in Wonderland', the other remake, 'True Grit', doesn't justify the fresh makeover, but I guess the Americans love seeing such age-old stories being retold on screen.... all the performances were top-notch though. 'Rabbit Hole' had brilliant visual moments, and great acting, but the film has been given a major push to reach out to the audiences because of Nicole Kidman, unlike the much neglected, and a better film last year, called 'The Lovely Bones'. '127 Hours' and 'The Social Network' have both seen considerable success here in India, as has 'Inception', but, I feel, the Indian viewers should not be deprived of films like 'The Kids Are All Right' and 'Black Swan'.
This time, the Oscars are having not too many good films, and it is easy to predict the winners too - especially with the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild awards already having been handed out. Among the ones you have listed, 'The King's Speech', 'The Social Network' and 'True Grit' are my favorites. 'The Fighter' and 'Black Swan' are performance-heavy, hence Christian Bale, in the former, and Natalie Portman, in the latter, are likely to win the favors of all.
Blue Valentine, The King's Speech, Black Swan, The Social Network, 127 Hours and The Kids Are All Right - these are my favorite films from amongst the ones featured in your post, and the ones boasting of nominations, one or more categories.
And from the ones absent from your listing/viewing is Biutiful, where Javier Bardem rocked.
I agree with you, Anindo. The Oscars are looked forward to, not only by the nominees and the prospective winners, but also by the film fraternity of the world, and by all film buffs. It is the grandest celebration of cinema as the presentation ceremony is quite a spectacle and, despite the changes in the recent few years in the manner of showcasing the stars and their films, the awards night has a special charm. I am looking forward to the telecast this year (Sunday, the 27th of Feb. - Monday morning here in India), more than anything else, to watch my favorite stars James Franco and Anne Hathaway as presenters.
I loved that 'The King's Speech' pipped to the post 'The Social Network' for the Best Picture category. The former is truly celebratory for any man who has had to overcome an odd struggle. But the award for the screenplay of 'The Social Network' vindicated one's faith in the selection of the very best screenplay for the year 2010, and it's one of the finest screenplays ever.... so layered, so nuanced, yet dramatic!
I was more than thrilled..... it was my first full-length watching of the entire Oscars ceremony.... and I felt handsomely rewarded as my favorites won big. Only I am disappointed that 'True Grit' did not get any. I did not expect A. R. Rahman to win this time and hence I was not upset as many of my friends were. I felt that that all the other nominees in the Best Musical Score category were better than that for '127 Hours', and as far as the Best Original Song is concerned, Randy Newman deserved it alright. I love the song "We belong together...." from 'Toy Story 3' too much. I had forgotten to mention it my earlier comments, hence I had to mention it here.
:-):-):-)
Thank you, Mehul, Siddhu, Abhishek, and a special THANK YOU to you Namit, for commenting more than once! I love you guys!
I have to admit that I too loved this year's Oscar ceremony for many reasons. Though I missed the presence of some of my favorite celebrities this time on stage, like Tom Cruise and Angelina Jolie, the funny takes on some of the nominees by the presenters James Franco and Anne Hathaway had me in splits.
I also loved the In Memorium section where Celine Dion sang my favorite song "Smile" (about which I have written already in a previous post, after I heard it in the film 'Guzaarish'). I also loved the heartfelt tribute to Lena Horne by Halle Berry. And, at the very end, when the kids sang "Somewhere over the rainbow...." - the song from 'The Wizard of Oz', while the winners assembled on stage, I had goosebumps.
There were many special moments, and the list of scene-stealers included none other than Kirk Douglas, the nonagenarian. It is obvious why movielovers across the world look forward to this very event - it's because of all that we saw at this year's Oscars ceremony.
The Oscars might not be the ultimate arbiter in terms of the best of American, English, or World Cinema, but the Oscars Night at Kodak Theater is indeed a celebratory platform for many. And it is a gala ceremony to ogle at the stars and cherish the movies toasted therein. This time too the ceremony wasn't devoid of the colors or the pomp. I have to admit that I was thrilled to see THE KING'S SPEECH bag the Best Film award, and Colin Firth get the much deserved award for Best Actor. Natalie Portman's performance too was too strong to make any other actress bypass her claim for the Best Actress award, for BLACK SWAN. THE SOCIAL NETWORK script was deservedly honored too for the Best Adapted Screenplay. These awards were almost a foregone conclusion, no surprises and rude awakenings there, thus the handsome presentation ceremony was every bit satisfactory for me at least.
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