Picture: Drive
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive
Leading Actor: Ryan Gosling, Drive
Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks, Drive
Score: Cliff Martinez, Drive
Cinematography: Newton Thomas Sigel, Drive

I propose we call the award The Big DiF 

Damn, out of everything in those lists of movies in all of those categories, the only films I've seen are Rango, Bridesmaids and Drive.

Anyway, I was a bit bummed to discover this was just a ballot for the actual Oscars, and not something more personal to DiF and the community's tastes. Like Ewing, I'm pretty upset that Drive, for all its achievements and popularity (especially for the kind of movie it actually is, versus the one that was marketed), only got a lousy (although still deserved) sound editing nomination. That's some bullshit right there.

I voted for a few of the topics, but not all of them, as I've not yet seen the artist, the descendents or dragon tattoo. Dragon tattoo is one that I have no excuse for. The others - and many of the movies nominated for stuff this year - didn't play near me because I live in redneckville alabama where the three (!) 16-or-more-screens (!) theaters here all played the exact same ten movies at any given time, most of them being either the latest crappy horror movie or the latest crappy action movie or the latest crappy comedy about people having sex and throwing up.

But they did play The Help - which is pretty damn good - and Dragon Tattoo. So, for instance, "Actress in a leading role"...  all of those movies are playing right now, and only those two I mentioned have played here. If it's not out on DVD and it's listed on this chart somewhere, then odds are I haven't seen it due to it not playing here.

I really need to look into the logistics, costs and availability of funding for running my own theater. This is one of the most populated areas in Alabama, and the closest thing to an arthouse theater here is over two hours away.

I just realized I saw no new movies last year, I was busy watching other movies.

I think I saw Your Highness and that was bad, I saw Paul which was okay, that's it I think.

I voted in all categories, but I've only seen about half of the films nominated.  There were several snubs that left those category votes feeling false.  Oh well.  Off topic, but I really enjoyes the Bake Off Intermission - now I've got to see Real Steel.

Also, can someone make a sequel to Real Steel that involves the theft of a movie and call it Reel Steal?  Sorry for the bad joke.

Last edited by dbngaa (2012-01-29 04:13:22)

I'm expecting The Artist to walk away with a ton of awards, followed by Scorsese winning for Best Director and Allen for Best Original Screenplay.

I've heard that it will either be The Artist or Hugo. I loved every minute of The Artist, and I'd be very happy to see it win Best Picture.

Hugo is not good, on the other hand, but it might win because of the "Film History" aspect coupled with Scorsese.

Was The Help really that good? It struck me as something akin to The Blind Side, filled with White Guilt and a cheesy moral. But I haven't seen it yet, so I could be proven wrong.

I assumed exactly the same thing, which is why The Help was the very last of my screener dvd's that I watched.  I was literally avoiding it. 

Although it follows the exact trope you think it does (courageous white person helps the po' minority folk!) I was surprised by how it managed to do it without the didactic gooeyness we''ve come to expect from that kinda movie.   And it's just exceedingly well acted, by a huge cast of almost entirely women.  There are maybe three male characters of any consequence, and they get about two minutes of screen time apiece.  They haven't made 'em like that since the heyday of George Cukor and Kate Hepburn.

To be fair, it also had personal relevance because the movie is about white families and their black maids in the early sixties in the South... which means it's about MY family.  Wow, was I having flashbacks while watching it.  The only difference is the movie is set in Mississippi and I was born in Nashville, which was a bit more enlightened (although by today's standards not by much).  More importantly, my dad was a civil rights attorney so I wasn't taught the institutionalized racism that was still common at the time.  But it was all around us.   So if you see The Help and think "aww, they're making up stuff to be dramatic" I assure you that nooo they aren't.   

Anyway, mileage may vary but for me I was fascinated and entertained the entire time.  It's a solid movie and absolutely deserving of a Best Picture nomination.

We're gonna leave this up until Oscar day.

Not too late to vote. 

I'd argue that The Artist is a lot more self-aware than Karina would believe, but I could be naïve myself.