Like most hard-core film enthusiasts and internet cynics, I try not to buy into the hype surrounding award ceremonies, particularly the Oscars. After all, why set myself up for disappointment? I know that no animated movie is ever going to win Best Picture, no comic-book film (no matter how thematically rich or well constructed) will ever get a nomination for the highest honour and that inevitably James Cameron is going to win 86 Oscars for Avatar while all the truly deserving nominees go home empty handed.
And yet I can't help get excited. I can't help obsess over who is going to win, argue with people over who should win and then break down exactly how everyone who did win didn't actually deserve to. What can I say; I'm a nerd like that.
Anyway, seeing as the nominations are in a few days, I thought I'd take a look at some of the For Your Consideration ads that have been taken out by the studios in the hope of promoting their films. FYC ads are kind of indicative of the entire problem with the Oscars; smaller films rarely get the same coverage as large ones, because the studios aren't willing to spend a lot of money on movies that a lot of people didn't see. Never the less, I like posters, and FYC ads are often particularly interesting. Here are some of the highlights.
And yet I can't help get excited. I can't help obsess over who is going to win, argue with people over who should win and then break down exactly how everyone who did win didn't actually deserve to. What can I say; I'm a nerd like that.
Anyway, seeing as the nominations are in a few days, I thought I'd take a look at some of the For Your Consideration ads that have been taken out by the studios in the hope of promoting their films. FYC ads are kind of indicative of the entire problem with the Oscars; smaller films rarely get the same coverage as large ones, because the studios aren't willing to spend a lot of money on movies that a lot of people didn't see. Never the less, I like posters, and FYC ads are often particularly interesting. Here are some of the highlights.
(500) Days of Summer
I'd say (500) Days of Summer has a very good chance of getting a Best Picture nomination as the obligatory indie film that gets nominated every year (think Juno, Little Miss Sunshine) - not that this is a bad thing, as it more than deserves to make the 10. As the obligatory indie film, it's almost guaranteed to win Best Original Screenplay (again, think Juno, Little Miss Sunshine); while it probably deserves it more than either of those two slightly over-rated films did, it wouldn't be my pick for this year. No push in this ad for Gordon Levitt to receive a Best Actor nomination (as there was in the Golden Globe FYC ad), but I'd say he'll get it anyway. Not so sure about Deschanel.You can read my review of (500) Days of Summer here.
Avatar
Unsurprisingly there are a lot of Avatar ads; aside from all the special effects awards, editing awards and sound awards it's sure to steal (sorry 2012, Transformers), we're seeing a big push in pretty much all of the major categories, especially now after it's success at the Golden Globes. The two ads I've selected are the ones the interest me the most; the film is guaranteed (and admittedly probably deserves) nominations for Best Director and Best Picture (although I really really hope it doesn't win the latter). But if Cameron gets a nomination for Best Screenplay it will be an absolute travesty (I was largely a defender of the dialogue, story and characters in that film, but they are not worthy of any awards). Sadly he'll probably get this nomination as well. Stupid star-fucking Academy.
The second interesting category they're pulling for is Zoe Saldana for Best Actress. Now there are also FYC posters for Worthington for Best Actor, Sigourney Weaver for Best Supporting Actress and Stephen Lang for Best Supporting Actor (you can check them out here, but honestly I don't think even the Academy is stupid enough to hand out those nominations). But Saldana is a slightly different case; as every person on the planet knows by now (yes Avatar is now the top grossing film of all time), her performance was done entirely through state of the art performance capture technology. Although her character in the film was entirely animated, everything Neytiri does, from her movements to the tiniest of facial expressions was acted out by Saldana.
Now I am for the inclusion of motion capture performances being included in the acting categories. I'd even like to see voice actors and mo-cap performers get nominations (Andy Serkis should have been nominated for Gollum in my opinion). That being said, while I thought Saldana did give the best performance of the film, I don't think it was good enough to deserve a Best Actress nomination. If the Academy wants to break ground, they should give James Gandolfini a Best Acting nomination for his voice performance in Where The Wild Things Are.
The second interesting category they're pulling for is Zoe Saldana for Best Actress. Now there are also FYC posters for Worthington for Best Actor, Sigourney Weaver for Best Supporting Actress and Stephen Lang for Best Supporting Actor (you can check them out here, but honestly I don't think even the Academy is stupid enough to hand out those nominations). But Saldana is a slightly different case; as every person on the planet knows by now (yes Avatar is now the top grossing film of all time), her performance was done entirely through state of the art performance capture technology. Although her character in the film was entirely animated, everything Neytiri does, from her movements to the tiniest of facial expressions was acted out by Saldana.
Now I am for the inclusion of motion capture performances being included in the acting categories. I'd even like to see voice actors and mo-cap performers get nominations (Andy Serkis should have been nominated for Gollum in my opinion). That being said, while I thought Saldana did give the best performance of the film, I don't think it was good enough to deserve a Best Actress nomination. If the Academy wants to break ground, they should give James Gandolfini a Best Acting nomination for his voice performance in Where The Wild Things Are.
You can read my review of Avatar here.
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
Who doesn't love Nic Cage?Ok, lot's of people. Including me. And this guy. This guy loves him though.
I haven't actually seen BL:PoCNO (surprise surprise, it hasn't come out here). But the word of mouth surrounding Cage's performance as a manic, drug addled cop has been excellent - as you can see from the poster. I've said many times: the man gives one phenomenal performance every five or so years and then just goes back to cashing pay-checks. I kind of doubt the film has been high profile enough to get him a nomination though. Still, I can't wait to see it.
P.S. His best performance will always be Con Air. "Put the bunny back in the box."
Capitalism: A Love Story
I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that Moore's latest didn't even make the shortlist for Best Documentary, which makes it impossible for it to get a nomination (if that's the case, this FYC ad must be pretty old). Technically it could still get a nomination for Best Picture (but like animated or foreign films, documentaries are rarely if even given a shot at the title). Of course it doesn't help that this is (in my humble opinion) easily Moore's movie and simply doesn't deserve either nomination. And it won't get it.The Cove
Now here is your Best Documentary winner. One of my favourite films of 2009 (and one of only a handful of docs I saw), The Cove is tipped by just about everyone to take home the gold.You can read my review of The Cove here.
Disgrace
I'd have to guess there is absolutely no chance of Disgrace getting any nominations, as it was barely seen outside of Australia. Shame to, because it really was a good if tad bleak film that probably deserves a shot at both of these categories. Anyone who has seen the film though is probably somewhat surprised the John Malkovich and Jessica Haines aren't both getting pushed for Actor and Actress nominations, as they both give sensational performances. But like I said, it probably doesn't matter.You can read my review of Disgrace here.
District 9
Wouldn't it be awesome to see District 9 get a ton of nominations. I wasn't as enamoured with the film as a lot of people were, but it was still so original and unique, and it would just be terrific to see that originality rewarded. And I'd say there's a good chance it'll get a Best Picture nom, not to mention a bunch of technical (which it will lose to Avatar) and make up (which it will hopefully win) nominations. It should also score an Adapted Screenplay nomination (as it did at the Globes), and Cinematography and Director both seem like outside possibilities. Lastly, it'd be great to see Sharlto Copley (in his feature film acting debut) get a much deserved nomination. Seems somewhat unlikely though.You can read my review of District 9 here.
The Hangover
Urgh.This is actually the FYC poster that sparked this entire article. That, and something I heard on the /Filmcast, where one of the hosts pointed out the sad fact that the two films that won Best Picture awards at the Golden Globes - Avatar for Best Drama and The Hangover for Best Comedy - were the highest grossing drama and the highest grossing comedy of the year, respectively. If that is truly the way we are heading, then Michael Bay should have his Best Director trophy locked in within the next couple of years.
Now I liked The Hangover. Liked. But it is NOT that good. It is NOT one of the ten best films of the year. I could embrace a Best Supporting Actor nod for Zach Galifiankis (especially seeing as it makes no difference who the nominees are, as Christoph Waltz has it in the bag many times over). And again, I'm not opposed to comedy getting nominated for Best Picture. But not this comedy.
You can read my review of The Hangover here.
The Hurt Locker
You guys are probably really sick of me complaining about the fact that I haven't seen this movie yet. But I don't care. Because I really fucking want to see it. The film will almost certainly score the first two it's asking for in this FYC ad; the other three seem less likely. At this point it seems like the Best Picture and Best Director categories are both going to come down to Katheryn Bigelow's gritty Iraq War film, and her ex-husband Jim Cameron's highest grossing motion picture of all time. Having not seen The Hurt Locker and having seen and loved Avatar twice, I can safely say that I want The Hurt Locker to win, solely on principle. I love me some blue aliens, but Avatar flat out does not deserve to win Best Picture.Incidentally, if Bigelow wins the Best Director Oscar, she would be the first woman ever to do so.
Inglourious Basterds
I don't really have much to say on this film; it deserves and will almost certainly receive nominations for Best Picture, Best Director & Best Original Screenplay (check out some of the other FYC ads here); some of the actors in these two ads might receive nominations (but no wins), with one obvious exception. Christoph Waltz, like Heath Ledger and Javier Bardem before him, has the Best Supporting Actor category locked. Honestly it seems almost unfair to let him be nominated. Maybe the academy should introduce a "second best supporting actor" award to make the ceremony a little more interesting.You can read my review of Inglourious Basterds here.
Mary and Max
...
That's right. One of my favourite films of the year. My absolute favourite Australian film of the year. One of the best, most touching and most ingenious animated films ever made. And there doesn't appear to be a single For Your Consideration ad to be found. What a disgrace. I know it barely had a released in America, but still!
Anyway, so upset was I by the apparent lack of love for Adam Elliot's film that I decided to take the initiative myself:
Anyway, so upset was I by the apparent lack of love for Adam Elliot's film that I decided to take the initiative myself:
...I'd vote for it.You can read my review of Mary and Max here.
Moon
This is perhaps the other reason why I wanted to talk about FYC ads. I do not believe that Moon will not receive any of the nominations they are asking for, despite featuring one of if not the best performances of the year from Sam Rockwell and one of if not the best scores from Clint Mansell. Personally I don't think it deserves a Best Picture or Director nomination (despite Duncan Jones remarkable accomplishment in getting this film made on a minuscule $5 million budget), while I could take or leave a nomination for Best Original Screenplay.But what really annoys me is this ad itself. Look at it. It's pathetic. Printed in black & white, all it is is a feeble replication of the films poster; I could have put it together myself in MS Paint. And so we see the problem with FYC ads. Because Sony didn't want to spent money, Oscar voters won't see the film and Moon will probably go largely unrecognised despite an enormous online campaign to get Rockwell a nomination. And meanwhile, Julie & Julia, a film most critics didn't even like, will probably get Meryl Streep her nine thousandth acting nomination. Sigh.
P.S. I haven't seen Julie & Julia, and I do actually love Meryl Streep. But you see my point.
You can read my review of Moon here.
Samson & Delilah
Australia's best ever hope of recieving a Best Foreign Language Picture nomination, Samson & Delilah recently made the shortlist of nine films. However, compared to heavy hitters like Broken Embraces, The White Ribbon and The Prophet (none of which I've had the chance to see, sadly), I predict it will get no further. Still, I wanted to give Warwick Thorton's film (one of my favourites from 2009) a shoutout.You can read my review of Samson & Delilah here.
This Is It
I haven't seen this posthumous Michael Jackson concert film, but I thought this ad was worth highlighting because it's pushing the movie for Best Picture and not Best Documentary. If you've seen it, which category do you think it belongs in (assuming you liked it and you think it belongs in either).Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
I fucking hated this movie. Just throwing that out there. I'm surprised they didn't have the gall to push Shia for Best Actor (I'd rather they gave it to Bumblebee). Although the film did have excellent sound and visual effects, I hope it doesn't win just because I really fucking hated the movie itself. Or if it wins, I hope Michael Bay goes to accept the award and then the stage collapses and he's seriously injured. Not killed. Just rendered unable to make movies ever again.Ok maybe that's still a bit harsh.
You can read my vitriolic review of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen here.
Up
Anyone who has ever read this blog knows that this is my favourite film of 2009. When it comes to the FYC ads for Pixar's latest (of which there are many), there are some ads that push the movie for Best Picture, some for Best Animated Picture and some for both. Now obviously the film will be nominated for Best Animated Picture and will almost certainly win. But the question is, will it be nominated against live action films (I'd like to say the question was can it win against live action films, but sadly we already know the answer is a resounding no). I like to think it can (especially with the field being expanded to ten nominees), hence the FYC ad I've posted above asks solely for the Best Picture nomination.There are also some FYC ads (you can view them all here) pushing for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Score. I wouldn't be surprised to see nominations for the latter two (although I'd give the gold to A Serious Man and Moon respectively), and would be pleasantly surprised by a director nod for Pete Docter. I would say very pleasant and very surprised.
You can read my review of Up here.
Watchmen
I have to say I'm a little disappointed by this sole FYC poster for Zack Snyder's Watchmen. While I'm sure it couldn't ever win (or probably even get nominated) for Best Picture of Best Director, it would have been nice to see them try. Additionally, what about a Supporting Actor nomination for Jackie Earle Haley, or to a lesser extent, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and/or Patrick Wilson? And what about costume? Even surely a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination isn't entirely out of the realm of possibility. Warner Brothers really dropped the ball on this one. So much so that I've decided to include this awesome fan made FYC ad I found over at www.posteravant.com 
Please note that I think this is a fan made poster. If it is in fact official one, then my apologies to Warner Brother; it was I who in fact dropped the ball on this one.You can read my review of Watchmen here.
Where The Wild Things Are
I didn't love this film. In fact, I didn't even really like it. But my god was it beautiful to look at. I don't want to see it get a Best Picture nomination or even one for Best Director (sorry Spike), but in pretty much every other category; editing, cinematography, costume and absolutely acting for young Max Records performance (probably not going to happen), I say go right ahead. I mean hell, even these FYC ads look stunning. Shame about the plot really.You can read my review of Where The Wild Things Are here.
And that about does it. All the FYC ads (baring the home made ones) came from www.awardsdaily.com. The Academy Award nominations will be announced on February 2nd, around which time you'll be able to read another long post in which I rant and rave about the injustices of...whatever. After February 2nd, be sure to visit the Large Association of Movie Blogs, as we will be beginning the yearly "LAMBs Devour the Oscars" blog-a-thon, in which each category is analysed by a different LAMB member, leading up to the big day on March 7th when the winners are announced. Due to my undying love for all things Pixar, I will be deconstructing the Best Animated Picture category (that'll also be posted here).
So what do you think of these FYC ads? Who/what else missed out? And were there any cool looking ones that I missed?
