Irresponsible 2010 Oscar picks

What you should expect:

Every year I plan to see all the movies nominated in the big categories of Best Picture, Best Actor/Actress, Best Supporting Actor/Actress, Best Director and some years even Best Screen Play. Usually I fail miserably and only end up seeing a fraction of all the great films nominated. So in that proud tradition I give you my picks for these categories at the 2010 Oscars.

What I will do is limit myself to the films I have seen, so if you think The Hurt Locker, Precious or The Blind Side are superior to my picks, you may be right. I haven’t seen them, so I can’t comment on them.

Here goes:

Best Picture: Up in the Air

I’m excited that this is the category where I have seen the most of the films nominated and those are Avatar, Up in the Air and District 9. As you will have summised from my reviews, I am not a great fan of Avatar. I think the storyline is trite, and I don’t really care about the big blue people. I enjoyed Riley cum Sigourney Weaver, but she could not make up for the lack of original story. On the other hand, I really loved both District 9 and Up in the Air. District 9 is a wonderful allegory about how we treat those different from us, and in some ways so is Up in the Air. In terms of timeliness and sheer emotional impact as a result of our horrible economy, Up in the Air wins out for me. It had the (mis)fortune of being in the right time at the (wrong) right time and is my pick for Best Picture. I have to give a mention to An Education, which I have not seen, but have to root for simply because it was directed by a fellow Dane.

Best Director: Jason Reitman for Up in the Air

My choices of directors of movies I have seen are James Cameron for Avatar or Jason Reitman for Up in the Air. Let me up front concede that I admire the sheer magnitude of the Avatar project and the technological advances gained through the making of this movie. Unfortunately, it failed to reach me on an emotional level whereas Up in the Air tore at my insides in ways I am still dealing with. Jason Reitman is my clear pick of the two.

Best Actress: Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia

Yes, ladies first! This is not a tough category for me. Meryl Streep was phenomenal as Julia Child in Julie & Julia. She truly became Julia and inspired me to ask for my very own copy of MTAOFC. That I didn’t see any of the movies of the other nominees makes this choice super easy as well.

Best Actor: Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart

My pool of candidates are George Clooney in Up in the Air and Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart. The two performances are almost night and day to each other. Clooney plays cool as a cucumber with some emotional vulnerability thrown in, so essentially himself, whereas Jeff Bridges goes all out in portraying the down and out country singer. Advantage Jeff Bridges.

Best Supporting Actress: Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air

This is another category where I have three to choose from: Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick, both for Up in the Air and Maggie Gyllenhaal, for Crazy Heart. I thought Maggie Gyllenhaal did a nice job in Crazy Heart. Vera Farmiga did a similarly nice job in Up in the Air, but of the three, Anna Kendrick is my favorite. Her character had to undergo the most change over time, and she really brought all sides of that character to life. If you had only seen her in Twilight before, I think you would agree she got a big chance to do a lot more here.

Best Supporting Actor: NA

I have not seen any of the films nominated, so I cannot make an honest choice but my emotional favorite is Woody Harrelson for The Messenger, but only because of Zombieland, which by the way: “Hello!” Way better than some of these “important” films. The same is also true of Star Trek, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus and Sherlock Holmes – all favorites of mine from 2009. They are “only” recognized for art direction and other technical categories. Hrumph!

Best adapted screenplay: District 9

In this category I can express my opinion about District 9 and Up in the Air. They are both truly excellent stories and movies, so the choice is hard. However, since I have gushed over Up in the Air in all the other categories, I’m going to go with District 9. It leaves a mark as well, and is a very uncomfortable look at how easily we can alienate each other. I do think though, that this is a more fitting award for it than Best Picture would be.

As you can see, this is a very incomplete and myopic view of this years best films, but as they say “write what you know,” so that is what I have done. Out of the 19 movies nominated in these categories I have only seen five. It will be fun to see how accurate I can be with such a small sampling. On the other hand, conventional wisdom may be no more right than I am. The academy can be tricky that way. They like an underdog but sometimes get blinded by the truly huge movies or they will reward more of a lifetime achievement than the specific project. With that in mind, James Cameron, Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep should all have solid speeches ready – and should keep equally eloquent concession ones in their back pockets just in case.

Best of luck to all!

Niels Hansen is the co-owner of Hansen Creative Services, a graphic design firm near Columbus, Ohio which specializes in employee communications and small business marketing.

The Ugly Truth (2009)

What I Expected:

Pitting the sexes against each other is not really my idea of romance, so when it is billed as romantic comedy, I cringe a bit. On the other hand Katherine Heigl seems to have a good nose for picking decent roles and she is funny, so I was willing to give The Ugly Truth the benefit of the doubt. Gerald Butler on the other hand is best known as the phantom in Phantom of the Opera or King Leonidas in 300 – neither role really a comedy… hmm.

What I got:

Katherine Heigl plays Abby, a hard-driving TV producer who has no idea how to get a man, while Gerald Butler plays Mike – a misogynistic self-help guru for men, who is peddling “the ugly truth” about the sexes. They clash the moment he is hired to work on the morning TV show she produces. When he overhears her talking with a prospective date on the phone, Mike bets her that he can coach her to get the man on the other end into her bed with his insight into the male psyche. Needless to say it works, and many (and sometimes funny) complications arise, especially as he falls for her in the process.

Nothing really new here, except, that The Ugly Truth is a fairly sweet take on the battle of the sexes. Much more so than you might have expected from a modern comedy, especially one about lies and deception. This one falls somewhere between 27 Dresses and Knocked Up, – which were both very enjoyable previous efforts by Ms. Heigl. That Gerald Butler proves to be a comedic talent is certainly a bonus. The chemistry between the two of them is never truly believable, but their “battle” is still fun to watch.

As date-movie themes go, I would caution the guys to tread lightly here. It would be easy to fall into the trap of taking the side of the ugly truth-er, but I suspect you would do so at your peril, if you want the date to end “well.” He is a pig, and even if you secretly agree with some of his techniques, don’t let it on too much.

And ladies, you too should be careful not to express your disgust too loudly, if you want the date to end “well.” Not all men are this much of a pig, but we are still fairly basic creatures, and picking an argument over our worst qualities, really isn’t very romantic. Unless you are into angry, make-up sex, in which case, by all means duke it out after the movie.

The nice thing about The Ugly Truth is that there is something in it for both men and women. It is not really a chick-flick, while certainly not a guy-movie either. It is a reasonably fun comedy that you can enjoy together with plenty of laughs, beautiful people and a good, relationship affirming morale. No really, it is actually not a chick-flick. Trust me guys.

PS: As a designer, I really appreciate the use of the Helvetica toilet people in the poster. Very nice!

Niels Hansen is the co-owner of Hansen Creative Services, a graphic design firm near Columbus, Ohio which specializes in employee communications and small business marketing.

Sex Drive (2008)

My big fear about Sex Drive was that the whole movie would be as stupid as the construct of the Amish mechanic (Seth Green) could portend. Fortunately, he has maybe a total of five minutes of screen-time and does not manage to detract from an otherwise cute, funny, and delightfully raunchy movie. Amanda Crew, Josh Zuckerman and Clark Duke are charming as the three friends that set out on a road trip from Chicago to Knoxville, TN in an older brother’s (James Marsden) muscle car. The trip offers an amusing array of gross-outs and attempted sexcapades – nothing you haven’t seen before, but funny all the same. Rhodes scholarships were not squandered on creating this film and no Oscars will be forthcoming, but it is solidly entertaining and quite funny.

Niels Hansen is the co-owner of Hansen Creative Services, a graphic design firm near Columbus, Ohio which specializes in employee communications and small business marketing.

Sex and Death 101 (2008)

Daniel Waters brought us the sleeper hit Heathers back in the late 80′s, so you know he can deliver the goods. The question then becomes can he do it again? The answer is “no.” This movie is not nearly as weird or charming as Heathers. It does star Winona Ryder again, but this time as a much darker coma-inducing femme fatale and she delivers the only decent acting job in the movie.

The basic premise is that Roderick Blank (Simon Baker from The Devil Wears Prada) receives an e-mail with a list of all the women he will ever have sex with. His fiance is number 29 out of 101, so he breaks up their engagement to live the life of a skirt-chasing bachelor. Sex and Death 101 does not have a clearly defined audience and thus falls short of pleasing anybody. Most women will not find the long parade of T&A very romantic even if it is at times comedic, and men will stop caring long before the unsurprising ending. It does cover many fetishes with the 60-some women “bedded”, but still manages to make sex uninteresting and not at all titillating.

Niels Hansen is the co-owner of Hansen Creative Services, a graphic design firm near Columbus, Ohio which specializes in employee communications and small business marketing.

The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)

If you liked Elizabeth with Cate Blanchet The Other Boleyn Girl will give you the history that precedes it about Henry IIX and how he came to father Elizabeth I. Unfortunately, The Other Boleyn Girl has none of the gorgeous art direction, lush scenery nor the raw acting talent to match Blanchet. What it does have is Natalie Portman never quite convincing you that Henry would have split from the Catholic Church for her as Anne Boleyn (Elizabeth’s mother). She just can’t pull off being irresistible and sensual in that way. Scarlett Johansson could have done it, but she was instead cast as the demure and “pure” sister which she can do, but she is wasted there. Eric Bana gives his best impression of a doorknob as Henry and offers no chemistry for Portman to react to whatsoever. Kristin Scott Thomas on the other hand is very convincing as Lady Boleyn – Anne’s mother. If all you are looking for is a history lesson this will do, but beware: These are not nice people and you may want to shower after you’re done. It is a shame that the movie itself fails to match the grandeur and moral bankruptsy of the story it tries to tell.

Niels Hansen is the co-owner of Hansen Creative Services, a graphic design firm near Columbus, Ohio which specializes in employee communications and small business marketing.

Hancock (2008)

Will Smith makes himself rode hard and put away drunk in Hancock, a story about a down-on-his-luck superhero with a real PR problem. Through serendipity he hooks up with a PR executive (Jason Bateman) and his skeptical wife (Charlize Theron). They help him change his life and in the process he changes theirs. This is obviously a clunky and trite setup, and I had zero expectations of the movie. As a result, I was very pleasantly surprised that it was funny, had lots of action and enough intriguing plot-twist to keep you interested. Hancock is not the worst way you can waste an evening on the couch.

Niels Hansen is the co-owner of Hansen Creative Services, a graphic design firm near Columbus, Ohio which specializes in employee communications and small business marketing.

Yes Man (2008)

We all have baggage when it comes to Jim Carrey. Some people think, he is brilliant others hate everything about him. I personally find him to be a bit of a one-note act, which wears on me quickly. Fortunately Yes Man is one of his funnier, more touching stories in a while and with the capable help of Zooey Deschanel (Bridge to Tarabithia & Weeds), it steers clear of insipid and manages to pull off funny, delightful and quirky. It is still very mainstream, but has a quiet weirdness that is quite charming. Carrey plays Carl Allen who says no to everything and his life is boring and dull. He agrees to enroll in a seminar about the power of “Yes” and once he does his life changes in every way. I know this does not sound like much of a premise, but Carrey and Deschanel make it work, in part because Carrey’s high-jinks are kept in check. I promise, you will laugh more than you expected watching Yes Man. Comedy mission accomplished.

Niels Hansen is the co-owner of Hansen Creative Services, a graphic design firm near Columbus, Ohio which specializes in employee communications and small business marketing.

Untraceable (2008)

If you are a Diane Lane fan, I suspect you like her in romantic comedies, where she has to overcome personal issues to find happiness in a flawed, but essentially healthy relationship. This movie is not like that. Lane plays an FBI agent (like a Clarice Starling) that is racing against the clock to save victims from a sick serial killer (again like a Clarice Starling) and she has a nasty showdown with him in the end (very much like a Clarice Starling might.) If you get the sense by now, that this story has been told before (and maybe better) you would be correct. The Silence of the Lambs-like story has been updated to incorporate all kinds of cyber-scare elements and it makes plenty of references to crime-fighting post-9/11, but none of those techno-upgrades improve on the story, nor can Diane Lane fill the shoes left empty, when Jodie Foster didn’t re-up for the second Lecter movie. This is not actually a Clarice/Lecter story – it just feels like it wants to be. You will not be bored. Just don’t expect anything new or better to be added to the genre.

Niels Hansen is the co-owner of Hansen Creative Services, a graphic design firm near Columbus, Ohio which specializes in employee communications and small business marketing.

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)

Be honest with yourself; if you watched Underworld, and Underworld 2 it was because Kate Beckinsale wore a tight cat-suit as the main character Selene. It was not for the backstory about Lucien, Viktor and Marcus or the monochrome art direction (even though that is kinda cool.) Unfortunately, this movie is all about those things and not at all about Selene, AND Kate Beckinsale is NOT in it! Ergo, you can skip this one. Anytime Bill Nighy is the main draw on the bill I would suggest you skip it on principle. In this case you have the unfortunate collusion of his overacting and a story, you just don’t care about. Rhona Mitra tries to fill Beckinsale’s shoes with the replacement character Sonja, but it’s just no use. Sorry Rhona.

Niels Hansen is the co-owner of Hansen Creative Services, a graphic design firm near Columbus, Ohio which specializes in employee communications and small business marketing.

American Gangster (2008)

Denzel Washington playing Frank Lucas does for the black drug trade what Pacino did for the mafia in The Godfather and for the Cuban drug lords in Scarface – except this story is real. It peels back the curtain on how the heroin trade blossomed in Harlem in the 70s. American Gangster is not nearly as accomplished as those other movies and will not be remembered 30 years from now as one of the all-time great movies. But it is a solid bio-pic that makes you empathize with and be repulsed by this complex man that rose to the top of the drug-scene at a time when black power was not supposed to be synonymous with criminal power. Russell Crowe (State of Play) is also great as Richie Roberts, the honest cop, that is hot on the heels of Lucas. You will not regret seeing American Gangster. I certainly enjoyed it.

Niels Hansen is the co-owner of Hansen Creative Services, a graphic design firm near Columbus, Ohio which specializes in employee communications and small business marketing.