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.

Zombieland (2009)

What I expected:

I hate zombie movies. Even the “good’ ones. The whole genre is lost on me, but when I saw the previews for Zombieland I was hooked. It promised to be something altogether different, and it looked like a lot of fun. I dared to hope that this time, a zombie movie could actually be worth watching.

What I got:

Zombieland is without a doubt the funniest zombie movie ever made! No question about it. Shaun of the Dead is a tragedy compared to this one. The gross-out will delight you, the absurdity will astound you and in the end it all makes perfect sense. Meanwhile you are laughing non-stop.

Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland) is the narrator and his dry, slightly neurotic delivery is the perfect companion to the completely over-the-top gore you are watching on the screen. He plays Columbus (No names. They lead to intimacy) who against all odds has survived while the whole World has been infected with the zombie virus around him. He has done so because he is sompletely neurotic and has lots of rules for how to survive – rules you really come to appreciate as the movie progresses. He is on the move, trying to get back to Columbus, Ohio (big applause here from those of us who live there) where he hopes his family may still be alive.

He quickly hooks up with Tallahassee, played by Woody Harrelson, who is his polar opposite. Tallahassee is brash, loud and loves a good ass-kickin’. Together they make a very unlikely pair. Along the way they get conned by a couple of other survivors, Wichita (Emma Stone from Superbad) and her 12-year old sister Little Rock (Abigail Breslin of Little Miss Sunshine fame). The four form an uneasy alliance and together they kick so much zombie ass, you almost can’t believe a body count could get this high.

It is also hard to believe that so much blood, mucus and all other manner of bodily fluids could be splattered so far and wide – and in such quantity. Oh you have seen gross-outs before but this movie takes the squish to whole new heights and depths.. Similarly, if something can be broken and scattered in a million pieces it definitely will be. Untold legion of possessions are destroyed by this quartet – mostly for no reason other than that they can. And you cheer them on every step of the way.

This is clearly Woody Harrelson’s movie, and he is truly superb. His brand of humor is on full display and it really works here. Eisenberg is similarly funny and strong as the “Straight” man to his antics. Abigail Breslin gets a chance to play a “bad girl”, in what is her breakout role and Emma Stone is the perfect, smoky voiced love interest. Personally, I would have chosen a different outfit for driving across country while fighting zombies, but it does make her easy on the eyes. Bill Murray makes a wonderful appearance as well, once again showcasing his comedic genius.

I’m not suggesting this movie is for everyone, but it sure won this zombie-movie-hater over. Zombieland is not just the funniest zombie movie ever, it is also the funniest movie I have seen all year – and we’ve had some funny ones already.

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.