Oscar Predictions

Here are my predictions for the 2012 Academy Awards. Some of the categories are complete guesses and some are upsets I am hoping for. For the most part I feel the great love of The Artist will have it winning many categories.

Best Picture – The Artist

Best Director – The Artist

Best Actor – The Artist

Best Actress – Viola Davis- The Help

Best Supporting Actor – Christopher Plummer – Beginners

Best Supporting Actress – Octavia Spencer – The Help

Best Original Screenplay – Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris

Best Adapted Screenplay – Moneyball- (This is one of the tightest races it is a close call with The Descendants but I am an Aaron Sorkin fan so going with Moneyball)

Best Animated Feature Film-Rango

Best Foreign Film- A Separation

Best Art Direction- Hugo

Best Costume- Jane Eyre (Always go with the movie that has the biggest costumes and it was either Jane Eyre or Anonymous)

Best Original Song- “Man or Muppet”

Best Original Score- The Artist (Since it is a silent movie the score makes the whole movie but in my opinion it wasn’t that great. I hope that John Williams wins for either War Horse or The Adventures of Tintin)

Best Documentary- Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory

Best Documentary (Short) – The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom (complete guess)

Best Cinematography – The Tree of Life (the only thing people can agree on about The Tree of Life is the cinematography)

Best Editing – The Artist

Best Make-Up- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (why not Harry Potter should win at least one award)

Best Sound Editing- Transformers: Dark of the Moon (no one is talking about Transformers winning any awards and Hugo is actually the frontrunner in the sound categories but I predict upset)

Best Sound Mixing - Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Best Visual Effects- Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Rise of the Planet of the Apes or Hugo are the frontrunners and both are better movies but Transformers is just one giant special effect and should get some recognition)

Best Short Film (Animated) - La Luna (complete guess)

Best Short Film (Live Action) – Time Freak ( I actually have seen 2 movies in this category and this is one of the funniest short movies and hope it gets the award)

Best Picture Nominees and Politics

I once read an article that said the movies that are nominated during an election year represent the issues of the day. I read this in 2000 when the movies nominated for Best Picture of 1999 included American Beauty, The Sixth Sense, The Cider House Rules, The Insider, and The Green Mile. The article claimed based on these movies the issues that were most on people’s minds were Family Values (American Beauty, The Sixth Sense and The Cider House Rules), corporate corruption (The Insider) and capital punishment (The Green Mile). Since then we have had 2 more elections and it hasn’t been to clear how the all the movies lined up with the issues although some movies are obvious. In 2004 Mystic River dealt with child molestation and violent crimes but what issues did Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King represent? In 2008 the issues were much clearer. We again had corporate corruption (Michael Clayton), the power of oil and religion (There Will be Blood), Teenage Pregnancy (Juno) and violence in society (No Country for Old Men).

So what about 2012? Well with 9 movies nominated it is harder to say. A recurring theme is the idea of looking for something. Hugo, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, and War Horse all have boys looking for something a key, a dad’s secret, and a horse. Midnight in Paris, Hugo, and The Artists take a nostalgic look at the past. But overall the social issues addressed are jobs, war, race, and care for the earth and others.

Here are the nominations and how they might represent the talking points of this year’s election. Some of these are a stretch and some are really easy, and since I didn't see Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close or War Horse I am just going on what I have heard about them.

The Artist- A movie about how new technology threatens ones lively hood. Issues addressed – Fear of the new and the loss of jobs. Jobs will be a big issue in the election.

The Descendants- About a man who struggles with to keep his family together during the sickness of his wife. Issues addressed – Family Values with side plots that involve capitalism vs. conservationism and end of life issues like living wills. This election cycle has not been so much about family values but the side plot of preserving a piece of land or using it to make money has been talked about.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close – About a boy dealing with the aftermath of 9/11. Issues addressed –After 10 years we are still dealing with our feelings about that day. 9/11 always seems to be a talking point during the elections.

The Help - About black maids in the South during the 50’s. Issues addressed- Racial tensions. Race is another talking point that always seems to find its way into the discussion.

Hugo – About a boy looking for the key to his robot and how he fits into the world, also the loss of ones lively hood after technology changes. Issues addressed- Dealing with loss and finding your place in the world. With a lot of people out of jobs everyone is looking for how they fit into the current picture.

Midnight in Paris – About a guy who looks back on the past as being a great time. Issues addressed – The way we romanticize the past and not look at how it really was. There have been lots of talk about returning to the policies of the past when everything was better.

Moneyball – About a poor team trying to compete with teams with more money. Issues addressed – The struggle between the rich and the poor. The perfect movie for the Occupy Wall Street crowd.

The Tree of Life – About spirituality and the struggle between human nature and grace. Issues addressed- The battle between doing what is good for the many vs. what is good for self. This can be another metaphor for the battle between socialism and capitalism.

War Horse – About a boy who looks for his horse during WWI. Issues addressed – The effects of war on people. With the country ending one war and the talk of a war with Iran you know that this will be a hot topic.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space

My first by request movie review. Thanks Chris for suggesting the movie.
So what if Giorgio Tsoukalos was right and Ancient Aliens did visit us in the past but instead of gods they were clowns? And what if they came back in their big top tent spaceship and started killing people?  That is the question that Killer Klowns from Outer Space asks (I love that there is actually a quote about ancient aliens in the movie).  Obviously this movie is just another cheese fest from the 80's. 

As the title promises the movie is about killer clowns from outer space.  After seeing a meteor crash while making out two teenagers go and discover that it really was a space ship that looks like a circus big top.    After further investigation they find out that the clowns that live inside the space ship are there to kill people.  Using tracking balloon animals, killer popcorn, and cotton candy cocoons to kill their victims the clowns unleash mayhem on the town.  Debbie and Mike with the help of Debbie's ex-boyfriend Dave who is a police officer set out to save the town.  Dave figures out the only way to kill the clowns is to shoot them in the nose.  With the help of two idiot brothers who drive an ice cream truck they manage to save the town.

The movie is silly and funny with very little gore and not very scary.  With a rating of PG-13 you can barely consider this a horror movie.  But it was obviously meant to be just a wacky movie. Unlike a movie like Troll 2 which was made to be a serious horror movie but failed at it.  I love that the space ship is a circus tent, the fact that the popcorn kills people, and the crazy way Dave destroys the head clown at the end. The premise is extremely out there but the movie does not take itself too seriously and can be enjoyed for the pure silliness that it is.  This is the perfect movie for people who like those really silly horror movie and it is probably best enjoyed with a group of friends who love the same.