It's Oscar weekend, my favorite holiday of the year! And for once, my favorite movie of the year (Mad Max: Fury Road) is nominated in a bunch of categories, including Best Picture. Mad Max may, in fact, be my favorite movie of the past five years or so. Perhaps the past decade. It is amazing on all levels and if I had my way, it would win all the Oscars including Best Picture and a write-in Best Actress for Charlize Theron.
But there's a big gap between what I want to win and what I think will win. Here are my best guesses as to how the hardware will be distributed:
Best Picture: The Revenant
Best Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio
Best Actress: Brie Larson
Best Supporting Actor: Sylvester Stallone
Best Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander
Best Original Screenplay: Spotlight
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short
Best Film Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Cinematography: The Revenant
Best Score: The Hateful Eight
Best Song: "Til It Happens to You" from The Hunting Ground
Best Art Direction: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Costumes: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Makeup: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Visual Effects: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Best Sound: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Sound Effects Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Animated Feature: Inside Out
Best Documentary Feature: Amy
You'll notice that while I'm picking The Revenant for Best Picture, I'm picking Mad Max to take home the most Oscars. Mad Max was, objectively, the best looking, best sounding movie of the year. I'll be thrilled if it wins more, but I predict it will take at least six Oscars.
There was a lot of buzz for Spotlight and The Big Short in the Best Picture race, but I think The Revenant will take it in the end and the others will take the screenplay awards. Also, it looks like Inarritu is poised to become the third person in Oscar history to win back to back directing Oscars. The lead acting categories are locks and Vikander is a strong favorite for Supporting Actress, but Stallone is in a tough race. His win (for a role he's played in seven movies) could be seen as a defacto lifetime achievement award, but many may feel that that's a lifetime of bad action movies and cast their votes elsewhere.
The category I'm most anticipating is Best Score, where the legendary Ennio Morricone is poised to win his first competitive Oscar in a lifetime of creating memorable music. This will be the best-deserved Oscar of the night and I'll be very bitter if he doesn't receive a standing ovation. In other music news, I predict that Lady Gaga will be halfway to an EGOT by the end of the ceremony.
As usual, I don't pick the short films and this year I'm not comfortable taking a guess in the Foreign Language category. I will take a shot at Animated Feature (Pixar is usually a safe bet) and Documentary Feature.
The Oscars are on Sunday night on ABC with Chris Rock hosting - it should be a good time. I'll post the winners and my correct picks.
Showing posts with label Best Score. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Best Score. Show all posts
Friday, February 26, 2016
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Music Awards
Hooray music awards! This year's nominees for Best Score are How To Train Your Dragon, Inception, The King's Speech, 127 Hours, and The Social Network.
I love Alexandre Desplat's music, but I'm surprised at his nomination for The King's Speech, where most of the big musical moments were provided by Mozart and Beethoven. Also, it's kind of cool that Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor was nominated as co-composer for The Social Network. Curious but, I though, fruitless. The award will go to Hans Zimmer for Inception. If you listen closely, his score actually illustrates the multiple-dream-level idea of the movie with different musical lines moving at different rates, the longest of which belts "Ma Vie En Rose," (a crucial plot point) in long foghorn blasts. Brilliant.
The Best Song nominees are "Coming Home" (Country Strong), "I See the Light" (Tangled), "If I Rise" (127 Hours), and "We Belong Together" (Toy Story 3). I've learned from experience that songs that are integral to the plot are the ones that win and songs that just play over the credits do not. That means that "Coming Home" is the likely winner. It's sung in the movie by the characters and directly relates to the action.
I love Alexandre Desplat's music, but I'm surprised at his nomination for The King's Speech, where most of the big musical moments were provided by Mozart and Beethoven. Also, it's kind of cool that Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor was nominated as co-composer for The Social Network. Curious but, I though, fruitless. The award will go to Hans Zimmer for Inception. If you listen closely, his score actually illustrates the multiple-dream-level idea of the movie with different musical lines moving at different rates, the longest of which belts "Ma Vie En Rose," (a crucial plot point) in long foghorn blasts. Brilliant.
The Best Song nominees are "Coming Home" (Country Strong), "I See the Light" (Tangled), "If I Rise" (127 Hours), and "We Belong Together" (Toy Story 3). I've learned from experience that songs that are integral to the plot are the ones that win and songs that just play over the credits do not. That means that "Coming Home" is the likely winner. It's sung in the movie by the characters and directly relates to the action.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Music Awards
This is probably the riskiest pick of the year. The nominees for Best Score are Avatar (James Horner), Fantastic Mr. Fox (Alexandre Desplat), The Hurt Locker (Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders), Sherlock Holmes (Hans Zimmer), and Up (Michael Giacchino). Honestly, The Hurt Locker was so suspenseful that I didn't even notice any music. It didn't stand out in Sherlock Holmes either, but it was absolutely integral to creating the atmosphere of both of the animated nominees (I don't mean Avatar). Avatar could take Best Score as part of a sweep, but I suspect that it's down to Up or Fantastic Mr. Fox. Between those two, Up has the more famous name attached and its charming little waltz keeps recurring throughout the film in more inventive and surprising ways. Mr. Fox's score really adds to its tone and panache, but I think Up will take the prize.
The nominees for Best Song are "Almost There" and "Down In New Orleans" from The Princess and The Frog, "Loin de Paname" from Paris 36, "Take It All" from Nine, and "The Weary Kind" from Crazy Heart. I've learned that the Best Song award doesn't go to the best song, per se, but to the song that is most integral to its film. Songs that reveal things about the characters and stories and move the plot have distinct advantage here. This year, the song that was best used for the purpose of character development and story is "The Weary Kind." Bonus points for a heretofore un-Oscared songwriting team (Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett) and an actor who sings it live in the film (as opposed to over the end credits).
The nominees for Best Song are "Almost There" and "Down In New Orleans" from The Princess and The Frog, "Loin de Paname" from Paris 36, "Take It All" from Nine, and "The Weary Kind" from Crazy Heart. I've learned that the Best Song award doesn't go to the best song, per se, but to the song that is most integral to its film. Songs that reveal things about the characters and stories and move the plot have distinct advantage here. This year, the song that was best used for the purpose of character development and story is "The Weary Kind." Bonus points for a heretofore un-Oscared songwriting team (Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett) and an actor who sings it live in the film (as opposed to over the end credits).
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Music Awards
As always, I'm happy to see one of my favorite composers up for Best Score once again - Danny Elfman scored a nod for Milk. Unfortunately, he finds himself amid heavy competition and is likely to loose once again. There's the dramatic action of Defiance, the comically bittersweet music of WALL-E, and the mournful Benjamin Button to contend with. Most of all, though, is the musical explosion that backs up Slumdog Millionaire. A.R. Rahman's score spans action, suspense, and love scenes with Bollywood flavor. My concern, though, is that voters will confuse the score with the songs (two of which are also up for Oscars) and the "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" theme music and dismiss the score. Still, it gets my pick.
I must admit that I have a bad history with the Best Song category. Last year was the first time in a long time that I actually picked it correctly. What I've learned, though, is that voters prefer to award songs that are integral to the fabric of the film (last year's "Falling Slowly" from Once) or that bring depth to the characters ("Loose Yourself" from 8 Mile or "It's Hard Out There For A Pimp" from Hustle And Flow). This year we have two songs from Slumdog Millionaire - "O Saya," the "running through the slums" music from the beginning of the film, and "Jai Ho," the dance number heard over the closing credits. The third nominee is "Down to Earth," written by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman for WALL-E. I think that the biggest disadvantage for the Slumdog entries is that they're not in English - lyrics go a long way here. I also think that while the Slumdog songs set the mood and tempo for their respective scenes, "Down to Earth" does more to illuminate the characters. It manages to humanize robots, which is an amazing feat and worthy of the prize.
I must admit that I have a bad history with the Best Song category. Last year was the first time in a long time that I actually picked it correctly. What I've learned, though, is that voters prefer to award songs that are integral to the fabric of the film (last year's "Falling Slowly" from Once) or that bring depth to the characters ("Loose Yourself" from 8 Mile or "It's Hard Out There For A Pimp" from Hustle And Flow). This year we have two songs from Slumdog Millionaire - "O Saya," the "running through the slums" music from the beginning of the film, and "Jai Ho," the dance number heard over the closing credits. The third nominee is "Down to Earth," written by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman for WALL-E. I think that the biggest disadvantage for the Slumdog entries is that they're not in English - lyrics go a long way here. I also think that while the Slumdog songs set the mood and tempo for their respective scenes, "Down to Earth" does more to illuminate the characters. It manages to humanize robots, which is an amazing feat and worthy of the prize.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Music Awards
Ah, the music awards. So easy this year.
In the race for Best Score, the contenders are 3:10 To Yuma, Michael Clayton, Ratatouille, The Kite Runner, and Atonement. Here's why Atonement will win: Typewrters. In a strikingly genius move, Dario Marianelli used a typewriter as a percussion instrument, matching his tempos to the action on screen and still managing to underscore, but not overwhelm the pathos of a beautifully told tragic love story.
In the Best Song race, three nominations were hoarded by Disney's Enchanted. Songwriter Alan Menkin is no stranger to the Oscars. His work with Disney in the late 80's and early 90's earned him enough Oscars to shingle his roof. The song "Raise It Up" from August Rush and "Falling Slowly" from Once are also nominated. If there's any justice in the world, voters will ignore the August Rush song, split their vote among the Enchanted selections, and recognize "Falling Slowly" for what it is - the Best Original Song in a Motion Picture. First, it's a great song (not that that ever factors in at the Oscars). Second, it's use in the movie is integral to the plot of the film and effectively defines the main characters' relationship in the course of its performance. I told myself that I would pick winners based on facts and not my personal preference this year, but in this case, I have to go with my heart. My pick goes to Once.
In the race for Best Score, the contenders are 3:10 To Yuma, Michael Clayton, Ratatouille, The Kite Runner, and Atonement. Here's why Atonement will win: Typewrters. In a strikingly genius move, Dario Marianelli used a typewriter as a percussion instrument, matching his tempos to the action on screen and still managing to underscore, but not overwhelm the pathos of a beautifully told tragic love story.
In the Best Song race, three nominations were hoarded by Disney's Enchanted. Songwriter Alan Menkin is no stranger to the Oscars. His work with Disney in the late 80's and early 90's earned him enough Oscars to shingle his roof. The song "Raise It Up" from August Rush and "Falling Slowly" from Once are also nominated. If there's any justice in the world, voters will ignore the August Rush song, split their vote among the Enchanted selections, and recognize "Falling Slowly" for what it is - the Best Original Song in a Motion Picture. First, it's a great song (not that that ever factors in at the Oscars). Second, it's use in the movie is integral to the plot of the film and effectively defines the main characters' relationship in the course of its performance. I told myself that I would pick winners based on facts and not my personal preference this year, but in this case, I have to go with my heart. My pick goes to Once.
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