Oscars 2011

Today is the big day for film geek's around the country. We all know the evening will end with complaining about the politics of the awards and the overall length of the program, but for right now we can still discuss what films deserved the awards they were nominated for. We will let the Academy muck it up with their biases and such.

This year I saw 8 of the 10 films nominated for Best Picture so I wanted to put my thoughts together and see where my opinions matched up with my friends. So here they are, my take on this year's Academy Awards...these are my picks to win, not what I think will win.

Right up front I am going to skip the awards for Makeup, Foreign Language Film, Documentary (short subject), and Short Film (Live Action) because I did not see any of the movies in those categories so I really don't have an opinion on them.

- Short Film (Animated) - I was only able to track down a couple of these films but it was easy to pick this category. Day and Night (which played before Toy Story 3) is the clear winner for me here. Pixar went a different route with their pre-movie, movie and I loved it.

- Visual Effects - This was a category that at first glance seemed like a no brainer to pick but after thinking about it I was able to distinguish the difference of the the wow-effect created by films like Harry Potter and Alice in Wonderland and what really makes a film have great visual effects. The answer here is Inception. Inception was able to accomplish awesome visual effects without over powering the audience with too many special effects. Special effects were used in Inception to enhance the story, instead of really being the story in those other two movies.

- Sound Mixing - I will admit, I had to go back and read what the difference between Sound Mixing and Sound Editing. I still may be a little fuzzy on all of the criteria but I think I have distinguished between the two. To me, sound mixing is how every piece of sound (music, sfx, dialogue, etc.) combine to create a story. With that in mind again the answer has to beInception. Christopher Nolan and his crew really seemed to find the perfect balance of each of those categories to create a film that sucks the audience into the story, and the sound mixing is a large part of making you feel a part of their world.

- Sound Editing - To follow up Sound Mixing we have Sound Editing. This was tough for me to pick because at first glance I wanted to go with Inception, but after thinking about it a bit more and considering what Sound Editing is all about. I went a little outside of the box but I really feel that TRON: Legacy is the right choice here. TRON: Legacy tells the story of a world that does not exist and with that the sounds that exist in the TRON world, don't exist in ours and need to be created. I thought the people at Disney really worked to create believable sounds to help sell this film to the audience. I am not sure what a 'light cycle' should sound like but TRON: Legacy sold it to me.

- Editing - This category was tough because I enjoyed each of these films, some more than others but enjoyed them none the less. I really think the way that 127 Hours was put together separates it from the other films in this category. The way Boyle handled the whole arm amputation scene as well as the scenes where Franco battles with the demons and regrets in his life, was done masterfully.

- Best Documentary - I only saw a few of this year's documentary nominees but one stood out above the rest. Exit Through The Gift Shop is my pick here. I had no prior knowledge of the 'street art' world before watching this movie but this documentary not only helped to tell the story of how the movement started but also where the movement is going now. A friend of mind pointed out to me that Banksy, the director, does not show his face in public and when he does go out he wears masks. I would not be surprised if the Academy holds this against Banksy, but hopefully everyone can be respectful of what Oscar night is all about.

- Best Original Score - This one seems like a no brainer to me but Hans Zimmer's score inInception is really something amazing. The Social Network's score was okay but the scores in the other nominees don't stand out in my mind, thus taking away from their claim to this award. Inception's score was powerful and was an equal partner in the storytelling process with the visuals on the screen.

- Best Original Song - Pixar always does a good job in creating original songs for their films and this year is no exception. Toy Story 3 is the pick here, despite me not being a fan of Randy Newman it is hard to go against his work on the different Toy Story films. 'We Belong Together' is perfect for the different emotions that TS3 makes the audience feel throughout the film.

- Best Costume Design - This is a tough category to pick because I am always tempted to go with the films that have off the wall and crazy costumes, but this year I decided to go against my gut feelings. The clothes worn by the cast of The King's Speech were really well done and helped to sell the believability of the setting to the audience. The costumes seemed very natural and helped me to forget I was watching a movie, they were so believable that I thought I was watching old footage of King George VI on the History Channel.

- Best Art Direction - Inception has to be the winner here based on the sheer scale of the film. Not only are their different locations in different dreams in different people's minds and the audience is always clued in to what they are watching and where they are at in the story. The different scenes where DiCaprio and Page explore the potential of the dream worlds are truly something to behold.

- Best Cinematography - This one is a toss up for me but after talking it out with a couple people I am confident in saying that Black Swan is the winner here. I was really a big fan of The Social Network's cinematography in the dimly lit rooms which to me embody the grimy, dirty backstory behind the creation of Facebook. But Black Swan really takes the contrast between dark and light, bad and good to another level. While Portman struggles with her inner black swan the audience sees that struggle not only through her acting but the way the scenes are composed on the screen.

- Best Adapted Screenplay - This is a category I am really excited about, mainly due to the fact that one of my favorite writers is one of the nominees. Aaron Sorkin knocks the script forThe Social Network out of the ballpark this year. I am a big fan of his work on The West Wing and A Few Good Men and he does not disappoint in The Social Network. The monologue when Eisenberg responds to the question of providing his 'undivided attention' gave me goosebumps and was vintage Sorkin.

- Best Original Screenplay - Inception wins this award easily, no explanation really needed. Scrooge McDuck be damned, to create an entire screenplay around this mind blowing idea deserves an award of this magnitude.

- Best Animated Film - I am not really sure if an animated film can get better than Toy Story 3. It has everything you need in a great film and packages that into an overall film that everyone can enjoy from age 5 to 95. Just an awesome piece of cinema (maybe Kung Fu Panda 2 can upset Pixar next year).

Now the fun categories...

- Best Supporting Actress - This is a really down year for this category but it doesn't really make the category any easier to pick. There were several good performances but no great ones. First off it is an insult to the award to have Amy Adams nominated, she is simply terrible in The Fighter and does not hold her own on screen with her fellow cast members. Hailee Steinfeld is the complete opposite of Adams because she clearly holds her own on screen with stars like Damon, Brolin, and Bridges in True Grit. I can see her one day winning this award but not this year. This year it is Melissa Leo. Again, she was good but not great but when you aren't competing against much it is easy to stand out.

- Best Supporting Actor - This category is the exact opposite of the Supporting Actress in that there absolutely is a clear cut winner. Christian Bale was amazing in The Fighter, the lone bright spot in the film. At the end they show the actual man Bale portrays and it is eery how well he plays the real life man.

- Best Actress - Natalie Portman is a runaway winner for this award. Portman's performance in Black Swan is the signature performance of her career.

- Best Actor - This one was a bit tougher for me in that no one really wow-ed me but there were plenty of good performances. Eisenberg was good but not worthy of this type of award. I have been told Javier Bardem was good and his track record speaks for itself. Jeff Bridges obviously turns in another classic Bridges performance but I think this category is a two horse race between James Franco and Colin Firth. This is a really 1A - 1B for me but I think I have to give it to Colin Firth. Both were good but Firth just seemed a little bit better.

- Best Director - Besides the obvious shafting of Christopher Nolan in this category, this really is a star studded group of nominees this year. I am a fan of David Fincher's work and the Coen Brothers do occasionally put out movies I enjoy but for me, this year's winner has to beDarren Aronofsky. Black Swan is one of my favorite films of this year and from what my film friends say, Aronofsky's fingerprints are all over the final product.

- Best Picture - And now, finally the big award of the night. As I said before I saw 8 of the 10 Best Picture Nominees this year and I enjoyed all of them, some more than others but enjoyed none the less. Again this category was a two horse race between Black Swan and Inception but after really thinking about it I come to something I have known since June, and that isInception was this year's Best Picture. I tried to remember the feelings or thoughts that I had after walking out of the movie theater for each of these films and I was (and still am) blown away by Inception. It really stands above the other nominees but that doesn't necessarily mean the Academy will agree (do not be surprised if The King's Speech or The Social Network run away with this and many other awards tonight, as they are classic 'Oscar bait').

So there we have it, if you have read this entire thing I appreciate you struggling through my babbling and I hope you enjoy tonight's Academy Awards. This really was a great year for film and I look forward to seeing what 2011 has to offer this year.

Just some thoughts on Number 19...

Most young boys grow up idolizing their favorite baseball or football star...not me. Most young boys idolize a player from their home town team...but not me. My childhood hero, sports idol, or whatever you may call it is someone special, someone different.

In an era where sports icons are nothing but rich and often greedy individuals looking to make their money and are most times in trouble with the law, my sport hero is someone I can truly be proud of.

I don't quite know how it started but at some point between the ages of 8 and 9 I became a fan of the Colorado Avalanche hockey franchise. Growing up in a state with a dominate and historic hockey franchise would lead most to become a fan of that team but I guess I have never really been someone to go along with the crowd.

Joe Sakic is an individual that any parent would be proud to have their son or daughter emulate, not only for his abilities and hard work ethic but also for the kind of human being he is. Now the real story of how I became not only an Avs fan but a fan of Joe Sakic is still a mystery to me to this day but I can't imagine changing a thing. The poetic explanation that my dad likes to give at family get togethers in the Detroit area to expalin 'what went wrong with me' is that the 1995-96 season was the first season I payed a great deal of attention to the NHL and my first Stanley Cup experience was seeing Joe Sakic lift the Cup over his head on a June night in Miami. That sounds like a storybook way of becoming a fan of anybody and may even have some truth to it but to be honest I think I needed to pick a favorite team and the Avs happened to win the Stanley Cup that year :-)

From that point until now I have rode the rollercoaster of emotion that comes with being a fan of the Avs through good times and bad but the one constant throughout that time has been Joe Sakic. And now on the night when his number 19 has been raised to the rafters of the Pepsi Center to hang there forever, I can honestly say for the first time in a very long time I don't quite know how to feel anymore about hockey. I would like to be more specific than that but the feeling I feel right now is a sense of numbness. I am not dissappointed or anything like that, if anything I feel appreciative and thankful for having the opportunity to see Joe Sakic play for so many years now. He has really been everything a young boy looks for in an idol. Growing up, all I wanted to do was be like Joe Sakic. Whether that meant pretending to be him while playing street hockey with my brother or signing my elementray school assignments with the name 'Joe Sakic' where my name should have gone.

Sakic is the definition of class, consistency, and professionalism. You would be hard pressed to find someone that would have a bad thing to say about Joe which is just another reason why I am so happy to have him as an idol.

To finish up here because I could honestly write about Joe for hours and the fact that the Avs game is on right now, I guess the one thing on my mind right now is how interesting it is to see Sakic have his number retired tonight. For me, this night is the end of a journey that started just over fourteen years ago. I really feel blessed to have started this journey as an eight year old kid looking up to his favorite sports star and now at age twenty-two I can honestly say that I could not be happier with the journey and more proud of my idol, Joe Sakic.

Joe Sakic, for me, goes beyond the title of sports hero or idol but to simply the title of hero or idol. He has given me an example of how to be a good person in this life and along with my parents has probably done the most to shape the kind of person I have become to this point and the person I will continue to be moving forward.

If I could say just one thing to my hero, and believe me it would be tough to limit it to one thing, would a simple thank you...thank you, thank you, thank you to the one and only 19 in my book, 'Super' Joe Sakic.