Oscar Buzz: Place Your Bets
Like any good degenerates, with the Oscar nominations out this week we saw the perfect chance to make a quick buck. So, our eyes blinded with pound signs, we staggered down to the bookies with a crisp £10 note in our hands to place our bets for the top four categories; best actor, actress, director and picture.
Pat, staying true to his heart with his picks, stands to win slightly more (£8,233.33) than the shrewdly tactical Gemma (£65) - but both will lose it all if even one category is wrong! You could cut the tension with a knife.
Best Actor
Nominated: Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), George Clooney (Up in the Air), Colin Firth (A Single Man), Morgan Freeman (Invictus), Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker)
Pat picked - Morgan Freeman
Playing such a well-liked public figure just screams ‘give me an Oscar!’. Morgan Freeman is a popular fellow and he does give a sense of wise gravitas to any role he tries his hand at. Still, he’s 25-1 so I think this one will scupper any chance I have of winning the bet! Would like to see Colin Firth win it as he’s slowly grown on me over the years.
Gemma picked - Jeff Bridges
I would also like to see Colin Firth win but for, er, slightly different reasons. However, going with the safe bet I’ve stumped for Bridges who won both the Golden Globe and the SAG award for Best Actor. This film is not out in the UK for a few more weeks, but you can tell it’s going to be one of those oh so touching true life stories and Jeff Bridges gives ‘the performance of a lifetime’ according to the trailer. Good enough for me.
Best Actress
Nominated: Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side), Helen Mirren (The Last Station), Carey Mulligan (An Education), Gabourey Sidibe (Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire), Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia)
Pat picked – Sandra Bullock
This is my attempt to follow the bookies. I’ve not seen The Blind Side but she won the Golden Globe and is being heavily tipped. Personally, if anyone deserves it it’s Gabourey Sidibe. Never before have I been so moved by an individual performance, even if I did think the film was pretty contrived.
Gemma picked – Sandra Bullock
Little white woman adopts huge black guy and they change each other’s lives for the better. Classic Oscar fodder. I hadn’t even heard of this film before it starting picking up awards all over the shop, but she’s the odds-on favourite and even Pat thinks she’s going to win! Oddly the Bullock is also up for Worst Actress at the Razzie Awards for All About Steve and could become the first person to win both in the same year.
Best Director
Nominated: James Cameron (Avatar), Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker), Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds), Lee Daniels (Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire), Jason Reitman (Up in the Air)
Pat picked - Kathryn Bigelow
My hope here is that the Academy will finally decide to give Best Director to a woman, it’s been long enough. Plus, The Hurt Locker, far from being my favourite film of the year, was so skilfully made and is packed with tension. It displays more directorial ability and confidence than the other contenders. Beyond that I’d like to see QT or Reitman win it but it’s unlikely.
Gemma picked - James Cameron
YES…The Hurt Locker is a better film, blah blah artistic integrity blah. This is James Cameron we’re talking about here. Oscars? He’s got three already, proving the academy love him. And he won the Golden Globe. I had my doubts on this one, but decided they are probably just as well giving it to James Cameron rather than James Cameron’s ex-wife.
Best Picture
Nominated: Avatar, The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire, A Serious Man, Up, Up in the Air
Pat picked - Up in the Air
Hmm. It would appear that ol’ Jimmy is a stick on for either Best Film or Best Director for Avatar but I’ve been pleasantly surprised that Up in the Air has garnered so many nominations. Therefore, I think it’s the dark horse in the race and may nick it. A fair few gems in that list though, would be such a shame if it went to Jimbo and the blue aliens.
Gemma picked - Avatar
This is a tough category as it’s the first year with 10 nominated films, and I’m a bit nervy about my Avatar/Avatar combo. To be honest I don’t really want it to win, but at this point it pretty much seems like a foregone conclusion and I am in this for the money after all.
Think you can beat us at our own game? Here’s how:
1) Get down to your nearest betting shop with a tenner
2) Tell the nice lady behind the desk you want to bet on the Oscars – if you need them, they will sort you out with the nominees and the odds
3) Grab a betting slip, pick who you think will win in each of the four categories and place an accumulator bet
4) Let us know what you’ve plumped for and your reasons; and most importantly what you stand to win!
Interesting you picked “up in the air” pat. I really enjoyed it but agree that for the last half hour it returned to convention. Good movie but compared with “Inglourious Basterds” it’s no better. Basterds is of course very different and i am a tarantino fan, for reasons other than his mainstream popularity, but i feel it almost deserves to win more because it is just a little bit more different than “Up in the Air” Also Waltz should get the oscar. However i also feel District 9 deserves it cause it was freaking awesome. In all seriousness however, for a balls out action movie with a pretty heavy moral issue shoved in, it was pitched perfectly.
I think the overall selection is quite weak(keep reading), but in the sense that i think the best picture category is rarely filled with great movies anymore. Good movies certainly, but great, i am not so sure. There are lots of powerful performances and great scripts, but for some reason for me they don’t capture the style that used to exist. Maybe i am almost keen for a return to old Hollywood. Cary grant and Jimmy stewart on the stage picking up an oscar. Sentimental i guess. I think overall i just don’t really care for the oscars anymore, it was born from old school hollywood, and it probably died with it. Still i should realise that, it is a new age of filmmaking and as a result maybe my perception of what a great film should be is wrong.
Lastly, Avatar for me was the most Incredible visual display i have ever seen, not in the same way as Welles or Kurosawa created visuals, but with computer graphics it was stunning. But i don’t think technical achievement in this sense should grant you access to a best picture Oscar.
Thoughts?
inglourious basterds was shite
Why did you think it was shite?
Because it was boring, long, bloated, pointless and shite
Fair enough, i didn’t get bored at any point, thought it was a pretty good length and didn’t feel it had any abnormal swelling. Yes it was a pointless movie, unless your a fan of classic hollywood war movies, B movies and a little impartial to german propaganda movies. Along with superb cinematic style and exuberance. In which case it’s not so pointless. I really didn’t think it was shite.
I personally thoroughly enjoyed Inglorious Basterds. While it had a few flaws, namely Eli Roth, it was relentlessly fun and had a couple of my favourite Tarantino scenes.
Anyway back to my actual point, i was wondering what folks thoughts are regarding the Oscars, they are a huge issue when it comes to film, i guess that’s because they are the Hollywood of award ceremonies, other award ceremonies however are regarded as much more important to a Director or Actor as an award, such as the writers guild of america or the directors guild, because they are awards given by your immediate peers. So why all the fuss with the Oscars?
also i realise the article was in good fun, but iam interested in it’s history as an event, hence why i am getting a bit deep with it.
Does my avatar work?
Questioned answered.
I dunno, I just enjoy the buzz and speculation surrounding the Oscars. It’s obviously less exciting on a year like this when everyone seems to know exactly who is winning what and it just feels like a huge Hollywood back-slapping bonanza.
I’m pretty sceptical about the extra 5 nominations for best film. While I’m glad Up got a nod, surely having 10 nominations lessens the achievement of being selected? And no place for Un Prophete, White Ribbon, Fish Tank, Bright Star or Moon. Bad decisions or just an extraordinarily good year for film?
Certainly not an extraordinarily good year for film
Bad decisions, as you say it seems films like Un prophete and Fish Tank will be dumped in the best foreign language film category (which i dont think should be only for foreign languages, although Fish Tank maybe foreign to the Americans) if they are lucky, when in reality they are the extraordinary films of the year. But definitely overall not extraordinarily good year for film.
Yeah having more nominations does take away from the fact you have been nominated, it also shows that alot of the films are at the same level that you may have difficulty picking the best, not because they are all stand out but because they are all just good movies. Hollywood loves the back slapping it seems.