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We continue our discussion casting our votes for the Independent Spirit Awards. Find part one here.
BEST DIRECTOR
- Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
- Danny Boyle, 127 Hours
- Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right
- Debra Granik, Winter’s Bone
- John Cameron Mitchell, Rabbit Hole
WINNER: Debra Granik (8 points – 3 from Adam, 2 from Brian, 2 from Jared, 1 from John)
Other votes: Darren Aronofsky (4 points – 3 from John, 1 from Brian)
John: Looks like we cared a ton on this one, eh?
Brian: Hahaha. Jared, no love for Aranofsky?
Jared: He crossed my mind, but I really didn’t think the film was anything special.
Adam: Good news! I just filed my taxes. I hated Daddy Longlegs so much I actually started doing my taxes
Brian: I’ll just say that I liked that Aronofsky went balls-out and the overall ridiculousness of the film is largely due to him.
John: To me, Black Swan‘s success, such that it is, hinges on how it displays the descent into insanity. This film could have been a ridiculous melodramatic mess, but it’s an effective as a psychological thriller through Aronofsky’s vision. It’s a good ridiculousness, not a messy roll your eyes ridiculousness
Jared: I guess, to me, the camp didn’t come through, and I didn’t think it was a strong psychological thriller
Brian: It’s not a good movie, but what makes it interesting is Aranofsky’s WTF ness. As for Winter’s Bone — we’ve covered this, I thought the directing was strong enough to compensate for a mediocre script
John: I didn’t care too much who won this one. I like Granik too. She does a good job with the cast and settings. A lot of the cast are non-professionals from the area. I also considered throwing some points to Boyle, but couldn’t justify giving three people votes
Brian: Boyle bleh. 127 Hours bleh
John: 127 Hours is just so bold. It’s almost as much the Danny Boyle Makes A Movie About a Stuck Dude story as much as the Aron Ralston story. But in the end the film just isn’t strong enough, especially compared to Winter’s Bone and Black Swan.
Jared: As a fan of closed room films, I found it distracting that Boyle did everything possible to prevent staying in that closed room.
Brian: I actually had the opposite problem. I thought the flashbacks were way too short. I wanted to know about the character stuck in the canyon and the brief cuts to him as a kid or pre-Kate Mara would have been interesting
John: A major problem I had is that I didn’t realize the visions were actual visions Ralston was seeing in the cave. I thought they were just general artsy fartsiness. That’s a directorial problem
BEST MALE LEAD
- Ronald Bronstein, Daddy Longlegs
- Aaron Eckhart, Rabbit Hole
- James Franco, 127 Hours
- John C. Reilly, Cyrus
- Ben Stiller, Greenberg
WINNER: John C. Reilly (16 points – Adam)
Other votes: Ronald Bronstein (10 points – 6 from John, 4 from Brian)
Aaron Eckhart (9 points – 8 from Jared, 1 from Brian)
James Franco (2 points – John)
John: Yowza
Adam: Boooyah
Brian: WHAT? That’s ridiculous
John: Well, there goes my first line of discussion of “We can all agree that John C Reilly doesn’t belong here”
Adam: HAHAHAHA
Brian: Adam, please explain yourself.
Adam: Well, you can either believe that I just wanted to screw everyone over (definitely valid). Or that I actually really liked this movie.
John: Actually, I liked John C Reilly, but behind several of the others. He has a tough character to work with and does a fine job. Eckhart is the most unmemorable one here, I think
Adam: Stiller sucks. Franco was fine but not great. Eckhart was decent. Bronstein was horrible. Process of elimination.
John: But still… 16 points??
Adam: I know how to win.
Adam: I didn’t feel all that strongly about any of the categories so I went big in one. I liked Cyrus more than the rest of you.
Brian: I agree on Stiller, who is easily the worst of the bunch. The angry material is really a bad fit for Stiller.
John: I feel like if you pick a good actor doing great work in a tough role, Bronstein is the answer.
Brian: All I could see was “oh this is Ben Stiller being obnoxious.”
Adam: I actually liked Stiller better than Bronstein, which is saying a LOT.
Brian: I couldn’t see anyone else doing that role besides Bronstein. Easily the most memorable and irreplaceable character of the group of 5 with Eckhart a close 2nd.
Jared: Eckhart’s role is the most subtle of the group, by far. He’s in this fragile situation, dealing with a tragic death, a wife that’s falling apart and trying to maintain some sort of normalcy. And this is exactly what Eckhart does so well, inhabit characters to make them feel so real
Brian: not that it would have made a difference, but I now wish I had given Eckhart more. In terms of snubs, where is Ryan Gosling on this list. I liked Blue Valentine a lot more than the rest of you but I thought Gosling’s performance was great.
John: Yep. He’s good. Not sure how he’s not here. Not sure how Blue Valentine isn’t on this nomination list more, to be honest. I wasn’t thrilled with it, but I thought it would be clean up here. Naturally to me the big snub is Robert Duvall for Get Low.
Jared: I can’t explain the relative lack of love for Blue Valentine either.
John: Also, James Franco is just naturally perfect for his role.
Brian: Yeah, that’s why I didn’t want to give him any credit.
John: If he wasn’t an actor, he may well be Aron Ralston.
Brian: Then why did you vote for him? That’s not acting!
John: I mean, it’s still acting. He also has the charisma needed to lead this movie.
Brian: I’d disagree, but that’s probably because we disagree on the merits of 127 Hours itself. John, why didn’t you like Eckhart? Jared and John, why didn’t you like Reilly?
John: I didn’t dislike him. It’s just solid. He wasn’t a standout for me. But nothing from that film is a standout. I thought Reilly was a case of a name actor getting a nominee for being a name actor, especially since Cryus didn’t get anything else, suggesting no great love for the film.
Jared: I’m a big John C. Reilly fan, to be honest, and I’m not really sad that he’s our pick or anything…this is going to sound weird, but I actually much prefer dramatic John C. Reilly to comedic one.
Brian: I found Reilly all right, but playing a version of the sad sack he plays in every movie and Cyrus was barely even a comedy.
Jared: It wanted to be, I think.
John: I didn’t find him convincing, but maybe that was the writing. He’s like a schmuck in Dinner for Schmucks. They made nearly everything possible wrong with him, but not really a realistic loser. It’s not like he does a bad job or anything. I just think there are better choices. And Bronstein nails the majorly flawed character better.
Jared: I hate to go against you, Adam, but I’d probably have to agree with John here.
Brian: That makes three of us.
BEST FEMALE LEAD
- Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
- Greta Gerwig, Greenberg
- Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
- Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
- Natalie Portman, Black Swan
- Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine
WINNER: Natalie Portman (9 points – 5 from Jared, 3 from Brian, 1 from Adam)
Other votes: Jennifer Lawrence (9 points- 6 from John, 3 from Brian)
Annette Bening (3 points – Brian)
Michelle Williams (1 point – Brian)
By receiving votes from more Grouches, Portman wins the tiebreaker.
Jared: Brian, I’m fascinated to learn why you voted for four actresses, and gave three points to three of them
John: Please explain!
Jared: Maybe he just really hates Nicole Kidman.
Brian: Because I liked all four of them
John: But if you liked them all equally, why 3? Couldn’t use those points elsewhere?
Brian: I really liked Benning, but knew I couldn’t win, so I wanted to show her the respect with 3 pts.
Jared: if you had given all those points to her, you would have.
Brian: I guess. But I also liked Portman, and liked Lawrence, and Williams. So I was torn. I guess I could used the points more judiciously, but I didn’t want to not give points to any of them.
Jared: I’m sure they appreciate the sentimentality
John: I like Portman too. Initially I split my points between Lawrence and Portman. But I was worried 1 or 2 points for Portman would overtake Lawrence. And there it is.
Jared: Honestly, yeah, I’m not entirely certain there’s a wrong answer here. Other than Greta Gerwig, of course.
Jared: I thought Bening was better in Mother and Child. And I dunno, I think Lawrence did a fine job, but I just sort of wonder if the love is for her character or her.
John: That’s a possibility, Jared. But she plays that character well! I think Lawrence stands out, but Portman isn’t far behind. But I still liked Bening and Kidman plenty too. Plenty of strong nominees in this category
Jared: Yeah, it was a very strong year for actresses. Staving off, for at least a year, the seemingly annual column about how there’s not any good roles for women in Hollywood.
John: It was almost so strong I considered not bothering with too many points. But it turns out I would have just wasted them on Bornstein for Actor. I also have a snub for you. Are you ready to boo? Hillary Swank in Conviction.
Jared: I would boo if I saw the film, John.
John: A Swank nomination would have been kind of boringly straightforward, but she really is good
Brian: and here comes the requisite snub mention of Please Give
John: Keener? Her best work of 2010 was in Cyrus. Though I haven’t seen Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Adam: I have. She’s better in Cyrus.
John: Though, again, in Please Give part of my problem may be the writing
BEST PICTURE
- 127 Hours
- Black Swan
- Greenberg
- The Kids Are All Right
- Winter’s Bone
WINNER: 127 Hours (6 points – Jared)
Other votes: Black Swan (5 points – 3 from John, 2 from Brian)
Winter’s Bone (3 points – 2 from John, 1 from Brian)
The Kids Are All Right (3 points – 2 from Brian, 1 from Adam)
Brian: No way! That’s awful.
John: Hahaha unexpected!
Jared: i’m stunned.
John: On the one hand, not what I chose. On the other hand, I clearly didn’t care that much. One awful movie, plus the two worst Oscar nominees in this category. And two fine ones.
Jared: Honestly, I originally had it at about 3 points, but had 3 points left over and figured, eh, it was best picture, I should give it a little more weigh. To me, 127 was the best of a pretty boring set of five. I honestly didn’t really connect with any of them, but Boyle’s film was at least generally entertaining
John: Generally Entertaining is your winner, ladies and gentlemen!
Brian: Ha, for me I also didn’t really care.
John: If Get Low had been nominated I would have pulled an Adam
Brian: had either Please Give or Blue Valentine been in there, I probably would have put down enough points for them to win. At least Greenberg got nothing.
Jared: I’m sad Rabbit Hole didn’t make it over Greenberg, I would have been much happier voting for that.
John: Someone should have sacrificed a point just so Greenberg could be shut out and finish a definitive last.
Adam: Agreed.
Brian: What do you all think will win on Saturday?
John: Kids.
Brian: I think Kids or Swan
John: or Winter’s Bone
Brian: but I lean toward Kids
John: Kids just screams Independent Film
Jared: I’ll go with Swan, I guess…it is such a success story
John: couldn’t that hurt at the Spirits?
Brian: I don’t think so. There have been so many of these lighthearted comedies that have been the sole successes commercially. (Juno, Little Miss Sunshine.) I’d think they would relish a darker film
The Oscars are less than a week away and we’re taking a look at all the categories we care to. Today it’s Adapted Screenplay, whose nominees are all also Best Picture nominees.
- 127 Hours: Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy
- The Social Network: Aaron Sorkin
- Toy Story 3: Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich
- True Grit: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
- Winter’s Bone: Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini
Adam:
He isn't coming for 30% of the Oscar
The Social Network. Fin.
Oh, I am assuming I will need to write more about this category. Ok. First, Aaron Sorkin writes dialogue better than anyone else out there – bar none. Let me qualify that, he writes dialogue for smart people better than anyone else out there. Sports Night and The West Wing are two of the best television programs ever made. The largest reason for this is Aaron Sorkin and his writing. The Social Network owes pretty much all of its appeal and positive criticism to Sorkin’s script – and it is well deserved. Sorkin’s trademark rapid-fire dialogue is present in all its glory, but is supported/ enhanced by his artful telling of this story. I liked the back-and-forth of depositions and actual story, mainly because Sorkin was able to do so smoothly and keep the story moving at the same time. The biggest compliment I can give Sorkin and his script is that I really enjoyed the movie, and that is as someone who hates Facebook and is unimpressed by David Fincher (so that is pretty impressive).
As the only Grouch to really enjoy True Grit, I throw in a few words about the Cohen brothers’ script. A minor spoiler is that they modified the story slightly from the original. At first I was a little worried about it, but that quickly changed. I thought they did a great job with both the changes and the script as a whole. The story moved, the changes were largely relevant, and the dialogue was entertaining. The only thing they failed miserably on was the ending. I stated before that the glaring failure of the remake was the ending. While I liked the Coen brothers’ version a lot better, the ending was far inferior to the original’s. All in all, though, I definitely think they deserve to be nominated and their script ranks second in my mind.
I honestly don’t have a lot to say about the other movies nominated. I liked Winter’s Bone’s story (surprisingly enough some of the scenery/ characters reminded me of home). There were definitely better movies made in 2010 and better scripts, but I am not angry about its nomination. Toy Story 3 was fine. Not great, but fine. I laughed some, and didn’t hate that I watched it. 127 Hours is pretty much in the same boat. All in all, we have an extremely strong script, a strong one, a decent one, and two weak ones. Not the most impressive bunch I’ve seen, but, for the Academy, I’d say this is a pretty good showing.
Who Should Win: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network (hands down)
Jared
I was pretty proud of myself for describing the dialogue in the Joel and Ethan Coen’s True Grit screenplay as “Runyonesque”, so I’ll stick with that. Which makes it a little surprising, then, that I didn’t like the film more, given how much I like Damon Runyon. Here’s the thing, though. Runyon’s dialogue serves interesting characters doing interesting things. The Coen’s dialogue serves kinda interesting characters doing terribly uninteresting things. So while at times it was a welcome distraction, a Western can very rarely be entertaining because of the talking in it. Brian makes an excellent point about Josh Brolin’s Tom Chaney (there’s a Washington Senators dying to be made here): That’s it? The man was on screen for what, three minutes? This film was a road trip movie, and not a particularly good one at that.
There were lots of good things about Winter’s Bone. The cast were all pretty interesting. The look of the film felt great. And it was refreshing setting for a movie for a script. And while the script was certainly the genesis of all that, I personally want to see a little bit more from my Oscar nominees. I’m not sure I can point any one particularly weak part of the script, just not sure I could point to any one particularly strong one, either. The plot seemed almost like a procedural in nature. Jennifer Lawrence’s quest was, at times, very linear. The sparseness of the script certainly matched the locale, but I tend to need more.
I’ve said it before and I’ll keep harping on it, I don’t understand all this love for Toy Story 3 and would be much happier if people replaced How to Train Your Dragon wherever I see the former. OK, yes, the scene at the end got the room a little dusty. But otherwise it is just the toys being placed in crappy situation after crappy situation. I didn’t see the heart or wit that were the hallmarks of the first two films. I’m not suggesting this film was bad, just that people are perhaps lauding it with praise left over from 1 and 2.
127 Hours is perfectly adequate. The script is generally taut and engaging, though it may rely a little too heavily on the dream sequences. Especially considering it really is a one trick pony: a hiker gets stuck and (SPOILER ALERT!) cuts off his arm, the end. It is hard to envision how that simple story could make for a compelling story, so kudos to Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy for turning in a relatively interesting screenplay.
He's coming for...
Clearly though, Aaron Sorkin’s script for the The Social Network is tops here and it isn’t particularly close. Thank goodness it qualifies as an adapted screenplay so there’s no chance of it losing to the juggernaut that is The King’s Speech. From the opening seconds of the film, you know you are in for something uniquely Aaron Sorkin. And something amazing. I undoubtedly felt, while the movie was still going on, that I was watching something epic. I think it is mistake to take the film for something grandiose, like generation-defining. But that doesn’t make the movie any less enthralling, filled with clever lines and fascinating scenes. Sorkin’s screenplay is the best one of the year, and maybe the best we’ve seen in awhile.
John
Another decent slate, though marked with films whose strongest elements were outside the script, in my estimation. 127 Hours is all fast cuts, splashy camerawork, and terrific acting. The story is fine, but it achieves what it does through the ways Danny Boyle chooses to visualize it. Toy Story 3 works quite well. I can only say it didn’t build up to something as delightful and emotional as most Pixar movies for me. It is still quite humorous and clever with Mr. Tortilla Head one of my favorite gags of the year.
ALL OF IT
I think True Grit is full of great language, strong characters, and a decent story, but the performances and technical work stand out more to me. Winter’s Bone is a strong second place, particularly in its characters. But it succeeds on atmosphere, which is a lot more than what’s on the written page.
I follow my colleagues with a resounding decision for The Social Network. When people think screenplays they think dialogue and Sorkin has a great way with words. But let me also draw attention to the film’s flashback structure, which really allows its themes to unfold. Or the drama and humor in the plot. This is more than just Sorkin walk-and-talk pizazz.
Snub: I think Fair Game would have found a good home here.
Oscar nominees are announced on the 25th. Yay! So let’s summarize what we (the royal we, at least) know. Keeping in mind, of course, that when it comes to the Academy, no one knows anything. Especially me. This time: Best Adapted Screenplay.
VIRTUAL LOCKS
- Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
- Michael Arndt, Toy Story 3
I’ve almost started multiple physical altercations defending Studio 60, so it isn’t terribly surprising how strongly I feel about Sorkin’s script for The Social Network. Fortunately, the rest of Hollywood seems to agree with me as this lockiest of locks has been cleaning up the precursors. I’m kinda bummed about the love for Toy Story 3. Sure, it has the touching scene at the end, but the rest of the film was generally unremarkable. Michael Arndt wrote Little Miss Sunshine, though, and that’s probably worth an extra Oscar nomination anyway.
LIKELY IN
- Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, True Grit
- Debra Granik and Anne Rosselini, Winter’s Bone
Man, I really got to get my lazy butt to see True Grit, huh? Given the film’s strong box office and the Academy’s love for the Coen brothers, this nomination should be nearly in the bag. The buzz for Winter’s Bone started with Jennifer Lawrence, I think. From there, it was an easy Frozen River jump to a screenplay nomination. I don’t really get it. The story is relatively weak and dialogue nothing special. I think Hollywood wants to pat itself on the back for recognizing an indie, especially one that doesn’t take place in a city.
LAST ONE IN
- Ben Affleck, Peter Craig, and Aaron Stockard, The Town
Don’t forget that Affleck already has a screenplay Oscar. The film’s buzz may have peaked just a tad before nominations were due back, but the movie inexplicably raked in plenty of dough and generally positive critical reviews. If it does get a nomination, I’m going to pretend the nom is actually for Inside Man, because it seems to me that a heist movie should actually have a compelling heist.
FIRST TWO ALTERNATES
- Robert Harris and Roman Polanski, The Ghost Writer
- Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy, 127 Hours
Adapted screenplays and I just aren’t getting along this year. I’m completely mystified as to The Ghost Writer‘s buzz. It just isn’t an interesting film. 127 Hours‘s star has been plummeting over the past few weeks, giving me mixed feelings because while I didn’t think it was anything special, I’d rather it get in than others on the bubble. It may come down to how many people realize just how difficult it is to write an engaging screenplay when the film almost entirely takes place in one spot.
DARK HORSES
- Laeta Kalogridis, Shutter Island
- David Linsday-Abaire, Rabbit Hole
- Glen Ficarra and John Requa, I Love You Phillip Morris
Shutter Island is floating around the fringes of a number of categories, but I really hope it doesn’t break through here. Haven’t seen Rabbit Hole yet, but it seems like exactly the kind of movie Oscar loves to nominate. Brian told me I wouldn’t like I Love You, Phillip Morris so I haven’t seen it. The WGA gets a huge kick out of ruling films ineligible for its awards, so it doesn’t necessarily mean anything that Phillip Morris picked up a nomination, but youneverknow.
SHOULDA BEEN A CONTENDER
William Davies, Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders, How to Train Your Dragon
Michael Konyves, Barney’s Version
Michael Bacall, Edgar Wright, Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World
I think my biggest disconnect with the Academy this year will be in the Adapted Screenplay category. There’s a ton of middling fare that will see nominations.
I actually saw Winter’s Bone in a theater in Kansas City, MO. I was on a weeklong baseball road trip with Ian affectionately dubbed “Baseball in the Ozarks” so when we were deciding between seeing it or Inception, the former just seemed a little more appropriate. Obviously we weren’t watching baseball in forests infested with meth dealers. But we did see enough of the area to get a better appreciation of the movie’s locale. Plus, there was this one drive at two in the morning to Steak n’ Shake that took us through a really scary stretch that could have been lifted straight from this movie.
I appreciate the film as the little indie that could. It has taken in over $6 million at the box office and garnered significant Oscar buzz for star Jennifer Lawrence. Also some ancillary hype for maybe a screenplay nomination for Debra Granik (who also directed) and Anne Rosellini . Which I’d say seems overly hopeful, but the obvious Oscar comp here is Adam’s favorite movie of all time (Frozen River), which improbably received a screenplay nom. The movies are comparable not only as out of nowhere indie successes, they both detail the struggle of a woman trying to take care of her family against heavy odds. The two have wildly different locations, but both are effectively used to highlight the bleakness of the protagonist’s situation.
Of course, the big difference between the two is that Frozen River is nearly unwatchable, while Winter’s Bone is a decent enough movie. I’ll be honest, I don’t entirely understand the buzz surrounding the film. As with Melissa Leo, it seems the hype has started with the performance of the leading actress and cascaded down. But I think Jennifer Lawrence is benefiting from the perception of her role, rather than the role itself. She plays a young woman forced to raise her two younger siblings because her mom suffers from a mental disability, and her meth-making dad is missing. Lawrence’s character wades her way through the murky happenings of her drug-dealing clan in an effort to find her father. So yes, I appreciate the dearth of strong, young, female leads in dramas, and I certainly mean no disrespect to Ms Lawrence. But originality does not equal greatness. If the part was rewritten for a male and performed by a actor of similar accomplishment, I don’t think I’m writing this post.
And like I say, I’m not here to knock Jennifer Lawrence. I think she does a fine job, and am looking forward to seeing her in the future. But I don’t think she’s going to be anywhere near my supporting actress list, come year end. I want to also note John Hawkes and Dale Dickey turning in solid work, which I hope leads to more jobs. Anyway, Winter’s Bone is an average movie that you probably won’t regret catching on DVD at some point. But if you want a taste of the Ozarks, I recommend actually going there. Or, if that isn’t an option, watch Justified.
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