If you still need to catch up on the conversation you can see Part 1 HERE.
As we left our heroes, they were trying to recall great summer movies. With a grand total of three, we can assume they failed this challenge. But life goes on.
MK: I like the Animated Feature category this year, but it's too short. No love for Tangled?
SS: Oh, well, not enough animated films came out this year. That determines the number of nominees.
MK: Yeah, by one movie. That's kind of bull. And I didn't even get to see The Illusionist despite my best efforts.
SS: Wait, The Illusionist came out? It feels like only three critics and the academy got to see it.
MK: It's here. I wanted to see it, but timing hasn't worked out.
SS: Maybe next time Disney will release more straight-to-video flicks in one-week only LA runs.
MK: (Laughs)…So Toy Story 3, How To Train Your Dragon, or The Illusionist? I want How To Train Your Dragon, but I think it'll be Toy Story 3, which I do love.
SS: Same. Hard to beat a Best Pic nominee, but How To Train Your Dragon had to work independently. Toy Story 3 relies on your previous knowledge of the characters.
MK: Yeah, and How To Train Your Dragon was awesome and original and special and loveable, but we'll see. Pixar always wins and deserves to win but I want Dreamworks to recognize what a good thing they did… for a change.
SS: They do pretty reliably great work. Megamind was fun, How To Train Your Dragon was touching... but I feel like they get a bad rap because they're more entertainment than…
MK: ...Quality?
SS: Art. But yeah, quality too (Laughs).
SS: SHUT YOUR MOUTH! Loved that movie.
MK: (Laughs) You would.
SS: The score. THE SCORE.
MK: Preferred Despicable Me which was practically the same movie plus three little girls. But neither of those were faves of mine.
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| "I am evil!" "No I am evil!" "Then I am good!" "No no... I am good!" |
SS: Didn't see it. Shoulda. Coulda. Didna.
MK: No big miss.
SS: I mean, I would never have ever nominated Megamind.
MK: Me either, but you liked it is all your saying.
SS: Yeah.
MK: True. Respectable. Did you catch any of the docs?
SS: None of them.
MK: Or foreign flicks?
SS: I saw Biutiful and Dogtooth. I think In A Better World wins, but Dogtooth should.
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| "Why go to the Oscars at all?" "BECAUSE, IT'S A GOOD OPPORTUNITY!!" |
MK: I saw three docs (Exit Through The Gift Shop, Restrepo, and GasLand) and one foreign (Dogtooth). Dogtooth was insane and... dare I say it? Good. Weirdly good. Creepily good. But good. Ouch it hurt my head good.
SS: I'm watching it, and I'm just perplexed.
MK: And then I get it at the end. I think I get it anyways.
SS: I thought, "this is well made, but..." and that "but" went away.
MK: (Laughs) Oh my god that ending. So. Crazy.
SS: I didn't see it coming, but when that shot just lingers, I went, "wait... wait... holy... NO WAY!" And then I laughed nervously…
MK: Very Nervously.
SS: And fell in love.
MK: And I wasn't sure what to think and then I was content. How crazy does a movie have to be to put you through all of those emotions in an hour and a half?
SS: I can't believe it's so short. Compared to Biutiful's two-hour-plus misery cruise, it's astounding. On its own, it's astounding. Probably one of the better dark comedies I've seen.
MK: Definitely up there. As far as docs are concerned, I want GasLand to win.
SS: I’ve heard great thing about that lately
MK: It was charming and interesting while discussing something very important, where as, Exit Through The Gift Shop was just nuts. In a good way, but still… nuts.
SS: I’ve “been” hearing great things about Exit...
MK: It's pretty crazy, and when you realize a very important thing about the main guy, not Banksy... everything falls into perspective. But still, GasLand. Restrepo was well made and interesting, but somehow being a war time documentary it lacked that extra punch that could have made it perfect. So GasLand for me. The academy needs to do a better job of helping nominated films get out to the public in time for the awards. It's strange watching a show and knowing you had no opportunity to catch a big group of flicks.
SS: It can only do so much. It's up to the distributors, and the audience.
MK: I know. But I missed thirteen titles this year, not including the shorts…
and I live in LA! I had opportunities to see five of those thirteen. but that really isn't good enough.
SS: The docs are becoming increasingly available on Hulu, though.
MK: Yeah? Waste Land? Inside Job?
SS: I think GasLand and Exit. Restrepo was on TV.
MK: Netflixed all three.
SS: Inside Job got a release here.
MK: Lucky.
SS: Well I didn't see it (Laughs).
MK: Oh (Laughs). You wanna talk music? I feel like you've been edging towards that all conversation long.
SS: I just really like music (Laughs). That and Supporting Actress are probably my favorite aspects of the race… Oh, and Cinematography, duh.
MK: Duh.
SS: ...Duh.
MK: I... Love... All… Score... Noms!
SS: When my fifth place nominee is my favorite film composer, you're in good hands. 127 Hours was fantastic. Those guitar riffs were as essential to the mood as the editing
MK: Perfect.
SS: How To Train Your Dragon was incredible. Nice blend of Celtic sounds and your standard action/adventure fare. Inception? Bombastic. AWESOME. The Social Network blending the traditional pianos with electronica. Almost like how Zuckerberg is blending traditional socializing with the Internet. And The King's Speech. Desplat. 'nuff said.
MK: I think my problem with this category is, I just can't decide. Like every score fit its movie perfectly. Each score was the right decision and therefore each score did its job... and effectively to help make all of these movies, essentially, perfect.
So I am stumped.
SS: Social Network, with Inception a close second. Then How To Train Your Dragon, and despite what I said earlier, I would put in Desplat next, 127 Hours last.
MK: By the way, all five of these flicks made my top 10.
MK: (Laughs) Nice.
SS: Yours is more noteworthy (Laughs).
MK: But close enough, right?
SS: Yepper. I think The King's Speech will win, though.
MK: I'd be cool with that.
SS: It's his time.
MK: In a way I want it to sweep just so we can say it did. Though it won't happen… and it shouldn't.
SS: I would not like [it] to sweep.
MK: I loved The King's Speech. So it's weird to feel so strongly about so many other flicks in every category. Hard year for me.
SS: I always pick sides. Unfortunately, the song nominees are not to the level of score.
MK: Agreed. Few if any stick with me.
SS: If I Rise puts me to sleep, ironically.
MK: (Laughs) Aw, that was gonna be my choice, I think. Maybe I See The Light if I can remember it. We belong together was touching... but not Oscar worthy like You've Got A Friend In Me.
SS: I See The Light for me. More poppy than recent work, though.
MK: True.
SS: I like We Belong Together, but I have to remind people that it was in the movie (Laughs).
MK: And I want Tangled to get a win.
SS: Oh yeah.
MK: Only one shot.
SS: And that song is in the best sequence of the film.
MK: I didn't see Country Strong and once the noms came out I was glad I didn't waste my time (too mean?).
SS: Yawwwwwwwn. The right amount of mean.
MK: (Laughs) So let's do Sound and FX, then Cinematography, Writing and Directing to finish up.
SS: kaykay.
MK: Inception I think... for sound. It just really worked.
SS: Both categories, yes, though can I say TRON: Legacy was funtastic?
MK: It was. Too bad the movie wasn't up to snuff in most respects. And Salt was a yawn. FX I’d also say Inception or... Harry Potter, surprisingly better than the other noms though I can't speak for Hereafter as I had no desire to see it when I had a chance.
SS: Salt was odd. Inception will get VFX and sound categories. TRON should have been nominated for VFX. Bullshit.
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| I guess they just didn't appreciate the work, Joe. |
MK: Agreed.
SS: Inception's VFX just don't look like VFX. They look like practicals.
MK: Yeah, Inception was pretty amazing. Despite whatever backlash it's had from some it still works.
SS: I understand the backlash, because it's not the best-written thing, but I thought Avatar should have been a screenplay nominee, so what do I know? But in the end: fuck the haters. Nolan knows what he does well, and he does it well.
MK: He certainly does. Nolan is just doing his thing and thank god for that.
SS: I have to say, though, as much as I think Inception deserves both, I really want True Grit to win sound editing just because of that scene through the telescope where Rooster fires the gun and the sound delays. For some reason, that knocked me back -- and the horses and the gunfire and the crowds. I really love the sound of True Grit.
MK: Yeah. True Grit's a pretty awesome flick in all respects. It could win writing, though there's a lot of good stuff in those categories.
SS: Well Social Network and The King's Speech will win and The Social Network and The Fighter should win. True Grit would probably be my third choice for adapted, but yeah, solid lineups, except I haven't seen Another Year.
MK: Me either. I had a chance and missed it. I like 127 Hours though, feel like it deserves some serious love... and where is Black Swan here???
SS: Yesssss, but it's much more of an editor/director/actor film than a script one. Oh my god, Black Swan should be here!!! But most people feel about Black Swan the way I feel about 127 Hours.
MK: Too bad. I think both films were perfect as perfect can be.
SS: They were quite great. Black Swan...le sigh. Seriously, I feel like Portman's eventual win is a retroactive win for Sissy Spacek and Jessica Harper.
MK: (Laughs) So best use of the Cinematograph.
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| How do I use this damned contraption? |
SS: (Laughs) Well speaking of Black Swan…
MK: (Laughs) So so so perfect! Every time we enter her apartment the camera takes over and my mind goes numb from amazement. Just trying to imagine how they pulled this visual from any written word. So astonishingly brilliant. And then the dance sequences… oh the dance sequences. I. Love. This. Movie. All in on Black Swan for Cinematography.
SS: Couldn't have said it better myself.
MK: How does it not even get an art direction nod??
SS: That is the biggest... it just... GRRRAGGHH!!
MK: AHHHH!! Makes me so angry!
SS: Okay, so people thought it was more of a director/editor thing than writer. That’s fine. And costumes were a grey area. BUT ART DIRECTION???
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| You're breaking Natalie's heart. |
MK: Yeah, what the hell academy?? It should have won that category without a thought… but c'est la vie. Well I think we've touched on everything... except… well… director. Darren Aronofsky, David O. Russell, Tom Hooper, David Fincher, The Coen Brothers... if we could some how cram Christopher Nolan (and Danny Boyle... shit!) in there it'd be a perfect category that could potentially end in stale mate. Could they all win? Please?
SS: Oh, I'm fine with Boyle not being there because we can't have six slots…or seven, because of Nolan. My preference in order: Darren Aronofsky, David Fincher, David O. Russell, Tom Hooper, The Coen Brothers. But despite that DGA Award, I still think this is Fincher's Oscar.
MK: Hmmm, well Darren. Please. That would be so sweet! I like Hooper, though O. Russell deserves some serious props….And we know how I feel about the Coens... but not this year.
SS: Same.
MK: Well I think that just about finishes this off... So we love Black Swan and hate Alice In Wonderland. Who's hosting this year?
SS: James Franco and Anne Hathaway. I look forward to that!
MK: Ooooh. I like like both of them very much.
SS: She better sing. He better not.
MK: (Laughs) Isn't it weird that Franco is nominated and hosting in the same year?
SS: Yes! But such is the unpredictability of the Oscars.
MK: Ah, the Oscars. It's almost time.
SS: Less than a week!
Well, that wraps up this years Gold Rush. Much thanks to Silver Screener. Enjoy the show, February 27th on ABC 8/5pm.
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