What Happened Was

email this story
read comments (20)
post a comment

Here are some counter-riffs to Katey Rich's assessment on Cinema Blend of what's happened so far with the critics' group choices:

1. Rich: "The Hurt Locker is a formidable contender, but critic's support might not translate at the Academy." HE: In other words, the Academy will nominate a film for Best Picture, but it may not confirm the Big Win unless it's made some serious dough (i.e., more than $12 million).

2. Rich: "Don't mess with Mo'nique and Christoph Waltz, because they are apparently unbeatable." HE: The critics who are voting for Mo'Nique and Waltz are spineless and easily-led sheep, listening primarily to the blah-blah conventional wisdom of last summer and the fall. I have nothing against Waltz per se, but I know why critics are voting for him -- i.e., because he won a Best Actor award in Cannes and because they like to discover and promote a new face, especially a family man in his 40s who has been honest about having had a so-so career thus far.

3. Rich: "Despite the stellar reviews, Up in the Air isn't the awards season steamroller it had the potential to become. That doesn't mean it won't win, though." HE: This is because certain comfort-seeking critics have felt a bit deflated by the downish finale -- by the fact that Up In The Air isn't finally selling the kind of warmth and assurance that many people go to movies for.

4. Rich: "With the exception of Carey Mulligan, everyone seems to have forgotten that An Education ever happened -- it wasn't even in NYFCO's top ten films." HE: The NYFCO reflects geekish online culture, and An Education has a classy traditionalist vibe that's a little outside the hip-dweeb barrier. But what's going on with Mulligan losing to Meryl Streep and Yolande Moreau among the Boston and LAFCA groups? Has she peaked? Are journos rebelling against having heard over and over that Mullligan is the year's big discovery, the new Audrey Hepburn, etc.?

5. Rich: "With the exception of Gabourey Sidibe and Mo'nique, everyone seems to have forgotten that Precious ever happened -- it had scattered support for Best Picture and Best Director at NYFCO, but nothing too substantial." HE: Good! Keep that ball in the air!

6. Rich: "Some people seem to still remember In the Loop -- it won NYFCO's Best Ensemble prize-- and hooray for that." HE: Agreed -- a good thing.

7. Rich: "The Messenger didn't take any major prizes among the critic's groups, but it made AFI's Top Ten and made it pretty deep into the voting rounds for several NYFCO prizes. It may only result in a Best Supporting Actor nod for Woody Harrelson, but there's a lot of support for this film that's being underestimated." HE: Good for Woody, etc., but he was better in Zombieland.

With Sisters Like These<< previous | next >>Decisive N.Y. Critics Day

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on December 14, 2009 at 5:41 AM

comment #1

Jack South P.I. says ...

Sorry Rich, Jeff informed me officially in an earlier post that Waltz is so last summer. Please try again.

Posted by Jack South P.I. at December 14, 2009 6:23 AM

comment #2

allstar397 says ...

"This is because certain comfort-seeking critics have felt a bit deflated by the downish finale -- by the fact that Up In The Air isn't finally selling the kind of warmth and assurance that many people go to movies for."

- Isn't this why you dont like Precious?

Posted by allstar397 at December 14, 2009 6:33 AM

comment #3

Sonny Bunch says ...

A suggestion: Instead of kvetching about Mo'Nique, make an affirmative case for someone else. The problem, as I see it, is that there's no one else to rally around at this point. Reignite your passion for Marion Cotillard's turn in Public Enemies and try to unite people around that: It's a movie that far more people have seen than Precious, and that was the one real standout performance in a $100M grossing film.

Or choose another actress from you short list (Anna Kendrick would be a fine choice), but hopefully you see what I'm getting at. If you don't want Mo'Nique to win, you need to give people an alternative. As of now, there is none. This is why she's going to steamroll through the critical awards and onto the stage at the Academy Awards.

Posted by Sonny Bunch at December 14, 2009 7:08 AM

comment #4

Jeffrey Wells says ...

I don't need any more warmth and assurance from Precious than it already provides. The third act is, after all, mostly about support and compassion for poor Gabby, etc. I don't like Precious because I see no common current in Mo'Nique's Mary character, whose cruelty is so malignant and beyond-the-pale that it seems like a perverse reach. What parent with a shred of conscience or humanity wouldn't recoil at such a fiend? What good can it do to put such an aberrational life form in a movie? She doesn't reflect any sort of behavior I've ever seen or heard about second-hand. It's just evil sensationalism. You might as well feature a parent who kills and eats kittens every day -- what's the difference? It's very easy to be "evil." The trick is to present evil in a way that (a) people recognize as something they've known within themselves or people they've run into, etc., or (b) has a commanding sense of style and pizazz.

Posted by Jeffrey Wells at December 14, 2009 7:16 AM

comment #5

Glenn Kenny says ...

Hmmm. You say, apropos Waltz, that critics "like to discover and promote a new face, especially a family man in his 40s who has been honest about having had a so-so career thus far."

Damn. I'm a a new face of sorts, a newlywed in his early 50s, and I've certainly been honest about my overall so-so ness...and the best I've gotten is tied for 17th in Supporting Performances in the indieWire poll. Clearly I'm doing something wrong. Is it too late to salvage my Oscar campaign?

Posted by Glenn Kenny at December 14, 2009 7:41 AM

comment #6

Jeffrey Wells says ...

I hereby re-launch Glenn Kenny's Best Supporting Actor Oscar campaign for his devastatingly accurate depiction of a sleazy pornsite guy in The Girlfriend Experience who fucks 'em and pans 'em, and who wrote his own dialogue to boot! Who can we get to knock out the FYC ads? Seriously -- someone needs to do that. If someone makes one up I'll run it. In fact, make a series of Glenn Kenny FYC trade ads and I'll run a new one every few days. Let's get this show on the road -- seriously.

Posted by Jeffrey Wells at December 14, 2009 8:10 AM

comment #7

PopcornEyeglass says ...

Jeff, as the non-sheep that you are, who would you like to see win for Best Supporting Actor?

Posted by PopcornEyeglass at December 14, 2009 8:21 AM

comment #8

Jeffrey Wells says ...

Whatever the majority wants, I'm for that actor! Is Waltz that guy? Fine...baaahh!

Posted by Jeffrey Wells at December 14, 2009 8:41 AM

comment #9

The Winchester says ...

Zach Galifinakis for The Hangover.

Ultimate dark horse. Bring the love his way, he managed the second funniest performance all year (After In The Loop), and he managed to do the unthinkable, steal the largest R-rated comedy without uttering a single swear. Watch it and listen to him.

Posted by The Winchester at December 14, 2009 8:45 AM

comment #10

Jeffrey Wells says ...

Joshua Leonard in Humpday. I'm not kidding The guy is/was great in this film.

Posted by Jeffrey Wells at December 14, 2009 8:58 AM

comment #11

Katey says ...

There was a strong thread of support for Peter Capaldi during the NYFCO vote yesterday, who I would certainly throw my support behind were I a tastemaker of any kind.

I also support Glenn Kenny's campaign. Make this happen!

Posted by Katey at December 14, 2009 9:05 AM

comment #12

Tom Reagan says ...

I think Christoph Waltz will win the Academy Award for best supporting actor because he gave the single best performance I've seen all year and I don't think anyone else in that category is going to have a better part.

So Jeff, please, stop kvetching about it.

Having said that, if Peter Capaldi gets nominated for his brilliant turn in In the Loop, I'll do backflips.

Posted by Tom Reagan at December 14, 2009 9:26 AM

comment #13

Colin says ...

I'm not very good at photo-shop, but here you go Kenny, Wells

http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/6982/glennkennyfyc.jpg

Posted by Colin at December 14, 2009 11:18 AM

comment #14

Colin says ...

Oops meant this one

http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/4069/gkfyc.jpg

Posted by Colin at December 14, 2009 11:29 AM

comment #15

cinefan says ...

"She doesn't reflect any sort of behavior I've ever seen or heard about second-hand."

So, that of course means no one else in the country can possibly relate to Precious because you can't (I'm really amazed at how hubristic you can be in your outlook on things). You should consider yourself very fortunate in your life that you haven't met a Mary because there are a lot of people in the country who can't say the same thing (just visit an inner-city ghetto some time and odds are good you'll find more than one Precious).

Posted by cinefan at December 14, 2009 12:23 PM

comment #16

Luke Y. Thompson says ...

Yolande Moreau gave a performance that was much tougher than Mulligan's, I'd say. A slightly crazy housemaid who sings to God, bathes naked in the river, paints beautiful still lifes and ultimately loses her mind, but not in a showy, Nic Cage kind of way, but more like the silent, aimless bag ladies who wander my neighborhood.

Mulligan was simply really great at playing an articulate young woman in love...plus she'll most likely have many more chances.

Posted by Luke Y. Thompson at December 14, 2009 1:38 PM

comment #17

Gordon27 says ...

"So, that of course means no one else in the country can possibly relate to Precious because you can't (I'm really amazed at how hubristic you can be in your outlook on things)"

I totally agree with the parenthetical, but if what Jeff says is true for Jeff (a fair assumption, I feel), then it's almost certainly true of Academy voters as well.

Posted by Gordon27 at December 14, 2009 10:31 PM

comment #18

Raden Beletz says ...

Nice information, valuable and excellent design, as share good stuff with good ideas and concepts, lots of great information and inspiration, both of which we all need, thanks for all the enthusiasm to offer such helpful information here.

Festival Museum Nusantara.
Kontes SEO bisnis syariah online produk herbal PT. Exer Indonesia rekomendasi MUI.
Peluang Usaha Ahasu Gnaulep.
Aku Cuma Seorang Blogger Yang Cinta Seo

Posted by Raden Beletz at January 7, 2010 3:31 PM

comment #19