Five Things to Expect from Sunday’s Oscars

As we said in our “Preliminary Award Show Review,” the main storylines for Oscar Sunday have been broken down enough. Many of the nominees are essentially eliminated from contention because of the few heavyweights who have established their positions at the other red carpet ceremonies. But there are a few reasons why the Oscars have the prestige and the reputation as the biggest night in movies. Here’s what we can expect.

1. Seth MacFarlane Will Get the Comedy Ball Rolling. It’s fairly safe to assume that the “Family Guy” creator will offend some people, but from what we’ve seen with his efforts so far, he seems to be taking the job seriously. He may not admit that though. That’s the difference between him and Ricky Gervais, another shock comedian, who made it perfectly clear that he didn’t care about his Golden Globes hosting gig.

Hopefully MacFarlane’s example will mean that the other presenters and participants will be in cheery and laughing moods. It’s definitely more fun to hear a witty acceptance speech than a gushy one. Wouldn’t it be great if Daniel Day-Lewis makes a crack about Steven Spielberg’s Harry Potter glasses up there with his statue instead of acting like the Lincoln director is Gandhi? That’s not going to happen, but it’s the Oscars, crazier things have.

3. Adele Will Make the Best Original Song Category Relevant. It was fun when “Man or Muppet” won the award last year, but with both Adele and Norah Jones performing on the Oscars stage, this is the year the audience will remember to care about movie music. “Skyfall” stands a very good chance of forcing Adele to make some room in her Grammy cabinet for the little golden man. It will also be very interesting to see what is being billed as tribute to musicals of the last decade. I think that means Les Miserables, Dreamgirls and Chicago. It must be like getting the band back together for the Les Mis folks.

4. The E! Red Carpet People May Explode. I always watch the red carpet broadcasts before award shows because that is the only time we get to hear from most of the nominees and other guests. Believe it or not, I do not enjoy Kelly Osbourne fawning over every single dress that steps out of a limo or the strangely creepy “mani-cam,” but after watching them cover award shows for the last few months, I think the only thing left for them to do is spontaneously combust. They can’t possibly have more empty compliments in their arsenals. With that being said, Ryan Seacrest knows his stuff (interview wise) and is a great red carpet reporter. Just get rid of the rest of them.

4. Potentially Innovative Nominee Announcements. We won’t know until the big show, but in past years there have been some really creative ways to present category nominees. The first that comes to mind is in 2009 where a handful of past winners in the acting categories individually introduced the nominees. The most memorable of those instances has Cuba Gooding Jr. describing Robert Downey Jr. as “a white actor, playing a white Australian actor, playing a black man, in black face.” Alan Arkin went on to award Heath Ledger’s Oscar to the late actor’s family in the same segment. So while some years are more exciting than others, the award presentations can go a long way in making the show exciting.

5. It’s the Oscars! Even if you haven’t seen a number of the movies, this is the Superbowl of the film year. After Sunday night, we begin to thaw out from the winter cold and the dense indie films and work our way toward the sunshine and blockbusters of the summer. Take advantage of the Sunday night festivities and watch as Hollywood awards itself. Remember The Artist and Hugo last year? Well Argo may make it two years in a row for movies about movies.

The 85th Academy Awards air Sunday night on ABC.

The What's Up Oscars

Last year at What’s Up Movement we made a more fan accessible Oscar ballot. The goal was to show a list of well-reviewed films and performances that better resonated with the common moviegoer, the popcorn buying fan, not art house features. This year for Oscar week, we continue that tradition by drawing from a pool of all the films that earned scores of four arrows or better in the W^M rating system during 2012. All actual Oscar nominees are disqualified. (One snuck in there for a different role.) This is the “What’s Up Oscars.”

Best Picture

21 Jump Street

The Amazing Spider-Man

Chronicle

Cloud Atlas

The Dark Knight Rises

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Lawless

Looper

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Woman in Black

Best Actor

Daniel Craig- Skyfall

Logan Lerman- Perks of Being a Wallflower

Joseph Gordon Levitt- Looper

Daniel Radcliffe- The Woman in Black

Channing Tatum- 21 Jump Street

Best Supporting Actor

Jake Gyllenhaal- End of Watch

Tom Hardy- The Dark Knight Rises | Lawless

Tom Hiddleston- The Avengers

Michael Pena- End of Watch

Ben Whishaw- Cloud Atlas | Skyfall

Best Actress

Halle Berry- Cloud Atlas

Jennifer Lawrence- The Hunger Games

Noomi Rapace- Prometheus

Zoe Saldana- The Words

Charlize Theron- Snow White and the Huntsman

Best Supporting Actress

Emily Blunt- Looper

Judi Dench- Skyfall

Anne Hathaway- The Dark Knight Rises

Busy Phillips- Pitch Perfect

Emma Stone- The Amazing Spider-Man

Just for fun, here are a few non-Oscar categories.

Best Ensemble Cast

The Avengers

Cloud Atlas

The Dark Knight Rises

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Skyfall

Best Bit Performance

Benedict Cumberbatch- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Liam Neeson- The Dark Knight Rises

Nick Offerman- 21 Jump Street

Paul Rudd- The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Cobie Smulders- The Avengers

Best Underrated Picture

John Carter

Lawless

Man on a Ledge

Total Recall

The Words

So would you be more likely to get invested in an Oscar broadcast with this cast of nominees? Leave your picks in the replies.

The Preliminary Award Show Review

Every year on a Sunday night in February, the movie going population parks it in front of their TV to see which films a selective group, made up of insiders, think are the best of the year. The Academy Awards, or Oscars, is the main event. They’re the headliner of an award season that sees movies judged by critics, writers, actors, directors, the British, and some organization called the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

What must get old for some of the nominees is that very often the same films and individuals win all of those awards respectively. For example, using a core group of award shows that includes the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, Critics Choice Awards, and British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) as a lead up to the Oscars, Argo has won the top award in all four instances. Now much more learned film historians than I could tell you what certain wins mean for a nominee’s chances for an Oscar, but it should be noted that if entering any kind of wager on this Sunday’s broadcast, the winners are all but decided. This isn’t like the Superbowl, some underdogs really don’t stand a chance.

From watching the four awards show listed above, this season’s storylines have already been dissected every which way. Expect more of that on Sunday. Ben Affleck’s massive snub as a Best Director nominee for Sunday’s show has turned his many wins during the preliminaries into a victory tour, which calls into question how important the Oscars should be viewed if they leave off the consensus best director of the other guilds and groups. The guy is a great director and actor who was definitely treated unfairly when the critics weren’t fans of his career choices, but his Oscars snub has turned him into a sort of cult figure. The attendees and interviewers at these award shows have been laying it on a bit thick regarding Affleck.

Those who have been watching all these shows along with me will probably be equally tired of hearing Anne Hathaway and Daniel Day Lewis’ unfocused, blabbering speeches, and the excessive praise Hollywood bestows upon itself. However, it has been nice to see Hugh Jackman cement his position as nicest person on the planet. If that’s acting, give him an Oscar for that. Never mind his on screen work. The award shows that split their comedy/musical and drama categories have given some exposure to other deserving nominees that are outsiders for the big award like Les Miserables and Silver Linings Playbook. When I say outsiders, I’m referring to any movie that doesn’t have Ben Affleck’s face featured prominently on the poster.

Ultimately, this year has been a very successful movie season regardless of how much Seth MacFarlane offends everyone on Sunday. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosted a Golden Globes broadcast that was one the best award shows in recent memory. They were funny and there was a sense of relatability to it that the audience could really get behind. With the fact that the Oscars has missed the boat on Affleck’s nomination and the Globes’ dynamic showing, it’s possible that the two have temporarily switched places as the award show to watch.

Top 10 Films of 2012

2012 was an interesting year in film. Some of the top rated movies by critics paralleled box office returns, comic book movies cemented their spot on the top of the genre heap and award season fare is full of movies the public generally approves of.

Our review total at What’s Up Movement was down from the century mark of 2011, but the new arrow grading system has allowed us to get a more accurate read of how the films compare to each other. Out of five possible arrows, four films earned 5, 12 fell just short at 4.5 and 15 films earned the strong rating of 4 arrows. A very solid last quarter of the year skewed the results toward the high scores, but we have no quota. If the movie meets the standards, it gets a high grade. So to begin Oscar week, here are the top 10 films of 2012.

(Click titles to read full reviews)

10. Lincoln

The supporting cast does very well. But the difference is they give good performances, the actor with his name above the title, Daniel Day Lewis, gives one of the best performances ever.

9. Les Misérables

The film is an accessible version of the dense book for audiences who never brought themselves to read or view a play whose title translates to “The Miserable Ones.” That doesn’t really sound like much fun.

8. Django Unchained

The aesthetically impressive scenes that separate the action and gore from dialogue and story development are worth the audience’s attention from shot to shot. There’s no doubt Quentin Tarantino is crazy, crazy like a fox. This is his crazy western.

7. The Perks of Being a Wallflower

It’s masterly crafted with precision dialogue and unmatched pacing. Director Stephen Chbosky, who wrote the screenplay and the original novel, has made a movie that deserves to go down as one of the great coming of age films of the decade.

6. 21 Jump Street

The fact that they rarely go more than a minute without a successful joke or funny moment means that 21 Jump Street is one of the best comedies in recent memory. The film is a perfect example of how to redefine a franchise. Just make the movie really good.

5. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Director Peter Jackson definitely knows what the fans want, complexity and continuity. The film is long and requires a level of commitment to enjoy, but we know from experience Jackson likes to make the audience earn the rewards that come at the end of an epic story like this.

4. Looper

Looper is a new idea. The film has been highly praised for its innovative approach to a sci-fi genre which borrows heavily from itself. It’s a slow burn of a film that can keep interest through the relaxed parts and have you on the edge of your seat without even knowing it.

3. The Dark Knight Rises

Almost any other movie would collapse under this mountain of characters and established actors fighting for their minutes of screen time. But instead the film proves to be large enough for such a task. The Dark Knight Rises puts an end to one of the best trilogies ever made and is a defining work of both comic book and action film culture.

2. Argo

I can’t recall another film that is able to cut between such intense drama and witty comedy like Argo does. There is always that moment in espionage thrillers that presents the common citizen as gullible for believing the untrue reports, but now we’re in on the secret.

1.Zero Dark Thirty

Even if only half of the events on screen are true, millions of people were invested in the hunt for Bin Laden and the film is a chance to gain some closure. Culturally, it’s a very important film and will stay with you days after viewing. Jessica Chastain is near flawless in her lead performance. Combining confidence, vulnerability and a social awkwardness that fits so perfectly with a character in her position,

Honorable Mention: The remaining films that scored a 4.5

11. Life of Pi

12. The Amazing Spider-Man

13. The Woman in Black

14. Lawless

15. Chronicle

16. Cloud Atlas

Please leave your top ten list in the comments and let us know why you liked what you did.

The Super Bowl's Off-Field Winner

This year’s Super Bowl proved to be a pretty exciting game, but for those of us located outside of California and Maryland who weren’t particularly invested in the teams playing, still had plenty to focus on off the field. Social media erupted with shouts that Bane from The Dark Knight Rises was involved in the lights going out and that the loss of power was a glimpse into NBC’s "Revolution," where the future is void of electricity. Then there are the pricy commercials, which included spots for Oz the Great and Powerful, World War Z, Iron Man 3 and Fast & Furious 6.

So besides the Baltimore Ravens, who was the big winner of Super Bowl XLVII? That would be Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Showing early in the game, the Fast 6 spot caused big buzz with huge pyrotechnics, insane auto stunts and a promise that all the familiar faces of the fifth installment will be back. Even the “dead” Michelle Rodriguez made a cameo. Johnson takes lead in the ad asking Vin Diesel and crew for help. How a newcomer, who didn’t play a part in the series until the fifth movie pushed his way to the front of the marquee, I don’t know. But the actor’s likeability definitely played a part.

Johnson also starred in a milk ad that saw the star rush through the streets in his pajamas searching for milk. He passes on all kinds of situations that need a hero, but once he has his milk he “goes to work” to save the planet. It’s a fun ad that was one of the night’s strongest, partly because of the star power. Ads also played frequently throughout the pre-game and post-game shows for Snitch, which opens later this month. The film doesn’t have the hype of Fast 6, but Johnson’s presence is featured prominently. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that the actor can single-handedly draw large box-office receipts, but he can bring his commanding presence into any role. See Journey 2: The Mysterious Island for an example of his control over the cameras.



The Rock has been a certified action star for a while now, but never has his status been showcased on such a large scale. It is apparent movie studios and companies entrust their reputation on showcasing a guy who got his start as a professional wrestler. Oh and did I mention The Rock became the WWE champion at “WWE Royal Rumble” a week before his Super Bowl ads aired? I guess we smell what The Rock is cooking, success.

In Defense of Twilight... No, Seriously

So here we are. I can’t believe it’s over. After five films and four books, one of the most hotly debated franchises ever is finished. “Twilight” has been incredibly popular, but has always faced questions. People love it, people hate it. It’s sometimes unfairly compared to “Harry Potter” and “The Hunger Games” because of demographic crossover and the fact that the movies are all based on popular books. But the series must be given credit where it’s due. While JK Rowling and her “Harry Potter” books can be credited with a young reader revolution, “Twilight” expanded that base among young females, bringing about a whole new genre. Barnes and Noble shoppers may notice the relatively new “teen paranormal romance” section. These are all books that draw from “Twilight.” “Twilight,” the poorly written series, which borrows a lot from “True Blood” and spends time telling young female readers they should change to be like the one they love. Yes, that one.

I obviously don’t have an infatuated interest in the series like the countless fans do. In fact, I think a good amount of the material in the books and movies is poorly done. But I do understand the appeal of escapist fantasy books and films. This is what author Stephenie Meyer does best. Creating an explanation for how vampires could exist right under our noses is something authors have been doing for a long time. But to do it in a (relatively) family friendly way, to ground it with a Romeo and Juliet like forbidden love was a multi-million dollar decision. But getting to know the five vampires living in Forks wasn’t enough. Meyer created a whole world and needed to prove it. The Volturi, rival covens, Carlisle’s accounts of vampire history, make the world bigger than the books. While “The Hunger Games” books are better written, their ambiguous back story is where they fall short of “Twilight.”

When Summit Entertainment was bought By Lions Gate earlier this year, Lions Gate CEO Jon Feltheimer mentioned that the series may continue after the release of the final adapted film. This idea has gained a bit of traction as the cast answered questions about it during their lengthy press tour for Breaking Dawn Part II. We don’t have any solid evidence this will happen, but I’m actually more excited about this idea than the five initial films. I think getting away from Bella and Edward would give the franchise a breath of fresh air. If the films were to be original and not based on new Meyer novels, it gives screenwriters freedom they haven’t had before. The currently released films are forced to navigate awkward dialogue and one-liners that the readers have deemed memorable, but the screen dictates as being ill-fitting.

The cinematic legacy of the movies will ultimately be casting and writing that couldn’t live up to the scale presented in the aesthetic. But more importantly as a movie fan, it can be appreciated for the sold out midnight screenings and box office dominance. It’s no secret that it’s easier to get a male audience into a movie theater. But “Twilight” and its four sequels have solved the young female demographic, who have transferred seamlessly to” The Hunger Games” films. So before you blindly criticize “Twilight,” which I have been known to do, consider how much they’ve done for literature and film. Not too shabby.