Best Picture 2011: If I Could Pick The Nominees
There's no denying that this year's Best Picture contenders are pretty discouraging. What with boring movies about black people being sad for 3 hours, horses switching owners every five minutes and so on. There were so many superior films this year than the roster of 9 movies we have. This list is about the films I would have picked for Best Picture if I could.
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- DirectorJonathan LevineStarsJoseph Gordon-LevittSeth RogenAnna KendrickInspired by a true story, a comedy centered on a 27-year-old guy who learns of his cancer diagnosis and his subsequent struggle to beat the disease.Will Reiser has done the impossible: he managed to make a very serious subject matter into a very funny film. The blend of comedy and drama is excellent and seamless as the film's narrative progresses. Seth Rogen shows that he can do more than act like a frat boy. The drama in this film is as emotional as watching an actual person suffer from cancer. I was shocked this movie hasn't gotten as much attention as it should during award season.
- DirectorMichel HazanaviciusStarsJean DujardinBérénice BejoJohn GoodmanWhen George, a silent movie superstar, meets Peppy Miller, a dancer, sparks fly between the two. However, after the introduction of talking pictures, their fortunes change, affecting their dynamic.Do I even have to say anything? We all know this movie is going to win. We ALL know it will.
- DirectorAlexander PayneStarsGeorge ClooneyShailene WoodleyAmara MillerA land baron tries to reconnect with his two daughters after his wife is seriously injured in a boating accident.Again, no complaints. I found this film terrific.
- DirectorNicolas Winding RefnStarsRyan GoslingCarey MulliganBryan CranstonA mysterious Hollywood action film stuntman gets in trouble with gangsters when he tries to help his neighbor's husband rob a pawn shop while serving as his getaway driver.People are mixed about this one. The people who love it LOVE it, the people who hate it HATE it. I'm on the love side. Little things like the fact that Gosling's character's name is never revealed, Albert Brooks' frightening yet still witty banter, the proper way to action in a film. Everything went right for this movie and it paid off terrifically. The Academy seems to have been the only ones who haven't noticed.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsDaniel CraigRooney MaraChristopher PlummerJournalist Mikael Blomkvist is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for 40 years by young computer hacker Lisbeth Salander.I didn't get the chance to see this movie yet so I'm just going by what I've heard from people who have seen the film. David Fincher is already a great director and from what I can gather, this film was perfect fit for him. And honestly, the movie has so many nominations as it is, a Best Picture nomination should have been a fit easy.
- DirectorDavid YatesStarsDaniel RadcliffeEmma WatsonRupert GrintHarry, Ron, and Hermione search for Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes in their effort to destroy the Dark Lord as the final battle rages on at Hogwarts.I'm not a huge Harry Potter fan but this movie has a lot going for it. It was the highest-grossing movie of 2011, earned some of the best reviews of the year and was the finale of a highly-respected franchise. Granted, I personally felt Part 1 was much better but this isn't about my opinions, it was still more deserving of a nomination than other films that did.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsAsa ButterfieldChloë Grace MoretzChristopher LeeIn 1931 Paris, an orphan living in the walls of a train station gets wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton.No complaints. Great stuff with a very good message.
- DirectorWoody AllenStarsOwen WilsonRachel McAdamsKathy BatesWhile on a trip to Paris with his fiancée's family, a nostalgic screenwriter finds himself mysteriously going back to the 1920s every day at midnight.Again, no complaints. The concepts that go on in this film rock. Any movie that has Ernest Hemingway as a character gets a pass in my book.
- DirectorBennett MillerStarsBrad PittRobin WrightJonah HillOakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to assemble a baseball team on a lean budget by employing computer-generated analysis to acquire new players.No complaints here. I'm still waiting for my copy to come in at the library but from what I've heard, this film deserves what it's gotten.
- DirectorJames BobinStarsAmy AdamsJason SegelChris CooperA Muppet fanatic with some help from his 2 human compatriots must regroup the Muppet gang to stop an avaricious oil mogul from taking down one of their precious life-longing treasures.Before people go all "he's biased because he's a Muppet fanboy" just hear me out. Despite all my pro-Muppet biases, as a film on it's own, it is a phenomenal experience. Jason Segal and Nick Stoller's passion for the project shines through immensely. The fact that this was one of the best-reviewed (if not THE best-reviewed) movies of the year, combined with the fact that the audiences who saw it gave it mostly positive praise, I see absolutely no reason why this couldn't get more than it did.