Road To The "Oscar"

OK. There will be 5 sleeps until the Oscars is held and I believe that in some ways, the Academy tries to get the attention of minors or trying to gather a youthful audience to watch the Oscars after school. They chose Anne Hathaway and James Franco as hosts because they're young and more well known to many young ones. Then they nominate Toy Story 3, Inception for Best Picture some movies that everyone would enjoy. Would teens watch the annual show?

But we're not talking about why young people should care about the Oscars. (they don't watch good movies at times anyway). the title Road to The "Oscar" refers to the one and only Oscar category I care about (hence the quotation marks of the word Oscar and how the word is not in plural form): The Academy Award For Best Picture.

In my opinion, doubling the nominees to 10 seems to be a good move. The move was based on what movies everybody liked (the people and the critics). Ever since 2005, there have been nominees which the majority of people have never heard about but the critics loved. In 2005, the Oscars back then was the lowest rated Oscars in television because nobody have heard about movies such as Capote, Crash (the Best Pic winner), Good Night and Good Luck which was directed by George Clooney and Munich which was an unknown piece from Steven Spielberg. It was the same as for 2007 where There Will Be Blood, No Country For Old Men and Michael Clayton was never well known to a lot of people. But the next year, the Best Picture category had everyone's nerves. There was disappointment to many people that The Dark Knight and WALL-E wasn't nominated for Best Picture accusing the Academy of snubbing these two movies (all poppy) saying they were deserving. So it was a great move that last year the nominees were 10 because it shows a range of movies that many audiences enjoy. From science fiction like Avatar, District 9 to darling indies like Precious and The Hurt Locker.

This year the Best Picture nominees involves a cyber-Kane, a stuttering King, a dream weaver, a lesbian couple, a batshit ballerina, some dude who cuts his arm off and a cowboy movie. I forgot to mention a crack boxer, toys and a hillbillie family with true grit.

127 Hours - that movie featuring the greatest amputation scene


Plot:
The true story of an extreme sports enthusiast whose arm got trapped between the rock. During his time with the boulder, he goes back to memories filled with every emotion from the varied spectrum and hallucinates of his peers and family.


What I Think Of The Movie:
I may be exagerrating, but 127 Hours is the best contemporary film of this modern millenium with a flawless performance from James Franco. It's Man Vs. Wild meets Hitchcock.

Chance of Winning Best Picture:
Despite the fact that Danny Boyle previously directed Slumdog Millionaire, this movie will not likely win Best Picture. It's risk taking at any standards but it won't appeal the Academy though. Won't likely to win any Oscars, but my wish is it should win Best Editing.

Black Swan - Ballerinas must seek group therapy


Plot:
Natalie Portman is a ballerina who seeks perfection so badly that she pressures herself way too much.

What I Think:
Black Swan is a movie that wants to find itself through sexual and literally reflective motifs. It is a rollercoaster ride by Darren Aronofsky whose character study brings Natalie Portman to a tour-de-force performance. Everything looks esquisite especially the choreography.

Chance Of Winning Best Picture:
Even if it won three Best Picture awards from three Critics Groups and a nod for Arronofsky for directing it, soon it won't win Best Picture. But hey. It'll definitely brings home Best Actress for Natalie Portman.

The Fighter - Boxer with seven troll sisters


Plot:
Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale) is the brother of Micky Ward whose a boxer. Well, unsuccessful. And Ward cannot continue not only because he cannot box properly, but because Dicky end up in prison but because his mother would not let him and also his seven ugly sisters.

What I Think:
The Fighter is just some ordinary boxing movie. Every movie is the same except for Million Dollar Baby. However The Fighter is just formulaic and cliche with the same plot, but I still think the performances save this film.

Chance Of Winning Best Picture:
It is nominated for many Best Pics, but it wouldn't win. At least they'll get Supporting honours.

Inception - The Dream Weaver


Plot:
An extractor whose still in grief for the death of his wife. But he makes one last task by planting an idea into someone's deepest dreams.

What I Think:
Inception is a multi-layered thriller with a science fiction premise. It's beyond speculative fiction cementing Christopher Nolan's reputation as its greatest filmmaker working right now.

Chance OF Winning Best Picture:
Nolan was responsible for bringing 10 nominees. The Academy already responded with that, they don't need to respond by giving it Best Picture. It's already an awesome movie. You don't need to win Best Pic if this movie was perfect. It should win most of the technical categories, but it should win Best Original Screenplay.

The Kids Are Alright - Married... With children... and we're gay.


Plot:
A lesbian couple has two kids. the kids find their sperm donor who had made them and the wives are shocked to find out.

What I Think:
The Kids Are Alright is pretty overrated. Ever since Brokeback Mountain, it seems that the academy is so obssessed with films about gays.

Chance Of Winning Best Picture:
Fortunately for The Kids Are Alright it won the Golden Globe For Best Picture - Musical Or Comedy (even though it was the only legit film for that category). But it will never win the category, but I'm predicting that the biggest shock of the Oscars would be Annette Bening winning Best Actress over Portman. It may win Best Original Screenplay because it's an indie flick with 'values'

The King's Speech - The King who.. simply couldn't speak


Plot:
King George VI can't deliver a speech. He then bond with a speech therapist so he can speak again during times of war and troubles

What I Think:
The King's Speech is a delightful film that has a fascinating problem of an iconic king. But the whole movie is entirely predictable but is lifted up by the performances of Colin Firth and Geoffery Rush.

Chances Of Winning Best Picture:
The King's Speech could win Best Picture not because it is supported by the Weinsteins but because the Academy enjoy a feel-good movie even if it was predictable. If it doesn't win, it will certainly go away with a Best Actor prize for Colin Firth and possibly a Best Original Screenplay.

The Social Network - Cyber-Kane


Plot:
Basically the foundings of Facebook responsible by Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg who's portrayed as this cold-hearted genius betraying his friends and peers to make this website.

What I Think:
An impreccable direction from David Fincher, a quick witted script by Aaron Sorkin and a remarkable cast featuring Jesse Einseberg and Andrew Garfield shows that this is the best film made by Hollywood for 2010. It is not a movie about Facebook, it's a dark and realistic look of how we find connections online

Chances Of Winning Best Picture:
Sweeping almost all of the critics awards there is including a Golden Globe, this may not win Best Picture because the Academy voters may be left cold with this one. At least they're a sure shot for winning Best Director, Best Original Score and Best Adapted Screenplay

Toy Story 3 - the third plot of plastics


Plot:
The third instalment of the incredible trilogy, Andy's going to college and don't know what to do with them. Unfortunately he unintendedly left them in a trash bag so the toys enter a daycare disguised as a dungeon.


What I Think:
It is perfect, but it doesn't mean it's flawless. Sometimes the movie feels so familiar with the previous movies way better than this one. At least Toy Story was fun and emotional

Chances Of Winning Best Picture:
They're certainly a full shot for Best Animated Feature, but will never win the top prize. At least it was nominated for the top category, grossed a billion dollars and is a great movie from Pixar

True Grit - Coens' 'greatest' film


Plot:
14 year old Mattie Ross asks a drunk US Marshal to help find her father's killers.

What I Think:
Well apparently I find this overrated. The Coens may have recaptured the Western and Hailee Steinfeld steals the show, but apparently I don't think the performances of the whole cast (exception of Steinfeld) never worked for me. And the ending is questionable, but still it's a good movie.

Chance Of Winning Best Picture:
The last Western to win was Unforgiven in 1991. However True Grit got too many noms and should get one Oscar, at least. Anyway, it won't win Best Picture even though the Academy enjoys remakes.

Winter's Bone - Ozarks may rest in pieces


Plot:
A family from the Ozarks is living under poverty and the daughter (Jennifer Lawrence) goes finding her father who escaped bail and is hunting the family.

What i think:
Honestly I don't have anything about Winter's Bone because I haven't seen it. But it was a critics darling and unfortunately many people were bored by it. This is the only film nobody's ever heard about unless you've went to Sundance.

Chance Of Winning Best Picture:
To be honest, there's a 1 in 10 chance of winning. But to be fair, this may be a shocker if it wins because it was considered 'unforgettable' by the critics. Expect a Crash-styled upset.


My Pics:


The 'Best' Best Picture Nominees:


1. 127 Hours (10.0)
2. The Social Network (9.6)
3. Inception (9.5)
4. Black Swan (9.4)
5. Toy Story and The King's Speech (tie) (7.8)
7. True Grit (6.4)

I haven't seen The Fighter, The Kids Are Alright and Winter's Bone but I stand corrected by my opinions (except for the latter)


Who Will Win:
It will be a neck-and-neck race between The King's Speech and The Social Network. The King's Speech may get the top prize. it was given every top honour from the Guilds, the public enjoyed it, the critics enjoyed it. Everybody enjoyed it. The Social Network is a critics' darling and to my understanding it was a cold portrayal of Mark zuckerberg, one of the most powerful men in the world who founded Facebook only his character matches the website's irony.

Who Should Win:
The Social Network. It is a modern day look of the insecurities of this generation

OK. I'm done. But I'm not watching the Oscars. I'll catch it up in the news of who won and who lost.

Top 10 of 2010: Movies of 2010

Let's review 2010. The year was not a bad year for all cinephiles, however it is more of the year where the younger audience never cared about movies and its integrity to entertain. What I'm saying is 2010 is mediocre and superficial. Sure there are some great movies, but the relentless number of sequels, remakes and movies made out of 3D had made this an exhausting period. Yet again many films independently made are still good and might get a spot at the Oscars next year.

But more so when I was in the mood with movies that are really great, many peers at school dismiss my tastes in these kinds of movies. They either watched it and for no reason think it's boring or generally avoid it for the worst movies there is. This is the moral: kids will never respect you when you are doing or playing different whether it's movies, fashion or music. They go for the same mainstream music. After I learnt this lesson, I realize that I shouldn't care about what people are saying to you.

However there were some movies made by Hollywood runned by great filmmakers that had made some movies not just one of the best films of the year, but the greatest of its time. Maybe of all time. There are movies that made me think, that made me enjoy, laugh, cry and more fascinated by their stories.

OK, here's how I would arrange my best movies:

- All movies released in my place (i.e. Australia) should be released in 2010 (so if one movie was initially released in 2009, it would be released in 2010 if it wasin Australia)
- These is my own words
- My reasons on picking these movies are exact.


Oh and before we get into the list here's a review of 2010 in movies:





So let's get into it, shall we?

#10 - Up In The Air*

A lot of the public will either find this a great movie or a movie they have wasted their time on after being bored for 108 minutes about a guy who fires and consult his company for a living while flying around America to earn a million flyer miles along with a mysterious companion and his competitor.
Jason Reitman's film takes a witty and clever insight of employees working their asses off during the economic downturn. When their employment is terminated, they wreck everything in the room.
But you see George Clooney, even if you hate him because of his philosophy of life and his ambitions, playing this character doing things so unbelievable that it makes him believable.

Look Out for: There's a moment where Zach Galifinakis appears breaking down in the most hilarious ways

Great for DVD? Sort of. Deleted scenes and featurettes about the movie including an onlook of Jason Reitman's famous title sequences

#9 - The Town

We've seen this kind of story a million times. But Ben Affleck's The Town about a bunch of robbers who rob banks in the Boston area of Charlestown, is handled with true grit as both actor and director, proving that his last film Gone Baby Gone is no accident.
Crime in Boston is at times hard to combat. And Affleck proves that with some great action sequences including two car chases and a heist but at its heart some compassion and remorse.
This may be a director's film with Affleck the starlight for this flick, but Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall and Pete Postlethwaite had some great things going on.

#8 - The Hurt Locker*

Winning the Oscar (I prefer the Academy Awards as many while the Oscar as for Best Picture) this year, The Hurt Locker deals with a bomb diffuser in the Iraq conflict who's unorthordox methods frustrates his colleagues considering him as reckless.
Jeremy Renner makes a great persona for his character William James who creates a climatic tension between character and story just like it did in Hollywood.
Even if Kathryn Bigelow made me sick with the extreme hand held camera work, it's an important outline of the war today. Pity this arthouse film has to deal with pirates.

Look Out For: When William James is introduced the name of the base he's spearheading has some political issues.

#7 - In The Loop*

Another movie about the war in Iraq. This isn't about soldiers. It's about the stakeholders focusing on the most questioned issue in the early 2000s. The stakeholders: generals, public servants and politicians. All are which are idiots and one of them so acid tongue you would want to applaud him.
Based on the BBC's acclaimed TV series The Thick Of It, In The Loop involves looping your head with the biggest situation in politics whacked up into dry and potty-mouthed humour.
It's a modern update of Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove.
But what is more interesting is that these characters fail in spectacular style that is unrelated with the Iraq War.
And what's more interesting is that sadly it might be apparent on Wikileaks.

Look Out For: Many pop culture references including Keira Knightley and Shrek.

#6 - Animal Kingdom

This and Winter's Bone were joint winners at this year's Sundance Film Festival. For some reason they're both considered boring to the public. I  might agree with Winter's Bone given how overrated it is but for Animal Kingdom I don't.
It takes place in Melbourne where a small criminal family runned by matriarch Smurf, played by an excellent Jacki Weaver, is taken down by authorities. And the boy J has to find his place.
Gritty and uptight, it's a psychological exploration of the criminal family, somthing we had never seen before. This is the best Australian movie in years.

Look Out for: Air Supply's "Outta Love" is featured where one of the characters die.

#5 - Toy Story 3

This may not have been a perfect film, but it is flawless and awesome. Even the most cynical could love this movie (except for Armond White). Toy Story 3 is a fun and entertaining animated ride filled with richly animated toys that has lot of heart. At the end of the day this is about being together and willing to belong to someone who would take care of Woody, Buzz and Jessie in a gentle stance.
But there is something that needs to be explained. It's not really the #1 animated movie of all time and also why do so many guys cry.
This is Pixar's best material. It keeps getting better film after film. It also proved to be the best movie trilogy of all time. Take that, Lord Of The Rings!

Look Out for: There's a Totoro toy in one scene which makes this movie cuter.

#4 - Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

By far the most ridiculous story that has a completely niched audience, Edgar Wright's adaptation of Scott Pilgrim is very awesome.
Michael Cera plays a new character he has never played before as the eponymous name who date the girl of her dreams (literally!) and when he does he face seven ex-boyfriends. in this case, seven Evil Exes.
I don't get why the niche audience never saw this coming (maybe because it's released with one gender movies The Expendables and Eat Pray Love), it's visually exciting, and witty that even though it shamelessly borrows from spaghetti westerns, Bollywood musicals, Hong Kong action, comic books and video games it proves something. This is the surrealist state of art in cinema.

Look Out For: When Michael Cera comes in, there's the usage of the Seinfeld theme music.

Great for DVD? Probably. The two disc editon which is the collector's edition has deleted scenes, alternative footage and music promos.

#3 - Kick-Ass

Anyone who criticize this movie for its ultra violence and an 11 year old girl doing it is a prude. That include moralistic, conservative film critics, parents and priests.
This wonderful movie where it ask why there's no superhero in real life, a comic book geek gets that answer when becoming a no-power super is that you get metal plates when doing so.
Of all the comic book movies I've seen, this is a breakout for Chloe Moretz and a strong performance from Nicolas Cage who both play the irony of a generalised daddy-daughter relationship but they're still strong together.
This is a movie never to be taken seriously. It is refreshingly and darkly funny, this movie was considered an abomination.

Look Out For: The name of the weapon Hit Girl wanted for her brithday

Great for DVD? Probably. An extended edition incluedes the Making of Kick Ass

#2 - Inception
Christopher Nolan had brought us great movies including Memento and The Dark Knight. But Nolan's latest epic is Inception, a mind blowing and bending movie about Leonardo Dicaprio's character who's an extractor and go into someone's dreams and steal secrets. But he, along with his crew has to plant an idea to someone that would have influence the lives of that person.
It is visually enhancing as Nolan creates a milestone. This film used a minimal amount of CGI for its main sequences and instead used a range of practical methods for these scenes including a shoot out and a fight sequence done in zero gravity .
Dicaprio has a lot of heart and compassion inside it and he's also melacholy and poignant given how he'd lost his wife at her dream state and had never seen his children since he is accused of his wife's death.
Nolan had been making this movie for ten years and whilest its screenplay is smart, multi-layered and original, it's pretty hard to understand. I really think this is one of my favourites of the year since it does something an average blockbuster had never done. Make the audience think. This is how you can like this movie. If you can't, then you just can't take this movie.
I was disappointed that no one in my school had got the balls to see this mind bender. Inception is one movie you should watch a few times and is great science fiction flick.

Look Out For: When the music plays as a warning that the dream is collapsing, the song Non Je ne regrette Nien is sung by Marion Cottilard who sung that song in the 2007 movie La Vie En Rose for which she recieved an Oscar.

Great DVD? Absolutely. People are anticipating the Blu Ray since it has extra features and goodies including a replica spinning top.

#1 - The Social Network

David Fincher's movie about the largest social gathering on the web (i.e Facebook) has much irony to the website's purpose. The owner, CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg has made nothing social to his colleagues leading to two seperate lawsuits between the Winklevoss twins suing him for stealing their website and his co-founder Eduardo Saverin for freezing the company's share.
Facebook started because Zuckerberg was dumped by a girl. Is it because he was desperate for social acceptance as he wanted to be in Harvard's finals clubs.
Jesse Einseberg brilliantly executes the contrasting yet reflective persona of the Facebook founder in Fincher's darkly timed epic.
Fincher has brought up a great crew to this movies including Aaron Sorkin (West Wing creator) who fills his screenplay with politics at a bullet speed, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails as the composer and Kevin Spacey who is the executive producer, to bring up a zeigeist defining movie that also defines a generation of Net users.
For the first time since American Beauty, The Social Network is the most talked about movie by both the public and the critics. A strong chance of winning the Oscar, Fincher's movie has poignancy to a person who is not just a billionaire and a creator, but a genius.

Look Out for: Aaron Sorkin makes a cameo as an advertising executive.

Honourable mentions to:
Fantastic Mr. Fox; Shutter Island; Green Zone; Easy A; Robin Hood; Boy; Four Lions; Tron Legacy; The Kids Are All Right; A Single Man; Greenberg

Best Upcoming Movies (Movies I wanted to watch):


1. Black Swan
2. 127 Hours
3. True Grit
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
5. Tintin: The Secrets of The Unicorn.
6. Paul
7. Sucker Punch


And the worst...


Seriously, 2010 hasn't been a great year for movies especially comedies which are getting broader. And the more broader, the less attention younger audiences get to the movies like the ones mentioned above. When Inception asked What is the most resilient parasite? The movies that are made for grabbing cash. Most of these movies I haven't watched yet observed so you would argue how did I made this list. But when the numbers are high, it's apparent that younger audiences are immature and lazy at the cinemas.

#10 The Last Airbender
Was a fan of the TV series that turned into the big screen with nadir results from the direction of M Night. Shylamalan, performances of the cast and the worst 3D visuals.

#9 Eat Pray Love
This chick flick based on the memoirs promoted by Oprah Winfrey would be a waste of your spare two hours. Add in the ten minutes and like a boring traveller's TV show. Julia Roberts who was pretty in the 90s returned as this self-absorbed women who just travel for no apparent reason other than to 'find herself'. Yeah right   


#8 Killers or Life As We Know It
The more rom-coms Katherine Heigl appears, the more society will hate her. Baby jokes and literally killer jokes are so lame.


#7 Marmaduke, Yogi Bear and Cats & Dogs 
There's something I'm uncomfortable with. Talking animals in a live action kids flick. They can't shut up.

#6 The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Along with Justin Bieber and Jersey Shore could somebody get rid of this abomination we have in this society?

#5 Sex and the City 2
Another torturous waste of your spare two hours. And twenty minutes.

#4 Vampires Suck
Makes #6 looks better

#3 Resident Evil: Afterlife
Hand me that dog and I will rip it in half - Robert Downey Jr

#2 The Last Song or Dear John
Like #6, Nicholas Sparks is an abomination. Why does he has to be brainwashed by Hannah Montana to write this turkey?

#1 Grown Ups or Cop Out
Grown Ups has to put down everybody in their system while Cop Out just been copped off. Grown Ups was watched by everybody at my school. I resented it because they think it is funny. It's not.

For Your Consideration, can you stop?!?!

As Awards Season is opening, and the countdown to the Oscars started, movies like The Social Network, The Kids Are All Right, and Inception are getting real awards buzz that await for the Oscars. Critics, bloggers and film freaks would predict movies that would be recognised as the best films of the year. But seriously I hate it.

The problem with Awards Season is that voters and board members of each organisation that hand out movie awards nominate movies we never heard of and/or just focus with at least two movies that are certain to win a Best Picture award especially at the Academy, we skip each award event because of these movies. This was my problem with last year's award season. People were looking at two movies: a $2 billion grossing movie (made from Hollywood) Avatar and a $46 million grossing movie (independent) The Hurt Locker. The Hurt Locker was the champion of this battle ultimately winning Best Picture at the Oscars. (Interesting fact - Hurt Locker was released the same week as Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen. Ironically, Transformers was named Worst Picture). The movies that were recognised but were not part of the close battle was Precious. It was adopted from Oprah and I was wondering whether that the screenplay was almost patronising, it mustn't won the Best Adapted Screenplay which would have been reserved for Up In The Air.

However the biggest problem I have with the season was For Your Consideration.

For Your Consideration is three words made by Hollywood studios to advertise movies in websites, newspapers and magazines and DVDs to convince organisations that give out awards (the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, Screen Actors Guild) to nominate their movies which they think is great and they would spents millions of dollars to advertise their movies for the sake of them being submitted for a nomination or two

What causes this. I don't know. Hollywood studios would like to cash in because they have sympathy towards directors, actors and writers who make movies for their studio. If it was a box office or critical success or both, then the studios will likely to show these film again in ads in every entertainment publication for a better chance of having the movies submitted.

FYR is getting really obvious and at the same time oblivious of the conseqences it would have on the studios. If the movies submitted for voting weren't nominated, then they would have to lose $70 to $80 million in advertising revenue. This is going too far

Last year, studios submitted Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen for the Oscars as well as 2012 because they both grossed around $800 million. However both were also critical disasters receiving a 20% and 42% by Rotten Tomatoes respectively. Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen was later honoured for Worst Picture at the Golden Raspberry Awards. It was weird given how it's absurd to see Michael Bay or Roland Emmerich nominated for a Best Director

But there were some movies that were putting great risk of advertising and for that matter was recognised by others. When the Academy announced ten Best Picture nominees, Warner Bros. put in ads for The Hangover. It was a box office hit as well as acclaimed. It wasn't nominated for any Oscars, but won a Golden Globe for Best Picture (Musical or Comedy).

One thing I hated about For Your Consideration is that it doesn't achieve anything for each film unless the films advertised were submitted for voting were then nominated. Studios are so desperate for the recognition they want for the films they've produce, that the more advertising the less chance it has for a spot at the Oscars.

FYC had some movies successful for an Oscar nomination that it became a total loser. For example Martin Scorsese had Harvey Weinstein, the studio owner for The Weinstein Company to advertise his movie Gangs of New York for a bid at the Oscars. It did, received nine nominations and not a single win. It is a pity cos it was a waste of $50 million.

But when Scorsese hit back with The Departed receiving his deserved Oscar for Best Director, there was no marketing with the three worded heading. So he might have learnt his lesson... sort of. He now has Shutter Island in the FYC heading and it is possible that his latest flick has a one in 34 chance of being nominated. If it was marketed for Best Picture then it would belong to The Blind Side slot (the nominee that was nominated for no reason).

This would be a grim story for Toy Story 3 which Disney heads are so desperate to have the film winning Best Picture, it named it the Best reviewed film of the year (with a 99%). This movie would have an impossible chance from winning from any categories nominated except the Best Animated Feature category in which much of Pixar had dominated. No voter would be voting for an animated feature for the prestigious award even if it was the highest grossing animated feature or was part of the greatest trilogy of all time.

I would say that when they (the studios) use FYC, it is because they had wanted to be recognised since the awards season had officially lost their mainstream appeal. Precious, Little Miss Sunshine, Juno, and There Will Be Blood were all well known because they were critically acclaimed and when they are popular with the public it's during awards season. Juno had grossed $300 million with a $10 million budget.

Last year, when Avatar became the highest grossing movie of all time it is $2 billion in counting. Now we see Avatar to be the total loser of every awards event with the exception of the Golden Globes while The Hurt Locker wins big.

Now if I guess, if a movie became so big based on word of mouth or box office hit they are likely to get pwned by the voters. This was what happened with Brokeback Mountain which had lost to Crash for Best Picture in 2005. Many people claimed that homophobia was a factor of it winning, but I believed that Brokeback focused too much on its FYC that it lost.

FYC is also a way of manipulating the voting process. It is a form of propaganda to convince voters to nominate their movies. It's like an political election where your movie campaigns to be recognised. These can be the movies that are produced for the stupid. If my theory is correct, I would expect Grown Ups to be campaigned for Best Picture and Best Ensemble.

It is the greed of studio heads to cash in so their movies can be recognised. Movies are not nominated if a movie was bad or if the movie was great. Unfortunately studio owners as well as the members of the Academy are the stupidest people on Hollywood for decision making on toast.

Please welcome your hosts... James Franco and Anne Hathaway?

Finally I get to know who will host next year's Oscars. After so much predicting we finally get these two people: James Franco and Anne Hathaway.

First found out when I searched IMDB and news came in telling us that both actors are doing their duties hosting next year's Oscars.

Which had me asking:
WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?!?!?!?!

These two actors have something in common. Hathaway and Franco hosted Saturday Night Live, both appeared in great comedies (Hathaway was in The Devil Wears Prada while Franco was in Pineapple Express) and had a head start on their character as type characters (she was a children's actor, Franco was somewhat a fanboy's actor in the Spiderman movies) and they're both attractive people on the outside and the inside

But these actors are the wrong people to be negotiated with. This is the worst decision the Academy had ever made since snubbing WALL-E at the Oscars two years ago. You could have known a more accurate detail of both actors instead of knowing who they are from the gossip magazines

• Firstly, Hathaway had never had a great movie since Rachel Getting Married. That movie is still part of my favourite movies of all time. The movie had resulted her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. But the latest film might have been a lambast. 'Love and Other Drugs' was released out of massive marketing particularly when there was details about her taking it off with Jake Gylenhaal. It was a flop debuting at sixth place with negative word-of-mouth. While Franco. Never seen his films before except the Spiderman films. But I'm not quite sure if he's a good actor and how did he deserved to be the most influential man of 2010 in many magazines (Askmen, GQ)? 

• Secondly, this is an excuse to get a boost in the ratings instead of the reason the Academy is putting behind. Choosing these actors as hosts is because the Academy believed they are 'icons of their generation'. Seriously you could have chosen Robert Downey Jr or Natalie Portman for the roles because they are great actors of their generation. Downey's in X, Portman's Y.  But because they (Franco, Hathaway) are well known to people my age, they (the Academy) choose them. It's also add to the fact that in theory, if you have an actor hosting and nominated at the Oscars at the same time, it would've a milestone. Given how Franco is a possible nominee for Best Actor for Danny Boyle's 127 Hours, it would have matched the theory.

• I think these two actors have absolutely no experience in hosting. Hosting the Oscars is a big job. It's not your average presentation night. They're not like Steve Martin, Billy Crystal who once ruled the Oscars and had us recognising movies like American Beauty, Gladiator, Lost In Translation and the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. But if these actors are hosting well they wanted us to know about great movies we have watched this year like Inception, The Social Network or Toy Story 3. But I predict that Franco and Hathaway despite their comedic routine (if they have one) would force us to look at movies we never heard or watched like Winter's Bone or Animal Kingdom or any movie that are only known to people who avoids the mainstream. Even if they had hosted Saturday Night Live, their ability to host would be limited. These people would tell us jokes that couldn't grab a laugh or such. 

• There are more choices for Academy Award hosting. You could've chose Stephen Colbert or Jon Stewart or maybe Paul Giamatti or Jack Black. They all have great comic timing and had gave a great impact in our lives. For Hathaway and Franco they're only funny ONLY for their respective genres. Franco more into stoner jokes, Hathaway can only go for rom-com.

• More weirdly, I'm quite sure that it would be that moment where Hathaway would show off her dress on stage. Maybe from Versace, or Tom Hardy. Best dressed at every show. Great fashion sense, but what has it got to do with the main points of the Oscars (which is movies?)

When I watched the Oscars almost nine months ago, it was a pity to see that Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin had done the worst job into becoming the worst duos with no timing. We wanted to see the moment where Hugh Jackman last year had entertained us with an opening monologue turned to a funny musical (featuring Hathaway, although it was unintended).

But I wouldn't care about the hosts. I would care about the quality of the Oscars. For 3 years, a Hollywood studio had never had a movie winning Best Picture. The last movie to win Best Picture and it was produced by Hollywood was Martin Scorsese's The Departed. But because of the recent decisions by the Academy (like nominating ten movies for Best Picture, choosing actors since they are known in their generation), these days, the Oscars has lost its mainstream look and can only focus on arthouse and indie movies (Precious, An Education, No Country for Old Men to list a few). Now the appeal feels so boring as we are watching a two hour speech fest.

For a quick outlook on which movies I think shoud be nominated for Best Picture here are a few posters. But these movies can be overlooked.
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