Oscar nominations

[Neil]

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/48221


Best Picture
* “Black Swan” Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers
* “The Fighter” David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers
* “Inception” Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers
* “The Kids Are All Right” Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers
* “The King's Speech” Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers
* “127 Hours” Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers
* “The Social Network” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
* “Toy Story 3” Darla K. Anderson, Producer
* “True Grit” Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
* “Winter's Bone" Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers


Toy Story 3? Sorry I don't get it!

[bassman]

You didn't like Toy Story 3, or you just don't think its worth a best picture nomination?

[Neil]

You didn't like Toy Story 3, or you just don't think its worth a best picture nomination?

I really like it... Still think no.2 is the best... And don't understand the nomination...

[bassman]

I've seen about half this list....and honestly most of those weren't as great as they're built up to be. Particularly Social Network and Black Swan. Both were solid and very entertaining films, but in all honesty they weren't anything amazing. And True Grit, while a GREAT western, didn't reinvent the wheel...

Out of the films i've seen in this list....Toy Story 3 would probably be the best choice, imo. :stunned:

I haven't seen the others in the animated category, but I imagine TS3 will definitely win that one...

[MinionZombie]

TS3 was better than TS2, which I thought was the weakest of the three - but relatively speaking that's still really strong. But I thought that the first and third movies had the strongest themes, particularly the third movie - which was heartbreakingly tragic, and heartwarmingly wonderful, all at the same time.

Interesting to see it in the "best picture" category ... so it's taken the Academy 15 years to finally get around to doing that. :p

Amazingly I've only seen two of the movies on that list - TS3 and Inception. Haven't seen any of the other ones yet.

[Neil]

TS3 was better than TS2.
In your opinion of course... I found some of it a little too long and like revisiting old ideas... Still great!

I actually found the second more moving... :) I also found the plot/script in the second had a great pace and worked incredibly tightly. Whereas the 3rd sort of seemed to be trying to make space for itself to find material in.

The first two I can watch over and over. With the third, I just sort of feel I've done it...

That's my opinion of course :)

[blind2d]

I haven't seen any of these... amazing... Why isn't Tron: Legacy up there? It had a great picture!

[bassman]

I have to agree with MZ on the Toy Story debate. The first and third are the top dogs of the series. The second felt more like it was rushed and repeated the themes from the first. That's not to say it was a bad film, I still enjoy it, but it's the least of them all.

[MinionZombie]

I have to agree with MZ on the Toy Story debate. The first and third are the top dogs of the series. The second felt more like it was rushed and repeated the themes from the first. That's not to say it was a bad film, I still enjoy it, but it's the least of them all.

Personally with the second, I can tell - or rather it makes sense after the fact - that it was originally intended to be a cheap direct-to-DVD cash-in. However Pixar decided they didn't want to do that with their flicks, particularly Toy Story, so they ramped it up into a proper release and a proper flick, so therefore it probably didn't have the same style of production as their other flicks - but they did a hell of a job bringing it up to par, mind you. It could have been cash-in tosh, but they did a ruddy good job of elevating it to their usual standard.

TS1 had a really strong plot - the favourite toy is replaced, the old & new favourite toys fight - leading to them both becoming lost (just before moving day, no less!) - and then they have to find their way back home, and create a friendship together ... and indeed it teaches Andy a lesson to not just disregard an old favourite for the new thing, but to respect them both equally.

TS2 had strong parts, but it didn't quite have the continuous hook - for me at least - Jessie's backstory was utterly heartbreaking, and that sequence always gives me a lump in the throat, the 'collectible' part of the story is a solid idea - but it's not the most emotional, it's very interesting, but it doesn't quite have the personal touch, in my view - another strong idea was the Yard Sale at the beginning, but it's only a small idea that can't be expanded upon much. The central conceit, I suppose, is that toys are to be played with - not packed into a box and put on display in a Japanese museum - but I don't know, it didn't have the same impact as TS1.

*some vague spoilers for Toy Story 3 coming up*

TS3 was equally as strong plotwise to TS1, for me at least (and Bassman, :)) - whereas the first was about replacement and rejection, and indeed being lost, the third is all about "what happens when the toy's best friend out-grows them?" ... it's heartbreaking that the toys are still there, bundled away in a chest, coming up with elaborate ruses to just be touched by their best friend (that sounds dodgy, I know, but you know what I mean :p) let alone played with. Then it's a case of 'do we go into the attic and await Andy having a kid', or do they get thrown out, or do they go to Sunnyside Daycare - where there's an entire world of new kids to play with them and love them. It's like this heavenly place for them, but as it turns out it's hell for them thanks to Lotso's dictatorial regime.

Then they discover Andy never wanted to throw them away so they have to get back (admittedly a bit of a re-tread, but en-mass, of the original's plot here) - however that scene where the toys have to grapple with the ultimate things in life and death is so devestating, and so powerfully realised on screen, that it steals the entire movie. It's a huge theme in and of itself, and it's handled with dexterity and poise and a big old lump in the throat.

Finally it's about growing up and moving on, but also passing onto a new generation - they get to play with Andy one last time, and everyone moves on to something bigger or better and it's a perfect way to round-out the trilogy.

The trilogy starts with a very strong central idea, and it closes with a very strong central idea, but the second's central conceit - while generally solid and interesting - just doesn't have the emotional heft of 1 or 3 - in my view - but that's not to say that TS2 is a bad movie. Not in the slightest. It's just the weakest (relatively speaking) of three great movies.