The Gold Rush: A Conversation About Oscars, Part One

Growing up, my group of friends saw every movie we could together; as we got older, we followed the Oscar race as one unit, mapping out routes to the various art-houses we needed to visit, comparing notes, choosing sides. Ten years later, we're still at it -- and thus, the Gold Rush series, an annual conversation between myself and The March King, who I've known since I was nine.

The conversation is in two parts; check out part two over at Who is the March King.

March King: So the Oscars are almost here. Are you ready?

Silver Screener: You are so much more ready than I am. I think Picture, Director, the Actors and Original Screenplay are the only ones where I've seen every nominee.

MK: Oh? What are you missing from Adapted Screenplay?

SS: Before Midnight. I've never seen any of the other ones, and I kept telling myself, "Oh, I'll double feature them, my friends have them, I'll just borrow them, and then I'll watch Before Midnight."

For all I know, they're spies.

MK: Oops. (Laughs.) It was really good. I'm sorry you haven't caught it yet.

SS: It's just one of those things. Like, everything I missed was just one of those things. "Oh I CAN'T see The Grandmaster, I simply MUST see Last Vegas." (Laughs.) So when I say "just one of those things", I mean odd prioritizing, but at the same time, come on -- who knew The Grandmaster was going to be a player in TWO categories, neither of them Foreign Film?

MK: Dude, The Grandmaster may not have been amazing, but I can't deny its innate beauty. Totally accepting of its nods. It really could run away with cinematography.

Though Gravity is...well let's just say it holds a very dear place in my heart.

SS: Yeah, I don't think any other movie has a shot in that category. It'll be nice to see Lubezki FINALLY get an Oscar.

Gravity was your favorite of the year, right? I know it was in your Top Ten.

Ugh, you and me both, Daniel

MK: Actually, it gets trumped by two others. Her; and Rush, which sadly didn't even get a Best Picture nominee but that's kind of the story of the year... a lot of weird snubs.

SS: I'm actually VERY shocked by the absence of Rush from a lot of categories: Editing, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Supporting Actor -- even the lack of a SAG Ensemble nod!

MK: Yeah, Supporting Actor is my biggest with this movie. Sure, Her was ignored for Best Actor with Joaquin Phoenix, but almost more importantly to me was the absence of Daniel Brühl. He WAS Rush.

SS: And should have been campaigned as lead!

MK: That is the truth. Daniel Brühl was a confoundedly second-billed main character.

But while we're on that subject, who do you have taking Supporting Actor?

SS: As in who do I think or who do I wish?

MK: Let's try both.

SS: I THINK Jared Leto's unstoppable. I WANT Michael Fassbender to stop him.

MK: Glad to see we're on the same page there. I just want Michael Fassbender to win for everything and get some credit. But Jared Leto's been around for a while and while his story is not as impressive as Matthew McConaughey's... by that I mean I actually really like Matthew McConaughey as an actor now... I do think Leto gave a quality performance for once.

SS: Ehhhhhhh

You know, I think Leto's good, and I like Matthew McConaughey, but I'm just not seeing it for these roles. I think both actors are more effective as screen presences than as completely immersive performers.

MK: Understandable. I want Chiwetel Ejiofor over McConaughey as well actually, so I suppose you have a point.

DREAM TEAM

SS: Fassbender is a performer that *is* completely immersive, meanwhile. And I agree with you on Ejiofor. Especially since the two of them work opposite ends of the spectrum brilliantly: Fassbender, the master, drunken and drooling; Ejiofor, the slave, quiet and dignified.

God I love that movie.

MK: So damn good!

SS: Absolutely!

Which makes it a shame that it's probably going to lose all but Adapted Screenplay.

MK: What what what?? You don't think 12 Years a Slave wins Best Picture?

SS: I actually do think it takes Best Picture, but I also think it's going to be a real battle in that category

MK: Gotcha. Who in your mind are the heavy weights?

SS: 12 Years a Slave, Gravity, and American Hustle.

Though I am ready for a Philomena upset.

(Laughs.)

Oh, you'd just love that, wouldn't you?

MK: That would be so awesome! Philomena deserves some serious credit. I don't think anybody saw Steve Coogan coming this far, but I really enjoyed his film.

SS: Oh, it's FINE. I know you had it in your top ten, and I guess I see what people like about it, but it just wasn't registering for me.

Although I do think it deserves to win Original Score.

MK: Hmmm... Yes.

But then, that category is ridiculously confusing. It's hard to really call the Gravity score a "score"... it's really more a massive composite of sound effects that coexist with the movie. And I'm surprised Saving Mr. Banks is technically eligible.

SS: Oh, I disagree re: Gravity. There's a lot of violin and brass work, if memory serves. And a wailing woman. I think it's the frontrunner, actually. I don't care much for it, but there it is. And there's more original scoring in Saving Mr. Banks than it seems. It's just very... unnoteworthy?

I'm not crazy about that category this year.

MK: Music is usually one of the more intriguing things about the Oscars, but not so much this year.

SS: For the first time in a while, Song is a better category!

MK: Agreed, but with an awkward asterisk in the form of a dismissed nominee.



It's not that I think Alone Yet Not Alone had a chance in hell at winning this thing... it's just, the Academy acted with literally no class in this situation.

SS: Yeah, that was bullshit. I smell a Weinstein-ian rat.

God forbid we get a nominee that wasn't pre-approved by the Globes and a million FYC ads.

MK: Not for another year I guess. But then we do have some really interesting candidates still standing.

SS: We do! And commercially successful ones, too!

MK: "The Moon Song" from Her was very cool...an honestly quite an important cog in that movie. 

SS: YES -- narratively-based music FTW!

MK: And "Let It Go" from Frozen was a show stopper; in the poppiest possible way.

(Laughs.)

SS: And the BEST way possible. I think it wins in a walk.

MK: I keep assuming it's already won, but there's still a full day to go. You never know.

SS: I would DIE.

Some would say I'd be...FLOORED.

WOULD I? YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO SEE WHAT THE MARCH KING HAS TO SAY ABOUT IT TO FIND OUT!


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