It’s time for a new regular feature on Filmophilia. The Roundtable brings you an ensemble of people who gather to give their view on a few vexing questions from the world of film, and bringing in writers from other interesting websites in the meantime. This time the Roundtable is populated by Aslaug Torfa & Sverrir Sigfusson from Filmophilia, Vignir Jon Vignisson from Icelandic film site Svarthofdi (the Icelandic name for Darth Vader), and the young but very smart George Roberson, who keeps his own, highly interesting film blog, called themovieblog8.
As the Academy Awards are descending upon us, it’s only fitting that this first installment should focus on the golden-headed bald guy.
With almost all the big award festivals in the bag, do you think The Artist (click for review) will sweep the Oscars, as predicted by many?
Sverrir Sigfusson, Filmophilia: Definitely, it has pretty much everything going for it and I don’t think things will be any different at the Oscars. It’s well deserved as it’s a fantastic film.
Aslaug Torfa, Filmophilia: Yes. I think it’s safe to say that The Artist has got this in the bag. The Academy loves films about Hollywood, especially ones that focus on the glamour of its “Golden Age”. And because The Artist is silent they don’t have to worry about the pesky foreign language issue.
George Roberson, themovieblog8: Definitely. I don’t think it’ll win the acting awards, but everything else (including Best Picture) is theirs. And I think Oscar is getting it right.
Vignir Jon Vignisson, Svarthofdi: It seems so. The Artist is a sure thing, the crowd-pleaser the Oscars need to shake up their image.
What film or performer could possibly snag a surprise Oscar?
Sverrir: Octavia Spencer has looked the clear favorite for Best Supporting Actress but I think Bérénice Bejo could steal it. That or if the Academy decides to go super crowd-pleasing and give Best Picture to The Help (review). They probably won’t and I hope they don’t.
Aslaug: Unfortunately, the Oscars have been really predictable in the last couple of years (apart from Crash besting Brokeback Mountain. That was surprisingly awful) But one can always hope that this year they’ll mix things up. The Tree of Life (review) winning Best Picture or Terrence Malick for Best Director would be a surprise. Although, the Academy does have a habit of rewarding a director’s body of work rather than the particular film they’re nominated for (see Martin Scorcese) and Malick has yet to win an Oscar.
George: I’d say that all the big categories have a clear-cut front-runner (or two, in the case of Best Actress) except Best Director. This is where Terrence Malick could claim his prize.
Vignir: Jean Dujardin is the most likely to take home the Oscar but Clooney is an Academy favorite.
What is the most undecided Oscar category for you?
George: Best Director or Best Actress.
Vignir: Best Supporting Actress is a category with strong nominations. Jessica Chastain, Bérénice Bejo and Octavia Spencer are all quite good with Bejo delivering the best performance, but the Oscar is likely to go to Spencer.
Sverrir: I think it’s more a case of one or the other in most categories, with The Artist holding the advantage in the relevant categories. If anything there aren’t necessarily any clear-cut favorites in the technical categories.
Aslaug: The Animated Feature category. It’s been an unusually lackluster year for Pixar who usually dominate this category, leaving it wide open for the more offbeat Rango or Chico & Rita to take home the prize.
What were the biggest snubs this year?
Aslaug: Oh my god, don’t even get me started! The Oscars get it wrong a lot of the time but I have rarely been as annoyed with the nominations as I have been this year. Where is Drive (review) and Nicolas Winding Refn? Shame (review) and Steve McQueen? Ryan Gosling and Michael Fassbender? Joseph-Gordon Levitt for 50/50 (review)? Carey Mulligan for Shame? The cast of Carnage? Kirsten Dunst and Lars Von Trier for Melancholia (review)? And what the hell is Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (trailer) doing there?
Sverrir: My love for Drive is well-documented, I think it absolutely deserved to get nods in Best Picture, Actor, Supporting Actor, Director and basically all the technical categories (save for visual effects). And Michael Fassbender should absolutely have gotten a nomination for his outstanding performance in Shame, a film totally overlooked by the Academy.
George: Kirsten Dunst for Best Actress, Attack the Block (review) for Sound Mixing, and Rio for Animated Feature.
Vignir: Shame, Drive, The Skin I Live In (review)… the list is endless. I think the absence of nominations for Drive is rather disturbing. The Year of the Gosling didn‘t go as planned.
Is anyone a runaway winner in their category already?
George: There are plenty: The Artist for Best Picture, Christopher Plummer for Best Supporting Actor, Octavia Spencer for Best Supporting Actress, and Rango for Best Animated Feature.
Vignir: Rango in the animation category is a sure thing.
Aslaug: Again, the Oscars have become so predictable that I think it’s safe to say that Meryl Streep, Jean Dujardin, Octavia Spencer and Christopher Plummer will walk away with the acting prizes.
Sverrir: I think Christopher Plummer and Meryl Streep are basically shoo-ins for their awards.
What film with multiple nominations runs the biggest risk of going away empty-handed?
George: Right now, this problem is staring Moneyball (review) right in the face. The performances (Pitt, Hill) are expected to lose, and I don’t see them winning anything else.
Vignir: Hugo is the most likely. Strong movie but strangely marketed at kids rather than adults. Scorsese got his “complimentary” Oscar for The Departed so I don’t think we’ll see him snag the Oscar for Best Director.
Aslaug: I think that would be The Descendants (review). A film worthy of all its nominations (and could have done with one more, Best Supporting Actress for Shailene Woodley) but I’m afraid it’ll be run over by The Artist’s predicted sweep.
Sverrir: While Hugo (review) has the largest amount of nominations I think it’ll probably lose out on all the big ones with only possible technical glory awaiting it.
Who are you “rooting for”?
Vignir: I’m rooting for my man George Clooney for his performance in The Descendants. Masterful but subtle performance from an actor who has been climbing up the ladder the last years as a prominent director, screenwriter and humanitarian.
George: I am rooting for The Descendants’ screenplay. I just want to see Community cast member Jim Rash on stage at The Oscars.
Sverrir: The underdogs; Rooney Mara & Gary Oldman. Both fantastic performances in their own way and different from their norm. I’d also love for Hugo to take Best Picture but I won’t be disappointed when The Artist takes it.
Aslaug: If I ignore the Oscars’ predictability completely, I’d love to see Gary Oldman take home the bald guy. It’s a complete scandal that this amazing actor hasn’t won one yet and the Academy would do well to rectify that this year. Michelle Williams winning for her uncanny performance as Marilyn Monroe would also be sweet but I think she’s still got a couple more nominations to go before she gets the award. I’d also be delighted if Ryan Gosling and Sassy Fassy rushed the stage as last year’s Best Actress Natalie Portman is about to announce the Best Actor and ran away with both her and the Oscar. But maybe that particular fantasy belongs on a different kind of site. Erm…
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Be sure to also check out Svarthofdi (it’s in Icelandic, but the language of cinema is universal) and themovieblog8
February 21, 2012 at 6:30 pm
I just saw Hugo yesterday — loved it. But The Artist was pure magic. I’m now torn between these as my favorite contenders.
Great insights in this post … love to read insiders’ views of what to expect. Can’t wait for Sunday!
February 21, 2012 at 7:03 pm
Yeah, both are wonderful pieces of cinema, and it’ll be very interesting to see which one comes out on top, not only as Best Picture, but in all the other categories as well.
You’re welcome to check in on us then 
Thanks for the props, we’re stumped to be getting such great feedback on our little site. We’ll repeat this feature for sure.
On Sunday we’ll have a live coverage right here on Filmophilia, where over half of our 15 writers will participate, and everyone else is free to take part in the mayhem
February 23, 2012 at 7:13 am
I was also torn between The Artist and Hugo.. But my vote goes for The Artist. I originally saw Hugo in 2D and then went back for the 3D version and loved it. But it is The Artist that sticks in my mind with the greatest fondness. Creative, bold, and successfully executed on all levels. Add the dog and it wins my vote.
February 21, 2012 at 6:35 pm
Meryl deserves to win… I feel like Viola could have taken the prize if the script for The Help used more from the book. As with Jessica Chastain’s character; they left out so much from the book that would have really had the audience sympathizing more with her. Both were GREAT performances, but in my opinion, the characters were far stronger on page. I’m looking forward to see what happens! Great post!
February 21, 2012 at 6:58 pm
Thanks! This format was an experiment for us, but if it’s successful we’ll definitely continue it, and definitely bring in views from other sites, as we did here.
Regarding the awards, the Best Actress category is perhaps the most intriguing of the entire field. I have no idea who’s most deserving there.
February 21, 2012 at 7:01 pm
Right, I mean I certainly feel like Michelle Williams is only going to grow and wow us even more in the coming years. Much like when Kate Winslet finally got her win for The Reader… while I was an upset 10 year old when she lost for her Titanic performance, I grew to absolutely love her work as she continued. And poor Meryl, if she hadn’t won for Sophie’s Choice, she’d be a cinematic Susan Lucci.
February 21, 2012 at 7:37 pm
I would also have loved to have seen We Need to Talk about Kevin and Marth Marcy May Marlene get some kind of nods for something.
February 22, 2012 at 2:09 am
Me too. The Oscars do tend to leave many great films unrecognized. It’s not completely their fault, but it’s definitely ours if we don’t propagate them thus.
February 23, 2012 at 4:38 pm
Absolutely!
February 21, 2012 at 8:13 pm
Nice idea and enjoyable read. Except for Aslaug repeatedly reminding us about “predictability.” That was exhausting.
February 23, 2012 at 4:39 pm
Apologies. But I have to admit that I do find the Oscars predictability exhausting and worth talking about.
February 21, 2012 at 8:33 pm
Predictably unpredictable, it seems to me.
Keep Billy Crystal as the host… Eddie Murphy? Give me a freakin’ break.
February 21, 2012 at 8:55 pm
Billy Crystal will be the host. Or did I miss a late twist in that saga?
February 23, 2012 at 8:12 pm
No, Billy’s it. Hopefully for a long time to come.
February 21, 2012 at 8:38 pm
I’m rooting for Rango
February 21, 2012 at 10:22 pm
A film that manages to reference Fear and Loathing, Chinatown AND The Man Without a Name without any of it feeling contrived deserves everything nice in the world.
February 21, 2012 at 10:38 pm
Plus it’s Deppalicious
February 21, 2012 at 9:59 pm
Nothing will beat The Artist this year. Last year The King’s Speech and this year The Artist… the Weinsteins much have a sixth-sense!
)
February 21, 2012 at 10:16 pm
Good point! I hadn’t thought about that, actually.
February 21, 2012 at 10:26 pm
I loved The Artist
February 21, 2012 at 11:07 pm
I agree with comments above: The Oscars have become far too predictable but then again the fact that it is the last ceremony of the Awards season probably has something to with it. And the nubers of films/actors performances that have been overlooked this year is simply staggering from; “shame” to ‘Drive” to ‘Tinker, Spy”… it’s simply inexplicable!!!!
Follow Awards season news on http://www.blinkvision.wordpress.com
February 21, 2012 at 11:12 pm
I am partial to “The Help” The acting by Octavia Spencer Spencer is superb Heck the entire major acting cast is terrific too. Full disclosure two of my father’s songs are on the soundtrack. Dave Appell. However I am sincere in my opinion of the acting.
February 21, 2012 at 11:13 pm
I want the dog in The Artist to get Best Supporting Actor.
February 22, 2012 at 3:54 am
Don’t we all?
February 21, 2012 at 11:23 pm
I’m rooting for the descendants. George Clooney was amazing (as usual) and Shailene Woodley was the perfect fit for that supporting actress role. One of (if not the best) movies of the year.
February 22, 2012 at 1:36 am
I believe The Artist will come away with the statue, and will surely bring the Acting prize too. I think Viola Davis should win the Actress Oscar, and Berenice for Supporting Actress
February 22, 2012 at 2:15 am
Oh the Oscars.. forever disappointing, however fleeting.
My bet is they’ll split the Best Picture / Best Director Oscars. Best Picture to ‘The Artist’ and Best Director to ‘Terence Malick’. No sweeping of anything this year!
February 22, 2012 at 2:16 am
I would also love for Gary Oldman to take home an Oscar! But I did not at all like Michelle Williams’ portrayal of Marilyn Munroe. I’m not entirely sure why…perhaps simply because Marilyn had such an unparalleled level of energy and mystique and I find Michelle to be a little flat and boring on occasions.
I love the Roundtable idea! Excellent post!
February 22, 2012 at 2:35 am
The different views really kept me going here, by the end I could hear each one’s individual voice and opinion, excellent post. As mentioned above, it would be great to Gary Oldman sneak one away. His performance in TTSS carried the rather dull film. Over the years he has delivered some spectacular performances and it was a real shock to me to learn he had not won an Oscar. As for others to root for, Melissa McCarthy is a clear choice. Not many people can steal every single scene like she did in Bridesmaids, a truly unforgettable performance for the actress who has emerged out of no where this year.
February 22, 2012 at 3:56 am
Great roundtable discussion! Thanks for allowing me to be a part of it, and congrats on getting featured!
February 22, 2012 at 4:25 am
I’m so glad that I found your blog, I am an entertainment buff all the way around. :p
One of my favorite movies are both Sherlock Holmes movie.The writing and acting are breathtaking and flawless.
I actually saw Hugo just recently, and I really liked it. But I think that The Artist will get the statue as well.
I can hardly wait for the Oscars! They kick off Feb. 26 I believe.
Wes B.
The Reporter`s Chair
February 22, 2012 at 5:39 am
Love Meryl! Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed!
February 22, 2012 at 9:12 am
Went to see The Artist last night. Was not sure about the first 30 minutes of this film, but as time went on I found the film fascinating and had me spellbound. Wonderful acting, music scores and brilliant dog! A breath of fresh air in the cinema world – and highly deserving of the Oscars and praise.
February 22, 2012 at 10:05 am
Congratulations on being freshly pressed…luv your blog!
February 22, 2012 at 11:16 am
Interesting discussion. Another disappointing Oscar nomination list. I think the Drive and Shame have been overlooked in so any categories. I can picture The Artist sweeping everything.
Best Animation is usually a waste of time – this year’s scandal: Tatsumi: A Drifting Life isn’t in the same league as Kung Fu Panda 2?
February 22, 2012 at 11:36 am
Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed!
February 22, 2012 at 1:17 pm
I absolutely loved The Descendants and its subtle treatment of family drama. Clooney’s understated performance = ALL THE AWARDS! But I’m left wondering how the Academy could have missed out on Melancholia or We Need To Talk About Kevin.
February 22, 2012 at 1:38 pm
Melancholia can be chalked up to pure politics (Lars von Trier and his wonderful sense of public tact), but I’m still flabbergasted at We Need to Talk About Kevin’s lack of nominations.
February 22, 2012 at 2:28 pm
This is the first year in which I have not seen a single film of those nominated.
February 22, 2012 at 5:25 pm
I’m surprised that there are only two original songs nominated. I’ve suggested some songs so they can continue to be an overbloated telecast… http://wp.me/p1ByJK-oq
February 22, 2012 at 6:10 pm
I saw Rango and Artist, but Hugo I will see… Ah, I´m sorry for my English, but I´m from Czech Republic and I can germeny more
… But I wanted to write you 
Ahoj.
February 22, 2012 at 6:57 pm
I agree with the snubs this season. I wrote them up on my blog http://www.didyouseethatone.com
I really enjoyed this post!
February 22, 2012 at 7:00 pm
Very interesting discussion. Congrats on the fresh press.
February 22, 2012 at 9:51 pm
Analyzing a database of every nomination in Oscar history, correlated to Best Picture wins, results in a conclusion that “The Artist” is indeed, by the numbers, going to be a limp choice in a dismal year for Oscar Nominations, see:
http://indiemoines.com/2012/02/07/oscar-by-the-number-2012-and-the-academy-award-for-best-picture-goes-to/
February 22, 2012 at 11:28 pm
Reblogged this on Kiara Lane.
February 22, 2012 at 11:43 pm
Love the Oscars.
February 23, 2012 at 12:15 am
Reblogged this on purpletheory.
February 23, 2012 at 12:02 pm
Wonderful ‘snapshot’ of the Oscars, for an Australian who does not always ‘follow’ them,
mainly just the round up after the fact… this has been a ‘quick concise’ overview, with Movies I’m obviously behind on, thanks for the ‘catch up’.. Also a ‘choice’ set of pix!!
Sasha
February 23, 2012 at 12:27 pm
The Artist and The Descendants. A good and simple story-telling beats all visual or special effects.
February 23, 2012 at 12:27 pm
And congrats on the roundtable!
February 25, 2012 at 9:32 pm
Berenice Bejo had a cesar last night for her performance in The Artiste, Dujardin didn’t…
February 25, 2012 at 10:19 pm
I’m rooting for the ladies from The Help, they were amazing!