‘The Descendants’ Picks Up 5 Oscar Nominations

Congratulations to “The Descendants” for winning Best Adapted Screenplay at this year’s Academy Awards.

I took this picture below during a recent trip to Kauai, after watching The Descendants (2011) in theaters. I swear it’s the same beachfront house that estate agent Brian Speer (Matthew Lillard) and his family vacationed in; the scene where Matt King (George Clooney) peeks over the hedges to get a better look at the man he suspects had an affair with his wife before she gets into a serious boating accident. Not completely sure; maybe I was just being an overly-excited tourist. Anyone want to enlighten me?Movie set sighting? Taken near Hanalei Bay on Kauai.

Filmed on Kauai and Oahu, the dramedy has been making headlines lately, winning the Golden Globe award for best motion picture drama and best lead actor last month. Tomorrow night, we’ll see how The Descendants fares in the 84th Academy Awards, in which it picked up five Oscar nominations. They include: best picture, best lead actor (George Clooney), best director (Alexander Payne), best adapted screenplay and best film editing.

Based on a novel by Hawaii author Kaui Hart Hemmings (who I for sure saw that same day with her family near the Hanalei Pier), the movie shows King’s journey through life after his wife’s accident. He must reevaluate his relationships with family and friends and manage to find balance in such unstable circumstances.

King, a descendant of a 19th-century Hawaiian princess, has a full plate on his hands. He not only learns that his wife had been having an affair, but he deals with an impending sale of his family’s inherited lands. He and his daughters (Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller) have a home in Nuuanu and travel to Kauai to see the family lands, as well as to confront his wife’s lover.

Of course, it helps to have a famous actor like Clooney star in the film for it to do so well. But I think even without him, the movie could have survived. The directors did their homework and accurately portrayed Hawaii and its people; thankfully, there were no cheesy luau scenes. Instead, we got clever writing to go with a unique plot and commendable acting.

HIFF’s Oscar Night America 2012

The Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) will be rolling out the red carpet for the official Oscar Night America 2012 party tomorrow at the Halekulani Hotel. The black tie affair will give guests an authentic Oscar kind-of-night, where they can enjoy cocktails, a five-course dinner and a silent auction before the advanced telecast of the Academy Awards program at 6 p.m. Tickets may still be available, but expect to pay a price just as fancy. It costs $300 per seat and $250 for members.

HIFF OSCAR NIGHT PARTY 2012 • Tomorrow, starts at 4pm • Halekulani Hotel 2199 Kalia Rd., Honolulu, HI 96815 • 808-792-1577 (ext 1)

Posted by: Bruce Fisher on Feb 25, 2012