2009 Oscars

Okay, so I've hit a lazy patch and havent updated for a while, which is crazy since HELLO the Oscars happened so I should've been so excited that a post would appear immediately following the ceremony but there was honestly so much that I liked/wanted to mention that it kind of intimidated me. Anyway, better late than never!
So this years Academy Awards followed a dramatically different format than those previously and all in all I'm going to have to say upgrade. Despite dragging moments during technical "and the nominees are" I thought the new additions were definitely an aqquired taste, as I got more and more used to and fond of the changes as the show progressed. I'll try to keep it as short and sweet as possible, but here we go. Hugh Jackman who is a Broadway veteran definitely made it a thespian-friendly evening, so being a giant theatre nerd I enjoyed the musical touches he brought to the show (though I did find that whole the muscial is back number weird and random, and with one Vanessa Hudgens too many) and think he proved to be a very charming and capable host buuuut I still wish Billy Crystal would do every show.

The new format for acting catagories was strange, and I didn't buy into it until the second time around when Christopher Walken got on stage, but eventually I found its sappy, self-written vow thing completely precious and enjoyed the personal touches (except for Cuba's total throwaway to poor Robert Downey Jr.) but wish they would have shown clips from the films especially after my friend Katie who hadn't seen several nominated movies had nothing to base the decisions on. It wasn't really suited for those who hadn't seen the performances which is unfortunate. Technical catagories--TOO LONG! Sorry but your catagories are not what the people tune in to see and while I generally enjoy them if they are looking to boost ratings most people don't want to spend 40 minutes watching Will Smith and Sarah Jessica Parker explain why sound editing is important.

Highlights of the evening: Every acceptance speech given was pretty incredible. Not a ton of rambling, even the lesser catagories that have awkward nerdy men accepting managed to have the right amount of sentiment and comedy, so I was totally impressed. The acting winners we're eloquent, just sappy enough and for some of the first times generally seemed surprised and excited. I cried a lot so I got exactly what I wanted. Heath Leger's family did a great job of commemorating his work and making it about a celebration of his life and for those who continue to do what he loved. Beautiful. Hands down though the most incredible speech of the evening came from the ever-charismatic, wire-walking Phillippe Petit who put most simply and most beautifully everything that can be said about what is special about filmmaking.

Perfect. Awesome. I die. And I guess I should include this guy too because he made my dreams come true when he uttered the last four words of his speech.

I'm also gonna give a +1 to Anne Hathaway for her contributions to the opening number and her clear humility about the nomination and crying over being personally addressed and complimented by Shirley MacLaine. Other bests of the night came from the hilarious short with Pinapple Express stars Seth Rogen and James Franco (and of course cinematographer Janusz Kaminski), Ben Stiller's great impression of Joaquin Pheonix (did I see a little McCain in there too?) and the musical performances from the soundtrack of Slumdog Millionaire. Youtube them, you'll find yourself entertained.

Okay, this is already like three times longer than I intended so I'm just gonna go ahead and pat myself on the back for finally finishing this post and for what I'd call some pretty damn good predictions. Now, back to normal non-award show related posting, promise.

In Case You Missed It: Death to Smoochy

I'm going to attempt to showcase a bit of a throwback or widely unknown movie weekly from now on, the first would've been Millions but that would make it tri-monthly so we'll just make this the starting point. Seriously, this movie, awesome. Why it wasn't a huge hit I'll never know but I encourage everyone to see this immediately. While it recieved much acclaim and gets regular airtime on Comedy Central (nice in, Jon Stewart) I still don't very often meet people who've seen or heard of it. So here is your insentive.

First of all, what a cast. I mean Norton, Keener, DeVito, Williams, Stewart, little people! It follows angelic, aspiring children's singer/songwriter Sheldon Mopes aka Smoochy (Norton) when he is picked up by reluctant, cynical and in some cases corrupt children's network execs (Keener, Stewart) following the downfall of their most popular star and host Rainbow Randolph (Williams) who then makes it his personal mission to destroy Mopes and the Smoochy-mania he has innocently created. Williams turns in yet another hilarious performance. I attribute his greatness in the role to the complete low-life, scum he plays so well, so crassly and with such unapologetic energy. The number of times you will hear him say cock, dick, fuck, and all those other yummy things he only ever gets to say in his stand-up make me happier than just about anything else. Then there is Danny DeVito, who plays Sheldon's weasel agent (who is a lot like an R-rated version of his character in Matilda) and tries to bring him down to the no bullshit, rough, hard real world of children's television--how can this not be funny? Keener, known more recently for her role in The 40 Year Old Virgin succeeds in being a greedy bitch yet somehow lovable, very lovable, and also slutty. You throw in the irish mafia and Spinner, who is practically Anthony Quinn from Requiem for a Heavyweight reincarnated, to a mix where you already have Edward Norton--formally covered in swastikas in American History X--gallavanting around in a pink rhino suit teaching children in sing-song and this movie is definitely hysterical. Other signs of comic genius:
Robin Williams handling phallic cookies? Check.
A guy named Buggy Ding Dong? Check.
Directed by Danny DeVito? Check.
Nazi rally? Check.
Yeah, thats pretty much all it takes for me to know something will be enjoyable, I don't want to give away all of the hilarious tidbits that make this movie great but in all honesty it is a movie that you know must have been so fun for these actors to just be silly and try to create some sort of modern, fluffy film noir. I'm not saying someone should slap a bunch of stars on the DVD case because it isn't really attempting to prove anything it is however an attempt gone right at mocking pre-pubescent culture and anytime someone can take something like that and flip it around into something grim and sleazy I think it deserves credit for originality and general hootzpah. The next time you see it on Comedy Central take a while to check it out, even if you hate it tell people about it, then you can both talk about how much you hated it or fight over how much someone else loved it. Point is, see it, spread the word!

My Rating: B+
(In my opinion the following trailer doesn't do much justice but nonetheless, here ya go.)

Oscar Predictions Con't.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role








There is NO debate on who will bring home the award for Best Supporting Actor. Heath Ledger is tragically going to recieve his first Oscar posthumanously, however it does little to detract from his chilling portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight. A movie that lives through his genius performance is certainly a worthy end to a legacy of incredible talent and infectious personality. The only questions left are who will accept on his behalf and whether future nominees in this catagory will be able to match his gift.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role








Okay, aside from Marisa Tomei who I did not like in The Wrestler I think this catagory is really well stocked. Amy Adams from Doubt is defintely a front runner to me and my second favorite of the performances but my number one is without a doubt Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. First off the movie is visually stunning, but the foreign stars (Cruz and Javier Bardem) absolutely outshine the American leads (Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall). Cruz gives an outstanding performance as a complex artist and freespirit who comes back into the life of her estranged husband and his new love interest and mistress. She is exquiste, a beautiful but unstable character made real. Amazing.

Best Picture








The masterpiece Slumdog Millionaire. I see this film getting top billing for the night, and I find it likely to take home Best Picture, Best Cinematography and Best Editing. I cant even begin to explain all the unreal things about this movie so I won't, I'll just say that it is the definitely the best picture of the year.

Best Director









Not only will Slumdog Millionaire take home tons of awards but it's director too. Well, not tons but the one that matters. This is Danny Boyle's year!

Other Awards

Some of the awards I am still marinating on, but these are a few that I've pretty much picked.

Best Animated Picture - WALL-E
Best Costume Design - Australia or The Dutchess
Best Documentary - Man on Wire (amazing!)
Best Foreign Language film - Waltz with Bashir
Best Editing - Slumdog Millionaire
Best Cinematography - Slumdog Millionaire
Best Makeup - Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Visual Effects - Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Adapted Screenplay - Way too close to call this year!
Best Original Screenplay - Happy-Go-Lucky

And The Nominees Are...

Yesterday was the SuperBowl--poor Kurt Warner--but my SuperBowl is actually on February 22nd and I'm way too excited, the Oscars! The peak of award show season is coming up fast and while there is still slightly less than a month to consider before the big night I already have most of my winners picked, so here are my choices for the best of the year.

Best Actor in a Leading Role








By far my absolute favorite catagory this year I feel like the Best Actor is going to be a toss-up between these guys (sorry Brad, sorry Richard). I'm so excited for this one because these performances have been so good that the pre-Oscar awards (SAG, Critic's Choice, Golden Globes, etc.) have not gone to the same person, something very a-typical and rare especially for the Best Actor award. I think the main contest will end up between Sean Penn for MILK and Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler, however I have to throw Frank Langella in for his spot-on portrayal of Richard Nixon in Frost/Nixon which is actually my favorite performance of the bunch but doesn't seem likely to win. Sean Penn, an Oscar vet, seems set up for another and having won the Critic's Choice award this year he fits the tradition of Critic's Choice winners going on to take home the big prize. He was spectacular in MILK and would be more than deserving of an award but in all honesty if I was voting I would pick this year's Cinderella, Mickey Rourke. His work in The Wrestler was the most subtle and real performance so it may not seem as obvious as Penn's but that is what makes it so amazing. To come from where he was and have this opportunity, one he may never get again, makes the idea of him winning the award very romantic. Besides, I just find his rough genuineness so refreshing and feel like he doesn't expect the win which makes the surprise and gratitude that much more sincere.

Who do I think will win? Penn. Who do I want to win? Rourke!

Best Actress in a Leading Role


Hands down, Kate Winslet! First of all, 0-5!? The fact that she has been nominated that many times but still has not won is the silliest thing to me! She is officially the most nominated female (and is the youngest actor ever with that many nods) without having won and is notorious for being the runner-up, always managing to be slightly overlooked by major film awards. Actually, in her history she has only ever been recognized as a winner once--ONCE!--with a BAFTA for Sense and Sensibility before this year's long overdue slew of awards. Of the 25 films shes been in there are only 11 that she has not been nominated for a major award in, though they continuously are critically acclaimed performances, so she has a history of being teased with nominations only to get screwed over! This is the first year she has had constant wins, particularly at the Golden Globes where she won Best Actress for Revolutionary Road and Best Supporting Actress for The Reader and finally because I think she is the greatest female actor alive. She is long overdue for an Oscar, plus I fucking love it when people cry when they win and as we've had a chance to see she is just a hot mess and I totally eat it up. I cried when she talked about Leo at the Golden Globes so I just can't wait. It's strange that the nomination is for The Reader but I actually think if I had to nominate just one of her roles I would choose that one too; as great as she is in both there is just no excuse for her performance as Hanna Schmitz...it's literally absurd how amazing she is.
Sure, Meryl Streep was great in Doubt but she is always great, in Changeling Angelina Jolie really wants her son--who I'm sure she adopted at some point during filming--back, and Melissa Leo deserves her Frozen River nomination (Anne Hathaway doesn't get to win an Oscar because she's Anne Hathaway, despite a great performance) but this one is Kate Winslet's. And I totally had to include a clip of her Globes speech because it is just too sweet and lovely.

SIXTH TIME'S THE CHARM!