We are but six hours to Oscar and I am finally ready to post my predictions. For the first time ever - thanks to AMC's (the movie theater chain) Best Picture marathon yesterday - I have seen every one of the Best Picture nominees. My personal favorite is The Reader with Milk a close second. My least favorite is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. (Best Picture nomination over The Dark Knight, really???) But alas, the Academy rarely votes for my favorite films so what follows is my best guess of how the Academy will vote.
Picture - Slumdog Milloinaire
Actor - Mickey Rourke
Supporting Actor - Heath Ledger
Actress - Kate Winslet
Supporting Actress - Viola Davis (but Penelope Cruz could sneak by her)
Director - Danny Boyle
Documentary Feature - Man on Wire
Documentary Short - The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306
Animated Feature - Bolt (HAHAHAHAHA obviously Wall-E will win this one)
Foreign Language Film - The Class
Original Screenplay - Milk
Adapted Screenplay - The Reader (this may be one of the toughest competitions)
Cinematography - Slumdog Millionaire
Art Direction - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Animated Short Film - Presto (does Pixar ever lose in this category?)
Live Action Short Film - Auf der Strecke (On the Line - going with "A" like my man Jamal)
Visual Effects - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (but The Dark Knight could take it)
Costume Design - The Duchess (big period dresses and hair = Oscar)
Film Editing - Slumdog Millionaire
Sound Mixing - The Dark Knight (high action usually equals win in sound)
Sound Editing - The Dark Knight (see above)
Original Score - Slumdog Millionaire
Original Song - Wall-E (historically splitting the vote in this category is a bad thing)
Makeup - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (duh)
Enjoy the Hollywood spectacle tonight! May Hugh Jackman be on and may the show actually stop in three hours. Hooray for Hollywood!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Sunday, Sunday
Since this is my last post before the Oscars - I will be taking next week off - I thought I'd discuss the few films I've seen so far and their Oscar races. This is not quite a prediction post, more of a thought post. You'll notice that I've only seen about three nominated films so it will also be a short post. I hope to see more films before February 22.
Actor in a Supporting Role - I've only seen The Dark Knight in this category so far. I doubt I'll have to see any more. First, Heath Ledger was awesome, just awesome. I am sad because we will never see the Joker played with quite the level of anarchy and chaos again. Second, the Academy will give this Oscar for Ledger's entire body of work since there will be no more.
Actor in a Lead - Everyone seems to be hyping Mickey Rourke. I have to say that I'll probably never see The Wrestler so I have no idea if he is deserving of the award or not. In fact, I have yet to see any of the films in this category - The Visitor is sitting in my television armoire - but I have to say that, like the Picture category, this one may end up being quite the surprise.
Actress in a Supporting Role - If Kate Winslet had been nominated here for The Reader, she would be a shoe-in. As it is, we have another interesting race. I've been reading a lot about Doubt and Viola Davis but she isn't in the film very long. (Not that length stopped the great Dame Judi Dench for winning in this category.) I think it would be interesting to see Marisa Tomei win her second Oscar in this category and I hear she's pretty darn good in The Wrestler.
Actress in a Lead - I've now see The Reader and Revolutionary Road (just got back from seeing it and despite the fact that Leo is in it, I found myself really enjoying the film). I am saddened that Kate Winslet was nominated for The Reader instead of Revolutionary Road. She would have won hands down for Road. While The Reader is very good, I just don't think it's good enough, especially with heavy-hitters like Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway.
Picture - I think this is going to be an interesting year for the Picture category. I don't think The Reader has a snowball's chance in that very hot place. Slumdog Millionaire is getting a lot of indie love, but is it good enough to get this coveted Oscar? Last year we talked about what a film had to do to win a Picture Oscar and we didn't come to any sort of consensus. To be honest, none of the nominees seem like a sure-thing here. I think this race could be a big surprise.
In the end, I think there are some very interesting races this year. I hope there will be a few upsets and surprises. Lately the Oscars have gotten just a tad bit too predictable.
Actor in a Supporting Role - I've only seen The Dark Knight in this category so far. I doubt I'll have to see any more. First, Heath Ledger was awesome, just awesome. I am sad because we will never see the Joker played with quite the level of anarchy and chaos again. Second, the Academy will give this Oscar for Ledger's entire body of work since there will be no more.
Actor in a Lead - Everyone seems to be hyping Mickey Rourke. I have to say that I'll probably never see The Wrestler so I have no idea if he is deserving of the award or not. In fact, I have yet to see any of the films in this category - The Visitor is sitting in my television armoire - but I have to say that, like the Picture category, this one may end up being quite the surprise.
Actress in a Supporting Role - If Kate Winslet had been nominated here for The Reader, she would be a shoe-in. As it is, we have another interesting race. I've been reading a lot about Doubt and Viola Davis but she isn't in the film very long. (Not that length stopped the great Dame Judi Dench for winning in this category.) I think it would be interesting to see Marisa Tomei win her second Oscar in this category and I hear she's pretty darn good in The Wrestler.
Actress in a Lead - I've now see The Reader and Revolutionary Road (just got back from seeing it and despite the fact that Leo is in it, I found myself really enjoying the film). I am saddened that Kate Winslet was nominated for The Reader instead of Revolutionary Road. She would have won hands down for Road. While The Reader is very good, I just don't think it's good enough, especially with heavy-hitters like Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway.
Picture - I think this is going to be an interesting year for the Picture category. I don't think The Reader has a snowball's chance in that very hot place. Slumdog Millionaire is getting a lot of indie love, but is it good enough to get this coveted Oscar? Last year we talked about what a film had to do to win a Picture Oscar and we didn't come to any sort of consensus. To be honest, none of the nominees seem like a sure-thing here. I think this race could be a big surprise.
In the end, I think there are some very interesting races this year. I hope there will be a few upsets and surprises. Lately the Oscars have gotten just a tad bit too predictable.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Snow Days Are Boring
This past week has wreaked havoc with my schedules. I found that snow days seem a godsend on the outside but actually are rather dull. I have learned that daytime television is truly horrific. The sad thing is, I spent a great deal of time actually watching it. I guess laziness just took over and weakened my defenses. Luckily, in the past few weeks I have found something worthwhile in the realm of popular culture.
Film: The Reader
Although I don't know if it is Best Picture material, The Reader is a truly amazing film to watch. I knew little about the plot going in. I just knew that it had something to do with a teenage boy having lots of sex with an older woman and a concentration camp trial. I was enthralled by the entire thing. Ralph Fiennes, Kate Winslet, and David Kross are amazing. Kate Winslet definitely deserves an Oscar nomination for this film, but probably not in the Best Actress category. (I worry that she may not win for The Reader over Meryl Streep in Doubt. But I digress.) The Reader is very controlled in its narrative. The move between present and past is seamless and never gets overused or trite (as can so easily happen). Holocaust films can sometimes over-demonize or swing the other way and over-sympathize with characters. The Reader does a nice job staying in the middle. Although I found myself feeling sorry for Hannah, that sympathy was never because of what she did in the concentration camps. The film's ending really did a nice job with the sympathy issue when the adult Michael goes to visit Ilana; it was a very powerful moment. Again, I'm not sure that this film has Oscar written on it but it certainly will be worth your two hours to watch it.
Television: Jon & Kate Plus 8
This show has been around for awhile but I just realized recently that I've never written about it. I love TLC for so many reasons (and hate it for so many other reasons). Jon & Kate is one of the reasons I love it. I remember watching the one-hour documentaries on the sextuplets and was pleased when it became a regular series. It has been fun to watch all the kids grow up and I hope they keep the show around for several more years, at least until the kids all go to school. What I really like about TLC's "life unscripted" is that it feels just that - unscripted. Jon and Kate argue, the kids act like brats, and everyone makes mistakes. However, unlike the major networks' reality television, Jon and Kate feels real. We've all said and done the things they say and do. Nothing is every truly over the top and unbelievable. These are two human beings who are doing the best they can. Do they often get freebies? Yep. Should they? Frankly I don't know. What I do know is that their children are adorable little human beings and Jon and Kate treat them as such. I like that.
Book: Born Standing Up
Steve Martin never ceases to surprise me. (Do we really need another Pink Panther film?) Luckily, his 2008 autobiography is a very good surprise. This is the first of his books that I have read. If the others are similar in narrative flow and voice, sign me up! It took all of three pages for me to laugh out loud. The book follows Martin's life from childhood to super-stardom. He is honest and pulls few punches. You'll learn that his family life was less than perfect. You'll also learn that he worked at Disneyland as a magician at the tender age of 15. He talks about both his sucesses and his failures. But if you're looking for personal relationship info, you'll get very little. Instead, Martin talks about his career as a stand-up comedian. Reading this while watching PBS's documentary Make 'Em Laugh was excellent timing. As I was reading through Martin's influences I was also watching clips of them on PBS. I would recommend this book for any fan of the wild and crazy guy.
Film: The Reader
Although I don't know if it is Best Picture material, The Reader is a truly amazing film to watch. I knew little about the plot going in. I just knew that it had something to do with a teenage boy having lots of sex with an older woman and a concentration camp trial. I was enthralled by the entire thing. Ralph Fiennes, Kate Winslet, and David Kross are amazing. Kate Winslet definitely deserves an Oscar nomination for this film, but probably not in the Best Actress category. (I worry that she may not win for The Reader over Meryl Streep in Doubt. But I digress.) The Reader is very controlled in its narrative. The move between present and past is seamless and never gets overused or trite (as can so easily happen). Holocaust films can sometimes over-demonize or swing the other way and over-sympathize with characters. The Reader does a nice job staying in the middle. Although I found myself feeling sorry for Hannah, that sympathy was never because of what she did in the concentration camps. The film's ending really did a nice job with the sympathy issue when the adult Michael goes to visit Ilana; it was a very powerful moment. Again, I'm not sure that this film has Oscar written on it but it certainly will be worth your two hours to watch it.
Television: Jon & Kate Plus 8
This show has been around for awhile but I just realized recently that I've never written about it. I love TLC for so many reasons (and hate it for so many other reasons). Jon & Kate is one of the reasons I love it. I remember watching the one-hour documentaries on the sextuplets and was pleased when it became a regular series. It has been fun to watch all the kids grow up and I hope they keep the show around for several more years, at least until the kids all go to school. What I really like about TLC's "life unscripted" is that it feels just that - unscripted. Jon and Kate argue, the kids act like brats, and everyone makes mistakes. However, unlike the major networks' reality television, Jon and Kate feels real. We've all said and done the things they say and do. Nothing is every truly over the top and unbelievable. These are two human beings who are doing the best they can. Do they often get freebies? Yep. Should they? Frankly I don't know. What I do know is that their children are adorable little human beings and Jon and Kate treat them as such. I like that.
Book: Born Standing Up
Steve Martin never ceases to surprise me. (Do we really need another Pink Panther film?) Luckily, his 2008 autobiography is a very good surprise. This is the first of his books that I have read. If the others are similar in narrative flow and voice, sign me up! It took all of three pages for me to laugh out loud. The book follows Martin's life from childhood to super-stardom. He is honest and pulls few punches. You'll learn that his family life was less than perfect. You'll also learn that he worked at Disneyland as a magician at the tender age of 15. He talks about both his sucesses and his failures. But if you're looking for personal relationship info, you'll get very little. Instead, Martin talks about his career as a stand-up comedian. Reading this while watching PBS's documentary Make 'Em Laugh was excellent timing. As I was reading through Martin's influences I was also watching clips of them on PBS. I would recommend this book for any fan of the wild and crazy guy.
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