Every year the industry of Hollywood gathers around its best and some of time chooses to honor greatness. This year was one of the better ceremonies. Perhaps less funny than most ceremonies but certainly more powerful in the speech department. Javier Bardem delivered my personal favorite speech in which he honored his home land, Spain, in that sweet glorious Spanish accent of Spain. It certainly is not difficult to understand why it seems that every Spainard I have ever met seems to have this sense of pride about their country. I was right just about as many times as I was wrong. I can tell you no one saw Tilda Swinton winning. That one came from nowhere. I am not too upset about it though. I just saw Micheal Clayton today and she really did a great job. Still I would have chosen Kate anyway. Daniel Day-Lewis won, as we all knew he would. What an amazing speech from him as well. I think the two wins that made me most happy, were the totally unexpected wins of There Will be Blood in Cinematography and "Falling Slowly" from Once. Marketa Ingrid's makeup speech was excellent.
Always when I finish watching the Oscars, except when I am mad about it, I have this sincere sense of possibility. I know its all Hollywood cliche. I know that the Oscars mean about as much to the world as say the winner of the Davidson County Fair's best cow award, but I love when we celebrate ideas. The ideas this year were greed, the American dream and how much the pursuit of that dream costs us. In the last speech the producer of No Country For Old Men thanked his partner, not his work partner of course, his boyfriend or husband. It made me smile. Not out of any political agenda, but out of the knowledge that, like the movies that mirror them, times have changed. And that there is hope. Hope found in art. Hope found in the honoring of people who create. Yes, it is true, that if Atonement had won best picture, the cheery nature of this journal entry would be replaced with a sense of profound blah. But luckily a great American film, the third best film of 2007, won the day. And for that we can, as lovers of movies, as lovers of art, find the grand satisfaction of knowing that one of the great movies of the last decade was honored.
Coming Up Next: My picks for top ten films of 2007 and a few thoughts on censorship.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Oscar Predicitions: Final Predictions
At last the time has come for final predictions on the last three categories. Let's begin.
Best Cinematography
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford: Roger Deakins
Atonement Seamus McGarvey
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly : Janusz Kaminski
No Country for Old Men: Roger Deakins
There Will Be Blood : Robert Elswit
Who Should Win: Well here we have a category that no two people are calling the same way. I have no choice here but to choose Robert Elswit's stunning visual as my choice. All though truth be said Janusz Kaminski and Roger Deakins in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford are the honest front runners in this category and they are the two I have not seen.
Who Will Win: The Diving and Bell and The Butterfly was not popular in France. Critics here adored it, but its won almost nothing. Yet the academy choose to nominate it in three different places. I don't think it can win in the two other places its nominated, director and screenplay, but I do feel that it could win here. It is, from what I have seen of it, truly fantastic in a visual sense. Also a part of me would say No Country For Old Men, buuuutt since Roger Deakins is nominated twice, there might be too much of a vote split situation. So I say Diving Bell and the Butterfly.
Best Director
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Julian Schnabel
Juno Jason Reitman
Michael Clayton Tony Gilroy
No Country for Old Men Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
There Will Be Blood Paul Thomas Anderson
Who Should Win: Paul Thomas Anderson is a film god to me. His previous works in Boogie Nights and Magnolia proves that he is brilliant and There Will Be Blood is his masterpiece. To not honor him would seem to be a crime.
Who Will Win: AH hah, this one is trickier that it looks. The Coen's have swept everything up until now, but the academy detests duos. They really hate it when Duos win. So many have said that perhaps my good pal Paul T. Anderson could win, or perhaps Julian Schnabel's auteur style work. However I just don't think anyone will beat the Coen's here. So my guess is the Coen's. To Tony Gilroy and Jason Reitman, thanks for coming.
Best Picture
Juno
There Will be Blood
No Country for Old Men
Micheal Clayton
Atonement
Who Should Win: There has been a gigantic black lash against the much loved Juno. While I think this is too harsh, it does not belong on the list of the best pictures of the year. Niether does the snobby and terribly unromantic Atonement. In fact, where I ask is the back lash against Atonement? It's not Crash bad or anything, but its just really not good either. I should have mentioned in cinematography that some people are calling it as the winner. WHY?! I suppose the war scenes which are shot not to show the horror of war but more as a glorius statement in praise of war. I am getting off topic. However I will say I choose There Will be Blood. If There Will be Blood wins I will walk around with a big silly grin on my face for a week. I love love love this movie.
Who Will Win: If there was every going to be a year for a tie this would be the year. Everything points to No Country for Old Men claiming Oscar's top prize. There is the possibility of the European vote ruining this. Meaning There Will be Blood and Juno could gain enough love from fellow Americans that Atonement (sad as that is to write) could very well claim the top prize. However I just dont think that is going to happen. Afterall, the film's director is not nominated. In other very serious categories Atonement seems somewhat absent. Also there is the thought that Juno could be more loved than originally thought and that the actors, the largest voting body of the Academy could choose it. Also there is the sense that There Will be Blood actually topped more critics lists than No Country for Old Men did. So really anything is possible. Except, sorry to Micheal Clayton fans, I don't see it as possibility that Micheal Clayton could be taking home any prize that big. In fact as my predictions right now are that it could be completely shut out. So watch Micheal Clayton sweep the whole damn thing. So final call. The winner will be No Country for Old Men.
I should say I am usually very good at guessing the smaller stuff and the actors, but I frequently get the these three wrong. I should also say that in a number of cases I hope I am wrong. My brain told me to say No Country For Old Men, but there is a feeling that something surprising may come from this instead.
Best Cinematography
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford: Roger Deakins
Atonement Seamus McGarvey
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly : Janusz Kaminski
No Country for Old Men: Roger Deakins
There Will Be Blood : Robert Elswit
Who Should Win: Well here we have a category that no two people are calling the same way. I have no choice here but to choose Robert Elswit's stunning visual as my choice. All though truth be said Janusz Kaminski and Roger Deakins in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford are the honest front runners in this category and they are the two I have not seen.
Who Will Win: The Diving and Bell and The Butterfly was not popular in France. Critics here adored it, but its won almost nothing. Yet the academy choose to nominate it in three different places. I don't think it can win in the two other places its nominated, director and screenplay, but I do feel that it could win here. It is, from what I have seen of it, truly fantastic in a visual sense. Also a part of me would say No Country For Old Men, buuuutt since Roger Deakins is nominated twice, there might be too much of a vote split situation. So I say Diving Bell and the Butterfly.
Best Director
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Julian Schnabel
Juno Jason Reitman
Michael Clayton Tony Gilroy
No Country for Old Men Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
There Will Be Blood Paul Thomas Anderson
Who Should Win: Paul Thomas Anderson is a film god to me. His previous works in Boogie Nights and Magnolia proves that he is brilliant and There Will Be Blood is his masterpiece. To not honor him would seem to be a crime.
Who Will Win: AH hah, this one is trickier that it looks. The Coen's have swept everything up until now, but the academy detests duos. They really hate it when Duos win. So many have said that perhaps my good pal Paul T. Anderson could win, or perhaps Julian Schnabel's auteur style work. However I just don't think anyone will beat the Coen's here. So my guess is the Coen's. To Tony Gilroy and Jason Reitman, thanks for coming.
Best Picture
Juno
There Will be Blood
No Country for Old Men
Micheal Clayton
Atonement
Who Should Win: There has been a gigantic black lash against the much loved Juno. While I think this is too harsh, it does not belong on the list of the best pictures of the year. Niether does the snobby and terribly unromantic Atonement. In fact, where I ask is the back lash against Atonement? It's not Crash bad or anything, but its just really not good either. I should have mentioned in cinematography that some people are calling it as the winner. WHY?! I suppose the war scenes which are shot not to show the horror of war but more as a glorius statement in praise of war. I am getting off topic. However I will say I choose There Will be Blood. If There Will be Blood wins I will walk around with a big silly grin on my face for a week. I love love love this movie.
Who Will Win: If there was every going to be a year for a tie this would be the year. Everything points to No Country for Old Men claiming Oscar's top prize. There is the possibility of the European vote ruining this. Meaning There Will be Blood and Juno could gain enough love from fellow Americans that Atonement (sad as that is to write) could very well claim the top prize. However I just dont think that is going to happen. Afterall, the film's director is not nominated. In other very serious categories Atonement seems somewhat absent. Also there is the thought that Juno could be more loved than originally thought and that the actors, the largest voting body of the Academy could choose it. Also there is the sense that There Will be Blood actually topped more critics lists than No Country for Old Men did. So really anything is possible. Except, sorry to Micheal Clayton fans, I don't see it as possibility that Micheal Clayton could be taking home any prize that big. In fact as my predictions right now are that it could be completely shut out. So watch Micheal Clayton sweep the whole damn thing. So final call. The winner will be No Country for Old Men.
I should say I am usually very good at guessing the smaller stuff and the actors, but I frequently get the these three wrong. I should also say that in a number of cases I hope I am wrong. My brain told me to say No Country For Old Men, but there is a feeling that something surprising may come from this instead.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Oscar Prediction Part Three: Actors, Animation and screenplays
In order to get my predictions done in time I will dedicate this journal to Best Animated Picture, all the actor awards and the extremely important screen writing categories. Before beginning I would like to say in regards to Best Animated Short, Best Short Documentary, Best Documentary, Best Short Narrative and Best Foreign Language Film, that I have seen only one movie from the whole bunch. No End In Sight, from the Documentary category is a fine example of how documentaries should be made. And If you want to know more about the Best Foreign Language Film please see my earlier entry about this.
Best Animated Feature:
Surf's Up
Ratatouille
Presopolis
Who Should Win: Thank God the academy choose Surf's Up over the The Simpson's Movie. The Simpson's Movie was fun but Surf's Up was a really excellent film, that was extremely under rated. That being said Ratatouille is not only the best animated picture of the year but generally one of the best pictures of the year.
Who Will Win: I suppose its possible that Presopolis could win , as it appears to me more serious. But in all honesty Ratatouille will probably win.
Best Supporting Actress:
Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There
Ruby Dee in American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan in Atonement
Amy Ryan in Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton
Who Should Win: I say this without any consideration for anyone else. Blanchett is perfect. No one comes close to beating her. Though to be honest I haven't seen Micheal Clayton.
Who Will Win: Ruby Dee has won lots of love for a part that to me seemed non-memorable and certainly not Oscar worthy. However, I still think Blanchett will win here. I certainly hope so.
Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men
Casey Affleck in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Tom Wilkinson in Micheal Clayton
Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Charlie Wilson's War
Who Should Win: This one is hard as I haven't gotten to see what I hear is are amazing performances on the parts of Wilkinson and Affleck. That being said it is very hard to make the decision between Javier Bardem and Hal Holbrook. Javier scares the bejesus out of me and Hal took my heart and crushed it. But, in all honesty, I want Into The Wild to win as much as possible. So I must pick Hal.
Who Will Win: Javier Bardem will win. He has won almost every single award he could win.
Best Actress:
Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Ellen Page in Juno
Marion Collitiard in La Vie en Rose
Laura Linney in The Savages
Julie Chirsty in Away From Her
Who Should Win: Anybody but Julie Chirsty. What an overrated ham fisted film it is. I think Marion Collitiard should win. She was charming and powerful as Edith Pilaf. She took a so-so biopic and made it half way decent.
Who Will Win: Everyone says Julie Chirsty will win and Collitiard is the dark horse. I am going to make a totally illogical guess. One based on nothing except that there is always a surprise at the Oscars. So I pick Ellen Page. She is Canadian you know?
Best Actor:
Johnny Deep in Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber...
Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood
George Clooney in Micheal Clayton
Tommy Lee Jones in In The Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises
Who Should Win: Do we really need to ask? Daniel Day-Lewis without a doubt. On top of his marvelous preformance he gives killer speeches.
Who Will Win: Congrats to Daniel Day-Lewis on his second Oscar.
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Atonement
Away From Her
No Country For Old Men
There Will be Blood
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Who Should Win: This is hard. I love Paul T. Anderson as both a director and a writer. I am very compelled to choose his There Will be Blood. However at the same time I think No Country For Old Men might technically be a better work. However once again I will choose with the heart and say There Will be Blood.
Who Will Win: There is no film here that does not stand some chance of winning. Right now though I think I have no way of guessing except to pick the one with the most picks so far. That being No Country For Old Men. I just hope, really really hard that Atonement does not win this award. Why? Because of what is says about writing in general. I will save that tangent for another time.
Best Original Screenplay:
Juno
Lars and the Real Girl
Micheal Clayton
Ratatouille
The Savages
Who Should Win: Who seriously would think of cooking rats? For mere thought alone I have no choice but to say Ratatouille.
Who Will Win: I hope Diablo Cody is ready to accept her first Oscar. I'm really pretty sure about this one.
Coming Up Next: Directors, Loose Ends and at last the Best Picture of the Year. Excited? I am!
Best Animated Feature:
Surf's Up
Ratatouille
Presopolis
Who Should Win: Thank God the academy choose Surf's Up over the The Simpson's Movie. The Simpson's Movie was fun but Surf's Up was a really excellent film, that was extremely under rated. That being said Ratatouille is not only the best animated picture of the year but generally one of the best pictures of the year.
Who Will Win: I suppose its possible that Presopolis could win , as it appears to me more serious. But in all honesty Ratatouille will probably win.
Best Supporting Actress:
Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There
Ruby Dee in American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan in Atonement
Amy Ryan in Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton
Who Should Win: I say this without any consideration for anyone else. Blanchett is perfect. No one comes close to beating her. Though to be honest I haven't seen Micheal Clayton.
Who Will Win: Ruby Dee has won lots of love for a part that to me seemed non-memorable and certainly not Oscar worthy. However, I still think Blanchett will win here. I certainly hope so.
Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men
Casey Affleck in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Tom Wilkinson in Micheal Clayton
Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Charlie Wilson's War
Who Should Win: This one is hard as I haven't gotten to see what I hear is are amazing performances on the parts of Wilkinson and Affleck. That being said it is very hard to make the decision between Javier Bardem and Hal Holbrook. Javier scares the bejesus out of me and Hal took my heart and crushed it. But, in all honesty, I want Into The Wild to win as much as possible. So I must pick Hal.
Who Will Win: Javier Bardem will win. He has won almost every single award he could win.
Best Actress:
Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Ellen Page in Juno
Marion Collitiard in La Vie en Rose
Laura Linney in The Savages
Julie Chirsty in Away From Her
Who Should Win: Anybody but Julie Chirsty. What an overrated ham fisted film it is. I think Marion Collitiard should win. She was charming and powerful as Edith Pilaf. She took a so-so biopic and made it half way decent.
Who Will Win: Everyone says Julie Chirsty will win and Collitiard is the dark horse. I am going to make a totally illogical guess. One based on nothing except that there is always a surprise at the Oscars. So I pick Ellen Page. She is Canadian you know?
Best Actor:
Johnny Deep in Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber...
Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood
George Clooney in Micheal Clayton
Tommy Lee Jones in In The Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises
Who Should Win: Do we really need to ask? Daniel Day-Lewis without a doubt. On top of his marvelous preformance he gives killer speeches.
Who Will Win: Congrats to Daniel Day-Lewis on his second Oscar.
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Atonement
Away From Her
No Country For Old Men
There Will be Blood
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Who Should Win: This is hard. I love Paul T. Anderson as both a director and a writer. I am very compelled to choose his There Will be Blood. However at the same time I think No Country For Old Men might technically be a better work. However once again I will choose with the heart and say There Will be Blood.
Who Will Win: There is no film here that does not stand some chance of winning. Right now though I think I have no way of guessing except to pick the one with the most picks so far. That being No Country For Old Men. I just hope, really really hard that Atonement does not win this award. Why? Because of what is says about writing in general. I will save that tangent for another time.
Best Original Screenplay:
Juno
Lars and the Real Girl
Micheal Clayton
Ratatouille
The Savages
Who Should Win: Who seriously would think of cooking rats? For mere thought alone I have no choice but to say Ratatouille.
Who Will Win: I hope Diablo Cody is ready to accept her first Oscar. I'm really pretty sure about this one.
Coming Up Next: Directors, Loose Ends and at last the Best Picture of the Year. Excited? I am!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Oscar Predictions Part Two: Sound categories
I am very very very grateful to have at last sparked a mini-debate on the previous post. Please keep the comments coming. So let's begin with round two the Pre-Oscar predictions. This time we will focus all those categories that have to do with sound.
Best Original Score
Atonement
Ratatouille
Micheal Clayton
The Kite Runner
3:11 to Yuma
Who Should Win: Based sheerly on the pure comic whimsy and uniquely French sounding score I would have to choose Ratatouille. I am glad that the academy choose to recognize 3:11 to Yuma, not only as it is a great western, but also sounds like one.
Who Will Win: It makes me mad to say this. However I think Atonement will win here. Why? Because its memorable. However, its also rather annoying. In the beginning the repeating of this inane noise takes us right out of the film. The whole time the score seems to be competing with the movie for attention. It will probably win simply because people wanted to talk about it.
Best Original Song
Falling Slowly, Once
That is How You Know, Enchanted
Happy Working Song, Enchanted
Raise it Up, August Rush
So Close, Enchanted
Who Should Win: I loved Once and I loved Enchanted in entirely different ways. However, as cutesy and fun as the songs from Enchanted are, I have to go with Falling Slowly. Falling Slowly is really, truly a timeless song. I can't resist using this forum to make note of the glaring omission of the the fantastic songs from Into the Wild.
Who Will Win: It is impossible to guess this category. If a song from a documentary, Three Six Mafia and Eminem can all be winners its very hard to say. However, in guessing I would say the winner is Falling Slowly. I say this for two reasons. One, there is strong feeling in the critical community that Once, alongside Into the Wild, where the two great films this year that didn't quite make into the mainstream in the way they should have. Also with all the songs from Enchanted competing against each other the vote will probably be split. Dreamgirls, anyone?
Sound Editing
The Bourne Ultimatem
Ratatouille
Transformers
There Will Be Blood
Who Should Win: Wow, has their ever been such a varied group of contenders in one category? Also there is the same question every year about the difference between sound editing and sound mixing. But the difference is that editing is the sound of the film, the gunshot, the loud showy special effects of the sound part. With that being said, a film with sound as subtle as There Will be Blood is surprising. This is after all the slot of the big budget movie and the musical. Why in a year with so very very many musicals are none honoured here? Anyway, it should go to There Will be Blood. It was rather bold of the academy to pick it and it certainly does have some powerful good sounds, but I think its just too subtle
Who Will Win: In normal year Transformers, but I don't think so this year. I think the prize is going to The Bourne Ultimatem. Afterall, its only popcorn movie on the Oscar list that is also a tellingly perfect comment on our society. What does that have to with sound? Nothing. But this category rarely goes to a winner actually based on sound. I don't know why that is. However The Bourne Ultimatem is certainly a worthy contender and as I said earlier it is one of the finer crafted technical pictures of the year
Sound Mixing
Transformers
The Bourne Ultimatem
3:10 To Yuma
No Country For Old Men
Rataouille
Who Should Win: For its use of silence and then rapid passionate powerful sound I have to say No Country For Men. It is, to explain the difference, less about how the movie sounds and more about the sounds themselves fitting together to enhance the movie. It is like the best director of sound versus the best special effects. This being, of course, best director. It tends to be more subtle. Which you can't really tell from the odd selection of contenders this year.
Who Will Win: Many, many, many people have said the Transformers will win here. They say this mostly for emotional reasons. The sound mixer Kevin O'Connel has been nominated twenty times and has never won. Most people are calling it with him as the winner. But frankly I don't buy it. I really think No Country for Old Men will win here. Like pretty much everything in the movie, it is pitch perfect in way it sounds. I just don't see the academy passing up a chance to honour the sound mixers here. However, if Transformers wins, no real shock.
Thoughts, concerns...share! Thanks for reading. Acting awards tomorrow probably.
Best Original Score
Atonement
Ratatouille
Micheal Clayton
The Kite Runner
3:11 to Yuma
Who Should Win: Based sheerly on the pure comic whimsy and uniquely French sounding score I would have to choose Ratatouille. I am glad that the academy choose to recognize 3:11 to Yuma, not only as it is a great western, but also sounds like one.
Who Will Win: It makes me mad to say this. However I think Atonement will win here. Why? Because its memorable. However, its also rather annoying. In the beginning the repeating of this inane noise takes us right out of the film. The whole time the score seems to be competing with the movie for attention. It will probably win simply because people wanted to talk about it.
Best Original Song
Falling Slowly, Once
That is How You Know, Enchanted
Happy Working Song, Enchanted
Raise it Up, August Rush
So Close, Enchanted
Who Should Win: I loved Once and I loved Enchanted in entirely different ways. However, as cutesy and fun as the songs from Enchanted are, I have to go with Falling Slowly. Falling Slowly is really, truly a timeless song. I can't resist using this forum to make note of the glaring omission of the the fantastic songs from Into the Wild.
Who Will Win: It is impossible to guess this category. If a song from a documentary, Three Six Mafia and Eminem can all be winners its very hard to say. However, in guessing I would say the winner is Falling Slowly. I say this for two reasons. One, there is strong feeling in the critical community that Once, alongside Into the Wild, where the two great films this year that didn't quite make into the mainstream in the way they should have. Also with all the songs from Enchanted competing against each other the vote will probably be split. Dreamgirls, anyone?
Sound Editing
The Bourne Ultimatem
Ratatouille
Transformers
There Will Be Blood
Who Should Win: Wow, has their ever been such a varied group of contenders in one category? Also there is the same question every year about the difference between sound editing and sound mixing. But the difference is that editing is the sound of the film, the gunshot, the loud showy special effects of the sound part. With that being said, a film with sound as subtle as There Will be Blood is surprising. This is after all the slot of the big budget movie and the musical. Why in a year with so very very many musicals are none honoured here? Anyway, it should go to There Will be Blood. It was rather bold of the academy to pick it and it certainly does have some powerful good sounds, but I think its just too subtle
Who Will Win: In normal year Transformers, but I don't think so this year. I think the prize is going to The Bourne Ultimatem. Afterall, its only popcorn movie on the Oscar list that is also a tellingly perfect comment on our society. What does that have to with sound? Nothing. But this category rarely goes to a winner actually based on sound. I don't know why that is. However The Bourne Ultimatem is certainly a worthy contender and as I said earlier it is one of the finer crafted technical pictures of the year
Sound Mixing
Transformers
The Bourne Ultimatem
3:10 To Yuma
No Country For Old Men
Rataouille
Who Should Win: For its use of silence and then rapid passionate powerful sound I have to say No Country For Men. It is, to explain the difference, less about how the movie sounds and more about the sounds themselves fitting together to enhance the movie. It is like the best director of sound versus the best special effects. This being, of course, best director. It tends to be more subtle. Which you can't really tell from the odd selection of contenders this year.
Who Will Win: Many, many, many people have said the Transformers will win here. They say this mostly for emotional reasons. The sound mixer Kevin O'Connel has been nominated twenty times and has never won. Most people are calling it with him as the winner. But frankly I don't buy it. I really think No Country for Old Men will win here. Like pretty much everything in the movie, it is pitch perfect in way it sounds. I just don't see the academy passing up a chance to honour the sound mixers here. However, if Transformers wins, no real shock.
Thoughts, concerns...share! Thanks for reading. Acting awards tomorrow probably.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Oscar Predictions: The Tech Awards Edition
Because it takes a great deal of time to write about all the the nominees I have decided to divide this up into a series leading up to Saturday or Sunday when before the Oscar I will announce my picks for Best Picture. Also on Sunday after the Oscar are over I hope to post my thoughts. I realize it has been awhile since my last post. This is due to lack of internet and a lack of time.
Let's start...
Art Direction :
There Will Be Blood
Sweeny Todd
Atonement
American Gangster
The Golden Compass
Who Should Win: There Will be Blood is the best film of the year and the reason for this is in no small part due to the art direction of this film. It captures with great aplomb the time and place in which is supposed to. It is not showy art direction, but something powerful that transcends that.
Who Will Win: This is a hard one to call. I am inclined to think that the voters will go for the showy musical art direction of Sweeny Todd. However there has been much said of the look of Sweeny Todd being superfluous. So I think I have to choice There Will Be Blood.
Editing Nominees:
The Bourne Ultimatem
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Into the Wild
The Diving Bell
Who Should Win: Hmm... in this category, more than any other, it is not saying too much to say that all are worthy. However I must ditch logic and go with the heart on this one. Into the Wild is told in such a unique way, with interesting editing, that makes it all the more powerful. So from the heart I choose the underaprieciated masterpicece Into the Wild.
Who Will Win: Normally the answer to this question is very easy. Whoever wins this award almost always goes on to win Best Picture. However this year the editing award of the two biggest contenders, No Country for Old Men and There Will be Blood, are maybe too indie to win this award. They are both gritty and lack the sort of polished editing that the Academy so loves. So I have to choose The Bourne Ultimatem, a masterpiece of what else but editing. Editing that is crisp, slick and freshly polished.
Costume Design:
La Vie en Rose
Sweeny Todd
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Atonement
Across the Universe
Who Should Win: Across the Universe. I say this only because this is only place where it is nominated and now having watched three times I have to say it deserves something.
Who Will Win: Though call. My instinct once again tells me to trust that when it comes to costumes trust that royalty trumps everything. However the backlash against Elizabeth: The Golden Age is probably too much. So I see it as either Sweeny Todd or La Vie en Rose. Oscar rule number 100, when in doubt go for the more serious. I would say that La Vie en Rose is probably the best bet. However no big shock is Sweeny Todd takes it.
Makeup:
Norbit
La Vie en Rode
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Who Should Win: La Vie en Rose is a fairly good movie. Norbit is not. And POTC is, well, better than the second one. However when it comes to makeup I have to say POTC is probably the hardest to do. So POTC then, why not?
Who Will Win: La Vie en Rose. If anything else wins consider me shocked.
Visual Effects:
Transformers
Pirates of the Caribbean
The Golden Compass
Who Should Win: Transformers, hands down, no contest. Not only did they make a movie about giant robots look real. They also made it pretty damn entertaining.
Who Will Win: Without a doubt Transformers.
Coming up next: The Sound awards, the screen writing awards, the directors and the best film of the year.
Let's start...
Art Direction :
There Will Be Blood
Sweeny Todd
Atonement
American Gangster
The Golden Compass
Who Should Win: There Will be Blood is the best film of the year and the reason for this is in no small part due to the art direction of this film. It captures with great aplomb the time and place in which is supposed to. It is not showy art direction, but something powerful that transcends that.
Who Will Win: This is a hard one to call. I am inclined to think that the voters will go for the showy musical art direction of Sweeny Todd. However there has been much said of the look of Sweeny Todd being superfluous. So I think I have to choice There Will Be Blood.
Editing Nominees:
The Bourne Ultimatem
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Into the Wild
The Diving Bell
Who Should Win: Hmm... in this category, more than any other, it is not saying too much to say that all are worthy. However I must ditch logic and go with the heart on this one. Into the Wild is told in such a unique way, with interesting editing, that makes it all the more powerful. So from the heart I choose the underaprieciated masterpicece Into the Wild.
Who Will Win: Normally the answer to this question is very easy. Whoever wins this award almost always goes on to win Best Picture. However this year the editing award of the two biggest contenders, No Country for Old Men and There Will be Blood, are maybe too indie to win this award. They are both gritty and lack the sort of polished editing that the Academy so loves. So I have to choose The Bourne Ultimatem, a masterpiece of what else but editing. Editing that is crisp, slick and freshly polished.
Costume Design:
La Vie en Rose
Sweeny Todd
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Atonement
Across the Universe
Who Should Win: Across the Universe. I say this only because this is only place where it is nominated and now having watched three times I have to say it deserves something.
Who Will Win: Though call. My instinct once again tells me to trust that when it comes to costumes trust that royalty trumps everything. However the backlash against Elizabeth: The Golden Age is probably too much. So I see it as either Sweeny Todd or La Vie en Rose. Oscar rule number 100, when in doubt go for the more serious. I would say that La Vie en Rose is probably the best bet. However no big shock is Sweeny Todd takes it.
Makeup:
Norbit
La Vie en Rode
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Who Should Win: La Vie en Rose is a fairly good movie. Norbit is not. And POTC is, well, better than the second one. However when it comes to makeup I have to say POTC is probably the hardest to do. So POTC then, why not?
Who Will Win: La Vie en Rose. If anything else wins consider me shocked.
Visual Effects:
Transformers
Pirates of the Caribbean
The Golden Compass
Who Should Win: Transformers, hands down, no contest. Not only did they make a movie about giant robots look real. They also made it pretty damn entertaining.
Who Will Win: Without a doubt Transformers.
Coming up next: The Sound awards, the screen writing awards, the directors and the best film of the year.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Less Review and More Rant - The History Boys
First the positive news. The strike is now completely over! YAY! WOOOOOOOT!
And now a rant about The History Boys, a 2006 film by director Nicholas Hytner (Center Stage.)
What an opprobrious prodigality the film The History Boys is! What an utterly droll piece of vexation this near nefarious twaddle is? See, while not necessarily the most common usage of those words, I do possess the prowess to comprehend many words. I am not the moron that the critics of this film presume; (not assume) all persons not in favor of this, excuse the simplicity of the word, disgusting film. I don’t often hate films, I don’t like them all, but I rarely hate a film. This, like Crash before it, has made itself onto my list of most loathed films.
So in order to avoid making this review sound like the 95 thesis of the anti-History Boys Reformation movement, allow me to quite simply explain my primary grievances. The first one that comes to mind is the utter, unapologetically homophobia message the film presents. Not one, not two, but three characters, all homosexual, are predators that just can’t seem to control themselves around their students. Apparently unlike the heterosexual teachers who seem able to teach classes full of Co-eds without problems, homosexuals are inherently more likely to prey on their students. What I think makes this all the more inexcusable is the fact that attempting to fire a teacher for inappropriately touching his pupil is portrayed as a somehow homophobic act. The movie then seems to say homosexuality is a sort of disease that can’t be helped. A disease that leads to sexual disorders and strong desires to engage in sexual relations with minors.
My other concern with this movie is the annoying banter. I am not one of those people who believes that movies should sound exactly like real life. Sometimes it should and sometimes it shouldn’t, but the dialogue in this film is just ridiculous. Many fans and critics of the film say that they enjoyed the movie’s dialogue and that those of us who find the film to reprehensible are simply uneducated morons who are better off watching Norbit. Well, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I would rather watch a marathon of bad Eddie Murphy movies then to have to endure even a minute more of that putrid, homophobic, pretentious piece of rubbish. Avoid it at all cost.
Friday, February 8, 2008
AT LAST-There Will Be Blood
In the Oscar race for best picture, No Country For Old Men is probably (having yet to see Michael Clayton) the best of the films nominated for best picture; however, it is not my favorite of the films. When I left the screening of No Country for Old Men I felt the supreme satisfaction of seeing a film that is truly great in all ways. There is no shot, no frame, no line of dialogue that is not, at very the least, next to perfection. However, upon leaving the screening of There Will be Blood I felt something else; something more profound. Something for which words, in their eternal power, have no business in describing.
There Will Be Blood is not perfect. It is the kind of film that has dirt and oil beneath its fingernails and its cold dark soul. It is a very loose adaptation of Upton Sinclair’s prolific novel Oil. I say loosely in that the majority of the film only focuses on the beginning of the novel. With a running length of 158 minutes, I don’t doubt why that decision was made.
As the film opens we see our protagonist, Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis), digging for oil beneath the earth. He fails in an explosion that shatters the long and powerful silence. However, if there is anything positive about Daniel, it is his steadfast ability get up after an injury, physical or otherwise, and move forward. Daniel with the “help” of his “son,” H.W. (played by several actors throughout the film), begins to build an oil empire. It is upon his arrival in the small California community of Little Boston that the story really takes off. We begin to see much more than an everyday entrepreneur in Daniel, but something dark and nefarious, something for which the only word that fits is “greed.” Not just greed, something worse, something darker, some kind of madness. In Little Boston we also meet the antagonist, a preacher named Eli Sunday (Paul Dano,) whose intentions and behavior mimic all too closely those of Daniel. In my opinion the sort of strange relationship they form is based not so much on mutual interest, but in fact in those things which they truly hate about each other; things that exist within themselves.
Daniel Day Lewis should , and will, win his second Oscar for this amazing film. His performance was stunningly good. There is nothing false, nothing overdone, and nothing to find fault with in his performance. This character is so full of greed and darkness but we still kind of like him; this is what makes Lewis’ performance so incredible. Is his performance the very best of this century so far? In my humble opinion, yes; of course, this century is only eight years old. Paul Dano also does a fantastic job. However, it’s hard to be noticed when standing beside a giant like Lewis. I am actually more partial to Dano’s performance in Little Miss Sunshine. His character grabbed my attention even more than Alan Arkin’s Oscar winning performance.
I can not talk about this film without talking about the person who made this and so many other wonderful films possible: the director, Paul T. Anderson. Before I go on I must admit I am a Paul T. Anderson fan boy. The man has never ever made anything less than a masterpiece. Magnolia, probably his most debated film, is still on my list as one the great films in the history of cinema. If it means anything, let me add this: There Will Be Blood is actually a million times better. Thomas has always been looked at favorably in the critical community, but most of the time his work is seen as merely respectable. Even now in the midst of amazing reviews and numerous awards some critics say that his style is just too showy, long, or whimsical. Try as I might, I simply don’t understand their problem with him. To me Anderson should be lauded as one of the great auteurs of American cinema whose distinct and powerful voice says much about the language of cinema and the heart of humanity. I don’t think comparisons to Stanley Kubrick are really that much of a stretch. I should also add that, as a writer, Anderson is the crème de la crème. You know you can tell a movie is well liked when the reviewer utilizes numerous film terms popularized in French film criticism.
And then there is the ending. Like Anderson’s film Magnolia before it, it too is the matter of much controversy. But in the strange logic of Magnolia, the ending is the only thing that could happen. This is a story about greed, about the darkness of the human heart and the emptiness left in the soul of men who may or may not have gotten what they wanted, but never ever got what they needed. For those expecting the end to be easy to digest, you could certainly not be watching the same film that I was.
Thank you again for your numerous e-mails and facebook notes of support. However, I would really really appreciate it if you guys wouldn’t mind posting comments, thoughts, or maybe even a nice debate here in the comments section. That would make me a very, very happy person. But, once again, thank you so so very much for your support. I would also like to give an extra special thanks to my good friend Amber Matthews who has decided to my editor. So thank you Amber....
Coming Up Soon...An close look at Oscar Nominations, A Rant about The History Boys and a few more reviews.
Good News
It would appear, though it is not yet official that the writer's strike might be over. We should find out for sure tomorrow. Here is an article about this wonderous news.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/23057002
http://www.cnbc.com/id/23057002
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
The Apartment
Before starting this entry I would like to give thanks to the people who are reading this blog. I welcome your input, comments or questions. It makes me extremely happy to know that somebody somewhere is reading this. Also, next time will be the promised review for what I consider to be the very best film of the year, There Will be Blood.
If you know me personally the following statement will come as no surprise. “I love Cameron Crowe.” Even his critically lambasted
I consider Some Like it Hot, along with the A.F.I. (American Film Institute,) to be one of the very best comedies of all time. And Sunset Boulevard is also quite good. However, until recently, I had never had the pleasure of seeing The Apartment. Of all Wilder films I believe The Apartment had the most influence on Crowe’s career, especially in regards to Jerry Maguire.
The Apartment was the Academy Award winner for Best Picture of the year in 1960. At the time the subject matter was considered by many too risqué. As CC Baxter, Jack Lemmon plays a business man attempting to work his way up the corporate ladder. Baxter allows those peoples in his upper management to use his apartment for various seedy reasons; mostly it seems, to engage in affairs. Baxter’s neighbor Dr. Dreyfuss (Jack Krushen) thinks that all the women he hears next door are in fact the numerous women in Baxter’s life. This leads to some very funny moments. In the midst of this all Baxter falls for the beautiful Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine,) an elevator operator. She reminds me a little of
First, I can not write this review without mentioning the absolutely fantastic acting on the part of Lemmon. He plays the “every man” with such a refined skill and charisma that, even though he is the main character, he steals every scene he is in (from himself I suppose.) MacLaine is also quite good. We see her as both powerful yet very much screwed up. There are times when her character makes some very stupid, very irrational decisions, yet we never loose our affection for her.
The film isn’t flawless though. Some of the scenes are redundant. The running length seems long. Although, to be honest, I can’t seem to pinpoint exactly what should have been cut to enhance the experience.
Jerry Maguire begins with a tangent about life and
The Apartment has been called a “masterpiece.” While I find the wording a bit superfluous, it is certainly a classic film, whose influence on modern film is impossible to deny.
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