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Archive for February, 2008

My Long Overdue Oscar Wrap-Up Thread

Tuesday, February 26th, 2008

My apologies. I haven’t been posting for a while, due to my contracting an illness at an unfortunate time. I’m almost recovered now, so I’m well enough to post my thoughts.

The Oscar events were a rousing success, and I feel we’ve started on the road to getting youth into the Academy events.

The shorts were fun for everyone. These animated works show some potentially excellent animators working in uncommon mediums, from stop-motion (which we need more of) to impressionistic painting (which seems promising). The live-action shorts were even better, with charming storytelling in Oscar-winning The Mozart of Pickpockets and incoherent but surprisingly awesome insanity in The Substitute. However, I was most excited by The Tonto Woman, which has me convinced that director Daniel Barber could become one of the most promising technical directors around. I was probably the only one who saw the Anthony Mann influence (that is sad, so go watch The Naked Spur!).

Saturday was the second day in my crippling affliction, so I had to bundle-up in two jackets early in the morning and drag my way to the theater for the Foreign and Hair & Makeup Symposiums. I have not seen any of the nominated foreign films (I’m quite bitter that 4 Months, 3 Weeks, & 2 Days wasn’t nominated) but I enjoyed hearing the directors talk about the issues that motivated them to make their films. I got a kick out of seeing a widely-noted master like Andrzej Wajda (I had hoped to learn the pronunciation for his name…alas, I still don’t know it).

Hair & Makeup was especially fun. We got to see clips of the three nominated films. It has me ready to see La Vie en Rose, which almost had me shedding tears in a few spots. It’s shocking how well the makeup artist portrayed the aging Edith Piaf. Pirates of the Carribean: At World’s End got a lot of trouble from critics, but I’m convinced that it’s the most viscerally satisfying of the three films, and what trouble the hair & makeup people must have had to go through to keep continuity on so many big projects! As for Norbit…well, actually, it wasn’t as bad as I’d thought it would be. Norbit and that black chick were total duds to me, but Mr. Wong made me chuckle in a few places. Rick Baker is a makeup god, but he didn’t deserve it for this one. Still, it’s no small feat to make Eddie Murphy look completely Asian.

I watched the Oscars themselves at a house of my parent’s friends. While at the house, we had a contest in which we attempted to guess the winners.

I won.

See, I’m just about the biggest geek when it comes to movies. I know a few rules for the last few years at the Oscars; best screenplay always goes to the comedy that’s nominated for best picture, for instance. There were a few upsets, such as Marion Cotillard winning best actress (which I didn’t expect at all) and Tilda Swinton taking best supporting actress. Ultimately, No Country for Old Men reined supreme, and I’m sure the Coen Brothers are partying.

My thanks to Randy Haberkamp for supplying the tickets to these events. Additional thanks to those who attended.

Now go watch The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and curse Warner Brothers for not recognizing greatness when they have it.

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Don’t Miss Out on “Meet the Oscars!”

Monday, February 18th, 2008

It’s the best place to get a close up view of the golden statuette and it’s only on Hollywood and Highland at the center. You can even take the Red Line Metro there.

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The Oscar Website!

Monday, February 18th, 2008

Yes, you guessed it! The best Oscar website is their own- www.oscars.com. Everyone needs to visit it before this week because, it will make everything that happens even more exciting. And, check out the Sid Ganis video blog- nice work Academy. Since I just returned from a week at MacWorld where I spent a lot of time learning about Apple T.V. I am just beginning to understand the importance of the video blog format. As a matter of fact, we purchased an Apple T.V. just before we went and are obsessed with the thing. If you are ahead of the curve and have Apple T.V. there are additional Oscar press moments there too. I tried to upload their widget but, I am an old lady and don’t know how these things really work so my kids have promised to show me later today. Anyway, go visit their website, you won’t be disappointed.

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More Oscar Trivia…

Sunday, February 17th, 2008

Who one the first Oscar?
It was 1927- 1928
Best Actor Emil Jannings
Best Actress Janet Gaynor
Best Film Wings (silent)

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Oscar Spotlight, Vol. 5: Best Director

Sunday, February 17th, 2008

Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood

Joel Coen, Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men

Tony Gilroy - Michael Clayton

Jason Reitman - Juno

Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

This category looks like a dead heat between two of the more respected filmmakers out there: the Coen brothers and Anderson. There are some solid examples in Julian Schnabel and Tony Gilroy, but unless a surprising amount of foreign members joined the Academy this year, I doubt Schnabel will win like he did at the Golden Globes (the fact that Diving Bell and the Butterfly wasn’t nominated for best foreign picture doesn’t bode well).

Paul Thomas Anderson has been around for a while, but There Will Be Blood is the first film he’s made to recieve such lavish praise and numerous nominations. He’s twice been nominated before for his writing. That said, I don’t believe he’s quite built up the following that the Coen brothers have. Nevertheless, he’s in a dead heat with them in both this category and that of Best Adapted Screenplay.

I honestly don’t have much to say in this category. I’ve learned “best director” usually corresponds with “best picture.” I don’t believe Jason Reitman will win. This isn’t because he didn’t do solid work, but it’s rare for comedies to win for anything other than its screenplay.

Other than that, I’ll have more to say about Best Picture.

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Have You Posted Your Oscar Picks Yet?

Saturday, February 16th, 2008

Time to post your Oscar picks!

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American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences History- When It All Began

Friday, February 15th, 2008

It started in 1927. The first president was actor Douglas Fairbanks Sr. If you don’t know already, they are a nonprofit corporation.

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Oscar Spotlight, Vol. 4: Best Supporting Actress

Thursday, February 14th, 2008

Nominees:

Cate Blanchett - I’m Not There

Ruby Dee - American Gangster

Saoirse Ronan - Atonement

Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone

Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton

One of this year’s categories with no clear-cut leader. Blanchett, Dee, and Swinton have all recieved honors for their work in the awards season, and all five of these nominees have recieved a hefty amount of critical praise. But what has brought these actors to this point?

Cate Blanchett’s probably the most likely to win in this close race. Not only does she play a male, she actually manages to do a better impression of Bob Dylan than the other male leads, all of which are strong performers themselves. Anyone who’s seen the documentary Don’t Look Back will notice how accurately Blanchett captures his vocal inflection, mannerisms, and look. Seeing her performance makes me wonder what Bob Dylan thinks of a woman playing him in his folkie days, but he’s got to admit Blanchett cuts pretty close to the bone.

Ruby Dee has quite a chance of winning herself. Her performance in American Gangster was outstanding, of course, and there was a lot of feeling behind her words and actions. Beyond that, we also have an aging actress who happens to be black, two factors that often increase the odds. However, Ruby Dee is not a well known figure by any means, though she seems to have had a long career in television acting. The only other significant film I remember her from is Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing. If she wins, it will be an interesting time to have her first breakthrough performance.

Saoirse Ronan is this year’s token youngster. Since she hasn’t had nearly the hype that Haley Joel Osment did for The Sixth Sense, and you need that if you expect to win at a young age, I don’t think she will have the strongest chance.

Amy Ryan, I can’t comment on. Gone Baby Gone has recieved quite a bit of praise, but most of the critics’ comments were towards the Affleck brothers. Frankly, I don’t expect her to win, but I’ll see the film and decide whether I think she deserved her nod.

Tilda Swinton, along with Blanchett, is one of the prime candidates on this ballot. Her’s was the second finest performance in Michael Clayton, behind Tom Wilkinson. She was a villain far more despicable than the Ice Queen in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and the reason for this is her motives. Whereas Swinton’s Ice Queen spent a lot of time being evil for evil’s sake and failing miserably, Karen Crowder is looking out for her own hide. She’ll have innocent people killed off and bribe people to ignore that simply so she can keep her job. I hated her character because of her ignorant selfishness, and it completely made up for her underwhelming work in The Chronicles of Narnia.

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The Value of AMPAS (Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences)

Thursday, February 14th, 2008

So, you may ask what is the value of AMPAS?In short, they help preserve our history. A great thinker once said, “In order to know where you are going, you need to understand where you have been.” This is a corner stone of great learning. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences provides us with the resources needed to achieve that goal. They save our films and, our history.Without AMPAS, and the dedicated men and women who work there, we would have lost most or, all of the films that have ever been made in the United States. What a tragedy that would have been. Just think of all the great silent films we would have never seen. In a medium that is visually focused, we would have have only heard stories about Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Gloria Swanson, Mary Pickford, and the long list of talented men and women who worked so tirelessly during the early period. It is only through seeing their work that you see their gift. So, the Oscar means more than worshiping a golden statuette or, attending a day of fancy parties, it is a chance to give back to the film community. By supporting the Oscar we help them do what they do best- preserve great films. And, by supporting the Academy we become stewards of these films ourselves. Ultimately, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences isn’t an award. They are the visual historians of who we were and are as a people.

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Oscar Spotlight, Vol. 3: Best Actress

Wednesday, February 13th, 2008

Nominees:

Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Julie Christie - Away from Her

Marion Cotillard - La Vie en Rose

Laura Linney - The Savages

Ellen Page - Juno

Since it’s guaranteed that Julie Christie will win this award, perhaps it’s futile to write anything about this category. In spite of this, there are a number of outstanding competitors this year. In all honesty, I’ve only watched Ellen Page in Juno, but the clips I’ve seen from all of these actresses have impressed me greatly, so there is always the possibility of an upset.

The only participant I wouldn’t ever count on winning is Cate Blanchett for Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Blanchett’s one of the finest actresses we have these days, but she has two counts against her: she’s also nominated for Best Supporting Actress and has a strong chance of winning in that category. What’s more, the film was a tremendous failure both critically and financially. I’m not sure whose bright idea it was to make a sequel to a historical epic, but perhaps they’ve learned their lesson.

Since it’s quite certain that Julie Christie will win, and it’s equally true that I’ve not seen the film yet, I’m just going to throw in some blurbs I might use: “Julie Christie’s performance is the greatest in world history. Never before has a performance been so great as Julie Christie in Away From Her. Clearly, film historians will look upon Julie Christie’s performance in Away From Her as the greatest in world history.” She better live up to this.

Marion Cottilard actually has something of a chance this year. If there’s anything we’ve learned about film in the past few years, it’s that biopics get you Oscars. Unfortunately, it’s not so strongly guaranteed if you’re a foreigner. Then again, Roberto Benigni won for Life is Beautiful, so we’ll have to see.

I don’t have much to say about Laura Linney. Perhaps my parents are better judges, because they actually saw The Savages. Of course, she has never let me down in the past, so perhaps her’s is the best here.

However, I can vouch for Ellen Page in Juno. Frankly, I felt Juno was an entertaining but overrated film that got more mileage out of snappy dialogue than most films do with actual characterization. That being said, Ellen Page is phenomenal. Her delivery makes even some the more ludicrous lines work beautifully, and I was able to believe her character’s eccentric qualities. I’ve got a feeling Miss Page has a future after the success of this film, and she completely deserves it. Now, we just have to wait until her fanclub grows before showing every one of the male members Hard Candy.

I don’t believe I can name any actresses that were stood up. It’s getting rather late, so I’ll bid my readers adieu.

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