Oscar Buzz

Watching Black Swan last week made me think about this year's Oscar race.  It's a contenda.  Unfortunately, I won't be watching the show this year;  I have a 10/12 that day which means that we can rehearse the actors for 10 hours out of a consecutive 12 hours.  It also means I'll be working from about 10 am to to about midnight.  Fortunately, I love what I do.

Buzz is that Natalie Portman will most likely get a nod and maybe even the gold for Black Swan.  I hope not; she's good but I don't think it was her best work.  Part of me thinks Hollywood will vote the scabs.  What I mean is that people will look at her pulling skin off her finger or her webbed feet and consider that good acting.  I know I'm going on a limb here and I'll probably be skewered for this next statement but I think that's what happened to Tom Hanks in Philadelphia.  I never thought his character in that movie was that much of a stretch:  a nice guy who is wronged by a law firm.  Oh, yeah happened to be gay.  He definitely deserved it for Forrest Gump but in my opinion not for Philadelphia.

No, I don't think Natalie Portman should get it.  For my money, I'd like to see Annette Benning win.  She was so good in The Kids Are Alright.  Julianne Moore had the flashier part but I thought Annette Benning owned that film.  Don't get me started on Nicole Kidman.  Not only am I NOT a fan, but I saw Rabbit Hole on stage and the script is amazing.  But it's a play written for the stage; I don't see how it can translate well to a movie.  So I'm not going to see it but I'm sticking to my prejudiced, uninformed opinion.  I feel so Republican.

As for the boys, I hear that Colin Firth has it locked up for The King's Speech.  Word is that he'll get it this year because he deserved it last year for A Single Man.  I don't feel like seeing The King's Speech though:  Colin First becomes king 

• He has a stutter
• He meets Geoffrey Rush
• Brilliant acting ensues
• The king gives a speech 
• The nation is moved. 

Let me know if I left anything out.  The funny thing is that supposedly Jeff Bridges (who won last year for Crazy Heart) should have won this year for True Grit.  Well, I didn't see Crazy Heart but I did see A Single Man and I do want to see True Grit.  So I'll watch True Grit and say I saw both Oscar winning performances.  Make sense?

It's not like anyone is breaking down the door seeking my predictions anyway.

As for supporting, I loved both Christian Bale and Melissa Leo in the The Fighter.  There is some buzz around Mark Wahlberg but I just don't think that guy can act.  Easy on the eyes, produces a great TV show but acting, not so much.  And while I do think Amy Adams can act, I didn't think her part in The Fighter was that good.  I found it rather boring: I'm with you, I'm not with you, I'm with you.  Yawn.  But oh, oh, oh, Christian Bale and Melissa Leo were soo soooooo so good.  I kept having to remind myself that Christian Bale was Batman.  

Maybe, I'm just cynical this year about the Oscars.  First, they get James Franco (who also has a chance at the gold for 127 Hours; and no I don't want to see 2 hours of James Franco pinned by a rock no matter how cute he is) and Anne Hathaway to host which seems rather vanilla to me.  Then, the movies all seem to be re-runs of films that have already won Oscars.

As a kid, my brother and I had heard that there are only 7 or 8 storylines and every film can be boiled to one of those storylines.  So before watching any movie, we'd joke:  "Oh, is this the mom has a rare disease and the daughter discovers the cure story?"  Or some such thing. 

"Is this the Academy Awards where the actor wins the Oscar for breadth of work?"

Bits n Pieces

Was a bit busy getting ready for Thanksgiving which turned into a luxuriously lethargic weekend following the feast.  And, if you've ever read my blog, you know how I go for the lazy.

Although I was the official host of my side of the family's Thanksgiving, hardly anyone could make it due to several constraints.  But my brother made it with my sister-in-law and niece who just got engaged so her fiance joined in as well.  As did my cousin's daughter and her family.  Her side of the family is out west so we were happy to have them.  Small but mighty we were.  My niece studied culinary arts so after we did the Gobble Wobble (a 5k T Day morning race), we headed back to make the feast.  Basically, I just did what I was told and drank wine which worked out well.

Great thing about not having visitors, is not having them in your house.  The day after Thanksgiving, I found myself alone with my family.  We didn't have to travel anywhere and we didn't have to entertain anyone.  It's a rarity for us to be alone on Thanksgiving weekend.  So we went to the movies -- we saw Tangled.  I give it an "eh."  Not the best Disney flick and certainly not the worst. 

Friday was a bit of a gift because Brian was going to spend the day (with our only car) in Trenton, NJ, trying to buy us a second car.  See, and I can't remember if I posted about this before, my car got totalled in an accident in early August.

I'm fine and it wasn't my fault at all.  I was driving home from Old City around midnight, minding my own business when a car ran into the driver's side front end (according to the police he made an illegal left and ignored a steady red).  All very sudden.  My side airbag deployed.  Well, not so much deployed as fell out of its casing.  Luckily, I wasn't hurt and even more luckily, 2 policemen saw the accident.  It was a bit scary because I was alone.  Brian had to come down and get me and wait with me for the tow truck which took so long I had to pee behind a statue because there were no nearby loos.  Don't tell anyone will you?

We had to get a new car because of the frickin' air bag.  The insurance company will total your car because an airbag is so expensive to replace.  So we got a new car the day before Thanksgiving.  A smaller car than my last one (which was a station wagon).  The funny (odd not ha ha) thing was I had been thinking just a couple of days before the accident that "as soon as we finish with this station wagon, we're going to get a smaller car and save on gas."  I guess someone heard me.  Still getting used to a smaller car.  I'm a bit worried about road trips but as Brian pointed out, "we'll just take less stuff."

That's pretty much what I've been up to.  Oh one last thing...James Franco and Anne Hathaway hosting the Oscars?  Really?  They don't have any personality yet.  And I don't even think they are stage actors which helps enormously if you're going to be on Stage for an entire evening.  I know what you're going to say: Well, don't watch them.  But that really isn't in my DNA.  Although, I have not been much of a movie goer this season.  I did see Howl with James Franco and it was good and will probably assist in getting him a Best Actor nod for 127 Hours (the Academy loves breadth of work although they don't always recognize it).  None of the movies have really inspired me to get off my lazy ass and go see them.  But I am trying to buck that trend and will be going to see Stone (tonight hopefully).  It's certainly no Oscar contender but Edward Norton is in it.  (SIGH!)  Now, he could host the Oscars and I wouldn't complain, hell, he could read from the phone book and I'd buy a front row seat.

Oh What A Night!

Every time I pop onto Blogger to post something, I end up getting sidetracked reading other people's blogs and the blogs that they follow. Oh well, it's great reading, these little glimpses into other people's lives. It's quite fascinating.

Anyway, I really enjoyed the Oscars last night. I thought Hugh Jackman did a great job. His opening number with the "hand-made" props was fabulous. They really let him do what he does best, namely act and sing. His tribute to the musical was great fun and I liked the Judd Apatow film with Seth Rogen and James Franco. Tina Fey and Steve Martin were the best presenters by far. It's too bad they came so early in the show because no one else lived up to them.

It's weird to see actors with absolutely no chemistry presenting awards together. I'm thinking of Daniel Craig and Sarah Jessica Parker who presented 3 awards, was it? It wasn't just weird, it was painful since they didn't seem to realize they were on the same stage together. I wonder who thought that would be a good pairing.

I've been reading the comments made on several post-show articles in the New York Times. It cracks me up when people go on and on about how much they hate the show or how boring it was. I wonder what made them keep watching. If the show was that awful why didn't they turn it off? Then, on top of not liking the Oscar show, they read an article about it and have to post a comment. If you hated it why read about it? Are you exploring new forms of torture? Am I supposed to give them an award for being such a martyr? Reading the Monday morning quarterbacking is almost as much fun as watching the Oscars themselves but without the fondue and cocktails.

So I liked the show for the most part. But then if it gets boring I tend to amuse myself by calling a neighbor or chatting with Brian. Plus I called the Penelope Cruz win so I'm happy. But now I'm in a quandary: for the past month I've been frantically watching the nominated movies, what do I do now?

And the Oscar Goes To...

I think it's time to post a few of my picks for the Academy Awards this Sunday. I'll be watching with Brian and we're planning on having fondue. I found a new recipe in Bon Appetit that I want to try. Of course we'll have cocktails!

Back in upstate New York, I used to throw Oscar parties for all my girlfriends. It worked out well because none of the husbands wanted to watch the show so they all came over and Brian played bartender. I'd decorate the entire house with a red carpet and objects depicting the Best Picture nominees (a wine bottle for Sideways, a record for Ray, etc.). My friends all brought a dish inspired by the nominations. The year of Lost in Translation we had a lot of Japanese food. Nothing wrong with that. So we ate, drank, chatted and occasionally watched the show. I always insisted on silence during the monologue though. And this year, with Hugh Jackman hosting, there might not even be a monologue! So I'm curious to see what will happen since they are promising some surprises. But "they talk a lot, don't they..."

Okay, so here are some picks (and should wins):
Picture/Director: Slumdog Millionaire: Should win and will win, great film. And I think Danny Boyle will take home director. I can't see a split this year.

Actress: Kate Winslet will win. It's her year and it is a holocaust film (check out the first episode of Extras where she parodies her quest for an Oscar by doing a holocaust film), although I didn't really enjoy The Reader. I wish Melissa Leo would win because Frozen River was such a great film.

Actor: So difficult. I could give to one of three men: Sean Penn, Mickey Rourke and Frank Langella. I think Mr. Rourke might take it because of his backstory but Mr. Penn does have a chance. So if I had to choose, I think I'm going to with Sean Penn, just because he did a better job and the Academy has been known to award talent.

Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger. The guy was good. Scary good and crass as it might sound, it's now or never.

Supporting Actress: I have no idea but let's go with Penelope Cruz. She did a good job in Vicky Christina Barcelona (she's a great actress in Spanish films). And, I think people like her.

Animated Feature: Wall-E but honestly, I liked Kung Fu Panda better.

Foreign Film: Waltz with Bashir. I didn't see any foreign films this year but this one has gotten the most press. There might be an upset with The Class but it being a French film, it's a longshot.

Original Screenplay: Milk. I haven't heard any buzz on this category but I think people will go for Milk although it'd be great if Frozen River got it. Courtney Hunt, the writer/director of Frozen River cobbled together money to make this film and now it has two nominations. So exciting. Maybe they could make a movie about Ms. Hunt making this movie.

Adapted Screenplay: Another category I haven't heard much about but I doubt they will give it to Slumdog Millionaire so I'm going to go with Frost/Nixon and don't ask me why. It might be because I didn't like the other nominated films as much.

As for the other categories I don't think I could even begin to make a guess. We'll have to see what happens on Sunday night. I'm without a computer as my laptop sort of fell apart. I'll do a re-hashing on Monday though, don't worry!

Why I Like the Oscars

I watched Frozen River last week because Melissa Leo is nominated for a Best Actress Oscar. In truth, I had forgotten about this movie. I had read the review when it first came out and thought, oh I should watch that. Time went by and I forgot until the Oscar nominations came out.

What a powerful movie. I lamented in an earlier blog about the scarcity of strong female roles in films and then I saw Frozen River which has two strong female characters. I was amazed at the power of the film and so glad to see it up for two Oscars (Best Screenplay as well, also by a woman). Had it not been nominated, I might have missed it.

Coincidentally, while I was thinking about this blog post, I read an article in the New York Times praising the lesser known nominees. Speaking about Ms. Leo's nomination, David Carr writes:

Playing the lead in a film about people on the edges of culture and
country, Ms. Leo brought dignity to the struggle of those who live in trailer
parks we pass on the way to somewhere else.

That quote made me realize how much I thought about that film after watching it. How would I survive? Would I break the law as well? It presented the struggle for survival in such human terms. I mean, I saw Milk, and loved it but most people who watch Milk, already support gay rights. How many minds did it change? Did people think about that film for days after? Well, I guess I did think about Sean Penn's great acting.

Another great film that has a Best Actor nomination is The Visitor with Richard Jenkins. It too deals with people on the edges. It's quietness belies its powerful portrait of humans trying to connect. And again, had it not been nominated, I might have missed it.

It's happened in the past for me as well. I thought Pan's Labyrinth would win Best Foreign Language Film at the 2006 Oscars. And first, I have to say that Pan's Labyrinth is a wonderful film. My friend cals the movie, note perfect and she has a point. But The Lives of Others took home the prize. So I decided I should watch it. It blew me away.

So, yeah, this year, the buzz is all about Mickey Rourke's comback, Brad Pitt aging backwards, Heath Ledger's untimely demise, and of course, the Slumdog who took home Millions. And I'm going to be right there on Sunday night watching the festivities and joining in the fun (and blogging live). But if you listen hard enough, you'll hear the whispers of a few gems the Academy was smart enough to uncover for us.

And since no good movies come out this time of year, I recommend checking out Frozen River and The Visitor, you won't be sorry.

Golden Globes Recount

A few thought on the Golden Globes:

A note first: I'm writing as I watch and I'm posting directly after so please forgive grammar and spelling mistakes.

JLo's dress - not so much. And what did she mean by: "Mama talkin' now"? Really, doesn't she know that no kid listen to their mother?

Ahh, I didn't know that Bruce Springsteen wrote the music for The Wrestler. That puts it into higher contention for the Oscar now (think Philadelphia).

Laura Dern: Great actress, great dress, great acceptance speech!

Yeah, I know that I'm supposed to like Wall E much better than any other animated film but I think Kung Fu Panda rocked!

Heath Ledger -could have predicted this one. Eternally missed but never forgotten - yeah, I think Mr. Nolan got that one right.

Why do the foreign language films always look more interesting than the American films? I know we started the whole movie thing but sometimes I think the other countries perfected it.

And, here's an odd thing, the Golden Globes are the Hollywood Foreign Press awards - so why do they give an award for a foreign language?

What is with the poofiness on the dresses?!

Seth Rogen - Not so funny.

Screenplay Award? Slumdog Millionaire - a great film, I'm hoping it wins Oscar gold but it won the screenplay award here which usually means "runner up" for Best Picture. It's not often a film wins both - Screenplay and Picture.

Kevin Connolly (Entourage) looked so disappointed when he lost for Supporting Actor, I like him so much on the show. But he was up against Alec Baldwin - that's like being up against Daniel Day Lewis.

Paul Giamatti in John Adams. I hear the critics didn't like the mini-series so much but so far three wins and, okay, I love Paul Giamatti. Have you seen Sideways? Or American Splendor? And, he is exactly one year older than I--yup, same day, off by one year. Hmm, I'm feeling like I need to do more with my life...

30 Rock - shocked! Okay, not really. Who doesn't love Tina Fey after the Sarah Palin impersonation? It is the rest of the world we're talking about. I was just in Cancun with friends who live near Washington, DC. When Mexicans found out where my friends were from, they would say, "Oh, you're near Barack Obama."

Best Score - Slumdog Millionaire, so deserving except I didn't see the rest of the nominated films but I LOVED the music in Slumdog Millionaire. If you haven't seen it, do stay for the credits, they are so great. Okay, what do we think - Screenplay and Score? I don't think it's winning best picture.

Tina Fey - best actress. Hmmm, yeah, could have predicted that one. Plus Ms. Fey is funny.

Commercial Break - the Eagles in the Super Bowl? Did the Phillies start something? We shall see.

Isn't Martin Scorsese so flippin' cool? Everything he said about Mr. Spielberg could be said about Mr. Scorsese. Yes, Mr. Spielberg is a great director and deserving but Mr. Scorsese is just that much cooler in the way that Frank Sinatra is cooler than Bono. AND-yeah, we all need mentors but Mr. Spielberg, couldn't you be interesting?

So I keep searching to find out how many films won both best screenplay (either adapted or original) and best picture. If anyone has this information, please let me know.

Dustin Hoffman is drunk again, I think.

Wow! So wrong there! Danny Boyle, Best Director for Slumdog Millionaire. Yay! I love being wrong when this happens! Might not win Best Picture but c'mon, this award really brings it home. Great film--go see it if you haven't.

Colin Farrell--Best Actor for Comedic or Musical Picture for In Bruges. He's going on and on as if he'll never win another award in his entire life. Of course, if this speech goes on, we may not have time for any other movie, ever.

I thought Sacha Baron Cohen's comment about Madonna was funny but no one in the room did. Oh well, can't laugh at your own. What does that say?

I love it when Woody Allen wins (for Vicky Cristina Barcelona). He just makes films. He loves to make films. We can talk about all that other stuff but why?

Kate Winslet: Double Win! Wow, when has that happened? Yeah, it's the Golden Gloes but 2 wins in one night. Nice. Haven't seen either film but I am looking forward to Revolutionary Road.

Mad Men won best drama for television. I don't get that show. I tried to watch it but got bored. Men sitting around drinking and being chauvinists--now that's entertainment.

Mickey Rourke won best actor! Didn't I tell you he'd be Sean Penn's competition? Yeah, Hollywood loves a comeback kid so let's see what happens on Oscar night. And, you can tell that Mr. Rourke hasn't spoken to another adult in a while, yeah?

Slumdog Millionaire - the little movie that could!

Doesn't this make you all itchy for Oscar night?

The Most Wonderful Season of All

While reading the New York Times yesterday, I discovered the return of The Carpetbagger, a seasonal blog about all things Oscar (as in the Academy Awards). I realized with delight that we have now entered my favorite season, Oscar season.

I love the movies, no make that adore the movies. While living in upstate New York, I had a standing date with a friend of mine every Tuesday night. We'd go see a movie in Albany, and then return home and stop off at a local bar for a beer. The bartender knew us and we always chatted with him about the latest movies. Actually, most of the people in the bar knew us (it was a true local) and they called us the Oscar club.

Man, I miss that.

It's been difficult here to find movie buddies. I'm not sure if it's the late night on a weekday or the idea of seeing a movie without one's husband. Either way, I'm on my own for movies most of the time. I don't mind seeing a movie by myself but it is nice to have a friend to motivate you out of the house.

I haven't seen too many movies lately and most of them with my kids (I can't imagine High School Musical 3 will be up for anything). After Candide, it took me a while to get back into the movie swing of things. I jumped in by watching Body of Lies and Quantum of Solace - not really Oscar fare.

But now, it's serious and I have to weigh my movie decisions carefully. I'm looking forward to Milk (I can see Sean Penn walking to the podium now) but I'm not so sure about Australia (I'm not a Nicole Kidman fan so that may color my judgment.) One of my favorite aspects of the season is reading movie reviews and trying to second-guess the Academy: Has anyone made a major comeback this year? Has any "deserving" artist been overlooked?

It really is the most wonderful season of all and while I don't have a movie buddy, I do have everyone who reads this blog. I'll keep you posted on my picks, let me know yours.