14 posts tagged “academy awards”

There's been talk among Oscar nerds like me that this could be Meryl's year to win her third Oscar, with two performances worth noticing. One, as Julia Child in Julie & Julia (personally, I think she was better in this than in Doubt), and two, as a jilted woman turned "other woman" in Nancy Meyer's It's Complicated out in December.

Remember, it worked for Diane Keaton in Nancy Meyer's Something's Gotta Give, with Keaton scoring an Academy Award nomination. The only thing that concerns me about the film It's Complicated is the title. For some reason it conjures up images of Facebook, with "friends with benefits" relationships and BFF female friendships being defined under the same term.

Adding further to the Facebook ickiness, "It's Complicated" also makes me think of how some of my older relatives are using the online social network now (my uncle left me a message on my wall in all caps that said, "ARE YOU STILL HANGING OUT WITH GAY GUYS?"). The oversaturation of the site (as well as networks like Twitter) makes me wonder whether Nancy Meyers' is on Facebook and was inspired by the site. Furthermore, perhaps Facebook has a significant role in the film. Maybe there's a misunderstanding between Meryl and Alec through conflicting wall posts or status updates.

 

The trailer for Rob Marshall's movie musical Nine is out and it looks a lot like Chicago, with its dark lighting and themes. The cast is incredible -- with Dame Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard (looking like Audrey Hepburn!), and Penelope Cruz (also looking like Audrey Hepburn!).

The trailer for Taking Woodstock has been released online. I've been looking forward to seeing previews for this film since going through a brief post-Oscar depression, scouring IMDB and Incontention.com for next year's Academy Award nominees (terribly sad, but entirely true). Surprisingly, Demetri Martin appears to be the lead in director Ang Lee's tale based on actual events surrounding Woodstock.

For about three months (from November to January), "good" movies are released in time for the Oscar push. Come February and March, "crap" movies that have been on the backburner for a year are given their time in the sun. However, sometimes it takes a while for a film to be released because it's too independent, too unappreciated to see the light of day during the Oscar push. Wendy and Lucy is one of those films.

Frankly, I can understand why it's unappreciated. Wendy and Lucy is a movie that clocks in at an hour and 20 minutes, there's no real plot, and one of the title characters is a dog. Yet, after seeing this movie, I left the theatre having gone on an emotional roller coaster.

While we don't really know much about Michelle Williams' Wendy (other than she's on her way to Alaska with her dog Lucy), director Kelly Reichardt's choice to withhold Wendy's backstory from the audience is an intriguing tactic. After all, Wendy is a drifter. Michelle Williams' ability to make us care for Wendy and somehow know what she's been through is a testament to her acting. Sometimes, it's hard to remember when she was Jen on "Dawson's Creek." Also, the scene where she encounters a hobo in the woods is one of the scariest moments I've experienced in cinema all year. If your heart isn't beating a mile a minute during this scene, you might not be human. 

Without giving too much away, I think that this movie is one of the most important movies to be released in 2008 (although it didn't reach more mainstream audiences until now). This film shows the choices some individuals have to make in order to survive and pursue a new way of life. With the nation in economic turmoil and tent cities popping up around the world, Wendy's story almost hits too close to home. Even though one doubts Wendy's house foreclosed or she lost her job at the top of the corporate ladder, her story is still one that resonates in today's unstable world.  

Yesterday, AMC Theatres around the country showed the five Academy Award Best Picture nominees for an all-day Oscar Showcase for $30 a person. The Showcase consisted of:

Milk 10:30 a.m.
The Reader 1:05 p.m.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 3:45 p.m.
Slumdog Millionaire 7:15 p.m.
Frost/Nixon 9:45 p.m.

Like any other Oscar nerd, I attended the Showcase, even though I had already seen all five films. With the Showcase, each movie-goer gets a quasi "Press Pass" that allows them free popcorn and the ability to mill around and feel V.I.P.,  if only for one day. In addition to this false sense of Hollywood importance, you also get to win prizes with Oscar trivia games!

I rather looked forward to viewing all five Best Picture nominees again because sometimes a movie resonates better the second time around. While I still feel Milk is the best of the five films, I definitely appreciated frontrunner Slumdog Millionaire more after seeing it again. It has that feel-good quality that audiences need right now, especially with the economy in turmoil.

I also appreciated Kate Winslet's performance in The Reader better. I was a Revolutionary Road fan, so when Ms. Winslet wasn't nominated for her role as April Wheeler, I was pretty disappointed. However, The Reader is a very emotional, well-done film that actually hinges on Winslet's performance. As I was watching it, I questioned whether it would have been nominated for all these awards with Nicole Kidman cast as Hanna Schmitz (Kidman was originally supposed to play the Nazi war criminal who has an affair with a teenage boy).

Watching The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, I realized that upon second viewing this movie does not stand up next to the other films. In a film where nothing really happens other than the story of a man aging backwards, the characters aren't very memorable when they should be. Plus, I realized I never truly understood their connections (Taraji P. Henson's "Queenie" is the exception). For example, why does Daisy love Benjamin? It never made any sense to me, even after watching it again. I felt like she was only jealous of his gift and wanted him in her life as a treasure to collect.

And while Frost/Nixon is compelling, I just don't see how it broke any new ground in filmmaking or storytelling (instead, see The Wrestler). I wonder if the topic of "Watergate" is the new "Holocaust" -- where any film that tackles the subject will automatically get an Oscar nomination.   

I highly recommend the Oscar Showcase to anyone who loves movies and gets excited about the Oscars. It seems to be getting more and more popular every year (this year, Entertainment Weekly even featured it on their "Must List").  

Atom.com has an Oscar Speech Generator -- sort of like a Mad Libs for Academy Award Speeches.

Here was mine:

Thank you so much. But really, it's just an honor to be nominated alongside so many other harry actors. I want to thank my agent, who stuck with me after I was found bulging that kazoo. I'd like to also thank my bleeding family, and chunky nipple. I better stop now before I say something dungy. Thank you, and yowza!

Now, I know my language is kinda crude and "dungy" doesn't even exist as a word (plus "bulging" isn't even used correctly), but wouldn't it be great if Frank Langella used this exact speech on Sunday? Ha! Unlikely. Langella has no chance against Rourke and Penn.

Last Friday, I went to see the 2009 Oscar nominated Animated Shorts. The nominees include:

Lavatory - Lovestory directed by Konstantin Bronzit  from Russia
Oktapodi - directed by Julien Bocabeille from France
Le Maison en Petits Cubes - directed by Kunio Kato from Japan
This Way Up - directed by Adam Foulkes and Alan Smith from the UK
Presto - directed by Doug Sweetland from United States

Some Oscar predictions are saying that Presto is going to take home the golden statuette:

This was the first time that I ever had the privilege of seeing the Oscar Animated shorts, and it was a real treat. Not only are they short, sweet and to the point, but the whole experience was also interesting because I got a chance to see filmmakers other than Howard and Spielberg. In fact, these shorts are perhaps where future classic directors get their start!

Personally, although I enjoyed Presto, I'm rooting for Le Maison en Petits Cubes on Oscar night. This animated short tells the story of a man who lives in a house that he builds higher and higher in order to escape the flooding in his community (Global Warming lecture, anyone?). However, when the man drops his pipe down a shaft in the house, he decides to strap on his scuba gear and look for it. In the process, he relives memories from his past, when he lived on dry land with his wife and daughter. It was truly one of the most touching movie experiences I've had in recent memory (even more so than Benjamin Button). It's rare that something animated and 12 minutes long could nearly move me to tears. Here's a clip:

 

Kate Winslet graced the cover of The New York Times Magazine over the weekend with this gorgeous image taken by Paolo Pellegrin.

 

Kate led the pack of highlighted "Great Performers," which included Mickey Rourke and Penelope Cruz (basically the other two living individuals I expect to win the Oscar this year). Each write-up on the "Great Performers" is by other celebrities related to the actors (Catherine Keener wrote about The 40-Year-Old Virgin co-star Kat Dennings, Diner director Barry Levinson offered accolades for directee Mickey Rourke) . Tom Perotta (author of Little Children) wrote praise for Winslet, saying: "According to my own highly unscientific survey, just about everyone loves Kate Winslet."

I second that. I only hope all this attention doesn't hurt her chances come Oscar time. 

While I am still reeling over last week's Oscar nominations, I've turned my grief into listening to Bruce Springsteen's "The Wrestler" over and over again. What a great song from a great movie. I urge anyone and everyone to see this movie, even if you have to make an hour's drive to see it (damn select city movies!). 

While I am never able to predict the Academy Award nominations right down to the Best Short Subject Film or Best Best Boy Grip (not that this is even a category), I am usually happy with the results and understand where the Academy is coming from.  Most of the time they seem to get it about right. However, this year seems to be an exception. I am shocked and dismayed at the results of this year’s nominations (yes, I’m THAT involved with something I’m NOT involved in at all).  

The Academy seemed to have missed the boat in a few of its main categories and even some minor ones. I may not be Movie Critic Ben Lyons of the E! channel (although Dave McCoy of MSN Movies might debate me on the use of “Movie Critic”), but I am a moviegoer who has seen ( if not all) most of the Oscar movies.  And like myself, there are countless others who were disappointed today with the results.

Here’s where I think the Academy got it wrong:

Most importantly, Kate Winslet not getting a Best Actress nomination for Revolutionary Road. While I can be excited for the nomination for The Reader, it’s hard to believe that her Revolutionary Road performance will go down in Oscar history as having never been recognized. It reminds me of when Leo was nominated for Blood Diamond, but not for his incredible effort in The Departed.  I really thought she should have been nominated for both in Best and Best Supporting Actress categories, respectively.

The Dark Knight not getting nominated for Best Picture. I’m not even a fanboy, and I still would have liked to have seen this movie get Best Picture/Best Director nods. It clearly was one of the best films of the year, with one of the most memorable performances (at least Heath Ledger got nominated).

Sally Hawkins failing to get a Best Actress nomination for the charming Happy-Go-Lucky. In fact of all the female performances of the year, Hawkins’ was my personal favorite. She did something really special in this Mike Leigh film, creating a character who’s altogether hilarious but entirely human. The Academy really dropped the ball in the Best Actress category.

Bruce Springsteen failing to get a Best Original song nomination.  I know the Academy just recently changed the guidelines in the song category, but I really thought it would help the Boss in this case. Turns out winning the Golden Globe means nothing.

Frost/Nixon getting a Best Picture nomination. This was a lukewarm film met with lukewarm reviews. Why reward this achievement? I love Ron Howard, but really, this film was not the best of the best in 2008.

No Best Original Screenplay love for Rachel Getting Married. Which was clearly one of the best examples of storytelling in 2008!

The Dark Knight was great white hope for the Oscar telecast. Being that viewership declines every year, many hoped that The Dark Knight would be Oscar’s Night in Shining Armor, with a worldwide blockbuster being nominated in the main categories. As it turns out, the Academy better hope a lot of people went to see Slumdog Millionaire.