So i didn't do as well as i'd hoped in my task of watching all the nominated films. Some of them i simply couldn't find. Other times my computer had some trouble with the sites i was using to watch them...trouble like getting viruses demanding my computer hard drive be replaced. There are some categories i've not seen all the nominees for, but in most of those cases, the ones i haven't seen aren't terribly likely to win anyway. Below is my list of who i think should win in the categories, and who i think will win. Here we go.
Best Picture - I think Inglourious Basterds is the best of the bunch - i think it had a really awesome commentary on the relationship between cinema and history (i.e. cinema's power to change and influence history), as well as a great genre juxtaposition by placing western style over a WWII setting. My #2 is maybe Up, but i'd need to see it again to be certain. The Hurt Locker is more likely to win, and i'll be okay with that, it is almost as deserving and does great work to place the audience in the action and the tension with the characters. If Avatar wins, as much as i do enjoy it, well that will be sad because it's simply not the best of the best this year. My hope: The Hurt Locker and Avatar split votes, and Inglourious Basterds gets enough #2's and #3's to come up in the middle and win for the upset.
Best Director - Kathryn Bigelow. She's probably most responsible for creating the tension and atmosphere that makes the film work so well. She deserves it, and will probably win.
Best Actor - i haven't seen Crazy Heart (this is the movie most likely responsible for my virus problems), but from what i hear, Jeff Bridges isn't merely getting a lifetime achievement award, he actually gives the best performance of the group. So there. i also haven't seen Colin Firth in A Single Man, though i suspect if i did, i'd be partial to that performance.
Best Actress - i'm gonna say Sandra Bullock has the edge for the actual win, and it's actually a very good performance, in my opinion. However, despite the relative inexperience, i think the best actress was Gabourey Sibide in Precious. She might never make another movie (let's be honest, she's not the easiest actress to cast...), but this one should be enough.
Best Supporting Actor - Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds, all the way.
Best Supporting Actress - Mo'Nique's gonna win, and she deserves it. i wondered for a while how much of it was just play acting, pretending to be mean, and then i remember some of the things she had to do for the role. For example, she had to throw a mentally handicapped little girl on the floor and call her a monster. i don't see how you can do that and not have to be giving a tremendous performance without being a monster yourself. That said, my #2 is definitely Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air.
Best Original Screenplay - Inglouious Basterds deserves it, and i think it will win because people will want to reward it in more than one category. There's competition from The Hurt Locker, though, which in my opinion simply doesn't deserve it for two glaring reasons: it's yet another screenplay with biased, limited, and all around insulting portrayals of officers in the military and that whole Jason Bourne-esqu sequence where the guy goes off base with a pistol to find that kid...it was weird. it worked for the character's emotions...but not as a plot point in the movie. totally distracting, doesn't deserve to win.
Best Adapted Screenplay - Up in the Air. Just the best screenplay here.
now on the to technicals:
Film Editing - The Hurt Locker - again, my point about all the tension building, playing on the audience, a lot of that happened in the editing room. My #2 would be Inglourious Basterds, partly because i want it to win as much as it possible can, and partly because it's a movie that understands how to let shots linger before rushing off to the next one - although that technique did work well for The Hurt Locker because it was used well.
Cinematography - i know i know i know, James Cameron invented a camera to shoot Avatar. But more and more over the past semesters i've been learning to appreciate cinematography as the composition of images and those images' effects on the audience. And i'm sorry, but the majority of the images in Avatar were created in post-production by a visual effects team, probably with the director of photography in the background saying "Oh no, more light there," while pointing at the screen. If there were a category for Best Digital Photography, i'd give Avatar that Oscar, but there isn't yet (i suspect there will have to be eventually). For now, i'm going my preference is Inglourious Basterds, and the likely winner is The Hurt Locker. For me, The Hurt Locker was just a little too shaky, with just a few too many quick zooms to really best the best. It was the best way to do that film, yes, but while it ran as fast as it could, other films ran faster. The White Ribbon was also really awesome camera work...but i think a lot of its effect came from the black and white (it did look an awful lot like a old film, with its framing and all), but that color scheme came in post, not in production...so i'll rule it out on a technicality.
Art Direction - i've heard the The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus is possible the deserving winner here, but i've not seen it. i'd give it to Nine (which is a much better movie than critics would have you believe - not a great film, no, but it was good, not terrible like the reviews let on). Again, Avatar has the best chance of winning, but again, i think it's cheating. The designs are tremendous, but they were implement in large part by a visual effects team, and there's a separate category for that.
Costume Design - Again, i liked Nine's stuff best of what i saw, but the Oscar tends to go more period film here, so i think The Young Victoria has the edge over the spoiler Bright Star. The other two aren't likely.
Makeup - anything other than Star Trek is an upset, and pretty much undeserving.
Original Score - Up. gorgeous stuff, and again with Pixar, there are entire sequences that rely on the music alone to accompany the story the images create (the same reason Wall-E deserved to win last year, and was robbed by Slumdog Millionaire's just-like-every-other-Bollywood soundtrack)
Original Song - Crazy Heart - best song here, and sometimes that really is enough to win.
Sound Mixing - The Hurt Locker does some really cool stuff blending together the natural sound and effects to again work towards creating an entire atmosphere for the audience
Sound Editing - Avatar had the most to work with here and put it all together better than the other movies.
Visual Effects - Avatar. obviously.
Animated Feature - Up
Documentary Feature - The Cove
Foreign Language Film - The White Ribbon (though really, it's anyone's game, and Un Prophete could easily upset)
Documentary Short - The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant
Animated Short - Logorama (or maybe A Matter of Loaf and Death)
Live Action Short - The Door
So there's that. 24 categories, 24 predictions, plus a few places where i just said what i wanted to happen. We'll see how it goes tomorrow night.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Current Project
Oh no! So i haven't been blogging all that much. i'm having a little bit of trouble with that particular new years' resolution. but just to keep everyone informed, i'm currently working on watching all the movies nominated for Oscars this year. i'm going to try to something for the first time this year, and that is to watch the documentaries, foreign films, and shorts in addition to all the main movies. it's gonna be a good time, and then in a few weeks i'll be able to give my solid honest opinion on what should win what.
though i can tell you now that i've seen all the best picture and director nominees, and i think Kathryn Bigelow was the best director and Inglourious Basterds was the best picture. and i'm not likely to change my mind. reasoning for both of those opinions will follow in the coming weeks.
though i can tell you now that i've seen all the best picture and director nominees, and i think Kathryn Bigelow was the best director and Inglourious Basterds was the best picture. and i'm not likely to change my mind. reasoning for both of those opinions will follow in the coming weeks.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Ken
A little less than a week ago i attended a memorial service for Kenneth P. Strong, who was my beginning acting professor when i was a freshman here at UNC. He had brain cancer. It was in remission when he taught my class and for another year after that. But it came back, and the few times i ran into Ken last semester, the toll it was taking on him was growing more apparent.
When we got the email saying he had died, i wasn't entirely surprised - he had resigned near the end of last semester, so it was really a matter of time. But at the specific moment i opened the email, Ken wasn't what was on my mind, so it still came as a bit of a shock.
And then the memorial service proved, well, more difficult than i had anticipated, given the inevitability of the situation. i was struck particularly by two remarks. the first came from McKay Coble, the drama department chair. she showed a picture of Ken in character as Uncle Vanya, screaming, and explained that it was both like him - in his tremendous talent - and unlike him because the picture looked so mean. Ken wasn't mean. She said he could not comprehend meanness. Why would someone choose that over kinder alternatives? Second, i remember Ray Dooley commenting on his ceaseless sense of humor. Even through the cancer, he found ways to make people smile, seeking out the laughs to be had.
What really got me about these remembrances was when i thought back to my time in class with Ken, really thought about what he was like, and i was reminded of all these things. His enormous kindness and humor. And how he ended ever class by telling us, "I love you!" And as much as i despise cliches, i can't get over the idea that this is precisely the kind of man that i should be trying to live like. So here i am, and i'm going to do my best to understand meanness less than i do, and to always look for the humor around me and share it with whoever is close by.
But don't worry, i'll be careful out there.
When we got the email saying he had died, i wasn't entirely surprised - he had resigned near the end of last semester, so it was really a matter of time. But at the specific moment i opened the email, Ken wasn't what was on my mind, so it still came as a bit of a shock.
And then the memorial service proved, well, more difficult than i had anticipated, given the inevitability of the situation. i was struck particularly by two remarks. the first came from McKay Coble, the drama department chair. she showed a picture of Ken in character as Uncle Vanya, screaming, and explained that it was both like him - in his tremendous talent - and unlike him because the picture looked so mean. Ken wasn't mean. She said he could not comprehend meanness. Why would someone choose that over kinder alternatives? Second, i remember Ray Dooley commenting on his ceaseless sense of humor. Even through the cancer, he found ways to make people smile, seeking out the laughs to be had.
What really got me about these remembrances was when i thought back to my time in class with Ken, really thought about what he was like, and i was reminded of all these things. His enormous kindness and humor. And how he ended ever class by telling us, "I love you!" And as much as i despise cliches, i can't get over the idea that this is precisely the kind of man that i should be trying to live like. So here i am, and i'm going to do my best to understand meanness less than i do, and to always look for the humor around me and share it with whoever is close by.
But don't worry, i'll be careful out there.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Christian Students Today
A few days ago at the first Intervarsity large group of the new semester, Alex Kirk told about this time he was asked to go to some place talk to a bunch of apparently important people (i've lost some of the nuances of the tale in the last few days) on the subject of Christian students today. While i don't remember what Alex had to say about Christian students today, i remember him mentioning something about the "challenges" we face. And that got me thinking. What are some of the biggest challenges to Christian students on college campuses? To the development of our own faith and to our ability to witness to other people. (i continue to be uncomfortable with words like witnessing and ministering.)
It is the second stumbling block that first came to mind - what are the things that keep us from being able to reach non-believers and seekers on our campuses?
And the conclusion i came to, first and foremost, was this:
Conservative Christian leaders on television. From pastors with megachurches on Sunday mornings, to talking heads with political ties on the Sunday news shows. (i'm always particularly struck by the irony that Christians on television come out most on the sabbath, keeping it holy in a delightful blend of the Church and the State, depending on which channel you watch.)
Using television to reach a large audience can be a wonderful thing, don't get me wrong. But there's some sort of flaw in the system. It appears that the people who most want to get the attention of the large audiences are the ones who are most extreme in their beliefs (and in the case of Christianity, that is usually a conservative extreme), and that in turn makes it so that the wider audience's primary view of what all Christians are like is directly influenced and skewed by the appearance of Joel Osteen telling us all how God wants us to be wealthy so that we can be happy (a rather interesting interpretation of the Rich Young Ruler story).
So, when us college students want to share our faith with our fellow students, not only do we have to deal with the issues of suffering, sex, pride, greed, and above all self-centeredness, but we have to do it while also trying to correct the image these fellow students have formed about where we're coming from. It's not always about saving souls from Satan.
We aren't trying to judge them just because the Talking Heads are. We aren't all discriminatory and we aren't all supporting our political opinions with our spiritual beliefs (or if we are, we at least know that they aren't always the same thing). And even if we pledge allegiance to the flag, we know that there are some allegiances that are more important.
Television has almost completely undermined any clean slate we Christian students may have to work with on the campus around us - and given the tarnish of sin, most of those slates are already pretty dirty. We have to take 3 steps back before we can ever take a step forward. And given the fact that Christianity is a religion that at its most basic level demands primarily that we love each other and take care of each other, it shouldn't be such a difficult thing for college kids trying to figure their lives out to be open to hearing about. But it is.
So in the meantime, we'll keep on doing what the apostles did. Looking for opportunities, sharing what we know to be true with the people who care enough to listen, and sharing meals with people as often as possible, because nothing is ever going to beat the impact that having someone sit down and engage with you like a unique and valuable part of God's creation can have on a person. Not blogging or reading books, not hearing sermons from men in expensive suits, and certainly not being talked at by a television screen.
It is the second stumbling block that first came to mind - what are the things that keep us from being able to reach non-believers and seekers on our campuses?
And the conclusion i came to, first and foremost, was this:
Conservative Christian leaders on television. From pastors with megachurches on Sunday mornings, to talking heads with political ties on the Sunday news shows. (i'm always particularly struck by the irony that Christians on television come out most on the sabbath, keeping it holy in a delightful blend of the Church and the State, depending on which channel you watch.)
Using television to reach a large audience can be a wonderful thing, don't get me wrong. But there's some sort of flaw in the system. It appears that the people who most want to get the attention of the large audiences are the ones who are most extreme in their beliefs (and in the case of Christianity, that is usually a conservative extreme), and that in turn makes it so that the wider audience's primary view of what all Christians are like is directly influenced and skewed by the appearance of Joel Osteen telling us all how God wants us to be wealthy so that we can be happy (a rather interesting interpretation of the Rich Young Ruler story).
So, when us college students want to share our faith with our fellow students, not only do we have to deal with the issues of suffering, sex, pride, greed, and above all self-centeredness, but we have to do it while also trying to correct the image these fellow students have formed about where we're coming from. It's not always about saving souls from Satan.
We aren't trying to judge them just because the Talking Heads are. We aren't all discriminatory and we aren't all supporting our political opinions with our spiritual beliefs (or if we are, we at least know that they aren't always the same thing). And even if we pledge allegiance to the flag, we know that there are some allegiances that are more important.
Television has almost completely undermined any clean slate we Christian students may have to work with on the campus around us - and given the tarnish of sin, most of those slates are already pretty dirty. We have to take 3 steps back before we can ever take a step forward. And given the fact that Christianity is a religion that at its most basic level demands primarily that we love each other and take care of each other, it shouldn't be such a difficult thing for college kids trying to figure their lives out to be open to hearing about. But it is.
So in the meantime, we'll keep on doing what the apostles did. Looking for opportunities, sharing what we know to be true with the people who care enough to listen, and sharing meals with people as often as possible, because nothing is ever going to beat the impact that having someone sit down and engage with you like a unique and valuable part of God's creation can have on a person. Not blogging or reading books, not hearing sermons from men in expensive suits, and certainly not being talked at by a television screen.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Cinephilia: The disease that needs no cure
Apparently, the thing that people are supposed to do at the end of the year is make a list. And this being the end of a decade, there are twice the lists out.
Now, i'm a bit of a cinephile.
cin·e·phile [sin-uh-fahyl] n. A film or movie enthusiast.
i really like movies. a lot. i watch a lot of them, a lot of the time. So i'ma give into the trend, and put up a list. here are 30 movies i have selected as my own personal favorite/best movies of the decade, divided into a few categories. it's a subjective list. all of these things are. i'm probably missing some awesome ones because i forgot. i've probably subconsciously left a few off because they're a little too obvious. but either way, if there are movies listed here that you've never seen, you should probably look them up. i own a bunch of them, so if you know me, ask and you shall receive.
The Ones You'll Probably See on a Lot of "Best Movies of the Decade" Lists:
Now, i'm a bit of a cinephile.
cin·e·phile [sin-uh-fahyl] n. A film or movie enthusiast.
i really like movies. a lot. i watch a lot of them, a lot of the time. So i'ma give into the trend, and put up a list. here are 30 movies i have selected as my own personal favorite/best movies of the decade, divided into a few categories. it's a subjective list. all of these things are. i'm probably missing some awesome ones because i forgot. i've probably subconsciously left a few off because they're a little too obvious. but either way, if there are movies listed here that you've never seen, you should probably look them up. i own a bunch of them, so if you know me, ask and you shall receive.
The Ones You'll Probably See on a Lot of "Best Movies of the Decade" Lists:
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind*
- The Lord of the Rings Trilogy* (yes, i'm counting it as one movie. because that's what it really is)
- Lost in Translation
- There Will Be Blood*
- Kill Bill (Volumes 1 & 2, because again, it's really one movie)
- Brokeback Mountain
- The Royal Tenenbaums*
- No Country for Old Men
- City of God*
- The Fountain
- The Pianist
- Once*
- The Passion of the Christ
- Moulin Rouge
- The Departed
- Black Hawk Down
- Gladiator
- Almost Famous*
- Gosford Park*
- Finding Nemo*
- Inglourious Basterds
- The Reader (i still believe this would have beaten Slumdog Millionaire for the Oscar if only a few people had actually watched it.)
- Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
- Munich
- Finding Neverland*
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Billy Elliot
- Closer
- A Very Long Engagement
- Cinderella Man
Friday, January 1, 2010
It's Clobberin' Time
My new year's resolution: to get this thing going again.
i don't have a clue what i'll write about.
N.T. Wright is probably correct in his summation of blogging as little more than "intellectual masturbation"** But hey, i suppose there are worse ways to stimulate the organ of one's mind.
further, i'm 94% sure that not a single one of you will ever read this, so why not bother going for it anyway?
okay that's all.
peace in the new year, y'all.
**it is entirely possible that N.T. Wright never said that, and that it was said by someone entirely different, or that it was never said by anyone at all until i said it just now. i'm just giving fair warning, because fair warning is how i roll.
i don't have a clue what i'll write about.
N.T. Wright is probably correct in his summation of blogging as little more than "intellectual masturbation"** But hey, i suppose there are worse ways to stimulate the organ of one's mind.
further, i'm 94% sure that not a single one of you will ever read this, so why not bother going for it anyway?
okay that's all.
peace in the new year, y'all.
**it is entirely possible that N.T. Wright never said that, and that it was said by someone entirely different, or that it was never said by anyone at all until i said it just now. i'm just giving fair warning, because fair warning is how i roll.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Checking In
Wow. i thought summer break would make me more inclined to start writing on here. That turned out not to be true. See, i only like to write a blog, for everyone in the world to see, after i've somehow been challenged in my thoughts, or observe something cool in a show or a movie or a book, and then i process it and end up with a conclusion. That way, a somewhat fully formed set of ideas show up on here.
But so far this summer, i haven't been doing a whole lot. i've spent plenty of time with entertainment, watching tv shows online and movies on the DVR. i thought i had a job lined up at the Pentagon this summer, but that fell through, so i've been applying for jobs - haven't heard anything yet, but i'm holding out hope.
Since i don't really have anything to let your minds digest, here's a bit of what i've been up to:
Read:
About to start reading:
TV shows i've been watching bits and pieces of so far this summer:
i've also started reading Jeremiah and Luke, and will continue through those over the course of the summer.
and oh, i watched the Tony Awards on sunday, and i'm glad Billy Elliot did so well - i saw it in London, and it really is a great show. Next month i'll be going to the Kennedy Center to see The Color Purple and hopefully Spring Awakening. Because musicals are freaking sweet. deal with it.
Okay, that's a basic update on my summer. feel free to get in touch, ask questions about the shows or books, and please pray for me to get a job! i need both the money, and to get off my butt and do something this summer.
But so far this summer, i haven't been doing a whole lot. i've spent plenty of time with entertainment, watching tv shows online and movies on the DVR. i thought i had a job lined up at the Pentagon this summer, but that fell through, so i've been applying for jobs - haven't heard anything yet, but i'm holding out hope.
Since i don't really have anything to let your minds digest, here's a bit of what i've been up to:
Read:
- Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
- Misquoting Jesus by Bart Ehrman (this didn't really open my eyes to a whole lot i didn't already know about ehrman, or anything that really challenges my faith a whole bunch, which is why i didn't write a post about it - check it out for yourself, and see what you think)
- Justification by N.T. Wright (for Ben White's reading group. i'm taking part by email, except i haven't actually emailed any thoughts yet. i'm waiting for Wright to get to the point - right now, i can't really figure out what he's saying, or what Piper said, so i'm just trying to take it in as best as i can until ch. 4, which is actually about justification.)
- Love is an Orientation by Andrew Marin
About to start reading:
- Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
TV shows i've been watching bits and pieces of so far this summer:
- Mad Men
- 24
- The Shield
- True Blood
- Entourage
- The Practice
- Pushing Daisies
- Sports Night
i've also started reading Jeremiah and Luke, and will continue through those over the course of the summer.
and oh, i watched the Tony Awards on sunday, and i'm glad Billy Elliot did so well - i saw it in London, and it really is a great show. Next month i'll be going to the Kennedy Center to see The Color Purple and hopefully Spring Awakening. Because musicals are freaking sweet. deal with it.
Okay, that's a basic update on my summer. feel free to get in touch, ask questions about the shows or books, and please pray for me to get a job! i need both the money, and to get off my butt and do something this summer.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
alchemy
on earth, where moth and rust
destroy, all things we
touch turn to virus,
sour blood red orange acid,
oxidizing my iron so it can't
sharpen anything else.
like a crippled king midas,
with no one to chide us -
where was the treasure before
the gold? can't remember.
now all we see is our
reflection in a shiny shallow
surface.
and the acid virus corrodes,
and my iron heart implodes.
stop the blood pumping, the
oxidation is my oxygenation -
they're the same thing,
one's just a bit lukewarm,
but i can take it.
as long as i'm fed my acid
virus vitamins by my reflection
in the gold, i can ignore the
rust below the surface
scratching, grating, weathering
my insides,
eroding my hots,
my colds,
leaving the sludge that's
left when the steam
disappears
from this earth, where moths destroy.
where time is all our enemy
unless we're counting down instead
of up.
unless.
unless.
we give it back.
reject the virus.
spew it from our mouths,
melt our reflection in the gold,
pour it into a new mold,
white hot heat
to form a new treasure.
finding value in the rust,
the sharper insides we can trust.
stop pointing our fingers assigning
worth, stop touching
creation with out alchemy.
gold sharpens nothing but
our narcissism,
but the immune system of
three bodies is not easily broken.
on earth where rust endures
more than flesh, where flesh
itself is lukewarm, destroyed
by the acid, attacked by the
virus - but our rusty hearts,
those are the parts that aren't
destroyed. what does ruse do
to rust? nothing. but wait out
the storm, as the temperature
goes higher.
and the fever breaks, and we break,
and our hearts break. and the
dams on our tears break, and all
those salty splinters come out,
and king midas is a peasant.
and his treasure is gone.
but it took the virus with it.
and his new treasure, his plight,
serves all - the anti-biotic of purpose.
the beauty in a brown-gray
moth, the healing powers
of rust blood on its wings,
these are what midas wants to
touch - and his dirt-covered
fingers now cleaner than
he ever saw them before,
leaving the earth, learning
his worth, as moth and rust
destroy around
about outside
west eastside
north southside
but not ever again inside
his sharpened iron heart.
destroy, all things we
touch turn to virus,
sour blood red orange acid,
oxidizing my iron so it can't
sharpen anything else.
like a crippled king midas,
with no one to chide us -
where was the treasure before
the gold? can't remember.
now all we see is our
reflection in a shiny shallow
surface.
and the acid virus corrodes,
and my iron heart implodes.
stop the blood pumping, the
oxidation is my oxygenation -
they're the same thing,
one's just a bit lukewarm,
but i can take it.
as long as i'm fed my acid
virus vitamins by my reflection
in the gold, i can ignore the
rust below the surface
scratching, grating, weathering
my insides,
eroding my hots,
my colds,
leaving the sludge that's
left when the steam
disappears
from this earth, where moths destroy.
where time is all our enemy
unless we're counting down instead
of up.
unless.
unless.
we give it back.
reject the virus.
spew it from our mouths,
melt our reflection in the gold,
pour it into a new mold,
white hot heat
to form a new treasure.
finding value in the rust,
the sharper insides we can trust.
stop pointing our fingers assigning
worth, stop touching
creation with out alchemy.
gold sharpens nothing but
our narcissism,
but the immune system of
three bodies is not easily broken.
on earth where rust endures
more than flesh, where flesh
itself is lukewarm, destroyed
by the acid, attacked by the
virus - but our rusty hearts,
those are the parts that aren't
destroyed. what does ruse do
to rust? nothing. but wait out
the storm, as the temperature
goes higher.
and the fever breaks, and we break,
and our hearts break. and the
dams on our tears break, and all
those salty splinters come out,
and king midas is a peasant.
and his treasure is gone.
but it took the virus with it.
and his new treasure, his plight,
serves all - the anti-biotic of purpose.
the beauty in a brown-gray
moth, the healing powers
of rust blood on its wings,
these are what midas wants to
touch - and his dirt-covered
fingers now cleaner than
he ever saw them before,
leaving the earth, learning
his worth, as moth and rust
destroy around
about outside
west eastside
north southside
but not ever again inside
his sharpened iron heart.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
If I Picked the Winners
i know i haven't been around in a while, but i felt like putting this up. The Oscars are tonight, and i've had a lot of trouble with my predictions. i simply don't want to admit that certain things are likely to win because there are something i think deserve it more. So here is my ideal winners list, if only i picked them. The only nominated films i've not seen are The Visitor (nominated for best actor, Richard Jenkins), Defiance(nominated best music score, James Newton Howard), and Bolt (nominated for best animated feature).
Picture - The Reader. i know Slumdog Millionaire is supposed to win, but this one really stuck with me for a few days after watching it. It actually affected me, and it's not terribly easy for movies to do that.
Actor - Sean Penn in Milk. i'd be fine if Mickey Rourke wins, but i lean just a little towards Penn on this one. i've got a feeling, though, that if i see The Visitor i might be pulling for Richard Jenkins. But tonight i'm with Penn.
Actress - Kate Winslet in The Reader. Because she deserves it, frankly. i think it's the best performance in the category. Melissa Leo is a fairly close second (and there are apparently some murmurs of an upset from her tonight), but for me, it's gotta be Winslet.
Supporting Actor - Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight. Again, because he deserves it. as much as i loved Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder, Ledger is simply amazing here.
Supporting Actress - Viola Davis in Doubt. By far the most difficult role in the film, and she nailed it. i'll be okay if Penelope Cruz wins for Vicky Christina Barcelona, but Davis takes her ten minutes on screen and makes the movie work.
Director - Danny Boyle
Original Screenplay - Milk (though i'd love to see Wall-E win it)
Adapted Screenplay - Slumdog Millionaire (or i wouldn't mind Doubt, but that won't happen)
Now we're gonna get into the technical and artistic categories. Some of them are more obvious than others, but again, these are just gonna be the ones i think deserve it most.
Cinematography - The Dark Knight
Editing - The Dark Knight (Slumdog Millionaire is a close 2nd)
Art Direction - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Costume Design - The Duchess (or The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
Makeup - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Score - Wall-E. i know Slumdog is the frontrunner, but i love this score, and think it does more for the movie than Slumdog's score. for instance, the first 20-30 minutes of Wall-E have no dialogue - the music has probably half the responsibility in carrying the story along, and it does it almost without even letting you know it's there. it's such a naturally integrated part of the movie, and i think it deserves this one because of it.
Song - "Down to Earth" from Wall-E. i just like the song a little better, and i kind of want Wall-E to get as many as it can, but i won't be devastated if "Jai Ho" from Slumdog wins, just as long as it's not "O Saya."
Sound - The Dark Knight (or Wall-E)
Sound Editing - The Dark Knight (or Slumdog Millionaire)
Visual Effects - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Animated - Wall-E
That's what i want to happen. Deal with it.
Picture - The Reader. i know Slumdog Millionaire is supposed to win, but this one really stuck with me for a few days after watching it. It actually affected me, and it's not terribly easy for movies to do that.
Actor - Sean Penn in Milk. i'd be fine if Mickey Rourke wins, but i lean just a little towards Penn on this one. i've got a feeling, though, that if i see The Visitor i might be pulling for Richard Jenkins. But tonight i'm with Penn.
Actress - Kate Winslet in The Reader. Because she deserves it, frankly. i think it's the best performance in the category. Melissa Leo is a fairly close second (and there are apparently some murmurs of an upset from her tonight), but for me, it's gotta be Winslet.
Supporting Actor - Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight. Again, because he deserves it. as much as i loved Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder, Ledger is simply amazing here.
Supporting Actress - Viola Davis in Doubt. By far the most difficult role in the film, and she nailed it. i'll be okay if Penelope Cruz wins for Vicky Christina Barcelona, but Davis takes her ten minutes on screen and makes the movie work.
Director - Danny Boyle
Original Screenplay - Milk (though i'd love to see Wall-E win it)
Adapted Screenplay - Slumdog Millionaire (or i wouldn't mind Doubt, but that won't happen)
Now we're gonna get into the technical and artistic categories. Some of them are more obvious than others, but again, these are just gonna be the ones i think deserve it most.
Cinematography - The Dark Knight
Editing - The Dark Knight (Slumdog Millionaire is a close 2nd)
Art Direction - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Costume Design - The Duchess (or The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
Makeup - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Score - Wall-E. i know Slumdog is the frontrunner, but i love this score, and think it does more for the movie than Slumdog's score. for instance, the first 20-30 minutes of Wall-E have no dialogue - the music has probably half the responsibility in carrying the story along, and it does it almost without even letting you know it's there. it's such a naturally integrated part of the movie, and i think it deserves this one because of it.
Song - "Down to Earth" from Wall-E. i just like the song a little better, and i kind of want Wall-E to get as many as it can, but i won't be devastated if "Jai Ho" from Slumdog wins, just as long as it's not "O Saya."
Sound - The Dark Knight (or Wall-E)
Sound Editing - The Dark Knight (or Slumdog Millionaire)
Visual Effects - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Animated - Wall-E
That's what i want to happen. Deal with it.
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