Check out this clip from ‘Extras’, where Kate Winslet gets spookily prescient with her reasoning behind choosing to star in a ‘Holocaust movie’ (like ‘The Reader’, for which she just won the Best Actress Academy Award):
Clever girl. I’m sure Cuba Gooding Jnr has his agent on the phone at the moment….
First off, a big thanks to Channel 9 for making me so pissed off I couldn’t even be bothered blogging about the Oscars yesterday. I’d love to know which moron thought it would be a great idea to a) run an episode of Underbelly 2 beforehand, pushing the start time back to 9:30 p.m., and b) cut up the show like Edward Scissorhands, excluding plenty of major awards (no screenwriting awards, no documentary awards) and ruining the flow of the show. Bravo idiots.
I only realised when they got to the major awards that this was why the rhythm of the show was so off; would it have hurt to let the whole three and a half hours play out? The diehards want to watch it all – in fact, some like me plan whole evenings around it. If the late finish was such a worry, why not hold off on Underbelly for one frikkin’ night?
Anyway, as far as the show itself went, my feelings were mixed. Here’s my pros and cons of the 81st Oscars:
+ Hugh Jackman
Brought real showmanship to the hosting role, surprisingly confident, had a good repartee with the audience members he talked to. Definitely did not embarrass himself but…
- Hugh Jackman
Not especially funny, not all that great on the improv front, and we hardly saw him thanks to Scissorhands. A solid B- in my opinion. I personally like the presenters with comedy chops, but in a perfect world they would also have a dash of Hugh Jackman’s showmanship.
+ The Opening
Embracing the dismal economy in the opening musical sequence should have been funny, and it was at times – especially when they brought Anne Hathaway into the mix – but….
- The Opening
I like my Oscars to take themselves a little seriously. They’re not the MTV Movie Awards. They should have honour and dignity and a lot of the show felt like this had been forgotten by the new producers. Also the effects of these terrible economic times seemed to permeate the whole show, making it look very cheap and Rock Eisteddfod at times.
+ The five award presenters gimmick
Didn’t like it to begin with, yet I think it grew on me as the show progressed. But….
- The five award presenters gimmick
It only works when the person speaking is genuine and not just a robot regurgitating stuff off the teleprompter… or getting the nominees name wrong, like Alan Arkin did with ‘Seymour Phillip Hoffman’. Plus I missed seeing clips from the nominated performances.
+ The intimate audience arrangement
Liked the new arrangement of the Kodak Theatre and the smaller stage.
- The Tacky ‘Sale of the Century’ nomination prop set-ups
How bad was the camera movement over the prop set-ups for art direction etc? And the camera movement during the ‘In Memoriam’ sequence, not to mention Queen Latifah singing. Ugh.
+ Kate Winslet’s win
Absolutely well deserved, and a nice speech to accompany it. And no ‘I can’t believe it’ histrionics.
- Penelope Cruz’s win
I’m not really entitled to comment on this, because I haven’t yet seen ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’, but Cruz’s Best Supporting Actress win seem to be the token “hot chick” win, like Marion Cottilard last year. I will be surprised if her performance is anywhere near Viola Davis or Taraji P. Henson.
+ John Mayer
Sitting next to Jennifer Aniston. Not for me, but for my wife who got all hot and bothered everytime they cut to Mayer’s row.
- The ‘Return of the Musical’What the hell was the relevance of the ‘Return of the Musical’ sequence? It felt like just a gratuitous excuse for Hugh to sing and dance. Since when did the musical ever go away? Apparently Baz Luhrmann directed this onstage Cluster F. Reverse Midas touch?
+ Heath’s win
Had to shed a tear at that one. Still hard to believe we are never going to see another full movie from this brilliant actor at the top of his game.
- Greasy Reece
Five words that do not sit well with me: “Academy Award Winner Reece Witherspoon”.
+ ‘Slumdog’ and ‘Button’ splitting technical awards
Nice to see ‘Button’ pick up make-up and effects awards, as those two needed to go hand-in-hand for Fincher’s revolutionary technique to work, but I was also happy with a ‘Slumdog’ win for cinematography and editing.
- “Salute to” sequences
Hated the cheap looking titles, hated the editing, hated the musical accompaniment. Again, it felt like I was watching the MTV Movie Awards. Shouldn’t the Oscars be a bit classier than the Golden Globes?
+ Sean Penn’s win
His transformation into Harvey Milk was the most ‘active’ character role he’s played in years, and the beating heart of that great film but….
- Mickey Rourke’s loss
That being said, I still think Rourke was a more deserving choice. His Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson was a rebirth, a rising from the ashes, and an unforgettable, gut-wrenching performance. I get the feeling he’s burnt too many bridges in his years in the wilderness.
+ A.R. Rahman
What a legend. Not only does he win Best Original Score, he’s back onstage 30 seconds later to perform not one but two songs from ‘Slumdog’. Now that is show business.
+ Best Actor Nominees
I would have to say that this batch of nominees was hands down the best five ever nominated for that award. The only year (of my generation) that would come close would be 1994 - Morgan Freeman’s ‘Red’ from Shawshank, vs. Tom Hank’s ‘Gump’ vs. John Travolta’s ‘Vincent Vega’ (and Paul Newman and Nigel Hawthorne along for the ride).
+ Danny Boyle’s Best Director win
Boyle is a class act, and probably the most versatile director working today. I love that the director of a zombie film can also take out a Best Director at the Oscars.
- Best Picture?
Will we really look back on ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ in 10 years time and go “Wow. Now that was a deserving Best Picture.” I personally don’t think so. I think it’s more likely we will file it in the ‘Crash’ zone; good film that snuck by a more deserving winner on its sheer likeability.
This post was drafted but not posted last week, before my server went down….
Apparently Mel Gibson is sporting this interesting new look for an upcoming movie.
Are we sure it’s not a Colonel Sanders bio-pic?
It didn’t take long for Jimmy Kimmel live to beat me to the punch….
“Finger Lickin’ Dead.” Love it.
Hey there fellow Real Topeka People… the site seems to have fallen behind a bit since the server hiccup last week, so expect a bunch of catch up posts from my sister site The Daily Mojo shortly….
I don’t view George Lucas as ‘the Antichrist’, or think that he ‘raped my childhood’, but I can agree with a lot of the sentiment in the trailer for this upcoming documentary. Particularly the evident disappointment in the voice of the subject who reveals Lucas’ ‘pile of scripts’ that he really wanted to make but never did. It’s crazy to make him into a deity for what was 15 years of well-made popcorn films (a period spanning ‘American Graffiti’ to ‘The Last Crusade’), but it’s also clear that his output in recent years has been devoid of the ingenuity and obvious love for storytelling that marked his early works. Perhaps one day he will return to those ‘passion projects’. With his power and wealth, there really seems to be no excuse for him to do so, but fear.
And sure, I’m not accusing him of defiling my childhood but I would like my $15 and two hours back after last years ‘Crystal Skull’ travesty (I’m laying most of the blame on Lucas, not Spielberg, as he was apparently the brains behind the imbecilic plot). This ‘trailer’ is pretty much how I remember the film (spoiler warning):
I still contend that ‘vine swinging with the monkeys’ sequence was the worst part of that film, but this ‘trailer’ reminds me that it has stiff competition.
Again I’m way late to the party on these guys, but I’m falling in love with The Hold Steady from Brooklyn, U.S.A.
This is ‘Chips Ahoy!’ (horrible song name) from their ‘Boys And Girls In America’ album. It gives you a taste of what The Hold Steady is about; catchy riffs, singalong choruses, bombastic sonics. Lead singer Craig Finn’s voice is a little abrasive, but not without charm. To me they’re like a dirtier, rockier Counting Crows with vocal grit and a dash of Springsteen’s Americana.
Next mission is to check out their latest album ‘Stay Positive’.
John Patrick Shanley’s ‘Doubt’ is definitely an actor’s film, which should come as no surprise to those who have made note of it’s four acting nominations in this years Oscars. I use the term ‘actor’s film’ in both a complimentary and slightly perjorative way. The film’s relatively thin plot means its success relies upon the talent of its minimal cast, but its also an opportunity to showcase the suspense that can be generated by a simple study of human behaviour.
At the film’s heart is the conflict beween a suspicion of paedophilia and a declaration of innocence; more specifically, the accusations of the icy Sister Aloysius, played by Meryl Streep, and the rebuttal of Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s genial priest, Father Flynn. Caught in the middle of this battle is the naive Sister James, a young teacher played by Amy Adams whose shifting allegiances mirror the audience.
Set in the Bronx in 1964, ‘Doubt’ still feels contemporary and relevant. Flynn and Aloysius are such polar opposites that their clash feels greater than the dark allegations at its root; it is also a conflict beween conservatism and liberalism, between caution and trust, between optimism and pessimism.
Adapted from his play, Shanley attempts to open the film up from its theatrical roots with some excellent cinematography by Roger Deakins, but the film still feels hemmed in by the limitations of its inspiration. The central cast are all excellent, as is the Oscar nominated Viola Davis as Mrs. Miller, the mother of the young boy whose special attention from Flynn has aroused Aloysius’ distrust. It’s fascinating to see how the nature’s of the characters tilts your perception of the accusation; it’s easy to see Streep’s cold and passive aggressive Sister Aloysius as paranoid and difficult to see any impropriety in Hoffman’s gentle, nurturing teaching. But still the doubt remains…
It’s a brooding film, yet disquieting in a thoughtful way. I don’t believe it is in the same class as the other films nominated for Best Picture this year, mainly due to the limited scope of its story, but it is a showcase of some brilliant acting and a few quietly devastating character moments. It won’t lose any of it’s effect on DVD either. Definitely worth viewing.
Ahhhhh Wilco. When do you ever not bring a smile to my face?
This track, from their amazing ‘Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’ album, is just a perfect love song in my opinion. I can totally dig Jeff Tweedy’s wish that communicating love was as simple as taking someone’s hand, not the dizzying brain swirl of trying to put it in to words.
Wow. Performance piece or pure discomfort and apathy? Publicity stunt or reluctant fulfilment of contractual obligation?
Whatever side of the coin you land on (and I’d love to hear opinions), Joaquin Phoenix’s Letterman appearance will certainly go down as one of the most memorable. The vitriol directed at him by Letterman and the crowd was definitely not staged in my opinion.
Phoenix has been riding a wave of publicity since his announcement that ‘Two Lovers’, the film he was ‘promoting’ on Letterman, would be his last as an actor. Back in January he announced he was giving up film to focus on music, more specifically a hip-hop album that Sean Combs was producing. Casey Affleck then announced his debut film as director would be a ‘documentary’ of this process.
The skeptical reaction to Phoenix’s shambolic publicity appearances in the last few weeks is that Affleck and Phoenix are crafting a subversive Andy-Kauffman-meets-Borat style mockumentary and this is all fodder for the cameras.
My personal opinion is that Joaquin has probably had enough of the movie business ‘game’ and wanted something different creatively. Affleck could probably see the appealing drama and conflict inherent in this move, particularly the inevitable media backlash, and saw that it would provide some interesting material for a documentary. I don’t think Phoenix is making a calculated attempt to create comedy out of his new persona; I think he is simply holding up a mirror to show how we treat celebrities who no longer fit into the mold we have built for them. He’s clearly frustrated and angered by the Letterman audience, who it should be said are acting like cretins. His ‘what are they on?’ line had me nodding in sympathy. Dave was no doubt pissed, but isn’t Phoenix simply pointing out the fallacy of many of these talk show ‘interviews’; with no intention to ’sell’ something, his presence is superfluous.
Then again, this could all turn out to be an elaborate prank and I just got punk’d. But I somehow don’t think so….
Sorry for the lack of posts this week, been inundated with real work and in the little down time remaining been hard at work on a little project that should see the light of day next week. So expect a few catch-up posts today.
First up, here’s the first teaser trailer for Quentin Tarantino’s bombastic World War II actioner, ‘Inglourious Basterds’:
It’s not due for U.S. release until August, so I expect we will see more in the next few months. Jeffrey Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere called the script “pure popcorn, pure shit-kickin’ Quentin, pure movie poontang.”
Eli Roth, director of ‘Cabin Fever’ and ‘Hostel’ and pal of QT is acting in this one (he’s the weaselly guy with the evil smirk, the one swinging the baseball bat) and I will be interested to see what he brings to the other side of the camera.