So I was pretty bored with The Golden Globe Awards this past week. I was happy to see Eddie Murphy and Sacha Baron Cohen win some stuff, but I didn’t like Ugly Betty stealing the television comedy award from The Office. The acceptance speeches were pretty lackluster, except for Borat and Hugh Laurie. But who really cares about The Golden Globes, they are only voted by the Hollywood Foreign Press; it’s the Emmys and the Oscars that raise the bar. And speaking of Oscars, the nominations will be coming out on Tuesday morning. I thought I would try my luck and predict who will be nominated by the academy this year. Bear in mind that these are not all the ones I want in the race but what I think Hollywood will do. I have added my own single submission for consideration, but it’s a little late for that.
Here they are:
My Brave Oscar Nomination Predictions
Best Picture
Babel, The Departed, Dreamgirls, Little Miss Sunshine, Pan’s Labyrinth
For Your Consideration: Thank You For Smoking
Best Actor
Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat), Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed), Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson), Peter O’Toole (Venus), Forrest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland)
For Your Consideration: Aaron Eckhart (Thank You for Smoking)
Best Actress
Penelope Cruz (Volver), Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal), Helen Mirren (The Queen), Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada), Kate Winslet (Little Children)
For Your Consideration: Maggie Gyllenhaal (Sherrybaby)
Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine), Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond), Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls), Jack Nicholson (The Departed), Brad Pitt (Babel)
For Your Consideration: Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine)
Best Supporting Actress
Adriana Barrazati (Babel), Cate Blanchett (Notes on a Scandal), Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine), Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls), Rinko Kikuchi (Babel)
For Your Consideration: Catherine O’Hara (For Your Consideration)
Best Director
Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth), Clint Eastwood (Letters from Iwo Jima), Paul Greengrass (United 93), Alejandro Gonzalaz Inarritu (Babel), Martin Scorsese (The Departed)
For Your Conisderation: Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking)
Best Foreign Film
Apocalypto, Letters from Iwo Jima, The Lives of Others, Pan’s Labyrinth, Volver
For Your Consideration: ?
Best Animated Feature Film
Cars, Monster House, A Scanner Darkly
For Your Consideration: Ice Age: The Meltdown
Best Song
A Father’s Way (The Pursuit of Happyness), Listen (Dreamgirls), Never Gonna Break My Faith (Bobby), A Song of the Heart (Happy Feet), Try Not Remember (Home of the Brave)
For Your Consideration: O Kazakhstan (Borat)
Best Musical Score
Apocalytpto, Babel, Blood Diamond, The Fountain, The Painted Veil
For Your Consideration: Little Miss Sunshine
Best Original Screenplay
Babel, Little Miss Sunshine, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Queen, Stranger Than Fiction
For Your Consideration: Brick
Best Adapted Screenplay
Children of Men, The Departed, Little Children, Notes on a Scandal, Thank You For Smoking
For Your Consideration: Borat
Best Art Direction
Babel, The Departed, Dreamgirls, The Painted Veil, Pan’s Labyrinth
For Your Consideration: Lucky Number Slevin
Best Cinematography
Babel, The Departed, Dreamgirls, Letters from Iwo Jima, Pan’s Labyrinth
For Your Consideration: The Fountain
Best Film Editing
Babel, The Departed, Dreamgirls, The Fountain, Thank You For Smoking
For Your Consideration: Brick
Best Costume
The Devil Wears Prada, Dreamgirls, Letters from Iwo Jima, Marie Antoinette, The Painted Veil
For Your Consideration: Little Miss Sunshine
Best Make Up
The Devil Wears Prada, Dreamgirls, The Fountain, Marie Antoinette, Pan’s Labyrinth
For Your Consideration: Little Miss Sunshine
Best Sound
The Departed, Dreamgirls, Poseidon, Superman Returns, United 93
Four Your Conisderation: Stranger Than Fiction
Best Sound Editing
Poseidon, Superman Returns, United 93
For Your Consideration: Children of Men
Best Visual Effects
The Fountain, Pan’s Labyrinth, Superman Returns
For Your Consideration: The Prestige
I’m not going to bother with Documentaries or the Short Films because I have no idea, but I do guarentee that The Inconvenient Truth will make it into the documentary category and probably win. My next blog will most likely be focusing on the some of the recent films and shows I have seen and wished I had put on my Top 10 of 2006 like: Children of Men, Brick and Dexter. Till next time . . .
Friday, January 19, 2007
Friday, January 05, 2007
The Movie Onslaught, Part II
Let the onslaught of movies continue. Some of these were watched after December 31st, hence them not being on my Top Ten of 2006. I hate messing with list after I finish it. Anyway, here are the next mini-reviews.
I had a hard time sitting through Blood Diamond. It was not because of the running time at 2 hours and 22 minutes. At first I was annoyed at the drawn-out ending until I remembered the true story being told had not been completed yet. It wasn’t because of the acting. Leonardo DiCaprio gives another powerhouse performance despite some wavering in his accent. Djimon Hounsou, commands every scene he is in and should be getting the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his efforts. I had a hard time sitting through Blood Diamond because of the subject matter. What got to me more than the diamonds funding civil wars, was the disgusting human nature that has adults and kids alike shooting innocent people. I have a hard time understanding how people can behave this way. Blood Diamond reminded me of Hotel Rwanda but this film left me with even less faith in humanity. I do think this film is important and powerful (with the exception of its bland love story) and is worth watching; just brace yourself for the depravity.
The cast of Bobby is quite impressive. It looks like writer/director Emilio Estevez called in every favor in order to create his ultimate roster. He called on a fellow Brat Packer (Demi Moore), a fellow Mighty Duck (Joshua Jackson) and even his dad (Martin Sheen) to help him with his debut. And while Estevez tried to go all Robert Altman with multiple storylines centering on the day of Robert Kennedy’s assassination at the Ambassador Hotel, he fell quite short. It became more a game of spot the actor rather than engaging us in meaningful stories. I will admit that the last ten minutes of film were well put together and it made me wish that Estevez had used that as a benchmark for the rest of his film. Surprisingly, out of all the big name actors, the one that drew me in was the ‘lowly’ Latino busboy, played by Freddy Rodriguez (Six Feet Under, Poseidon). Go figure.
Watching Babel, I was reminded of Alejandro Inarritu’s previous effort, 21 Grams, and Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic, and that’s not bad company to be in. I found the four interwoven stories to be interesting, powerful and aggravating all at the same time. Brad Pitt gave another wonderful performance but the stand-out acting comes from three of the foreign actors. Adriana Barraza, as the Mexican maid, and Boubker Ait El Caid, as a sharp-shooting Moroccan boy, perfectly evoke sympathy with their commitment to family and frustration in their careless actions. Ultimately, it’s Rinko Kikuchi who steals the show with her powerful acting without saying a word as a rebellious, promiscuous deaf girl. The story is nicely paced with scenes jumping from one to another at appropriate times (The Fountain should have taken notes). Inarritu also tells his compelling story with some beautiful images including a nicely edited club sequence shown through a deaf girl’s eyes. I highly recommend renting this one on DVD and experiencing it for yourself.
Steven Soderbergh, as a director, can be very hot (Erin Brokovich, Traffic) or very cold (Solaris); his newest film, The Good German is definitely luke warm. George Clooney and Cate Blanchett give intriguing, convincing performances and smaller roles given to Leland Orser as a despicable cop and Robin Weigert as a saucy whore are both done with flair. However, Tobey Maguire as a tough, underhanded driver is poorly miscast. He’s too boyish to be believable; the role should have gone to someone like Barry Pepper or Scott Caan. Soderbergh’s story about post-war secrets and defections tries to go for the classic film noir feel but falls miserable short. A good noir film needs dark shadows and gritty images, not bland black & white drivel. The establishing shots look like documentary footage instead of the genre-defining water-soaked sidewalks lit by street lamps. And many of the actors find their faces getting bleached instead of darkened. Granted, Soderbergh does a beautiful homage to Casablanca (hence the poster) in its closing scene, but ‘the big revelation’ payoff is highly disappointing. So while there may be some nice performances in The Good German, I would away from this like a big steaming bowl of sauerkraut.
I might still do a Movie Onslaught, Part III featuring Flags of our Fathers, Letters From Iwo Jima, and For Your Consideration, but I'm having a hard time finding these film in theatres.
I had a hard time sitting through Blood Diamond. It was not because of the running time at 2 hours and 22 minutes. At first I was annoyed at the drawn-out ending until I remembered the true story being told had not been completed yet. It wasn’t because of the acting. Leonardo DiCaprio gives another powerhouse performance despite some wavering in his accent. Djimon Hounsou, commands every scene he is in and should be getting the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his efforts. I had a hard time sitting through Blood Diamond because of the subject matter. What got to me more than the diamonds funding civil wars, was the disgusting human nature that has adults and kids alike shooting innocent people. I have a hard time understanding how people can behave this way. Blood Diamond reminded me of Hotel Rwanda but this film left me with even less faith in humanity. I do think this film is important and powerful (with the exception of its bland love story) and is worth watching; just brace yourself for the depravity.
The cast of Bobby is quite impressive. It looks like writer/director Emilio Estevez called in every favor in order to create his ultimate roster. He called on a fellow Brat Packer (Demi Moore), a fellow Mighty Duck (Joshua Jackson) and even his dad (Martin Sheen) to help him with his debut. And while Estevez tried to go all Robert Altman with multiple storylines centering on the day of Robert Kennedy’s assassination at the Ambassador Hotel, he fell quite short. It became more a game of spot the actor rather than engaging us in meaningful stories. I will admit that the last ten minutes of film were well put together and it made me wish that Estevez had used that as a benchmark for the rest of his film. Surprisingly, out of all the big name actors, the one that drew me in was the ‘lowly’ Latino busboy, played by Freddy Rodriguez (Six Feet Under, Poseidon). Go figure.
Watching Babel, I was reminded of Alejandro Inarritu’s previous effort, 21 Grams, and Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic, and that’s not bad company to be in. I found the four interwoven stories to be interesting, powerful and aggravating all at the same time. Brad Pitt gave another wonderful performance but the stand-out acting comes from three of the foreign actors. Adriana Barraza, as the Mexican maid, and Boubker Ait El Caid, as a sharp-shooting Moroccan boy, perfectly evoke sympathy with their commitment to family and frustration in their careless actions. Ultimately, it’s Rinko Kikuchi who steals the show with her powerful acting without saying a word as a rebellious, promiscuous deaf girl. The story is nicely paced with scenes jumping from one to another at appropriate times (The Fountain should have taken notes). Inarritu also tells his compelling story with some beautiful images including a nicely edited club sequence shown through a deaf girl’s eyes. I highly recommend renting this one on DVD and experiencing it for yourself.
Steven Soderbergh, as a director, can be very hot (Erin Brokovich, Traffic) or very cold (Solaris); his newest film, The Good German is definitely luke warm. George Clooney and Cate Blanchett give intriguing, convincing performances and smaller roles given to Leland Orser as a despicable cop and Robin Weigert as a saucy whore are both done with flair. However, Tobey Maguire as a tough, underhanded driver is poorly miscast. He’s too boyish to be believable; the role should have gone to someone like Barry Pepper or Scott Caan. Soderbergh’s story about post-war secrets and defections tries to go for the classic film noir feel but falls miserable short. A good noir film needs dark shadows and gritty images, not bland black & white drivel. The establishing shots look like documentary footage instead of the genre-defining water-soaked sidewalks lit by street lamps. And many of the actors find their faces getting bleached instead of darkened. Granted, Soderbergh does a beautiful homage to Casablanca (hence the poster) in its closing scene, but ‘the big revelation’ payoff is highly disappointing. So while there may be some nice performances in The Good German, I would away from this like a big steaming bowl of sauerkraut.I might still do a Movie Onslaught, Part III featuring Flags of our Fathers, Letters From Iwo Jima, and For Your Consideration, but I'm having a hard time finding these film in theatres.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
2007 Movie Preview
Wanna know what’s coming out this year? Did some research and came up with a list of 25 films that I’m interested in seeing in 2007. My quick opinions are based solely on trailers, plot descriptions and director/actor pedigree. (All dates are tentative, especially the later ones).
1. Smokin’ Aces (Jan 26) – Looks like Slevin but more action-packed.
2. The Number 23 (Feb 23) – Jim Carrey looks creepy, hope it works
3. Zodiac (Mar 2) – Love David Fincher’s work, dark as it may be
4. 300 (Mar 9) – The trailer alone is worth ten bucks. You gotta see it!
5. Fast Track (Mar 9) – Zach Braff & Jason Bateman? I’m there!
6. Blades of Glory (Mar 30) – Will Ferrell & Jon Heder are figure skaters, ‘Nuff said.
7. Grindhouse (Apr 6) – Tarantino & Rodriguez double feature. Wowsers!
8. The TV Set (Apr 6) – Comedy about making a TV sitcom. It was made just for me.
9. Spiderman 3 (May 4) – I don’t think they can screw this up.
10. Pirates III (May 25) – I guess I should find out what happens next.
11. Knocked Up (June 1) – The 40 Year Old Virgin team on parenthood.
12. Ocean’s 13 (June 8) – Looks fun, but I also said that about Ocean’s 12.
13. Evan Almighty (June 22) – Steve Carrell builds an ark. Should be funny.
14. Ratatouille (June 29) – I’ll give Pixar the benefit of the doubt.
15. Transformers (July 4) – Michael Bay. Expolosions. Optimus Prime.
16. Harry Potter V (July 13) – The franchise is growing on me
17. I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (July 20) It’s Alexander Payne.
18. The Simpsons Movie (July 27) – Mmmmm, full length feature.
19. Rush Hour 3 (Aug 10) – Liked the first two, bring on the third
20. Fan Boys (Aug 17) – Star Wars geeks unite! Might suck, but I’ll go anyway.
21. Bee Movie (Nov 2) –Seinfeld writes and stars in this animated movie. I’ll bee there.
22. American Gangster (Nov 2) – Ridely Scott. Denzel Washington. Russell Crowe.
23. Fred Claus (Nov 9) – Vince Vaughn as Santa’s brother. Need I say more?
24. Beowulf (Nov 16) – Let’s see what Robert Zemekis can do with the story.
25. I Am Legend (Dec 14) – Will Smith is the last human alive in this sci-fi flick.
As with previous years, I assume many independent films will end up beating most of these big-budget flicks into my 2007 top tens, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
1. Smokin’ Aces (Jan 26) – Looks like Slevin but more action-packed.
2. The Number 23 (Feb 23) – Jim Carrey looks creepy, hope it works
3. Zodiac (Mar 2) – Love David Fincher’s work, dark as it may be
4. 300 (Mar 9) – The trailer alone is worth ten bucks. You gotta see it!
5. Fast Track (Mar 9) – Zach Braff & Jason Bateman? I’m there!
6. Blades of Glory (Mar 30) – Will Ferrell & Jon Heder are figure skaters, ‘Nuff said.
7. Grindhouse (Apr 6) – Tarantino & Rodriguez double feature. Wowsers!
8. The TV Set (Apr 6) – Comedy about making a TV sitcom. It was made just for me.
9. Spiderman 3 (May 4) – I don’t think they can screw this up.
10. Pirates III (May 25) – I guess I should find out what happens next.
11. Knocked Up (June 1) – The 40 Year Old Virgin team on parenthood.
12. Ocean’s 13 (June 8) – Looks fun, but I also said that about Ocean’s 12.
13. Evan Almighty (June 22) – Steve Carrell builds an ark. Should be funny.
14. Ratatouille (June 29) – I’ll give Pixar the benefit of the doubt.
15. Transformers (July 4) – Michael Bay. Expolosions. Optimus Prime.
16. Harry Potter V (July 13) – The franchise is growing on me
17. I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (July 20) It’s Alexander Payne.
18. The Simpsons Movie (July 27) – Mmmmm, full length feature.
19. Rush Hour 3 (Aug 10) – Liked the first two, bring on the third
20. Fan Boys (Aug 17) – Star Wars geeks unite! Might suck, but I’ll go anyway.
21. Bee Movie (Nov 2) –Seinfeld writes and stars in this animated movie. I’ll bee there.
22. American Gangster (Nov 2) – Ridely Scott. Denzel Washington. Russell Crowe.
23. Fred Claus (Nov 9) – Vince Vaughn as Santa’s brother. Need I say more?
24. Beowulf (Nov 16) – Let’s see what Robert Zemekis can do with the story.
25. I Am Legend (Dec 14) – Will Smith is the last human alive in this sci-fi flick.
As with previous years, I assume many independent films will end up beating most of these big-budget flicks into my 2007 top tens, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
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