I have a party to host, so just a quick run-down of how I think it's gonna go:
PICTURE: The Hurt Locker
DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow
ACTOR: Jeff Bridges
ACTRESS: Gabourey Sidibe
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christoph Waltz
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mo'Nique
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Up in the Air
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: The Hurt Locker
SCORE: Up
SONG: The Weary Kind
CINEMATOGRAPHY: The Hurt Locker
EDITING: Avatar
COSTUME: The Young Victoria
MAKEUP: Star Trek
SOUND: Avatar gets both
VISUAL EFFECTS: Avatar
ART DIRECTION: Avatar
FOREIGN: El secreto de sus ojos
DOCUMENTARY: The Cove
ANIMATED: Up
SHORT DOC: China's Natural Disaster
SHORT ANIMATED: Logorama
SHORT LIVE: The New Tenants
Showing posts with label Crazy Heart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crazy Heart. Show all posts
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Crazy Hearts in the Air for Precious Performances! Nine!
It is with great honor that I direct you to this Sunday's edition of StinkyLulu's Supporting Actress Smackdown. Looking at this year's batch of Oscar nominees, the result is kind of...inevitable. You'll see it on there, of course, but for me, it was no contest. Thanks, of course, to StinkyLulu for once again graciously inviting me to take part in this most exciting of Smackdowns.
I wanted to see how my ratings for now compared to my initial reactions.
My lowest score, one heart, went to Maggie Gyllenhaal. As I wrote:
Maggie Gyllenhaal is fine, playing a vulnerable young woman who always seems to be attracted to the wrong guy. She does not want to love Bridges, but she falls for him, and takes the risk. Sometimes, though, she looks like she wishes she could do more. It doesn't help that the editing, or maybe the screenplay itself, seems to cut most developments, including what attracts her to Bad Blake.
Two hearts to Anna Kendrick, whose nomination still flummoxes me. When I first saw her movie:
Kendrick has certain moments where she shines, reminding me why I like her in Rocket Science and tolerate her in the Twilight movies. But her Natalie Keener is shrill, whiny, and cliched. Some of her dialogue, God help me, sounds like lines written for the middle daughter in Dan in Real Life. As for that breakdown scene midway through the film? Yikes. Talk about overplaying the comedy. She is the least consistent out of all the actors, and there seems to be no throughline for her character. It's all moments. While I didn't hate her, and while I definitely (DEFINITELY) still love the movie, Kendrick's Natalie gets a shake of the head from me.
Penelope Cruz, upon reflection, got three hearts. As I said in my review of her film:
Penelope Cruz is, naturally, sexy and funny, and also surprisingly vulnerable as the mistress. "Call from the Vatican" is a hot number as it is, but Cruz just sizzles. Bring the vapors.
I gave four hearts to Vera Farmiga. My initial reaction:
Vera Farmiga is smart, sexy and confident as Alex, who describes herself to Ryan Bingham as "you, but with a vagina." You love her. You must. I certainly fell for her, and so of course I'm rooting for the coupling all throughout. There are sweet moments between her and Clooney that are charmingly understated. Farmiga gives one of the most relatable, believable performances of the year.
Of course, in lock-step with the Globes, Critics and SAG, my five hearts were awarded to Mo'Nique:
Mo'Nique is her mother Mary. Ho. Ly. Crap.... Mo'Nique...is the mom from Hell. I had chills. Her first monologue, raw and abusive, dropped my jaw. Her final monologue gave me goosebumps. Mark these two on your ballots, people; they're in.
I think my opinion of Gyllenhaal lowers the more I reflect on the movie, whereas after a second viewing, Mo'Nique just gets better and better. Please also note: this is the first time I've ran th whole gamut of hearts. An interesting year, this.
But why read all that when you can just see what the Smackdowners have to say?
I wanted to see how my ratings for now compared to my initial reactions.
My lowest score, one heart, went to Maggie Gyllenhaal. As I wrote:
Maggie Gyllenhaal is fine, playing a vulnerable young woman who always seems to be attracted to the wrong guy. She does not want to love Bridges, but she falls for him, and takes the risk. Sometimes, though, she looks like she wishes she could do more. It doesn't help that the editing, or maybe the screenplay itself, seems to cut most developments, including what attracts her to Bad Blake.
Two hearts to Anna Kendrick, whose nomination still flummoxes me. When I first saw her movie:
Kendrick has certain moments where she shines, reminding me why I like her in Rocket Science and tolerate her in the Twilight movies. But her Natalie Keener is shrill, whiny, and cliched. Some of her dialogue, God help me, sounds like lines written for the middle daughter in Dan in Real Life. As for that breakdown scene midway through the film? Yikes. Talk about overplaying the comedy. She is the least consistent out of all the actors, and there seems to be no throughline for her character. It's all moments. While I didn't hate her, and while I definitely (DEFINITELY) still love the movie, Kendrick's Natalie gets a shake of the head from me.
Penelope Cruz, upon reflection, got three hearts. As I said in my review of her film:
Penelope Cruz is, naturally, sexy and funny, and also surprisingly vulnerable as the mistress. "Call from the Vatican" is a hot number as it is, but Cruz just sizzles. Bring the vapors.
I gave four hearts to Vera Farmiga. My initial reaction:
Vera Farmiga is smart, sexy and confident as Alex, who describes herself to Ryan Bingham as "you, but with a vagina." You love her. You must. I certainly fell for her, and so of course I'm rooting for the coupling all throughout. There are sweet moments between her and Clooney that are charmingly understated. Farmiga gives one of the most relatable, believable performances of the year.
Of course, in lock-step with the Globes, Critics and SAG, my five hearts were awarded to Mo'Nique:
Mo'Nique is her mother Mary. Ho. Ly. Crap.... Mo'Nique...is the mom from Hell. I had chills. Her first monologue, raw and abusive, dropped my jaw. Her final monologue gave me goosebumps. Mark these two on your ballots, people; they're in.
I think my opinion of Gyllenhaal lowers the more I reflect on the movie, whereas after a second viewing, Mo'Nique just gets better and better. Please also note: this is the first time I've ran th whole gamut of hearts. An interesting year, this.
But why read all that when you can just see what the Smackdowners have to say?
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
The Weary Movie Kind
So, I've not been letting the grass grow beneath my feet. I've actually been to the movies!
CRAZY HEART
Well, Jeff Bridges is great. It's a natural, lived-in performance that understands the man, with every gesture as natural as breathing. The music is fantastic, a marvelous soundtrack, and "The Weary Kind" deserves to win over the other nominees. But I'm still coming to terms with that ending, so different from the novel's, yet just as sincere. The novel's seemed to have a bitter ending for the sake of bitterness; the movie has an uplifting one just because, too. Can't we have the bittersweet one that this story seems to call for? It's choppy and does not completely deliver.
Maggie Gyllenhaal is fine, playing a vulnerable young woman who always seems to be attracted to the wrong guy. She does not want to love Bridges, but she falls for him, and takes the risk. Sometimes, though, she looks like she wishes she could do more. It doesn't help that the editing, or maybe the screenplay itself, seems to cut most developments, including what attracts her to Bad Blake.
SPOILERS
And I don't buy that final moment, either. It could end with him walking off as Colin Farrell sings "The Weary Kind". For Gyllenhaal to approach him after telling him to leave her alone, revealing that she's married, and everything's OK now...it just doesn't ring true for the narrative. It's like everyone thought it was just too depressing that they couldn't be together, so they at least needed a friendly interview. And then she offers to let him see her son, who he lost in the middle of fucking Houston?!? NO. Bad mom.
END SPOILERS
It's an all right movie, with plenty of moments that work because of what Jeff Bridges does. I can't find room for him on my ballot, to be honest.
THE WOLF MAN
After the debacle that was my first attempt to see it, my roommate and I finally caught the movie we'd been following since pre-production. And so, here I am, almost willing to apologize to AMC, because clearly they were trying to spare me. The werewolf sequences are cool. There's plenty of mayhem to go around. But it does nothing to serve the story. It just gathers a bunch of people together in order to off them in the grisliest manner possible. Which I'm not completely against, but it does get tedious after the fourteenth kill. Not only that, they do not work with the non-werewolf scenes.
To be fair, the non-werewolf scenes don't work at all. It's hard to believe this was Benicio del Toro's pet project, for he seems to have shown up with a gun to his head. He looks miserable, poor soul, and it's hard to detect whether he's trying for realism or camp since his line readings don't go together. And he just looks ill, like he's about to throw up. We are told he is a great Shakespearean actor in the movie, but there's no point to that detail, other than to allow Anthony Hopkins to make a few theatre jokes. The character of Lawrence Talbot is dull and lifeless, and Del Toro, with his American accent frequently losing the war with his Hispanic one, is probably the worst part of the movie. At least Hopkins and Hugo Weaving are having fun with the story, though it must be said that Hopkins appears to have too much of it. It's Hopkins hamming it up, not Sir John. Emily Blunt tries to instill some life into her stock caricature, but to no avail. Only Weaving gives a performance that perfectly balances the disparate tones of the film.
And man, do those tones work against each other. Joe Johnston even admitted that he just wanted to make a fun creature feature, while the studio wanted a more serious take on the story. And, hey, that's how the script is written. Johnston's enthusiasm for one aspect of the story causes the other, larger one to suffer. Only the asylum sequence works 100%, for like Weaving, it's the one section that knows just how serious to be and how much fun to have. But hey, at least the VFX are fine and the makeup and sound design are incredible. At least I can say that.
CRAZY HEART
Well, Jeff Bridges is great. It's a natural, lived-in performance that understands the man, with every gesture as natural as breathing. The music is fantastic, a marvelous soundtrack, and "The Weary Kind" deserves to win over the other nominees. But I'm still coming to terms with that ending, so different from the novel's, yet just as sincere. The novel's seemed to have a bitter ending for the sake of bitterness; the movie has an uplifting one just because, too. Can't we have the bittersweet one that this story seems to call for? It's choppy and does not completely deliver.
Maggie Gyllenhaal is fine, playing a vulnerable young woman who always seems to be attracted to the wrong guy. She does not want to love Bridges, but she falls for him, and takes the risk. Sometimes, though, she looks like she wishes she could do more. It doesn't help that the editing, or maybe the screenplay itself, seems to cut most developments, including what attracts her to Bad Blake.
SPOILERS
And I don't buy that final moment, either. It could end with him walking off as Colin Farrell sings "The Weary Kind". For Gyllenhaal to approach him after telling him to leave her alone, revealing that she's married, and everything's OK now...it just doesn't ring true for the narrative. It's like everyone thought it was just too depressing that they couldn't be together, so they at least needed a friendly interview. And then she offers to let him see her son, who he lost in the middle of fucking Houston?!? NO. Bad mom.
END SPOILERS
It's an all right movie, with plenty of moments that work because of what Jeff Bridges does. I can't find room for him on my ballot, to be honest.
THE WOLF MAN
After the debacle that was my first attempt to see it, my roommate and I finally caught the movie we'd been following since pre-production. And so, here I am, almost willing to apologize to AMC, because clearly they were trying to spare me. The werewolf sequences are cool. There's plenty of mayhem to go around. But it does nothing to serve the story. It just gathers a bunch of people together in order to off them in the grisliest manner possible. Which I'm not completely against, but it does get tedious after the fourteenth kill. Not only that, they do not work with the non-werewolf scenes.
To be fair, the non-werewolf scenes don't work at all. It's hard to believe this was Benicio del Toro's pet project, for he seems to have shown up with a gun to his head. He looks miserable, poor soul, and it's hard to detect whether he's trying for realism or camp since his line readings don't go together. And he just looks ill, like he's about to throw up. We are told he is a great Shakespearean actor in the movie, but there's no point to that detail, other than to allow Anthony Hopkins to make a few theatre jokes. The character of Lawrence Talbot is dull and lifeless, and Del Toro, with his American accent frequently losing the war with his Hispanic one, is probably the worst part of the movie. At least Hopkins and Hugo Weaving are having fun with the story, though it must be said that Hopkins appears to have too much of it. It's Hopkins hamming it up, not Sir John. Emily Blunt tries to instill some life into her stock caricature, but to no avail. Only Weaving gives a performance that perfectly balances the disparate tones of the film.
And man, do those tones work against each other. Joe Johnston even admitted that he just wanted to make a fun creature feature, while the studio wanted a more serious take on the story. And, hey, that's how the script is written. Johnston's enthusiasm for one aspect of the story causes the other, larger one to suffer. Only the asylum sequence works 100%, for like Weaving, it's the one section that knows just how serious to be and how much fun to have. But hey, at least the VFX are fine and the makeup and sound design are incredible. At least I can say that.
Friday, January 15, 2010
The Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, Live on VH1
OK, so I'm a little late due to The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. So you know where I am: The Jonas Brothers just played off Pete Docter for winning Animated Feature -- Up, obviously. According to Awards Daily, I missed Action Movie (Avatar), Best Supporting Actress (Mo'Nique in Precious, of course) and Best Ensemble (Inglourious Basterds).
Annnnnnd they just did an Orphan/The Lovely Bones skit. That sucked.
Josh Duhamel and Kristen Bell presenting Young Actor/Actress. Ah, plastic surgery jokes. Can we teach presenters to segue smoothly from joke to presenting. Let's see, Jae Head (sucks), Max Records (win it!), Bailee Madison (didn't see), Saoirse Ronan (didn't see), Kodi Smit-McPhee (didn't see). And....oh, Saoirse won. Cool. I mean, she's got an Oscar nom, but this is neat. I like her accent. She does a great American one, too. She's going to be a very beautiful woman.
Ah, JOHN KRASINSKI! With Amy Poehler, too. Dressed in tribute to John Hughes...but shouldn't this be Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall? Or, in a perfect world, Long Duk Dong. Some awkward cuts with the Breakfast Club joke -- Tarantino a princess? Man, is this a great montage, though. Oh, hey, Alec and Kevin! Why didn't they present? And ending with Sixteen Candles, one of the best movies ever. And now Death Cab for Cutie singing "Don't You Forget About Me". This is...odd. I'm sure everyone in there appreciates what's going on, but the whole execution is making me feel awkward. Actually, this isn't a bad cover. Ahhh, I'll allow it.
9:51PM:
The beautiful Emily Blunt is looking beautiful. I love hearing her speak. I guess she's supporting Supporting Actor. Nice tribute to Wizard of Oz, though I do not completely care for the film. Nominees: Matt Damon for Invictus (best part of the movie), Woody Harrelson for The Messenger (need to see), Christian McKay for Me and Orson Welles (missed this when it played here, btu he looks mah-velous), Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones (seeing it tomorrow), Alfred Molina in An Education (the best here so far), Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds (will win). And the award goes to Waltz, naturally.
I like the beard. Nice speech about Choices, tee-hee. Bit flowery for a Critics Choice award, but I like it.
I love Kristen Chenoweth, but this awfully embarrassing. Somebody stop this. Please put her out of her misery.
Sarah Silverman and Adam Lambert presenting....Best Comedy. Colorful joke, neat dig at the media's obsession with sexual orientation. "I love to scissor with dudes, get over it, America!" Adam's out of his depth. At the Critics Choice. Nommies: The Hangover (fun), (500) Days (winnah), It's Complicated (chah-ming!), The Proposal (nyet), Zombieland (what a great effing movie, sure to become a classic). The winner: THE HANGOVER! I am surprised. Don't they all look fancy?
The Jonas Brothers. Hm.
10:05 PM
Haha, Kristin almost makes up for that las awful skit. Zac Efron and Zoe Saldana presenting Original Song. Zefron needs to stop taking these things so seriously. I really want to see Crazy Heart. "The Weary Kind" won, too! Now an extra reason to see it: it won a BFCA award! Ryan Bingham is a dashing chap. T Bone Burnett resembles James Cameron.
Abbie Cornish and a bearded Jason Bateman presenting for Documentary. What movie is that for? Poor Abbie has been undeservedly forgotten at every precursor. No wonder she looks so unhappy. The Cove won, naturally. Haha, the director is totally awesome! I'm sorry I missed his movie!
The ad people for Nine are promoting the shit out of it, aren't they? "Please see this! Please please please!"
10:15 PM
This helium joke really works! That's hilarious! A'ight, that works!
This future joke works in places. Like that they're really tearing through these next awards (but not). Avatar won a huge bounty. A montage. How nice. Kristin Chenoweth delivering fart jokes? No thanks. So, we've skipped all the way to Adapted and Original Screenplay awards. Zachary Quinto and Claire Danes presenting. Quinto's better at this than she is.
Adapted noms: Fantastic Mr. Fox, District 9, Precious, A Single Man, An Education, Up in the Air. Seen all of them. Up in the Air wins? Yes it does! Jason Reitman goes up to accept for him and Sheldon Turner. Most heartfelt speech here.
Original noms: The Hurt Locker, A Serious Man, (500) Days of Summer, Up, Inglourious Basterds. Tarantino wins, naturally! The Jonas Brothers are really selling it.
10:29 PM
OK, New Moon joke. Let's see how this goes. The idea is funny, but...who is writing these damn skits? I love the revolving door of her outfits.
Meryl Streep! Honorign Kevin Bacon one of my favorite actors of all time. And what, he was the first BFCA Best Actor award-winner? How did I miss this? He should have, at the very least, an Oscar nom or three by now. He is one of the most reliable character actors in the business. And sixdegrees.org is a charitable website! How amazing! Of course you knew Joel Siegel, Kevin, you awesome, wonderful man. I've done Six Degrees to Kevin Bacon starting with my Great-Uncle Johnny. Johnny's sister-in-law Anna was in the same theatre as Vincent Price, who was in The Raven with Jack Nicholson, who was in A Few Good Men with Kevin Bacon.. Newman's Own as the inspiration for Kevin Bacon's good deeds is phenomenal. Snazzy outfit.
SAM JACKSON IN VELVET LIFE MADE TEN TIMES BETTER! Snakes on a Plane reference, to! Why is this so awesome! Best Director noms: Clint Eastwood (boo), James Cameron (yay!), Lee Daniels (ehh), Jason Reitman (yay!), Kathryn Bigelow (yay!), Quentin Tarantino (yay!). Bigelow gets it! The critics have spoken! Kath is Queen of the Critics! And what applause! Lord, what a beautiful woman! Oh, no...don't cry. It's the BFCA. Humble and beautiful. She rocks so much, nice honoring Boal, Renner, and the service-people of America.
I just realized it's only Nick Jonas and...what, the E Street Band?
10:45 PM
What, now the speaker lady is messing up?
Ah, Vera Farmiga! So excellent in Up in the Air, so lovely to watch. Presenting Best Actor. If she can give it to George Clooney, how cute would that be? I like her when she riffs. George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Viggo Mortensen, Colin Firth, Morgan Freeman, Jeremy Renner nom'd. I do see Bridges getting it. And it goes to Jeff Bridges. When is that movie coming out here? Oh, shit, a standing ovation. That's how you know it's real. Bridges just had a nice cover, accidentally thanking Chris Cooper (co-star in Seabiscuit) instead of Scott Cooper (the director/writer). Bridges is so cool. I bet anyone who's his friend feels great.
10:55 PM
Aww, when Kristen is off-the-cuff, it works! Can we forever let her improv?
Bradley Cooper presenting Actress? Oh. Kay. Nommies: Sandra Bullock, Meryl, Saoirse Ronan, Carey Mulligan, Gabby Sidibe, Emily Blunt. Meryl will win, though, right? Her Julia Child is exquisite. And the award goes to.......ANOTHER TIE? Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia (she also co-won last year for Doubt). Ooh, are they really gonna wait for her speech before announcing the other one?
I love Meryl speeches. She always seems genuinely surprised and excited. Meryl loves: acting, working, food, and sex. Her words, not mine. What a sexy bitch. No, that's not respectful. What a sexy lady. Why doesn't she host something? Great shout-out to her great co-star Stanley Tucci.
The other goes to...Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side. Fine, OK, great. Not angry. She was good.
OPEN-MOUTHED SNOG BETWEEN MERYL AND SANDRA! SECOND LIFE-MAKING MOMENT!
Great speech. You know what? I wouldn't be angry if she won the Oscar. I wouldn't be angry if any of these actresses won. That's the greatness of this year. The actressing is at an all-time high.
11:08 PM
And here we are. Susan Sarandon, that scarlet siren with her kitty-kat purr, is presenting Best Picture. Ten noms here, as always, but this year, it's like the Oscars! Avatar, Inglourious Basterds, A Serious Man, Nine, The Hurt Locker, An Education, Up in the Air, Precious, Up, Invictus. I suspect The Hurt Locker will take this. Great presentation of the nominees, BTW.
And I am right. Look how happy Cameron looks. Another standing ovation. Great stuff. Mark Boal, writer, accepts the award. Long speech, but nice. He thinks this may be his only shot at this.
Well, that was a show. Wish I hadn't missed Mo'Nique's win. Globes are Sunday, so that should be funner. Can't wait!
Annnnnnd they just did an Orphan/The Lovely Bones skit. That sucked.
Josh Duhamel and Kristen Bell presenting Young Actor/Actress. Ah, plastic surgery jokes. Can we teach presenters to segue smoothly from joke to presenting. Let's see, Jae Head (sucks), Max Records (win it!), Bailee Madison (didn't see), Saoirse Ronan (didn't see), Kodi Smit-McPhee (didn't see). And....oh, Saoirse won. Cool. I mean, she's got an Oscar nom, but this is neat. I like her accent. She does a great American one, too. She's going to be a very beautiful woman.
Ah, JOHN KRASINSKI! With Amy Poehler, too. Dressed in tribute to John Hughes...but shouldn't this be Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall? Or, in a perfect world, Long Duk Dong. Some awkward cuts with the Breakfast Club joke -- Tarantino a princess? Man, is this a great montage, though. Oh, hey, Alec and Kevin! Why didn't they present? And ending with Sixteen Candles, one of the best movies ever. And now Death Cab for Cutie singing "Don't You Forget About Me". This is...odd. I'm sure everyone in there appreciates what's going on, but the whole execution is making me feel awkward. Actually, this isn't a bad cover. Ahhh, I'll allow it.
9:51PM:
The beautiful Emily Blunt is looking beautiful. I love hearing her speak. I guess she's supporting Supporting Actor. Nice tribute to Wizard of Oz, though I do not completely care for the film. Nominees: Matt Damon for Invictus (best part of the movie), Woody Harrelson for The Messenger (need to see), Christian McKay for Me and Orson Welles (missed this when it played here, btu he looks mah-velous), Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones (seeing it tomorrow), Alfred Molina in An Education (the best here so far), Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds (will win). And the award goes to Waltz, naturally.
I like the beard. Nice speech about Choices, tee-hee. Bit flowery for a Critics Choice award, but I like it.
I love Kristen Chenoweth, but this awfully embarrassing. Somebody stop this. Please put her out of her misery.
Sarah Silverman and Adam Lambert presenting....Best Comedy. Colorful joke, neat dig at the media's obsession with sexual orientation. "I love to scissor with dudes, get over it, America!" Adam's out of his depth. At the Critics Choice. Nommies: The Hangover (fun), (500) Days (winnah), It's Complicated (chah-ming!), The Proposal (nyet), Zombieland (what a great effing movie, sure to become a classic). The winner: THE HANGOVER! I am surprised. Don't they all look fancy?
The Jonas Brothers. Hm.
10:05 PM
Haha, Kristin almost makes up for that las awful skit. Zac Efron and Zoe Saldana presenting Original Song. Zefron needs to stop taking these things so seriously. I really want to see Crazy Heart. "The Weary Kind" won, too! Now an extra reason to see it: it won a BFCA award! Ryan Bingham is a dashing chap. T Bone Burnett resembles James Cameron.
Abbie Cornish and a bearded Jason Bateman presenting for Documentary. What movie is that for? Poor Abbie has been undeservedly forgotten at every precursor. No wonder she looks so unhappy. The Cove won, naturally. Haha, the director is totally awesome! I'm sorry I missed his movie!
The ad people for Nine are promoting the shit out of it, aren't they? "Please see this! Please please please!"
10:15 PM
This helium joke really works! That's hilarious! A'ight, that works!
This future joke works in places. Like that they're really tearing through these next awards (but not). Avatar won a huge bounty. A montage. How nice. Kristin Chenoweth delivering fart jokes? No thanks. So, we've skipped all the way to Adapted and Original Screenplay awards. Zachary Quinto and Claire Danes presenting. Quinto's better at this than she is.
Adapted noms: Fantastic Mr. Fox, District 9, Precious, A Single Man, An Education, Up in the Air. Seen all of them. Up in the Air wins? Yes it does! Jason Reitman goes up to accept for him and Sheldon Turner. Most heartfelt speech here.
Original noms: The Hurt Locker, A Serious Man, (500) Days of Summer, Up, Inglourious Basterds. Tarantino wins, naturally! The Jonas Brothers are really selling it.
10:29 PM
OK, New Moon joke. Let's see how this goes. The idea is funny, but...who is writing these damn skits? I love the revolving door of her outfits.
Meryl Streep! Honorign Kevin Bacon one of my favorite actors of all time. And what, he was the first BFCA Best Actor award-winner? How did I miss this? He should have, at the very least, an Oscar nom or three by now. He is one of the most reliable character actors in the business. And sixdegrees.org is a charitable website! How amazing! Of course you knew Joel Siegel, Kevin, you awesome, wonderful man. I've done Six Degrees to Kevin Bacon starting with my Great-Uncle Johnny. Johnny's sister-in-law Anna was in the same theatre as Vincent Price, who was in The Raven with Jack Nicholson, who was in A Few Good Men with Kevin Bacon.. Newman's Own as the inspiration for Kevin Bacon's good deeds is phenomenal. Snazzy outfit.
SAM JACKSON IN VELVET LIFE MADE TEN TIMES BETTER! Snakes on a Plane reference, to! Why is this so awesome! Best Director noms: Clint Eastwood (boo), James Cameron (yay!), Lee Daniels (ehh), Jason Reitman (yay!), Kathryn Bigelow (yay!), Quentin Tarantino (yay!). Bigelow gets it! The critics have spoken! Kath is Queen of the Critics! And what applause! Lord, what a beautiful woman! Oh, no...don't cry. It's the BFCA. Humble and beautiful. She rocks so much, nice honoring Boal, Renner, and the service-people of America.
I just realized it's only Nick Jonas and...what, the E Street Band?
10:45 PM
What, now the speaker lady is messing up?
Ah, Vera Farmiga! So excellent in Up in the Air, so lovely to watch. Presenting Best Actor. If she can give it to George Clooney, how cute would that be? I like her when she riffs. George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Viggo Mortensen, Colin Firth, Morgan Freeman, Jeremy Renner nom'd. I do see Bridges getting it. And it goes to Jeff Bridges. When is that movie coming out here? Oh, shit, a standing ovation. That's how you know it's real. Bridges just had a nice cover, accidentally thanking Chris Cooper (co-star in Seabiscuit) instead of Scott Cooper (the director/writer). Bridges is so cool. I bet anyone who's his friend feels great.
10:55 PM
Aww, when Kristen is off-the-cuff, it works! Can we forever let her improv?
Bradley Cooper presenting Actress? Oh. Kay. Nommies: Sandra Bullock, Meryl, Saoirse Ronan, Carey Mulligan, Gabby Sidibe, Emily Blunt. Meryl will win, though, right? Her Julia Child is exquisite. And the award goes to.......ANOTHER TIE? Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia (she also co-won last year for Doubt). Ooh, are they really gonna wait for her speech before announcing the other one?
I love Meryl speeches. She always seems genuinely surprised and excited. Meryl loves: acting, working, food, and sex. Her words, not mine. What a sexy bitch. No, that's not respectful. What a sexy lady. Why doesn't she host something? Great shout-out to her great co-star Stanley Tucci.
The other goes to...Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side. Fine, OK, great. Not angry. She was good.
OPEN-MOUTHED SNOG BETWEEN MERYL AND SANDRA! SECOND LIFE-MAKING MOMENT!
Great speech. You know what? I wouldn't be angry if she won the Oscar. I wouldn't be angry if any of these actresses won. That's the greatness of this year. The actressing is at an all-time high.
11:08 PM
And here we are. Susan Sarandon, that scarlet siren with her kitty-kat purr, is presenting Best Picture. Ten noms here, as always, but this year, it's like the Oscars! Avatar, Inglourious Basterds, A Serious Man, Nine, The Hurt Locker, An Education, Up in the Air, Precious, Up, Invictus. I suspect The Hurt Locker will take this. Great presentation of the nominees, BTW.
And I am right. Look how happy Cameron looks. Another standing ovation. Great stuff. Mark Boal, writer, accepts the award. Long speech, but nice. He thinks this may be his only shot at this.
Well, that was a show. Wish I hadn't missed Mo'Nique's win. Globes are Sunday, so that should be funner. Can't wait!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Welcome, Surprises!
I am so sorry for the lateness of this, but I am a mere college student with neither Blackberry nor iPhone to assist me in these endeavors. BUT - be that as it may, I am still around to tell you what many of you have probably already heard: the nominees for the Writers Guild Association Awards.
Now, keep in mind that the WAG declared a great number of screenplays ineligible due to registration problems, paperwork stuff, bullshit. This means that many of the year's front-runners, scripts that will surely be represented at the Oscars, did not even qualify for a shortlist: Inglourious Basterds, An Education, A Single Man, The Road, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Up, etc. So what we have here is...well, a surprise, certainly.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Ethan Coen & Joel Coen, A Serious Man
Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber, (500) Days of Summer
Josh Lucas & Scott Moore, The Hangover
Well, obviously the pleasant surprise here is The Hangover, which is hilarious. Avatar got in despite people citing the screenplay as its weakest element (still haven't seen it, though -- will the buzz kill my ability to judge it properly?). The Hurt Locker will win this and the Oscar. How happy am I to see two of my Top Five entries here? Very effin' happy.
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Scott Cooper, Crazy Heart, from the novel by Thomas Cobb
Nora Ephron, Julie & Julia, from the memoir by Julie Powell and My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme
Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire, from the novel Push by Sapphire
Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci, Star Trek, from the television series created by Gene Roddenberry
Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air, from the novel by Walter Kirn
While Up in the Air and Precious were easy to see coming, it is a pleasant surprise to see Julie & Julia and Star Trek in the mix (haven't seen Crazy Heart, so cannot gauge excitement properly). Up in the Air will most likely win this, though secretly (well, not anymore now) I hope Julie & Julia pulls an upset. Alas, 'tis but a fancy of mine.
Of course, Fantastic Mr. Fox was ineligible, but no Public Enemies? Really? Not even a Bright Star?
When the Oscars come, The Hangover and Avatar will leave to allow Inglourious Basterds and Up in. An Education will get in instead of Star Trek for sure...but I could see the other four making it as well.
Now, keep in mind that the WAG declared a great number of screenplays ineligible due to registration problems, paperwork stuff, bullshit. This means that many of the year's front-runners, scripts that will surely be represented at the Oscars, did not even qualify for a shortlist: Inglourious Basterds, An Education, A Single Man, The Road, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Up, etc. So what we have here is...well, a surprise, certainly.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Ethan Coen & Joel Coen, A Serious Man
Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber, (500) Days of Summer
Josh Lucas & Scott Moore, The Hangover
Well, obviously the pleasant surprise here is The Hangover, which is hilarious. Avatar got in despite people citing the screenplay as its weakest element (still haven't seen it, though -- will the buzz kill my ability to judge it properly?). The Hurt Locker will win this and the Oscar. How happy am I to see two of my Top Five entries here? Very effin' happy.
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Scott Cooper, Crazy Heart, from the novel by Thomas Cobb
Nora Ephron, Julie & Julia, from the memoir by Julie Powell and My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme
Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire, from the novel Push by Sapphire
Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci, Star Trek, from the television series created by Gene Roddenberry
Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air, from the novel by Walter Kirn
While Up in the Air and Precious were easy to see coming, it is a pleasant surprise to see Julie & Julia and Star Trek in the mix (haven't seen Crazy Heart, so cannot gauge excitement properly). Up in the Air will most likely win this, though secretly (well, not anymore now) I hope Julie & Julia pulls an upset. Alas, 'tis but a fancy of mine.
Of course, Fantastic Mr. Fox was ineligible, but no Public Enemies? Really? Not even a Bright Star?
When the Oscars come, The Hangover and Avatar will leave to allow Inglourious Basterds and Up in. An Education will get in instead of Star Trek for sure...but I could see the other four making it as well.
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