82nd Academy Awards

[NOTE: I am a cinema geek. I love movies & film. If you are not interested then do us both a favor PLEASE go. Move along. There is NOTHING for you to see here. You’ll be happier and so will I. Really.]

[NOTE 2.0: This year I did something for my Pre-Ceremony Blog that I have never done before – that is I threatened to never write about the Oscars again if a certain actor, Mr. Christoph Waltz did not win for his role in “Inglorious Basterds”. Congratulations Mr. Waltz; we are both happy that you took home that golden baldy.]

Still with me… Yes? My dear, Gentle Reader, you never disappoint and God bless you for it. Now then, let’s get down to business…

Some words about last night’s festivities: Viewership was up 15% over the last 5 years. Why? I’m not sure. It may have had something to do with the co-hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, perhaps there was nothing else on or maybe there are more movie fans out there than were expected? Whatever the case the 82nd Academy Awards is now one for the history books. I think that Martin and Baldwin were great and I was pleased that the dance numbers were kept to a minimum (although I loved to see Neil Patrick Harris open the show with that number). I don’t dig the pre-show stuff and I could care less “who” the stars/starlets are wearing. No; for yours truly the Academy Awards should be more than that. It should be a celebration of cinema. Last night worked save for a few flubs for actresses/actors who have never acted in front of a group of real live human beings and are only use to cameras. The salute to John Hughes was magnificent. His films defined my generation. The salute to horror films was horrible. Those “Twilight” actors remain truly useless – especially the girl. I won’t refresh our memories as to her name; it is not important to either of us. On the plus side, I really love the way that they introduce the “Best Actress” and “Best Actor” awards where peers that have worked with the nominees come out and speak briefly about the individual who just may walk home with the Oscar. Very classy.

Now then…

Every year I have it out with that little 8.5 lbs, golden boy known as, “Oscar”. I choose my picks for my favorite categories and go toe to toe with that little doorstop. This year was no different… http://evilchickenscratch.blogspot.com/2010/02/82nd-academy-awards.html.

Out of the nine categories that I listed in the above noted blog Oscar took three and I took six. Not that I’m tooting my own horn but… HA, OSCAR! TAKE THAT!

...Nah, just kiddin’. It was fun to watch unfold. The three that I misfired on were Best Actor, Mr. Jeff Bridges for “Crazy Heart”, Best Supporting Actress, Mo’Nique for “Precious” and for Best Adapted Screenplay for “Precious”. I did not see either of these movies before I made my picks. I believe that in order to pick the winners correctly one must try to think like the Academy thinks. This is not as easy as it sounds but it works more often than not. Still, “Crazy Heart” and “Precious” are now on my radar for their DVD releases.

I may have won this time Oscar but I know you will be up for a rematch next year. Until then, Oscar, I’ll be watching.

The 82nd Academy Awards

Oh you 8.something pound little statue. You little golden idol of, voted by members of the Film Academy, of self-adulation. Oscar… I see you have returned. I knew that you would be back. Here is what you are bringing this year as per Harry Knowles: http://www.aintitcool.com/node/43846. (I got the data for this blog from Harry’s site. I could have gotten it from somewhere else but I didn’t.)

To pick who goes home with the little golden guy one must think like the Academy. That is NOT to say that the best picture in any given category goes home with Oscar; no. It means that one must channel and consider to think how the Academy thinks to truly pick who is gonna win. The last few years I have beat Oscar in the big categories in a blow-by-blow match of fisticuffs. All right, you little 8.something pound golden idol – let’s do this… let’s dance.

Best Picture:

UP
INGLORIOUS BASTERDS
AVATAR
DISTRICT 9
AN EDUCATION
THE HURT LOCKER
PRECIOUS
A SERIOUS MAN
THE BLIND SIDE
UP IN THE AIR

Now, let me just say there are some GREAT films in this category. Seriously. The announcements came in the day before yesterday and for the first time since “Casablanca” was in the theaters there are TEN, yep that’s right, TEN possible entries in the “Best Picture” category. This should open things up for a more, dare I say, fair and balanced campaign and selection. I hope that it works. I should also say that I have not seen all of the pictures in this category. Still, putting oneself into the mindset of the Academy one can make a postulation; who should win vs. who will win. I would love to see “Up” take it. It won’t because the Academy will view it as an “animated film” (which it is also listed as a nominee) and write it off. Meanwhile, “Up” is one of the finest films EVER made about the grief process. Heartfelt and touching, “Up” should win. That being said I’d be happy as a clam if “Inglorious Basterds” or “District 9” or “Avatar” won as well. The Academy will either go with “The Hurt Locker” or “Up In the Air”. …And the winner is… “The Hurt Locker”.

Best Actor:

Jeff Bridges, CRAZY HEART
George Clooney, UP IN THE AIR
Colin Firth, A SINGLE MAN
Morgan Freeman, INVICTUS
Jeremy Renner, THE HURT LOCKER

Good actors, good performances. …And the Oscar goes to… Morgan Freeman for “Invictus”!

Best Supporting Actor:

Matt Damon, INVICTUS
Woody Harrelson, THE MESSENGER (and ZOMBIELAND ahem)
Christopher Plummer, THE LAST STATION
Stanley Tucci, THE LOVELY BONES
Christoph Waltz, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

…And the winner is… Christoph Waltz for “Inglorious Basterds”! If Mr. Waltz does not walk away with that little golden icon then there is something completely and utterly wrong with the entire institution; so much so, I dare say, that THIS would be the last blog entry I’ll ever contest between Oscar and myself that I ever document. I feel that strongly.

Best Actress:

Sandra Bullock, THE BLIND SIDE
Helen Mirren, THE LAST STATION
Carey Mulligan, AN EDUCATION
Gabourey Sidibe, PRECIOUS
Meryl Streep, JULIE & JULIA

It’s getting tougher… Streep has her share of Oscar gold and it may be time for the Academy to try to show that they are in touch with the common, ordinary movie attendee. Hmm… And the winner is… Sandra Bullock for “The Blind Side”.

Best Supporting Actress:

Penelope Cruz, NINE
Vera Farmiga, UP IN THE AIR
Maggie Gyllenhaal, CRAZY HEART
Anna Kendrick, UP IN THE AIR
Mo'Nique, PRECIOUS

Tough. My, my, my… let’s see here… And the winner is… Maggie Gyllenhaal for “Crazy Heart”.

Best Director:

AVATAR, James Cameron
THE HURT LOCKER, Kathryn Bigelow
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, Quentin Tarantino
PRECIOUS, Lee Daniels
UP IN THE AIR, Jason Reitman

I would love to see Quentin Tarantino walk away with the Oscar for the tour de force that is “Inglourious Basterds”. He won’t. Instead it is going to be between Cameron and Bigelow, which is interesting since the pair of the use to be married. I’m pretty sure these circumstances don’t happen too often – even for Hollywood. …And the winner is… Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker”.

Best Visual Effects:

AVATAR, Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham & Andrew R Jones
DISTRICT 9, Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros & Matt Aitken
STAR TREK, Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh & Burt Dalton

…And the winner is… “AVATAR”. If it does not then something is terribly awry in Mudville. This film completely raised the bar for all films to come. Seriously.

Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay):

DISTRICT 9, Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell
AN EDUCATION, Nick Hornby
IN THE LOOP, Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci & Tony Roche
PRECIOUS, Geoffrey Fletcher
UP IN THE AIR, Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner

I would love to see “District 9” take the honors but they won’t. …And the winner is: “Up in the Air”. It’s just how the Academy thinks.

Best Writing (Original Screenplay):

THE HURT LOCKER, Mark Boal
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, Quentin Tarantino
THE MESSENGER, Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
A SERIOUS MAN, Joel & Ethan Coen
UP, Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter. Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy

“Up” is pure brilliance but I would LOVE to see “Inglorious Basterds” win this category. Quentin Tarantino has a knack for writing some of the best dialogue in the business along with some of the finest storytelling around today. It should go to him. It won’t. The Academy will tell themselves that he has already won for “Pulp Fiction” and they will give the Oscar to… “The Hurt Locker”.

So there it is; 9 of my favorite categories. Let’s see who breaks even Oscar or Evil Chicken. If Oscar gets more than yours truly in these categories then he has won. I win if the converse is true. Also, I am dead serious about Christoph Waltz winning the Best Supporting Actor category. If he does not win, quite frankly, then the Oscars are just not worth covering on this blog anymore. His performance is that good.

And that, Gentle Reader, “That’s a BINGO!” (go rent “Inglorious Basterds”).

Blue Ray Dossier 4.0

There are some great films out there on Blu-ray. I wish I had more time to see them. Instead I look for quality instead of quantity. I rate Blu-ray films on a two-tier basis; first and foremost is the story and secondly is the shear jaw dropping, stop the viewer in their tracks Blu-ray visuals. Each tier is rated on a sliding 5 star rating; the more stars the better. There we go. That’s it. Here’s what I’ve been watching.

District 9: 4.5 Stars / 4.5 Stars. This is a gem of a film. It is not pretty in its depiction of the human race – just accurate. If this fantastic situation were to present itself as a reality, this is how it would play out. Here is what I had to say about it in the theaters: http://evilchickenscratch.blogspot.com/2009/08/on-district-9.html and I still stand behind it now.

Pride and Prejudice (A&E): 5 Stars / 3.5 Stars. This was under the Christmas tree this year. It was addressed to my wife, “Mother Hen” but in all actuality it really is for both of us. Adaptations of Jane Austin’s story of Victorian romance have been done scores of times on film in various incarnations. This 6 hour, A&E version is where it was done correctly. Every year we watch it together. We have had it on VHS, DVD, and now Blu-ray. It is simply a timeless story.

9: 3.5 Stars / 4 Stars. I love Tim Burton and he loved the short film, “9” directed by Shane Acker, which is also included on the Blu-ray disc. Mark Twain (or at least I’m giving him the credit) once said, “A novel is a short story… padded.” The same can be said for this film. The short is direct and lets the viewer fill in the blanks while the movie takes away this opportunity, which in a strange way detracts from the whole. This is not to say that it is a bad film; it is watch-able and the details of the computer animations are striking on Blu-ray. Rent it. Let me know what you think.

Inglorious Basterds: 5 Stars / 4.5 Stars. For my money this is one of the BEST Quentin Tarantino films I have ever seen. That is saying something. From the pages of Tarantino’s script to the way that the cast delivers in each and every performance this sizzles; the dialogue, the acting are just superb. Brad Pitt’s performance as Lt. Aldo Raine is worth the purchase of this Blu-ray alone. Christoph Waltz who plays Hans Landa the “Jew Hunter” should be up for an Oscar on for this one. Seriously. Tarantino has an eye for the camera and he knows how to tell a story. There is an eye for detail in that storytelling. He is a cinema fan and a brilliant filmmaker. If this does not get some Oscar nods then something is wrong with the Academy. This is not in my collection yet but it will be. I keep reading rumors that Q.T. is thinking about a prequel film. I truly hope that this is the case. I’d love to see another go round with the Basterds.

That’s what’s been buttering my popcorn as of late. I am still diggin’ the Blu-ray experience. Even after this, the fourth installment of the Blu-Ray Dossier it has not lost it’s glorious 1080p sparkle.