Posts filed under 'Oscars'
March 17th, 2008
This week’s Movie Man column focuses on the DVD release of NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, the Coen brothers movie that nabbed a fistful of Oscars last month, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor (for Javier Bardem, the nasty-looking customer seen above).
You can read the full column at this link, but here’s a short excerpt:
“A lot of people didn’t like (the film’s) ending or just didn’t know what to make of it. It took me by surprise — it’s not how you expect a movie featuring an air hammer-toting assassin to end — but I think it works. “No Country for Old Men” starts out like a down-and-dirty pulp adventure, but it deepens as it goes, becoming a thoughtful, intelligent (though still exciting) meditation on justice, fortune and fate.”
So, what did you folks think of it? And while we’re on the subject of the Coen brothers, what’s your favorite Coen film. Mine’s THE HUDSUCKER PROXY, but I know there are bound to be some BIG LEBOWSKI fans lurking out there, right? Speak up in the comments section.
February 25th, 2008
Any Oscar ceremony that has the Coen brothers picking up more than one statue is at least halfway decent, and the wins for Javier Bardem and Daniel Day-Lewis didn’t exactly come as a surprise. Marion Cotillard’s win for LA VIE EN ROSE sure did, though — did anyone predict that?
A few of my favorite moments:
1. Jon Stewart inviting Marketa Irglova back onstage after the commercial after the orchestra (rudely) played her off before she could make any sort of acceptance speech for winning the Best Original Song Oscar for “Falling Slowly” from ONCE (with Glen Hansard, who did get a chance to speak).
2. Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill arguing which of them was more like Halle Berry while presenting the sound awards. This bit of comedy was genuinely funny, unlike most scripted bits.
3. Colin Farrell and John Travolta both slipping on the same spot next to the mic.
4. The film-clip tributes to “Binoculars and Periscopes” and “Bad Dreams.” I wanted to see more!
5. Oh, and did everyone notice that screenplay winner Diablo Cody wore yet another leopard print dress? Can I call ‘em or can I call ‘em?
How about your most memorable Oscar moments?
February 24th, 2008
LA Weekly columnist Nikki Finke warns us to expect, and I quote, “the Worst Oscars Ever in the History of Hollywood.”
But, needless to say, we’ll all watch it anyway, and complain for however long the show lasts. That, more than anything Hollywood puts together for a time-wasting clip package, is a true show business tradition. The Oscar show is awful, we complain, then next year we rerun the same ritual. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Some things I am looking forward to:
1. As a longtime fan of the Coen brothers (ever since I saw RAISING ARIZONA in a mostly empty theater 20-plus years ago and couldn’t believe what I was watching), I’ve thought they were some of the best directors/producers/writers in the history of film, no kidding. Tonight, unless something really unexpected happens, they’re going to get honored by Oscar. Big time.
2. Jon Stewart is a funny guy. Thank god he’s hosting, and not Whoopi, Ellen or Billy (who can be funny, but not for the 475th time.) You know who else is funny? Conan O’Brien. Get him to host. I guarantee everyone in America will laugh.*
3. Josh Brolin is going to present something. I don’t know how he’ll do as a presenter, but the guy had an amazing year as an actor: GRINDHOUSE, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, AMERICAN GANGSTER and IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH. And not a single Oscar nomination. At least someone recognized his work.
4. The acceptance speeches will be, for the most part, terrible — and that’s part of the fun. If only the winners would listen to this advice from writer Jim Emerson. As he says, keep this in mind when the actors have emotional breakdowns tonight: They might not be totally sincere and spontaneous. They’re actors. This is what they do for a living. It might not be totally sincere and spontaneous.
If you get bored at some point in tonight’s Oscar show (gee — how could that happen?) check out this blog. I might post a few reactions to what’s happening in Tinseltown. They’ll probably be complaints, but like I said — would you have it any other way?
* Not a guarantee.
February 22nd, 2008
… or does she just really, really, really like leopard prints?
SATURDAY, JAN. 5: The Palm Springs International Film Festival
TUESDAY, JAN. 22: “The Late Show with David Letterman”
SUNDAY, FEB. 10: The British Academy Film Awards
Upon examination, there are some slight differences, but this reminds me of the old SIMPSONS episode where Marge bought a single Chanel suit and altered it every time she had a new event to attend. C’mon, Diablo. You’re an Oscar-nominated screenwriter. Heck, you’re probably going to win for writing JUNO. Time to spring for some new duds!
February 22nd, 2008
The Oscars get handed out Sunday night, which means the deadline is drawing near for predictions. So that’s what I want from all you movie fans. Which movie, director, actor, actress — whatever — is going to take home that career-enhancing gold statue. Choose any category (or categories) you want and pick a winner. And, for bonus points, tell me which movie (or actor or actress or whatever) you’d give the Oscar to — even if it wasn’t nominated.
I’ll reveal my picks in eight major categories this Sunday for the Beat the Movie Man contest, but here’s the big category to whet your appetite:
BEST PICTURE: After decades of making a string of brilliant movies, the Coen Brothers will finally take home the Oscar for their dark, disturbing (and refreshingly enigmatic) movie, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. I think it’s going to take at least three other major awards, too, but this is obviously the big prize.
My personal pick would be David Fincher’s ZODIAC (which, as I pointed out here, didn’t even get a single nominee). NO COUNTRY was very good (and so was THERE WILL BE BLOOD), but I just watched the director’s cut of ZODIAC recently and was reminded how great it is. It might be three hours long, but it zips along beautifully.
How about you?
February 21st, 2008
This is the sort of thing the Academy should do for most of the technical categories. It makes the awards more interesting if you actually know why the nominees were nominated.
February 18th, 2008
… to enter this year’s Beat the Movie Man contest. The deadline is 5 p.m. today — that’s Monday, Feb. 18 — so if you want to brag about picking more Oscar winners than me, you’d better hurry up.
The link to the contest is here. I’ll reveal my picks on Sunday, the day of the Oscars. Good luck, movie fans!
While we’re talking Oscars, here’s a trivia question: What’s unusual about Roderick Jaynes, who is nominated in the Best Film Editing category for his work on “No Country for Old Men”? No fair looking it up on the Internet.
February 6th, 2008
Edward Copeland, who runs the Edward Copeland on Film movie blog, conducts a survey each year asking readers to pick the best and worst Oscar winners in various categories. One year it was movies (the best list, with “Casablanca” in the top spot, can be found here; worst list, with “Crash” in the top spot, is here); one year it was actresses (best list, with Vivien Leigh from “Gone With the Wind,” is here; worst list, with Helen Hunt from “As Good As It Gets,” is here); and this year, it’s actors. Marlon Brando takes the top spot on the “best” list for his performance in “On the Waterfront,” and Roberto Benigni takes the top spot on the “worst” list for “Life Is Beautiful.”
Confession: I’ve never seen “Life Is Beautiful” in its entirety, mostly because the scenes I have caught during various stetches of channel surfing made me want to avoid seeing more. But Benigni must be truly awful in “Life Is Beautiful” to beat out the actor who ranked No. 2 on the worst list …
… Mr. Al Pacino, for “Scent of a Woman.”
To me, this is the worst acting performance I’ve ever seen take the statue. Don’t get me wrong — Pacino can be a great actor. Watch him in “The Godfather” or “The Godfather, Part II” (but not “Godfather Part III,” for god’s sake) and you’ll see a sensitive, talented actor disappearing into a role and finding power in the quiet moments of a performance. Pacino is still capable of that sort of acting — just watch him in “Donnie Brasco” and you’ll catch one of the best performances of the 1990s. But at some point in his career, Al apparently decided to play most of his roles part like they were the “Attica! Attica!” scene from “Dog Day Afternoon” or the “I’m out of order? You’re out of order! This whole court’s out of order!” scene from “And Justice for All.” He became louder, brasher and a much, much worse.
This decline hit rock bottom in 1992’s “Scent of a Woman.” The role — a former soldier who refuses to let his blindness stop him from driving or dancing the tango — would tempt any actor to chew some scenery. With Pacino playing it, it’s a wonder any of Hollywood is still standing.
And, naturally, it won him the Oscar. A week or so ago, I said on this blog that the academy rarely rewards the most worthy performances/movies. Here’s my proof. A respected actor playing a blind man in a feel-good movie that ended with a big, life-affirming speech (probably the worst scene in the entire film) was just what the Oscar ordered.
If you want to see who else made Copeland’s list, check out his site. There are some interesting choices in all the categories and smart comments to go with them. And if you want to see a good Al Pacino performance, watch any of the movies I mentioned above. Or “The Insider.” Or “Glengarry Glen Ross.” Or even “The Devil’s Advocate,” which uses Al’s overacting to good effect.
But not “Scent of a Woman. ” Please. Anything but that.
January 27th, 2008
If you’re a big enough film fan to be reading this blog, then there’s no reason you shouldn’t take a shot at the Register Star’s annual “Beat the Movie Man” contest. It’s simple — just go to this link, make your Oscar picks in eight categories, take a guess at the tie-breaker (namely, how long is that ceremony going to last?), fill out a bit of personal info and hit submit. Like I said — simple.
I’ll reveal my own picks on Sunday, Feb. 24 (which happens to be Oscar day), then we’ll reveal the winner on the following Tuesday. I’m not sure what the prize is this year, but last year it was an iPod, and we’re hoping for something at least as good. Either way, if you pick more correct winners than me, you get a certificate commemorating your achievement — and, of course, you can lord it over me here in the comments section.
Good luck!
January 24th, 2008
The thing to remember during this season of Oscar fever is that the movie that wins Best Picture is almost never the actual best picture. Usually it’s a pretty-good, fairly safe mainstream movie that either captures the mood of the moment or rewards someone who’s been in the business a long time and has (according to the Academy) earned the honor for previous work. A few recent examples:
Clive Owen stars in “Children of Men,” the real best picture of 2006.
2006: Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed” won both Best Picture and Best Director. It’s solid, don’t get me wrong, but it’s nowhere near Scorsese’s best work. Too bad “Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull” and “Goodfellas” were beaten by “Rocky,” “Ordinary People” and “Dances With Wolves,” respectively. For my money, last year’s best movie was “Children of Men,” a pretty amazing piece of cinema that combined powerful themes with jaw-dropping filmmaking.
2004: “Million Dollar Baby”? Really? I love Clint Eastwood, and I’m glad he’s still making interesting movies in his autumn years, but this cliched boxing drama wasn’t one of them. With cardboard characters, a by-the-numbers plot and a “controversial” ending few would find controversial, all it needed was warm, homey narration from Morgan Freeman to cement its mediocre status. Oh, wait. It had that, too. The real shame is that two truly excellent movies came out the same year: “The Incredibles” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” I know the academy won’t give the statue to an animated film (that’s why they created the “Best Animated Feature” category), but “The Incredibles,” animated or not, was exciting and complex in a way few live-action moves are. And “Eternal Sunshine,” with direction by Michel Gondry and a truly brilliant script by Charlie Kaufman, was — no kidding — the best love story of the last 25 years. (At least it won the screenplay Oscar.)
1999: This was the best year for films in recent memory, but “American Beauty” — 1999’s Oscar winner — was far from the year’s best film. Too pleased with itself for its supposedly “edgy” plot, “Beauty” wasted strong performances from Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening in its quest to be both hip and heartwarming. Meanwhile, truly edgy movies like “Fight Club,” “Being John Malkovich” and “South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut” were ignored, along with just-plain-good movies like “The Limey,” “The Matrix,” “Office Space,” “American Movie,” “Toy Story 2,” “Iron Giant” and the list goes on … and on. All of them better than “American Beauty” by a long shot.
I could say more — and probably will in a later post — but I’d like to hear your take. Agree? Disagree? Have examples of your own? Share ‘em with us!
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