And The Oscar Nomination Goes To....

And The Oscar Nomination Goes To....

So there I was awake at the butt crack of dawn getting ready for work and the Oscar nominations pop up. Yup yup. Not only that but Anne Hathaway is announcing them. I have to admit I have a bit of a crush on her. I mean, who wouldn't? So anyway, waking up to that sight wasn't half bad, if I do say so myself.



Moving on now, the Oscar nominations are really something to talk about.. sure, they're not as big as the actual Oscar telecast or anything, but it's a lot more interesting than hearing about the Grammy's and let's face it, the golden globes are just the mini version of it. So what are they? If you haven't found them in the many other media outlets that are going to be beating this into the ground, here you go along with my predictions and thoughts.


Best Picture
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

Wow, there's some really interesting surprises mixed in there. That's a pretty decent list, nothing overtly out of place other than The Blind Side. Which I'm not sure how the fuck it got in there. Yeah, give Sandra a best actress nod, if you want. But the Blind Side isn't anything that isn't done weekly on Friday Night Lights weekly, only done a lot better.

Also it's pretty cool to see District 9 get some love. Peter Jackson must be thrilled since he got some luke warm reaction to Lovely Bones and he really supported Neil Blompkamp in making that film when everyone gave up on it. Not to mention that it's a first-time director getting a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars. That's really awesome. As awesome as seeing Sci-fi come back to the Oscars.

But this one is going to The Hurt Locker. You just have to remember the political landscape of the Oscar voters and let's face it, it's a really interesting and compelling film.



Actress, Supporting
Penelope Cruz, Nine
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Mo’Nique, Precious

This one is pretty simple. Precious is one of those movies that has Oscar written all over it. Urban struggle

Actor, Supporting
Matt Damon, Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

I really didn't find this one compelling. It'll got to Christoph just for the sake that he's the best option there.



Actress
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabby Sidibe, Precious
Meryl Streep, Julie and Julia

This one is tough. I thought Meryl Streep was amazing as Julia Child. But it could go to Gabby Sidibe cause really, Precious was pretty intense and the general idea that the Blind Side had Sandra Bullock acting... well, like an actress, could give it to her.

Actor
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, An Education
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

Jeff Bridges could win it next year for Tron 2.0, George Clooney was amazing in Up in the Air and it'll be a real tragedy. He deserves it like no other. Though I have to say I'm really happy for Colin Firth getting a nomination for such a great role. Not to sound a little light in the loafers, but I always do see him as Mr. Darcy, so it's nice to see such a challenging different performance from him instead of the typical role as the modern perfect gentleman.



Directing
James Cameron, Avatar
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
Lee Daniels, Precious
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air

It could also go to Quentin Taratino because he deserves it. Maybe not for IB, but he does. Kathryn getting my vote is just to rub it in Cameron's face as it's his ex-wife.

Original Screenplay
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
The Messenger
A Serious Man
Up

I'm giving it to A Serious Man cause I liked it.



Adapted Screenplay
District 9
An Education
In the Loop
Precious
Up in the Air

Again, Precious is going to get it because it's what Oscar does.

Foreign Film
Ajami (Israel)
Secreto Ojos (Argentina)
The Milk of Sorrow (Peru)
Un Prophete (France)
The White Ribbon (Germany)

Like you care why I choose this one. You probably haven't even heard of any of these films.


And I'm reminded of my girlfriend when I see this image.

Animated Film
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Princess and the Frog
Secret of Kells
Up

While I know it won't win, it's so nice to see the Academy ignore the "Nope, Animation has it's own category" rule for once. Now if only they'd actually allow a comedy category sometime in the near future. I really want Up to win Best Score just because the movie's most emotional scenes wouldn't have been half as effective without it.

So there you have it. That's the Oscars in a nut shell.. one day later than it was announced. Yay me for my time delay in getting you valued information! Now you know my picks and you can prove that I know shit about how the folks in the academy vote for anything when the results come out in March.

Enjoy your hump day..

(500) Days Of Summer

(500) Days Of Summer

As summer is coming to a winding halt as we're now in August, perhaps it's time to talk about one of the best movies of not only this summer season, but of the year. (500) Days of Summer.

Perhaps I should come out and say that I'm on the company buck most times, but even though I'm a company man and this film is being released by Fox Searchlight, I have nothing to gain by promoting it and my interest to write this is simply because it's a great movie. But on a side note, Fox Searchlight has yet to give me a bad movie. They've got a great record and are the new Miramax. Check out the trailer by pressing play:



This film struck a chord with me. I mean, who won't it strike a chord with. Rest assured that if you've ever been "in love", you'll relate to one or both characters in this film. I suppose in my case it doesn't help that a lot of the places in the film are actual spots where I've taken the person I care for, the idea of the futility of the relationship really does come across.

The park bench that Tom sits at is right above Angel's Flight near the grand central market in Downtown. I love that location and the idea that I've passed it by to go up and play scrabble right above it to check out the same view of the city mixed in with the those oh so lovely parking structures just really had me relating to the character even more.



The Karaoke takes place at Red Wood. It's a Pirate themed bar. This is a bar where I've taken my Gal on one of our first dates. I still recall that night. Got a little token of that always in my mind. So yeah, this film, a film that makes L.A. one of it's major focuses, while it may strike those chords to everyone who had some emotional attachment to someone who may not have given them the same in return, the fact that it goes beyond that and relates on a specific note like that for me, maybe this film a bit more personal.

The film isn't a Romantic comedy. I'll be hesitant to call it that. It's an anti-romantic reality. Yes, it has some laughs here and there. While the film centers around Gordon-Levitt and his hopelessly in love emotions with a woman who doesn't believe in love, there's nothing in here that can be labeled a romantic comedy. It's quirky, funny and realistically portraying love from a guy's point of view that isn't often viewed from.



But guy or girl, the idea is that the film takes the viewpoint from the person who got side swiped by the news of a break up. It's the one who didn't see the writing on the wall till it was too late. The film has the same feeling that Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind had. I would say that the film feels like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind tripped over Garden State and rolled down a hill. Don't worry, only the best parts of both films are showing by the time it got to the bottom of the hill.

Eternal Sunshine worked because it was about the futility of that type of relationship. You better enjoy the good times while they last. Eventually you'll be going through the cycles that the couple went through where you're repeating the same mistakes... which in reality aren't mistakes. They're just the two of you growing apart.



In both films you have the futility of expecting it to last forever and learning to enjoy the good times while they do last, then let go when it's time to move on. These messages will come out depending on how cynical you are, I suppose. But in either case you should take away the fact that the two of you have changed over time because of each other. Lessons learned about yourself because of this relationship.

That's the glass half full outlook on this. The relationship may be over, and unlike a typical romantic comedy, it's not going to be a stereotypical happy ending, you can still enjoy the time spent together. Remembering the good times as well as the bad. The film plays like a 20-something Annie Hall. The degeneration of a relationship and how we grow as a result of it. So there you go. Annie Hall and Eternal Sunshine with a slight twist of Garden State. Yup, it truly is an indie film.



The film had a lot of moments that showed both the sweet side and the sour side of a relationship. Yet ordered it so that it all seemed real without ever losing the humor. You get to see, in jumping cuts, how somethings that were once cute end up being annoying and on someone's nerve.

I like how the reasons for the break up aren't ever really explored. Nor are the initial reasons or explanation on how they got together/Tom won her heart. It just leaves it at Summer gets tired of Tom... or just tired of the relationship with Tom. It's not that there's any one reason. No one cheats on the other and there isn't some magical force preventing this love that is meant to be. In actuality, the feelings between the two are just that, feelings. And in life feelings are very often fleeting.



While she was into him and liked him, she was never on the same page as him in terms of what they wanted out of the relationship. Through the relationship she did change in her own way and did learn that there was actually love out there. In the beginning of the time line, the year and a half earlier, she didn't believe in anything remotely in love. And while it didn't work out between Tom and Summer, she did open herself up to the possibility of feeling it when it approached.

I got to talk to the first time film director/long time music video director and he admitted that every scene in this film minus two of them actually happened to him. And on a side note, he sent the script to the real life Summer to read, and the first thing she said was that she found herself relating so much to Tom while reading it.Go figure.



On to Tom, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, is possibly one of the best young actors out there. After seeing his powerhouse performances in Mysterious Skin and Lookout, I'll watch anything he chooses to do. Wait a second, he's going to be Cobra Commander in the upcoming G.I. Joe flick. Can I take that statement back? He's got to have some balls to go from what has to be one of the best films of the year to what will be a fucking mess of a two hour toy commercial.

Then you have Zooey Deschanel who has an age-appropriate love interest?! Now I've seen it all. Though as cute as she is and as beautiful her eyes are, though from what I learned from THE HAPPENING is that even those beautiful eyes and quirky acting can save a bad movie. But what she makes up in the ability to save a bad movie, a skill that is not needed here, she does a wonderful job in bringing her voice. You see, Zooey has one hell of an amazing voice box as one half of the band SHE & HIM.



Then we get to the final character of the film. Los Angeles. You might not recognize it at first. I know it's easy to mistake for New York. This is why I've worked a lot on film productions in Downtown that were suppose to be set in New York. Downtown can fool you that way. I didn't realize that this film was going to be a film so in love with downtown Los Angeles. So that was a very nice surprise.

Like I said before, the Bench is a spot I've been to plenty of times before. I've walked down that pathway at the courthouse like he does. Though I don't recall ever dancing to Hall and Oates. Usually it's during Jury Duty. I have stood and admired a lot of the architecture, such as the Bradbury Building or the Dorothy Chandler. The love for LA was really the biggest thing that sealed the movie for me. It was nice to see downtown in a film that wasn't an action or cop movie.



My recommendation is to go see this film... Now. Even if it's not in wide release when you read this. Go find the local art house near you and watch this film. It's as good as Eternal Sunshine as well as realistic that it will touch on a nerve that you'll relate to the character. One of, if not THE best film of the year.