I have to admit, I’m not a hard-core fan of the annual Academy Awards ceremony. Usually I haven’t had a chance to see most of the nominated films, plus I’m not into the Hollywood red carpet nor whose gown is the most stunning or the most sorry. And frankly, I get nervous watching an actor blubber about what that little golden statuette means to him or her. Remember Sally Field’s 1985 heartfelt speech, …you like me, right now, you like me!?
Yet, I love a good movie. I love the entire experience. The popcorn (with butter). The turn-off-your-cell-phone reminder. Previews of more films I probably won’t get to see on the big screen. And especially that quiet moment right before the feature presentation starts and sweeps me into two or so hours of a reality other than my own.
Yes, everyone who’s had a hand in creating the best films of the year—from the sound mixers to the make-up artists to the cinematographers, directors, and actors—deserves to be recognized.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was created in 1927, over dinner held at the home of MGM Studio chief Louis B. Mayer. Actor Douglas Fairbanks became the first president when the Academy was granted its non-profit status in May of that same year, and MGM art director Cedric Gibbons designed the trophy of a knight holding a sword and standing on reel of film. (One popular story goes that upon seeing the trophy for the first time, Academy librarian Margaret Herrick remarked that it resembled her Uncle Oscar. The Academy officially adopted the nickname “Oscar” in 1939.)
On May 16, 1929, the Academy held its first awards banquet, at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, honoring achievements in 12 categories (later reduced to seven then over time increased to the current 25). Two hundred seventy people attended the black-tie dinner, which was filled with long speeches. Tickets cost $5 per guest.
Award recipients were announced three months before the banquet that first year. In subsequent years the Academy decided to keep the results secret, providing in advance to newspapers a list of award winners to be published after the event. However, in 1940, the Los Angeles Times published the names of the winners in its evening edition, which was available to guests arriving at the ceremony, thus prompting the sealed-envelope system still in use today.
By 1942 interest in the ceremony had grown so much that the event was moved from a hotel venue—generally the Ambassador or Biltmore Hotels—to Grauman’s Chinese Theater. The event has been held in a theater ever since.
The first televised Oscar ceremony took place in 1953, and the first full color broadcast three years later, in 1956. About 40 million viewers are expected to tune in to tonight’s event.
Every year it seems critics are perplexed by who gets nominated for an Oscar and who doesn’t. The 81st Annual Academy Awards, held tonight at 5p Pacific/8p Eastern on ABC and hosted by non-comedian Hugh Jackman, is no different.
The film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, showed up in a whopping 13 categories—Best Picture, Actor in a Leading Role, Actress in a Supporting Role, Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Directing, Film Editing, Makeup, Music (Score), Sound Mixing, Visual Effects, and Writing (Adapted Screenplay)—and yet, I’ve not heard nor read one great thing about the movie. That, coupled with the fact that I don’t much care for Brad Pitt means I probably won’t see it, unless I run out of picks to add to my Netflix queue some day in the future.
Slumdog Millionaire, a movie I thought was fabulous for its imagery and the fact that it contained so many layers beyond the story of two kids from the slums for whom love conquers all, is nominated for nine Oscars, including Best Picture. I hope it wins, although I might have preferred Milk or The Reader had I seen either one of them.
Of the other nominated movies I’ve seen, and I’m almost embarrassed to say it’s a paltry four, here are the ones I’m rooting for:
- I loved Michael Shannon—Actor in a Supporting Role—in Revolutionary Road. He was brilliant as Frank Givings, the mentally ill son of the realtor-cum-nosy-neighbor who sold April and Frank Wheeler their suburban home and subsequent hellhole. (Revolutionary Road was also nominated in the category of Art Direction, which I’m hoping it wins as well.)
- Anne Hathaway—Actress in a Leading Role—in Rachel Getting Married was so deep, I couldn’t believe this was the same person who’d played assistant to Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada. Plus, I was thrilled to see that Rachel Getting Married showed up with a nomination in anything at all; although it was an especially fulfilling escape, it was not by any means a blockbuster.
- Wall-E for Animated Feature Film was a touching look at what might happen to our beloved Mother Earth should we continue to trash her and treat her with disrespect. And who would have thought a person could fall for an animated character? Also in this category is Kungfu Panda, which I enjoyed and which also sent a valuable message to viewers: You can be anything you want if you have the courage to go after your dreams.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on tonight’s Oscars awards. Who do think should win? Who were you surprised that did win? Any embarrassing speech moments that you squirmed through?
I’d also like to invite you to return to this post throughout the rest of 2009 to share your thoughts on movies you’ve seen. Any you would recommend? Let us know. I’m much more swayed by word of mouth than I am by that golden statuette.
A Few Good Links
- Oscar Legacy: Academy Award Ceremonies from 1929 to the present
- Who decides, anyway?—Meet the Academy
- Nominees of the 81st Academy Awards
- Printable Ballot for the 81st Academy Awards Ceremony
- For previous conversation on good movies, red Ravine post Movie Infatuation Syndrome
ybonesy, so glad you posted the ballot at the top. It’s a good refresher. Great post. I like the history, too. We are coming in a little late tonight, kind of have it taped so are just jumping in.
We watch a ton of movies but hardly any that are current. We tape them and often have a backlog that we are moving through, including documentaries. Don’t get to the theaters much though. This year we did see Slumdog and Changeling. I liked both of them. Just saw the whole crew of Slumdog on the red carpet.
I’m enjoying the dresses this year and I’m not really much of a dress fan. But they seem pretty elegant. Penélope Cruz has on a vintage dress..beautiful. And all the women from Doubt looked fantastic. Meryl Streep is there with her daughter, looking smart.
Are you currently watching, ybonesy?
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Hey, QM, now I’m watching. If I watch I only do so at the end, to see the final awards. They save the best for last.
Plus, thinking that the movie theater might be emptier than usual tonight, we ran out and caught the 6:15 showing of The Reader. Heavy heavy. The kind of movie I’m going to have to process a while.
Did Anne Hathaway win Best Supporting Actress?
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BTW, the ballot at the top doesn’t include all the categories. I couldn’t get them all in a single screen shot.
Oh, and now the two movies I want to see the most are Milk and probably Doubt.
The girls watched Pink Panther 2 in the next theater over from ours. Our movie ended before theirs, so we caught the last ten minutes. Kind of goofy. Glad I didn’t have to sit through it. 8)
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Oh, I see Penélope Cruz won Best Supporting Actress, and that reminds me, I do want to see Vicky Cristina Barcelona. I have loved so many of Pedro Almodóvar’s films.
So, how has Hugh Jackman worked out? I remember when Billy Crystal was host and some old silent movie actor was being honored. The old actor stood up and spoke but didn’t have a microphone so all you could see was his mouth moving. Billy Crystal didn’t miss a beat—he said something about the actor staying in silent movie mode. It was hilarious.
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Ah, that was great. Kate Winslet, she is a goddess. Yep, I can live with that one. 8)
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OK, I’m glad Sean Penn won Best Actor, and what a line up he was against. Which, seeing this category I realize I want to see Frost/Nixon and The Wrestler.
BTW, I saw a quiet and thoughtful movie starring Frank Langella called Starting Out in the Evening [LINK]. It was on an international flight last year, and it’s about a long-ago author who has fallen into obscurity and about whom a graduate student wants to write her thesis. It was a great movie about writing, and it reminds me how much I respect Langella as an actor.
No surprise that Slumdog Millionaire won Best Picture.
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I fall under the category of “Never-Miss-the-Oscars.” There are three other people I always watch it with: Pam, David, and Jim. It’s been a tradition for years. Great fun.
I thought all the people up for best actor & actress were so deserving, but I’ll put in a special plug for Melissa Leo in Frozen River. It’s an indie movie, and one I plan to own. The movie is raw and gritty and real. It has characters who are poor and desperate and good.
I hadn’t had any interest in Wall-E before tonight; I didn’t even know what it was about. I want to see it now.
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I watched in between hanging work for our next show. It droned on in the background. I was so happy that Kate Winslet finally won…and so thoughtful of her to thank Emma Thompson…(both class acts…those gals)
So proud to see the ever beautiful Penelope Cruz in her 60 year old vintage couture ensemble. She’s my gal and I had a tear fest over that speech. My eyes already looked like I was punched after watching “Taking Chance” on HBO Saturday and now…whoa!
I do love clothing but some of the dresses were a bit too much…Jessica Parker comes to mind (along with Glenda the good witch of the North minus the crown and star wand)…At least her “girls” stayed in. I was sweatin that one…
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Living in China, I haven’t seen a lot of the nominated films and performances yet. I WAS pulling a bit for Mickey Rourke to cap his big comeback with the award but I figure Penn must have been amazing in Milk to win.
I did see The Reader and Benjamin Button. I found Button to be a nice little film but was surprised by all the Oscar attention. That being said, there was one piece of dialogue I found riveting. It really struck a chord, in fact I played it over a few times on the pirated DVD I was watching…
“For what it’s worth, it’s never too late, or in my case too early, to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit… start whenever you want… you can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that stop you. I hope you feel things that you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life that you’re proud of and if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.”
Advice I have passed on to my college-aged children.
I’ve often felt like living here in China, teaching English, my developing photographic career, it’s all a bit of a new beginning for me. At my age, new beginnings can be a bit daunting! I wish all of us the strength to “start all over again” if we need to.
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I saw Sarah Jessica Parker’s dress when I checked the Oscar website to see what I’d missed. Whoa! I’d be so uncomfortable in a dress that is 1/8″ away from slipping a nipple. I mean, that one was super duper close. I wonder if she used velcro or something to keep things in place.
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Your Oscar tradition sounds like fun, Teri.
Well, I will now add Frozen River to my list of movies to see. I was also piqued by The Visitors. Did you happen to catch that one?
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Really poignant, EG, especially in light of your new beginning. One of the things I notice about people who make fresh starts at a later age (say, in their 40s or 50s or even older) is that they bring maturity and wisdom to their work. It’s almost like a marathon effect, or a marinating effect, where the work has a rich patina to it. I don’t know, my metaphors are not working, but just looking at your photography, for example, it doesn’t strike me as being in a developing stage. Already it is sophisticated and wise. So, I guess that’s my way of saying, Here’s to starting over at any age.
Oh, and speaking of great dialog (or writing in general), I was struck by the writer of original screenplay for Milk—he looked so young. His name was Dustin Lance Black.
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One thing that made me wince last night was seeing the facelifts and eye jobs on the actresses. I think it looks creepy. Is creepy better than older?
I know they’d claim in their business that simply have to, but did Katherine Hepburn have a facelift? I doubt it. I see Meryl Streep hasn’t succumbed to the knife, and she looks gorgeous. I hope she holds out.
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yb, like you, I always wait until the end to watch. I really want to see Milk, Slumdog Millionaire, & Frost/Nixon. I was so happy for Kate Winslet.
And Teri, I thought I might be the only person who looked for facelifts! True beauty should be left untouched, it comes from grace & a strong belief in what is inside the person. Not the exterior.
I do enjoy looking at the gowns & did see some of the red carpet stuff. One thing that struck me was that many of the gowns were white & reminded me too much of wedding gowns.
Remember some of the outfits from the past? Cher comes to mind, just for an example. Yikes! D
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Yeah, much as I admire Sophia Loren, I have to believe that with her natural beauty she would have been much more gorgeous untouched than she is now. Creepy is a good word to describe her.
Shirley MacLaine looked very natural, and I loved what she said to Anne Hathaway.
The pressure to remain beautiful must be so great in Hollywood. I’m all for what makes a person feel good inside and out, and if that means a bit of plastic surgery helps, then so be it. But the trick is to stop before it makes one freakish looking.
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I didn’t notice whether any actors also had facelifts, Teri, although a few men come to mind when I think about excessive plastic surgery—George Hamilton and Dick Clark, for example. I wonder if Mickey Rourke has had any. His face has an unusual texture. Perhaps some botox?
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I never get to see all the nominated films, but saw a few this year. I knew Heath Ledger was going to win, and haven’t seen The Dark KNight yet, but thought Michael Shannon did a superb job in Revolutionary Road. I think Rourke had work done after some boxing bouts – wasn’t he a semi-pro boxer for many years after taking off from acting? Least that’s what I heard.
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I, too, never miss the Oscars.
I thought this year’s show was very well done. I love Hugh for his range of talents, and he didn’t disappoint.
I loved the movie Doubt. Probably the best movie I saw all year. But, as with most movies that ride solely on nuances performances, there were no trophies to be had for the splendid cast.
Sad.
And I have yet to really come to grips with Sean Penn winning again. I like him, and picked him to win in an upset, but still felt . . . I don’t know . . .
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That line-up of actors was strong, Brian. I hate to say it but I was rooting against Brad Pitt versus rooting for one of the other four. I don’t know why I have a Brad Pitt distaste. I was wondering about that today while I was driving. Am I holding his dumping Jennifer Aniston against him? Or is it that he’s one of those actors who I can’t ever believe in any role because I’ve just seen or heard of him too much?
Hey, Sherri, I also loved Michael Shannon in that role. His character was pivotal to the entire story.
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So sad, I’ve only seen Wall-ee. I need to get out more, sigh. I am definitely going to see Slumdog. I had wanted to see it anyway, so now I really need to go.
A great way to sum up why we love the movies:
And especially that quiet moment right before the feature presentation starts and sweeps me into two or so hours of a reality other than my own.
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heather, I agree with your assessment of Jessica’s Glenda dress. Not my favorite. 8)
ybonesy, great link to the Frank Langella movie Starting Out in the Evening. I’d not heard of it. Sounds like something worth seeing for writers.
EG, I like the quote from Benjamin Button. I like to think that’s F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story shining through.
About Sean Penn, we ended up missing the final awards. Our taping mysteriously disappeared as we ran out of space. Did Sean address Prop 8 in his acceptance speech? I thought I read something about it, a sound bite. Dustin Lance Black was amazing. And Cruz’s acceptance speech was great.
I really liked the stage set this year. The lighting and music. Also loved the way they had the previous winners come out on stage and call into the spotlight each current nominee. That REALLY worked. Not only did it honor each nominee in ways that haven’t been done before, but it honored the lineage of those who had won before. I thought that form of presentation was a stroke of genius.
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I agree, QM…the five previous winners speaking to the five nominees…moving and effective. Did they do that for Supporting Actor/Actress categories also?
I need to see Penelope Cruz’s speech. I didn’t hear it. Sean Penn did address Prop 8. I also like what he said about the president and about Mickey Rourke. Here’s the excerpt of what I especially liked:
…I think that it is a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect and anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren’s eyes if they continue that way of support.
We’ve got to have equal rights for everyone. And there are, and there are, these last two things. I’m very, very proud to live in a country that is willing to elect an elegant man president and a country who, for all its toughness, creates courageous artists. And this is in great due respect to all the nominees, but courageous artists, who despite a sensitivity that sometimes has brought enormous challenge, Mickey Rourke rises again and he is my brother.
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One way to look at it, Christine, is that I bet you’re one of the few adults who has seen Wall-e. 8) And it was such an adorable movie, how he panicked whenever he lost Eve.
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I am a movie junkie. A real addict. I go to at least one movie a week, plus I see 1-2 Netflix films a week while working out on my elliptical trainer I saw Wall-E without even one child with me. (I loved it – I now own it). I look forward to Kung Fu Panda.
And let me be the first one in this chain to say that, while I saw Milk and Doubt and Slumdog and liked them, I also thoroughly enjoyed Benjamin Button. It was a visual treat, for one thing, with costumes and set that were vivid and evocative of the time. Rich colors. Well-filmed. The acting was quite good, throughout. And the script way better than I’d expected. The story bears only a slight resemblance to the F Scott Fitzgerald short story it is based on. It has more – and different – layers. I recommend it. Even for you Brad-Pitt-non-fans.
Saw Frost/Nixon last night and thought it was excellent. I learned to loathe Nixon when I was an antiwar demonstrator in the 60’s- for the first time, after this film, I feel sympathy for the man. Frank Langella should have at least tied with Sean Penn for best actor.
And finally, as a woman of 60 who has had a face-lift, let me say that one small face lift does not produce the night-of-the-living-dead look of Sophia Loren. That takes way more determination and money. I have a friend who has promised to tie me up in a closet if I ever go back for any more plastic surgery. I do not want to have a face that doesn’t move when I smile.
Mickey Rourke’s face, by the way, has been basically reconstructed because of damage he suffered in his boxing career.
I so love that Red Ravine spent all this time on the Awards!! The dresses, the faces, the films. So much fun.
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Jude, your comment had me chuckling out loud so long that I had to read to someone what it was making me laugh. It was this sentence:
And finally, as a woman of 60 who has had a face-lift, let me say that one small face lift does not produce the night-of-the-living-dead look of Sophia Loren.
Oh man, that was good.
Well, if you had your facelift before I saw you, let me just say it was a good job. I couldn’t tell, although you do look fabulous. Your figure, too, is perfect. I think you were just born with good genes, frankly.
A few women I know at work have gotten face lifts and I can always tell by the hair line near their temples and ears. There’s a gap there where the skin goes a little too far back.
Regarding movies, I would LOVE to go to one a week. And I will try not to hold it against Brad Pitt that he’s too darned cute—I will aim to watch Benjamin Button. But first the others in the queue.
And I do think a brilliant performance is one in which the viewer walks away feeling the humanity of someone the rest of the world otherwise loathes.
I read an interview of Kat Winslet in which she talked about how she felt about character Hanna Schmitz in The Reader. It seems relevant to your comment, jude, about Nixon:
My job — as the actress playing Hanna Schmitz, as the actress playing any part — is to understand the character and to ultimately love the character. And I did love Hanna, absolutely, because I understood her as profoundly as I did at the end of the day. Did I sympathize with her? Yes, I did. But that doesn’t mean I sympathized with S.S. guards, not at all. But that’s what I love about the film. It’s not a story about forgiveness. It’s not a story about reconciliation. It’s a story about regret, and how you don’t choose who you fall in love with.
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Jude,
I’ve seen most of the movies, too, though not Frost/Nixon. Does it hold pretty close to what happened in the 70’s interview? I’ve thought about watching the real one on YouTube before I go to the theater. What’s your opinion.
You didn’t mention Frozen River. It’s a must see. See it. You must.
I concur with ybonesy’s, you don’t have the facelift look at all. Your guy knew what he was doing! Very natural. Though Sophia Loren made me cringe, Goldie Hawn’s face and breasts were painful to look at. Oh, Goldie.
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Thanks, you guys! Glad I don’t look like Goldie or Sophia. My doctor was, indeed, good and he listened to what I wanted. Not one scar or unnatural line that anyone can see. I had what’s called a mini-lift, or weekend face lift. Although it wrecked a full two weeks – right before Christmas – I had the lips of a Ubangi (is that how you spell it?) and my whole head hurt. I regretted my timing. But the results, after a couple months, were what I wanted. I just look way less tired than I used to. (The Ubangi lips settled down after about a week)
Re:Frost/NIxon – I never saw the original interviews. My impression is that the film takes a bit of literary license but is essentially true. I didn’t know the interviews were on YOuTube. Of course they are. Everything is! I will look! Thanks Teri.
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i was so happy for slumdog millionaire and kate winslet.
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ybonesy, we finally watched Juno last night, one of last year’s nominees for Best Picture. We’ve got a whole archive of older movies taped and are making our way through them (I don’t mind watching movies long after they have come out and the hype is gone). I think I remember you said you saw it with your daughter? I thought it was really well done. The writing was fantastic. I was drawn in. A good coming of age story for girls.
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Ditto. Very well done. Yes, Dee and I went to see it together. In the car back she said, “Um, Mom, I think that movie was a bit mature for me.” And some scenes were, but the topic was perfect in many ways.
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[…] forward to Ang Lee’s new film Taking Woodstock scheduled to be released August 28th. The movie is based on the memoirs of Elliot Tiber. In 1969, Tiber was an interior designer in Greenwich […]
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Today, Black Friday, I went to see The Blind Side, based on the story of football player Michael Oher. Really enjoyed it, and so did Dee, who initially wasn’t warm on seeing it. The actor who plays Oher, Quniton Aaron, was great. What a face! And Sandra Bullock, who I don’t usually like all that much, was so believable in the role of protective mama bear. A real feel-good movie, and I loved the shots at the end of the actual Oher and the family that “adopted” him.
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ybonesy, that’s one of the films I want to see, The Blind Side. Not sure if we’ll see it in the theater though. Unless it comes to the Riverview (which it might!).
I don’t know if I told you, but Liz and I recently rented Twilight on Redbox, maybe a month ago. I was so surprised when we both LOVED it! Now I want to go to the theater and see New Moon. But I’m going to wait until after the crowds die down.
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Went to see It’s Complicated yesterday. Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin–three fabulous actors. And the son-in-law, played by one of the guys in The Office (U.S. series, not the original). He’s becoming one of my favorites. Highly recommend this one.
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Heartbreaking movie, but in the most subtle way–hits you when you come home and can’t shake the feeling: Up In The Air, with George Clooney. I never considered him one of my favorite actors, but all that changes with this movie. It’s the kind that I would have watched twice in a row if it were on DVD. Just pop it back in and watch it again.
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We watched The Hangover tonight. A Crazy Dude movie, crass and raunchy. But funny. We give it a solid 7 on a scale of 1 to 10. It made us laugh and was full of surprise twists and craziness. Like Mike Tyson and his Tiger.
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We saw that one over the holidays, too, QM. A real hoot. Also rented Four Christmases. That was pretty funny.
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ybonesy, we rented Inglourious Bastards on Monday. We had a free coupon for a RedBox movie. I wondered if you’d seen it and what you thought. I had mixed feelings. Such a Black comedy. (Not sure about Brad Pitt’s accent either.)
That said, I still think Quentin Tarantino is one of the most innovative filmmakers out there. His camera angles, the music, he’s got the whole package going. Maybe that’s it — his attention to every detail. His movies are like no other experience.
Tonight we’ve got another free coupon for Paranormal Activity. About to watch that with dinner. Signing off for a bit.
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I’ve not seen Inglorious Basterds (and don’t they misspell Bastards?) yet. I did read a profile in a recent New Yorker Magazine about Tim Monich, the dialect coach who helped Brad Pitt (and many other actors) with the accent. You should read it. I’ll include a link to the abstract [LINK] but you’ll need to get the magazine to see the whole article. His approaches are interesting. He’s apparently the best there is.
Personally, and we’ve had this conversation before (re: Benjamin Button) I find Brad Pitt hard to believe in most any role. I don’t know why.
Oh, and I also heard that Paranormal Activity was freaky scary, and this from an adult.
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p.s., so let us know how it was.
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ybonesy,
Did you see Brad Pitt in “Burn After Reading?” It may ring true for you.
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yb, yes, that’s right, I forgot to change the spelling. They do change it in the title. The article is interesting, something you don’t think about much when you go to see a movie. I still didn’t think Brad’s Tennessee accent was very good. I kind of liked his character, just not the accent. My step-dad is from Tennessee, though not the hills. There is a certain way they speak there but not as exaggerated at Pitt played it.
About Paranormal Activity? I thought it was terrible. Liz and I both wondered what the big deal was. It was kind of creepy. But so over the top. And why didn’t they just get up and leave? I think CSI or Criminal Minds or Celebrity Ghost Stories do more in one hour than that movie ever could. Thumbs down for that one. Way down.
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No Teri, I haven’t seen Brad Pitt in that movie. The only ones I saw him in was Thelma and Louise and the Mr. and Mrs. Smith one that ultimately led to his divorce from Jennifer Aniston. Oh, and one one of my marathon plane rides last year, when United canceled the flight and put me on this Asia-based airline whose name I’m forgetting, the economy seats had their own little video sets. I watched almost seven movies in 13 hours. Benjamin Button was the last one, and I didn’t get to finish it. Didn’t much like it, though.
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Oh, my gosh, The Hangover just won a Golden Globe. Can’t believe it.
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Okay, I’ve got to see Sherlock Holmes. Robert Downey just won. And Sandra Bullock for The Blindside.
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I have not seen many of the nominated movies, but I can give a strong endorsement to the two that I have seen: “District Nine” and “Up”. (What is with all the 9’s in the titles of movies this year? I count three. If there were three movies with 6 in the title, we’d have a segment of the population out there predicting fire and brimstone, not the Oscars). “District Nine”is an unsettling film; it is done in a documentary style with a lot of hand-held camera work. But this is no “Blair Witch Project” wannabe. This film is sci-fi, the type that challenges the viewer in a way the best sci-fi does: (“12 Monkeys”, “Blade Runner”).
“Up” is simply the next product of the consistently-brilliant people at Pixar. It is a treat to watch, even without the 3-D glasses. But, like the best films, what makes it outstanding is the characters.
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Robert Morse, I loved “Up.” It was really well-done. I had hoped to see more of the Oscar contenders this year but I haven’t managed to see all of them. I want to see “District 9” and you make it sound like well worth the effort.
I can’t believe the Oscars are this weekend. Here are the Oscar Best Picture nominees for 2010:
AVATAR
THE BLIND SIDE
DISTRICT 9
AN EDUCATION
THE HURT LOCKER
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
PRECIOUS
A SERIOUS MAN
UP
UP IN THE AIR
I’ve only seen 3 of these movies. How about you? Here’s a link to read all about each movie:
82nd Annual Academy Awards (Oscars) – 2010 Best Picture Nominees (LINK)
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Robert Morse, we watched District 9 last night. Wow. It is as you describe it in your comment. It took me a little bit to get into the movie. But once I became connected to the father and son Prawns, I was hooked. The sad part of this movie is that it’s probably what would happen if a spaceship was found hovering over a major city. The experimentation, the prejudice, all of it. A disturbing movie.
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Gosh, I’ve not seen many of the nominated movies, although between me, Jim, and the girls, we’ve seen a lot of them. 8) I loved Up in the Air. Saw Blindside but not especially hoping it wins anything. It was a feel-good movie, though. Jim raves about The Hurt Locker. He rented it when I was out of town in January, and I am excited that it has a female director, which is rare. Did you know she used to be married to James Cameron, the director of Avatar?
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Yes, I had heard that about Kathryn Bigelow, the director of The Hurt Locker. Her James Cameron connection. I think I heard an NPR special on her a bit ago. That was the first I heard of it. I’m all for her winning something. The Hurt Locker is an excellent movie. We were on the edge of our seats the whole time. Really digs into the psychology of war. No wonder we have so many hurting people when they come back from serving our country. I have a lot of respect for anyone who goes through all of that. We are heading out to take District 9 back. Might be the last one I see before the Oscars.
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Wow, Kathryn Bigelow, first woman to win best Director at Oscars for The Hurt Locker!! Then The Hurt Locker wins best picture. Well deserved. It’s a good film. I love the photo of her holding both of those Oscars.
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I may be commenting here quite often in the future. We broke down and joined Netflix. Last night, we had the great pleasure of watching “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” I was blown away by it. The movie is based on the crime novel by Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson, the first in his Millennium Trilogy. The books were released after his death in 2004. I really want to read the trilogy now. We generally watch movies after all the hype has passed. I guess the second in the trilogy was released this summer. Can’t wait to see it.
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I see those books on planes all the time, QM. I think the single most frequently spotted title these past two trips I did was the third in the trilogy. Will be interested to know what you think of them.
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yb, I”m curious to know how Stieg Larsson handles the violence in the book. It’s an integral part of the story. I read that the series was a reaction to something he saw as a young boy, violence against a young girl he knew. It was fascinating to hear Noomi Rapace (the woman who plays Lisbeth Salander) talk about her role in the interview extra on the DVD. I like her as the hero of the movie. One tough cookie. I think she said it took a year and a half to make all three films. She was totally immersed in the character. It may be awhile before I get to reading it. I’ve got a long list on my desk!
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So there’s a lot of violence? I don’t know anything about the books. Since we have Netflix, perhaps I’ll order the movie. This weekend I tried watching Infamous, one of the biopics about Truman Capote. I didn’t like it very much and in fact didn’t make it through the whole thing. I loved the other movie about him, Capote.
I recently watched and loved a different Scandinavian flick: After the Wedding. A Danish movie that came out in ’06. I loved the juxtaposition of two archetype characters–a free-spirited man who wants to do good in the world, and a patriarch who wants to do good by his family. I’m not sure why the movie was so fascinating to me, but it’s definitely one of those that I almost turned right around and watched again.
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yb, not gratuitous violence. I’d say it’s more like part of the thread of the writer’s intent to bring to light violence against women. He was making a point by creating such a strong heroine. The movie’s worth the watch. It’s a mystery of sorts with all kind of social layers. After the Wedding sounds great. I’ll have to check it out. I remember when The Usual Suspects came out. It was one of those movies where I rewound the tape and watched it all over again the same night. I love when that happens. Liz made a list of about 30 movies that will be coming in over time. I like the idea of being surprised by what comes next in the mail. We will definitely finish watching the Woman with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy.
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Gosh, it’s already almost Oscar season again. I went to see the Black Swan today and really enjoyed it (if you can call being on pins and needles much of the time “enjoyment”). It’s a psychological thriller starring Natalie Portman as a fragile and mentally unstable ballerina working in that extremely competitive and cold (at least, as portrayed in the movie) world. She was amazing in her role. I haven’t seen her in a lot of movies, but she was this character fully. Highly recommend if you like the kind of movie that is not exactly terrifying but more of a slow slide into dread and darkness.
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I have not seen many of the Oscar contenders for this year. I rarely see films the year they come out (for some strange reason!). I stopped by this post to say that Liz and I watched Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006) last night. We both loved it. It starred Robert Downey Jr., Ty Burrell (from TV’s Modern Family) and Nicole Kidman as Diane Arbus. The film had vision and passion, really got inside what they thought Diane might be thinking and feeling at a certain point in her life.
Oscars are coming up again. I can’t believe another year has passed!
Oh, one other thing, I’m adding a link for the Diane Arbus show that Liz and I went to at the Walker in 2006. It was fantastic to see her photographs in person. The show was mobbed. The amazing thing about Arbus is the way she got to know her subjects. In what seemed like a short amount of time, she could win their trust.
Diane Arbus Revelations at the Walker Art Center 2006 (LINK)
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Watched The Boy in the Striped Pajamas tonight (original spelling Pyjamas). Intense movie. Amazing acting by the young ones. Through the eyes of children the unimaginable becomes even more horrific. I turned around and watched it again with the commentary by Director Mark Herman and author of the novel, David Boyne. Now I want to read the novel.
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[…] to posts: And The Oscar Goes To…, Eloquent Nude At The Riverview[…]
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My favorite movie right now: Beginners from Director Mike Mills. Based on his own family. Loved this movie. Rented on Blu-Ray and watched twice straight up, once with director’s commentary. Highly recommend.
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