MY PICKS FOR THE OSCAR’S

These guys want to know who's taking them home...

So tomorrow is the big night! The Academy Awards will be live on ABC at 8PM and I’m sure it will quite the show. Hosted by Hugh Jackman this year the award show will showcase the best acting and filmmaking skills of the past year. The Academy will honour actor, director, writer, producer Jerry Lewis with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

My picks for this year’s major awards pretty well revolve around The Wrestler, The Dark Knight, and Slumdog Millionaire. I chose these films primarily because they are the films I enjoyed the most and will probably view several times in the future. That may sound kind of one-sided but I find films are judged on that principle.

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

For this category, I am torn between Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) and Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon). Like I’ve said, I loved The Wrestler but Langella’s acting in Frost/Nixon was also noteworthy. I think I’m conflicted because both characters were believable and the two actors actually took on new personas in the films. I think Langella deserves a chance at winning because I don’t think he’r been given enough attention as an actor. When he became Nixon he transfromed himself so fully that you almost don’t recognize that it is him. On the same note, Rourke is being acclaimed by every critic as returning to the spotlight after his portrayal in The Wrestler.

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Well, I would like to see Heath Ledger win for his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight but I feel people might take this nomination comes only due to his death. I find that hugely unfair because as an avid comic book fan, I think Ledger got his role completely correct. If I were basing this nomination on the actor’s skill to act crazy, then Michael Shannon needs to be considered as well. His role in Revolutionary Road required him to act as an institutionalized man. I thought his part is pivtoal becuase he was the mouthpiece the film’s screen writer.

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

I have to go with Kate Winslet in The Reader on this one. I found her quite captivating in the film because she has to portray so many characters: a young and old woman, a lover with a secret, and a woman who was present during a great travesty. Plus, she was naked for like the first half of the movie. She had better get something for exposing herself like that. I didn’t see Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married but I have heard good things. I also think it would be nice to see her beat out big actors like Angelina Jolie and Meryl Streep.

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

For this category, I want to see an actress that hasn’t been in the spotlight to win. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’s Taraji P. Henson and Doubt’s Viola Davis are just such actresses. If I had to choose one right now, I would have to go with Henson since she has more screen time in her film then Davis has in Doubt. Of course, they have to contend with media darling Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler.

BEST PICTURE

I’m going with Slumdog Millionaire on this one because it didn’t get a lot of nominations in the major categories. It is also an excellent and unique film. I think it will make people rethink how they look at the world outside of their own country. It would be awesome to Dark Knight win but I think that would be difficult when it’s up against Benjamin Button, Changling, and The Reader.

BEST DIRECTING

I will also go with Slumdog on this category also. I think it has a good chance because Danny Boyle made a really interesting movie. It is as unique visually as it is in storytelling. It’s a nice symbiosis of east and west.

So those are my choices for the main categories of this year’s Academy Awards. I think that Wall-E will win a lot of awards and the same for Benjamin Button.

DROP SOME 0-BOMBS: Academy Award Favourites

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NOMINEES FOR THE 81ST ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Richard Jenkins
THE VISITOR

Frank Langella
FROST/NIXON

Sean Penn
MILK

Brad Pitt
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

Mickey Rourke
THE WRESTLER
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Josh Brolin
MILK

Robert Downey Jr.
TROPIC THUNDER

Philip Seymour Hoffman
DOUBT

Heath Ledger
THE DARK KNIGHT

Michael Shannon
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Anne Hathaway
RACHEL GETTING MARRIED

Angelina Jolie
CHANGELING

Melissa Leo

FROZEN RIVER

Meryl Streep
DOUBT

Kate Winslet
THE READER
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Amy Adams
DOUBT

Penélope Cruz
VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA

Viola Davis
DOUBT

Taraji P. Henson
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

Marisa Tomei
THE WRESTLER

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

BOLT

KUNG FU PANDA

WALL-E

ART DIRECTION

CHANGELING

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

THE DARK KNIGHT

THE DUCHESS

REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

CINEMATOGRAPHY

CHANGELING

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

THE DARK KNIGHT

THE READER

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

COSTUME DESIGN

AUSTRALIA

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

THE DUCHESS

MILK

REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

DIRECTING

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

FROST/NIXON

MILK

THE READER

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

THE BETRAYAL (NERAKHOON)

ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD

THE GARDEN

MAN ON WIRE

TROUBLE THE WATER

DOCUMENTARY SHORT

THE CONSCIENCE OF NHEM EN

THE FINAL INCH

SMILE PINKI

THE WITNESS – FROM THE BALCONY OF ROOM 306

FILM EDITING

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

THE DARK KNIGHT

FROST/NIXON

MILK

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX

THE CLASS

DEPARTURES

REVANCHE

WALTZ WITH BASHIR

MAKEUP

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

THE DARK KNIGHT

HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY

MUSIC (SCORE)

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

DEFIANCE

MILK

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

WALL-E

MUSIC (SONG)

“Down to Earth”
WALL-E

“Jai Ho”
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

“O Saya”
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

BEST PICTURE

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

FROST/NIXON

MILK

THE READER

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)

LA MAISON EN PETITS CUBES

LAVATORY – LOVESTORY

OKTAPODI

PRESTO

THIS WAY UP

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)

AUF DER STRECKE (ON THE LINE)

MANON ON THE ASPHALT

NEW BOY

THE PIG

SPIELZEUGLAND (TOYLAND)

SOUND EDITING

THE DARK KNIGHT

IRON MAN

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

WALL-E

WANTED

SOUND MIXING

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

THE DARK KNIGHT

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

WALL-E

WANTED

VISUAL EFFECTS

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

THE DARK KNIGHT

IRON MAN

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

DOUBT
FROST/NIXON

THE READER

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)

FROZEN RIVER

HAPPY-GO-LUCKY

IN BRUGES

MILK

WALL-E

Oscar’s Overload

What up, Interweb:

Just posted some new reviews. Sorry it took so long for some updates, apparently blogging isn’t as easy as it seems. I’m trying to get as many reviews up this weekend of the Oscar nominated films since the big night is this Sunday. I should have a whole Oscar’s section up in tomorrow. I’m going to post everything you need to know about this year’s Oscar’s and have a follow-up review of the night on Monday.

I hope my stuff is good. I’m still working out how I want the site to look and work so stay posted to see the changes.

-BROCK

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE: Awesome Movie…Final Answer

Courtesy IMDB.comSlumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire

Directed by: Danny Boyle
Starring: Dev Patel, Frieda Pinto, Anil Kapoor, Saurabh Shukia

I could go along with the crowd and exclaim the creative originality of Slumdog Millionaire like other critics. But I’m not going to. When you break it down, Slumdog follows the usual parameters of the underdog story. Kid with a heart of gold is just trying to survive as problem after problem rains down upon him: the death of his mother, the jealousy of his brother, the lingering figure of a man willing to keep him down, and, of course, getting a kiss from his true love. Though trouble greets Jamal Malik (played by newcomer Dev Patel) at every turn, he has the stereotypical determination and heart of gold that every hero needs. Though it’s predictable, the film is well worth the ticket fare.

Film critic persona aside: THIS MOVIE IS FREAKING AWESOME! It’s got that new cult classic smell all over it. The best thing about this film is that it came out of no where. I think I may have seen one commercial for it and the odd magazine ad. I learned the most about this film through simple word of mouth. Friends and acquaintances just had to say “the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire” and I was instantly sold.

Like I’ve already said, the story is nothing new but there is something about this film that is really awesome. I like how the story jumps from the Malik’s present to Malik’s past to Malik’s time on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? That also isn’t very new but I think it worked very well.

Dev Patel and Anil Kapoor in SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

This is another one of my top favourites for the Oscar’s this year. I recommend it to anyone who wants to see a movie that’s understandable but provides a new viewing experience.

RATING: 5 out of 5 wicked Awesomes

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: The Indian version of Regis Philbin, MIA has two sweet tracks on the soundtrack, Obligatory Bollywood Dance at the end

THE WRESTLER: Has the Oscars on the Ropes

Courtesy IMDB.com

The Wrestler
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood

As someone who grew up during the 90s, it would be safe to say that I watched my fair share of pro wrestling on television.  The WWF, now known as WWE, was slowly becoming the media powerhouse that it is today. I vividly remember the muscled machismos in their vibrant costumes pound the living snot out of each other. Looking back, pro wrestling is what probably made school yard brawls so enticing to watch. They stood as a means to dismiss society and give in to the desire to vent male aggression from both the combatants and the crowd it drew.

Perhaps this is the appeal of Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler, starring Mickey Rourke. Rourke plays lead character Randy “The Ram” Robinson, a headlining wrestler from the 80s who is trying to survive in a world that has no room for a rundown old wrestler.  It’s a journey of man who is trying to put his life back together after a fall from the “turnbuckle” of fame. What will draw most the wrestling fans to this film is the scenes where Rourke and the his fellow wrestler’s discuss upcoming matches in the locker room. From their discussions of the choreography of how they will hit each other to the hidden secrets of how they make the brawls look real (hidden razor blade in wrist band to cut forehead while collapsed on the mat).

Mickey Rourke and Tommy Farra in THE WRESTLER

But aside from the scenes that appeal to the male ego, The Wrestler offers an original viewing experience. The film is shot in a documentary style making it look like a camera man is following Rourke’s character around. It gives the film a feel of realism because the camera goes and sees what a viewer can’t normally see. Under his bleached blond hair and his battered body, the viewer can see the soul of the character that only Rourke can properly portray.

Of course, one can’t talk about The Wrestler without talking about Marisa Tomei. Tomei plays Cassidy, a stripper that The Ram falls in love with and tries to save. Tomei is getting a lot of award buzz for this film, which I find kind of strange. She does a terrific job acting but it’s nothing spectacular. Yet she always gets attention when a movie she is in gets award nominations. I still don’t understand why she won for My Cousin Vinny. Of course, the movie is great so I guess I shouldn’t be too critical.

Marisa Tomei in the Wrestler

Overall, the Wrestler is one of my top picks for this year’s Academy Awards. It’s a movie that requires a lot of attention, in both mainstream film and cult favourites.

RATING: 5 out of 5 Wicked Awesomes

Why You Should Care: Rourke=Awesome, Does Marisa Tomei deserve the award?, Piledrivers a-plenty

FROST/NIXON: President on Trial

Courtesy IMDB.com

Frost/Nixon
Directed by: Ron Howard
Starring: Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Oliver Platt, Kevin Bacon, Sam Rockwell

Being a journalism student, I found Frost/Nixon interesting because of how it exemplifies theories of the New Media. It points out the media’s desire to be the watchdog of society and put the mirror in front of it to show the reality of things. Yet the movie reflects how the watchdog model has both positive and negative outcomes.

For the positive, you have the character of David Frost (played by Michael Sheen) who truly desires to deliver the truth. Though he is largely compensated by breaking one of the biggest news stories of all time, Frost is consistent through out the movie as wanting Richard Nixon (played by Frank Langella) to admit his failure. Where the watchdog theory goes wrong  can be best represented by the paparazzi or, more notably, the character of James Reston, Jr (played by Sam Rockwell). Reston represents the disenfranchised American at the time of Nixon’s presidency who is hungry for blood. Reston wants Nixon’s head on a platter under a sign that says “This is what evil looks like”.  At the same note the paparazzi that congregates outside during the Frost/Nixon interviews are attempting to provide truth by invading the personal space of the former president. What these Reston and the paparazzi claim they are doing is trying to find truth but really they are driven by revenge and greed.

Kevin Bacon and Frank Langella in FROST/NIXON

Suffice it to say Frost/Nixon is not a movie that sets out to demonize a man but rather to deliver truth. Directed by Ron Howard and adapted from the Peter Morgan play, the film takes historic figures and breathes new life into them. As a person born in the mid-80s, I have no real experience with actual events. Richard Nixon was just a guy at the door of an airplane and Watergate was just a term that referred to lying. I knew “Tricky Dick” was not to be trusted but this film makes me rethink it. For me, Frost/Nixon wasn’t about two characters. It was about a time in America where the country doubted their leader and themselves. I can’t help but see the Bush presidency in a new way after watching this film.

I think it is the character of Jack Brennan (played by Kevin Bacon) that cued me to this thinking. Brennan is not a hired consultant that makes sure Nixon looks good. Brennan truly believes that Nixon should be respected and exonerated of his mistakes. Juxtaposed by Renton, the audience is delivered with a line in the sand in which Frost and Nixon seem to be standing on. They become opponents at first but as they dive deeper into interviews, their feud seems to cool.

The film is a large success because of the reality it delivers. There is neither clear winner nor loser, good nor evil. There are just people looking to erase what they were and hope that the general public accepts them.

Rating: 4 out of 5 wicked awesomes

Why You Should Care: Langella’s awesome Nixon imitation, Sam Rockwell being crazy….good at acting

REVOLUTIONARY ROAD: Fear and Loathing in Suburbia

Courtesy IMDB.com

Revolutionary Road
Director: Sam Mendes
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Kathy Bates, Michael Shannon

According to the film Revolutionary Road, 1950s suburbia wasn’t as great as the sitcom Leave it to Beaver made it seem. Directed by Sam Mendes and starring his wife Kate Winslet and her Titanic co-star Leonardo DiCaprio, the film follows the implosion of the nuclear family. Winslet and DiCaprio play April and Frank Wheeler, a couple whose relationship moved to quickly when April became pregnant. The film follows as they attempt to rekindle some type of love but is quickly crushed when they fall in the trap of raising a family in the modern world.

Yet the film isn’t just about the couple’s instable marriage. It is about a world that is rapidly changing but not allowing for its inhabitants to change. Like marriage, the issue of being an individual in carbon-copy society is explored. DiCaprio’s character dreams of going back to Paris after seeing the serene beauty of it during the WWII. He is tethered to the work world of America because he is responsible for providing for his family. Mendes makes an exceptional visual of this by having Dicaprio wading through a sea of grey suits and grey fedoras as he makes his way to work.

Keeping with this theme is the character of John Givings (played by Michael Shannon). Givings is put in an psychiatric asylum (though the timeperiod would make it an actual insane asylum) by his parents where he is subjected to electro-shock therapy. His character’s erratic personality makes him seem crazy but also self-aware of the reality around him. He rants about how people are trying to fit in or cover up the truth but because he rants he is considered crazy.

The movie is powerful but in my opinion, quite depressing. The film doesn’t try to make a happy ending. DiCaprio and Winslet again prove their skills as actors of the highest caliber but the movie isn’t about their characters. It is about dealing with issues that are now normal today and the advancement of the modern world (DiCaprio’s character takes a job working for a company that makes computers that will grandfather today’s desktops). Mendes captures these ideas perfectly by tearing up the lives of his characters. On the surface, the movie is about failed marriage but really the issue is dealing with the changes in modern humanity.

Rating: 3 out of 5 wicked awesomes

Why You Should Care: This is what would have happened if Leo had survived at the end of Titanic,  Puts June and Ward Cleaver to shame

THE READER: Even the Post-WWII Germany can be sexy.

When I was standing in line to buy tickets for The Reader, my friend commented that he heard that there was a lot of nudity in the film. We grinned at each other the way pre-pubescent boys due when they finally realize the novelty of seeing a naked and, hopefully, beautiful woman. The rumour turned out to be true with the first 30-45 minutes of the film displaying Kate Winslet and the Hollywood newcomer David Kross in various nude positions. The storyline that deals with the secret love affair between Winslet’s Hanna Schmitz and Kross’s Michael Berg almost seems torn from the pages of every red-blooded teenage boy’s fantasy. But aside from seeing the lovely Ms. Winslet  in the buff yet again, The Reader is a film that rightly deserves its recent Oscar nomiations.

The Reader, directed by Stephen Daldry, is a film about many things. As already mentioned, it is a film about passion and lust. More importantly, it’s a film about secrets. A film about empty beds. Of loss of life and loss of love. It’s a story about the power of silence. Daldry does an excellent job making the film move as quickly as possible at the right moments. He doesn’t try to baby his viewers by having a character explain what’s going on. He shows that he respects his watchers by having quick jumps in his camera shots. One moment Kross’ character is sick in bed with scarlet fever. The next he is trotting down the cobbled roads of Berlin, flowers in hand, to thank Winslet’s character for helping him home when he first came down with the sickness. The flow of the movie is fast where it has to be and never loses the viewers as the story spans the thirty-year relationship between Hanna Schmitz and Michael Berg.

Winslet is breath-taking as usual.  Ralph Fiennes, who plays the older version of the Michael Berg character, is debonair as always with a his usual look of a man that has had a troubled past. It was the acting of Kross that stood out for me. In a two hour film, Kross is able to age both in the physical and mental sense until Fiennes takes over as the adult Michael Berg. His lustful joy as a school boy and his haunted, chain-smoking as a college student make him believable and easily relatable. It would be advisable to keep an eye on this German native in the future.

RATING: 4 out of 5 wicked awesome

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: It’s a movie that takes a new spin on the Holocaust. Debut of talented young actor, David Kross. Naked Kate Winslet. Again.

THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE…

Hey guys,

Welcome to my site (i know technically this is a blogging setup but I’m going to call it a site. Deal with it.). I’m going to try to make this site as awesome as possible by providing all you need to know about the current films, TV shows, DVDs, and any other random stuff I find interesting. Movie reviews will be the focus but I think with a little determination, I think I can make this site something special.

Feel free to leave comments to tell me how I’m doing or how big of an idiot I am.

Later,

BROCK