When certain writers develop a trend it can either be a good or bad thing. Either way, it makes them appear as though they have a 'type.' Noah Baumbach, whose film credits include The Squid and the Whale, Margot at the Wedding, Kicking and Screaming (1995, not the terrible Will Ferrell one), and The Life Aquatic (as writer), seems to be one of those 'type' writers. His type? It seems to be self-destructive characters.
Self-destructive characters, for me, are some of the most interesting to watch. The characters make choices that I (almost) never would, yet I understand why they do, and know that for them, it's not a choice at all.
Three of his films will be used as examples. Though, all of them are great, but two of them have small idiosyncrasies that keep them from rising above just a 'movie.'
The Squid and the Whale is about a lot of things, but the core of the story is that a high school kid named Walt is dealing with his parents' divorce and the conflicting pressure they both put on him to read more, recite their opinions, and do what they want. Walt leans more towards hid dad's view, which is pessimistic, and Walt's younger brother Frank leans towards his mom's view, which seems optimistic. Now, watching the film, how do we judge which child is clinging to the right side? That is one great thing the film does, but also, look which side Walt, the protagonist, goes towards. Walt may have had a window to take the 'path of least resistance,' but with divorce and controlling parents it's hard to not pick a side. He chooses the negative, self-destructive side.
Margot at the Wedding is Noah Baumbach's best film to date. I admit, I haven't seen it in a while. I have been meaning to buy the DVD, but keep putting it off; so forgive my skimming on this movie. This film shows Margot going to her sister's wedding and how Margot, played perfectly by Nicole Kidman, gives us every negative emotion in the book. She just can't let things be, and has to have trouble in her life.
Kicking and Screaming, from 1995, is about a group of self-destructive characters who, at some point, realize they do need to get a grip on life. The film is about four friends who have just finished college and are in that state of limbo between hanging around campus all day and finding a career. This film is a comedy, but do not doubt the seriousness of how these characters throw away any instance of taking chances with their lives and resort to hitting on college freshman, even though they are 22. I guess one can't judge if that's something that happens on the side, but the characters in this movie substitute that for their future. It's eerie.
Yet all of these films barely miss the mark for me. The Squid and the Whale, while accurate and intelligent, seems to lack soul. Margot has soul, and is the best of the bunch, but I can't place what's off about it. I need to see it again. Kicking and Screaming, while very funny, does not resolve. Now, I do not need a resolution to be on screen--God, no. That would be insane. But I need a hint.
2.24.2009
Noah Baumbach: Almost Always Almost There
2.23.2009
MILK Acceptance Speeches
YouTube will take this video down soon, but if you missed it last night, here is Sean Penn's acceptance speech.
I'm posting this, as opposed to some other great speeches, because some people have been saying "Why even bring up the gay issues?" Well, it's not like Andrew Stanton won for WALL-E and is preaching about equal rights. Sean Penn and Dustin Lance Black won for a film about equal rights, so it would almost seem inappropriate if they didn't mention them. There is clearly support for the winners, the film, and Harvey Milk himself, and there's nothing wrong with them acknowledging the message of their film.
I bring this up because Sean Penn said something so great in his speech (shocking as that may be):
"...for those who saw the signs of hatred as our cars drove in tonight; and 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."
Poor grammar on Penn's account aside, that is a great point. And it's true. We do have to have equal rights for everyone.
Oscar Recap
Clocking in at just under three and a half hours, from Hugh Jackman's opening monologue to the Best Picture award, the Oscars failed to surprise. But is that a bad thing? Most certainly not. Except for some tiniest of tiny upsets, the winners were as they should have been. How was the actual show, itself? Let's just say that Jackman was an entertaining host, and Hollywood clearly cares more about their actors than anyone else.
Grabbing numerous prizes was the favored Slumdog Millionaire, which was, quite simply, the best film out of the nominees. It took home 8 awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Danny Boyle), Adapted Screenplay (Simon Beaufoy), Score, Song, Editing, Sound Mixing, and Cinematography. The love was not shared this year, with Slumdog possessing what seemed like a monopoly on all categories, ranging from the 'Big Eight' to the 'Techies.'
Deservedly, Sean Penn won Best Actor for his portrayal of Harvey Milk in MILK (which also won Original Screenplay). Kate Winslet took home her first Oscar--finally--for her performance in The Reader. The Reader, while an interesting movie, was not worthy of its Best Picture nomination. Kate Winslet winning was not unexpected and is nothing to dismiss, but she should have been nominated for Revolutionary Road, which was a superior film in every aspect.
Michael Shannon was nominated for a supporting role in Revolutionary Road, but the winner was Heath Ledger for his Joker. I think it's a safe assumption that he got no less than 90% of the votes--but we will never know for sure. Some may have been sympathy votes because he has passed, but his performance was the best of the bunch. His Oscar will be kept by Michelle Williams, his ex-fiance, until his daughter is 18. At that time, it will go to her. The Dark Knight ended up taking home two Oscars: Ledger's, and Sound Editing.
Penelope Cruz gained an Oscar for her role in 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona,' which received only a sliver of love from the Academy (not even a Screenplay nod for Woody Allen). Yet, the Academy never fails to embrace beautiful, exotic women. Cruz had this one in the bag from day one.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, lackluster as it was, still managed three Oscars in tech categories. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie both went home empty-handed, but I'm sure Brad Pitt's time will come soon. If not, as long as he lives until his 80s, he'll at least get an honorary Oscar.
WALL-E, while nominated for six Oscars and one of the year's best, was stuck with a win in only the Best Animated Feature category. It seems like Pixar can't get a break outside of that mold, no matter how good their films are.
As for myself, I got 21 out of 24 predictions correct, missing only Animated Short, Documentary Short, and Foreign Language film. We can all learn something from this: I should plug my predictions into contests instead of just posting them on my blog, and you should copy my predictions next year.
2.22.2009
Quick Oscar Recap
So I got 21/24 predictions right for the Oscars, which is 87.5%, which is amazing. Most people average about 14-16.
The only ones I missed were Animated Short, Documentary Short, and Foreign Film. Mostly because I hadn't seen any of them (except Presto), and Foreign Language film is always lame and goes with something out of the blue.
Hugh Jackman was a good host.
I wish I posted my predictions in some contests. I probably would have won some stuff. I think the one I did, it was an old prediction chart and it changed since then. Damnit.
Hopefully next year I do this well! If you're bored, check out my live blog below this, or the pre-show blabber below that. With sexy pics.
Oscar Live-blog (Sort Of)
When the shows starts, during commercials, I may or may not come back to edit. Does anyone actually read live blogs after-the-fact? Note: All times will be according to EST.
8:30 Aaaaaaaand, we're off!
8:35 Hugh Jackman's writers are pretty solid this year.
8:38 Opening dance number with all of the nominees: Pretty funny, too. Especially since it makes fun of no one seeing The Reader.
8:42 Love Meryl Streep, and also, not a bad montage of acceptance speeches.
8:48 I liked these intros at first, and they're interesting, but taking WAY too long (Sup. Actress).
8:49 YAY, Penelope Cruz! Great win, and I'm 1/1.
8:51 Great speech. No one is going to top Penelope. Love her. Especially since she thanked Woody Allen.
8:55 Tina Fey presenting the writing Oscar? Hot.
8:59 Dustin Lance Black for MILK, as expected. Good script, not better than WALL-E or In Bruges, though. Oh well, 2/2.
9:00 Good speech, Dustin. Why are they jumping to Adapted Screenplay already? To cut down runtime? Sure, why not.
9:03 The Slumdog clip gives me chills. Love it. Also, Simon Beaufoy, of course wins. Amazing screenplay. 3/3.
9:04 Jennifer Aniston and Jack Black? I'm going to hate whatever this is. Both of them suck. Looks like Animated Feature, though. Looooooooooove WALL-E.
9:09 Yay WALL-E! Though, Jen Aniston's attempt to say it like the character was just AWFUL. 4/4. Andrew Stanton owns.
9:11 Ugh, they're back. Animated Short: wtf is this movie that won. I'm not going to judge cause I didn't see it, but better than Presto? Doubt it. 4/5.
9:19 Art Direction. Uh oh, I'm nervous. Honestly, any of these could win.... 5 great nominees................ but Benjamin Button wins. Which means I win, at 5/6. Solid.
9:21 Stop stuttering, Daniel Craig. This must be costumes. Another strong category. The Duchess wins. God, I'm good. 6/7.
9:25 God, still on Daniel Craig and Sarah Jessica Parker? Shit. Well, now it's makeup. Again, a strong category. The Dark Knight should not win though. Which is true, because Benjamin Button won. I'm on fire! 7/8.
9:27 This kid who played Edward in Twilight looks like he's on drugs. Does he have ADD or what?
9:30 Best romance of 2008: Obviously WALL-E and EVE. I really want to watch Revolutionary Road again.
9:35 Ben Stiller is not funny. At all. Please, Natalie Portman, save us. Cinematography. Slumdog Millionaire wins! Yay! 8/9. And not just 'Yay' cause I'm dominating, but because the film totally deserved it.
9:40 GOD DAMN, Jessica Biel is hot.
9:45 James Franco in this comedy tribute, infinitely funnier than Seth Rogen.
9:48 Live Action Short... Janusz Kaminski, pretty hilarious. Uh, I predicted Toyland, but... Oh, ok, just kidding, that one did win. I rule? Yes, I rule. 9/10.
9:54 What is this musical? Good concept but it is failing pretty terribly. Hugh Jackman should quit singing, IMO.
10:05 Great Supporting Actor clip. Love it. Some really great winners over the years.
10:05 I'm already feeling the sadness that Heath Ledger isn't alive to see this.
10:09 Heath Ledger wins, naturally. 10/11. I don't think this was a sentimental win, in the sense of sympathy votes. It was honestly the best in the category.
10:14 Looks like Documentary categories coming up. Uh oh. I wish I had seen more of the nominees, honestly.
10:17 Bill Maher, not a great presenter. Plugging his own film. Sad. Oh well, Man on Wire won. Not shocking. 11/12.
10:19 Short films ruining my life. Let's see.... God damnit, missed this one, too. Why do these shorts always get me? 11/13.
10:27 Love Will Smith. Terrible jokes but he still delivers. Charisma. Yes.
10:29 Visual effects. Benjamin Button has this in the bag. Or it should. If not, something is F-ed..... Yeah, Benjamin Button won. 12/14. Good pick, AMPAS.
10:30 The sound awards are coming up, and I'm gonna falter here. Watch. I'm trying to beat the crowd on these.
10:32 OMG I love WALL-E. But I predicted The Dark Knight.... And The Dark Knight wins. 13/15. I rock?
10:33 Sound mixing, I have Slumdog. Another tough one. These are hard to judge. JUST KIDDING. I'm not sharing my formula on this one. I'm awesome. This is also an AMAZING win for such a great film, and it looks like Slumdog is unstoppable. 14/16.
10:36 Editing. What a great category. I think if I was in film and not a screenwriter, I'd like to be an editor. Slumdog Millionaire again, not surprisingly. Again, so deserved. 15/17. How many awards is Will Smith going to present?
10:38 I love how excited Danny Boyle looks for all of his crew winning. It's great.
10:43 Humanitarian award? Cool. Wake me up when it's over. Best part of this is the WALL-E score in the background. 'Define Dancing' is the best melody from WALL-E. Am I a nerd? Or a fanboy?
10:52 I love a good score for a movie. Shame all of these can't win. I wonder what they will play from Slumdog. Hopefully not O...Saya or Jai Ho (though they are both great). Hopefully Mausam & Escape, or Aaj Ki Raat. Yay, Define Dancing from WALL-E! Ok, Dreams on Fire from Slumdog. Not bad. Though it was only about 15 seconds. If that.
10:55 I love Alicia Keys. She should present every award. Mainly because she's great to look at.
10:56 YES! Slumdog Millionaire wins score! Fantastic. 16/18.
10:58 Original score. All three of these were fantastic. Who knows. YES! Performance! Please do Jai Ho dance!
10:59 Down to Earth is a great song. I'm sort of anticipating a win for it. Maybe an upset? Looks odd with the Hindi extras, though.
11:01 Jai Ho, not near as impressive without Dev Patel and Freida Pinto dancing. I'll go back to the CD. This mix of the songs is terrible, IMO.
11:03 Jai Ho! Winner! Love Slumdog Millionaire. 17/19.
11:07 Freida Pinto presenting! This show just got a lot better.
11:09 Foreign Language always has a surprise. I'm pretty sure I;ll be wrong. Yup. See, wtf? No one was predicting that, everyone was saying Waltz with Bashir, or The Class. Owned? Yes, I got owned. 17/20. Damnit Freida.
11:12 I hate Queen Latifah. GTFO. I'm all about remembering people, but GTFO of the stage. Oh God, she's singing now? Seriously?
11:20 Hate Reese Witherspoon. Learn to count. There are four awards left, and three people. Not one.
11:22 David Fincher looks pissed and bored. Probably because Danny Boyle cleans up this category easily. Well deserved. Love it. 18/21.
11:24 Great speech, Danny Boyle.
11:27 Wow, the 5 women presenting Best Actress are all amazing. Great ensemble. Is Shirley Maclaine wearing pants? Wow, Marion Cotillard is hot.
11:30 Kate Winslet, nominated for the wrong movie. Oh well. Sup, Halle Berry.
11:32 You know, if we cut out acting awards and all the praise for them, the show would be half as long. Again, entertaining, but let's just get to the award.
11:33 Kate Winslet proves if you get naked and play in a Holocaust film, you win. Not that she didn't deserve it. I love her. 19/22.
11:37 Kate Winslet is cute.
11:38 Best Actor: Infinitely more interesting. This clip is amazing. I'm going to miss this category.
11:39 Adrian Brody needs a haircut. No Daniel Day-Lewis?
11:45 YES! SEAN PENN! Thank God. Great victory. For me and Penn, obviously. 20/23. God, I'm so glad he won. So, so deserved.
11:48 Great speech Sean Penn. I guess it helps when you're not wasted (like last time).
11:50 Love these tributes. But how bad was Frost/Nixon?
11:51 Slumdog Millionaire: Best film of the year. The Reader--overrated.
11:54 Slumdog Millionaire Best Picture! Amazing. 21/24. I rule.
Great show. I'll update in a bit with more thoughts.
Some Pre-Oscar Blabber
First off, I know these won't happen, but they would be pretty sweet upsets:
Meryl Streep, or Anne Hathaway, for Lead Actress.
Amy Adams, or Marisa Tomei, for Supporting Actress (would make me happy).
Martin McDonagh for Original Screenplay (In Bruges). Or, WALL-E.
WALL-E for Score.
With that said, Yahoo! has started posting arrival photos, and here are some good ones.
Freida Pinto is the winner, for sure.
Tim Gunn is hosting the Red Carpet? Amazing!
Josh Brolin and Diane Lane, who is the hottest 45 year-old woman on the planet.
Meryl Streep, always the best. Out of focus: her hot daughter. She's to the left in the background. I'll try to find a better picture.
If Freida Pinto is the winner, Penelope Cruz is runner-up. Gorgeous.
Penelope Cruz and Marion Cotillard. "Which one do you want?" "Well, I've always had a thing for French girls...." "Good, cause I'll take anything."
I'll update more later.
2.21.2009
Bump: Oscar Predictions
The Oscars are tomorrow, and as such, I'm re-posting my predictions. The full list is here, with some explanations. This year I'm playing it fairly safe. Next year I may play a bit riskier, but I think this will be a Year of the General Consensus.
Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
Director: Danny Boyle
Actor: Sean Penn
Actress: Kate Winslet
Sup. Actor: Heath Ledger
Sup. Actress: Penelope Cruz
Original Screenplay: Milk
Adapted Screenplay: Slumdog Millionaire
Editing: Slumdog Millionaire
Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire
Art Direction: Benjamin Button
Original Score: A.R. Rahman for Slumdog Millionaire
Original Song: Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire
Animated Feature: WALL-E
Foreign Language Film: Waltz with Bashir
Sound Editing: The Dark Knight
Sound Mixing: Slumdog Millionaire
Costumes: The Duchess
Doc. Feature: Man on Wire
Visual Effects: Benjamin Button
Makeup: Benjamin Button
Live Short: Spielzeugland
Doc. Short: The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306
Animated Short: Presto
Last year I got 15 out of 24, which is embarrassing. This year I'll be surprised if I hit less than 18. Very surprised. We'll see!
2.20.2009
I <3 Freida Pinto
A sweet video on youtube of Dev Patel and Freida Pinto on Tyra showing her one of their dance moves from the closing credits of Slumdog Millionaire.
Could she be any better? 'She' means 'Freida,' obviously. Tyra has long since jumped the couch. And the answer is: no.
2.18.2009
FURIOUS!
Tonight's episode of Top Chef has to have been the WORST episode of reality TV EVER. I've never been more mad at a TV show....
First off, they had the quickfire for one of the last 3 eliminated chefs to come back, which was amazing, because I really liked Jeff. And he won! Awesome! He got a chance to compete in the elimination challenge, but he had to win it to move on.
So we had the elimination challenge, and fucking Carla won? I hate Carla, so much. She's so weird and ugly and boring and hippy-ish. And not a good weird, like Andrew from last season, but just a creepy weird. Now, she had two fantastic dishes, but they were required to make a cocktail. She mad a spritzer with no alcohol. It was just a mix of two drinks that can be bought for a dollar at Wal Mart. Cranberry was one, I think. My six year-old niece can make (and drink) that. Big fuckin' deal. Jeff made, unanimously, the best cocktail of the night. The judges even said so. It was delicious and innovative (cucumber flavored cocktail? A+). PLUS he had two great dishes. And he got SECOND?! I'm sorry, but that is bullshit. So, he had to go home, so I had to watch him get kicked off twice.
And then Fabio got sent home. Fabio is possibly the greatest reality TV contestant of all time. His Italian accent is hilarious, and the way he jumbles common American phrases is so great. Plus he's a great chef, and one of the remaining few who isn't a douche bag. Well, not anymore. Instead, Stefan, who is just a prick and has sucked horribly the last few challenges, gets to stay.
The only good part of the episode was Gail returning, but she sent my two peeps home, so maybe the new judge Toby needs to come back. Fuck. I hate all of the final 3.
Top Chef ruining my life.
Recipe of the Day: Chinese Chicken
I enjoy cooking, but HATE cleaning up, so that's why I rarely do. What's awesome, though, is I downloaded an Ap on my iPhone that has recipes, so I can just shake my phone at the store to get a random recipe and I can get the ingredients right then.
Tonight I made some Chinese Chicken Fried Rice. View the original recipe here.
Here are the original ingredients:
* 1 egg
* 1 tablespoon water
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 cups cooked white rice, cold
* 2 tablespoons soy sauce
* 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 cup cooked, chopped chicken meat
The directions on the site are good, but they are kind of haphazard. Here is how to prep and cook in order. I'm pretty slow at this stuff and it took me about 30 minutes from pot to plate.
Step One: Cook the white rice. Pretty simple--follow the directions on the box, and then put it in a container and throw it into the freezer.
Step Two: Cut up the chicken. I'm very picky with 'edges' and fat, and usually go through much more chicken than the average person for a perfect bite. Also, I would use a bit more chicken than the recipe says, but it's up to you. Once it's cut up, throw it in the skillet.
Step Three: While chicken is cooking, cut up the onion. I used a sweet onion, which I think turned out better. I also only used about 2/3 the onion, and it was plenty. Don't forget to keep the chicken cooking evenly on both sides.
Step Four: Take of the chicken, set it on the side (does not need to be completely cooked, just no longer raw). Next, beat the egg and mix it with the water. I found one egg was not enough for me, and I love eggs. I'd go for two next time (so twice as much water, too), but again, up to you.
Step Five: Melt the butter in the skillet, throw the egg in it, and let it cook for 1-2 minutes. Take it off, cut it a couple times, and leave it.
Step Six: Vegetable oil in the skillet, cook the onions for a second.
Step Seven: Take the rice out of the freezer, dump it on the onions. Mix in the soy sauce, and then the pepper (measure it out--if you just guess and it's too much it will ruin it), and then toss in the chicken. Mix it up every minute for 5 minutes.
What's nice about this is there's time to get some of the dishes cleaned up so it's not such an arduous task later. I got most of my stuff clean during those 5 minutes.
Step Eight: At the end of 5 minutes, throw the eggs in, give it a good mix, and I gave it another 30 seconds or so, just to heat the eggs up.
This is fairly easy, and if you follow the steps above, it could feed two very hungry adults, so if you only cook for one (like me, usually), it will be great leftovers (then again, what isn't?).
Again, recipe freely adapted from AllRecipes, so don't read this and think I'm some amazing cook.
This may be a regular feature in the future: We'll see!
I'm So Funny
I'm so funny. And the best part is that I explain my jokes so lesser mortals get them. Not Ryan, though. I'm sure he would have gotten it. But I can't risk that, can I?
2.17.2009
The Godfather: Part II is NOT better than The Godfather
It really, really bugs me when this conversation comes up (which it does surprisingly often):
John: Sequels are rarely, if ever, better than the original.
Jane: What about The Godfather?
John: No.
The only sequels that I would say are better than the original are: Terminator 2, Army of Darkness (or, Evil Dead 2), Star Wars ep. V, A Shot in the Dark (sort of a sequel to The Pink Panther), The Bourne Ultimatum, Spider-man 2, X2, a couple of the Harry Potters, and the third Lord of the Rings.
Intentionally not on that list: The Dark Knight, and hundreds of other movies
I have yet to find a convincing argument for Part II's superiority. The interweaving of Vito's coming to America and his rise is well put together, well acted, and well scripted. The 'modern' story with Michael is just as good. The problem is that when the story goes from one period of time to the other, not only do the jumps completely take us out of the story we're in, we are cut off and forced to wait for something that would have benefited from happening right then.
Now, this is not uncommon in films, and can work, but here is my issue: The two halves do not relate to each other. Vito's rise in power relates to The Godfather, and would almost have worked better being spliced into that film (please do not, it would ruin it--I'm just saying it would be better). What we see Vito doing in the past, as I said, is captivating, but ultimately unnecessary to what is going on in the present. When I first watched the film, I enjoyed De Niro's performance immensely. Now, it's a great performance, but 90% of the backtracking bores me. The present story, with Michael, Fredo, and Kay, is superb and superior. I would have rather had just that as one film. These two halves do not add up to a complete whole. They could, but the tape that would hold them together is absent.
This is all in contrast to the perfection of the first film, which I could watch over and over into infinity and never tire of. It's easy to jump around in time to tell a story, and while many great stories have been written that way, now it is almost gimmicky. To write something so strong and have it be in chronological order takes mountains of talent. There is such a strong connection to each and every character in the first film: When the Don is shot, it almost feels like an attack on our own family. When Michael lies to Kay at the end of the film, we feel just as conflicted as her. We know Michael is lying, but we know why, and we wonder: Would we have lied as well?
This is the short version of why The Godfather is a 10/10, whereas Part II is about a 9.5, maybe even a 9. I can't take anyone who considers the sequel better seriously.
2.16.2009
Test Mobile Post
Point. The Shady Lady is not as good as the drink name.
2.14.2009
Atheism and the Catch-22
As most of us who browse the internet regularly know, there are millions of debates about the existence of God, the universe, etc. Well, in one of these debates, I saw someone posted that not only is it unlikely an atheist would get elected (that much is common sense--people hold religion too close to them to completely disregard it), but in some states it is actually illegal to be in office and deny the existence of God.
But wait! The First Amendment! I have my right to any religion I choose! Yes, that is true. You can choose whatever religion you want, as long as you don't actually talk about it... if it's an unfavorable one, that is. If you love God, you can praise him day in and day out, but according to North Carolina's State Constitution, Article 6, Section 8, "The following persons shall be disqualified for office: First, any person who shall deny the being of Almighty God." Wait, what?
Now, in the original constitution, Article VI, we have: "The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States." So right here, it says that we won't make you declare your religion if you don't want to. That makes sense.
But then if you do, and that includes something that denies the existence of "God" (or a "Supreme Being"), you get the boot. Please tell me how that is not discrimination.
I almost want an atheist to get into office, declare his atheism, and get kicked out in order to cause a huge uproar. That seems like the only way to get something done, honestly.
Other states include: Arkansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.
Note: There is a handy page over at Atheist of Silicon Valley with more links and whatnot. They made the research easy for me, so go give them a page view or two as repayment.
2.11.2009
Movies to Study: Psycho
There are many reasons why Hitchcock's 'Psycho' is one of the best films ever, but I think one of the real treasures of the film is the performance by Anthony Perkins. He has a very boyish quality that plays perfectly with the relation to his mother, and we have no trouble believing that his best friend is his mother. But what makes a role great is that when watched repeatedly, things are always taken in new and different ways.
The first time watching the film, one sees him as an innocent victim to a sheltered life and an overbearing mother. He cares about her, cleans up her mess, and really did kind-of like Marion Crane. Then, when you watch it for the second time, it's much clearer. He is a great liar to strangers, but when we know what's going on, it seems so obvious. This also works, though, because his character, Norman Bates, really is innocent of murder; what he's guilty of is covering up his mother's crimes. He clearly doesn't enjoy having to send Marion's car into the swamp, but there's never a question that he wouldn't.
Norman Bates, so often calm, only trips up once, and that's when Arbogast comes to question him. He stutters, which is an obvious tell, but Norman still escapes because he subconsciously tosses the onus to his mother--and obviously she's not going to incriminate anyone. Later, in the third act when Sam and Lila visit to check it out, Norman is back to form, and despite getting caught, plays until the final beat.
The film is also a master of subtlety and coincidence. In the third act, a few times, the Sheriff attempts to explain the situation to Sam and Lila, but they cut him off or he gets sidetracked. Because of this, our curiosity is prolonged until the final scene where we get an secondary school psychology lesson. Questions arise before this point: Did his mother fake her death? Was someone else killed and buried instead of her? What does Norman mean when he says she's 'invalid'? Just who the hell is walking around the house in woman's clothes? And it all makes sense, back to the very beginning, when Norman said he liked to stuff birds. He mentions the chemicals that preserve them, which he clearly used on his mother's corpse.
One of my favorite lines comes from Norman (who else?): "She just goes a little mad sometimes. We all go a little mad sometimes." On the first run, we assume he's just defending his mother. Why should he put her in "some place"? He belittles Marion and makes her feel cruel for even suggesting such a thing, but OH, the sweet irony of those words. Norman is literally 'mad' in the film, which is a mean twist on its own, but every other character also goes a little 'mad'. Marion steals $40,000, Arbogast walks in on an old lady who he knows he shouldn't barge in on (both on legal terms and from Norman's verbal contributions), and Sam not only becomes stand-offish with Norman, but almost seems to be making the switch from Marion to her sister. Lila appears to be the only rational person in the film, because even though she busts into the house and finds Mrs. Bates, wouldn't any sister do the same?
One could make the case for Sam as they have for Lila: Wouldn't any lover do anything to save them? I doubt it, because as we saw in scene one, Sam won't marry Marion because he's got alimony. I don't know about you, but if I cared so much about someone, I would want to marry them no matter how much money I did or didn't have. But Marion cares about him; that's why she stole the $40,000.
There have been many essays written on Hitchcock's direction, and I feel no need to rehash those here. But when his mastery of storytelling came together with this perfect script and these great actors, it made one of the best films of all time.
2.08.2009
2009 Oscar Predictions
This was a decent year for movies. I'm still bitter about the overall nominees, but there are some gems among them. I've never really hit a grand slam with Oscar predictions because I let my personal judgment overrule what I know is the front runner, but... oh well.
Best Picture:
Slumdog Millionaire, because not only is it the best film from the nominees, but it has won every single award up until this point.
Best Director:
Danny Boyle, for the same reasons: Not only was the film great, but he has won all of the major awards so far.
Best Actor:
Sean Penn for Milk, for a couple reasons. First, Milk won't win anything else besides Screenplay, and they will want to award it elsewhere. Also, he won the SAG, which has been fairly consistent in the last few years. Before that, when an actor lost the SAG and won the Oscar, it was to a widely seen performance that was over-the-top (Johnny Depp in 'Pirates,' for example). Here, the winner should be Mickey Rourke, but I need to accept that it won't happen. The only thing going against Sean Penn is that he won a leading Oscar in 2003, but I think that's long enough to not overpower the other factors.
Best Actress:
Kate Winslet for The Reader. She should have been nominated for Revolutionary Road, which was a better film in every single aspect, but if you're a woman in Hollywood and you strip, they kind of have to nominate you... and usually give you the Oscar (Halle Berry, for example). Kate is overdue for a win and in a film dealing with the Holocaust that is a Best Picture nominee. She will win.
Best Supporting Actor:
Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight. Is anyone going to argue this one?
Best Supporting Actress:
Penelope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona. This is undoubtedly the hardest of the 'big' categories to predict. If I had my way, Amy Adams would win for Doubt, but if anyone wins it will be Viola Davis for a overpraised performance. More than likely, though, the votes will split. Marisa Tomei should win, but she already has an Oscar (granted, from a long time ago), so I'm going to stick with Penelope. She was nominated in 2007, clearly the most loved part about Volver, but no one was beating Helen Mirren. But here we have a beautiful, non-previous winner in a Woody Allen film, in a strong performance, who isn't white. Oscar loves voting for those kinds of people. She gets my vote.
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Simon Beaufoy for Slumdog Millionaire, because that is by far the best script of the year.
Best Original Screenplay:
Dustin Lance Black for Milk. It won the WGA and is a strong script, so it will win. However, I think WALL-E and In Bruges were both better scripts (and films), but we won't get into that here.
More after the cut....
Best Editing:
Slumdog Millionaire, because, again, it deserves it. But the film also has 'flashy' editing, which voters like, and the film is superbly paced. I may change this a week or so from now after the ACE Eddies, but probably not.
Best Cinematography:
Anthony Dod Mantle for Slumdog Millionaire. This is a tough call, honestly, but this year I'm planning on a strong sweep from Slumdog.
Best Art Direction:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, because it makes sense to me.
Best Original Score:
A. R. Rahman for Slumdog Millionaire. Thomas Newman should win for WALL-E, but Slumdog is so loved it will take it. Well, and it's a great score. I'm actually listening to it right now. I'm seriously second-guessing my choice here, so if I'm wrong don't be surprised.
Best Original Song:
Jai Ho, but I'm beating myself up about this one. Part of me thinks Slumdog will split its own votes, plus Down to Earth is a great song. However, Jai Ho has a great dance number to it at the end of Slumdog that people are bound to have seen, so I'm going with it. Why not?
Best Animated Feature:
WALL-E, done.
Best Foreign Language Film:
Waltz with Bashir
Best Sound Editing:
The Dark Knight
Best Sound Mixing:
Slumdog Millionaire, though WALL-E would be nice.
Best Costume Design:
The Duchess
Best Documentary Feature:
Man on Wire, which was good but I didn't like it too much.
Best Visual Effects:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Makeup:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, though don't be shocked if Hellboy 2 upsets.
Best Live Action Short:
Spielzeugland (shot in the dark)
Best Documentary Short:
The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306 (shot in the dark)
Best Animated Short:
Presto
And there they are!
Review: Coraline
'Coraline' is an example of how a film designed for children can succeed in so many ways that a conventional, adult film cannot. The experience, from start to finish, is completely imaginative, with plenty of little nuances that make the story fresh and original.
The tale itself, can be boiled down simply: Coraline is a girl moved to a new place, is lonely, and doesn't like her parents. She then discovers a portal to an alternate world, and eventually realizes her life back home was not so bad. We've seen this tale before many times, but 'Coraline,' based on the Neil Gaiman book, has dark undertones that--if I was a kid again--would give me serious nightmares. The price to pay to live in this alternate reality is giving up your eyes, which are replaced by buttons, which are sewn in their place. Everyone has them, but when Coraline finds out she must give up her own, she's had enough. But by this point, getting back is not quite so easy.
Coraline is voiced by Dakota Fanning, whom I typically dislike, but here she does a superb job. Coraline's family has moved to the middle of nowhere from Michigan, and Fanning does a great job of capturing the Michigan accent. From the very beginning Coraline is a lovable girl, despite her bratty behavior and sarcasm. Children stories always portray the parents in a negative light, and for that reason we immediately side with the children. Coraline, however, isn't as kind to her new neighbor Wybie, who has plenty of gadgets and knows the folklore, but Coraline accuses him of being a stalker. It's true, he kind of is, so wouldn't Coraline be relived that in her alternate world Wybie cannot speak? She is at first, until she needs what he may be able to say.
The story borrows elements from all sorts of stories, some obvious, some a bit more obscure. There is a cat bearing a striking resemblance to the Cheshire Cat (sans stripes), and every time Coraline crawled through the tunnel to switch worlds, I felt like she would end up spending fifteen minutes inside the head of John Malkovich. The originality of the story far outweighs anything else, though. The film thrives on small comedy that would fail in a live action, normal film, but because it is done in stop motion and aimed for a younger audience, it seems more appropriate.
This is a film that has a crucial involvement with its own atmosphere. Some films exist to tell a story, but here the music, the motion, the sickness of the characters, as well as a small dab of black comedy, make a wonderful journey that should be taken this weekend.
Rating: 6.5/7
2.07.2009
Best Song: A Tough Decision
I've been pretty supportive so far of the Peter Gabriel song 'Down to Earth' from WALL-E as the best song in a film this year. However, I really like the song from the end of Slumdog Millionaire, 'Jai Ho.' Especially with the awesome dance number that comes with it. Here's a sweet video recently released. Note: There may be minor spoilers if you haven't seen the film.
P.S. Isn't Freida Pinto freakin' gorgeous?
2.01.2009
Faye Dunaway is Awesome
Despite being in many classic movies, including Network, Chinatown, the original Thomas Crowne Affair, and Bonnie and Clyde, Faye Dunaway is still badass, even today.
So there is supposedly being a remake of the amazing, original Bonnie and Clyde, starring Hilary Duff as Bonnie Parker.
When asked about this, Dunaway responded, "Couldn't they at least cast a real actress?"
Owned? Yes, owned.
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