1 - C What does it take to find a lost love? Slumdog Millionaire
2 - D Two great lovers of the screen in the grandest of romantic comedies! It Happened One Night
3 - A They will sacrifice anything to achieve their goals...Except their honor. Chariots of Fire
4 - E The eye of the enemy is moving. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
5 - B Beyond his silence, there is a past. Beyond her dreams, there is a feeling... Million Dollar Baby
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Up & Up In The Air
In Pixar's Up, Carl, a quiet, old square, inters himself indoors, transforming his cottage home into a shrine for his beloved and departed wife. Shunning human contact, Carl instead lives in the dust of his past and the regrets of unrealized ambition. When he is finally forced out of his home, he chooses a unique solution - Carl attaches thousands of balloons to his chimney and floats the whole building to Peru. His plan is to simply set the house down next to a waterfall and live quietly, but along the way, he gets saddled with an overeager Adventure Scout, a troublesome bird, a talking dog, and an adventure he never asked for.
Carl comes to realize that the things - the house, the objects - that he has accumulated don't make up his life. He learns that his house (wherever it's located) is not his home and that while he yearned all his life for an adventure, his life was an adventure in itself.
We find Ryan Bingham (played by George Clooney in Up In the Air) in a similar airborne epiphany. A professional traveler, Ryan's philosophy is to that the more baggage one has (physically and emotionally), the more weighed-down one's life becomes. He lives only in the present, never letting the dust settle, never wanting more than what he needs. Unlike Carl, who is only comfortable at home, Ryan is comfortable anywhere else. He leaves everything and everyone behind and insulates himself through detachment. As a corporate downsizer, his job is to deliver hard news and then disappear from peoples' lives, but when he undertakes one last trip, this time saddled with an overeager post-grad, he begins to question his philosophy. A trip to visit a family that barely knows him really drives things home.
Like Carl, Ryan comes to realize that a life well-lived is the real adventure and that there is real value in relationships, family, and people. They just had to uproot everything to get there.
Carl comes to realize that the things - the house, the objects - that he has accumulated don't make up his life. He learns that his house (wherever it's located) is not his home and that while he yearned all his life for an adventure, his life was an adventure in itself.
We find Ryan Bingham (played by George Clooney in Up In the Air) in a similar airborne epiphany. A professional traveler, Ryan's philosophy is to that the more baggage one has (physically and emotionally), the more weighed-down one's life becomes. He lives only in the present, never letting the dust settle, never wanting more than what he needs. Unlike Carl, who is only comfortable at home, Ryan is comfortable anywhere else. He leaves everything and everyone behind and insulates himself through detachment. As a corporate downsizer, his job is to deliver hard news and then disappear from peoples' lives, but when he undertakes one last trip, this time saddled with an overeager post-grad, he begins to question his philosophy. A trip to visit a family that barely knows him really drives things home.
Like Carl, Ryan comes to realize that a life well-lived is the real adventure and that there is real value in relationships, family, and people. They just had to uproot everything to get there.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Technical Awards
Go on, take a guess where most of this hardware is going to go.
Sound Editing and Sound Mixing go hand in hand (except for last year, for some reason) and both categories are nearly identical this year. Both include Avatar, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, and Star Trek. Up is up for Sound Editing and Transformers 2 is up for Sound Mixing. These awards usually go to noisy action films or animated movies where all the effects have to be produced or edited in-studio. While there's a chance that The Hurt Locker will take one or both of the sound Oscars, I think that they'll both go to Avatar. All of Avatar's achievements are technical achievements, and I expect the Academy to recognize that.
Visual effects? Seriously? Do I even need to mention that Avatar is up against District 9 and Star Trek? This one is going straight to the blue monkey-cats.
Editing is a different story. The nominees are Avatar, The Hurt Locker, District 9, Inglourious Basterds, and Precious. The Hurt Locker was one of the most suspenseful films of the year, due in no small part to some intense editing. Best Editing may get caught in an Avatar technical sweep and District 9 may upset, but I think The Hurt Locker is the strongest contender here.
Sound Editing and Sound Mixing go hand in hand (except for last year, for some reason) and both categories are nearly identical this year. Both include Avatar, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, and Star Trek. Up is up for Sound Editing and Transformers 2 is up for Sound Mixing. These awards usually go to noisy action films or animated movies where all the effects have to be produced or edited in-studio. While there's a chance that The Hurt Locker will take one or both of the sound Oscars, I think that they'll both go to Avatar. All of Avatar's achievements are technical achievements, and I expect the Academy to recognize that.
Visual effects? Seriously? Do I even need to mention that Avatar is up against District 9 and Star Trek? This one is going straight to the blue monkey-cats.
Editing is a different story. The nominees are Avatar, The Hurt Locker, District 9, Inglourious Basterds, and Precious. The Hurt Locker was one of the most suspenseful films of the year, due in no small part to some intense editing. Best Editing may get caught in an Avatar technical sweep and District 9 may upset, but I think The Hurt Locker is the strongest contender here.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Best Supporting Actress
Let's jump right in to the big awards.
This one's pretty simple, really. The nominees are Penelope Cruz in Nine, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick in Up In the Air, Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy Heart, and Mo'Nique in Precious.
Here's how it will go down: Cruz got the sole acting nomination in a film that banked on its on-screen talent and lost - critics hated it and audiences didn't show. Farmiga and Kendrick will likely cancel each other out. Gyllenhaal is the surprise nominee here for a movie that's really all about Jeff Bridges. Then there's Mo'Nique - a comedian known for loud, broad slapstick (Soul Plane, TV's Moesha) who nailed a powerful dramatic role. She shocked audiences enough to win every major award this year so far and is a clear favorite for the Oscar.
Jim Carey is probably crying himself to sleep these days.
Traditionally, we look for a lead actress who has supporting screen time to win here. Someone like Meryl Streep in Kramer Vs. Kramer or Marissa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny, or Marcia Gay Harden in Pollock (I could go on). If that were the case, it would probably be Anna Kendrick's year, but Mo'Nique's story, the surprising depth of her performance, and her ability to give a good acceptance speech will likely get her to the podium on Oscar night.
This one's pretty simple, really. The nominees are Penelope Cruz in Nine, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick in Up In the Air, Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy Heart, and Mo'Nique in Precious.
Here's how it will go down: Cruz got the sole acting nomination in a film that banked on its on-screen talent and lost - critics hated it and audiences didn't show. Farmiga and Kendrick will likely cancel each other out. Gyllenhaal is the surprise nominee here for a movie that's really all about Jeff Bridges. Then there's Mo'Nique - a comedian known for loud, broad slapstick (Soul Plane, TV's Moesha) who nailed a powerful dramatic role. She shocked audiences enough to win every major award this year so far and is a clear favorite for the Oscar.
Jim Carey is probably crying himself to sleep these days.
Traditionally, we look for a lead actress who has supporting screen time to win here. Someone like Meryl Streep in Kramer Vs. Kramer or Marissa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny, or Marcia Gay Harden in Pollock (I could go on). If that were the case, it would probably be Anna Kendrick's year, but Mo'Nique's story, the surprising depth of her performance, and her ability to give a good acceptance speech will likely get her to the podium on Oscar night.
Doug's Big Oscar Quiz - Part 1
Guess what, everyone! Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak made an appearance in Los Angeles early yesterday morning and saw his shadow. You know what that means - five weeks of Oscar season!
It's going to be a great year for Oscar! We have the second-ever Best Picture nomination for an animated film (Up), the fourth woman ever nominated for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow), plus, she's up against her ex-husband, James Cameron (a first at the awards). Ten Best Picture nominees and a good showing for sci-fi and action movies should make things especially exciting.
I have some catching up to do, but I thought I'd start things off with an Oscar Quiz. Answers will be posted later in the week.
Match the Best-Picture winning film with its poster tagline:
1. What does it take to find a lost love? A. Money B. Luck C. Smarts D. Destiny
2. Two great lovers of the screen in the grandest of romantic comedies!
3. They will sacrifice anything to achieve their goals...Except their honor.
4. The eye of the enemy is moving.
5. Beyond his silence, there is a past. Beyond her dreams, there is a feeling. Beyond hope, there is a memory. Beyond their journey, there is a love.
a. Chariots of Fire
b. Million Dollar Baby
c. Slumdog Millionaire
d. It Happened One Night
e. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
It's going to be a great year for Oscar! We have the second-ever Best Picture nomination for an animated film (Up), the fourth woman ever nominated for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow), plus, she's up against her ex-husband, James Cameron (a first at the awards). Ten Best Picture nominees and a good showing for sci-fi and action movies should make things especially exciting.
I have some catching up to do, but I thought I'd start things off with an Oscar Quiz. Answers will be posted later in the week.
Match the Best-Picture winning film with its poster tagline:
1. What does it take to find a lost love? A. Money B. Luck C. Smarts D. Destiny
2. Two great lovers of the screen in the grandest of romantic comedies!
3. They will sacrifice anything to achieve their goals...Except their honor.
4. The eye of the enemy is moving.
5. Beyond his silence, there is a past. Beyond her dreams, there is a feeling. Beyond hope, there is a memory. Beyond their journey, there is a love.
a. Chariots of Fire
b. Million Dollar Baby
c. Slumdog Millionaire
d. It Happened One Night
e. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
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