Julia pulls me back in. Watch the 'Eat, Pray, Love' trailer below.
Seriously, I think this is going to be Julia Roberts' decade annual comeback. Adaptation of a popular book + summer release + big box-office numbers = Oscar nomination. Get ready, bloggers!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Thoughts on This Year's Oscar-winning Performances
Jeff Bridges
There's no use debating this win, because Jeff Bridges was long overdue for an Oscar and, unlike Paul Newman and Al Pacino, he won for a great performance. Still, I'm not sure whether I would have actually nominated him. I loved him in 'Crazy Heart,' but I had so many problems with the film itself, all of which took me out of the whole "let's bow down to Jeff Bridges!" experience. I think I need to see it again. As for now, I'd say he's fighting with Matt Damon for my fifth spot. Damon gave an incredibly underrated performance in September's 'The Informant!' and should have been nominated for that instead of 'Invictus.' (However, contrary to most people's opinion, I actually thought Damon was good in that, too, though obviously not worthy of a nomination.)
Who else would I have nominated? Colin Firth is a no-brainer -- and my winner -- for his career-changing performance in 'A Single Man.' After that, I'd pick Jeremy Renner for 'The Hurt Locker,' George Clooney for 'Up in the Air' and -- wait for it -- Chris Pine, who I thought gave a star-is-born performance in 'Star Trek.' This kid is the real deal, and I ate up every second he was on screen.
Sandra Bullock
Again, how can you debate this? I definitely wouldn't have nominated her, but there was just no stopping the SaBu train this year. And, really, what was so bad about that? She had an incredible year; she's incredibly likeable; and the film was fine, if completely inconsequential and harmless. And I think she understood why she won, and that she probably wouldn't be nominated again. So let her enjoy her Oscar bliss.
(Side note: This was one case in which I was SO mad to be away from my blog, because I had been predicting SaBu to win the Oscar since 'The Blind Side''s opening weekend. All that talk about Meryl Streep winning for 'Julie & Julia' COMPLETELY baffled me to me. Look it: Meryl Streep will win a third Oscar. Every nomination that she receives moves her one step closer to that grand moment. But she's going to win when and only when she gives a huge, unstoppable performance that cannot be overlooked in favor of a "due" actress, as was the case with Sandra Bullock. Until then, the Academy will continue will put off the inevitable. That's my hunch, anyway.)
As for my own personal ballot, I really felt that Carey Mulligan should have won for 'An Education.' In a sense, she was like the Keira Knightley to SaBu's Reese Witherspoon. Streep was my runner-up, followed by Abbie Cornish for 'Bright Star,' Tilda Swinton for her fearless performance in 'Julia' and Gabourey Sidibe for 'Precious' (although, in a stronger year, Sidibe wouldn't have come close to making my top five.)
Christoph Waltz
Deserved. 100 percent. Which is why the rest of the category looked so weak by comparison.
Even my own ballot was a little sucky, although I cannot BELIEVE the Academy snubbed Anthony Mackie for 'The Hurt Locker' (well, yes I can, as I didn't think it would happen, but still ...) This was arguably the biggest snub in the acting categories, and a silly one at that, considering the amount of love that was there for 'The Hurt Locker.'
Rounding out my ballot: Alfred Molina for 'An Education,' Stanley Tucci for 'Julie & Julia' and the incredibly sexy Michael Fassbender for 'Inglourious Basterds.'
Mo'Nique
I'm totally fine with this win, because, even though she didn't win my award, it was a fearless and memorable performance that had true moments of brilliance, especially in her final scene with Sidibe and Mariah Carey.
My winner: Julianne Moore for 'A Single Man' -- and actually, I take back what I said about Mackie, because this snub was a total missed opportunity. I don't even like Julianne Moore and I thought she was brilliant here.
I went with 'Up in the Air''s Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga for my second and third spots. (Mo'Nique came in third, respectively.) I considered them both equally good in the film, but Kendrick was arguably most effective in terms of the film's overall product, so I gave her the slight edge.
Finally, my last spot went to Marion Cotillard. But first, I have to stop and tell you guys how much I HATED 'Nine.' HATED. I thought it was a huge trainwreck of a movie, and I would have named the worst film of 2009 had it not been for Cotillard's luminous and show-stopping performance. From Daniel Day-Lewis' sing-speak, to the editing to the lack of balance between the story and musical numbers, it was just a mess.
But Cotillard ... sigh. It was like I was watching a different movie when she was on screen. And that voice! I still listen to 'My Husband Makes Movies' on my iPod because of it. Voters really missed a chance here, especially since decided to be lazy and nominate Penelope Cruz instead.
There's no use debating this win, because Jeff Bridges was long overdue for an Oscar and, unlike Paul Newman and Al Pacino, he won for a great performance. Still, I'm not sure whether I would have actually nominated him. I loved him in 'Crazy Heart,' but I had so many problems with the film itself, all of which took me out of the whole "let's bow down to Jeff Bridges!" experience. I think I need to see it again. As for now, I'd say he's fighting with Matt Damon for my fifth spot. Damon gave an incredibly underrated performance in September's 'The Informant!' and should have been nominated for that instead of 'Invictus.' (However, contrary to most people's opinion, I actually thought Damon was good in that, too, though obviously not worthy of a nomination.)
Who else would I have nominated? Colin Firth is a no-brainer -- and my winner -- for his career-changing performance in 'A Single Man.' After that, I'd pick Jeremy Renner for 'The Hurt Locker,' George Clooney for 'Up in the Air' and -- wait for it -- Chris Pine, who I thought gave a star-is-born performance in 'Star Trek.' This kid is the real deal, and I ate up every second he was on screen.
Sandra Bullock
Again, how can you debate this? I definitely wouldn't have nominated her, but there was just no stopping the SaBu train this year. And, really, what was so bad about that? She had an incredible year; she's incredibly likeable; and the film was fine, if completely inconsequential and harmless. And I think she understood why she won, and that she probably wouldn't be nominated again. So let her enjoy her Oscar bliss.
(Side note: This was one case in which I was SO mad to be away from my blog, because I had been predicting SaBu to win the Oscar since 'The Blind Side''s opening weekend. All that talk about Meryl Streep winning for 'Julie & Julia' COMPLETELY baffled me to me. Look it: Meryl Streep will win a third Oscar. Every nomination that she receives moves her one step closer to that grand moment. But she's going to win when and only when she gives a huge, unstoppable performance that cannot be overlooked in favor of a "due" actress, as was the case with Sandra Bullock. Until then, the Academy will continue will put off the inevitable. That's my hunch, anyway.)
As for my own personal ballot, I really felt that Carey Mulligan should have won for 'An Education.' In a sense, she was like the Keira Knightley to SaBu's Reese Witherspoon. Streep was my runner-up, followed by Abbie Cornish for 'Bright Star,' Tilda Swinton for her fearless performance in 'Julia' and Gabourey Sidibe for 'Precious' (although, in a stronger year, Sidibe wouldn't have come close to making my top five.)
Christoph Waltz
Deserved. 100 percent. Which is why the rest of the category looked so weak by comparison.
Even my own ballot was a little sucky, although I cannot BELIEVE the Academy snubbed Anthony Mackie for 'The Hurt Locker' (well, yes I can, as I didn't think it would happen, but still ...) This was arguably the biggest snub in the acting categories, and a silly one at that, considering the amount of love that was there for 'The Hurt Locker.'
Rounding out my ballot: Alfred Molina for 'An Education,' Stanley Tucci for 'Julie & Julia' and the incredibly sexy Michael Fassbender for 'Inglourious Basterds.'
Mo'Nique
I'm totally fine with this win, because, even though she didn't win my award, it was a fearless and memorable performance that had true moments of brilliance, especially in her final scene with Sidibe and Mariah Carey.
My winner: Julianne Moore for 'A Single Man' -- and actually, I take back what I said about Mackie, because this snub was a total missed opportunity. I don't even like Julianne Moore and I thought she was brilliant here.
I went with 'Up in the Air''s Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga for my second and third spots. (Mo'Nique came in third, respectively.) I considered them both equally good in the film, but Kendrick was arguably most effective in terms of the film's overall product, so I gave her the slight edge.
Finally, my last spot went to Marion Cotillard. But first, I have to stop and tell you guys how much I HATED 'Nine.' HATED. I thought it was a huge trainwreck of a movie, and I would have named the worst film of 2009 had it not been for Cotillard's luminous and show-stopping performance. From Daniel Day-Lewis' sing-speak, to the editing to the lack of balance between the story and musical numbers, it was just a mess.
But Cotillard ... sigh. It was like I was watching a different movie when she was on screen. And that voice! I still listen to 'My Husband Makes Movies' on my iPod because of it. Voters really missed a chance here, especially since decided to be lazy and nominate Penelope Cruz instead.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Unofficial Top 10 of 2009
My list changes every day, as much of 2009 was hit-or-miss for me. But I did genuinely love my picks for #1 and #2.
01. 'The Hurt Locker'
02. 'Star Trek'
03. 'Up in the Air'
04. 'Fantastic Mr. Fox'
05. 'Inglourious Basterds'
06. 'An Education
07. 'A Serious Man'
08. 'A Single Man'
09. 'In the Loop'
10. 'Bright Star'
Underrated gem:
'The Informant!' -- Matt Damon's Best Actor snub still stings.
Thanks, but no thanks:
'Avatar' -- fun as a spectacle, but i felt this defied top 10 placement due to its sheer ... I don't know what. It was both fun and ridiculous at the same time, but definitely not Oscar-worthy.
'Precious' -- wonderful performances in otherwise uneven and poorly directed film.
01. 'The Hurt Locker'
02. 'Star Trek'
03. 'Up in the Air'
04. 'Fantastic Mr. Fox'
05. 'Inglourious Basterds'
06. 'An Education
07. 'A Serious Man'
08. 'A Single Man'
09. 'In the Loop'
10. 'Bright Star'
Underrated gem:
'The Informant!' -- Matt Damon's Best Actor snub still stings.
Thanks, but no thanks:
'Avatar' -- fun as a spectacle, but i felt this defied top 10 placement due to its sheer ... I don't know what. It was both fun and ridiculous at the same time, but definitely not Oscar-worthy.
'Precious' -- wonderful performances in otherwise uneven and poorly directed film.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Are you there, bloggers? It's me, Andy
I'm not sure if anybody is still reading this blog, but I wanted to pop in to say a quick hello and inform everybody that, yes, I am still alive.
The reason behind my disappearance is a simple one: I got a new gig. It's a full-time gig, one that no longer allows me the time necessary to keep up with the Oscar race. it kills me to say this, because for six years it was all I could ever think about. but it isn't fair to anyone -- especially my readers, however many are left -- to keep going at such a half-assed rate.
i thank everyone who read my blog over the years, and i sincerely apologize for being MIA since June. it wasn't my intention to leave anyone hanging; i just never found the right time to post again -- until now, anyway.
i won't delete Oscar and the City just yet, but Everything Oscar! will be shutting down shortly after I save a few things and all that fun stuff. again, i thank you all for sticking by me, and i would love to hear from you guys -- well, except for the person who kept posting profanities. let me know if you're still out there (15-year-old blogger? or are you now 24-year-old blogger?)
oh, and in case anyone cares, I totally give the thumbs up to the Academy for awarding the best film of 2009, 'The Hurt Locker.' in fact, here are my own personal choices from the past year:
Best Picture: 'The Hurt Locker'
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, 'The Hurt Locker'
Best Actor: Colin Firth, 'A Single Man' (although cheers to Jeff Bridges for finally taking home an Oscar, even if 'Crazy Heart' was a bit simplistic and, uh, irrational. don't get me started on Maggie Gyllenhaal's nomination ...)
Best Actress: Carey Mulligan, 'An Education'
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, 'Inglourious Basterds' (runner-up: Anthony Mackie, 'The Hurt Locker' -- BEYOND robbed)
Best Supporting Actress: Julianne Moore, 'A Single Man' (runner-up: Anna Kendrick, 'Up in the Air.' Mo'Nique ranked fourth on my ballot ... I think.)
that's about it for now. i hope you all are doing well. thanks, and happy blogging!
andy.
The reason behind my disappearance is a simple one: I got a new gig. It's a full-time gig, one that no longer allows me the time necessary to keep up with the Oscar race. it kills me to say this, because for six years it was all I could ever think about. but it isn't fair to anyone -- especially my readers, however many are left -- to keep going at such a half-assed rate.
i thank everyone who read my blog over the years, and i sincerely apologize for being MIA since June. it wasn't my intention to leave anyone hanging; i just never found the right time to post again -- until now, anyway.
i won't delete Oscar and the City just yet, but Everything Oscar! will be shutting down shortly after I save a few things and all that fun stuff. again, i thank you all for sticking by me, and i would love to hear from you guys -- well, except for the person who kept posting profanities. let me know if you're still out there (15-year-old blogger? or are you now 24-year-old blogger?)
oh, and in case anyone cares, I totally give the thumbs up to the Academy for awarding the best film of 2009, 'The Hurt Locker.' in fact, here are my own personal choices from the past year:
Best Picture: 'The Hurt Locker'
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, 'The Hurt Locker'
Best Actor: Colin Firth, 'A Single Man' (although cheers to Jeff Bridges for finally taking home an Oscar, even if 'Crazy Heart' was a bit simplistic and, uh, irrational. don't get me started on Maggie Gyllenhaal's nomination ...)
Best Actress: Carey Mulligan, 'An Education'
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, 'Inglourious Basterds' (runner-up: Anthony Mackie, 'The Hurt Locker' -- BEYOND robbed)
Best Supporting Actress: Julianne Moore, 'A Single Man' (runner-up: Anna Kendrick, 'Up in the Air.' Mo'Nique ranked fourth on my ballot ... I think.)
that's about it for now. i hope you all are doing well. thanks, and happy blogging!
andy.
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