Oscars are coming!

[lugaru]

Well usually I do the whole "blah blah blah, I dont care about the Oscars" indy thing to sound cool but this year Im pretty wraped up into it and trying to get my hands on most of the oscar nominated films since I hate going to the movies until they fix that thing at work where I can buy movie tickets at discounted rates.

I think the most important category for me this year is lead actor, with Forest Whitaker vs Ryan Gosling. Odds are neither win, I have neither seen "persuit of happyness" (most critics said it was good but corny) and Blood diamond but Whitaker was a nice mix of dangerous and charismatic a la hannibal lecter and Gosling channeled a great Gary Oldman vibe for his role in half nelson. Any one see that movie yet? It's the usual "some white guy teaches a class full of youths from the projects" only in this case the kids arent all that bad off while the teacher himself is a crack head. Very little anywhere in that movie is conventional, but I love how one of the movies running threads is about the civil rights movement and the forces that oppose it... yet drugs are never mentioned which is great since that would of made it a bit preachy. The best part is how vulnerable his character is... smart and witty half the time, whenever he is high on something he becomes this pale shadow of himself, spouting political cliches trying to make smart conversation to junkies who could care less.

Best direction brings Iñarritu (amores perros) back into the spotlight but I honestly havent seen Babel yet. I think it's out on dvd as of like yesterday so I'll see if I get lucky and score a copy, he deserves an oscar for his past work but let's see if this movie has a chance. The Departed (Scorsesse) SHOULD win it because I mean... sniff... just give the man an oscar already!!! Letters might take it though and by what I have heard it deserves it, also Clint Eastwood is an oscar darling and I cant complain, I love all his work.

[detourne_me]

just finished watching half nelson.. seriously.
really great movie,  this years crop has been so awesome its hard to believe how many good movies have come out.

i gotta read up more on dialectics,  and it was great how that concept really played into the movie.

haven't seen blood diamond yet but its on my short list (juust today i heard forrest whitakker was ibn it,  i love that guy since species and ghost dog)
other standouts for me include,  The Prestige, The Departed, Apocalypto, CHILDREN OF MEN!!!, Casino Royale, Rocky and Tideland was alright...i feel like im missing a few...

on my short list to watch soon (hopefully this week) Pan's Labrynth, Blood Diamond, Babel, Curse of The Golden Flower, Pursuit of Happyness, and well maybe little miss sunshine or The Queen...oh and i can't forget Charlotte's Web!
I saw Bridge to Terabithia, cause i had to kill a couple hours, and it was really well done, if a little low budget on some effects.  but the story really reminded me of my childhood,  so it was good.

ummn but yeah,  watch Children of Men,  i have no idea if its up for any oscars,  but its what a dystopic movie should be!

[thalaw2]

My favorite movie from this year's crop is Dream Girls.  I loved that movie.  It was a great story and the soundtrack was a great homage to legends of R&B and soul.  What's sad is that Eddie Murphy's character was a James Brown clone and ......[not posted due to spoilage]

[lugaru]

Just finished Babel a little while ago. I really enjoyed it and as bleak as it is it's not nearly as depressing as his other work. The format is pretty good although the thread that ties all stories together is a little weak, still all in all it was highly enjoyable. It's a shame that most local critics are really hating on this movie (some even calling it a ripoff of crash) but that's what happens pretty much every time one of the Mexican directors puts out a movie. It was hilarious when Robert Rodriguez put out Sin City because all of a sudden all these critics where prettending to have loved him since "El Mariachi" when all their negative reviews where still archived and searchable.

Havent seen Dream Girls yet but it's on the top of one of my friends lists. I might get a chance to watch Lill miss sunshine, apocalypto or the departed before the oscars but the rest are looking unlikely especially since I am putting in overtime at the office on Saturday, something I rarely get to do.

[konbiz]

Little Miss Sunshine is a very good movie in my opinion, mixing comedy and tragedy extremely well.

[bredon7777]

I havent seen most of the nominees, with the exception of Little Miss Sunishine, which fell under the category of "What the heck were they thinking?"

Don't get me wrong, I liked the movie in a weird sort of way, but one of the best pictures of the year?  Not even close.

My pics:

1) Stranger than Fiction
2) V for Vendetta
3) Flushed Away (tie if Hoodwinked came out this year)
4) PotC: Dead Man's Chest
5) The Illusionist (Which reminds me, I suppose I do owe Jessica Biel an apology for all the slagging of her I was doing in the old Wonder Woman thread...)

[Mr. Hamrick]

5) The Illusionist (Which reminds me, I suppose I do owe Jessica Biel an apology for all the slagging of her I was doing in the old Wonder Woman thread...)

yeah, you do owe "my girl Jessica" an apology.   :P 

Seriously though, my biggest hopes are for Helen Mirren to win for "The Queen" and for Forrest Whittaker to win for "The Last King of Scotland" 

oh . . . and for that guy who did "The Departed" to win Best Director.  LOL!

[lugaru]

oh . . . and for that guy who did "The Departed" to win Best Director.  LOL!

I've heard that director has been around for a while and has had an oscar coming for a while...

Brendon7777: V is like, uh, so totally last year! Tee-hee!

[Glitch Girl]

Well the awards are tonight, but those interested in a bit of Preshow: the Golden Razberries have been announced. Click Here

(you know, I could have sworn I started a topic about the Razzies a while back, but not I can't find it, hmmm.)

[Reepicheep]

if my friend Josh don't get an Oscar, I won't be happy.

[Mr. Hamrick]

YAY!

I called it.

Mirren got best Actress

Whittaker got best Actor

Scorsese got Best Director and The Departed got Best Picture 

[GhostMachine]

The only major award winner I have a bone to pick with is Scorsese winning Best Director. Its true he should have won it in the past but didn't (he got screwed with Goodfellas, and maybe Raging Bull also, but I'm borderline about whether he should have even been nominated for Gangs Of New York), but I think Clint Eastwood should have won for Letters From Iwo Jima.

[thalaw2]

I glad Jennifer Hudson got an award...I think Dream Girls should have gotten best music.

[Night Dragon]

 Just a quick note, no matter what your feelings are about certain films one way or another, FR is not the place to discuss politics.

[Glitch Girl]

I glad Jennifer Hudson got an award...I think Dream Girls should have gotten best music.

I think Dream Girls was it's own worst enemy in the Best Song category.  Three nominated songs is a great way to split the votes up.

[zuludelta]

The only major award winner I have a bone to pick with is Scorsese winning Best Director. Its true he should have won it in the past but didn't (he got screwed with Goodfellas, and maybe Raging Bull also, but I'm borderline about whether he should have even been nominated for Gangs Of New York), but I think Clint Eastwood should have won for Letters From Iwo Jima.

Totally agree with you on that one. I liked The Departed better when it was called Infernal Affairs. Scorcese's abbreviated take on the original Hong Kong crime trilogy just seemed haphazard, although I think it just might be the fault of William Monahan (who adapted the screenplay from the original)... the pacing was off for me. Don't get me wrong, The Departed was a good movie, I just don't think it was the best film of the year, and I think Scorcese getting the award was more due to the Academy owning up to the fact that they've screwed up in past years for not giving Scorcese a best director or best picture award for any of his better previous works: Taxi Driver (one of my all-time faves), Goodfellas, and Raging Bull.

Maybe it's a theme with the major awards shows this year. It was the same thing with the Grammys. I like at least some of the Dixie Chicks music (and admire their composure in the face of public backlash) but was their latest album really deserving of what was it? Five Grammys? I know the Grammy people were probably trying to work off some off their guilt about keeping silent throughout the whole controversy regarding Natalie Maine's political comments, but really, is giving critical work undeserved plaudits the right way to make amends? It reminds me of the worst aspects of officiating in the NBA, when referees realize they've made a bad call against one team, and compensate by calling ticky-tack fouls on the opposing team.

In any event, I don't really take awards shows all that seriously anymore. I think they are a good barometer of the current cultural zeitgeist, but I don't think they offer in any way a critical affirmation of the best in the industry. Personally, I would've loved to see Letters From Iwo Jima, Babel, or Pan's Labyrinth (which didn't even get nominated for the Best Picture category) win.

Oh, and just so I don't sound like I'm totally down on the whole thing, I'm glad The Danish Poet (a traditionally animated 2-D piece) won in the best animated feature category.       

[Cardmaster]

Okay, as an animator I have two things to say:

-The Danish Poet should NOT have won over Little Match Girl. Little Match Girl was far superior, and I'm annoyed that Poet got it just because it was 'edgier.'
-For George Miller to beat John Lassetter is an absolute disgrace. Pah! Happy Feet only got the Oscar because it was An Inconvenient Truth with penguins...

Other than that, I enjoyed the Oscars very much. ^_^

-CM

[Mr. Hamrick]

The only major award winner I have a bone to pick with is Scorsese winning Best Director. Its true he should have won it in the past but didn't (he got screwed with Goodfellas, and maybe Raging Bull also, but I'm borderline about whether he should have even been nominated for Gangs Of New York), but I think Clint Eastwood should have won for Letters From Iwo Jima.

Actually, Ghost, I'm ecstatic Scorsese won.  Now, people can shut up about him getting robbed.  I've got a problem with several of the nominees last night and a few of the winners.  I'm sick of The Academy putting films up for contention for reasons other than the quality of the film or the people involved with the film (in the case of Best Actor, Actress, etc).  Three of the five nominees for Best Documentary Feature were not "traditional documentary" but were running commentaries on issues.  There is a line a between a "documentary" and a "personal opinion piece".   The other two on that list may have been equally as bad, but I have not seen them. 

[lugaru]

Im not even trying to sound like a snob but the only awards I really follow are cannes and other international festivals. So yeah, the Oscars are very much about politics and often infuriate me for the same reason the ratings people infuriate me but it's a year with lots of good movies.

Hamrick: again not trying to get political or anything but I kind of blame Farenheit for that. Last really good one I saw was "gunner palace".

Edit: wanted to add a few more things.

Just finished watching Lill Miss Sunshine. Greg Kinnear is one of my favorite actors of all times but man I hated him in this movie. I guess that means he did a good job. All in all it was great, both very funny and very uncomfortable.

About the Oscars what I LOVE is the new obsession with the music cutting off peoples speaches. There is just something child-like and silly about it, like musical chairs. It may be disrespectful but it's also humbling. "Hi, Im a wealthy actor and now I am also an oscar winner, oh no, the music... I'll be quiet now."

[Mr. Hamrick]

I'm going to partially agree with you.  You may have to go back a bit further than Farenheit, though.  We can talk about that in PM, though.  Or IM me on AIM or yahoo or MSN.

And I wholeheartedly agree on Gunner's Palace.  I went in with low expectations and was very pleasently surprised.  I follow The Independent Spirit Awards (or whatever they are called now) and The Golden Globes more than the Oscars as well.  I'm prepping to shoot something I hope to enter into the Atlanta Film Festival next year.

I think the best thing I saw at the Oscars last night was the whole bit was Jack Black, Will Farrell, and John C. Reily.  It was incredibly cheesy but incredibly TRUE.  Look at the amount of actors known more initially for their comedy word who are all of a sudden Academy darlings after doing a drama.  Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy, and John C. Reily himself to name a few.