Oscars 2018: The Fish Guy, Billboards, Lady Bird and Getting Out

Even before the nominations for the Academy Awards came out Tuesday morning, the acting races were already settled thanks to the SAGs and Golden Globes. Aside from that, there should be some interesting competitions when they're given out after the Olympics.

Here's the nomination announcement with Tiffany Haddish and Andy Serkis, who should get nominated someday (especially Andy, who's going to force the academy to invent Best Virtual Character someday):



Some thoughts:

Some might call the result "sexist" because Wonder Woman got nothing, but then see the real wonder woman was Greta Gerwig, getting bids for direction and writing for Lady Bird. It got five nominations, and it's a great day for Thrift Town and Sacramento.
Besides, it guarantees Gal Gadot will be there as a presenter. Some websites thought Wonder Woman would get Adapted Screenplay, and I thought maybe Costume Design would be another possibility. Hopefully, Diana of Themiscyra will get her due during the ceremony.

Meanwhile, the #MeToo campaign made James Franco the real Disaster Artist, robbing him of a Best Picture and Best Actor bid. That may be the reason why Denzel Washington made the final cut even though Roman Israel Esq. wasn't well received.

Phantom Thread, a romance set in the world of design, got in the Best Picture race because of beautiful clothes and Daniel Day Lewis. Darkest Hour is also up for Best Picture due to Gary Oldman (who will win for Best Actor just for being Churchill, and the makeup job, too).

The big battle will be between The Shape of Water, a Cold War romance that would also be a fairy tale for adults, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, MO, which starts as a woman's bid for justice but becomes something much different. Shape will get Best Director because Guillermo Del Toro is in but Martin McDonagh is not. Both are in Original Screenplay, and either may win. McDonagh may have an edge because of the unpredictability of the story. If there's a chance for an upset, Jordan Peele may do it for Get Out. However, Del Toro being in Best Director race may be enough to get Best Picture.

As I said, the acting races are done. Frances McDormand has Best Actress, Oldman Best Actor, Sam Rockwell for Supporting Actor and Alison Janney for Supporting Actress. Willem Dafoe was considered a favorite for The Florida Project, and he'd have a better chance if the movie was at smaller markets (still not in Reno, for example). It'll be more available on streaming services by early February, though

When I saw The Post this week, I knew Meryl Streep would get in for Best Actress, Seeing her as Washington Post publisher Kay Graham is amazing. She starts out unsure, relying on other men for advice. She only got the paper because her husband killed himself. Slowly, as the paper plans to expose the Pentagon Papers, she realizes she is the boss, and if this is important, she has to do the right thing. If not for McDormand, a fourth award would not have been out of the question.
The movie didn't get much after that, which upset some people. There are two reasons: it's a pretty competitive season, and Spotlight was made in 2015. Even the academy would think two really good journalism movies in five years is too much. This is called a "lame but true" excuse.

It's too bad I, Tonya didn't make the final cut for Best Picture. Otherwise, Margot Robbie would have been the first woman nominated for Best Actress and Best Picture as a producer for the same movie. You know, what happened to Nicole Kidman for Big Little Lies and Tina Fey for 30 Rock at the Emmys recently. Pick up the pace, movies.

Despite Wonder Woman being shut out. it's a good year for comic book movies. Logan, the swan song for Professor Xavier and Wolverine, got in for Adapted Screenplay (which should have happened to Steve Rogers, Wonder Woman, Deadpool, the Avengers and Batman). This is a big moment for comic book movies, and it should happen again. Guardians of the Galaxy Volume II got in for Visual Effects, which was expected. It'll have quite the battle against Last Jedi and War For The Planet of the Apes.

Between now and March 4th, there will be a few awards that may give hints on how will carry out the Oscar. Aside from the BAFTAs on February 18th, one to watch is the Writers' Guild awards held on the eleventh. It should give a hint on whether Peele could make history, or an X-Man could.

For now, let's all get caught up on our Oscar homework.

Now That The Oscar Primaries Are Over...

February is here, and in Reno we'll be lucky if Spring arrives in April, judging from the snow we had over the weekend. Still, maybe it will melt just before the Oscars in four weeks.

Anyway, three award shows are in the books, the Golden Globes, Critics Choice and SAG Awards. The Best Picture race is now a three-movie race, while the Best Actor and Actress races are just about done. I'd include Supporting Actress, but that race may be settled if the new front-runner wins at the BAFTAs for her other movie.

First off, Brie Larson and Leonardo DiCaprio are your Best Actress and Actor of 2016, period. Brie's dominance is earned, and if you saw her in Room, you know why. For DiCaprio, it's just his turn, but an old trick has also helped him. After being in suits and romantic roles, he went out of his comfort zone as a mountain main dealing with a bear  and a double-crossing friend in order to survive. It's really impressed the voters, and it looks like he'll finally get his Oscar.

In my last two-bit opinion piece on the Oscars, I thought Rooney Mara would win for Carol, but the movie's stock is sinking. A TV spot that ABC won't air because it features Mara and Cate Blanchett kissing in bed--and topless (which would have set off the Parents Television Council's letter-writing alarm)--isn't helping, either. Mara could win at the BAFTAs on Valentine's Day because she won for the same role at Cannes. Her competition includes Jennifer Jason Leigh for Hateful 8, Kate Winslet for Steve Jobs (which got her a Golden Globe), and Alicia Vikander for Ex Machina. Vikander's already won SAG and Critics' Choice Awards for her role in The Danish Girl, but she's in the Best Actress race at the BAFTAs. Larson should win there, but if Vikander wins for Ex Machina, she'll be the big favorite come Oscar time. If Mara wins, her chances will get better. It all depends on what the BAFTAs will do.

The race for Supporting Actor will not be affected by the BAFTAs, though. Those who saw the SAGs know why. Idris Elba won for Beasts of No Nation (available on Netflix), and he's a nominee at the BAFTAs. He could win there, and also faces a challenge from Mark Rylance, who played a Russian spy in Bridge of Spies. Mark Ruffalo from Spotlight is also there but Sylvester Stallone from Creed is not. Stallone is still considered the sentimental favorite to win at the Oscars, with Ruffalo his biggest competition. If Elba also snagged a nomination there, he could have gotten a serious look,. Maybe Oscar voters should have realized the movie wasn't made just for Netflix. In any case, a win by Elba in London will show what could have been.

People are hoping for a real battle for Best Picture. Spotlight was considered the favorite until The Revenant got Best Drama at the Golden Globes. Then the Producers Guild said The Big Short (aka The "Better Grasp of the US Economy Than The Wall Street Journal" Movie) was Best Picture. This was big because it's had a better track record of predicting the top film at the Oscars than most award shows. Spotlight still has the edge mainly because of its win at the SAG Awards, and I think it will win at the Oscars. Voters may like that movie better than a movie made by the guy who made the Anchorman movies and has the gall to use Margot Robbie in a bathtub to explain sub-prime loans better than CNBC. Then again, it will be enough for Adam McKay to get Adapted Screenplay, and maybe Best Director. The only way this changes if the BAFTAs do choose The Big Short over Spotlight.

P.S. Just saw Beasts of No Nation. Either the Oscar voters thought this was made for TV (or actually streaming TV) or they were just too scared of this movie. I'll have more about this later, but Idris Elba could have given Sylvester Stallone and Mark Ruffalo runs for their money in the Supporting Actor race.

An Almost Perfect End of Award Season

Well, it was almost perfect
In 2007, I was upset Pan's Labyrinth lost Foreign Language Film, until I saw The Lives of Others. I am sure once I finally see The Theory of Everything, I'll see why Eddie Redmayne beat Michael Keaton...and the after-effects of Jupiter Ascending.

Otherwise, look, up in the sky.....

I'm currently seeing the E! rerun of the post-Oscars show, with Photoshop mocking Lady Gaga's Red Carpet dress. I said she was the most glamorous cleaning lady ever
Then, this happened:



NO ONE saw this coming. We know better. She is officially more than just that meat dress. Ask Julie Andrews.
Hey, Cabaret, you need a new Sally Bowles?

I'm surprised by how well Grand Budapest Hotel. It's another cute and quirky Wes Anderson movie, but I still say Moonrise Kingdom was better. I also still say getting green skin and Drax's tattoos is much more difficult than keeping Ralph Fiennes dashing.

So, how did Dr. Horrible do?
While it can't be proven Bad Horse wrote the jokes, Neil Patrick Harris may have bitten off a bit more than he could chew, as other rookie hosts. Still, they should ask him to do it again, now that he knows what it's like. This job is much more frantic and stressful than the Tonys or Emmys. If he took out his Penn Jillete imitation, it would have been better. The opening was better than Billy Crystal doing his "insert me in the movies" opening. That's due to tech being better, and adding Jack Black and Anna Kendrick is always a good idea.

This was also pretty wild:



First, eat your heart out, Walter White
Second, that was racier than the Birdman spoof that started the Spirit Awards, although their opening song with Kristen Bell and Fred Armisen is just as good as how the Oscars started.

Also, remember when we saw Little Groot dancing at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy, and most of us thought "future Christmas present"?

Same thing here:

The Academy should work on letting Legos make LegOscar kits. They'd make enough to build a hundred museums. Otherwise, the internet will have someone come up with instructions. CNET has something on this.

The show was too long, again, but this time, it was all right. Neil will get it right if they give him a second chance in two years or so.
Next year, how about making the hosting job a relay team? It's happened before back in the '70s, where you had four people host at different times. Anne Hathaway finally gets her second chance, then add Anna, Bradley Cooper and Tom Hanks. That'll work.
Oh, and next year, they should rename the Red Carpet the Joan Rivers Memorial Red Carpet. She may not have made enough movies to be in the In Memoriam section, but she deserves that.

So, no more awards until the fall with the Emmys. Now what do we do?
Spring training, and March Madness? That's important.
Oh, and SHIELD's back on duty.

Two Best Picture Possibilities: Boyhood and Selma

The Golden Globes show, and movie award season, is just hours away. I've been able to catch up with the list of nominated movies available in Reno. It's not quite as much as much as the selection I used to enjoy in Sacramento. Otherwise, I would have seen Whiplash and Foxcatcher by now. It seems those movies won't be in Reno until they reach Redbox. American Sniper, though, will likely be in theaters sooner or later.

Anyway, this weekend, I got to see two likely Best Picture nominees when the Academy makes its choices on Thursday. Thanks to Redbox, I saw Boyhood, a movie that was literally 12 years in the making, Writer and director Richard Linklater decided to make a movie about a boy's life from six to 18 in real time. That means the main character Mason, played by Ellar Coltrane, was filmed all that time. That also goes for his sister Samantha, played by Lorilei Linklater (yep, his daughter), and the parents played by Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette. The movie shows Mason's milestones, and how his family evolves with him. It's been getting attention because Linklater did this coming-of-age story in real time. The main actors actually had to set aside time to make the movie, no matter what they were doing.

While the movie centers on Mason's boyhood days, it also shows how the parents evolve, too. Arquette starts as a single mom set to move to Houston and go back to school, She marries her professor, but that does not work. There's a scene at the dinner table that is very difficult to see.
Hawke, as Mason Sr., starts as a dad who seems a bit irresponsible, but he also changes his life. Samantha's relationship with her mom is also interesting. There's some really good acting by the main characters. Usually a coming of age movie covering 12 years involves having more than one actor for the son or daughter. Not here.

The movie has been the near-unanimous choice for Best Picture by lots of movie critics competitions from L-A to New York. Still, if there's any flaw in the movie, it doesn't have much of a plot. It's just the story of a boy, and the many milestones in his life. It's also very long, at 2:45, which may have put off some Oscar voters. Still, the acting and directing in this movie are still first-rate. It'll probably do very well in the Spirit Awards, but I don't think it's an absolute lock for Best Picture in any of the upcoming awards. There's already been some backlash, but the real test will start tonight.

Then I went to see Selma, which has been under historic scrutiny lately. While I did read up on it, I just looked at the movie as the story of how injustice was fought by Martin Luther King and his supporters. People are especially upset that it makes President Johnson look like someone who didn't care Blacks were being killed in the South just because they want to vote. I think he cared, but he was obsessed with other things, poverty and Vietnam especially. Maybe he thought if he solved those problems, he could do everything after that without much opposition. He does figure out King was right, and it's done in an interesting way.

I was also impressed by Ana DuVernay's direction. Early in the movie, we see four girls in a church talking about things, then an explosion suddenly happens. We see it's that church that was blown up in Birmingham, AL in the fall of 1963. It makes a big impression of what someone people will do to prevent Blacks from exercising a right the Constitution gave them nearly a hundred years before.
There's also a scene where Coretta Scott King (Carmen Ejogo) is hearing a tape supposedly delivered by the FBI (which historians say never happened, but a similar note was sent) that also supposedly gives proof King cheated on his wife. Seeing both of them dealing with that tape, whether it's true or not, speaks volumes of how much they are devoted to each other. The scenes of the march at the Pettis Bridge, including the violent response from the Alabama state troopers, was also very impressive.

David Oyelowo is just incredible as King, especially when he makes his speeches calling for the President to do something. Ejogo is also good as Mrs. King. Tom Wilkinson is also very good as LBJ, but Tim Roth was even better as Governor George Wallace. It is amazing what he does to preserve his state's way of life, while claiming his hands are tied when it comes to county offivials and sheriffs doing what they can to keep Blacks from registering. Oyelowo could conceivably win for Best Actor, and DuVernay could give Alejandro Gonzalez Inrarritu a run for his money in the Best Director race, too.

However, it is too bad the producers took too long to get screeners to SAG and BAFTA voters, which is why the movie won't be part of those award shows. That also means the last word on who is the best in movies this year will come on Oscar night. The Globes and the Critics Choice Awards will be this year's version of the "New Hampshire Primary" of the award season, while the SAGs won't be "Super Tuesday". No matter what, the real race starts Thursday.

For the record, Birdman should be Best Picture. It may also have a gimmick, just like Boyhood, but its story of an actor trying to escape the one role he's been identified with, and how that story is told,
makes it the Best Movie this year.

Oscar Weekend, Part 2

My last big trip is almost done. Even though I wasn't close to the Oscar Red Carpet this year, at least I have this...



and his wife too...



Getting Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner was worth waiting many hours to get a glimpse of big movie stars. It also makes my decision to blow seven hours at Comic-Con to get a poster autographed by Quentin Tarantino look smart by comparison. I am still stunned Oscar got over its fear of blood and gave Original Screenplay to Django Unchained. I was so sure Amour would upset Zero Dark 30. Gosh!
Anyway, it wasn't too bad standing out at Hollywood and Highland behind a fence for several hours. I got more good photos this year, but I really prefer being in the bleachers. I do remember two women arguing over who belonged at a certain spot and who was there first. Also, I'm surprised I got anything because I was barely able to figure out who was where. Again, I should try this again....and I mean it this time...when I manage to get a spot in the Oscars bleachers. At least you also get a small gift bag afterwards
Anyway, here's my link to the Flickr Oscars 2013 album.

Here are some other highlights:



The building formerly known as the Dolby Theater



Oscar getting some last-minute touch-ups before the actors show up



Tarantino waving to fans.



OK, try to find Daniel Day Lewis' head. (It's under the stylized Oscar sign.)



KTLA's famous transmitter at Sunset Boulevard, with blinking lights!

As far as the Oscars are concerned, I'd like to see them again, saved in my DVR. Seth MacFarlane's humor doesn't fit the Oscars. I know that much. It also had great singing, even though it probably added too much time to the show. I guess no musical numbers next year, unless they sing really fast. At least they got a million more viewers than last year, yet people will be undecided on who they should beg to host next year: Hugh Jackman or Alec Baldwin.
I also want to see the Independent Spirit Awards. Thankfully, I know only two things: Jennifer Lawrence showed a lot of skin, and Matthew McConaughey won something and sang.

The weekend also had a new first: visiting KABC so I can see a special version of Good Morning America live. It was odd being up at 4 AM to see it. I also had to walk for a long time to get there. Thank goodness for all those times on the treadmill. They did treat the audience well with free Starbucks coffee and pastries. The main hosts also looked great, especially Robin Roberts. The GMA set was a basic set, but it was still good. If nothing else, I learned Lara Spencer and Sam Champion are great dancers.

After a quick nap, I went to see Craig Ferguson. The new set is a few doors down from the old closet-sized set. While I was surprised Keith Olbermann didn't discuss politics, what was discussed was still very funny. It did reveal one big surprise: Keith was actually interviewed to possibly replace Pat Sajak?? Not sure about that, but hosting the Late Late Show instead of Tom Snyder? That would work. It means Keith wouldn't be on ESPN or Fox Sports. Think about that.

As usual, I scoured the local thrift stores for eBay bait, getting inspiration from Macklemore. I got some unexpected finds, and I'll get to that later.

Oscar Weekend, Part One

This was even better than when I got to hold an Oscar five years ago at Hollywood and Highland. The fact I have an Oscar in a tux next to me makes it better.

But this version is even better...



Cute, isn't it.

This will be my last big trip for a while, unless my prospects change for the better and a lot. For now, I will have the time of my life being part of the Academy Awards and Hollywood in general.
I started my trip by getting a new webcam that has software that is somewhat up to date. I also managed to pick up some props from the old version of One Life To Live because there was a prop sale near the airport. It's not every day that you stumble into a garage sale filled with stuff that may have been on TV. I also picked up something quite unusual, but I'll have more on that in a couple of days. I could have bought more, but they only accept cash. Besides, what will I do with Photoshopped pictures of some of the characters, and their fake college degrees? I'm more into wearable swag.

Anyway, some of the other pictures I took...



This is what Jimmy really wants....



An Oscar being protected from the sun, and upcoming cold. He'll be ready for his close-up.



Where I wish I was this weekend. Next best thing: being at a live airing of Good Morning America at 4 AM Monday. I hope they provide Oscar coffee at least.



Now that's what I call an Oscar slogan

And that's just the beginning...

How We Choose A President of Movies (Updated)

This weekend is an interesting one. While most people are looking forward to the AFC and NFC championships, there are others who feel a bit lost.

For movie buffs who may also be disgruntled Packers and Broncos fans,  it's the weekend in between the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. They may wonder whether they should see Silver Linings Playbook again, or why Amour, a Best Picture nominee and the favorite for Best Foreign Language Film, is shown in only 15 theaters...in this country! More people should have the chance to know how good this movie may be. Hopefully, that will change after the SAGs.

The point is, the Oscar race is becoming more like a presidential campaign. Washington has PACs, the Oscars have Harvey Weinstein. The election has political parties, Hollywood has studios. Candidates lobby for votes in caucuses and primaries, actors lobby for votes from every critics society from Los Angeles to New York. Until this year, I never knew there were movie awards given out in St. Louis and San Diego.
This point was proven beyond all doubt when people heard about problems with the Oscar online voting system when nominees were chosen. There were complaints about not getting to the site or casting a vote, or not being able to get a paper ballot instead. Some people must have gotten flashbacks to Florida in 2000, and hanging chads. This is the real reason Ben Affleck and Kathryn Bigelow aren't in the Best Director race.

There's also the lobbying from the press. Some reporters complained Zero Dark 30 allegedly argued that torture led to the capture of Osama Bin Laden, although others may argue the movie shows that the real key was a detail most people didn't notice. There were also comments that Lincoln, Argo and ZD 30 weren't historically accurate. That's not too different from political pundits nitpicking on candidates they don't like. Why else did we hear such comments on  Fox News and MSNBC?

So if electing a "president of movies" is just like choosing our president, what does that make the awards fans see on TV every January?
Never mind the People's Choice Awards. That's just a poll with trophies. The Critics Choice Awards would be the Iowa caucuses. The Golden Globes are the New Hampshire primary. The Screen Actors Guild Awards are just like Super Tuesday, since actors make up the biggest voting block within the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

In recent years, whoever wins in the Golden Globes often pick up the rest of the major awards right up to the Oscars. I can't remember three different people winning for one category, making the Oscar race truly wide open. It's just like what happened in last year's presidential race. We basically know who's going to be the major nominees a year before the election. It's been the same story for the most part in the major movie awards.
Who wouldn't want to be a competitive race right up to the Oscars? I was excited about whether Viola Davis could beat Meryl Streep for Best Actress last year. I would like to see a similar battle between Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Lawrence. If Lawrence wins in the SAGs, we may get that. However, Chastain may get the edge from voters who will support her as a way of supporting Kathryn Bigelow.
A similar situation could emerge in the Supporting Actor race. While Christoph Waltz earned his Golden Globe, I suspect others may support Philip Seymour Hoffman or Tommy Lee Jones instead because Django Unchained may have been too violent for them. If Hoffman or Jones wins next week, we have a race, and more interest.

While choosing the Best Movie, Actor or even Best Song in the major award shows every year may be just like how we choose a president, there's one fact that seems to prove they're not similar: we never find out how many votes each Oscar nominee received.

That may be true, but a campaign is a campaign. All that's missing is a negative ad campaign against nominees.
Then again, remember when Selma Hayek hosted Saturday Night Live? She seemed to invent negative ads so she could win in Frieda. It was a joke, of course, until it happens for real.

Update: Jennifer Lawrence did win Best Actress at the Screen Actors Guild awards last night. So we have a race come Oscar time, as we had between Viola Davis (who won in the SAGs last year) and eventual Oscar winner Meryl Streep. I still say Chastain wins at the Oscars thanks to the Best Director votes Kathryn Bigelow would have gotten. According to some, Ben Affleck also being snubbed may lead to more Best Picture votes for Argo.  For Supporting Actor, Tommy Lee Jones won, which means he may get the edge at the Oscars because Django may be too violent for some voters. The voting starts in a few days, and we'll find out who wins, and if Seth MacFarland can host a major awards show, in four weeks.

2013 Oscars: Will They Be As Good As Nominations Show?

OK, since when have the nominations show for any awards show been just as entertaining as the awards themselves?
Answer: the Grammys these days. They're smart  to mix the nominations with good music.

Now, the decision to let Seth Macfarlane host the Oscars next month has apparently paid off. He and Emma Stone were entertaining, although one joke after the Foreign Film nominations may have been too early to tell. Seth even suggested having the nominations at 9 PM, instead of 5:38 AM to help out the AM shows back East. Well, mix in some movie clips, and you got a deal.

Now, as to the nominations themselves:

Kathryn Bigelow snubbed for Best Director for Zero Dark 30: apparently enough Oscar voters are just as sexist as the CIA agents Maya has to fight to find Osama Bin Laden.
Except for this: no Ben Affleck for Argo either.
WHAT??????

The acting and screenplay nominations were as I expected, and most of the Best Picture choices. I was surprised by the love for Amour (not in Sacramento yet) and Django Unchained. I never thought Django would make Best Picture, but expected Waltz's nomination and original screenplay.

The Best Director race is the one big WTF part of this show. Bigelow had to deal with a sudden rewrite in the script when we did get Bin Laden. The movie was originally about how he got away. It would have also been almost patriotic to include her. I expect her to get awards from the Critics Choice Awards, Golden Globes and Directors Guild, while she crosses her fingers for the film and Jessica Chastain. It wouldn't be the first time a director was honored by that person's peers, but ignored by the Academy. This may wind up to be the most unfortunate, especially if Zero Dark 30 gets Best Picture.

I'd like to blame this on the problems with the Oscar online voting. Apparently most would have preferred paper ballots, and maybe that would have changed things.

While The Avengers got a spot in Visual Effects, other sci-fi movies didn't exist in the eyes of the Academy. Naturally, this always happens. If you're funny or far out...in space..forget it. Granted, Dark Knight Rises wasn't quite as good as Dark Knight (except for Anne Hathaway), but sound and visual effects were incredible. Maybe it would have gotten in, but Life of Pi may have gotten favor because it was able to recreate a CGI tiger so convincing it could almost eat Pi. Sorry, Batman.

So, my choices?

Hathaway and Lewis. Period!! After that....

Supporting Actor is a bit tough. I'd give it to Hoffman, but Waltz is VERY close behind
Chastain should have tied for Supporting Actress last year in The Help, but she'll have a tough battle with Jennifer Lawrence for Best Actress. Chastain will win.

Director seems to be a lock for Spielberg because the real competition is not there, but David O. Russell or Ang Lee could surprise.

Screenplay should go to Lincoln and Zero Dark 30.

Best Picture.........will be a movie. It'll be Lincoln, but should be Zero Dark 30.

My Space Classics: The Day I Held An Oscar

This is from my old MySpace blog, which is on life support thanks to continuous Twitter and Facebook updates. Enjoy!

From February 2008:



I would like to thank the Academy for this limited chance to do this, along with thousands more who happened to visit Hollywood and Highland during February.
Whoever came up with this idea should get an honorary Oscar. Hopefully, they'll do this again. It's different from previous displays, where they show you how they make the awards. Maybe they can do the same for a Grammy when that museum is done at L-A Live, and an Emmy, too.
They've been busy getting the Kodak Theater, and here's some of the activity...




As you can see, they don't want Oscar to be wet.



...and to remind people what's coming.
Now, they had a display of lots of Oscars, and a chance for people to experience being on the Red Carpet....



They also had pictures of the nominees, plus posters from the Best Picture and Best Foreign Language Film choices. If they ever make that Hollywood Museum, this should be part of the complex. One thing you'll never see is an Oscar on mass-produced clothes. They really protect the image to emphasize how special it is, as if we didn't know. I'm lucky to get the three programs from past Oscar Night America parties and the two hats. It's too bad I had to choose Wondercon this year over this year's ONA party in Sacramento. I just hope the Wondercon guys make sure its show and the Oscars don't clash again. It's just not fair!

Oscar Weekend, Epilogue

As I am typing this, I am hearing Seth Rogan doing his opening monologue at the Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica. If I am dumb enough to try to be in L-A during Oscar weekend, I'd go to Santa Monica first because there's a better chance to see stars than at Hollywood and Highland.

Here's the difference between the Oscars and Independent Spirit Awards: you wish whoever was hosting the ISAs was hosting the Oscars. If it aired live again as it used to be, it would be perfect. Rogan's monologue was really biting, especially commenting about how Brett Ratner lost his Oscar producing gig, and how it wouldn't have happened if he produced the Grammys. This led to a Chris Brown joke that Rogan admitted didn't work with everyone. He also praised that classic silent move....Drive (there were words in that movie, not necessarily from Ryan Gosling). I say in 2018,  the Academy should call Rogan.

Oh, and I'll see your Billy Crystal Oscar movie song, and raise you Garfunkel and Oates' musical tribute to the ISA nominees for Best Picture. It would make Billy quietly leave the stage...and it's an original song, made by goofy musical chicks who were one of the few good things from Jay Leno's 10 PM show! By the way, how come they haven't been invited back?

Anyway, here's when you know the party's over....



Hey, where are the bleachers? The Red Carpet? That dictator guy?
Yes, they work fast once the show is over. This is about 12 hours after the end of the Governor's Ball, or when Sean Young tried to get in without a ticket.
This, though, really says it all...



Sleep tight, Giant Oscars. You'll be surprised how quickly a year can pass...and how quickly we forget who won the year before.

Another sign: Ryan Seacrest's ultimate nightmare....



This will be all over L-A until The Dictator is released in a couple of months. Until then, expect Ryan to wear two jackets, dress shirts, whatever until then. You know why.

Now, a few other things...



I met Dee Thompson at Hollywood and Highland, and he had a book about how he got to see the Oscars without a ticket. It was back in 1997, and could never happen now. Still, it's a great story, and here's a link to his book.



Had to add this one: the former Pacific Theater, which is now used as a church, usually doesn't have its sign lit. However, on Oscar Sunday, it did.



Meltdown Comics on Sunset is one of the new places that has a sometime comedy club in the back. This was my first stop to see Doug Benson try out new jokes for a CD he's supposed to make.

Finally, a billboard we may not see for long...



This promotes Albert Pujols as the reason why the Angels could be back in the World Series, but they may not use the "el Hombre" slogan for long. It was located on Sunset.

So, next stop in two weeks is Wondercon in Anaheim this year, because the Moscone Center in San Francisco is under construction. I'll have a LOT to say about this soon. I am only going because Joss has a lot of stuff coming, and I'm hoping he'll be there to talk about it. We may even hear about a sequel to Husbands, too.

Oscar weekend, day 2

I will never go to Hollywood during Oscar weekend again unless I have a ticket to the bleachers in my hand well before the event. Of course, getting such a ticket is tougher to get than a winning Super Lotto Plus Ticket worth $5 million. I'll stick to the local Oscar Night America event because at least I can get the program.

How tight was security? The cops stopped people in the middle of Hollywood Boulevard since dawn, and there was a big fence keeping people away, which gave me this view of the event.....



So while my pictures may not have been the best, they were OK considering I had to shove the lens through the fence links. We also had E! use us as the background to one of their pre-game stories...



Then again, I shouldn't complain about traveling 400 miles to not get anywhere near the Oscars. Check out these guys from Finland and Wales who came so far to see a glimpse of Brangelina, if they're lucky...





However, people should know it takes a lot of work to get a Red Carpet read for celebrities and those who are just lucky to get a ticket. Check out these carpet installers, and a guy who is vacuuming the carpet...





Despite all of this, I managed to get two decent pictures. In this one, I sort of get Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie at the way far left....



The grey edge is from the part of the fence I tried to shoot around. I was much luckier getting Jennifer Lopez....



Now a few words about the event: Billy Crystal made a good comeback as a host, but the Oscars should prepare for the future. Steve Martin, Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway should be on the eternal short list. Maybe add Meryl Streep, too, because she has been a hoot for years, and ought to try hosting one of these suckers.
While I picked the big awards, I screwed up again on the minor awards, especially documentary, shorts and a couple of tech nominations. I knew Hugo would clean up in the tech awards, but not as much as it did. If nothing else, it'll be good news for its DVD sales starting Tuesday. I didn't see Sasha Baron Cohen as Aladeen, but I saw what happened thanks to YouTube. That has got to be the best thing ever according to those who has had enough of Seacrest. Cohen did appear in one of the short films about movies. While he has played weird characters, acting as a guy who's like himself should be tried once in a while. I still can't wait to see him in Les Miserables, though.

Now some commentary through film....
Kodak is taking its name off the theater which has been the home for Oscar for a decade, yet what did we see at Hollywood and Highland?



It's a nice ad for Kodak...ten years ago. Now it's headed for bankruptcy while filmmakers, big and small, are switching to digital in droves. Just an interesting image.

The Goodyear Blimp was flying above the show, just like it's doing overhead overage at the Super Bowl. I managed to make some surreal pictures, like this one that combines Goodyear with the Golden Arches....



and this one near the big Oscar ad...



So, it wasn't too bad, but I really prefer being in the bleachers, if not inside. Next year, I stay home.

Oscar weekend, day one

One thing I have learned from the first day of my Oscar weekend: go as soon as you can, or you'll find out the admission price is slightly less than what you have to pay when the DVD arrives. 16 bucks for a 2-D movie? Nah!

I did get to see comedian Doug Benson at Meltdown Comics. He's trying out some of his new material for a CD he had to make before April 20, or 4/20 (basically Marijuana Day).

The main event, of course, is the Academy Awards, in its final year at the Kodak Theater. No, it's not going to the Nokia just like every other awards show. The Kodak has to change its name because the naming rights have evaporated along with Kodak's financial viability. For a change, I decided to take pictures at night...





Also a picture of the Oscar statue next to the entrance..





Even though the area is protected by a steel fence, it';s still possible to get a picture or two of what is on the Red carpet, such as bleachers and signs...



I was hoping 1iota could get me on the bleachers, cameras or no cameras. However, I didn't make the grade for some reason. I'm just glad that I didn't need a tux this time. I doubt they'll decide to let me in at literally the last second, but at least I want to be somewhat close to the action, fence or no fence. One thing is for sure, I will not do this again unless I get a guaranteed spot in the Oscar Red Carpet bleachers, and even getting that far is tougher than winning Super Lotto Plus.

I will try to be as Oscar-y as possible, and I'll show everyone how Sunday night.

Just Like Going To The Super Bowl Without a Ticket

This morning I was looking at an article from the Associated Press news feed about the Oscars on Sunday. It says that movie fans are treating it like their own Super Bowl of movies. They have their own version of tailgating at home, with champagne and fancy snacks instead of buffalo wings and beer. Then again, there's got to be at least one guy organizing an Oscar Party with Super Bowl-type snacks, plus beer to boot.
Ironically, fans of NASCAR and the NBA will do the same thing on Sunday, as the NBA All-Star Game and Daytona 500 are also scheduled for that day. Sunday will be more action-packed than Super Bowl XLVI was, because there's important stuff for more than 10 hours, 12 if you count The Walking Dead, 15 if you count Jimmy Kimmel's post-Oscar show.

In an attempt to attract younger views, despite the fact the age of the average Oscar voter is close to the average life expectancy, there's been some attempt to treat it like a Super Bowl, or March Madness. We already have several pre-game shows otherwise known as Hollywood's best coming down the Red Carpet. Is it that much different than the two teams in the Super Bowl gathering on the field while 75,000 people wait with baited breath for the game to start? Remember, it used to be that E! had the Red Carpet show. Now there's at least three, including ABC's "pre-game" show.

Keeping that in mind, there must also be examples of people who decide to go to a Super Bowl even if they can't possibly afford tickets. They just want to be part of it somehow. Since that's the case, it's the same for the Academy Awards, especially as it's the first one in a decade that is not from the Kodak Theater, but a facility at the Hollywood and Highland Center that used to be called the Kodak Theater. Thanks loads, digital cameras.
There's bound to be a big group close to the theater, hoping to get a look at George Clooney, Meryl Streep or Christopher Plummer, even if it's from 300 yards away, if that close.

And, through taking a risk that sadly didn't pay off, I'm going to be one of those people. The only upside is that getting a cheap flight and cheap hotel wasn't that tough, and it may help me get really close to flying to Comic-Con for free in July, thanks to Rapid Rewards.

1iota, my usual source for Jimmy Kimmel tickets, had a contest where 100 people would be in a special bleacher section on the Oscar Red Carpet. Sadly, no cameras and phones are allowed, but that's expected. It's a high-class version of a talk show taping. I entered it early, and my request was "pending" for more than a week. However, there were also thousands of other "pending" requests. All but 100, my guess people in their 20s-30s who were locals, were turned down. I was planning to cancel my plane ticket, but found out my hotel reservation could not be cancelled.
So, what the heck? Maybe I'll bump into Jessica Chastain at a Pinkberry's. At least I'll still have time afterwards for a bit of swag-hunting.

My only concern is where am I going to see the main show after the Red Carpet antics are done. I hope there's a friendly hotel where I can snack on happy hour stuff and free wi-fi. That's more than enough.

I'll bring as much Oscar swag as I can get, from the crew passes from 1988 to a hat and Governor's Ball pin. I could bring my ad mock-ups from New York, New York, and hope I meet Scorsese, but that's too delusional. I just hope I can go home with a piece of Oscar, the spirit if not the statue.

Of fog and football

About a month after everyone else, I am finally on my winter holiday. I'll spend three days in Los Angeles, and, as usual, talk shows will be top of my list.
I'll be at Kimmel, and will try to get into Conan and Ellen DeGeneres if they suddenly have a lot of standby seats to fill.

Also, it's the real start of Oscar season. Usually, it's the Golden Globes, but this year is an exception because they snubbed True Grit. That's why next week's SAG Awards is the real start. Melissa Leo's chances of winning Best Supporting Actress will really be measured once she is competing against Hailee Steinfeld.
Despite this, the nominations will be announced tomorrow. It's a given both Leo and Steinfeld will make the final cut in that category. It seems it will be the war between George VI and Facebook, with Rooster Cogburn 2.0 as a possible spoiler. I am hoping all of the TV stations will be stalking movie houses to get instant opinion on who got nominated.

I will also try to fit in a tour, too. I was thinking about going to Paramount, where the cast of Glee will supposedly hide from tourists who pass by, especially Lea Michelle. Considering they think they're justified after their Golden Globe bonanza, that's show biz for you....and that there's a lot of pressure in making music. Who else is in their position on TV? However, I don't know if I can get in today, or even Wednesday if I'm out of luck in trying to get a standby spot to Ellen. If nothing else, I can wander around the Kodak Theater. It's been years since I've done that. It would be perfect now, since preparations for the Oscars should be underway.

I'm only going because of a fare sale, and a new hotel deal. I could have gone last week to celebrate Buffy's birthday at a comic book store in L-A, but it didn't occur to me. I just wanted to be in L-A when the Oscar nominations came out. If nothing else, I'd like to do something I haven't done in L-A before, or it's been years since I have. Just do something different.
At least, I'll start using the AMC movie passes, which means a direct route to the Citywalk to see True Grit.

So, what about fog and football?
Well, it's really foggy in Sacramento, except at the airport. For some reason, it's less foggy, and no flights have been severely delayed. So, I should head for L-A's premature spring, with temps in the 70s. Sacramento will be lucky to hit 61.
Now the football part: Green Bay vs. Pittsburgh will mean big ratings because it's a Super Bowl matchup that traditional fans would love. What I've noticed is that the NFL has changed its conference trophies. They used to be shaped like the side of a stadium. Now, the trophies are variations of the Lombardi Trophy. I guess it makes the Super Bowl loser feel like they've almost won the big trophy, but almost. Trust me, those who don't win the Super Bowl from now on will now the difference between the Lombardi Trophy and the conference trophy they wind up getting.

This Weekend at the Movies

The weekend before the Super Bowl is a strange one for sports fans. After keeping tabs with a competitive NFL season, it's tough to switch to another sport. That's especially true if you've paid too much attention to football. If Stanford and Cal were battling for the Pac-10 title, that would be easier. Also, there are the Sharks. They're doing great. I should turn my attention to them, since it would help me forget how the Sacramento Kings always collapse at the end.
At least it's easy for fans of Indianapolis and New Orleans. They're busy stocking up for the Super Bowl party they'll have. Then again, I have a big frozen pizza and Red Stripe beer ready to go. At least it would be cheaper than going to a bar to watch the game with mainstream light beer.
I do have five hours of 24 to get to, and maybe the Grammys. If I time it right, I can see the 3-D section that honors Michael Jackson.

Still, let's get to the title of this blog. I spent the weekend checking out two movies that will make their mark at the Academy Awards in just five weeks. Yesterday, I saw Avatar for the second time, but it was in Imax, and it was for free. One thing you can say about Imax: it makes any movie, good or not, good enough to stick around. I saw Transformers in Imax, which made it more watchable. I forget if it made Megan Fox sexier, but it wouldn't have worked for the sequel.
With Avatar, Imax made Pandora much more incredible. You have to hand it to James Cameron for revolutionizing movie-making with incredible 3-D effects. The story's not 3-D, though, but maybe 1.723-D. Same with Titanic, but when it presents grand, epic moments, it delivers well.
Titanic had the love story and the big moment when the boat hits hits the iceberg. Avatar also has the cheesy love story, but a lot of viewers must have thought "whoa" in their minds when they see Pandora's center of civilization, Hometree, destroyed by a corporate army. I thought Pearl Harbor, 9-11, and Katrina all rolled into one. Balance that with the planet's deity unleashing the power of nature, or basically very angry animals, and you have a movie that shouldn't be Best Picture, but still something important in movie history.
At least it hasn't dominated pop culture, aside from a few new parents naming their kids Jake or Neytiri. Still, the success of Avatar will convince other studios to prove that 3-D movies can also have good stories. The first example may likely be the next Harry Potter movie.

The other movie was Crazy Heart, or why Jeff Bridges will be winning the Big Lebowski. His portrayal of hard-living country singer Bad Blake is just great. You see a man who can really entertain a crowd, an old-fashioned country singer who is starting to fall apart. Bridges does a lot with his role. A lot of things he does will make you wince, but he needs a reason to clean up his act. That reason is Maggie Gyllenhall, who plays a reporter who's attracted to Blake, mainly because she's dated guys like that before. What surprised me is Colin Farrell does a good job playing Tommy Sweet, a singer that got his first break thanks to Blake. The movie does a nice job showing the difference between old-school country and the little-bit-too-corporate version. It's no wonder why Bridges has dominated the Best Actor awards so far.
It also makes you wonder if Christoph Waltz could beat Bridges if both were up for Best Actor at the Oscars. Bad Blake vs. Badder Landa. I'd vote for Waltz because he can make being soulless so charming.

So, Tuesday morning, we'lll see who will be the front-runners at the Academy Awards. I hear some predict Inglorious Basterds may get as many as ten nominations. Not bad for a movie that premiered at Comic-Con. Avatar should get that many, mainly for technical awards.

Just a week away from Hollywood's Super Bowl

In the space of a week, we know a few things about what may be coming at the Academy Awards in March.
Two acting races are just about over, for starters, Christoph Waltz's dominance was a given ever since his portrayal of Hans Landa in Inglorious Basterds was shown to everyone last May in Cannes, last July at Comic-Con and everywhere else the month after that. He's got Supporting Actor for sure. The other race is Supporting Actress, and it looks like Mo'Nique has that cold, too, thanks to her role in Precious. You should see her as the abusive mother. She is scarier than any Volturi, Freddy Krueger or bad werewolf can ever be.
Also, Avatar will get every technical award that isn't nailed down, or at least nearly all of them. As far as revolutionizing how movies are made and shown, James Cameron has shown the way. This is Titanic in space, except the iceberg (corporate interests and trigger-happy soldiers) attacks the ship (Pandora), and the ship strikes back. Add the fact it has love, incredible scenery, and a message some may consider a subtle comment about Iraq or a ripoff of Dances With Wolves, and you have the movie of the new decade.
So could it win Best Picture? Well, if the Oscar voters are easily amused by shiny objects, of course it can. There are still some people who think Crash won Best Picture because there were enough voters who were homophobes would couldn't accept Brokeback Mountain as Best Picture. In this year's race, the tech that Avatar has could be enough. They could overlook the all-too-familiar story.
However, if they think story is just as important, Up In The Air and Hurt Locker should be right up front in the race. I've seen both, and they are good character studies as they are snapshots of how we live today. Hurt Locker follows a bomb disposal technician played by Jeremy Renner. His character, Will James is a guy who likes the thrill of defusing a bomb. We learn he's taken care of nearly a thousand. However, he is not invulnerable to how war can hurt you in other ways. Looking back at it, you might say Will is a war junkie. If you're expecting a traditional war movie, forget it. Kathryn Bigelow does a great job showing us the Iraq War, and the soldiers who live and fight in it. All that without any CGI or 3-D.
I've already talked about Up In The Air, but it's also a slice of life in the current economy. Jason Reitman and a great cast led by George Clooney do a wonderful job. In fact, this movie has already been part of one of the major show biz stories of 2010. Just see how Clooney's character tells employees they are fired, and compare that to how Steve Carrell "fires" Conan O'Brien during last Friday's Tonight Show.
Some are still quite stunned Inglorious Basterds won Best Ensemble at the SAG Awards, while Up In The Air was not nominated. If it was, it would have won. IB is a great war movie that only Quentin Tarantino can play. However, it's also violent, and that's something a Best Picture can't be (although The Departed showed you could only if Scorsese made it).

So, again, could Avatar win Best Picture at the Oscars? It can, but I prefer that Up In The Air get that nod.

So, what's next on my movie "to do" list?
I should see Julie and Julia, but I already got a hefty taste of what Meryl Streep does as Julia Child. Her performance and reputation should be enough to get her a third Oscar. I mean, if the Academy denied Eddie Murphy an Oscar for Dreamgirls a few years ago because he made Norbit, Sandra Bullock would not get one vote because of her string of silly romcoms. All About Steve is her Norbit.
Yet Bullock snagged a SAG award and Golden Globe so far. That's enough to get me to see The Blind Side. I also saw clips of the real Leigh Ann Tuohy. That's also reason enough.
Still, what will decide Best Actress, performance or reputation? Being Meryl Streep or living down Miss Congeniality II?
It would be obvious, expect Drew Barrymore won two awards for Grey Gardens, and she still can't believe it. Just ask her.

Best Actor seems to be Jeff Bridges' fate, but Crazy Heart has barely been released. It just came to town, and it sounds like the 21st century version of Tender Mercies. I will check it out, though.

We'll know more in a little more than a week

The backlash has started

I found this at the J!nx website.

You'd think they'd have these shirts ready for Christmas, but I am guessing those who like the Twilight books, if not the movie, would be upset if they saw this shirt.

Well, tough luck. I just wonder if anyone would make a similar shirt for Let the Right One In.

While I am on the horn here, I may have to change my prediction on who will get the Oscar for Best Actor. Kate Winslet is still my choice for the Best Actress bid, as she gathers more praise for The Reader. After Sean Penn won the SAG award for Milk, I may have to change my vote to him over Frank Langella. I had thought of Langella for Frost/Nixon because the Academy Awards rarely gives awards to actors more than once. They sometimes give their praise to someone new. With Penn's win Sunday, I think he has the momentum to get another Oscar.

I am also certain, as Sister Aloysius is, that the Oscar voters will snub Mickey Rourke out of the Kodak Theater. It's not because The Wrestler is a bloody film, which would upset squeamish voters. It's also not because the Academy isn't a fan of Bruce Springsteen--but should have been. It's because Rourke may be part of Wrestlemania XXV in a few weeks. Vince McMahon reportedly saw the movie and hated it. One Golden Globe later, Vince decides to put Rourke in a storyline with Chris Jericho. Rourke will be lucky to get a hundred votes after that bit of news.

I don't recall Verne Gagne plugging his appearance in the 1974 version of The Wrestler during AWA All-Star Wrestling. That's because he didn't have to, but this is 2009...and synergy is all, even when it's not supposed to exist. You think Vince would make The Wrestler, and have it made the way Darren Aronofsky did? Of course not. We already know that with No Holds Barred 20 years ago.

So, forget about Mickey Rourke getting the Oscar this year. His comeback will be praised, but anyone who'd be in the same county as uncouth Vince McMahon won't be considered even slightly worthy of an Oscar. At least, that's how the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will see it. Too bad. Mickey should have waited until SummerSlam.

The Wrestler: Going "Beyond the Mat"

If you're used to seeing Ed Asner as gruff TV news director Lou Grant, you'll see a different side of him in The Wrestler. He's a promoter who is trying to stave off the mob while deciding whether to let a wrestling legend get his chance at the world championship.

Oh, wait, it's not 1974 anymore. It's 2009, and wrestling is much, much different than it was. There's cable TV, Hollywood-style lighting, and people who are larger than life. On the other side, there's Randy "the Ram" Robinson. He used to be a big deal when Wrestlemania and Starrcade were both new. Now, he's older, deaf in one ear, a broken down piece of meat as he'd say. Wrestling is all he knows.

This is The Wrestler, the one that literally brought Mickey Rourke back from the dead. He is just heartbreaking as Randy, a guy who tries to relive past glories because he has so few current ones. When we first meet him, he's sitting a classroom, recovering from his latest bout. He's behind on the rent, but is still plugging away. He's also an occasional customer to Cassidy (Marisa Tomei), a stripper who has also seen better days. They're two aging people, wondering what kind of future is ahead of them.

Quite a difference from that other Wrestler movie, isn't it? You might say it's a companion piece to the classic documentary Beyond the Mat, since Randy's story is actually based on Jake "the Snake" Roberts. Now, Rourke is just incredible as Randy. Somewhere in that broken body is a good soul. However, the body also includes some demons who threaten his well-being.

The man behind this drama is Darren Aronofsky. He does a wonderful job showing Randy's journey from ring to ring, and how a man can slowly rise while falling fast. Just notice where Randy wrestles at the beginning, and where he winds up at the end. It may look like he's climbing, but we forget about the inevitable fall.

Sitting at an autograph room, he looks at other aging wrestlers who are in worse shape than he is. Surely that's enough to get him into thinking about another line of work. He does try by working at a local supermarket. He tries to mend fences with his daughter, Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood). He hopes to get closer to Cassidy, as they share a beer and a kiss. But she is wary about getting closer because of her job.

It's interesting what while she does her lap dance for a customer, it's just for money, not for the cheers. With Randy, it's all for the roar of the crowd that he wrestles. Aronofsky illustrates this in the scene where Randy enters the deli counter the same way he enters a match. The cheers are in his head until the plastic curtain parts. When he gets a chance for a 20th anniversary rematch against the Ayatollah, who's now a used car dealer, the chance for one last piece of glory is hard to resist. As they say, Randy's spirit is willing, but his flesh is getting weaker.

While Rourke is getting a lot of praise for his work in this movie, I thought his scenes with Wood were more impressive than his ones with Tomei. They have interesting scenes together, both in bars, but Wood was really good. That being said, Tomei is in incredible shape, and is also heartbreaking as Cassidy. She would like to get closer to Randy, maybe to give him another place to be.

This story could be about an aging boxer or a football player (remember Charlton Heston in "Number One"?). Sometimes the aging athlete doesn't come back just in time to make the winning score. He comes back, but the finish isn't always happy.

Oscar Nomination Day is less than three days away, and it's a lock Rourke will make the final cut for Best Actor. Will he win? Well, let me say this....no. They'll applaud the comeback, but not the performance because it's not the type of role that gets Oscars. Besides, competing against Nixon (Frank Langella), Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) and a guy who ages in reverse (Brad Pitt) might be too tough. If I am wrong, so much the better, We'll get a better idea at the SAGs next week.

The Reader: I've Got a Secret

Aside from seeing Sacramento clean-up after the New Year's Eve party the night before. I decided to take in a movie. The Crest was offering movies at $5.50 before five p-m for New Year's..and it's the main screen, too.

It's the story of a German woman who has been many things in her life. It's about about a boy who has as affair with her, and it winds up defining both their lives.
There's also a secret, which would have changed a lot.
Now, Buffy Summers (OK, so I am a name dropper), don't ask me if I can vague it up for you. I'm not kidding about that secret. It's the reason why this man is called The Reader.

Yes, it's one of two likely chances Kate Winslet will get for Oscar gold. The other, of course, is Revolutionary Road, which I may see along with lots of other people who still remember Titanic. She's paired with Leonardo DiCaprio, that is. Anywho, The Reader starts with Ralph Fiennes as a lawyer in 1995 Germany. He looks through a window to see a streetcar roll by. A 15 year old boy looks back. That boy is him, and we're sent to 1958. Michael Berg is walking in the rain, vomiting, when a woman helps him get back home. This is the first time Peter meets Hanna Schmitz (Winslet), a train ticket-taker, and a woman he will never forget.

When Michael returns to thank Hanna for her generosity, she isn't sure what to think of him. He does notice now pretty she is, and so does she. It's not long before they start a sexual affair, and this movie shows a lot of skin from both. Later, she asks him to read to her before they make love. It's an odd request, but not when you're a teen. Now, Winslet portrays Hanna as a little sad, but still quite beautiful. While Winlset is 33, her character is a little older. You get the sense she has a lot of regret in her life, mainly when we see her weep inside of a church while a choir is signing. Is it the music that moves her, or something else?

When Hanna is offered a promotion, she decides to leave town and Michael, with no explanation. Eight years later, they are reunited--sort of. He's a law student attending a war crimes trial...and Hanna is one of the defendants. She was a guard at Auschwitz, much to Peter's shock. As he hears about Hanna's real past, he looks like he's ready to vomit again. When the trial gets to one specific incident where hundreds of Jews died in a fire, the evidence suggests that Hanna was responsible because she was in charge. At this point, Michael suddenly realizes Hanna's secret.
Suddenly, it's more than just forgiving those who were part of the Nazi machine. It's about something else, the secret Hanna can't admit. The question is...will he help her?

His decision will affect the rest of his life, and Hanna's, in ways that will surprise you. David Kross, who plays the younger Michael, does a good job as a lanky teen who learns some tough lessons about adulthood. Feinnes shows a lot of strain on his face, but not much else, as the elder Michael. The story itself is pretty interesting. It's based on a novel. Still, all the attention this movie will get is for Winslet's portrayal of Hanna. In a way, this movie reminded me of The Lives of Others, about a Stazi officer who spies on a subversive artist, and how he tries to make peace with what he has done. In the case of The Reader, it's the story of two people who try to make peace with what they have done...or should have done.

One more thing, my website has a new look, with a new solar system. Please take a look!

Frost/Nixon...Oscar-winning history?

It has been many years since a play that's won the Tony Award for Best Play also won Best Picture as a film. After a little checking, I found out Amadeus was the last to pull off this trick in 1984.

Frost/Nixon didn't get Best Play at the Tonys, but it has a chance to take top honors when the movie honors are given out. It has been a big hit on Broadway and London, thanks to its two stars, Michael Sheen and Frank Langella. It's a recreation of the history-making interviews of Richard Nixon by David Frost. The movie shows this event as a David vs. Goliath struggle, even though at least one person says it wasn't quite like that. Art may imitate life, but not perfectly for the stage or screen. That being said, the story certains on Frost and Nixon, and how they are both hoping this event will revive their careers. Nixon, after resigning the presidency in 1974, is hoping he'll clear his name, or at least clean it up enough to be important in Washington again. Frost, meanwhile, is portrayed as more of a playboy than a serious interviewer. He's hoping this will help his career, too, but he's portrayed as maybe too much like Ryan Seacrest. However, it also shows how much Frost is putting into the project, even trying to sell air time himself after the networks turn him down. I can recall some of the commercials he made when it was syndicated.

The movie is framed with interviews of some of the characters who were behind the scenes, from researcher James Reston Jr (Sam Rockwell), who wanted Nixon humbled for what he had done, to Jack Brennan (Kevin Bacon), one of Nixon's aides.

Over the years, Frank Langella has made the role of Nixon his own. This is certainly true in this movie. He has the voice and mannerisms down cold, only because he's been doing this for so long. However, let's also hear it for Michael Sheen, who also does an incredible job bringing back Frost, the jet-set version. His researchers may not think Frost is taking it seriously, but we see that he does. It's really too bad Sheen isn't getting as much praise as Langella is in this movie, since both were in the original play. It looks like Sheen will be eclipsed again, this time by a president instead of a Queen. Make no mistake, Sheen is great here.

I'm taking advantage of what's left of my Christmas/Boxing Day weekend to take in as many movies as I can. I plan to see Benjamin Button with Brad Pitt, who has proven he is a real actor, and The Reader, which hopefully will finally help Kate Winslet strike Oscar gold in February. What really frustrates me is that The Wrestler, with Mickey Rourke, still hasn't reached Sacramento. It is expected to get here in three weeks or so. Until then, I'm not making my choice for Best Actor yet. I may be influenced by the Golden Globes, because they'll be shown before The Wrestler gets here. Still, it looks like Langella may have an edge over Rourke for Best Actor, only because I really doubt members of the Academy would reward a wrestling picture. I may have a better idea when the SAG Awards arrive at the end of January.

For the record, there is a movie that's a possible Oscar contender that started out as a winner of Best Play at the Tonys. It's Doubt.