Australia Pays Tribute To Heath

The Australian Film Institute has decided to award Heath Ledger the Best Actor award for his role as The Joker in "The Dark Knight." On top of that they made this touching tribute to the actor. It was a touching video, though I think it was unfair that they skipped over some of his brilliant comedic performances in "A Knight's Tale" and "Casanova." And while his family made a touching speech, I would prefer Michelle Williams and his daughter join his family when he's award his much deserved Oscar.

Keeping Track of the Numbers

Just for fun, if we were to assume that all of the movies in my Best Picture predictions were to be nominated, this is what their total nominations would be (according to me):

• Changeling: 9
• The Dark Knight: 13
  
• Frost/Nixon: 6
  
• Milk: 9
  
• Rachel Getting Married: 5
• Wall-E: 7

Just thought you'd be interested to know.

Milk's BSA Race

Okay guys, let it be known that I no doubt that a certain dead guy playing a clown is going to win the Best Supporting Actor award at the Oscars. That said, there are three really good supporting performances in "Milk," and I'm starting to wonder which one of the three is going to get the nomination. Will it be Josh Brolin as Dan White, the homophobic conservative who kills Milk. Maybe it will be James Franco who plays Milk's lover. And then there's Emile Hirsch, stealing every scene he's in as the...well, you have to see for yourself. Of course, there's the chance that two of them could get nods, but then who gets left out. If one has to get left out, chances are it will be Hirsch. Or will all three of them get nominations? I'm telling you, this race is worth taking bets on, just for the pure excitement of it. Then there's the (very unlikely) forth option: They all cancel each other out and no one gets nominated. Doubtful, but you never know. So readers who have seen the film it's time to comment on how you think this particular race is going to pan out.

'Slumdog' Wins NBR

The National Board of Review has given out it's awards to what the voters felt were the best films of the year. Below is the full list of the awards given by the NBR:

• Best Film: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
• Best Director: DAVID FINCHER, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Best Actor: CLINT EASTWOOD, Gran Torino
• Best Actress: ANNE HATHAWAY, Rachel Getting Married
• Best Supporting Actor: JOSH BROLIN, Milk
• Best Supporting Actress: PENELOPE CRUZ, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• Best Foreign Language Film: MONGOL
• Best Documentary: MAN ON WIRE
• Best Animated Feature: WALL-E
• Best Ensemble Cast: DOUBT

• Breakthrough Performance by an Actor: DEV PATEL, Slumdog Millionaire
• Breakthrough Performance by an Actress: VIOLA DAVIS, Doubt
• Best Directorial Debut: COURTNEY HUNT, Frozen River
• Best Original Screenplay: NICK SCHENK, Gran Torino
• Best Adapted Screenplay: SIMON BEAUFOY, Slumdog Millionaire and
ERIC ROTH, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Spotlight Award: MELISSA LEO, Frozen River and
RICHARD JENKINS, The Visitor
• The BVLGARI Award for NBR Freedom of Expression: TRUMBO

• Top Ten Films:
(In alphabetical order)
BURN AFTER READING
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
DEFIANCE
FROST/NIXON
GRAN TORINO
MILK
WALL-E
THE WRESTLER

• Top Five Foreign Language Films:
(In alphabetical order)
EDGE OF HEAVEN
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
ROMAN DE GUERRE
A SECRET
WALTZ WITH BASHIR

• Top Five Documentary Films
(In alphabetical order)
AMERICAN TEEN
THE BETRAYAL (NERAKHOON)
DEAR ZACHARY
ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD
ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED

• William K. Everson Film History Award: MOLLY HASKELL and ANDREW SARRIS

Now obviously the big deal for these results is that the independant film "Slumdog Millionaire" won the top prize, which should bode well for Fox Searchlight who released Oscar nominees "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Juno," and likely has similar Oscar hope with this film. Though I congradulate Fox on this win, this does not mean an Oscar win in the future (or even a nomination). The problem with this film is while it is critically acclaimed, unlike Sunshine and Juno, the audiences are ignoring this film completely at the box office, and so the word-of-mouth that drove the aforementioned films just isn't there. What is nice to know is that both "The Dark Knight" and "Wall•E" were among the top ten films of the year, which bodes well for their Oscar chances.

The Coen Brothers latest comedy "Burn After Reading" was also in this list, so we may see a screenplay nomination at the Oscars come yet. Of course "Wall•E" won the Best Animated Feature award, and Penelope Cruz won Best Supporting Actress for "Vicky Cristina Barcelon," proving what I suspected all along: That this performance would have legs and likely be remembered come awards season. Clint Eastwood won Best Actor for "Gran Torino," so this movie could be the big surprise at the Oscars. If there is an upset (and this can be considered so) is that Josh Brolin won Best Supporting Actor for "Milk." Which is all fine and good, seeing as how there are three potential Best Supporting Actor nominations coming from that movie. The thing that surprised people was that Heath Ledger was actually beat in this category.

It appears that while Heath may be considered a lock at the Oscars, he might not be a lock anywhere else. See folks, while I think we all agree he should win an Oscar for his role, there is a slight chance he'll lose. Now I post this list because it's interesting, but don't use these awards as a guide for how you should place your bets come Oscar night. The NBR and Academy rarely votes the same way, and the winners rarely match between the two. "No Country For Old Men" did but that was a rare exception. For now I'd like to congradulate "Slumdog Millionaire" for it's big win, and hoping it can go the distance come Oscar time.

Ron Howard In The Running?

They say anything can happen in the Oscar game, and we've been seeing that happen all year. The potential for a superhero film to get a Best Picture nomination? Check. A comeback nomination for an actor who destroyed his career by jumping on a couch? Check. An animated film being more impressive then many live action efforts? Check. And now, we're starting to see a potential winner in Ron Howard's "Frost/Nixon." Now even though I was looking forward to this film all year round, the Oscar potential seemed slim. At best a Best Actor nomination for Frank Langella and not much more. But early reviews are trickling in and the critics can't stop raving about the film. They are calling it one of Howard's best films since "Apollo 13." They love the performaces of Michael Sheen and Langella. Some people have claimed it to be superior to the Broadway play. If audiences respond well to the film we might have a front-runner on our hands. Nothing is certain as the reviews that have leaked are few and far between, and the critical reception can change by the end of the weekend, but for now, during a year when we're worried about filler nominations in the top category, this is certainly something to pay attention to.

This also comes off some early reviews for "Doubt," a movie that was singled out as being a sure Best Picture nominee, but thanks to some lukewarm early reviews...well, not to make a bad pun, but the nominations looking more doubtful now. This is actually a very good example of why no one knows anything with the Oscar race, and why making predictions before a films release is futile. Most of the early buzz is simply smart marketing from studio executives who want their films nominated anyway. Both "Doubt" and "Frost/Nixon" are remakes of stage plays. Earlier in the year "Doubt" looked like a sure bet while "Frost/Nixon" looked like a long shot. Now the situation has been reversed. It's been very likely that at least one of the stage movies would be nominated (there's too few slots for both), but it's very funny how we're singing a different tune as to which will be nominated now. I look forward to seeing both films, and I'll give my thoughts on them when I see them.

Australia Is Down For The Count

And so another Oscar potential has opened to average reviews and has all but tanked in it's chances to get Oscar nominations. Oh don't get me wrong, there is likely some nominations in the cards. Art direction, score, song, cinematography, and costumes are all a given for this film. But Best Picture, director, actress, screenplay, and so forth...that may be asking too much. If this movie gets any major award nomination it will be for Hugh Jackman for Best Actor, who actually steals every scene he is in and has played a role that will solidify him as an A-list actor. So why do I have this under the Best Picture predictions on the side-bar? Well, basically, this movie still has a slimmer of a chance in getting nomination.

That slimmer would involve the movie making a lot of money, and the opening weekend could suggest a nomination despite some of the problems with the film. So for now we'll wait and see how it does over Thanksgiving weekend. If it makes decent money, we'll keep it there for a couple more weeks. If it doesn't, then it will be gone by Tuesday (in time for you to pick up "The Dark Knight" on either DVD or BluRay). I did see the movie tonight and I'll be writing a full review soon, but to sum it up easily I'll use the term Oscar hopeful's hate to hear: It was good but not great.

Bale For Best Actor?

Warner Bros. is pushing hard for "The Dark Knight" to get a Best Picture nomination. Heath Ldger's nomination is a lock, with Aaron Eckart as a dark horse for a potential additional Best Supporting Actor nominee. Warner has been printing lots of ads, but aside from from the ads that do that silly "For Your Consideration In All Categories" ads, Warner has been focusing on four specific categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Actor. Wait a minute? Best Actor? Who are they pimping for Best Actor? Could they be pushing for Ledger for bother categories? No, they aren't. Besides, with Ledger having a lock on a win for the supporting race, Warner Bros. wouldn't want to jeoperdize that win. No, they are pushing for Christian Bale to get a nomination in the lead slot. Which is interesting because Bale, up until now, has not been given much respect for this movie, constantly being overshadowed by Ledger.

Now it looks like Warner Bros. is realizing what a great performace this is, and so they are pushing hard for it. It would add more credability to the film if they got a lead actor nomination. However, I don't think this is going to happen, and not because the field is too crowded. No, the reason it's not going to happen is this: Bale is not the lead actor in this film. None of the actors are. "The Dark Knight," at heart, is an essamble film. No key characters gets more or less screen time as the other characters, and when they do it's minimal at best. Bale may play Batman, but Batman has as much screentime as Joker and Gordon. Single him out as a lead is playing favorites in a cast where no actor is more or less important then the other. The only actor to get a significant less amount of screentime was Maggie Gyllenhaal, who is the only character who truly comes off as a "supporting" character if there is one.

Still, since there is such a big push, and since "The Dark Knight" is likely to be one of the biggest Oscar contenders this year, I'm going to put Bales name on the sidebar. Don't expect this to last though. In the next few weeks we've got "Australia," "Milk," "Frost/Nixon," "The Wrestler," and all these other movies that will more then likely push Bale off the rader (if he was ever there). For now though, best of luck to Warner Bros. on their Oscar campaign.

Updating Sidebars

Now that I've got time to update this site again I've decided it was about time to revamp the predictions sidebar. The biggest difference you'll notice is that I've added "Changeling" to many different categories. I still don't think this is Best Picture material (though it was good), but the Academy loves Clint, and this has some stylish cimematography and good acting to make Oscar take notice should the nomination potentials look too grim (which they are starting to). I'm going to hold firm that I believe Clint other film, "Gran Torino," will be the film getting the Best Picture nomination. I've also moved "The Dark Knights" screenplay to Best Adapted Screenplay because that box looks so lonely (and "The Dark Knight" could go either way with the screenplay at this point). I've also removed "The Dark Knight" from the Best Score category, since the Academy officially anounced it was not eligdable for that award.

Also (and I know this is a long shot) I fell Kevin Smith's raunchy comedy "Zack and Miri Make A Porno" has a halfway decent shot at getting a Best Original Screenplay nomination, so I'm going to include it for now and see how it looks. Again, not likely, but I'm feeling a bit crazy right now. Other then that there are a few minor changes here and there. Looking forward to next week when "Australia" opens, and we can see how much Best Picture potential that epic troubled film has.

What Happened To Ponyo?

Hey everyone, sorry about the lack of updates I've been...well, I've been in Japan. Enjoying a bit of the world. I enjoyed myself so much I'm looking into moving there for a period of time in a few years. But the real reason I bring this up is because while in Japan I had the good fortune to be able to catch Hayao Miyazaki's latest film, "Ponyo on a Cliff," in theaters...

...and considering this movie was considered by many people (myself included) to be "Wall•E's" biggest competition I felt it only fitting to comment on it. Now, as we found out a week ago this movie will not be elidgible for the Best Animated Feature category this year (most likely because the movie won't be released domestically until next year). However, this doesn't upset me too much. In fact, I think this is a good thing because while this movie is good, it was NOT going to beat "Wall•E" (unless, of course, the Academy votes for another movie just because Pixar wins too many awards these days)! Now I have to admit that my Japanese is not the best, but "Ponyo on a Cliff" was simplistic enough that I was able to follow it with little trouble. This film has more in common with "My Neighbor Totoro" then "Spirited Away." That basically means it's a movie made for small children.

This is not a bad thing though as Miyazaki makes some of the most magical and charming children's movies out there, and Ponyo is no different. With pure handdrawn animation (no computers), vibrant watercolors, and Joe Hisaishi's best score since "Princess Mononoke," "Ponyo on a Cliff" may be simple, but it's darn difficult not to be won in by it's charms. The fact that it's more of a charming film then an important film could have hurt it's Oscar chances this year, so it being in next years race will bode better for it's chances at a win. That said, is there any movie that can upset "Wall•E" at this point? Well, yes, now that I think about it. There are two in fact. The is "Waltz with Bashir"...

...which could win on the grounds that it's an important, adult oriented film. The Academy has yet to award an adult animation an Oscar in this category though, and the category is still looked at as, more or less, Best Family Feature. Which means the biggest competition "Wall•E" has at this point...

...is Disney's own "Bolt," which has won critics over and completely surprised the public. Here is a movie that is family friendly, looks to make a lot of money, and didn't look all that interesting until people actually watched it. It also has the advantage of being released by Disney who, despite pioneering animation in feature film, has yet to win an award in this category. This could be the make-up award from the Academy should Pixar fatique set in. Either way the animated category is looking the most competitive it's been since "Spirited Away" and "Lilo & Stitch" duked it out in 2002. Should be an interested year for animation come Oscar time.

Oprah Says "Vote Australia"

I just want to get this out in the open: I can't stand Oprah. One of the most powerful women in the world, she commands way too much power from the public. She can control the book best seller list, she effects the election without having to make any valid arguments, and her political agenda has become something to scorn at recently. That said when she endources something that normally means a lot of love and money will follow that endourcement. Recently that movie was "Australia," a movie that is being watched carefully as we don't know whether it will be an epic orgy or epic failure. With recent talks that the ending is being re-filmed so that it's happy also has people concerned. Whatever cut of the film Oprah saw though is irrelivent, as she's officially declared it the best film of the year. She even went as far as to say it's the best film she's seen in a long time.

I wonder how many movies she watches a year. Watching her show I don't get a sense that she watches many movies at all. She's also missed some modern classics like "Wall-E," "The Dark Knight" and "Rachael Getting Married," so I'm taking this quote with a grain of salt. The question now is this: Will this effect "Australia's" Oscar chances? Possibly. Oprah was one of the key reasons "Crash" won a couple of years ago, so it seems likely "Australia" is getting a truckload of nominations based on her alone. Will it win any? That's even more hard to say, but this certainly has made the race much more interesting.

Animated Films Are Announced (Kind of)

The Academy has released a list of the animated films that will be eligible for nomination in the Best Animated Feature category. The list is:

“Bolt”
“Delgo”
“Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!”
“Dragon Hunters”
“Fly Me to the Moon”
“Igor”
“Kung Fu Panda”
“Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa”
“$9.99”
“The Sky Crawlers”
“Sword of the Stranger”
“The Tale of Despereaux”
“WALL-E”
“Waltz with Bashir”

I think "Wall-E" is a given. The second slot will likely go to "Waltz with Bashir" (which I haven't seen, but it certainly looks way better then most of these movies). The third nomination will likely go to "Kung Fu Panda" or "The Tale of Despereaux." I can't see "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" getting nominated, but if there's an upset (and there usually is in this category) then chances are this is the one. Oh, and this means "Speed Racer" is obviously not a contender for this award anymore. The big question about this list is what happened to "Star Wars: The Clone Wars." Not that I want to see that movie win, but considering it's an animated film there's no reason for it to not be here. Oh well, maybe that will change (and if it does become eligible then that means five films will be nominated instead of three).

Pixar Aims Big For Wall•E

First Warner Bros. announced their intention to have "The Dark Knight" taken seriously at the Oscars. Now it appears that Pixar is gunning for a Best Picture nomination for their critically acclaimed animated film "Wall•E." And before anyone says anything I want to say this: Yes, I know this is a long shot. No animated film has been nominated for Best Picture since "Beauty & The Beast" in 1991 (which lost to silence of the lambs), and by now people are feeling it won't happen again. Not only does the Best Animated Feature award exist, but how many Best Picture worthy animated films have to pass by before there's another nomination. If the Academy hasn't nominated "The Lion King," "Toy Story," "Chicken Run," "Shrek," "The Iron Giant," "Finding Nemo," "Spirited Away," "Ratatouille," and many others, then why would they vote for this film? Well, it's a long shot, but I think this has a better chance at a nomination for a few reasons:

1. "Wall•E" is topical. Not only is it funny and charming, but it speaks about the dangers of our environment. Not only that, unlike the well intentioned (but flawed) "An Inconvieniant Truth," people actually took "Wall•E" to heart. That's huge.
2. This movie made a lot of money over time. It wasn't a one weekend success either, this movie stayed in the top ten for months, and it's still making money in theaters. Once the DVD and BluRay hits stands it's only going to make more money. And with the recent choice to have Bill Condon (of "Dreamgirls" fame) directing the show, and a revamped advertising stradegy to make the Oscars more like the Super Bowl, having a second powerfhouse nominated for Best Picture would insure more eyeballs come Oscar night.
3. Aside from Best Animated Feature this film is likely to get nominated for several other awards. I'd say sound, music, song, and screenplay nominations are in the cards. Once a film racks up multiple nominations a Best Picture nomination seems more in the cards.
4. More and more of the Best Picture potentials have been falling flat or getting delayed to next year. "Changelling" and "Appaloosa" are likely to get some nods here and there, but reviews are too conflicted for them to go all the way. Then we have movies like "The Road," "The Soloist," and "The Reader" being pushed back to 2009 or in fear of being so. This leaves the Best Picture slots more and more open, and it will work in "Wall•E's" favor.
5. It's simply that good.

Like I said, it's ultimately a longshot, and even I'm in the group that says a Best Picture nomination won't happen. That said...it can't hurt Pixar to try. Stars seem to be very much in line this to happen.

Pray For Hudson

I can't even imagine how Jennifer Hudson is feeling these days. The newspapers and bloggers are all busy reporting that Hudson's mother, sister, and nephew have all been murdered, but one has to wonder how Hudson herself is doing. This is not like most celebrity tragedies. Oh don't get me wrong: A tragedy is a tragedy. But Hudson is almost a friend to most of us. We saw her on "American Idol." We got to know her and her family. We all know she didn't deserve her Oscar for "Dreamgirls," but we all smiled big grins when we saw her win anyway. Because, hey, that was our Jennifer up there, looking all pretty and happy as could be. I don't know her personally, but in a way it feels like I do, and therefore I'm much more saddened by this news then I would be for most other celebrities. She's in my prayers and hopefully she's in yours too.

Nostalgia Critic Pays Tribute To Struzan

I was going to be writing an article on how movie posters are a dying art form, but for now I'd like to direct you to a Drew Struzan tribute video that The Nostalgia Critic did. This video, more then any written words, can explain why hand painted posters are more visually stunning then photoshopped posters. Maybe if videos like this circulate enough the art of posters could come back. In fact, if the Academy wants to bring the art of posters back they should create a new award: Best Poster. Probably not going to happen, but I can dream right?

Is "Dark Knight" Out of Reach To Elders?

Though the box office run of "The Dark Knight" is coming to a close (and not going to be topping "Titanic's" record) the praise for the movie keeps coming. Now that Oscar potentials such as "Appaloosa," "W," and other films have crashed in the critical department, the likely-hood of a Best Picture nomination seems more likely. However the argument has now come up that the movie won't get nominated because the academy voters are too old to "get it." Some people actually think that the academy voters and the general public live on two different planets. There's some merrit to this (and if you've ever looked at the history of the People's Choice Awards you'll know what I mean). Case in point, the Reel Geezers...

...these are two members of the academy who are old, worn, and represent a good portion of the academy. These two have shared their thoughts of this film on YouTube...



...though don't take this video as a sure sign that the old folks won't vote for "The Dark Knight." Keep in mind one of these geezers wrote for the original Adam West "Batman" show, so seeing an updated film likely felt like stomping on his legecy. As for the woman...well, I don't want to sound sexist, but older women tend to not like violent films anyway. Therefor I think this isn't a good representation of the average voter. Right now we don't know what's going to happen. All of our predictions could turn out to be wrong, and for all we know "Wall-E" could still sneak up behind us. What I want to remind people is this: Nothing is certain. "The Dark Knight" may be slowing down, but once the BluRay is released it will be back in the spotlight (or so I assume, seeing as how it's likely going to break some BluRay records).

Plus with the film being re-released in January in IMAX theaters it will be harder to ignore. Then there's the fact that movies like "Frost/Nixon," "Milk," and "Revolutionary Road" could be bombs. I want them to be good, but a good trailer does not garentee a good movie. Right now the only other film that looks like a sure nomination that we've seen is "Rachael Getting Married," which was a film that had little Oscar attention outside of Anne Hathaway, and now the movie is being called Johnathan Demme's big comeback. So just chill everyone: It isn't over till it's over.

Nerd Pays Tribute To Wood

For those of you who visit Cinemassacre there's a good chance you're going to that site to watch the online show "Angry Video Game Nerd." Created and starring James Rolf, AVGN is the ultimate show for fans of retro gaming. And I'm not talking about Playstation, Nintendo 64, or Dreamcast, I'm talking about classic Nintendo, Genesis, and Super Nintendo. This is what Cinemassacre is mostly known for, though other movies are posted on the site too. These range from video reviews, convention videos, and even original movies. Right now Rolf is in the middle of his Godzilla-Thon (with seven movies left to review including the Matthew Broadrick movie), but he decided to take a detour and do a two part "Ed Wood-A-Thon." At this point you must be wondering what this has to do with Oscars. This is a valid question, seeing as how Ed Wood is condiered the worst director of all time. That said...


...if you need a connection it's that Tim Burton's "Ed Wood" film won two Oscars, including a Best Supporting Actor for Martin Landau. That said though, I really just want to point you to this tribute of a man who might have made terrible movies, but he loved making them anyway. Wood is a director I respect in that regard, and it also shows that bad movies can be entertaining in their own right. So, yeah, I guess this really isn't Oscar stuff, but sometimes it's good to take a break from all the serious stuff going on out there. Besides, the only thing sadder then Wood's films is the current presidential debates.

Ed Wood-A-Thon (Part 1) | Movies & TV | SPIKE.com

Cases For And Against Nomination Part 2

I had so much fun listing the pros and cons of films getting Oscar nominations last time I've decided to do this a second time. The following five films are on the above list of potential Best Picture nominees starting at number six, so lets just jump right into things:

Number 6


The Dark Knight


Cases For Nomination

• A great movie.
• Critically acclaimed.
• Highest grossing film of the year.
  
• Second highest grossing film of all time (the Academy respects money).
• Audiences connect with the subject matter.
• Heath Ledger is giving this film major legs.

Cases Against Nomination

• It's a superhero movie.
• It's a sequel.
• May end up being TOO successful for it's own good!

Final Verdict: I think this one is in. The movie is too big - both financially and critically - to be ignored.


Number 7

The Soloist


Cases For Nomination

• It's a biopic. The Academy LOVES biopics!
• Joe Wright directed last years Best Picture nominee "Atonement."
• Jamie Foxx gets Academy love.
• Robert Downey Jr's. comeback year could turn into love for this film.

Cases Against Nomination

• Though "Atonement" received seven Oscar nominations, Wright was not nominated for Best Director.
• Downey Jr. could gain more attention for "Tropic Thunder."

Final Verdict: This looks like a sure bet, but the hype just hasn't been there. We'll have to see on this one.


Number 8


Australia


Cases For Nomination

• Big epic production.
• Nicole Kidman can draw attention for mediocre projects (see "The Hours").
• Hugh Jackman has been picking up lots of box office draw.

Cases Against Nomination

• Will the movie be more style then substance?

Final Verdict: I'm going to say no. At least for now.


Number 9


Doubt


Cases For Nomination

• Acclaimed cast full of Oscar winners and nominees.
• Subject matter reflects a growing concern with the Catholic Church.
• Meryle Strepp is likely to get another Oscar nomination for this film.

Cases Against Nomination

• Subject matter may be too dark for audiences and voters.

Final Verdict: I see this one getting nominated should some of the above films not pan out.


Number 10

Changeling

Cases For Nomination

• Angelina Jolie in a heartbreaking performance.
• A biopic. The Academy LOVES biopics!
• Clint is the man.

Cases Against Nomination

• Clint may be getting too much love recently, which could result in a backlash.

Final Verdict: Eh, you're going to have to flip a coin on this one.

See you around for Part 3 in a couple of weeks.

W. Gets Rated

This may be old news, but I think it's worth mentioning anyway. Oliver Stone's George W. Bush film, "W," has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA. Yeah, I'm going to complain about the PG-13 rating again, though it's not for the actual rating of the film itself. See, Oliver Stone is a, shall we say...radical film maker. This is a guy who has won three Oscars, and two of those were for directing. With the exception of "World Trade Center" and a second film I can't think of, all of Stones films have been rated R. This allows him to be extreme, on the edge, and larger-than-life. When he's on a PG-13 level he seems restrained, like he wants to do something unexpected but can't. Though Hollywood is very liberal and currently very much "Obama Land," the people bucking this film seems to be taking a very conservative approuch to this movie.

The approuch being: Don't be offensive. Admit the man has made some mistakes and move on. People who hate Bush don't want to see this anyway. The lack of an R leads me to believe that the film will hold back when it shouldn't, and that could lead to a less interesting film. Rating aside though I truly don't know what to expect anymore. The first trailer advertised a drama. The second trailer made the movie look like a spoof. Then I saw a preview on TV that made the movie look like a comedy. Really, this movie can't get here fast enough so I can move on from thinking about it (because, aside from some acting nominations, I doubt this is going to get much attention at the Oscars).

Eligible Doc Shorts

Because of some crazy rules the Academy has for documentaries, the voters get to decide which films are eligible for nomination and THEN they vote for which ones are to be nominated! So the next time someone complains about how the government voting system is set up, tell them to shut up: It could be much, much worse. Here are the shorts that will be potential nominees:

• “The Conscience of Nhem En”
• “David McCullough: Painting with Words”
• “Downstream”
• “The Final Inch”
• “Smile Pinki”
• “Tongzhi in Love”
• “Viva La Causa”
• “The Witness from the Balcony of Room 306”

As usual I haven't seen any of these films, but the David McCullough film looks very interesting.

Is Rachel Getting Oscar Nominations?

I was lucky enough to catch a showing of "Rachel Getting Married" yesterday. It was a good movie. One of the better ones I've seen in awhile. The thing that stood out in the movie was the acting. If Anne Hathaway hadn't been making good movies before then this would be her career making role. As it stands this is likely to be looked upon from movie fans as Oscar winner Jonathan Demme's big comeback movie. Early reviews are great. People are saying it's his best film since "Silence of the Lambs" (though to some credit, he took a four year hiatus from movies to make some concert films). People say that the movie should receive Oscar nominations outing of Hathaway's potential nomination. I say people are jumping the gun a bit. Don't get me wrong: It's a good movie.

In my review I'll give it a solid three and a half stars. Heck, it may even get bumped to four. The bottom line is though that when you get down to it, when you really digest the film, it's about a screwed up character. Movies about screwed up characters took a beating with "American Beauty," and few have been nominated since ("A Beautiful Mind" comes to mind though). That said I see where people are coming from. This is a very good film that was being undermined before we saw it. Now we've seen it and it's impressed us. "Appaloosa" wowed us in the trailers and then gave us a solid rental. In the long run the Academy tends to vote for movies that they didn't expect much out of but genuinely fell in love with. Nobody expected much from "Little Miss Sunshine," "Juno," "Sideways," "In The Bedroom," "The Full Monty," "Babe," "Good Will Hunting," etc, etc...you get the picture.

And yet all these movies received Best Picture nominations. What's more, some of them came close to winning the top prize (and if they didn't they picked up some major awards anyway). So for now "Rachel Getting Married" is on my list for potential nominees. And if "Australia" and/or "The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons" turn out to be epic disasters...well, then I think this film is in.