Ladies and Gentleman...Oscar!

A few days ago the Oscar nominations were announced and I thought I would share my picks for this year. Unfortunately I haven't seen all of the movies up for awards this year (I plan to see a few more) so my picks are based only on the films I have seen and what I have heard about the ones I have not.

* This means I have not seen this film

Best Motion Picture of the Year:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Ceán Chaffin, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall
*Frost/Nixon (2008): Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Eric Fellner
Milk (2008): Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks
*The Reader (2008): Nominees to be determined
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Christian Colson

I think it will be between Milk and Slumdog. I hope that Milk wins but based on how well it did at the Golden Globes, I think that Slumdog will win.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:

*Richard Jenkins for The Visitor (2007)
*Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon (2008)
Sean Penn for Milk (2008)
Brad Pitt for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler (2008)

I think it will be a close call between Sean Penn and Mickey Rourke but I think Rourke will go home with the gold. Almost anyone who has seen the film will agree that he deserves it.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:

*Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married (2008)
*Angelina Jolie for Changeling (2008)
*Melissa Leo for Frozen River (2008)
*Meryl Streep for Doubt (2008/I)
*Kate Winslet for The Reader (2008)

I have not seen any of these films yet this year but I think it will be between Kate Winslet and Meryl Streep. My decision for this one is based on previous roles and the Golden Globes. Meryl Streep has been around for a while and has won a lot of awards and she usually turns out solid work. Kate Winslet also has many good performances under her belt and considering her sweep at the Golden Globes, I think she might take the win.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:

Josh Brolin for Milk (2008)
Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder (2008)
*Philip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt (2008/I)
Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight (2008)
Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road (2008)

First I must say how funny it is that Robert Downy Junior is nominated. He is an awesome actor, he seems like a cool guy, he's making a huge comeback right now and his role in Tropic Thunder was hilarious. However, I don't think his character had enough power to go up against such names as Josh Brolin, Heath Ledger and Phil Hoffman. I think the award will probably go to either Ledger or Brolin. They both turned out a very good work this year and I think everyone knew it but you also can't count Phil Hoffman out of the running considering all the great work he's done. I recently saw Revolutionary Road and I didn't even realize who Michael Shannon was in the film but I mentioned to my friend that the actor who played John should be nominated. He was absolutely fantastic! He was possibly one of the best characters in the film but I think regardless of how good he was, I'm not sure he had enough screen time to win in a category with such talented actors.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:

*Amy Adams for Doubt (2008/I)
*Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
*Viola Davis for Doubt (2008/I)
Taraji P. Henson for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler (2008)

I don't really have much of an opinion on this category. I think that both Marisa Tomei and Taraji P. Henson did good jobs but I have heard great things about Amy Adams and Penelope Cruz

Best Achievement in Directing:

Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
*Stephen Daldry for The Reader (2008)
David Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
*Ron Howard for Frost/Nixon (2008)
Gus Van Sant for Milk (2008)

Now this is a seriously good list of directors. All of them have turned out a lot of good work over the course of their careers and these films are nothing to scoff at. I love Danny Boyle, especially his early work, and I think he did a great job and he may win it. However, I am very partial to David Fincher considering he is one of my favorite directors. He may have a good shot but unfortunately, I don't think he'll be sharing a ride home with oscar. Gus Van Sant did an excellent job on MILK, and I don't mean to offend him or his work when I say this, but I think the film could have survived with another director unlike a film like Slumdog. Ron Howard also has other great work under his belt so he may be a contender. I haven't heard much about Daldry's work but I hear the film is fantastic.

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen:

*Frozen River (2008): Courtney Hunt
*Happy-Go-Lucky (2008): Mike Leigh
*In Bruges (2008): Martin McDonagh
Milk (2008): Dustin Lance Black
WALL·E (2008): Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, Jim Reardon

I hear Happy-Go-Lucky is great and very funny and after the Golden Globes, I think In Bruges could be a serious contender. I haven't heard anything about Frozen River so I can't say much about it but I think MILK had a great screenplay and that it played a huge part in the quality of the film. WALL·E was great and I loved the movie but I don't really think it will win this award.

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Eric Roth, Robin Swicord
*Doubt (2008/I): John Patrick Shanley
*Frost/Nixon (2008): Peter Morgan
*The Reader (2008): David Hare
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Simon Beaufoy

I loved both of the movies that I did see in this category but I wasn't in love with their screenplays. Benjamin Button was nice and heart warming and inspirational but a little cheesy, however don't count Eric Roth out considering he was nominated for Munich and The Insider and won for Forrest Gump. Even though I haven't seen it, I predict this one going to Doubt. I just have a feeling. I must say though that I'm a little disappointed that Revolutionary Road wasn't nominated.

Best Achievement in Cinematography:

*Changeling (2008): Tom Stern
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Claudio Miranda
The Dark Knight (2008): Wally Pfister
*The Reader (2008): Roger Deakins, Chris Menges
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Anthony Dod Mantle

Slumdog Millionaire. Hands down.

Best Achievement in Editing:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter
The Dark Knight (2008): Lee Smith
*Frost/Nixon (2008): Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill
Milk (2008): Elliot Graham
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Chris Dickens

Again, I have to give it to Slumdog but don't count Benjamin Button or MILK out.

Best Achievement in Costume Design:

*Australia (2008): Catherine Martin
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Jacqueline West
*The Duchess (2008): Michael O'Connor
Milk (2008): Danny Glicker
Revolutionary Road (2008): Albert Wolsky

I really liked the costumes in Revolutionary Road because I really like the styles from that era but I think the Duchess will win just because it's a victorian piece.

Best Achievement in Makeup:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Greg Cannom
The Dark Knight (2008): John Caglione Jr., Conor O'Sullivan
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008): Mike Elizalde, Thomas Floutz

Benjamin Button had great make up and I thought Brad Pitt looked amazing but most of what looked like incredible make up was actually special effects, so I don't think it will win. The Joker looked awesome in The Dark Knight and so did Two Face but I don't think those two characters are enough to win. I give the win to Hellboy II because as always, Guillermo del Toro showed the world some of the most incredible creatures ever thought up and this team brought them to life, so I say Hellboy all the way.

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song:

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman, Gulzar("Jai Ho")
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman, Maya Arulpragasam("O Saya")
WALL·E (2008): Peter Gabriel, Thomas Newman("Down to Earth")

I wish the Boss was nominated for The Wrestler because then he would win another award for the song but since I have to choose from these three, I give it to one of the Slumdog songs. People loved the music in the film and I don't blame them, I just liked the Peter Gabriel song better.

Best Achievement in Visual Effects:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, Craig Barron
The Dark Knight (2008): Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Timothy Webber, Paul J. Franklin
Iron Man (2008): John Nelson, Ben Snow, Daniel Sudick, Shane Mahan

Even if you hated Benjamin Button, I'm betting you loved the special effects. They were fantastic! I was amazed at how great they were and I really hope it wins.

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year:

*Bolt (2008): Chris Williams, Byron Howard
Kung Fu Panda (2008): John Stevenson, Mark Osborne
WALL·E (2008): Andrew Stanton

I will be very surprised if WALL·E doesn't win. They were planning on giving it a Best Picture Nomination for Christ's sake!

So those are my predictions and I hope I am right. If I see any more of the nominated films before the Oscars, which I plan on doing, I will update my prediction if necessary.

The Wrestler

One movie that everyone has been talking about this year is The Wrestler starring Mickey Rourke and directed by Darren Aronofsky. Critics have been calling it the "resurection of Mickey Rourke" and "an unqualified triumph" so I knew I had to see it. Fortunately I was lent the For Your Consideration DVD and was able to watch it at home but that did not take away from the power of the film.

The film opens with news clippings talking about Randy "The Ram" Robinson behind the opening credits while a song likening to Guns and Roses plays in the background. Then over a black screen, we hear a man coughing and wheezing and it sounds as though he may die in a matter of moments but then we see Mickey, sitting in a chair with his back to the camera. He has long bleached hair, a fake tan and black tights on. Although we cannot see his face we can tell that he is old, broken down and tired. He then leaves the locker room to greet a few fans asking for an autograph but we still cannot see his face. The next scene is one of my favorites in the entire film. He enters a room filled with men all wearing ridiculous outfits and with enormous muscles. They are all a very happy bunch and besides their size are seemingly harmless. When Rourke walks in the door, he is treated like a celebrity and we finally see his face. It is completely torn up, scared and broken. He is completely different from his pretty boy looks of the mid eighties and you're not sure if its the make up or if it's actually him. The scene continues as a man reads the order of fights for that night. Rourke is sitting in a room putting on his pads when his opponent, Tommy Rotten, walks in the door. If you were to see this man on the street you would most likely run the other way but when he talks to Rourke, he is actually very nice and tender. They then begin to talk about their routine in detail and so does every other wrestler in the room. The scene is actually quite comical but when the fighting starts there is nothing comical about it. Even though the fight is choreographed between the two wrestkers, the pain seems extremely real and I was cringing with every hit.

That is all the detail I will go into but what I can't go without talking about is the acting. Every performance is perfect. Mickey Rourke is fawless as the washed up "Ram". He absolutely believable from start to finish. His stripper girlfriend Marrisa Tomei does a great job. She took on a very hard role, filled with deep emotion and exotic dancing but pulls it off with grace. Rourke's daughter, played by Evan Rachel Wood is very good. She brings a lot of youth to the film and she is by far the prettiest person in the movie. Director Darren Aronofsky does an excellent job, taking what could have been an almost ordinary film and making it into something incredible. One review compared him to a young Scorsese, and I completely agree. I seriously admire his versatility having recently directed ultra experimental Sci-Fi Romance, The Fountain.

Every scene is phenomenal and unmissable, do not get up to go to the bathroom during this one! You don't want to miss a second. I give this a 4.5/5 and Rourke is a serious contender for Best Actor and may steal it from Sean Penn. Aronofsky will definitely get a nomination for Best Director and most likely a Best Picture nod. Bruce Springsteen will probably win Best Original Song for "The Wrestler" and possibly some other random nominations. Definitely see this movie before it's too late. 

MILK

With the Oscars coming soon and so many great films out, for the next few weeks I will be putting some focus on what appear to be the movies that will be on the academy's mind.

One of the first films I saw this season was MILK. An incredible story about gay rights activist Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man ever to be elected to major office. The film is written by Dustin Lance Black, a relatively unknown writer and is Directed by Gus Van Sant (Good WIll Hunting). The story is told by Harvey Milk, played by Sean Penn, as he narrates throughout.

Now I have always been a fan of good opening credit sequences and this one is very good. It features black and white videos and news clippings talking about the abuse of gay men by police and the government accompanied by a great score by Danny Elfman. It then opens on Sean Penn sitting down at his kitchen table and recording his will with interspersed clips of actual news coverage of Milk's assassination. We are then showed the beginning of Milk's career in 1970 when he meets his lover-to-be Scott, played by James Franco. The two of them make an excellent and believable couple but the age difference makes it a little strange to see.

I wont go much further into the plot because this is a movie everyone should see. Sean Penn is absolutely perfect and doesn't make a single mistake. Emille Hirsch is very funny and also very good proving that his talent will not be wasted on another Speed Racer. Josh Brolin as the famous Dan White, is excellent but I personally would like to have seen him receive a little more character development. James Franco is also great adding to a nice touch to very real story. Those are the big names featured in this movie but nevertheless, the rest of the cast does not disappoint! They do a superb job of backing up the already fantastic jobs of the better known actors. 

So far this is my number one pick for 2008. The story is very touching and heartbreaking and the acting is fantastic, near flawless. The writing is very good. The dialogue feels very true and is usually kept light and comical but does not take away from the seriousness of the subject matter and plot. The directing and cinematography are nice. It is well done and very tight. Not an expendable shot in the entire movie. I give this film 4.5/5 stars and my picks for Best Actor-Sean Penn, Best Original Score-Danny Elfman, definite nomination for Best Picture and Best Director-Gus Van Sant and maybe some technical awards will be thrown in there. To wrap it up, if there is a movie out there to see this season, see MILK. And bring tissues, this ones a crier.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Over vacation I tried to see as many of the possible Oscar contending movies as I could, including Milk, Slumdog Millionaire and The Wrestler (hopefully I will see more in the weeks to come) but for a long time, my eye has been on the release of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Something you should know is that I am a huge fan of David Fincher and would argue that he is one of the best directors to emerge over the past 20 years. The other day, I read an article in the New York Times saying that Fincher would be interviewed at Lincoln Center and I immediately got tickets but then realized I hadn't yet seen the movie so I went to go see it the night before the interview. I went into the movie unsure as to how I would feel. I knew this would not be a typical Fincher thriller and I had heard from various sources that the movies was either just okay, or great but I figured I would enjoy it. 

(NO SPOILERS BUT IF YOU WANT TO GO INTO THE MOVIE WITH AN OPEN MIND STOP NOW!!!)

The film begins a little slow with a seemingly out of place story about an elderly woman in what appears to be her death bed, being comforted by her daughter. The woman begins to tell the story about a clock maker who builds a clock which goes backwards. At this point I was still unsure how this all related but it seemed like it went with the theme so my attention span had not been lost. As the story continues, the daughter begins to read through a diary written by Benjamin Button and narrated by Brad Pitt. I wont go into the details too much further but I will say that the story is very nice and heart warming. It is a relatively cliche story but told in an unconventional way. Admittedly the film seems like a perfect mix between Big Fish and Forest Gump (which has the same screenwriter as Button) but it is given beautiful imagery by Fincher.

Brad Pitt does an excellent job of playing the New Orleans born Benjamin Button putting a very convincing southern bayou accent on. His acting has never been better and his fellow cast members including, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Jared Harris and Tilda Swinton all do an outstanding job of supporting him. However, as good a job as the actors do, what really stuck out to me was the special effects used on Pitt's aging process and in various scenes throughout. I found the effects to be extremely realistic and used in very imaginative ways.

Overall, the film is fantastic. It comes together from every possible angle in all the right places. My only real complaint is it's length. I did not have a problem with it, but I could see how many people might. However, the film does end with a very nice moral and managed to get me a little choked up. I give it 4/5 stars and a major round of applause to David Fincher for transforming what could have been a very ordinary fairy tale into a tale of grand proportions. He never ceases to amaze me and I look forward to what he comes out with next.