2006 Oscar picks
Even though I haven't blogged on Dillweed in a year, here are this year's picks:
Best Supporting Actress
Will win: Amy Adams - Junebug
Should win: Frances McDormand - North Country (I didn't actually see the movie, which looked awful, but I always like her
Should have been nominated: Maria Bello - A History of Violence
Best Supporting Actor
Will win: George Clooney - Syriana
Should win: Paul Giamatti - Cinderella Man (Not for this rancid crap but to make up for the travesty of not being nominated for Sideways last year)
Should have been nominated: Jeffrey Wright - Syriana or Broken Flowers
Best Actress
Will win: Reese Witherspoon - Walk the Line
Should win: Reese Witherspoon - Walk the Line
Should have been nominated:
Best Actor
Will win: Philip Seymour Hoffman - Capote
Should win: Joaquin Phoenix - Walk the Line
Should have been nominated: Tony Leung - 2046, Bill Murray - Broken Flowers
Best Original Screenplay
Will win: George Clooney & Grant Heslov - Good Night, and Good Luck
Should win: George Clooney & Grant Heslov - Good Night, and Good Luck
Should have been nominated:
Best Adapted Screenplay
Will win: Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana - Brokeback Mountain
Should win: Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana - Brokeback Mountain
Should have been nominated:
Best Director
Will win: Ang Lee - Brokeback Mountain
Should win: Ang Lee - Brokeback Mountain
Should have been nominated: Wong Kar-Wai - 2046, David Cronenberg - A History of Violence
Best Picture
Will win: Brokeback Mountain
Should win: Munich
Should have been nominated: 2046, A History of Violence
The best 5 movies I saw last year:
2046
A History of Violence
Munich
Capote
Brokeback Mountain
Oscar picks
Quick before they start:
Best Supporting Actress
Will win: Cate Blanchett, The Aviator
Should win: Natalie Portman, Closer
Should have been nominated: Cate Blanchett, Life Aquatic
Best Supporting Actor
Will win: Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby
Should win: Clive Owen, Closer
Should have been nominated:
Best Actress
Will win: Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby
Should win: Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby
Should have been nominated: Julie Delpy, Before Sunset
Best Actor
Will win: Jamie Foxx, Ray
Should win: Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby
Should have been nominated: PAUL GIAMATTI, Sideways (DUH!)
Best Original Screenplay
Will win: John Logan, The Aviator
Should win: Charlie Kaufmann, Eternal Sunshine
Should have been nominated: Quentin Tarantino, Kill Bill 2
Best Adapted Screenplay
Will win: Alexander Payne & xxx, Sideways
Should win: Richard Linklater et al, Before Sunset
Should have been nominated:
Best Director
Will win: Martin Scorsese, The Aviator
Should win: Martin Scorsese, The Aviator
Should have been nominated: Michel Gondry, Eternal Sunshine
Best Picture
Will win: The Aviator
Should win: Sideways
Should have been nominated: Before Sunset
The Grudge, and many others...
Howdy, it's been a long, a long time. I got a pile of movies I've torn through, so each review will have to be quick. I thought I'd pair up movies in each mini-review. Yeee-haa!
The Grudge/Ju-on. The first is the American remake of the second. Usually, you might expect "re-make" to mean "piece of shit," but not this one, son. This one's the real-squeeze Coté's hand off-deal. The American version of The Grudge/Ju-on is good stuff. Don't let Buffy scare you off.
As Kim pointed out, there is a lot of repeat between the originals and the re-make...but she almost ground my arm into a pulp even at the mere reflection of one of those pale ghosts.
My advice: see the American one while it's in the theatres, and rent Ju-on for that week long, remote cabin trip you're planning on having.
Alamo Drafthouse at The Village/Alamo Drafthouse at Lake Creek. The Lake Creek one is more spacious, and the seats are more comfortable. How 'bout them sittin' tables at Lake Creek? I've finally decided that the food at both sucks soggy pig-titty. That Red Stripe ain't so bad though...
Both of them are OK, but the Village seems like it has more hipsters...for better or worse. And, Jesus, what the fuck is a "Lake Creek"? It's either one or the other, bubba, can't be both in God's country.
Cold Mountain/Sweet Home Alabama. Look, we're members of Netflix here. We see a lot of movies. Every-now-and-then, something like Sweet Home Alabama sneaks in. But, it goes well with another movie about the South -- both with plenty of folks in confederate uniforms -- Cold Mountain. Sure, the drama one is better than the comedy...well, you could say a lot better. I guess with Alabama, you get to see what all that suffering in Cold Mountain was for. Yay the South!
(Did anyone else think it was weird that the two lead actors in Cold Mountain, a movie about the American Civil War were from the Commonwealth? Next thing you know one of them Queen worshipers is going to make a movie about the Revolution.)
I'd see Cold Mountain if you were hankering for a drama, and I'd start a Civil War if your movie renting partner suggested getting Sweet Home Alabama.
Shaun of the Dead/Matrix: Revolutions. This one's easy:
- if you haven't seen Shaun of the Dead yet, you should be dead yourself. You'll die laughing! (No, really, it is a good movie.)
- the other one...I still don't get it. Programs? Do you think when they were filming this all the actors kept saying, "this is so dumb...but, Jesus, I love that green, baby!"
Gandhi/Man Bites Dog. I knew this guy in college who, at one point, was obsessed with the word, and concept of dichotomy. I have this vivid memory of him talking really fast, for like 3 hours, where he said "dichotomy" like every 5th word. I think every 3rd word was Nietzsche.
I hadn't seen either of these movies in a long time. That Ben Kingsley -- wha-baam! -- there's an actor. If you're in the mood for a movie that has an intermission in it (I guess this was before the "pause" button), check Gandhi out: any man who can make his wife happy to clean the bathroom knows what's up.
I think I feel asleep the first time, long ago, when I watched Man Bites Dog. If you need your violent French fix, I'd check out La Haine first, and then this 'un.
Garden State
(2004, Zach Braff, very good, 281) I was surprise how good a file this was. Portman and Braff really have great chemistry. I would say it's a romantic comedy with a lot more depth. Braff's script flows well during the first two acts. The ending seems to be a little off but it does affect the overall film much. Some great dialogue too. Check it out. P.S. Everytime I see Natalie Portman in something other than Star Wars she is excellent. I think it shows how bad Lucas is doing with some great talent.
The Manchurian Candidate
(2004, Jonathan Demme, 271, Good) All around, a solid film. Well acted, well written, and good performances. They tell you a little to much about the plot too soon. I would like more clues and less explicit knowledge in the first act. Denzel does a nice job and is very believable in this roll. The plot and script were very tight. Most everything happens for a reason and overall the script is well connected. Check it out.
The Village
(M. Night Shyamalan, 2004, 130)
A dopey disappointment. Afterwards, there was a discussion whether it was better than Signs or not. I guess I was the only one that thought Signs was better. That movie was a dumb guy's Ordet. This one was a dumb guy's 2-hour Twilight Zone episode.
Bourne Supremacy
(Paul Greengrass, 2004, 315, very good)
If you liked Bourne Identity, then you'll like Bourne Supremacy. Matt Daemon reprises his roll as the super spy Jason Bourne. The movie has excellent action just like the first with some great fight scenes. More interesting is to see how Bourne applies his spy tactics. He is again always one step ahead of the people chasing him. Joan Allen also turns in a nice performance as the CIA agent tracking Bourne. One of the best films, I have seen all year.
Training is over movie goers, this is a live environment, and you are a go to see this movie. Make sure to check this one out in the theatres.
Anchorman
(Adam McKay, 2004, very good)
Will Ferrell and Fred Willard in one movie. And Steve Carell too. The only thing that'd make this movie any better is if it had Bill Murray in it. That'd be a combination for best comedy ever.
That aside, highlights include:
- "It's so hot! ...milk was a bad choice."
- An excellent Planet of the Apes ode/reference.
- More oaths to Norse and Greek Gods than you can count.
- "The Germans discovered it in 1904, and they called it "San Diego", which in German means 'whale's vagina.'"
- Brian Fantana: [speaking of a musk] They've done studies, you know. Sixty percent of the time it works every time.
Ron Burgundy: ...That doesn't make any sense, Brian. - "[on the phone] Well, really, I don't know where he would get his hands on German Pornography... but really, as adults, its not like we haven't seen our share of pornography in... Oh you haven't? Well, neither have I, I was just joking... listen, I have to go, we'll talk about this later, Sister Margaret."
And so on, and so forth.
In summary, go see it. And if it's hot, remember, milk will be a bad choice.
