This weekend’s midnight movie at the Egyptian happens to be the BEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME: Blue Velvet. Seattle, you are too lucky. For theater information, click here.
July 8, 2009
Have you seen Public Enemies? The new Michael Mann film is fabulous. Don’t listen to the naysayers, this is one of the best films of the year. It looks amazing (shot on HD digital), the acting is superb (espcially the gorgeous Marion Cotillard), the details are precise, and the story is old school Hollywood romanticism. For the high-brow types, the film provokes thought about criminality and technology (in the movie and about the movie). For the low-brow, the action is gripping (loved all the shootouts). Loved this movie. My score: 83 out of 100.
March 5, 2009
Pedro Almodóvar, one of our favorite directors of all time, has a new film and ropeofsilicon.com has the trailer. The film, entitled ”Broken Embraces” (Los Abrazos Rotos) stars the recent Oscar-winning Penelope Cruz. The only bad news is that we have to wait until the fall for a US release. We’ve included the official movie poster, from filmin.es.
February 26, 2009
While most of the winners at the Academy Awards on Sunday were expected, there were a few surprises. The most significant was the win for Departures, from Japan, in the foriegn film category. Most pundits had Waltz with Bashir, from Isreal, winning. And while a few pundits did suggest Departures could pull off the upset in the week before the Oscars, we felt the academy voters would not be able to deny the amazingness of Waltz with Bashir. When will we learn? Read Scott Foundas great article scolding the Academy for not picking the true “best” foreign film.
February 23, 2009
The 81st Annual Academy Awards are history now and Slumdog Millionaire was the big winner taking home 8 Oscars, including best picture. Kate Winslet finally won her first Oscar for best actress while Sean Penn edged out Mickey Rourke for best actor. Heath Ledger and Penelope Cruz won in their respective supporting acting categories. There was one surprise: Departures, from Japan, winning best foreign film over favorites Waltz with Bashir, from Israel, and The Class, from France. See a full list of winners by clicking here.
The revamping of the Oscar telecast was, from our perspective, a success. We enjoyed the redesigned stage, the presentation of awards in groups, and the new way the acting nominations were presented. Having previous winners come out and introduce each of the nominees proved to be an inspired move, as each nominee recieved recognition for their honored performance. Plus, it was wonderful to see all those stars on stage. More Oscar analysis to follow.
February 21, 2009
FINAL OSCAR PREDICTIONS
Posted by chuchacho under Academy Awards, Film, Movie Awards, Oscars | Tags: Oscar predictions |1 Comment
The Oscars are less than 24 hours away and below we present our final predictions:
FINAL PREDICTIONS AS OF FEBRUARY 21, 2009
Best Picture: “Slumdog Millionaire”
Actor: Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”
Actress: Kate Winslet, “The Reader”
Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”
Supporting Actress: Viola Davis, “Doubt”
Director: Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Animated Feature: “WALL-E”
Adapted Screenplay: “Slumdog Millionaire,” screenplay by Simon Beaufoy
Original screenplay: “WALL-E,” screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon; original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter
Art Direction: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” Donald Graham Burt; set decoration: Victor J. Zolfo
Cinematography: “Slumdog Millionaire,” Anthony Dod Mantle
Costume Design: “The Duchess,” Michael O’Connor
Documentary Feature: “Man on Wire”
Documentary Short:“The Witness — From the Balcony of Room 306″
Film Editing: “Slumdog Millionaire,” Chris Dickens
Foreign Language Film: “Waltz with Bashir,” Israel
Makeup: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” Greg Cannom
Original Score: “Slumdog Millionaire,” A.R. Rahman
Original Song: “Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire,” music by A.R. Rahman, lyrics by Gulzar
Animated Short: “Presto”
Live-action Short: “Spielzeugland”
Sound Editing: “The Dark Knight,” Richard King
Sound Mixing: “The Dark Knight,” Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick
Visual Effects: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron
February 19, 2009
CARPETBAGGER OSCAR PREDICTIONS
Posted by chuchacho under Academy Awards, Film, Movie Awards, Oscars | Tags: Carpetbagger, Oscar predictions |Leave a Comment
David Carr, the Carpetbagger at the NY Times, has announced his Oscar predictions. We are pleased to see that we vary only slightly (Supporting Actress and Original Screenplay). See his predix by clicking here.
February 18, 2009
OSCAR TALK
Posted by chuchacho under Academy Awards, Film, Movie Awards, Oscars | Tags: Oscar Talk, Oscars |Leave a Comment
The Film Experience is hosting its 4th Annual Oscar Symposium. Invited guests from around the blogoshpere discuss this year’s Oscars. Some interesting conversation occurs, check it out.
February 16, 2009
WEEKLY OSCAR ASSESSMENT: THE BIG 6
Posted by chuchacho under Academy Awards, Film, Movie Awards, Oscars | Tags: Oscar, Predictions |Leave a Comment
The Academy Awards are less than a week away and this is our penultimate assessment of where the Big 6 prizes stand.
BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR
Slumdog Millionaire
We’re still calling Slumdog, but it would not surprise us if The Reader pulled off an upset. Recall, Harvey Weinstein (whose Weinstein Company released The Reader) was the mastermind behind one of the biggest upsets in Oscar history: Shakespeare in Love winning Best Picture over Saving Private Ryan in 1998.
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Kate Winslet, The Reader
This is Kate Winslet’s year. But either Streep or Hathaway could play the spoiler.
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Yes, Sean Penn was amazing in Milk. But Mickey Rourke gave what is the best performance of his career thus far in The Wrestler. Plus, Penn already has an Oscar.
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Heath Ledger HAS to win. He gave the best performance on film of 2008.
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Christina Barcelona
We are sticking with Penelope Cruz for now. This is a difficult race to call, though, as Viola Davis or Amy Adams have come on strong in the last week.
DIRECTING
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
This category, along with Supporting Actor, are the surest locks of all the six. Boyle will win.
February 16, 2009
Over at The Envelope (Los Angeles Times), Scott Feinberg wonders if there are some upsets coming in the acting categories. Our answer is yes if he insists on thinking Sean Penn will win Best Actor. Which he clearly senses, since he designates a Mickey Rourke win over Penn as his #1 upset. Check out the rest on his list here.
