A note of justice

Just double-checked. 127 is nominated for Best Original Score. AND IT SHOULD WIN SO HARD THEY FEEL IT IN 2012!

Also, once again... DIDO?

127-- OMIGOD THAT ROCK JUST FELL ON HIM -- erm, spoilers ahead

Blogging 127 Hours. Because Danny Boyle is good for nothing if not for a sense of surreal immediacy. (Crawling babies, anyone? Also, anyone feeling a craving some Shallow Grave...ing? Terrible, I know.)


Ten minutes: Someone just give this movie the best picture Oscar already? Also, there's a reason Danny Boyle is one of my two favorite directors. Since when does Amber Tamblyn still exist?

Twenty minutes: Dear Danny Boyle:  I knew it was going to happen, but it terrified me when it did

 One minute later: I HAVE SYMPATHY PAINS FOR ARON RALSTON

Thirty-seven minutes: Now I'm crying on the bus. WELL DONE DANNY!

Forty-one minutes: Thirsty. GIVE ME WATER. WANT GATORADE. CanIhaveit? Also, congratulations on finding an unflattering angle to shoot Mr. Franco from.

Forty-three minutes: No. Chilled urine is nothing like sauvignon blanc

Forty-five minutes: Idea strikes him. Stomach turns... Even more than at the thought of drinking pee.

Forty-eight minutes: I think the thing with the contacts bothers me more than it should, only because I know how helpless I feel when I don't have mine.

Forty-nine minutes: He's dating Fleur? I guess she got over Chuck Bass awful fast. Also, didn't she just marry Bill Weasley?
Fifty-three minutes: James Cameron is in the house

Fifty-five minutes: Wait, was it even raining? At least he's keeping his spirits up somehow.

Fifty-seven minutes: Lesson number 127? TELL PEOPLE WHERE YOU WILL BE. Ferrealz, yo.

ONE HOUR: We have punctured skin. 

Sixty-one minutes: I'm having a Dumb and Dumber moment.... "This tastes like piss"

Sixty-three minutes: "If you keep singing Phish, you're never going to get a girlfriend." Somebody please tell GuitarHero to see this movie.

Seventy minutes: I LOVE THIS MOVIE. Even if you hate this rock.

Seventy-three minutes: Wait, since when does Dido still exist?

Seventy-four minutes: We have broken bone.

Seventy-six minutes: Is this nominated for best score? It really deserves to be. OMIGOD I MIGHT PEE MYSELF

Seventy-seven minutes: Release. Though it hardly feels like freedom. Mere survival is all.

Eighty-four minutes: Yup, tears again. Can you imagine being the family that found him? Can you imagine being him, upon being found?

Eighty-eight minutes: Oh, hey, @RealAronRalston. I'm glad you tell people where you will be now. And stopped singing Phish

That's why it's called acting

Because Jennifer Lawrence (of Winter's Bones) is the cheerleader sort. But my god, watch the girl gut a squirrel or take on an entire family of criminals who killed her father.

That movie was heartrending. In one scene, I thought a character was whimpering as something terrible happened, but as it got louder (and I thought, "This is real, this person is really, truly upset") I realized -- nope, that noise is coming from my own throat. I can't exactly tell you how gorgeously acted this movie was and as discussed with ma mere in the aftermath, it's a hard movie to recommend. Not because it isn't excellent.

It is excellent. Beyond excellent.

It's just heavy. Dark. Deadly. It's not a movie that you can say you enjoyed. (And if you did, uh, you should probably get help.) I told Mom I thought that she (Jennifer Lawrence) was going to have a long career and Mom agreed before remembering that she is, in fact, the Angel of Death.

(Jeff Buckley, Heath Ledger, Earthfest, and multiple fish--all blood on my mother's hands.)

So knock on wood for that, yeah?

Though it is interesting to me if you look at Winter's Bones and True Grit. Both about determined young women who set out to find someone (either their father or their father's killers). Sure, True Grit is about avenging her father's death and Winter's Bone is about finding proof that her father is dead, but they both feature women clinging to survival and purpose in a world run by men. One of the women in Winter's Bone asks Ree, "Don't you have any men that can do this for you?" and Ree very matter-of-factly responds, "No." In the end, it is women who step up, the men posturing endlessly and purposelessly at each other in hopes that one will back down or the other will act. It is a man's world, yes, and it is harder to make your way in the world of Winter's Bone if you are a woman, but if you can, if you don't collapse into insanity, well, it's because you've got true grit. Sorry, wrong movie.

In True Grit, we are told that it is Rooster Cogburn who is a man of true grit, but in the end, the only character who proves she has what it takes is Mattie Ross. Granted, in the end, the men save the day, but that is because Mattie Ross is a fourteen year old girl. There's only so much that grit can do against brute strength and let's be clear that a fourteen year old girl firing a gun on a grown man takes grit. A grown man taking a fourteen year old girl hostage takes... well, not that much, as a matter of fact.

I loved these movies and I loved their female leads. I'm nothing like either of them and cannot relate at all to their specific experiences of the world, but I totally appreciated seeing strong females -- and to see them be so young, and to persevere through so much was magnificent. Both of them teenaged girls, abandoned in one way or another by their fathers, seeking to rectify an unjust situation, despite the men around them proclaiming it too dangerous for a woman (let alone a young girl!) and too futile for a man -- really their own cowardice overwhelming them.

And then there was Natalie Portman, who, don't get me wrong, worked her ass off in Black Swan. But I'll get to that later.

You got a friend in me (all of you)

Last year, the frontrunner was Up. It was okay, but let's be clear: The Secret of Kells was infinitely more beautiful and unusual.

This year is a bit of a toss-up, between Toy Story 3 and The Illusionist. I've seen two of the three, but I've not seen The Illusionist. I'm dying to. And there's a really good reason that my old followers might know.

Most of the movie is set in the 'Burgh. I saw a still from it and I knew those spires, those cobblestones, it felt like home. And it looks sweet. That seems to be the theme this year with the animated films. All three are really, really sweet. Toy Story 3 and The Illusionist are also all about loss of something, childhood or an era.

Meanwhile, How To Train Your Dragon is funny, smart, and impeccable. I haven't seen the last one yet, but it's set in my second home, my British home. Toy Story is funny, smart, and plays on your nostalgia. It's the best job Tom Hanks has done in ages, and it's not afraid to be devastatingly tragic. (Happy ending, though!) It wasn't made for kids; it was made for my generation. "Ok, guys, you're graduating college now. Be GROWNUPS!"

I'm just so sad about having to choose a favorite eventually.

Who is Evelyn Salt?

And does anyone really care?

Some Notes on Rabbit Hole

1. I'd have nominated Aaron Eckhart.
2. I wish Nicole Kidman's face could move.
3. I want to hug that kid.

Carry on.

True Grit, Tron, and Tuesday movies

I should preface this by saying that I thought I was going to henceforth steer clear of my life in this series, but I'm going to get into it, because it's all part of the race.

Last year, I did this thing where I sort of tried to watch every movie nominated for an Academy Award before the ceremony. Now, I was in my last semester of college and prone to fits and starts, so I gave up when I saw how difficult The Most Dangerous Man In America would be to find. But I like the idea, so I'm coming back for round 2. And this time, I'm coming fully armed with charts, budget lists, and a supportive (if vaguely confused) boyfriend. He's even helping me with my spreadsheets.

Anyway, about Tron. I love Jeff Bridges. As anyone who knows me is aware, Crazy Heart was my favorite nominated movie last year and he was a big part of that. I think he is just swimming in talent--in the right movies. And I simply adore his voice. I, like Maggie Gyllenhaal, could find myself falling against my will for him if he showed up in my life and looked at me -- but that was all last year.

Okay, so a few weeks ago, the HomelessBoy and I were driving through a snowstorm to get groceries for the family I'm staying with and decided that we needed to stop and see a movie, since we'd set the date before the snow was ever predicted. So we stopped at the Hampshire Mall Cinemark and asked them what the next movie was. Something lame, like The Tourist (sorry, Johnny, but you're not making me want to overcome my Angelina revulsion) or Season of the Witch. So we asked what movies were starting in the next 45 minutes. And between Tron, True Grit, and The Fighter for viable options, I acquiesced because he showed up that morning with hot chocolate and a bagel at 9 AM and he'sjustsosweetomigodstopmeplease. And so we had a pretend first date (since how we met and all was not conducive to that at all) and I let him choose Tron. And that's how that mess happened.

Positives: I was pretty certain it would be nominated for at least a technical Oscar so it would help me out in my eventual quest. Also, it was my first 3D movie experience, so I thought, "Could be cool." Olivia Wilde is hot, too.

Negatives: It sucked. Not even the 3D could make it interesting and I learned something important about 3D in movies. It doesn't actually enhance my experience of the film. Anyway, the movie was boring, made very little sense to a newcomer, and when Jeff Bridges shows up as The Young Dude at the beginning and again once his son is actually inside the game, he looks like some creepy character from The Polar Express, a movie that gives me night terrors. Anyway, it was SO EPICALLY DISAPPOINTING to see Jeff Bridges on screen. And to know that because it was "first date night" HomelessBoy paid twenty whole dollars (that's almost ten hot chocolates for those keeping score at home) for that nonsense. But it was okay because seeing a movie on a weekday afternoon in the middle of a snow emergency can have its upsides. And the absolute worst part of the movie? When Tron, who had up until that point been fighting rather hard AGAINST the users (stupid concepts for a stupid film) suddenly, in the last two minutes, decides, "I fight for the users!" and saves Olivia Wilde's life and apparently the world. But what I don't understand is exactly what power the characters in the video game would actually have in the real world and why it would be such a disaster for their army of a thousand or so to get loosed on America. Explain it to me so I understand, please, geeks.

Also, Dear Jeff: JUST STOP. Lovecommaenter Ashley

On the flip side of the Jeff Bridges coin is True Grit. Have I ever told you how much I love cowboys? Cause I so do. Also loved: Tuesday Night is bargain night in almost ever city. At the Hadley Cinemark, that means every movie is the "First screening of the day" price -- a paltry $5.25. That's actually less than the price of a small popcorn. And it was FANTASTIC. I had never seen a Cohen Brothers movie before, a fact that was a proverbial thorn in my literal side for ages and this was a pretty decent way to start, I think. Even knowing it's not their typical, it makes me want to see more. Within minutes of the movie opening, I was in love with the lead actress (weirdly nominated as a supporting character, but heytherepolitics!) I can't say too much about it, but when Josh Brolin showed up on screen, I wanted to applaud. I know he was the "bad guy," but I feel an instinctive need to root for him (which will not serve me well should I ever be forced to view W.) Also, surprisingly violent and racy for a PG-13. Well done, Joel and Ethan. On that note, also much more pleasant to watch movies that involve chopping off fingers when I can hide my face in HomelessBoy's shoulder.

Dear Jeff: All is forgiven. Carry on making movies. Lovecommaenter Ashley

I'm BAAAACK and I'm better than ever

Oscar season rolls around again, the nominees are in, Leo is jilted (once more), and everything is right with the world. If boys get to watch football playoffs and March Madness, and hockey semi-finals -- well, I have this. The Oscar season.

The finalists are in! And this year, I intend to accomplish my goal, goddamnit. I will see (and blog about?) every single Oscar nominated movie before this year's ceremony. I'm sure you've all seen the list of nominees by now. How dull. No Leo. No Mahky. Very little Benny. Boston was, all in all, woefully under-represented. Not even a single mention of The Ghost Writer, which I had so been excited to watch. But now I have 33 days to see 32 movies and about 15 short films. And because of how dull the list of nominees looks (and how can you really keep track that way, anyway?) I've made my own chart. Alphabetical by film, with the nominations listed beside it and a way of keeping track of how and when I can see these movies.

Anyone know how I can get my hands on Biutiful? I've loved me some Javi since the Before Night Falls days. (In fact, that movie is the reason I'm so in love with Latin American culture, a fun fact I bet you DID NOT know about me.)

CLICK ME to see my handy-dandy chart, as of today. :)

Man of the Hour

In praise of vulnerability.

Allow me to elaborate on my feelings about the issue of Leonardo Dicaprio. Because I think there might be one person on this planet, maybe in some remote jungle in South America, who was raised by a bear named Ragu, who doesn't know. Although I think you all misunderstand my meaning and my reasoning when I say that I love beyond love one Leonardo Wilhelm Dicaprio.

In honor of our sixteenth anniversary, I thought I would write about the longest and most rewarding relationship I have had with a man.

I was six. It happened at the Cameo. I don't know why and I won't pretend to know how it happened, but it did. Later, Mom would acknowledge that of the thousands of movies I have seen in my life, it's pretty clear that there is one that reached me beyond all others.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape?

(Match in the gas tank, boom-boom.)

Maybe six was too young for that movie. But I've never let being too young stop me from going after anything I wanted. Doesn't mean I'll always get it, but I'm always going to go for it. Anyway, it was a rather epic introduction to Leonardo Dicaprio.

Then on December 26th, 1997, Mom took the four of us to see Titanic. And folks, my fate was sealed. It wasn't so much the blonde hair or the way he squints into the sun in that one particular shot, right before Rose comes to him and makes her choice. It was the way he looked at Rose, the way he loved her. The moment when he accosts her in the gym, when he's so completely vulnerable and exposed -- it's breathtaking. He puts himself entirely at her mercy.

And I never looked back. (Except one, but that was because there were rumors that he had been with Lindsay Lohan and let's face it.... She's RANK.)



And then there's always this




And here is where Leo and other men are different: he understands the difference between weakness/sensitivity and vulnerability. People aren't just vulnerable; they make themselves vulnerable. I don't want to deal with boys who think the way to win a woman is to be sensitive and feminize themselves. Crying over homeless puppy commercials is not a good thing. But if you can walk that fine line between being weak and being vulnerable... You're Leo.

Movies where he really excels at this? Marvin's Room. Titanic, yes, I said it. Catch Me If You Can. Gangs of New York. The Departed. Blood Diamond. Shutter Island. In each other these movies, he plays a character with a wellspring of emotions just under the surface. Who he chooses to reveal them and how he chooses to reveal them -- or not reveal them in most cases -- is incredibly telling. And rather than coming off as whiny, over-sensitive, feminine, or weak like most boys I've met in my life, for him, revealing his emotions is counter-intuitive and thus an act of strength. And I think that there in lies the difference between being "sensitive" and thus "annoying" or being vulnerable and sexy.

Watch this clip from The Departed. It's not in English, but I've seen it enough, and his body language says more than words ever could.



What makes this such a compelling love scene is not the fact that his body is gorgeous and his shamrock tattoo is hot, or even that it's forbidden. It's two lines of dialogue.

Vera: Your vulnerability is kind of freaking me out right now. Is it real?
Leo: I think so.

It's the way he hesitates, then leans on the door frame. It's the way he bites his lip and speaking seems like an obstacle to what he wants to say. It's the fact that he is so genuinely infatuated -- in love? -- with her that he is giving her something he doesn't just hand out like candy. Where Matt Damon comes off as smarmy and insincere throughout the film, and that's the point, Leo takes up the role of being the heart-breakingly vulnerable character. Surprisingly delicate, but only to a certain touch. As he says, his hand is steady. His voice doesn't crack. He doesn't need Vera Farmiga's character; he wants her. And not getting her isn't going to send him into the arms of someone else; he doesn't just run around flirting with every girl he sees. When he expresses interest, it's because he's interested. And not just because you're female.

You think I'm reading too much into it, I know you do. You're shaking your head saying, "No way. You're just seeing what you want to see. Maybe I am. Maybe I imagined the way he looked at the nurse who was setting his arm at the hospital. Maybe I read too much into the juxtaposition of Matt's approach to women and Leos in the film. But watch it again, paying close attention to the early scenes. Watch how they each deal with Vera. How phony Matt seems, how standard and boorish he is compared to Leo.

Now think about Scorsese and think about Dicaprio and think about the fact that neither of those men ever make an unintentional move with film.

Why is this all coming up now? Easy question. Shutter Island. Listen, I know it's February and I generally have a rule about saying so-and-so is going to win an Oscar before last year's ceremony has even happened. But I have the same feeling I did in 2004 when the Yankees crush the Sox in the second game of the ALCS. "What's everyone so worked up about? We're going to win the World Series."

I know a lot could happen between now and then, and I know a lot of people are still prejudiced against Leo. It's the only way to explain why he was nominated for Blood Diamond instead of The Departed. People want him to not win. They hate him because he's beautiful and he's talented in ways most actors (ahem, BradTomBruceJude) only dream about.

But look at the movie poster. He's looking rather wary and quizzical, is he not? Now look again. There's pain there. Deep and abiding pain. (In the slant of his eyelids, not that I'm crazy; I'm just detail-oriented when it comes to pictures. And it's not in his eyebrows, I swear. But it's in that general area.) So let me just say this about Shutter Island without giving anything away. It was the most heart-breaking performance I have ever seen from Leo. And if you don't believe that says something when it comes from me, well... What are you? New? I've never cried watching Titanic. Arnie gets left in a bathtub for hours and nearly freezes. The Departed? Marvin's Room? (Which, by the way, is still the Leo that I see when I go into Leo-geek mode.)

I've seen every Leonardo Dicaprio movie released in the United States. I've seen every episode of Growing Pains he was on. Hell, I've seen every episode of Growing Pains. I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that not one of his performances has hit me quite as viscerally and as squarely in the gut as his performance in Shutter Island.

And I know that those movies are full of characters, and he plays characters, not Leonardo Dicaprio. I'm cool with that. I haven't been saving myself for Leo, folks; maybe be Jack Dawson, maybe, but not Leo. I'm just saying that if boys want to know how to be men, they should maybe watch some of his movies, take notes, and then practice.

I would like also to add that similar to how my love for Jackson Browne is born of a love for his work, so too is my love for Leo. It always has been. While my peers were busy spelling his name as fast as they could to prove their undying love for him, I was diving into his film catalog. I remember every time I saw every Leonardo Dicaprio movie for the first time. I once had a dream that he died. It was infinitely worse waking up from that than it was realizing there was no waking up from the Heath Ledger nightmare reality.

Now I'd like to leave you with some Leo quotes from the new issue of Esquire.

On East of Eden:

I remember seeing the hunger in Dean's eye and the angst and confusion that he put onscreen. He became the poster boy for cool, but he was at his most vulnerable and exposed. I watched it five times in a row.

(Exactly what I mean. More than James Franco, who I love for inexplicable reasons, LEO is James Dean. If only he looked more like Jeff Buckley, he could play him so well.)

on honesty:

"I don't think I'm capable of honesty to the extent of my grandmother. But people tell me I have that quality. If it's true, it must come out in different ways.

Oscar Run Updates

1. Avatar
2. The Blind Side
3. District 9
4. An Education
5. The Hurt Locker
6. Inglorious Basterds
7. Precious
8. A Serious Man
9. Up In The Air
10. Up
11. The Last Station
12. Julie and Julia
13. A Single Man
14. Invictus
15. Nine
16. Crazy Heart
17. The Messenger
18. The Lovely Bones
19. In The Loop
20. Coraline
21. Fantastic Mr Fox
22. The Princess and the Frog
23. The Secret of Kells
24. Ajami
25. The Milk of Sorrow
26. Un Prophete
27. El Secreto De Sus Ojos
28. The White Ribbon
29. Burma VJ
30. The Cove
31. Food, Inc
32. The Most Dangerous Man In America
33. Which Way Home
34. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
35. Sherlock Holmes
36. Young Victoria
37. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
38. Bright Star
39. Coco Avant Chanel
40. Il Divo
41. Star Trek
42. Paris 36
43. Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen
44. "China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province"
45. "The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner"
46. "The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant"
47. "Music By Prudence"
48. "Rabbit A La Berlin"
49. "French Roast"
50. "Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty"
51. "The Lady and the Reaper"
52. "Logorama"
53. "A Matter of Loaf and Death"
54. "The Door"
55. "Instead of Abracadabra"
56. "Kari"
57. "Miracle Fish"
58. "The New Tenants"

the films I had seen as of the last update:

1. Avatar
2. Precious
3. Up In The Air
4. A Single Man
5. Nine
6. Crazy Heart
7. The Lovely Bones
8. Coraline
9. Sherlock Holmes
10. Young Victoria
11. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (uh, duh)
12. The Blind Side
13. Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen
    
14. The Hurt Locker
15. Inglorious Basterds
16. Julie and Julia
17. Fantastic Mr. Fox
18. Star Trek

The films I have since seen

1. District Nine
2. An Education
3. Up
4. In the Loop
5. The Princess and the Frog
6. The Cove
7. Food, Inc

Shorts:

1. Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty
2. The Lady and the Reaper
3. A Matter of Loaf and Death

Feature films left to view:

1. A Serious Man
2. The Last Station
3. Invictus
4. The Messenger
5. The Secret of Kells
6. Ajami
7. The Milk of Sorrow
8. Un Prophete
9. El Secreto De Sus Ojos
10. The White Ribbon
11. Burma VJ
12. The Most Dangerous Man In America
13. Which Way Home
14. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
15. Bright Star
16. Coco Avant Chanel
17. Paris 36
18. Il Divo

Short films left to view:

1. "China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province"
2. "The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner"
3. "The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant"
4. "Music By Prudence"
5. "Rabbit A La Berlin"
6. "French Roast"
7. "Logorama"
8. "The Door"
9. "Instead of Abracadabra"
10. "Kari"
11. "Miracle Fish"
12. "The New Tenants"

The best thing about making a list

Is crossing things off of it. (That is, assuming it is a "to-do" or "to-see" or "to-read" or "to-hear" or "to-write".... I think you get it, right? If it's a list of things that ought to be crossed off, a wish-list, or a checklist, the best part is...

Crossing things off of it.

So here's a list of the movies nominated for Oscars this year:

1. Avatar (Best Picture, Directing, Cinematography, Art direction, Film editing, Original score, sound editing, sound mixing, visual effects)
2. The Blind Side (Best picture, actress in a lead role)
3. District 9 (Best picture, film editing, visual effects, adapted screenplay)
4. An Education (Best picture, actress in a lead role, adapted screenplay)
5. The Hurt Locker (Best picture, actor in a lead role, cinematography, directing, film editing, original score, sound editing, sound mixing, original screenplay)
6. Inglorious Basterds (Best picture, actor in a supporting role, Cinematography, directing, film editing, sound editing, sound mixing, original screenplay)
7. Precious (Best picture, actress in a lead role, actress in a supporting role, directing, film editing, adapted screenplay)
8. A Serious Man (Best picture, original screenplay)
9. Up In The Air (Best picture, actor in a lead role, actress in a supporting role - twice, directing, adapted screenplay)
10. Up (Best picture, animated feature film, original score, sound editing, original score)
11. The Last Station (Actor in a supporting role, actress in a lead role)
12. Julie and Julia (Actress in a lead role)
13. A Single Man (Actor in a lead role)
14. Invictus (Actor in a lead role, actor in a supporting role)
15. Nine (Actress in a supporting role, art direction, costume design, original song)
16. Crazy Heart (Actor in a lead role, actress in a supporting role, original song)
17. The Messenger (Actor in a supporting role, original screenplay)
18. The Lovely Bones (Actor in a supporting role)
19. In The Loop (Adapted screenplay)
20. Coraline (Animated feature film)
21. Fantastic Mr Fox (Animated feature film, original score)
22. The Princess and the Frog (Animated feature film, original song - twice)
23. The Secret of Kells (Animated feature film)
24. Ajami (Foreign language film)
25. The Milk of Sorrow (Foreign language film)
26. Un Prophete (Foreign language film)
27. El Secreto De Sus Ojos (Foreign language film)
28. The White Ribbon (Foreign language film, cinematography)
29. Burma VJ (Documentary feature)
30. The Cove (Documentary feature)
31. Food, Inc (Documentary feature)
32. The Most Dangerous Man In America (Documentary feature)
33. Which Way Home (Documentary feature)
34. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Art direction, costume design)
35. Sherlock Holmes (Art direction, original score)
36. Young Victoria (Art direction, costume design, makeup)
37. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Cinematography)
38. Bright Star (Costume design)
39. Coco Avant Chanel (Costume design)
40. Il Divo (Makeup)
41. Star Trek (Makeup, sound editing, sound mixing, visual effects)
42. Paris 36 (Original song)
43. Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen (Sound mixing)
44. "China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province" (Documentary short)
45. "The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner" (Documentary short)
46. "The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant" (Documentary short)
47. "Music By Prudence" (Documentary short)
48. "Rabbit A La Berlin" (Documentary short)
49. "French Roast" (Short film - animated)
50. "Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty" (Short film - animated)
51. "The Lady and the Reaper" (Short film - animated)
52. "Logorama" (Short film - animated)
53. "A Matter of Loaf and Death" (Short film - animated)
54. "The Door" (Short film - live action)
55. "Instead of Abracadabra" (Short film - live action)
56. "Kari" (Short film - live action)
57. "Miracle Fish" (Short film - live action)
58. "The New Tenants" (Short film - live action)

It's like a pre-fab "To-Watch" list. No thought necessary, just movies that possess some remarkable quality, even if it's just a performance worth seeing or sound editing that is really, well, out of this world. (Susannah might have just groaned, but I don't care.) So if you look at this list as a "To-Watch" list, then what could I cross off immediately?

Well...

1. Avatar
2. Precious
3. Up In The Air
4. A Single Man
5. Nine
6. Crazy Heart
7. The Lovely Bones
8. Coraline
9. Sherlock Holmes
10. Young Victoria
11. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (uh, duh)

That's, oh, eleven of the forty-three feature length movies nominated and zero of the fifteen short films. But that's eleven instances of instant gratification. In the meantime, then, I had thirty-two films to see before March 7th. (Lists have to have a deadline. "Before I die" for the bucket lists that people make. "To-Read" lists usually get deadlines of "Before my paper is due." etc. This list has Oscar Sunday as a natural endpoint. Success or failure will be determined by whether or not I make my movie-watching deadline.)

Let's see what else I have managed to cross off that list.

1. The Blind Side
2. The Hurt Locker
3. Inglorious Basterds
4. Julie and Julia
5. Fantastic Mr. Fox
6. Star Trek

That is six of thirty-two movies to watch by March 7th, which means I have twenty-six feature length films to watch in twenty-four days. Which, really, if you think about it, isn't that daunting. The only problems I foresee? Movies not yet on DVD, but out of theaters? Foreign films not yet released in America, or at least my part of America? Running out of money? All legitimate concerns, I suppose. But I'm not going to think about that right now, because I'm on a high. I'm still going to say that I can do this, and I'm going to believe myself.

Because it's worth it. I'll keep you updated. Also, I really hope they let Ryan Bingham get on stage and sing his song. And I hope he wears his cowboy hat. Because he was a really good concert and he may be shy in interviews, but the boy knows how to work a stage.

My own personal Oscar race

The race to see every film nominated, that is.

Best Picture

"Avatar"

"The Blind Side"

"District 9"

"An Education"

"The Hurt Locker"

"Inglourious Basterds"

"Precious"

"A Serious Man"

"Up in the Air"

"Up"

Best Director

Kathryn Bigelow, "The Hurt Locker"

James Cameron, "Avatar"

Lee Daniels, "Precious"

Jason Reitman, "Up in the Air"

Quentin Tarantino, "Inglourious Basterds"

Best Actress

Sandra Bullock, "The Blind Side"

Helen Mirren, "The Last Station"

Carey Mulligan, "An Education"

Gabourey Sidibe, "Precious"

Meryl Streep, "Julie & Julia"

Best Actor

Jeff Bridges, "Crazy Heart"

George Clooney, "Up in the Air"

Colin Firth, "A Single Man"

Morgan Freeman, "Invictus"

Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker"

Best Supporting Actress

Penelope Cruz, "Nine"

Vera Farmiga, "Up in the Air"

Maggie Gyllenhaal, "Crazy Heart"

Anna Kendrick, "Up in the Air"

Mo'Nique, "Precious"

Best Supporting Actor

Matt Damon, "Invictus"

Woody Harrelson, "The Messenger"

Christopher Plummer, "The Last Station"

Stanley Tucci, "The Lovely Bones"

Christoph Waltz, "Inglourious Basterds"

Best Original Screenplay

Mark Boal, "The Hurt Locker"

Quentin Tarantino, "Inglourious Basterds"

Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman, "The Messenger"

Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, "A Serious Man"

Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, "Up"

Best Adapted Screenplay

Neil Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, "District 9"

Nick Hornby, "An Education"

Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, and Tony Roche, "In the Loop"

Geoffrey Fletcher, "Precious"

Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, "Up in the Air"

Best Animated Feature

"Coraline"

"Fantastic Mr. Fox"

"The Princess and the Frog"

"The Secret of Kells"

"Up"

Best Foreign Language Film

"Ajami" (Israel)

"The Milk of Sorrow" (Peru)

"Un Prophete (A Prophet)" (France)

"El Secreto de Sus Ojos (The Secret in their Eyes)" (Argentina)

"The White Ribbon (Germany)

Best Feature Documentary

"Burma VJ"

"The Cove"

"Food, Inc."

"The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers"

"Which Way Home"

Best Art Direction

"Avatar"

"The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus"

"Nine"

"Sherlock Holmes"

"The Young Victoria"

Best Cinematography

"Avatar"

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"

"The Hurt Locker"

"Inglourious Basterds"

"The White Ribbon"

Best Costume Design

"Bright Star"

"Coco Avant Chanel"

"The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus"

"Nine"

"The Young Victoria"

Best Editing

"Avatar"

"District 9"

"The Hurt Locker"

"Inglourious Basterds"

"Precious"

Best Make-Up

"Il Divo"

"Star Trek"

"The Young Victoria"

Best Visual Effects

"Avatar"

"District 9"

"Star Trek"

Best Original Score

"Avatar"

"Fantastic Mr. Fox"

"The Hurt Locker"

"Sherlock Holmes"

"Up"

Best Song

"Almost There" from "The Princess and the Frog"

"Down in New Orleans" from "The Princess and the Frog"

"Loin de Paname" from "Paris 36"

"Take It All" from "Nine"

"The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" from "Crazy Heart"

Sound Mixing

"Avatar"

"Hurt Locker"

"Inglourious Basterds"

"Star Trek"

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen"

Sound Editing

"Avatar"

"Hurt Locker"

"Inglourious Basterds"

"Star Trek"

"Up"

Documentary Short

"China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province"

"The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner"

"The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant"

"Music by Prudence"

"Rabbit a la Berlin"

Animated Short

"French Roast"

"Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty"

"The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)"

"Logorama"

"A Matter of Loaf and Death"

Live Action Short

"The Door"

"Instead of Abracadabra"

"Kavi"

"Miracle Fish"

"The New Tenants"

...When it rocks

Dear Ryan Bingham:

Thank you for existing. Thank you for being involved in Crazy Heart. Because of the many, many excellent films I have lately seen (Avatar wrapping me up in a beauty so painful and desperate I didn't want to leave the theater, It's Complicated, Precious, Sherlock Holmes, Up In The Air, Young Victoria, A Single Man) this is my favorite. Where do I begin?

A classic (cliched?) tale of redemption and sobering up, yeah, sure, it's that. It's cigarettes and bourbon and voices that growl. Tipped cowboy hats, old Silveradoes, and wannabe desperadoes. But oh, the music!

(The shots of the scenery made me want to move to Texas, by the way.)

Gosh, I think I should talk about the music last. There are a few surprises, you see. And I think this is worth talking about:



Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal have the strangest and most intoxicating chemistry. How could she fall for him? And yet you believe she loves him -- maybe because she does? Because who among us would say we don't love our childhood idols? And here he is, in the flesh, an old-timer fallen from any kind of grace. And she has the chance to do something for this person she admires -- I suppose I can see why she might fall in love with him. They work so well together and their performances are simultaneously delicate and appropriately intense.

When she flips out while he's writing a song, it's hard to tell if it's because, as she initially says, "People would give ten years of their lives to write that; it just pours out of you," or if it's because she really is afraid that he will leave and forget her and she'll be stuck in Santa Fe remembering. Because remembering someone who doesn't remember you, that's the absolute worst sort of pain. And I bet she doesn't even know why she's angry.

Surprisingly good in this movie? Colin Farrell. I'd forgotten my Irish love was in it. And I'm not surprised he was good, because In Bruges and A Home At The End Of The World are two of my all-time favorite movies. It's surprising exactly HOW good the boy can be. Granted, he looks the part, exquisitely beautiful but also sort of run ragged? Yeah, that's Colin. And he's always managed to manipulate my emotions pretty well; he does an especially fine job in this movie of making Tommy Sweet not so detestable, maybe more sympathetic, even.

And, well, the singing? The soundtrack? Robert Duvall started reciting one of the saddest songs I've ever heard, by one of the saddest men I've ever heard of. He brings up Billy Joe Shaver and suddenly the movie has the sort of relevance and legitimacy that other movies only dream of. "Live Forever" is such an epically sad song, especially when you consider that he, Billy Joe, wrote it with his son Eddie, who would die of a drug overdose. (On that issue, Todd Snider would write, "I can't say I felt so sad; the truth is I think I'm mad at the selfish way you left your dad when you know what a hard-luck time he's had." He can say that; he was friends with him.)

And then the lyrics, "You fathers and you mothers, be good to one another. Please try to treat your children right. Don't let the darkness take 'em; don't let 'em feel forsaken; just lead 'em safely to the light." Or maybe it's, "Nobody here will ever find me, but I will always be around. Just like the songs I leave behind me, I'm gonna live forever now."

It's just so sad, you know? (Send me your email and I can end you a father's day version of this song, performed with Robert Earl Keen and Todd Snider.)

But here's the biggest surprise of the film: Jeff and Colin can both sing. I know mixing boards can do amazing things, but they both do really wonderful jobs of singing the songs they are commissioned with. The whole soundtrack is rugged and good-looking and real country. Not "New Country" or "Nashville" country, which is something they acknowledged in the film. Someone asks Bad Blake what he thinks of Tommy Sweet and his reply is, "He's gotta compete with the stuff coming out of Nashville." (Granted East Nashville is a different world, but still.)

The music is just.. Townes Van Zandt and Ryan Bingham and Waylon Jennings and George Jones and Lightnin' Hopkins and it makes me want to move to Texas and I kept thinking, "There's just something about country music Texas-style." I feel like I'd do really well in Texas. I don't even know how to say how much I love country music and how good the music in this movie was. So fucking good, maybe?

But as Todd and this movie point out... I like country... When it rocks. I like country when it's real. (When it's sung for the school of hardest knocks, not for mass appeal.) And that's what this movie is -- a country song on film. It's old-school, hard-core country. Dusty, beat-up, and bad. And Ryan Bingham, you did such a job in this film. It feels like that moment in the movie, when he plays a new song and asks Jean if she's heard it before. She says she can't remember who did it, but she knows she's heard it. Bad is clearly pleased and says, and this sums up the film perfectly:

"That's the way it is with a good song: you're always sure you've heard them somewhere before."

I know my life would look all right, if I could see it on the silver screen

They are remaking East of Eden for a new generation of teenyboppers (am I the only one who still calls them teenyboppers and not the insidious and infuriating "tween"?)

Let's be clear about this. They are remaking an epic, multi-generational story of sibling rivalry and whorehouses that originally starred one of the most tragic and beloved movie stars of all time? (That's James Dean, for my peers who are woefully ignorant of film history -- even those film students whose exposure to him consist of seeing the "Chicky run" clip during a film class freshman year of college.)

A movie that was made into a mini-series starring Jane Seymour and the Bottoms in 1981 -- a mini-series that just doesn't hold up?

This story has more plot than Pride and Prejudice [the BBC version] and Titanic combined. And they've decided to remake it. To reboot it for a generation with the attention span of a gnat. It's a bold and brazen undertaking and I don't envy the producers or the screenwriters on this project.

One thing is certain: Casting is crucial. Casting will make or break this movie and determine whether or not one of the most iconic performances of all time remains shining and glorious in the Pantheon or if it is sullied by any foolish association to this new endeavor.

So I'm putting forth my suggestions for the casting directors.


Cal- Robert "The Scowl" Pattinson -- after all, the entire first half of Cal's story is basically, "ScowlscowlBEANSscowlscowl"

Aaron- Robert Pattinson (Hey, they're TWINS, right?), alternately, Michael Cera if producers are afraid that two Pattzies on screen at once might give teenage girls heart attacks

Adam- Tom Cruise.. he knows all about religious fervor.. alternately, John Travolta... I've always wondered what Adam say if he said it in song...

Charles- James Franco, natch... we really haven't seen him in any serious or intense roles and I think he's up for it. I'd like to see him push himself, emotionally. Plus, he thinks he's James Dean... Or Zac Efron. Whichever is good.

Lee- Is Mickey Rooney dead yet? Mickey Rooney it is!

Abra - Rewritten as twins, Abra and Kadabra, played by the Olsens, alternately, Lindsay Lohan as both Abra and Kadabra, if the Olsens' classes at NYU keep them too busy

Cathy- Megan Fox, OF COURSE... there's really no other option for the sociopathic, borderline personality disordered Cathy Ames...

Faye - (the madam that Cathy destroys) Heidi Fleiss -- it's time she was forgiven, I think

Sam Hamilton- Robin Williams, with a brogue

As for who should write the screenplay, I think the answer here is obvious: Jun-- I mean, Diablo Cody.

If this were fifteen years ago I would be angling for a screenplay by the Boston dreamteam (Ben and Matt) and arguing that they should play the twins, as well... but it's not. It's 2009.


Did you not believe me when I said James Franco thinks he's James Dean? Dammit, here's your proof:

Acting with James Franco Episode 3: Scene Work from James Franco

All that savory goodness just a little too much? Need some medicine with that sugar? I offer you this study in contrasts.