its oscar time

having seen most of the oscar nominated movies this year, i am in a position i rarely find myself in: actually knowledgeable about the movies that could win awards. ive always been passionate about the oscars, and eagerly await them each year. i must admit, i am a bit of a nerd about this stuff too. i always have ones that i am rooting for, but usually i am in a position where i have only seen one or two (or none) of them. but now, with a vested interest in the proceedings, i feel compelled to choose my favorites. i list these choices not on the expectation that they will win, but on my own preference. when it comes to winning the oscars, its usually a lot more political than just 'the best movie', and as someone who is not in the industry, i couldnt claim to know what will actually win. but i do have my favorites...

so, with out further ado, here are the films id like to win:

best picture: there will be blood.

having seen (almost) all the films nominated, i must admit that they are all quite good. 'michael clayton' was a thrilling lawyer drama, 'juno' was a bright breath of fresh air, 'no country for old men' was a powerful look at a killer. i didnt bother seeing 'atonement' because it looked stupid, even an oscar nomination will not change that. but, all these weeks later, it is 'there will be blood' that still lingers, it still haunts with its stark landscape and brooding portrait of a man who wants it all at any cost.

best director: joel and ethan coen.

this is a little harder one to pick. the truth of the matter is that if a director is really good you dont notice. i didnt notice what it was about 'no country for old men' that made the film engaging, but i do know that each scene was always elegantly shot and never confused in its setup or execution of its scenes. i guess that would qualify as good directing.

best actor: daniel day-lewis.

'there will be blood' was an amazing film, but it does not gain its power from its story. all the power of the film comes, rather, from the portrayal of the oil man at its center. the delivery is so different than anything else seen lately. the cadence and delivery of the lines by day-lewis alone demands your utmost attention. it is almost impossible to take your eyes off of him when he is on the screen. this role proves that acting is truly an art form.

best actress: ellen page.

the cultural phenomenon that is 'juno' can be placed almost entirely in the lap of ellen page. she is such a natural fit at playing this role. it almost seems as if she isnt acting at all, but rather this is what she is actually like (which after seeing interviews with her might actually be the case...). she was able to take a really heavy story of teen pregnancy and turn it into an uplifting tale of growing up and accepting what may come. much of the credit for this can also be put on diablo cody, the author of the screenplay, but ellen page brings it to such magnificent life that her impact cannot be dismissed.

best supporting actor: casey affleck.

his portrayal of robert ford stole the whole show in a movie staring one of the biggest stars out there today- brad pitt. his nervous loser of a character in 'the assassination of jesse james by the coward robert ford' was totally fleshed out and believable as someone who is star struck by his hero, but is unable to stand along side of him. he wants so hard to be a member of jesse's posse, but is too awkward and introverted to ever really be a hero himself. casey affleck was able to show all this through his portrayal. a remarkable feat.

best supporting actress: tilda swinton.

her performance in 'michael clayton' is the only one of the nominated women who i saw. she did a great job as a lawyer who is representing a company that is disposing poisonous waste. she does a great job of showing the strength needed to be that lawyer, but also allows us to see her own private weakness when she is trying to prepare for the big presentations. the final showdown with clooney is powerful and satisfying.

other than that, i would say that 'no country for old men' is worthy of the adapted screenplay oscar, and 'juno' should end the night with a win for original screenplay.

again, i'm not saying that these films and actors will win, but they definitely should.

definitely, maybe

saturday i went to go see this movie with diana. now, i dont usually admit to watching chick flicks, but i knew i could give this one a pass because its got ryan reynolds in it (that would be 'berg', for those of you in the know). the set up is this: a father reluctantly explains to his daughter how he and her mother first met. they are currently getting divorced though, which makes it a bit more complicated. he proceeds to tell his daughter about meeting three different women, but keeping their identity a secret. through out the retelling she guesses which one is really her mother.

a bit of a strange set up, but it plays out very naturally. as he tells the story, we meet three different women, and the surprising thing is- all of them are great women! its quite refreshing to see a movie that has fleshed out women who arent just a stereotype, or who are hiding some terrible secret, or as completely neurotic. as the father tells the story you realize that he could be happy with any of the three women, and any of them could be the daughters mother.

we never do hear why the relationship has fallen apart enough to require a divorce, but thats just another unusual thing about this move- the couple actually respect each other! they arent some cliched couple who are bitter or hate each other. they are civil and put the well being of their child first. wow, what a strange and amazing concept in a movie!!!

i would say the thing that i loved the best about the movie would be its unwillingness to fall into the standards of a chick flick. all the characters are loving, level headed, and intelligent. they are fully textured, well written, and very well acted. man, i sure do like that ryan reynolds...

no country for old men

last night i had some time, so i went to go and see this movie. i have been intentionally ignoring any information on this movie for quite some time now. i didnt really want to know much about it, rather be taken in by the experience as it was unfolding.

the film is a bit slow, but i hardly noticed. im not sure it thats because i was too engaged in the story, or if its because ive been watching a ton of slow movies lately that im used to it now... its basically a texas man who finds some money and a lot of trouble, the sheriff who helps out however he can, and the determined man who wants his money back. its somewhat odd the way each of the actors play in this movie. they each just seem to realize that they have no say in how things are going to go down. they are trapped in this path- like dominoes already set, just waiting to get pushed down. a couple times there were instances where a character would begrudgingly do what they knew they needed to, even thought they knew it wasnt going to end well for them.

the guy with the money doesnt really seem all that interested in the money, nor does the guy trying to get it back. they seem much more interested in evening the score that in resolution to their problems. and the sherriff is interested only enough to get rid of the annoyance, but not much beyond that.

all the acting was good, i really enjoyed tommy lee jones and his simple responses, for example his deputy asks 'its a mess, aint it?' he responds 'If it ain't, it'll do till the mess gets here.' and i do believe javier bardem deserves most the the praise he has been getting.

ive been hearing a lot of people who hate the ending of this movie. now, im not going to give anything way, but i must say that i disagree. i felt the ending was fitting. satisfying? no, but fitting.