Oscar Thoughts

What can I say? My movie madness has been lacking in recent months. Funny how things in your life that seem SO real are sometimes the things that are most mutable. Since I went to my first film alone in highschool I have been cultivating my own brand of flick smarts. This "talent" has led me to become a devotee of the annual Oscars telecast and maintained alot of the content on this blog. But this year has been notably different. After two years in HFX I have finally developed a bit of a social network and if there is one thing that gets in the way of rampant film-going it is hanging out with REAL people.

And so, my movie reviews have evaporated and the Writer's Strike has put a definite kink in my awards season trajectory. All of this to say that I am not sure - at all! - what to say about this year's nominees for the Academy Awards. But in one week I will be in my living room, in my PJs, and watching "The One, The Only, The Oscars" so I figured I should say something! As always, I never try to truly predict the winners (If you want to check out the betting odds - I was curious this year considering I had seen so few films - check them out at the aptly-named website: gambling911.) This year, with the void of telecasts, my choices are based on who I want to see on that stage - laughing, crying, looking fabulous. So let's do this.

Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett in "I'm Not There"
Ruby Dee in "American Gangster"
Saoirse Ronan in "Atonement"
Amy Ryan in "Gone Baby Gone"
Tilda Swinton in "Michael Clayton"

This race is an interesting one. I would say that Blanchett is currently the favourite for her gender-bending turn in the Bob Dylan indie fantasy "I'm Not There". She was the only female to make 'Esquire's' Best Performances list and has proven herself an awards darling in previous years (all completely deserved). Also, I figure this is the likely spot for her award considering her double-nomination this year. Having not seen Ganster or Baby I cannot clearly comment on the performances of either Ruby Dee or Amy Ryan. Still I am stoked to see an actress directed into a nominated performance by my boyfriend (that would be Ryan). Tilda Swinton was exceptional in Michael Clayton in what can only be viewed as her most "normal-looking" character ever extending her phenomenal range even further. And while Saoirse Ronan perfectly captured misguided maturity in Atonement the nomination of her performance is likely a sufficient accolade.
Likely Bet: Cate Blanchett
Podium Preference: Tilda Swinton

Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men"
Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Charlie Wilson's War"
Hal Holbrook in "Into the Wild"
Tom Wilkinson in "Michael Clayton"

It is always interesting when a supporting actor category contains past nominees of the lead actor category (Bardem, Hoffman, Wilkinson). The talent pool is deep this year and always makes it trickier to call the final count. The nomination of Holbrook is reminiscent of Peter O'Toole's late career nod. The dark horse and intriguing entry is Affleck. What a coup it would be for this young character actor to take the prize. But this particular year is Bardem's without much of a fight. Since Country opened it has been Bardem's sadistic killer with the funny haircut that has received all the attention. Since his skill has been recognized by his peers through the nomination it is almost quaranteed that the Academy at large will not vote him to the gold.
Likely Bet: Javier Bardem
Podium Preference: Casey Affleck

Best Actress
Cate Blanchett in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
Julie Christie in "Away from Her"
Marion Cotillard in "La Vie en Rose"
Laura Linney in "The Savages"
Ellen Page in "Juno"

This category is potentially the most difficult for me to call. I have only seen two of the films in question (Eliabeth and Juno)and neither will yield the winner. As mentioned above, Blanchett's dual nominations push her chances into the supporting and her second turn as the virgin queen pales next to the original. And while I would LOVE to see Page on that stage the quirky and nuanced performances selcom take the top prizes. So I am left to ponder three talented ladies in three very different roles. It would take a major upset to put Cotillard's name in the envelope. Linney has been nominated before and in cases when a clear winner is not evident the Academy has been known to reward a body of achievement. But the odds are moving strongly in favour of Christie and I can't complain about that as her role was in the first film by Canadian Sarah Polley.
Likely Bet: Julie Christie
Podium Preference: Ellen Page

Best Actor
George Clooney in "Michael Clayton"
Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood"
Johnny Depp in "Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
Tommy Lee Jones in "In the Valley of Elah"
Viggo Mortensen in "Eastern Promises"

Whew ... what a category. Again, my first-hand knowledge of these achievements is minimal as I have only seen Clooney's Clayton at this point. Still this year the nominees embody the widest breadth of actor attributes I have seen in ages. Clooney is the matinee idol gone golden. Lewis is the consummate actor's actor. Depp is the scene-stealing artiste. Jones is the working man. And Mortensen is the character-maker. The nominated performances reflect these strengths and so it is Day-Lewis in the lead with a hungry and determined pack behind him. Depp is only one nomination behind Lewis in Oscar races and I don't think anyone doubts how amazing it would be to see such an original actor win a major award. Unlike Lewis, Depp has managed to generate outstanding performances and sustain films with broad marketability. This range should be recognized ... at least once!
Likely Bet: Daniel Day Lewis
Podium Preference: Johnny Depp

Best Adapted Screenplay
"Atonement"
"Away from Her"
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
"No Country for Old Men"
"There Will Be Blood"

Best Original Screenplay
"Juno"
"Lars and the Real Girl"
"Michael Clayton"
"Ratatouille"
"The Savages"

The writing categories are interesting because it is where three things happen:
1 - the BEST films are rewarded because a solid script is a necessary foundation (Country, Blood)
2 - films that are considered strong but unlikely "top" prize winners are favoured (Atonement, Clayton, Juno)and
3 - films of originality are honoured with nominations (Lars, Butterfly, Savages)
Calling the winners for this category is linked very much to other categories as I assume that while some voters consistently reward a single film others like to spread the wealth. But you never know because you can have a year like 1997 that was dominated by Titanic but gave screenplay awards to L.A. Confidential and Good Will Hunting. So for this year I don't know if the big films will dominate all, the underdogs will get rewarded or scripts completely off the pace will be gold. I really do love these categories.
Likely Bet Adapted: No Country for Old Men
Likely Bet Original: Michael Clayton
Podium Preference Adapted: Atonement
Podium Preference Original: Juno

Best Film
"Atonement"
"Juno"
"Michael Clayton"
"No Country for Old Men"
"There Will Be Blood"

And so the big prize (well there is directing but I always skip that one!) comes down to a tragic romance, an unconventional love story, a character-driven conspiracy tale, a twisted crime thriller and a turn-of-the century greed story. The romance is subtle and beautifully filmed. But it is not superior film-making in the way that previous winners have set the standard. The quirky tale has the perfect blend of sweet and dark to make it genuine. But it is hardly a triumph of cinema or storytelling. The conspiracy in challenging and complex. But it never finds a solid center and so it spins mildly askew in its execution. The thriller is unique and inspired. But it suffers from an abrupt and confusing exit. The greed is deliberate and fully-developed. But it is heavy and too internal to reach its audience at times. The field is full with adequate contenders this year but a true champion has not made it to the horizon. But if I had to call it - Country by a hair.
Likely Bet: No Country for Old Men
Podium Preference: No Country for Old Men
(yeah, I'm picking a flick I haven't seen - but of the others on the list it HAS to be better considering the buzz it is generated)

Indy

Seriously... how AWESOME is this gonna be!!!

http://www.indianajones.com/site/index.html

May 22. Be there!

Crush Boy Update

Okay, so he is a thin, pasty, young Scotsman with wispy facial hair and a lack of decent photos. But put James McAvoy on the screen and he (and those eyes!) just pop and he makes you love him. He is not manly. He is not steaming hot. But the strength and warmth of his talent takes his boyishness to remarkably sexy heights. James sort of snuck up on me.

My first notice of him was in Wimbledon when he played Paul Bettany's younger brother - a scheming, lovable loser clad in bicylce spandex - but my interest was firmly on the blonde Brit at the time. When he showed up as Mr. Tumnus in the adaptation of my favourite childhood novel "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" I was impressed. He was genuine but hardly attractive with his CGI legs and extra back hair. Ohhhh ... but the eyes.

Public notice of James began when he held his own against Forrest Whitaker's award-winning acting in The Last King of Scotland. A bit more rugged, a bit more challenging, James proved that he wasn't a just a pretty face. But for me it was the one-two punch of period romances that cemented the deal. As Tom Lefroy in Becoming Jane and Robbie Turner in Atonement, McAvoy solidly shows the women of the world that a leading man doesn't have to be the most debonair man in the room but rather he is the one who loves you with the greatest sincerity. And at this emotion James excels. He will warm your heart and it will break when his does. This is the luck of being a man with a boy's face - the vulnerabilty increases his presence.

And now, with the acclaim for Atonement including multiple nominations for James himself, he is about to break into world of stardom. This spring he romances Christina Ricci in the fable Penelope and later this year tackles his dark side along with Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie in Wanted as the Harry Potter of assassins (heehee). Let's just say I will be there for both! Oh, and I have to love his name. It was my grandfather's afterall! Funny that.

Other Crush Boys:
Hugh Dancy ... Nikolaj Coster-Waldau ... Bradly Cooper ... Jeremy Piven

Mika-licious

The world is full of wonderful things that are the catalysts for fantastic memories. Sometimes you need an anchor of inspiration to give you motivation the edge it needs. Lucky for me, I was able to put these two things together in a Mika moment of greatness. With the start of 2008 I discovered the original and creative pop-stylings of Mika. His album has become the soundtrack of my year of renewal. In a year devoted to balance, it has been this record that has kept me on the positive edge I need. It generates a happy twist to any day and I welcome that joy. I am singing in my head at all times and life is lovely. So when the chance to see Mika in concert arrived I could not let it go by. The cosmos were on my side. Yes, it sounds crazy and impulsive and impractical and, well, awesome. So I got on a flight to Toronto and joined my friends Jodi and Cindy and my sis-in-law Kat for the event. Everything fell into place. Cheap flights. Time off from work. A chance to visit friends and family. Arriving at the venue at EXACTLY the right moment. And then the music began. I understand that Mika is a "love him or hate him" kind of artist. But he is an artist. A musical talent and showman that is rare these days. His voice is incredible. The show was fresh, creative and spectacular. And, as one of the gals put it - "I doubt there is a straight bone in his body, but if there was ... I do it!" And so, by proving himself sexy beyond his expected awkwardness, a true STAR is born. Glad I took the time to revel in the entertainment.

Good-Bye Mr. Ledger

Almost 10 years ago I made a group of my girlfriends watch a movie called 10 Things I Hate about You. I promised them that they would fall in love with the star ... a young actor named Heath Ledger. Since then I have seen every movie Heath has made (save his last two recent releases) and I remain stoked for his fight with Christian Bale in the upcoming Dark Knight.

So when I opened my internet today and read the headline that he had died ... well ... I really didn't know what to say. My instant thought was "No Way". And my second was a stunned deja vu of that moment on Halloween 1993 when River Phoenix left us all behind. Heath joins him now in the hall reserved for talent taken away. May he rest in peace.

Thanks to punklegolas on YouTube for this tribute.

Gone Globes Gone

On its 65th birthday the Golden Globes did not celebrate. As the first major awards casualty of the writer's strike, the cancellation of the Globes highlights the integral role that writers play in ALL our entertainment. I mean, the very fact that an awards show cannot be presented because the banter and introductions cannot be written astounds me! But in the end I don't think this was the problem as the hour long "newsconference" went along just fine.

The issue was the refusal of Hollywood stars to cross the strike line and for this reason I find the writer's strike an intriguing experience in the unions vs. management debate. It should be noted that the SAG awards have been given a waiver by the WGA to go as planned thereby illustrating union solidarity between the scribes and stars. And this is as it should be since the WGA agreement will set an valuable precedent for the actors negotiations come June. Hold onto your hats everyone, this year will likely change the entertainment industry forever. And then, hopefully, the awards shows will be back (cause I really like the Globes with its champagne on the tables and half-drunk speeches and prom/dinner party vibe!)

But political commentary aside you may have noticed a lack of movie reviews on this site as of late. This of course would have been combined with the fact that I missed the Globes newscast completely and didn't even remember to look up the winners until late the next day Iyou can find them here). And so, for the first time since I began my blog there is no Globes commentary. And if there had been it would probably have been about how many of the films I had not yet seen and TV series not available in my area. What has become of me? I promise I am not on strike. I'm just working a bit more on my "real" life rather than the reel ones.

Globes 2006 ... Globes 2007

MIKA - Likey

Every once in awhile I hear a new tune that just sticks in my mind for ages and makes me all smiley when I hear it. At the moment that song is "Grace Kelly" from Mika. For the life of me, I don't know where this guy came from (ok, apparently it is London by way of Beirut) and the song doesn't make a lick of sense but it is SO fun. A trip to his website will have you humming to the rest of the tunes and wondering why music isn't always this zany. He actually reminds me a bit of some of Hawsley Workman's early stuff with its random poetry, melodious riffs and pop culture referencing. Now I am sure I am late to some bandwagon here because I know nothing about music and I am usually the last to find out about about some singer/group/movement that everybody else is on to .. but, well, whatever. I like it. Try it out here.

2008 Awaits

I woke up in a new year to a world painted in white. The trees were slip-covered in snow and the air was still, sleepy. In the country's largest city it felt as if the world has stopped and truly taken a moment to savour the new beginning. My recent memory cannot recall a more perfect, more pristine, entrance for a year. It put my mind at ease to think that all would be well.

But truth be told the arrival of 2008 puts me into a bit of a panic. A pure tummy-butterfly panic! On the one hand I am happy to be moving forward. I have a portion of a plan again. I have my health, good friends and a wonderful family. I am not on the brink of emotional turmoil (2006) or embarking on an ill-fated romance (leading to emotional turmoil - 2007). I am calmer than I have been in ages. But then there is the panic.

You see, 2008 is also a year of big choices which lead to big changes. It is a turning point year. And although that sounded all rosy and optimistic in 2007 when I was planning it out, the actual ACTING on it is rather scary. In the first place I have negotiated a new work situation that enables me to spend more time on my studies. It also compacts my responsibilities and reduces my wages thereby stressing my pocketbook and limiting my social (shopping?) life.

Secondly, I have made a commitment to graduate in May. This goal of course demands the completion of two courses and a major research paper in the next four months. It also puts forward the question of what I will do AFTER I graduate causing all types of job-related issues to emerge.

Lastly, I have decided that I should leave the east coast and relocate near my brother's family in order to be near my niece & nephew and enhance my work opportunities. After years of deliberately being away from "home" I thought it would be nice to go back - on my own - for a spell. And this means organizing a move and finding a place to live elsewhere and goodbyes and ... well, whew. It won't even be September yet. And so, butterflies.

How to fight the butterflies? In the past couple of years I have adopted a theme for my year ahead. 2006 = Clarity. 2007 = Breathe. This year the theme is Balance. It is not about getting rid of the butterflies but about balancing the panic with the exhilaration of momentum. It is about struggling through those classes AND planning my graduation party. I can do this.

On the day I decided that I was going to approach work about changing my situation in order to make all my other plans possible I had a portentous horoscope. So as the new year dawns I must remember it:

Today is a good day to take chances, dear Pisces. You will be quite successful, if you are ready to defend the things you really care about. Pretend that you are the director of a film and that you have just met a potential producer for your movie. You just happen to have your script in hand. Are you ready to move up in the world? Are your ready for success?