Academy Awards 2010

This year, I don't think people can complain about The Academy nominating movies that the majority of the public hasn't heard of, let alone watched. Out of the ten nominated films:

• Toy Story 3 and Inception were two of the highest grossing films in 2010. (Toy Story 3 was first, Inception was fourth).

• Black Swan, True Grit and The King's Speech made over $100 million at the box office. This is impressive, considering they are three genres that studio's assume the public won't watch (Art-house, Western, and Drama).

• The Social Network and The Fighter finished outside the $100 million total, but still had strong box office performance (approximately $97 million and $89 million, respectively) and widespread critical acclaim.

• Even the other three nominated movies (127 Hours, The Kids Are All Right, and Winter's Bone) despite grossing less than the other films, still managed to turn a profit considering their budgets.

All things considered, 70% is pretty good for the Academy Awards.

As for my predictions,  I'm personally hoping that The Social Network wins Best Picture, but won't be surprised if The King's Speech takes it. It has everything that the Academy loves: it's a historical drama focused on the British monarchy;  it is promoted by the Weinstein Company, who specialize in this type of film (ex. Shakespeare in Love);it is largely inoffensive, with the exception of that one scene where King George VI says fuck 5 times;  It has the story of a person overcoming adversity or a disability. (stuttering). All it needed was the Holocaust, and Best Picture wouldn't even be a contest.

Despite my prediction of Best Picture, I see David Fincher winning Best Director for The Social Network as his direction was why a movie about Facebook was so successful. Still can't believe Christopher Nolan was snubbed for Inception. I would have nominated Nolan over  David O. Russell (The Fighter). 

Most of the Acting categories are locks. Natalie Portman for Black Swan and Colin Firth for The King's Speech will take the lead acting oscar's. Christian Bale will finally be rewarded for his work, winning Best Supporting Actor for The Fighter. Bale will also win because the Academy will need some younger faces to be nominated in the future, now that Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington are older and entering the "Paycheque" phase of their career. Supporting Actress is the tightest race. I think Melissa Leo will not win for The Fighter for two reasons. 1) Her co-star Amy Adams is nominated, so they'll split the vote. and 2) Her solo For Your consideration campaign may have ruined her chances. Either Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) or Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech) will win this award, but I'm leaning toward Carter.

Gwenyth Paltrow wins best song because Hollywood is intent on forcing the idea of her as a singer on the public.

Final note: How surreal would it be if Trent Reznor won an Academy Award?

Lost In Translation (2003)

First thing I'll say: This is an awesome poster. I wish that there was a way to get a print of this poster that wouldn't set me back $100. Not to knock the other poster, which is awesome and can be viewed here, I just prefer this one. It's colorful, eye catching , and lets face it, Scarlett is a little easier on the eyes that Bill Murray in a bathrobe.




I remember wanting to see this film when I was fifteen. I was wanting to develop a more sophisticated taste in films that my peers, and I was also interested in the art of cinema. I ended up buying the movie when it was released on DVD, and I watched it in the afternoon when I got home.



I shut it off after 20 minutes. My God it was boring. Time to go back to the populist movies that everyone liked. Fuck the Academy.



I held onto the DVD for some reason. I don't know why. Maybe fate. so, flash forward to my summer as a sixteen year old. We didn't have air-conditioning installed in my house yet, and the heat made it unbearable to sleep in my room. So, I did what I always did whenever it was too hot; I took my pillow and blanket and camped out on the couch in my basement. I still couldn't sleep, so I decided to put a movie on, and I noticed Lost in Translation on the shelf. I grabbed it and put it on, knowing that I'd be asleep in 20 minutes.


It didn't happen.



I stayed up late at night, totally engrossed in the movie. I don't know why I did; maybe my tastes matured, maybe the film is better at night. I don't know. I fell asleep at night with pleasant dreams of Tokyo and Scarlett Johanssen. This movie kick started my interest in the country of Japan and my crush on Scarlett Johanssen, but everybody knows that already.



Enough about my personal bullshit, I'm going to talk about the movie. Lost In Translation is about two people in Japan. Bob Harris (Bill Murray) is an American actor getting paid $2 million to appear in a Suntory Whiskey commercial. Bob is very much washed up, doing the commercial for the money, when he "really wants to be doing a play somewhere." His marriage is lacking communication; his wife sends him carpet samples and faxes him to let him know he forgot his son's birthday. Charlotte (Johanssen) is 25 years old, a philosophy graduate from Yale, who is tagging along with her photographer husband (Giovanni Ribsi). Charlotte is wondering about her purpose in life, and whether or not her marriage was the right thing to do. Bob and Charlotte meet by chance at the hotel bar, and a friendship develops. They decide to make the most of their time together in Tokyo, hanging out and having adventures around the city.
Most of the humor that occurs in the film is based around the culture shock of Japan. One example During the commercial shoot, Bob is getting instructions in Japanese from the director in Japanese (and his instructions are not subtitled, so unless you speak Japanese, you are as lost as Bob is), and he gets a pithy translation. Here is the exchange:
Director [in Japanese, to Bob]: Mr. Bob. You are sitting quietly in your study. And then there is a bottle of Suntory whiskey on top of the table. You understand, right? With wholehearted feeling, slowly, look at the camera, tenderly, and as if you are meeting old friends, say the words. As if you are Bogie in Casablanca, saying, "Here's looking at you, kid," -- Suntory time!
Interpreter [In English, to Bob]: He wants you to turn, look in camera. O.K.?
(beat)
Bob: Is that all he said?


Director and Screenwriter Sofia Coppola made very wise choices with this film. She never once falls into the romantic movie cliches. Bob and Charlotte's relationship is very much platonic. Sex between the two of them never comes up (it would be gross, considering Scarlett was only 18 when this movie was made). It is a relationship of understanding, of similar circumstances, and a connection that you may only make once in your life. The film deals more with concepts such as loneliness and relationships, and not being where you want to be in your life.



This is the role that Bill Murray will be remembered for. It was written with him in mind, according to Coppola. There is a lot of subtlety to his performance. He could very easily turn on his charm and crack jokes for the entire crew in Japan, but his body language suggests that he is tired and not willing to be Bob Harris, Hollywood star and life of the party anymore. Bob Harris was written with Bill Murray in mind, and Coppola has gone on record saying if he didn't sign on, she would not have made the film. Scarlett, at 18, does a great job exploring the nuances of being young and unsure of yourself. I think the phrase "wise beyond their years" is such a cliche, but it is appropriate here to describe her performance. Ribsi is in a supporting role, along with Anna Faris as a ditzy Hollywood actress, but they are both superb in the small amount of screentime they're given. Supposedly, they are based on Spike Jonze, Coppola's ex husband, and Cameron Diaz, though Coppola denies this.



Two more things help make this film enjoyable. First, the cinematography is absolutely stunning. It gives Tokyo a real dream like quality, especially at night. Secondly, the soundtrack, consisting of shoegaze artists like Death in Vegas, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and Kevin Shields, also adds to the dreamy effect, allowing the viewer to get lost in the movie.



Lost In Translation is one of those movies that needs to be watched in multiple sittings in order to appreciate it. It takes a while for it to unfold, but it is worth it in the end. It is one of those films that works best when watched alone, allowing you to think about life and what you want from it. If I recommend one film that everyone should watch, this it the one.

The Blind Side (2009)

I figured that a good choice for my first review would be the most recent movie that I watched. My mom bought two movies this week, and this was the only one that I would actually watch with her. (The other movie was New Moon. Ugh. Can’t believe my mom likes that garbage).

Back to The Blind Side. When I first saw previews for the movie, I rolled my eyes. It looked like a schmaltzy, Hallmark presents movie with a higher budget and bigger stars. The kind of movie that has a future being played on cable television following reruns of Friends. But, it had strong word of mouth, was a sleeper hit at the box office, and managed to score Sandra Bullock her first Academy Award. So, there had to be at least something good about it. The Academy is still about quality, right?

The Blind Side is based on the second half of a novel of the same name. It focuses on Michael Oher (Quinton Aron), who currently plays for the Baltimore Ravens. Michael has had a rough life. His mother was a crack addict, and he has been in and out of foster homes. He is an outsider at the all-white Christian school he attends. He is poor, and seemingly unmotivated in the classroom. A number of his teacher’s have given up on him. Things look bleak for Michael, until one night, while walking home, he is stopped by the Tuohy family. Mother Leigh-Ann (Sandra Bullock) offers him the opportunity to stay at her home, and Michael accepts. With the help of the family, Michael gets a new lease on life, and finds a place where he belongs.

Due to his hulking size, Michael is a natural pick for the football team, but has difficulty mastering the rules of the game. Leigh-Anne, in an effective scene, teaches Michael to use his protective instincts (the one area in his aptitude tests where he scored in the 98th Percentile) and pretend that the team is his family. This motivates Michael, and soon University’s are recruiting him. But, Michael needs to raise his GPA to meet minimum levels so he can go to a Division 1 college. I’ll stop talking about the plot here. Needless to say, you have a good idea of how it will end, considering Oher is a starting left tackle for a decent NFL team.

Sandra Bullock has had one of the most inconsistent film careers ever. She’s like able, and has enough charisma to make a movie watchable, but she tends to pick poor material as often as she comes across a good script. For every Speed and Miss Congeniality, there is a Premonition and an All About Steve alongside it. She even produced that latter flick, ending up with a Razzie Award the night before she won the Oscar (She actually accepted the Razzie in person). But, she gives the performance of her career so far in The Blind Side. I’ve come across women like Leigh-Ann, the middle-aged Christian sports mom, and she basically nails that personality type. There is a fair bit of depth to her performance, and none of the melodramatics that are common in these types of roles. She instead plays it subtle, letting the viewer realize there is more to Leigh-Anne than blonde hair and a cross around her neck. Whether her performance was better than the other actresses nominated, that is another question. I’ll answer it when I watch the other films.

There are good supporting roles. Kathy Bates is her usually reliable self as Michael’s tutor. Quinton Aron had a very difficult role to pull off as Michael. It takes a lot of skill to play a young man that is so traumatized by his past that people think he is a mute or stupid, and then to finally open up. He does it well, and I am interested to see if he gets more work. And I still have difficulty recognizing Tim McGraw without the cowboy hat or goatee, but he was okay in the film.

The movie is padded in several spots, and it could have been trimmed down to improve the pacing. The brief subplot of whether Michael really wanted to go to Mississippi State or whether the Tuohy’s influenced him to go there was introduced and resolved in such a small amount of time that one wonders whether or not it could have been left on the cutting room floor. But, I find it to be a rather small complaint for this movie. The movie itself is a little formulaic, but the formula works, so I’m not complaining. You’ll feel happy when you see the actual footage of Michael Oher being drafted and celebrating with his adoptive family.

Despite the flaws, The Blind Side is a solid movie, worth a rental for the strong performance of Sandra Bullock. Here’s hoping that there is another performance inside Bullock in the future.