Oscar Revisited

Alright faithful followers, the Oscars have come and gone, and it was certainly an eventful evening on the red carpet. Only a few minor surprises, but here are my thoughts on the "big 8" categories -

I accurately predicted 6/8 of the winners, and that was before the nominations even took place, so I was fairly proud of myself. The only miscues were Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay. The remaining categories were hit and miss, but let's be honest, many of them are just too unpredictable anyways. Kevin O'Connell failed to win the Oscar in his 20th nomination for sound editing (Transformers) which is just a shame. The foreign and short film categories are just too obscure, and making accurate predictions (although decidedly difficult in all categories) is just too futile. Therefore, the "big 8" are the area of focus.

Best Picture - I was excited to see No Country for Old Men when I first heard about the cast, crew and story. I had to wait for a couple of weeks after initial release because it wasn't showing in my area, but I was there for the first showing in Seattle. When I walked out, I was blown away and knew that it was something special. It made an immediate impact on me as a cinemaphile and my only complaint was that I viewed it in a small, dilapidated movie house in Wallingford. My affinity for the film couldn't be contained, and I told virtually everyone I knew that they had to see it, and that fell on some deaf ears, and to some mixed reviews, but those with an appreciation for quality film loved it as well. After seeing it a second time, I was even more impressed with the non-conformist ending, and the cinematic bar that hasn't been raised since 2006's The Departed.

I am still disappointed that Into the Wild did not receive the recognition that it deserved in the form of a nomination, but that would have pushed Juno out of the category, and it seems that the recent trend by the Academy is to include an independent feel good dramedy into the mix. Politically understood.

Best Director - Joel and Ethan Coen did more this year to deserve this award than anyone except perhaps Paul Thomas Anderson and Tony Gilroy. Both of the latter wrote the screenplays and directed, which is an incredible accomplishment, particularly for Gilroy who wrote the original screenplay. The Coen brothers however, in keeping with their tradition, adapted the screenplay, directed, and edited under their alter-ego Roderick Jaynes. This award cements their place as eccentric visionaries who create films for more than just a cult following.

Best Actor - This was actually a weak category until Daniel Day Lewis entered the running. His penchant for choosing quality over quantity is a character trait that many actors should take a lesson from. Without Lewis, There Will Be Blood would have just been an average film created by an above-average filmmaker. With Lewis, it was the second best film of the year.

I am still upset over Brolin not receiving a nomination in this category for No Country. I constantly shifted my allegiance between him and Viggo Mortenson until There Will Be Blood came out. He had a resurgent year starring in three Oscar nominated films, and played an entertaining-as-hell doctor in the Tarantino/Rodriguez gore-fest Grindhouse. He has some meaty roles coming up in the next couple of years - including Gus Van Sant's Milk, Oliver Stone's Bush and McG's update on the Terminator franchise. Look for him in the Oscar nomination category for years to come.

Best Actress - This is the one I was disappointed, but not much. I chose Ellen Page as my winner, because her performance was very impressive in Juno, but I did not have the opportunity to see La Vie en Rose. This is where I spout some political opinions. There is a foreign film category. There should also be a best actor and best actress in a foreign film category. My reason for believing this is not xenophobic. My reason is quite the contrary in fact. Of the films that are released in the United States, most are American made English films. That is kind of the gold standard worldwide, which is something to be proud of as an American. International films that are released in the United States rarely have the impact (financially or number of screens) that even the most ridiculous films do. If Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the Fast and the Furious, and Three Men and a Baby can all find their place in the top 200 domestic grossing films of all time, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon boasts the number 1 foreign film gross at number 230 (right in between Coming to America and Rocky 4), then maybe there should be a separate category for these great foreign made films, and the actors and actresses that live and work in a different culture and a different realm of expectation from the movie-goer. Alright, my ranting is done. Amy Adams should have been nominated for Enchanted, but she'll be around a long time and will receive plenty of awards in her career.

Best Supporting Actor - No surprise here that Javier Bardem won for the single most sinister character portrayed on the screen this year. It is a stretch to say that this was even a competition, although the other nominees ironically made this the most talent-ridden category of the evening. Any other year, any of the other four actors could have won, but this year, Anton Chigurh carved his place in villain history right next to Darth Vader, Hannibal Lector and Jack Torrance.

Best Supporting Actress - I had Tilda Swinton from the get-go. The scene where she sits down in the bathroom stall after giving her presentation is brilliant. The details from the heavy breathing to the sweat-soaked armpits to the crying absolutely exudes emotion. A lot of people had Blanchett or Ryan winning, but they just didn't carry enough of their respective movies to have the impact that Swinton did. Michael Clayton was a better all-around film anyway.

Best Original Screenplay - This was another one that I missed, but only barely. I thought about going with Juno, but didn't really think that it had a chance against Michael Clayton, or the "I can't believe it flew this far under the radar" Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. This was the best movie that nobody saw this year, by far. Read my review. I also liked the originality of Lars and the Real Girl, but didn't think that it had the stamina or timing to really connect with viewers. Juno just struck a chord with people, and not to take anything away from it because it was a great film with an outstanding cast, but the Academy doesn't tend to reward comedies very often.

Best Adapted Screenplay - This was another no-brainer until There Will Be Blood came out. I could have easily seen Anderson's masterpiece take the director and screenplay awards from No Country, but the buzz and all around marvel surrounding Old Men was just too strong. Besides, it was deserving of all the awards it received.

Another year in the books, and it's time to look forward to the Spring and Summer blockbusters. Keep reading the blogs, and I'll give you the straight story on what to see and what to pass on.

Send me your feedback, I'd love to know what you think.

Diary of the Dead

In an attempt to portray a satirical social commentary about the dissemination of information and the blur that the computer age has created with Youtube, blogs and television coverage, George Romero fails miserably. Not surprising that a man who has written and directed over a dozen films about... flesh-eating zombies, fails in this attempt at a hip new type of media. Taking cues from the suspenseful and well done Cloverfield, Diary of the Dead is filmed entirely (except for the expert cuts and the slow motion collages of flashbacks) on a hand-held camera. However, there are musical interludes and the band of characters spout dialogue as if they were in a John Carpenter movie.

The story is not anything new. Zombie virus outbreak, group of students including two couples, a few outcasts and a mysterious British professor embark on a survival journey, and one by one they are eaten and forced to shoot each other in the head. Fairly formulaic as far as these things go. The thing that made this a little unbearable, besides the lack of originality is the amount of time it took for them to finally die off. It wouldn't have been so bad had there been zombies running around with the Romero trademark gratuitous dismemberment, decapitation and disembowelment. However, there were far fewer scenes, none of which were in the least bit scary.

The character development was like sitting in a dentist's chair, and as one of my friends would surely complain about, the tactical situational unawareness was annoying. These people deserve to die. They separate anytime they get a chance, walk around in the dark, and put their faces near corpses. Are you kidding me? How many zombies do you have to see before you put up your defenses?

The worst character of all is the cameraman, a self-righteous crusader to get the "real information" documented for the survivors to have a record of what really happened. Really? You won't put a camera down to help your friends kill zombies? You won't console your girlfriend after she killed her zombie family because you need to film her emotional response? What a complete and utter farce. Not to spoil the plot, but I smiled a little when he finally got bit.

There were some interesting special and makeup effects. That is the only saving point to this film (if it can even be called a saving point). The final image of the film is by far the most spectacular, but it is far too little too late. I enjoyed 2004's Dawn of the Dead remake quite a bit, but it was helmed by a newcomer named Zack Snyder. You may have heard of a little thing he did last year called 300. He's also working on the much anticipated Watchmen film due out 2009. Basically, George Romero has overstayed his welcome within the genre he created. I know, blasphemy to the believers, but like Carpenter, his films are not as good or original as they were 20-30 years ago. 4/10.

The King of Kong

Truly one of the more original documentaries of recent memory, the King of Kong examines the relics that are arcade video games, and the hangers-on who continue to vie for global dominance and high scores. Donkey Kong has been named the most technically difficult game ever created, and this expose follows the reigning champion and world record holder, a forty-something, mullet-sporting blowhard from Florida, and the challenger - a normal family man from Redmond, Washington as their competition boils to a head to determine who is in fact the master of Donkey Kong.

For a documentary, there was quite a bit of character development. Billy Mitchell, the aforementioned blowhard has been a record holder of numerous video games over the course of the last twenty-five years. He demonstrates his competitive spirit and devious tactics nefariously by refusing live competitions and submitting questionable video footage of his alleged feats.

Steve Wiebe is the challenger, and the clear protagonist in his endeavor. His back story is more simple. A consummate competitor his whole life who has come up short on numerous occasions and is emotionally damaged as a result. He decided to take up Donkey Kong after being laid off, and is now a middle school science teacher. His character is never drawn into question, and he clearly wears his heart on his sleeve.

The interesting thing about this study is just how serious the individuals involved take arcade video games and the high scores. There is an organization that was founded in the 1980's whose sole purpose is to validate submissions of scores and dole out individual records for every game ever created. The holy grail of all quests for the gamers is in fact the "kill screen" at the end of Donkey Kong. Only Mitchell has been rumored to have reached it, and it represents the point where the game runs out of memory. At that point, it's just over.

Wiebe follows the protocol for validation by journeying from Washington to Florida to Funspot, a beacon of video arcade nostalgia located ironically enough in Billy Mitchell's hometown. It is there that an annual competition is held for all comers to vie for their place in history (okay, maybe a slight overstatement).

As the film builds to its climax, there is a real sense of good versus evil. Such a simple and almost petty concept becomes more than just geometry, muscle memory and timing. The tension is palpable. The good guy has to win, doesn't he?

Being a part of the video game generation, I remember arcades being a place full of mystique and magic. Man versus machine (kind of) in an accepting environment that promoted solitary achievement and fun above all else. Only now do I realize the complexity of so many of these games, even ones as simple as Donkey Kong. There are established parameters and algorithms that dictate movement, action and reaction. There are random probabilities thrown in so that the patterns can't be completely figured out. It is truly a skillful blend of art and science.

This documentary does a great job of shedding light on the underground world of competitive classic gaming. I enjoyed it, and you will too, regardless of your interest in video games. 7/10.

Top 100 Movies of All Time

After years of deliberation and some consultations with the AFI list, I have decided to create my own list of the top 100 movies of all time. Criteria is a blend of objective film-making brilliance, exceptional acting, intriguing story and emotional investment. That said, many of these are personal favorites of mine. I would love to hear what you think.

1. It’s a Wonderful Life
2. Dr. Strangelove
3. The Graduate
4. The Godfather
5. Aliens
6. The Shining
7. Se7en
8. The Departed
9. Patton
10. Pulp Fiction
11. Braveheart
12. A Clockwork Orange
13. Apocalypse Now
14. No Country for Old Men
15. American History X
16. The Shawshank Redemption
17. Raging Bull
18. Fargo
19. Rear Window
20. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
21. Good Will Hunting
22. M.A.S.H.
23. Gladiator
24. The Usual Suspects
25. American Beauty
26. Citizen Kane
27. Casablanca
28. Schindler’s List
29. Saving Private Ryan
30. Brokeback Mountain
31. Taxi Driver
32. Forrest Gump
33. Seven Samurai
34. The Exorcist
35. On the Waterfront
36. Reservoir Dogs
37. The Sixth Sense
38. Scarface
39. Caddyshack
40. Raiders of the Lost Ark
41. A Streetcar Named Desire
42. Annie Hall
43. The Apartment
44. Crash
45. The Manchurian Candidate
46. Fast Times at Ridgemont High
47. Boogie Nights
48. Heat
49. Traffic
50. Mystic River
51. The Silence of the Lambs
52. There Will Be Blood
53. High Noon
54. Godfather 2
55. Primal Fear
56. Cool Hand Luke
57. Rebel Without a Cause
58. Fight Club
59. LA Confidential
60. Dazed and Confused
61. Enter the Dragon
62. Modern Times
63. Unforgiven
64. This is Spinal Tap
65. It Happened One Night
66. North by Northwest
67. 2001
68. Sin City
69. Tombstone
70. The Thing
71. Deer Hunter
72. Alien
73. Jaws
74. Rocky
75. Glory
76. Bonnie and Clyde
77. The Gold Rush
78. The Fellowship Of The Ring
79. Titanic
80. A History of Violence
81. Sideways
82. Duck Soup
83. To Kill A Mockingbird
84. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
85. Star Wars
86. The Big Lebowski
87. Trainspotting
88. Vertigo
89. The French Connection
90. All Quiet on the Western Front
91. Training Day
92. American Graffiti
93. Dog Day Afternoon
94. Psycho
95. Snatch
96. True Romance
97. Animal House
98. Million Dollar Baby
99. The Wall
100. Hoosiers