Oscars Review

Well, the Oscars telecast was certainly a mixed bag.

Hosts Anne Hathaway and James Franco
I found Anne Hathaway to be a charming, cute host…. nothing game changing, but she certainly did the trick. James Franco, however? Aside from his foray into drag, every time he opened his mouth, the bit fell flat and the segment dragged. He almost seemed to be under the influence of… something. Safe to say that hosting a live event like this is not his strong point.

The show itself
I don’t think it’s any secret which awards make for interesting TV: The acting awards, Best Director, Screenplay, Score, Song and, of course, Picture. Obviously, all the other awards are important… but interesting? Not so much. I don’t know about you, but I don’t know what the different between sound mixing and sound editing is, nor do I really care. I’m not saying cut the boring awards from the show completely, no…. but certainly don’t put them all together, one after another. Snoozefest. It almost seemed like tonight’s telecast came in three acts: the first (opening through Best Supporting Actor) and last (Best Director through the end) were interesting, the middle coma-inducing. This seems like common sense to me…

The Awards Outcomes
This year’s awards lacked suspense, really, until the final award. The awards went more or less where I figured they would…. and where I was wrong, they went to my second choice. Yep, I’m patting myself on the back… it’s my blog. Good job, Timm. Thanks, Timm!

Anyhoo, a moderately entertaining Oscars tonight. Soorner or later they’ll put all the pieces together right and create a strong telecast, but until then…. let’s see what random host(s) they’ll get next year!

Aaaand…. this officially finishes Oscar Watch 2010!

Oscar Predictions!

It’s finally Oscar day, so I should probably make my final Oscar predictions, eh?

Oscar Watch 2010 = Complete

After 12 films and 22 hours, 39 minutes, the challenge I call “Oscar Watch 2010” is officially completed. As in 2008, I found this experience to be completely rewarding, an experience I hope to (and plan on!) doing again in 2011. 

On Sunday, before Hollywood’s biggest night, I will post my official recap with all my Oscar picks. Stay tuned!

My review of 127 HOURS

Great leading performance. Great direction. But I can’t get past the subject matter. Spoilers within.

My review of WINTER'S BONE

Great performance by a relative unknown…. but….

Oscar Nominations are In!

http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/25/whos-up-for-an-oscar/?hpt=C1

 

Pretty much as I expected…. except THE TOWN being almost completely overlooked. That, my friends, is a crying shame. The film, the director, its star and its screenplay deserves better. 

On that note, looking at the Best Picture nominees… the AFI list was pretty much spot on (adding in THE KING’S SPEECH in place of THE TOWN). Looks like I’ll have to see 127 Hours and Winter’s Bone after all!

Oscar Watch 2010 Wrap-Up

Right around Christmas, I decided to go ahead and do what I did a couple years back: see all of the Best Picture nominees and contenders in time for the Academy Awards. Well, I actually one-upped myself, seeing most of the films widely regarded as contenders before nominations even came out. I’m proud of myself.

Before I get to the official timmmc.com OW2010 List, I must put down something of a disclaimer. I initially used the American Film Institute’s Top 10 of 2010 list as a guideline for my list. While the list isn’t necessarily an accurate indication of which films will be nominated (the 2009 list only featured 5 of the Oscar nominees), it seemed like a good list to build upon. I did omit two films from the list: 127 HOURS (this film did not interest me, and the much talked about climactic scene turns my stomach just thinking about…. so I’ll wait on that one) and WINTER’S BONE (again, the film just did not interest me). In exchange, I added two films of my own to it: A KING’S SPEECH (did not qualify for the AFI awards, as it’s a British film) and BLUE VALENTINE. I had also intended on seeing RABBIT HOLE, but since there are no theatres near me where I can see it… it must wait. 

After the jump, the official timmmc.com OW2010 List, plus my personal locks for Oscar nominations.

My review of BLUE VALENTINE

A gritty, real, honest portrayal of a relationship from start to finish… but missing something. 

My review of THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

As I get closer to the end of my quest, I come across THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT, a comedy about a lesbian couple and their two children. Cute, but poses no threat. I wanted to love this movie. I really did… but I didn’t. I found it enjoyable enough, with a funny script and some very strong performances, but there seemed to be something missing. Perhaps it was that the plot never strayed from the predictable, perhaps it was the somewhat static and stock nature of the characters… but I wasn’t feeling it.

2011 GOLDEN GLOBES Instant Reaction

So, the Golden Globes just ended…. some quick thoughts.

My review of THE KING'S SPEECH

Probably the most critically acclaimed film on my list…. and yep, I got it.

Spoiler: This is more acclaim.

My review of TRUE GRIT

I have a love/hate relationship with the Coen Brothers…. but fortunately this was more FARGO than NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN for me.

My review of BLACK SWAN

My mind is sufficiently blown. (Pseudo spoilers within)

My review of TOY STORY 3

A completely fitting finale to a landmark trilogy. And a warning: this review is sappy.

My review of THE TOWN

I initially intended on these reviews being brief. I’ve failed at that thus far…. but I’ll try it here.

Blake Lively can act? Huh?

My Review of THE SOCIAL NETWORK

As previously noted here and elsewhere, I am a big ‘ole geek. A Facebook movie? WHERE do I get my tickets?

I am probably the most plugged in person I know, so the notion of a Facebook movie got me REALLY excited when it was announced. I mean, how awesome is that? After a bit of thought though, I began to wonder if Facebook really exciting enough to make a movie about. I knew about the lawsuits about it, but those were all settled with fairly little hoopla, so I figured the movie, unfortunately, would be a dud. Then, however, names came out of the people involved: David Fincher, Aaron Sorkin, Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake, Andrew Garfield… my excitement level was certainly piqued. The trailer came out, and suddenly it was official: THE SOCIAL NETWORK was my most anticipated movie of 2010. 

My initial concern with the movie starting out was the overall lack of conflict. Sure, the movie centers on a pair of high-stakes lawsuits Facebook faced as it took off, but neither lawsuits are really the stuff courtroom drama is made of. That, however, is the beauty of this movie: the absolutely brilliant screenplay by Aaron Sorkin. Sorkin wove the past (2003-2004) and the “present” (2007) together beautifully, showing how “thefacebook” was born while simultaneously showing how it nearly died in court. Though any geek knows the basics of the Facebook story, Sorkin creates just the right amount of suspense needed to propel the film, building up to a quite appropriate conclusion. 

The other strengths of the film are its leading performances. I’d seen Jesse Eisenberg in a few movies before this one where he suffers from what I call ‘Nathan Lane Syndrome’ - the uncanny ability to play the exact same role over and over again, yet somehow making it completely appropriate for the movie (Michael Cera also “suffers” from this, in my book). In THE SOCIAL NETWORK, however, Eisenberg is transformed; the elements that make Eisenberg a likable actor are still there, but he was not playing Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg. Wonderful performance. Justin Timberlake, too, was able to separate himself from his character, something I was not expecting. The real revelation, though, was Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin, a role that could easily be played as a whiny, spoiled rich kid who pouts. Garfield, however, takes over the film, making the story as much about Saverin as it was Zuckerberg & Facebook. Wonderful stuff.

As noted, THE SOCIAL NETWORK was my most anticipated movie of 2010. In a year filled with some big time films for geeks everywhere, this was a pretty big thing, in my mind. Having seen them all, I would say that not only did the film meet my expectations, it vastly exceeded them. As I write this review, THE SOCIAL NETWORK stands as one of my top two favorite films of 2010, likely with the inside track for the Best Picture crown.

My Review of THE FIGHTER

GREAT performances, but….

My review of INCEPTION

GREAT stuff.

My Best Picture Nominees Quest", or, "I Love Me Some Acclaimed Movies

In 2008, I made a concerted effort to see all 5 Best Picture nominees leading up to the Oscars. The end result was actually quite satisfying; I could watch the Oscars as I do every year, but actually know what the hell they are talking about. It was also fun to be informed, to have something of a rooting interest in the outcome of the awards.

Come 2009, I slacked off. When the nominations were announced, I had seen 3 of the 10 films, and didn't really have enough of an interest to see the rest. So, I didn't bother.... I regretted that. However, as I write this, I look at the list of nominees.... to find I've only seen 4 total. Apparently I didn't regret it too much!

Here we are, in 2010. I'm going to be proactive, damn it. Looking at the AFI Movies of 2010 list, I found I've seen 4 of the films already, with another 3 just hitting theatres in the past few weeks. So, I'm surging forward. In the next few days, I intend post mini reviews of the "contenders" I've seen thus far, and will also post when I see new ones (either contenders or other good movies I want to review). I know my thousands and thousands of readers are absolutely craving my thoughts on the latest new releases, right? Right!

The 2010 AFI list can be found here: http://www.afi.com/afiawards/default.aspx

Stay tuned!