Day 953: Bad Oscar Karma… Again

Well… if you followed my endless Oscar drivel last year you would have heard all about my mission to actually WATCH the Oscar broadcast for the first time since joining the service.

You would have also heard about my plan to TiVo the Oscars when it aired live on AFN at 2am Monday (Belgrade time)… and my plan to get up at 5am to watch before my car pool left for work.
You would have also heard about how my TiVo didn’t start recording… and how I woke up at 5am to watch ONLY the last 30 minutes of the telecast.

You would have also heard about how I figured out the program issue on the TiVo and schedule to record the 3pm rebroadcast on AFN before I left for work… avoided the news ALL day… giddy with excitement to watch the show when I got home… only to find out Serena had inadvertently turned off the tuner box that needed to be on for the TiVo to record pictures… instead of just a blue screen.

After I finished crying, I broke down and read the news to know the winners.

So… yeah… if you find my misery funny, I’m sure you’ll be interested in finding out how this year’s broadcast went. Well… it went a little better, but not great. I got up at 5:30am and turned on ‘Stars Movies’, the Indian station who was covering the Oscars live, complete with their own red carpet coverage, which never asked a single celebrate ‘who they were wearing’, which makes them AWESOME in my book.

The actual awards were supposed to start at 6am (Pakistan time), but it didn’t start until closer to 6:30am… I figured they wanted a significant time delay, but they didn’t edit out Melissa Leo’s F-Bomb, so I’m not really sure why it started so late. Anyway, I was only able to watch the first hour, up until Christian Bales win for Supporting Actor. But I had planned it that way and my plan was working perfectly.

Right after Christian Bale, I jumped in my car pool and headed off to work. There is normally loll in the telecast after the first hour, it only takes about 15 minutes to get to work, and my boss had already given me permission to watch the rest of the telecast when I got to work. Awesome, right?

No. Because things going that smoothly would mean I actually live in an alternate universe where I have good Oscar Karma.

Today, my 15 minute commute took an hour and a half. AN HOUR AND A HALF!!! Now, let me break this down for you. I’ve been in Pakistan for over 6 months and it’s always taken me 15 minutes to get to work. However, on Oscar Monday… it takes me an HOUR AND A HALF!!!


I’m okay… really… I swear… I’m okay. ‘Stars Movies’ is rebroadcasting the awards tonight at 8pm and I am set to watch. I’ve avoided the news… I’ve had a couple spoilers from people, but nothing I wasn’t already expecting. Like Natalie Portman and “The King’s Speech”… although, based on something I heard, I’m pretty sure David Fincher did not win Best Director, but its okay because I don’t know who won.
So, anyway… I was hoping this post would be my Oscar recap and this year’s final boring post about this obsession of mine… but it looks like you’ll need to bear with me for another day! I hope you don’t mind.
Happy Oscar Night, Part 2!

PS: I have to say, Anne Hathaway is a TREMENDOUS host! I just wish she had been paired with someone of equal stage presence and ability for a variety show type format, like Neal Patrick Harris… that would have made the night ‘legen… (wait for it)… … … dary.

Day 952: Weighted Oscar Ballot

I know I promised to reveal my Top 25 Movies of 2010 list today… but honestly… I don’t think I’ve seen enough movies to throw down a realistic list… so I’m going to give myself another month.  (Let me know if you have a favorite movie of the year, I'll make sure I see it before posting my list!)

So… in honor of Oscar Sunday, let’s try our hand at an old fashion weighted Oscar Ballot, which I explained last year.  It’s pretty simple:

Every Nominee gets a point value, 5 being the likely winner, 4, 3, 2, and 1 being the least likely. The best picture category, the points will be distributed 10 through 1… And of course categories with only three nominees will have a maximum of 3 points.

Make sense?  Good.  Try it yourself and let me know who you do!

Last year I scored 99 out of a possible 127 points… and this year I want to break 100.

Here we go:

Actor in a Leading Role

5 -                Colin Firth in “The King's Speech”

4 -                James Franco in “127 Hours”

3 -                Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network”

2 -                Javier Bardem in “Biutiful”

1 -                Jeff Bridges in “True Grit”

                   

Actor in a Supporting Role              

5 -                Christian Bale in “The Fighter”

4 -                Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right”

3 -                Geoffrey Rush in “The King's Speech”

2 -                Jeremy Renner in “The Town”

1 -                John Hawkes in “Winter's Bone”

                   

Actress in a Leading Role                

5 -                Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”

4 -                Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right”

3 -                Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole”

2 -                Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine”

1 -                Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter's Bone”

                   

Actress in a Supporting Role           

5 -                Melissa Leo in “The Fighter”

4 -                Helena Bonham Carter in “The King's Speech”

3 -                Amy Adams in “The Fighter”

2 -                Jacki Weaver in “Animal Kingdom”

1 -                Hailee Steinfeld in “True Grit”

                   

Animated Feature Film 

3 -                “Toy Story 3” Lee Unkrich

2 -                “How to Train Your Dragon” Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois

1 -                “The Illusionist” Sylvain Chomet

                   

Art Direction                 

5 -                “The King's Speech” 

4 -                “Inception” 

3 -                “True Grit” 

2 -                “Alice in Wonderland” 

1 -                “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1” 

                   

Cinematography           

5 -                “Black Swan” Matthew Libatique

4 -                “The King's Speech” Danny Cohen

3 -                “True Grit” Roger Deakins

2 -                “Inception” Wally Pfister

1 -                “The Social Network” Jeff Cronenweth

                   

Costume Design            

5 -                “The King's Speech” Jenny Beavan

4 -                “True Grit” Mary Zophres

3 -                “Alice in Wonderland” Colleen Atwood

2 -                “The Tempest” Sandy Powell

1 -                “I Am Love” Antonella Cannarozzi

                   

Directing   

5 -                “The Social Network” David Fincher

4 -                “The King's Speech” Tom Hooper

3 -                “The Fighter” David O. Russell

2 -                “Black Swan” Darren Aronofsky

1 -                “True Grit” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

                   

Documentary (Feature)                   

5 -                “Restrepo” Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger

4 -                “Exit through the Gift Shop” Banksy and Jaimie D'Cruz

3 -                “Gasland” Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic

2 -                “Inside Job” Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs

1 -                “Waste Land” Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley

                   

Documentary (Short Subject)         

5 -                 “Poster Girl” Sara Nesson and Mitchell W. Block

4 -                “Killing in the Name” Jed Rothstein

3 -                “Strangers No More” Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon

2 -                “Sun Come Up” Jennifer Redfearn and Tim Metzger

1 -                “The Warriors of Qiugang” Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon

                   

Film Editing                   

5 -                “The King's Speech” Tariq Anwar

4 -                “The Social Network” Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

3 -                “The Fighter” Pamela Martin

2 -                “Black Swan” Andrew Weisblum

1 -                “127 Hours” Jon Harris

                   

Foreign Language Film

5 -                “Biutiful” Mexico

4 -                “Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi)” Algeria

3 -                “Incendies” Canada

2 -                “Dogtooth” Greece

1 -                “In a Better World” Denmark

                   

Makeup      

3 -                “The Wolfman” Rick Baker and Dave Elsey

2 -                “Barney's Version” Adrien Morot

1 -                “The Way Back” Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng

                   

Music (Original Score) 

5 -                “The Social Network” Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

4 -                “Inception” Hans Zimmer

3 -                “The King's Speech” Alexandre Desplat

2 -                “How to Train Your Dragon” John Powell

1 -                “127 Hours” A.R. Rahman

                   

Music (Original Song)   

4 -                “We Belong Together” from “Toy Story 3" Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

3 -                “Coming Home” from “Country Strong” Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas

2 -                “If I Rise” from “127 Hours” Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido

1 -                “I See the Light” from “Tangled” Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater

                   

Best Picture                  

10 -              “The King's Speech” Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers

9 -                “The Social Network” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán

8 -                “Inception” Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers

7 -                “127 Hours” Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers

6 -                “The Fighter” David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg

5 -                “The Kids Are All Right” Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray

4 -                “Black Swan” Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers

3 -                “Toy Story 3” Darla K. Anderson, Producer

2 -                “Winter's Bone" Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers

1 -                “True Grit” Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers

                   

Short Film (Animated)  

5 -                “Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)” Bastien Dubois

4 -                “The Gruffalo” Jakob Schuh and Max Lang

3 -                “Let's Pollute” Geefwee Boedoe

2 -                “The Lost Thing” Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann

1 -                “Day and Night” Teddy Newton

                   

Short Film (Live Action)                   

5 -                “Na Wewe” Ivan Goldschmidt

4 -                “The Crush” Michael Creagh

3 -                “God of Love” Luke Matheny

2 -                “The Confession” Tanel Toom

1 -                “Wish 143” Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite

                   

Sound Editing                

5 -                “Inception” Richard King

4 -                “True Grit” Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey

3 -                “Toy Story 3” Tom Myers and Michael Silvers

2 -                “Tron: Legacy” Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague

1 -                “Unstoppable” Mark P. Stoeckinger

                   

Sound Mixing                

5 -                “Inception” Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick

4 -                “The King's Speech” Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley

3 -                “Salt” Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin

2 -                “True Grit” Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland

1 -                “The Social Network” Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten

                   

Visual Effects                

5 -                “Inception” Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb

4 -                “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1” Tim Burke, John Richardson

3 -                “Alice in Wonderland” Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas

2 -                “Iron Man 2” Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick

1 -                “Hereafter” Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojansky and Joe Farrell

                   

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)         

5 -                “The Social Network” Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin

4 -                “127 Hours” Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy

3 -                “Winter's Bone” Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

2 -                “Toy Story 3” Screenplay by Michael Arndt; Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich

1 -                “True Grit” Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

                   

Writing (Original Screenplay)         

5 -                “Inception” Written by Christopher Nolan

4 -                “The Kids Are All Right” Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg

3 -                “Another Year” Written by Mike Leigh

2 -                “The King's Speech” Screenplay by David Seidler

1 -                “The Fighter” Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson; 

Day 951: Oscars Big Four

Best Actress - Natalie Portman (Black Swan)

Best Actor - Colin Firth (The King's Speech)

Best Director - David Fincher (The Social Network)

Best Picture - The King's Speech

(http://www.youtube.com/user/awardsnazi#p/a/u/0/eA6n8XFyups)

Day 950: Those Three OTHER Best Picture Categories

Best Animated Feature

Best Foreign Language Film

Best Documentary Film

So far, I’ve seen three of the five films nominated in this category.  My favorite is ‘Exit through the Gift Shop’ but I don’t think it will win.  I also found ‘Gas Land’ to be fascinating… however, again, I don’t think it’s going to win.

My pick is ‘Restrepo’.  The film follows the deployment of the 2nd Platoon of Battle Company on a 15 month deployment in the Korengal Valley of northeast Afghanistan. It chronicles the lives of the men from their deployment to the time of their return back home and shot by two journalists who embedded themselves with the platoon while writing a series of articles for Vanity Fair. 

What I really love about this heartbreaking film is the care and restraint put into making it.  Although the documenters are obviously in harm’s way… and essentially serving side by side with our soldiers, they resist the temptation of making the story about themselves, which, thanks to Michael Moore, seems to be the current documentary film fade.  The story is all about the young men… their service… and their VERY raw emotions.

Day 949: Cinematography, Editing, Costumes, and Makeup

Cinematography and Film Editing

Honestly, I don’t think I need to explain what these categories are in-depth.  However, I think it’s hard to spot REALLY good cinematography and editing, unless you are looking for it, mainly because you’re not supposed to notice it.

Good cinematography and editing is performed with a subtle hand… and doesn’t distract the audience from the action of the movie.

On the other hand, it is much easier to identify movies with poor cinematography and editing.

Did you see ‘The Expendables’ this year?  OMG!  What horrible editing!  And the following scene is one of the worst scenes ever! (Thank you youtube!)

(Warning, Adult Language)

Notice how the shot is always jumping around?  Not only does the scene jump from person to person whenever they speak a line, but it also jumps around to capture unnecessary reaction shots. 

Furthermore, I can tell you exactly why both the cinematography and editing is so poor.  Bruce Willis and Arnold did not shoot their scenes at the same time.  Go back and watch it again… they are never shown together.  Which is why the scene feels so choppy and forced.  That’s why the shoots are all so tight… and why the camera is forced to jump around.

So, whose fault is it?

The editors?  Well… the editing team behind ‘The Expendables’ weren’t the most experienced duo in the world… this was their first big project.  However, even though they many some poor editing choices, I wouldn’t give them all the blame.

So, who?  The Cinematographer? 

Well… ‘The Expendables’ had the same cinematographer as ‘Top Gun’ and other notable action films, so he definitely had a lot of experience… but shooting a scene without your full cast is difficult to pull off.  He simply didn’t have a lot to work with… so in turn he didn’t give the editors much to work with.

So… again… who is to blame?

I blame writer/director Stallone.   Go back and watch the scene… Arnold’s character serves no real purpose to the story (except for having the novelty of Arnold chewing on a cigar). 

This scene would have had a much stronger impact is they had shoot it with just Stallone and Willis.  The scene could have been more subtle and intimate… and as a result, more effective.  Which would have made the cinematography and editing less noticeable.

Well, that’s enough about ‘The Expendables’, let’s take a look at what ‘awardsnazi’ has to say about these categories:

Cinematography:

Film Editing:

(http://www.youtube.com/user/awardsnazi#p/a/u/1/AvEXNl0J9Rk)

Costumes

Wow.  The best part of awardnazi’s video is his description of ‘The Tempest’, one of the few Oscar nominated films I haven’t seen.  “I would be shocked if this movie wins because the simple fact is this movie is awful.  Reviled by critics and audiences alike.”  (Double take), WOW. 

I haven’t heard a review that horrible since I asked myself what I thought about “Eat, Pray, Love”.

MakeUp

I have to agree with awardsnazi on this one.  Although ‘The Wolfman’ is probably the worst movie I’ve seen this year (and that says a lot since I’ve also seen ‘Tekken’), I can’t help but root for Rick Baker.