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Showing posts with label Oscars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oscars. Show all posts

Monday, March 8, 2010

My Oscars review


Last night's Oscars were pretty tame. There were few things in this year's awards ceremony that I am going to remember ten years from now.

Hosts Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin were good. I laughed, but I didn't fall over laughing. There jokes were not that biting. They were adequate or serviceable, I guess. I would give them the grade of a "B" for their performance.

There were also few surprises last night in the actual awards. It was somewhat surprising that Avatar, with as much money as it had made, did not take home more awards. However, that is the way I thought it should have gone.

Instead, The Hurt Locker, a truly wonderful film took home top honors Sunday night. It won six Oscars and the all-important best picture. It also earned the best director statue for Kathryn Bigelow. She was the first woman to win that award.

All of those awards were deserving.

The most surprised I was about any award was in the adapted screenplay category. I really do not understand how Precious beat out Up in the Air or District 9. That is confusing.

Other than that, however, everything else went in order. The best actor categories went as the whole world expected. Although, I love Jeff Bridges and am glad that he got the award, I think it would have been awesome if Jeremy Renner would have won.

Colin Farrell gave a great little speech about Renner. You could tell that they were good friends, unlike some of the other people giving tributes. I thought Bridges should have won, but I was kind of pulling for Renner there in the final moments. An award like that would change that man's career. He obviously deserves some more great roles in the future. Let's hope that he gets them.

I think a lot of people felt the same way about the best actress award last night. I think a lot of people were rooting for Sandra Bullock, but last minute were thinking, 'wouldn't it be great if Gabrielle Sidibe would have won.'

Still, even though I did not think Sandra Bullock deserved an Oscar for a middling movie like The Blind Side her acceptance speech was probably the best of the night. It was emotional, humorous and triumphant.

As for the rest of the show there were some glaring issues. That interpretive dance segment was painful to watch. Street dancing is cool, but not really so much to orchestra music. Also, Kathy Ireland... what were you thinking. Were you high? Your red carpet interviews were a train wreck. You are going to be all over youtube after that performance.

One positive part of the show was the tribute to John Hughes. It was nice to see some of the brat pack in the house. It is too bad Hughes directed so few movies in his lifetime. We should have demanded more.

My Oscar night via the Twitter machine


RT @thatkevinsmith: 'atta girl, Bigs. Double-fist those bad-boys. #DirectHer

so I was 16-24 on my picks tonight... not bad. #oscars

RT @thr: Final score-- The Hurt Locker 6, Avatar 3, Precious 3, Up 2, Inglourious Basterds 1 -Congrats to The Hurt Locker!

I am pleased by those last two awards.... sweet... that made this #oscars worth it... everything else was kinda lame.

RT @sethmeyers21: The Academy makes up for the Oscar they failed to award Bigelow for "Point Break."

RT @uranowski: Shut up Barbra Streisand I was in a good mood after Sandra B's speech and you ruined it. #oscars


despite me not wanting her to win... that was a nice acceptance speech from Sandra #oscars

you wore us down.... #oscars

RT @millbot: I'm going to throw something through something else if Sandra B. wins this award.

RT @tvwithoutpity: "Thank you to the Academy for not considering Na'vi a foreign language." Nice! #oscars

@elizabethbanks you could make a paper bag look good in reply to ElizabethBanks

RT @showbiz411: farrah fawcett left out of oscar memorial

snuggie sighting at the #oscars... nice

they should have let Robin Williams do the interprative dance number... it would have been better #oscars

RT @borowitzreport: Memo to #Oscars: if America liked ballet they'd watch fucking PBS

ummm what the helll is going on... at the #oscars ?

dude, TWILIGHT is not a horror movie... unless you are talking about how bad it is #oscars

RT @borowitzreport: Two hours in, I think the Oscar franchise is badly in need of a reboot. #oscars

RT @robcorddry: First vagina reference less than one hour in. I called it!

what the hell is that lampshade backdrop... kinda sweat... and crazy.... #oscars

oh good lord.... ben stiller... what won't you do... lol #oscars

I thought we had another Kanye situation there for a second #oscars

who the hell is this lady? #oscars

John Hughes should have directed more movies... Here is is his wiki page http://tr.im/R0Rk #oscars

RT @buckhollywood: KATHY IRELAND FOR BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM! #Oscars

apparently Tina Fey is good at speedreading #oscars

RT @filmfan1971: They should have an award for Most Torrented Movie. #oscars

RT @lovelybutton: Now Every Time I see Shrimp I Think Of District 9. lol

can this #oscars go any slower?

RT @followjenyu: Animation skit....snooze #oscars about 15 hours ago via DestroyTwitter

RT @danguyf: Kudos to the #Oscars for giving the people what they want: MORE NPH!
NPH!!!!!!!! #oscars

here we go #oscars

RT @ericvespe: Taylor Lautner is "the most famous werewolf in motion picture history." No. Fuck you annoying red carpet Oscar lady

RT @borowitzreport: I love trashing the way the celebrities are dressed as I lie here in my Old Navy drawstring pants. #oscars

when did kathy ireland become an idiot? #oscars



Saturday, March 6, 2010

My complete Oscar-winner predictions

ACTING OSCARS

Actor in a Leading Role
  • Jeff Bridges in "Crazy Heart"
  • George Clooney in "Up in the Air"
  • Colin Firth in "A Single Man"
  • Morgan Freeman in "Invictus"
  • Jeremy Renner in "The Hurt Locker"
Actor in a Supporting Role
  • Matt Damon in "Invictus"
  • Woody Harrelson in "The Messenger"
  • Christopher Plummer in "The Last Station"
  • Stanley Tucci in "The Lovely Bones"
  • Christoph Waltz in "Inglourious Basterds"
Actress in a Leading Role
  • Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side"
  • Helen Mirren in "The Last Station"
  • Carey Mulligan in "An Education"
  • Gabourey Sidibe in "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire"
  • Meryl Streep in "Julie & Julia"
Actress in a Supporting Role
  • Penélope Cruz in "Nine"
  • Vera Farmiga in "Up in the Air"
  • Maggie Gyllenhaal in "Crazy Heart"
  • Anna Kendrick in "Up in the Air"
  • Mo’Nique in "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire"

FILMMAKER OSCARS

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
  • "District 9" Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
  • "An Education" Screenplay by Nick Hornby
  • "In the Loop" Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
  • "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire" Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
  • "Up in the Air" Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner
Writing (Original Screenplay)
  • "The Hurt Locker" Written by Mark Boal
  • "Inglourious Basterds" Written by Quentin Tarantino
  • "The Messenger" Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
  • "A Serious Man" Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
  • "Up" Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy
Directing
  • "Avatar" James Cameron
  • "The Hurt Locker" Kathryn Bigelow
  • "Inglourious Basterds" Quentin Tarantino
  • "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire" Lee Daniels
  • "Up in the Air" Jason Reitman
Best Picture
  • "Avatar"
  • "The Blind Side"
  • "District 9"
  • "An Education"
  • "The Hurt Locker"
  • "Inglourious Basterds"
  • "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire"
  • "A Serious Man"
  • "Up"
  • "Up in the Air"
Animated Feature Film
  • "Coraline" Henry Selick
  • "Fantastic Mr. Fox" Wes Anderson
  • "The Princess and the Frog" John Musker and Ron Clements
  • "The Secret of Kells" Tomm Moore
  • "Up" Pete Docter
Foreign Language Film
  • "Ajami" Israel
  • "El Secreto de Sus Ojos" Argentina
  • "The Milk of Sorrow" Peru
  • "Un Prophète" France
  • "The White Ribbon" Germany

TECHNICAL OSCARS

Art Direction
  • "Avatar" Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
  • "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
  • "Nine" Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
  • "Sherlock Holmes" Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
  • "The Young Victoria" Art Direction: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Maggie Gray
Cinematography
  • "Avatar" Mauro Fiore
  • "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" Bruno Delbonnel
  • "The Hurt Locker" Barry Ackroyd
  • "Inglourious Basterds" Robert Richardson
  • "The White Ribbon" Christian Berger
Costume Design
  • "Bright Star" Janet Patterson
  • "Coco before Chanel" Catherine Leterrier
  • "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" Monique Prudhomme
  • "Nine" Colleen Atwood
  • "The Young Victoria" Sandy Powell
Film Editing
  • "Avatar" Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
  • "District 9" Julian Clarke
  • "The Hurt Locker" Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
  • "Inglourious Basterds" Sally Menke
  • "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire" Joe Klotz
Sound Editing
  • "Avatar" Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
  • "The Hurt Locker" Paul N.J. Ottosson
  • "Inglourious Basterds" Wylie Stateman
  • "Star Trek" Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
  • "Up" Michael Silvers and Tom Myers
Sound Mixing
  • "Avatar" Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
  • "The Hurt Locker" Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
  • "Inglourious Basterds" Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
  • "Star Trek" Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
  • "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson
Visual Effects
  • "Avatar" Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
  • "District 9" Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
  • "Star Trek" Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

NO ONE CARES OSCARS

Short Film (Animated)
  • "French Roast" Fabrice O. Joubert
  • "Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty" Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell
  • "The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)" Javier Recio Gracia
  • "Logorama" Nicolas Schmerkin
  • "A Matter of Loaf and Death" Nick Park
Short Film (Live Action)
  • "The Door" Juanita Wilson and James Flynn
  • "Instead of Abracadabra" Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström
  • "Kavi" Gregg Helvey
  • "Miracle Fish" Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey
  • "The New Tenants" Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson
Documentary (Feature)
  • "Burma VJ" Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
  • "The Cove" Nominees to be determined
  • "Food, Inc." Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
  • "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers" Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
  • "Which Way Home" Rebecca Cammisa
Documentary (Short Subject)
  • "China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province" Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill
  • "The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner" Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
  • "The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant" Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
  • "Music by Prudence" Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
  • "Rabbit à la Berlin" Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra
Makeup
  • "Il Divo" Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
  • "Star Trek" Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
  • "The Young Victoria" Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

MUSIC OSCARS

Music (Original Score)
  • "Avatar" James Horner
  • "Fantastic Mr. Fox" Alexandre Desplat
  • "The Hurt Locker" Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
  • "Sherlock Holmes" Hans Zimmer
  • "Up" Michael Giacchino
Music (Original Song)
  • "Almost There" from "The Princess and the Frog" Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
  • "Down in New Orleans" from "The Princess and the Frog" Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
  • "Loin de Paname" from "Paris 36" Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas
  • "Take It All" from "Nine" Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
  • "The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" from "Crazy Heart" Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Friday, March 5, 2010

My predictions for the filmmaker Oscars

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
  • "District 9" Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
  • "An Education" Screenplay by Nick Hornby
  • "In the Loop" Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
  • "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire" Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
  • "Up in the Air" Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner
Writing (Original Screenplay)
  • "The Hurt Locker" Written by Mark Boal
  • "Inglourious Basterds" Written by Quentin Tarantino
  • "The Messenger" Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
  • "A Serious Man" Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
  • "Up" Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy
Directing
  • "Avatar" James Cameron
  • "The Hurt Locker" Kathryn Bigelow
  • "Inglourious Basterds" Quentin Tarantino
  • "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire" Lee Daniels
  • "Up in the Air" Jason Reitman
Best Picture
  • "Avatar"
  • "The Blind Side"
  • "District 9"
  • "An Education"
  • "The Hurt Locker"
  • "Inglourious Basterds"
  • "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire"
  • "A Serious Man"
  • "Up"
  • "Up in the Air"
Animated Feature Film
  • "Coraline" Henry Selick
  • "Fantastic Mr. Fox" Wes Anderson
  • "The Princess and the Frog" John Musker and Ron Clements
  • "The Secret of Kells" Tomm Moore
  • "Up" Pete Docter
Foreign Language Film
  • "Ajami" Israel
  • "El Secreto de Sus Ojos" Argentina
  • "The Milk of Sorrow" Peru
  • "Un Prophète" France
  • "The White Ribbon" Germany

Thursday, March 4, 2010

My predictions for the best acting Oscars

ACTING OSCARS

Actor in a Leading Role
  • Jeff Bridges in "Crazy Heart"
  • George Clooney in "Up in the Air"
  • Colin Firth in "A Single Man"
  • Morgan Freeman in "Invictus"
  • Jeremy Renner in "The Hurt Locker"
Actor in a Supporting Role
  • Matt Damon in "Invictus"
  • Woody Harrelson in "The Messenger"
  • Christopher Plummer in "The Last Station"
  • Stanley Tucci in "The Lovely Bones"
  • Christoph Waltz in "Inglourious Basterds"
Actress in a Leading Role
  • Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side"
  • Helen Mirren in "The Last Station"
  • Carey Mulligan in "An Education"
  • Gabourey Sidibe in "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire"
  • Meryl Streep in "Julie & Julia"
Actress in a Supporting Role
  • Penélope Cruz in "Nine"
  • Vera Farmiga in "Up in the Air"
  • Maggie Gyllenhaal in "Crazy Heart"
  • Anna Kendrick in "Up in the Air"
  • Mo’Nique in "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire"

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

My Predictions for the Oscars most people don't care about

TECHNICAL OSCARS

Art Direction
  • "Avatar" Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
  • "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
  • "Nine" Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
  • "Sherlock Holmes" Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
  • "The Young Victoria" Art Direction: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Maggie Gray
Cinematography
  • "Avatar" Mauro Fiore
  • "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" Bruno Delbonnel
  • "The Hurt Locker" Barry Ackroyd
  • "Inglourious Basterds" Robert Richardson
  • "The White Ribbon" Christian Berger
Costume Design
  • "Bright Star" Janet Patterson
  • "Coco before Chanel" Catherine Leterrier
  • "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" Monique Prudhomme
  • "Nine" Colleen Atwood
  • "The Young Victoria" Sandy Powell
Film Editing
  • "Avatar" Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
  • "District 9" Julian Clarke
  • "The Hurt Locker" Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
  • "Inglourious Basterds" Sally Menke
  • "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire" Joe Klotz
Sound Editing
  • "Avatar" Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
  • "The Hurt Locker" Paul N.J. Ottosson
  • "Inglourious Basterds" Wylie Stateman
  • "Star Trek" Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
  • "Up" Michael Silvers and Tom Myers
Sound Mixing
  • "Avatar" Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
  • "The Hurt Locker" Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
  • "Inglourious Basterds" Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
  • "Star Trek" Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
  • "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson
Visual Effects
  • "Avatar" Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
  • "District 9" Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
  • "Star Trek" Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

NO ONE CARES OSCARS

Short Film (Animated)
  • "French Roast" Fabrice O. Joubert
  • "Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty" Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell
  • "The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)" Javier Recio Gracia
  • "Logorama" Nicolas Schmerkin
  • "A Matter of Loaf and Death" Nick Park
Short Film (Live Action)
  • "The Door" Juanita Wilson and James Flynn
  • "Instead of Abracadabra" Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström
  • "Kavi" Gregg Helvey
  • "Miracle Fish" Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey
  • "The New Tenants" Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson
Documentary (Feature)
  • "Burma VJ" Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
  • "The Cove" Nominees to be determined
  • "Food, Inc." Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
  • "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers" Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
  • "Which Way Home" Rebecca Cammisa
Documentary (Short Subject)
  • "China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province" Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill
  • "The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner" Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
  • "The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant" Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
  • "Music by Prudence" Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
  • "Rabbit à la Berlin" Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra
Makeup
  • "Il Divo" Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
  • "Star Trek" Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
  • "The Young Victoria" Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

MUSIC OSCARS

Music (Original Score)
  • "Avatar" James Horner
  • "Fantastic Mr. Fox" Alexandre Desplat
  • "The Hurt Locker" Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
  • "Sherlock Holmes" Hans Zimmer
  • "Up" Michael Giacchino
Music (Original Song)
  • "Almost There" from "The Princess and the Frog" Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
  • "Down in New Orleans" from "The Princess and the Frog" Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
  • "Loin de Paname" from "Paris 36" Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas
  • "Take It All" from "Nine" Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
  • "The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" from "Crazy Heart" Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

TRAILER TUESDAY: Which Oscar contender had the best trailer?

Best Picture Nominees
  • "Avatar"
  • "The Blind Side"
  • "District 9"
  • "An Education"
  • "The Hurt Locker"
  • "Inglourious Basterds"
  • "Precious"
  • "A Serious Man"
  • "Up"
  • "Up in the Air"

10) THE BLIND SIDE


9) INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

8) AN EDUCATION


7) A SERIOUS MAN


6) AVATAR


5) THE HURT LOCKER


4) DISTRICT 9


3) PRECIOUS


2) UP IN THE AIR


1) UP

Monday, March 1, 2010

Welcome to Oscar Week!


TELL ME MORE ABOUT THESE OSCARS
And the nominees are... (as if you didn't already know). If you want a printable ballot you can find them on numerous different websites including the official Academy Awards site.

MY ONLINE OSCARS POOL
Dig into some research at Yahoo! Movies and then join my pool and see if you can out-pick me. The only website that I found that would allow an online pool was funofficepools.com. The site is rather primitive, but seems to be functional. It is also free and updates live.

Join My Oscar Pool Here:

Here are the details if you need them:
Pool Name: Craig's Pool
Password: madison

MORE BACKGROUND
Here are some related posts about the Academy Awards on my blog:

ON THE BLOG THIS WEEK
  • Tuesday | Special Edition of Trailer Tuesday, I break down the best and the worst of the Best Picture nominee trailers.
  • Wednesday | I post my predictions for Oscars most people don't care about.
  • Thursday | I post my predictions for the best acting Oscars.
  • Friday | I post my predictions for Best Picture and other important Oscars.
  • Saturday | Check back for details on the Razzie Awards which will be announced the day before the Academy Awards
  • Sunday | All of my picks are out. I will be live-tweeting and posting commentary on the blog shortly after the show.
TWEET WITH ME
If you are on twitter and feel like joining the conversation, I would love to hear from you Sunday Night. Follow me at @boscohouse

Happy Oscars week everybody...

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Who is going to be the big winner at the Oscars?

Avatar vs. The Hurt Locker vs. Inglourious Basterds


There are two ways that you can define "big winner." First, you can go by the raw number of Oscar wins, or second, you can go by who wins best picture.

The three favorites for both of these distinctions are Avatar, The Hurt Locker and Inglourious Basterds. Avatar and The Hurt Locker are the obvious favorites, but Basterds has a chance to pull an upset based on the total number of nominations it received. Here is the breakdown:

"Avatar," (9 nominations)
(Art direction, Cinematography, Directing, Film editing, Original score, Best picture, Sound editing, Sound mixing, Visual effects)

The Hurt Locker (9 nominations)
(Jeremy Renner - Performance by an actor in a leading role, Cinematography, Directing, Film editing, Original score, Best picture, Sound editing, Sound mixing, Original screenplay)

Inglourious Basterds (8 nominations)
(Christoph Waltz - Performance by an actor in a supporting role, Cinematography, Directing, Film editing, Best picture, Sound editing, Sound mixing, Original screenplay)


Meanwhile, Up In the Air (6 nominations), Precious (6 nominations) and Up (5 nominations) are sleeper picks for the night's big winner. All are nominated for best picture.

Right now my money is on Avatar winning the most Oscars with The Hurt Locker winning best picture. In that case it is a split decision on who is the night's big winner. That is the way it should go anyway. I really hope Avatar doesn't win best picture and James Cameron better not win best director.

And the Oscar Nominees Are...

Best motion picture of the year
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

If you recall my predictions, I was pretty spot on. The only movie I really overlooked was An Education. The only other movie that I did not predict, but had hoped would get nominated, was Up.

The two movies that I had inserted into the other slots was Invictus and Crazy Heart. I haven't seen Crazy Heart yet, but I am more than okay with Invictus not getting a Best Picture nod.

Here are the nominees in the other categories that we care about. For the whole list check out Oscar.com here:http://oscar.go.com/nominations/nominees

Achievement in directing
James Cameron "Avatar"
Kathryn Bigelow "The Hurt Locker"
Quentin Tarantino "Inglourious Basterds"
Lee Daniels "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire"
Jason Reitman "Up in the Air"

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Jeff Bridges in "Crazy Heart"
George Clooney in "Up in the Air"
Colin Firth in "A Single Man"
Morgan Freeman in "Invictus"
Jeremy Renner in "The Hurt Locker"

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Matt Damon in "Invictus"
Woody Harrelson in "The Messenger"
Christopher Plummer in "The Last Station"
Stanley Tucci in "The Lovely Bones"
Christoph Waltz in "Inglourious Basterds"

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side"
Helen Mirren in "The Last Station"
Carey Mulligan in "An Education"
Gabourey Sidibe in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire"
Meryl Streep in "Julie & Julia"

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Penélope Cruz in "Nine"
Vera Farmiga in "Up in the Air"
Maggie Gyllenhaal in "Crazy Heart"
Anna Kendrick in "Up in the Air"
Mo'Nique in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire"

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Oscar Nominations Are Due Today, What Ten Movies Should Be Nominated for Best Picture?

If you have not already heard, there will be a new or old wrinkle, depending on how you look at it, at this year's Academy Awards.

This year, like it was done 66 years ago, ten films will be nominated for Best Picture instead of the typical five.


Today is the deadline for Academy voters to fill out their nomination ballots. The nominees will be announced on Tuesday, Feb. 2.

Here are the movies that seemingly have a shot:

The Hurt Locker -- Avatar -- Precious -- Up in the Air -- Up -- Inglorious Basterds -- District 9 -- An Education -- The Hangover -- The Blind Side -- Moon -- A Single Man -- Nine -- Invictus -- Crazy Heart -- Brothers -- Julie & Julia -- (500) Days of Summer -- A Serious Man -- The Messenger -- The Informant! -- Where the Wild Things Are

Out of that list this is my prediction on the final ten:

The Hurt Locker -- Avatar -- Precious -- Up in the Air -- Inglorious Basterds -- District 9 -- Crazy Heart -- A Single Man -- Invictus -- A Serious Man

Here are my preferences if I got to vote:

The Hurt Locker -- Avatar -- Up in the Air -- Inglorious Basterds -- A Single Man -- Crazy Heart -- Moon -- The Hangover -- Up -- (500) Days of Summer

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Record Deal for Mr. Schue, @shitmydadsays Gets A TV Show and Avatar's Oscar Chances

This is old news, but it is relatively new news to me. If you are a fan of @shitmydadsays you may know that the author, if you want to call him that, has a forth coming book, but you may not have known that he has a deal with CBS for a TV show.

I am still a little flummoxed by Avatar's big wins at the Golden Globes. It won Best Picture and Best Director for James Cameron. It is a good movie, the box office recites are amazing, but it is not the best movie to come out this year. Here is an opinion piece talking about it's Oscar chances. Let's hope common sense prevails.

Hey Glee fans, Mr. Schue has signed a record deal. This could be a crazy awesome idea or a crazy bad one -- only time will tell. Remember when Brian Austin Green tried to have a rap career.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

How Brittany Murphy Will Be Remembered, Her Top 5 Movies

I am sure you were all stunned as I was to find out that 32-year-old actress, Brittany Murphy died today of an apparent heart attack.

I wasn't a big fan of her, but it is still a sad thing being as young as she was. I am sure she will get a nice tribute at the Oscars.

Her biggest impact on me was either as the hapless sidekick in Clueless or, probably more so, as the voice of Luanne on the long-running animated FOX comedy, King of the Hill.

Murphy had roles in about 30 movies in her movie career, which was jump-started by her role as a stoner in 1995's Clueless.

Here is a quick Top 5 of Brittany Murphy flicks:

5. Girl, Interrupted
4. Sidewalks of New York
3. 8 Mile
2. Sin City
1. Clueless

It is notable that Murphy's best movies were the ones in which she had supporting roles. She was best received in smaller doses.

Check out a complete list of her movies here.