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Showing posts with label The Hurt Locker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Hurt Locker. 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.

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.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

The SAG Awards: THE HURT LOCKER Snubbed Again, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS is the Big Winner


So Inglourious Basterds took home the top prize at the Screen Actors Guild Awards Saturday. This is probably well-deserved, however, it is another snub for what I consider to be the best film of the year, The Hurt Locker.

Film


Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
"The Hurt Locker"
"Precious"
"Nine"
"An Education"
"Inglourious Basterds" - WINNER

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Jeff Bridges, "Crazy Heart" - WINNER
George Clooney, "Up in the Air"
Colin Firth, "A Single Man"
Morgan Freeman, "Invictus"
Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker"

Wait, what? Sandra Bullock beat Meryl Streep and Helen Mirren? How did that happen?

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

Sandra Bullock, "The Blind Side" - WINNER
Helen Mirren, "The Last Station"
Carey Mulligan, "An Education"
Gabourey Sidibe, "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' By Sapphire"
Meryl Streep, "Julie & Julia"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Matt Damon, "Invictus"
Woody Harrelson, "The Messenger"
Christopher Plummer, "The Last Station"
Stanley Tucci, "The Lovely Bones"
Christoph Waltz, "Inglourious Basterds" - WINNER

Is Mo'Nique the Oscar favorite now?

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

Penelope Cruz, "Nine"
Vera Farmiga, "Up in the Air"
Anna Kendrick, "Up in the Air"
Diane Kruger, "Inglourious Basterds"
Mo'Nique, "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' By Sapphire" - WINNER

Outstanding Stunt Ensemble:

"Public Enemies"
"Star Trek" - WINNER
"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen"

Mad Men is pretty deserving here. The show's cast is great from top to bottom.

TV

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
"The Closer"
"Dexter"
"The Good Wife"
"Mad Men" - WINNER
"True Blood"

Nice. More Glee Club Love.

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

"30 Rock"
"Curb Your Enthusiasm"
"Glee" - WINNER
"Modern Family"
"The Office"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Simon Baker, "The Mentalist"
Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"
Michael C. Hall, "Dexter" - WINNER
Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"
Hugh Laurie, "House"

I really don't want to watch "The Good Wife," stop winning stuff. I don't want to have to watch you.

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actress in a Drama Series

Patricia Arquette, "Medium"
Glenn Close, "Damages"
Mariska Hargitay, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
Holly Hunter, "Saving Grace"
Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife" - WINNER
Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock" - WINNER
Steve Carell, "The Office"
Larry David, "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
Tony Shalhoub, "Monk"
Charlie Sheen, "Two and a Half Men"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actress in a Comedy Series
Christina Applegate, "Samantha Who?"
Toni Collette, "The United States of Tara"
Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie"
Tina Fey, "30 Rock" - WINNER
Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, "The New Adventures of Old Christine"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Kevin Bacon, "Taking Chance" - WINNER
Cuba Gooding, Jr., "Gifted Hands"
Jeremy Irons, "Georgia O"Keefe"
Kevin Kline, "Great Performances: Cyrano de Bergerac"
Tom Wilkinson, "A Number"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actress in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Joan Allen, "Georgia O'Keefe"
Drew Barrymore, "Grey Gardens" - WINNER
Ruby Dee, "America"
Jessica Lange, "Grey Gardens"
Sigourney Weaver, "Prayers for Bobby"

Outstanding Stunt Ensemble:
"24" - WINNER
"The Closer"
"Dexter"
"Heroes"
"The Unit"

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

3. THE HURT LOCKER -- My Top 10 Favorite Movies of 2009 (so far)


This was one of the most intense movies that I have seen in recent years.

It is by far the best war movie made about the Iraq War. I doubt anybody will top it. It is beautiful, stirring and brazen.

I expect The Hurt Locker to win a lot of awards in February.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Initial Thoughts on the Golden Globe Nominations – Motion Picture Edition

The Golden Globe Nominations are out. Let the speculation, jawing and general ranting and raving begin.

There is not a lot that I can say about the movie nominations – largely, like most people, I haven't had the opportunity to see most of them. I am sure I will have more to say after a few visits to the local theater. I will make full predictions before the show (Check out the all the nominations here).

Here are my initial thoughts and predictions on the major categories:
Best Motion Picture -- Drama
Avatar, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, Up In The Air
It seems like the momentum is behind The Hurt Locker at this point. It has been at the top of a number of major critics groups over the last week.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture -- Drama
Emily Blunt (The Young Victoria), Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side), Helen Mirren (The Last Station), Carey Mulligan (An Education), Gabourey Sidibe (Precious)
I have no idea. I haven't seen any of these movies yet. If I had to put money on it, I would go with Mirren.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture -- Drama
Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), George Clooney (Up In The Air), Colin Firth (A Single Man), Morgan Freeman (Invictus), Tobey Maguire (Brothers)
Again, I have seen none of these movies, but I have heard raves about each one of them. Some are saying that Jeff Bridges could get rewarded for years of quality service without awards. I would be okay with that. I think he's owed one for playing the Dude in The Big Lebowski.
Best Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy
(500) Days Of Summer, The Hangover, It's Complicated, Julie & Julia, Nine
This is a toss-up category. I have only seen (500) Days of Summer and The Hangover, so I can't give a good pick. That said, The Hangover, seems to be a favorite.
Best Director - Motion Picture
Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) James Cameron (Avatar), Clint Eastwood (Invictus), Jason Reitman (Up In The Air), Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds)
This is probably the most interesting category. First of all you have the match-up of Bigelow and Cameron, who were married from 1989 to 1991. Then throw in Eastwood and Tarantino and we have some debating to do – but lets not forget the 32-year-old Reitman who is getting a lot of kudos. Up In The Air is his follow up to Juno.