Monday, February 26, 2007
To follow-up on my Oscar predictions... I must say that my stumbling block to a prediction sweep was the success of The Departed. I guess I need to watch that flick again - maybe I missed something. It is complex, interlaced with innumerable levels of connection between people who are not actually who they say they are.
Some of my moments of glee were:
Some of my moments of glee were:
- Forest Whitaker's prepared yet genuine acceptance speech for the Best Actor award,
- When Pan's Labryinth started to look like the Mexican revolution,
- The Lives of Others win. I truly hoped this would take the Best Foreign Language category because its a rare and raw film. It is a film that assumes that the viewer is really watching - showing you the tale, not telling it.
- Marty's win, finally for Best Director. When Coppola, Lucas and Spielberg showed up to present the award, I knew Marty had it in the bag. Ahh, the era of the Young Lions.
Overall, I felt the show was easy-going. Ellen didn't annoy me. The theme to recognize the nominee was long overdue - celebrate the talent not the win.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
And the Oscar goes to... who knows? This year is a real toss-up for nominees. Just like last year, A and I spent the past two weeks watching the Oscar nominated films. Of course, studio distributors ensure that the films make it into our greedy little hands in the last two to three weeks previous to the big show, both on the big screen and on DVD. This more often than not occurs after the Golden Globes (GG), which are prime indicators of the 'favourites'.
Interestingly, there are nominees for films that simply don't appeal to me despite their rave reviews. An example of which, for me this year, is Dreamgirls. I have no desire to see the flick while it hails Eddie Murphy (GG winner in Best Supporting Actor) and American Idol reject, Jennifer Hudson, (GG winner for Best Supporting Actress) as the favourites. In the case of Jennifer Hudson - kudos, because she certainly kicked Simon Cowell to the curb on this stellar feat.
I also don't care to see The Queen. I don't have any desire to revisit Princess Di's death and fallout, despite Helen Mirren's critically acclaimed performance. Many a friend has gone to the flick, due to the hype, and fallen asleep within a half-hour of its commencement.
Now, onto those that certainly earned the Oscar recognition...
Interestingly, there are nominees for films that simply don't appeal to me despite their rave reviews. An example of which, for me this year, is Dreamgirls. I have no desire to see the flick while it hails Eddie Murphy (GG winner in Best Supporting Actor) and American Idol reject, Jennifer Hudson, (GG winner for Best Supporting Actress) as the favourites. In the case of Jennifer Hudson - kudos, because she certainly kicked Simon Cowell to the curb on this stellar feat.
I also don't care to see The Queen. I don't have any desire to revisit Princess Di's death and fallout, despite Helen Mirren's critically acclaimed performance. Many a friend has gone to the flick, due to the hype, and fallen asleep within a half-hour of its commencement.
Now, onto those that certainly earned the Oscar recognition...
- Volver - Penelope Cruz in Espanol is where she demonstrates her true ability as an actor. I adore Pedro Almodovar movies, and this one certainly meets, if not exceeds my high expectations.
- Adriana Barraza & Rinko Kikuchi in Babel - These two ladies, completely unknown to me, frankly blew my mind. Between Barazza's idealistic sincerity and Kikuchi's deaf-mute screaming loneliness, the film's intent to address miscommunication was vivid.
- The Lives of Others - I saw this film hours ago and my mind is sifting through the subtleties of HGW's face. This film uses the historical context of the political divide between East and West Germany to tell about a person's values turned on their head and what consequences and potential redemption can occur as a result. Brilliant acting, writing, directing and soul.
- Little Miss Sunshine - What a delightful flick this is. A and I had to pause the DVD for a full five minutes to laugh, chortle, wheeze and cry over the VW horn. Maybe we could relate to that moment simply because we've done enough road trips to know what chaos can ensue with an older vehicle. Alan Arkin was hands down the highlight of this feature.
So, I've made a few predictions which are formulated on a mix of hype, GG wins and film mag reviews. I've also indicated who I'd like to see win, but those I'm not placing bets on.
Performance by an actor in a leading role:
- Winner: Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland. He's won everything else and he is so deserving. Whitaker is brilliant in a Jarmusch film I heart called Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai.
- Tfoxfan: Ryan Gosling in Half-Nelson. This fella knows how to transform himself to any role. I always forget his real name when I'm watching his films. See Gosling for the goods in The Believer.
Performance by an actor in a supporting role:
- Winner: Eddie Murphy in Dreamgirls. I don't like this choice, but he is favoured. Does anyone remember Axel Foley? Really, that's the last time I liked him in anything, with the exception of Buckwheat on SNL.
- Tfoxfan: Alan Arkin in Little Miss Sunshine.
Performance by an actress in a leading role:
- Winner: Helen Mirren in The Queen.
- Tfoxfan: Penelope Cruz in Volver. Hubba hubba. And ooh, poor Meryl Streep... 12 times nominated, 2 times winner. If she had been nominated for Best Supporting for this role in The Devil Wears Prada, which is what her role is, she'd have won in that category hands down.
Performance by an actress in a supporting role:
- Winner: Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls.
- Tfoxfan: Adriana Barrazza in Babel.
Achievement in Directing:
- Winner: Marty Scorsece for The Departed. Another Susan Lucci story here... always a nominee, never a winner. It's time, Hollywood to make him a capo.
- Tfoxfan: Alejandro Gonzales Innaritu for Babel. Yep, this Mexi is a keeper.
Best foreign language film of the year:
- Winner: The Lives of Others
- Tfoxfan: The Lives of Others. Vielen Danke.
Best motion picture of the year:
- Winner: Babel. This film is just sooo Oscar - score, content, relevance, look and cast.
- Tfoxfan: Babel. Yep, I like it, more than The Departed. I had some serious trouble with the continuity of The Departed and Jack was just too darn distracting.
Best Adapted screenplay:
- Winner: The Departed. Like I said, I felt there were flaws in the complex tale, but it's quite compelling.
- Tfoxfan: Children of Men. A film that is eerily viable, entertaining, fresh and inspiring.
Best Original screenplay:
- Winner: Babel.
- Tfoxfan: Little Miss Sunshine.
It should be a great show. It's certainly a marker year for Spanish cinema - primarily Mexicans. Check it out:
- Volver,
- Innarritu,
- Guillermo Arriaga (Babel writer),
- Barazza,
- Alfonso Cuaron (Children of Men writer & director),
- and Guillermo del Toro (writer & director of Pan's Labyrinth).
Have fun and don't get too distracted by Ellen. Grrr...
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Having completed a two+ month push to get a grip of my workload, finish a final paper, complete a final exam, and somewhere within all of that see A and retain a piece of personal fitness, I'm delighted to announce that I've turned a corner. Last week marked the beginning of my new-kind of sanity. I am so pleased at the outcome of the work I completed - both career-wise and in my ongoing studies. In retrospect, I wonder whether the insanity of the workload was in any way rational. It certainly wasn't sustainable.
I think about folks I know or those who are famous that I admire. I wonder about their long-term life manageability. How long have these people sustained a lifestyle of an insane workload - whether it be in the pursuit of personal dreams and goals or campaigning for socioeconomic change or living a dynamic (aka 'busy') life built on their values and purpose. Keeping that in mind, is it only possible for one to be 'great' for a brief period in his/her life?
The workload that I was dealing with wasn't touching on greatness, it was about a momentary contribution to facets of my life - at work and in education - that I beleive are important. What then is involved, if not required, to be great just for a moment? Oh Bono, where are thou?
I think about folks I know or those who are famous that I admire. I wonder about their long-term life manageability. How long have these people sustained a lifestyle of an insane workload - whether it be in the pursuit of personal dreams and goals or campaigning for socioeconomic change or living a dynamic (aka 'busy') life built on their values and purpose. Keeping that in mind, is it only possible for one to be 'great' for a brief period in his/her life?
The workload that I was dealing with wasn't touching on greatness, it was about a momentary contribution to facets of my life - at work and in education - that I beleive are important. What then is involved, if not required, to be great just for a moment? Oh Bono, where are thou?
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Oh, hello again blog...
Of late, my life has taken on new momentum. What's happened is I have officially become a science experiment. Haha, actually... I'm pregnant. Just over four months, in fact. Being pregnant is amusing to me on so many levels. Why amusing? I guess because it has to be funny because the reality of it is too shocking. Let me clarify, we were not shocked by the news, rather it is so real that it's happening and that can be, quite frankly, simply overwhelming.
My body is remarkably adapting. I am in awe of its ability to move and change. The noticeable 'side' effects are distracting while seamless somehow. My shape is ever-awkward and yet completely natural. Pregnancy is sort of like a contradiction. For example, I feel healthy but off balance. I am joyful while quietly mourning my complete autonomy. I'm busy in my head with things to do and deliberately not doing them because that would seem very real. I'm amused by the changes going on within (and out of) me while annoyed by my obvious disproportionateness not to mention the duration of this process. Maybe pregnancy is less of a condradiction and more of an oxymoron. Like I recall from English 11 while reading Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet that love is like 'sweet sorrow'.
And so, my pontifications from hereonin may reflect that of a physically unbalanced while emotionally checked woman in the pursuit of lifestyle locomotion.
Of late, my life has taken on new momentum. What's happened is I have officially become a science experiment. Haha, actually... I'm pregnant. Just over four months, in fact. Being pregnant is amusing to me on so many levels. Why amusing? I guess because it has to be funny because the reality of it is too shocking. Let me clarify, we were not shocked by the news, rather it is so real that it's happening and that can be, quite frankly, simply overwhelming.
My body is remarkably adapting. I am in awe of its ability to move and change. The noticeable 'side' effects are distracting while seamless somehow. My shape is ever-awkward and yet completely natural. Pregnancy is sort of like a contradiction. For example, I feel healthy but off balance. I am joyful while quietly mourning my complete autonomy. I'm busy in my head with things to do and deliberately not doing them because that would seem very real. I'm amused by the changes going on within (and out of) me while annoyed by my obvious disproportionateness not to mention the duration of this process. Maybe pregnancy is less of a condradiction and more of an oxymoron. Like I recall from English 11 while reading Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet that love is like 'sweet sorrow'.
And so, my pontifications from hereonin may reflect that of a physically unbalanced while emotionally checked woman in the pursuit of lifestyle locomotion.
