Sunday, February 25, 2007

Oscar Update - Guts and Guesses Edition

Films Nominated: 58
Films Seen: 28
Oscar Countdown: Today, Baby!


ALL IMPORTANT OSCAR POOL IS HERE

If you haven't entered the Oscar pool, do it, do it, do IT! And take it from me, it doesn't help one tiny bit if you've seen the films or not. The Oscars aren't about watching movies -- they're about red carpets, rented diamonds and rewarding whomever is the cool kid on the block (Or, the almost dead kid who never won an award before). So if your excuse is but I don't know nothin' about pickin' no movies, Miss Scarlett, well, tough. Pick em' anyway. NOW NOW NOW!

But first (/Chenbot)...

It's Oscar day. After three weeks of painful cinematic cramming, I'm happy to say that at I passed the halfway point of nominated films. I have a couple more options I could try to see, but I know for a fact, that isn't going to happen before show time tonight, so here is one final wrap-up of the good, the bad and the ugly -- with a side of Hummus.


Venus
Nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Peter O'Toole). I have to say Peter O'Toole was fabulous in this film. The subject matter wasn't groundbreaking (Old man takes young, rambunctious girl under his wing and they form an unlikely relationship) but O'Toole did what he did so very well, the entire movie was simply enchanting. He's got tough competition from Forest Whitacker in the Last King of Scotland, but O'Toole also has that "almost dead kid who never won an award before" thing going on, so there could be an upset.


Marie Antoinette
Nominated for Costume Design. First the good: The costumes were pretty. Now the bad: How long do you have? This should win an award for hey idiots, the subject matter was handed to you on a gilded plate and how could you make a movie about important people living during a critical time in history AND STILL HAVE NO SCRIPT? Honestly, this would not have been the film by which to learn history, because the sum of the education would have been when Marie Antoinette woke up every morning and ate, they always played Vivaldi. But the rest of the time it was all indie rock-and-roll, baby. AND there was no head chopping. GreenTuna rating: Let them eat Mince Pie. Bleah.


West Bank Story
Nominated for Live Action Short Film. This *snap* Was *snap* Hy *snap* sterical *snap*!! A short film about two competing Hummus huts along the West Bank, the Israelis and the Palestinians were the modern day Sharks and Jets complete with choreography and a love duet sung on an outdoor stairwell. I don't care if it wins or not, but I sure hope tonight's swag-bags include a Hummus Hut hat. Classic.


Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Nominated for Art Direction, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Visual Effects. Admitting up from that I never saw Pirates the First One, I'm trying to think of what to say that doesn't make me sound like a cranky old person who doesn't like any of these durn newfangled movies. So let's see: Johnny Depp? He seemed to have fun and didn't creep me out like he did in the previews of Willy Wonka. I think I'd go for visual effects, because well, they were pretty effective, and better than an upside-down boat or a flying guy (that I never saw). As for the rest, what can I say? It was silly, It was every piratey stereotype imaginable crammed into one movie (ARRGH), and I sure hope the orchestra enjoyed playing in 6/8 for two hours -- because yeah, it's the nautical thing to do.

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