Monday, February 19, 2007

Oscar Update Take Four

Films Nominated: 58
Films Seen: 24
Oscar Countdown: 6 days!

ALL IMPORTANT OSCAR POOL IS HERE


Sadly, it was a slower week in movie-viewing land, but when you deal with jobs (plural) and kid (singular but seems like plural) and house (one house, but many messes) and furry critters (twelve feet and unending hair), it gets hard to sneak in much in the way of leisure time. However, I did add a few more films to the "seen" pile.

Babel
Two nominations for best supporting actress (Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi), Directing, Film Editing, Original musical score, Original screenplay and the big Kahuna -- Best picture. This was a very interesting film, and one that I wasn't planning on liking very much. Much like last year's film Crash, there is a degree of too-convenient interconnected storylines (this time on a global scale) that you simply have to accept. Once past that, however, it's an interesting examination of life across a wide spectrum of experiences and cultures. It's also probably the hardest film to explain, ever.

The Good German
Nominated for best Original musical score. In my basement I have a life-sized cardboard standee of that hairy hearthrob Fabio. Being cardboard, he always looks the same, and, if he were able to talk, I can imagine he would always sound the same, telling me in dulcet tones, "I can't believe it's not buttah!" You may be wondering what this nugget of information might have to do with the film "The Good German." Well, it stars George Clooney, or at least it said it did. I actually think it starred a cardboard standee of George Clooney that someone just moved from scene to scene to scene. It also starred an uncharacteristically hammy Cate Blanchett (doing her best Lotte Lenya impersonation throughout the entire film) and a ridiculous Tobey Maguire. What does all this have to do with the musical score? I can only imagine Thomas Newman (whom I love) felt he had to compensate for Clooney's blandness yet somehow match the over-the-top scene chewery of Blanchett and Maguire. The result was a cross between Stravinsky's Rite of Spring and the soundtrack to Dragnet. Bring on the Dinosaurs!

My Country, My Country
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature. This was part of the POV (Point of View) series for PBS, and examined life in Iraq leading up to the elections held in January, 2005. Fascinating film and well done, I don't expect this to beat either Inconvenient Truth or Jesus Camp.

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