I've been watching or covering the Oscars with varying degrees since 1998. And I can say with certainty, this is the most wide open race I've ever seen.
The amount of blood on the floor, the amount of money and mud thrown around, and the sheer numbers of different frontrunners has been startling. And with each new revelation or each new award we start to think of the possible scenarios. At this point, our fingernails are chewed clean off.
Sure there have been other tight races: 2009's "The Hurt Locker" vs. "Avatar," 2004's "Million Dollar Baby" vs. "The Aviator," and 1998's "Saving Private Ryan" vs. "Shakespeare in Love," but this year is seems different.
This year there are an endless array of possibilities from who will win Best Director and Best Actress to which films people love compared to what they merely respect.
Will Ben Affleck and "Argo" continue their sweep of public sympathy for the Director "snub," or will "Lincoln" outsmart its way to the top? Can "Life of Pi" dominate the awards like its quietly been dominating the world wide box office? Actors love "Silver Linings Playbook," but will the rest of the Academy?
Will a James Bond theme song finally win an award? There are tight races from top to bottom from production design to sound editing.
So here's my guesses and ideas about what may happen on Sunday night. Will some of them be wrong? Yes! And thank god for that because without the surprises....things get boring.
The Lucky One-Adaptations of Nicholas Sparks' novels have always been a grating endeavor. All that perfect golden lighting; all those doleful looks of romantic longing; all that disease. With the exception of the "The Notebook" (a glorious bit of cheese that's surpassed by huge lush emotions at every turn), none of his films have ever felt like more than a cheap excuse to stare at Hollywood's latest couple of it-kids with their perfect six pack and super shiny hair fall in love and then have it complicated by war, fate, or whatever the new hip malady-of-the-moment is.
"The Lucky One" starring Zach Efron might have hit an all-time low. Set in the bayous of Louisiana, the film chronicles Logan a Marine just home from a third tour of Iraq. He's trying to hunt down this mysterious woman he saw in a picture that he found while overseas that he calls his "guardian angel." Turns out this angel is Beth (Taylor Schilling) a dog trainer with her own slew of emotional and personal troubles including a geeky son and his easily-tempered sheriff father and a dead Marine brother. Throw in the wise elder (Blythe Danner) schilling her sage advice, the down home spirit of Sarah Palin's America, ooh and dogs, and you have a painful, molasses-covered hunk of every cliche possible stuffed into a bad fruitcake of a movie. Grade: D (Available now on DVD)
The Dictator- When this project was first announced, I had hoped (maybe naively) that Sacha Baron Cohen would be making his own send-up of Chaplin's classic "The Great Dictator." Unfortunately, what we got was another Cohen film filled with the same slightly racist, slightly sexist, slightly controversial comedy. Cohen and his team never seem to push any of the beats far enough for them to be truly daring or witty enough to make a flash of a crotch or an joke about Islamic misogyny anything more than what it is.
Cohen is fine as the out-of-touch northern African dictator. He certainly has comic chops, but this doesn't quite showcase how flavorful it can be. Anna Faris is wasted as his feminist, free-trade loving, politically correct "love interest?" and I kept thinking poor Ben Kingsley obviously must be going broke....because otherwise, why would he be in this. It's not until the final five minutes do we see Cohen's real intelligence, but at that point it's too late. Another missed opportunity. Grade: C- (Available now on DVD)
Battleship- This movie makes a "Transformers" movie look like "Citizen Kane." This clunky, asinine action flick has about as much to do with the board game that inspired it as a hand grenades have to do with tea parties. It certainly has its patriotic hat squarely on its head though. Between the supporting performance by the double amputee, the WWII veterans, and the multiple fly overs in Navy bombers, you'd think you were watching the pre-game festivities at the Super Bowl rather than shoot-em-up, maritime, alien flick. Taylor Kitsch (of "Friday Night Lights" fame) starts the film like a meth addict (all twitchy-eyed and jittery) then, suddenly half way through it feels like the personality vacuum came through and sucked his charisma dry. Poor Liam Neeson is- forgive me- left out to sea by a concept that is just too terrible for words. The only reason this isn't an F is because the plot points and the disgusting dialogue are too awesomely bad not to chuckle at....unintentionally of course. Miss. Grade: D- (Available now on DVD)
After the jump....Friends with Kids, Prometheus, and The Five-Year Engagement
Trying to cover every film with a 200 word review seems overly complicated, and not that interesting considering neither were some of these films. Enter the Twitter length posts. For a closer look at any one of these particularly, feel free to ask in the comments.
Wanderlust: Game line readings from a rowdy band of misfits + Aniston, but story wears thin and jokes feel too much like work. Grade: B- (now on DVD) Jeff, Who Lives At Home: Sweet & sad comedy about fate and family buoyed by smart turns esp. Sarandon, but sunk by indecisiveness. Grade: B (now on DVD) The Pirates! Band of Misfits: Nimble jokes and good stop-motion. Missing some of the cheek of Chicken Run or Wallace & Gromit. Grade: B- (now on DVD)
Haywire: Tense, muscular, and sobering action flick with a fine-looking cast but
zero resonance or effort involved. Seems like auto-pilot. Grade: B- (now on DVD)
Chico & Rita: Beautiful music, sensual story with some unique animation. Arcs still feel been-there-done-that despite the palpable heat. Grade: B (on DVD 9/18)
2 Days in New York: Delpy is a savvy lady and Rock's subtlety a treat, but
comedic beats feel pushed too far and drama feels hollow. Grade: C+ (in theaters and VOD)
More including Dark Shadows, Men In Black 3, and American Reunion after the cut.
Broadcast News- Set in the realm of
high-powered and fast-paced network news, “Broadcast News” plays as both workplace
love triangle but also a comedic, cannily-detailed indictment of that late 80s
news climate. Written and directed by James L. Brooks, the film presents the
lives of the pretty boy anchor Tom (William Hurt), the principled yet abrasive reporter
Aaron (Albert Brooks), and the basket-case producer Jane (Holly Hunter) and how
they try to balance work, personal relationships, and the behind-the-scenes
network shuffling.
Back in the 80s, Brooks really could do no wrong. His
timing, his ability to find comedy and pathos in such different situations was
really superb, and “Broadcast” is his best. Here he writes these three
characters with such distinct dynamics. They can have dialogue that’s
intelligent and not solely based on their relationships; work can be
interesting too. It’s a refreshing adult romantic comedy.
Holly
Hunter, in her breakthrough role, is a wonder as Jane. Watching her try to
grasp desperately onto her set-in-stone workplace principles despite her heart
being pulled another way is as captivating for the audience as is it
excruciating for her.
Brooks does his best to find his dark sardonic
humor in the material and his prickly self-deprecation fit right in to the
milieu. Hurt, riding his mid-80s career
high, does small nuanced work as the slightly out-of-touch Tom who’s willing to
do anything to get ahead. All three leads play well off of each other too.
Whether it’s the oil and water like Brooks and Hurt, or the rising heat between
Hunter and Hurt, the sparks fly between every duo. The open-ended conclusion to
this tale does feel a bit hasty, but that’s probably more a credit to Brooks
for moving the story along so swiftly. Grade:
A
Michelle Pfeiffer and her Bridges Boys after the cut.
Ever since a cowboy doll named Woody stood up and started walking and
talking around Andy’s room, Pixar has asked us to believe.
They want us to believe there are still monsters in our closets, and that
superheroes are living amongst us just like everybody else.
They’ve asked us to relate to a rat
who aspires to be a chef in a French restaurant, and they’ve even asked to
believe a curmudgeonly old man with a heart ready to burst could fly his house
to South America carried by balloons.
But this time, with their Scottish, girl power, fairytale "Brave,"
Pixar has asked us something even more shocking. They asked us to believe in
magic. And it’s through this magic, that this adventurous and sweet-natured
film mines its biggest surprises and its biggest heart.
Set in ancient Scotland, during a time of warring clans and arranged
marriages, Princess Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald) is not your typical
princess. With her mane of manic red hair as wild as she is, she traipses about
the kingdom bow at the ready practicing her target shooting, climbing
mountains, and or riding her black horse Angus trying to find as much adventure
as she can get her hands on. She’s never worried about being ladylike.
That is…until she gets home.
As soon as she walks into the castle, she’s quickly inundated by the
ever-watchful, ever-present voice of her mother, Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson).
Elinor’s trying to raise her daughter as a well-born princess; she instructs
her on proper attire, table manners, and of course, how to be presentable for
an eventual husband. When the eldest sons of the other clans are brought to
compete for her Merida’s hand in marriage, she’s obviously none too pleased.
Catch up on all the latest film trailers right here in the Trailer Roundup. Today we have cinematic snapshots from a couple summer releases looking for added buzz, the latest glimpses from Paul Thomas Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, Pixar's latest romp for next summer, and a couple of little movies that look pretty great.
Which ones are you excited for? Which ones will you skip? Feel free to comment galore.
Django Unchained- After rewriting the outcome of World War II, Quentin Tarantino turns his attention to the slave-era South where his latest bloody, pulpy revenge film filled with his trademark dialogue, complicated interesting characters and plenty of blood. "Django" stars Jamie Foxx as the titular Django, a slave freed by a German dentist-turned-bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz). The two men are headed to find the infamous Calvin Candie (an overly coiffed Leonardo Dicaprio) and his plantation Candieland where Django's wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) is enslaved.
Quentin loves his B genre films, and after making his noir, gangster, blaxplotation, and kung-fu films, it looks to finally be the spaghetti western is always hinted at making. Plus...Leo Dicaprio looks to be having more fun than he's ever had in at least a decade. (Dec. 25)
The Master- A new Paul Thomas Anderson film is always cause for celebration and excitement, and "The Master" is no exception. Closely resembling the story of the rise of L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology, the film set in a post-WWII film tells of a appealing intellectual (Hoffman) who launches a religious organization.
A drifter (Phoenix) becomes his right-hand man, but as the faith begins
to gain a fervent following, the drifter finds himself questioning the
belief system and his mentor.
The two different teasers are enigmatic and odd, but the Jonny Greenwood score is in full force as are the stunning visuals by Mihai Malaimare Jr.. Phoenix seems to finally gotten over his "I'm Still Here" and is back in a big way, and you can never count Phillip Seymour Hoffman out. Plus, Amy Adams!! (Oct. 12 in limited release)
Teaser 1
Teaser 2
Pitch Perfect- Taking advantage of the huge popularity of acapella as seen in "The Sing-Off" and in an even bigger way "Glee," this bitchy musical comedy stars Anna Kendrick ("Up in the Air" and "50/50") as a college freshman whose browbeaten into joining her college's all-female singing group. She injects some much needed energy into their act, and it's just in time for an annual campus competition against the rival boys' group. I think it looks fresh, silly, and funny, and after things like "Mean Girls" and "Easy A" hint at it with individual musical sequences, its nice to see the music front and center. I'm a huge fan of Anna Kendrick, and it'll be nice to see her take the lead in her first film of this nature. Plus a little nod to "No Diggity," and you can never go wrong with that. (Oct. 5)
After the cut, many more trailers including Denzel Washington's latest drama, a sweet little romance from Dayton/Farris, a promising phone sex comedy, and....an R-rated NSFW "Magic Mike" trailer you can't miss.
I was already excited, but now, I'm nearly foaming at the mouth.
Focus Features has unveiled a first look at their giant adaptation of Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina." Featuring some awe-inspiring pomp and circumstance, it seems the novel is going to be given the lush and expansive treatment it richly deserves.
Directed by Joe Wright and adapted for the screen by god-among-men Tom Stoppard, from what we can glean from the trailer, the film detailing the search for love and happiness of a young woman and her embattled affair amongst Russian's aristocracy is going to oscillate between real live sets and a limbo-like set with a stage, amphitheater, and gilded ballroom. If the ambition on display pans out as well as it looks in these two and a half minutes, audiences are in for a real treat. (Plus it'll be absolute catnip for the Academy.)
After the Oscars, I did give myself a self-imposed hiatus from the movies. Reboot, relax, and try to recharge for yet another great foray into the year in cinema. I caught up on old things I love ("The Bridges of Madison County," TV's "The West Wing"), some guilty pleasures (the original "Beverly Hills 90210") things I like a whole lot more than when I caught them the first time ("The Fighter," Douglas Sirk's "Imitation of Life"), and new things I had never seen before that now I'm having a bit of a love affair ("Junebug," "Spirited Away," and "Before Sunset").
But I'm finally ready to start giving the reviews of the things I've been seeing...the good, the bad, and the abominable.
The Hunger Games- With all that hype, all that fan girl anticipation, could writer/director Gary Ross and his team ever live up to the potential laid out by Suzanne Collins and her ever-popular trilogy? Yes and No. It's a thrilling film that does set up how high the stakes really are and what will inevitably follow as well as the colorful characters we will see. It has a sterling first hour, fully realized set pieces and some really touching moments as well. Jennifer Lawrence is able to find some of those layered emotions, and
her portrayal of Katinss's uncomfortability with being the star is honed
just right.
The film eventually pulls its punches in the second half though. Especially in regards to the violence. We're witnessing children killing other children...for sport, yet we never seem to feel like anyone is willing to look into that and ask why? Or....how having to kill affects these kids. Plus the camera moves and cuts so quickly as to avoid the audience seeing the atrocity of the games (and an R rating) that we're left just jumbled rather than shocked. It's just too long too. Grade: B
Titanic 3D- I never had the opportunity to see Titanic in theaters back in the day. My mom felt it was not yet appropriate for her fourth grader. So the opportunity to see it was something I couldn't pass up. And I'll say after all these years multiple viewings on both DVD and television, the film is still a great piece of work. Sure there's some wonky dialogue, and Billy Zane is hysterically off (especially in that moment where he goes all Rambo, pulls the gun and chases Jack & Rose through the sinking ship), but the romance is great, and the final hour as the ship is going down is incredibly thrilling. James Cameron made "Titanic" like Shakespeare's "Hamlet" in that it's one of those great kitchen sink pieces. It has something in it for everyone. There's action, romance, cheesy melodrama, and Bill Paxton. The 3D transfer was a nice touch as well. Grade: A
21 Jump Street- What could have been a smug and overly violent action comedy ends up being very funny and had a bit of a heart. Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum are pitch perfect as these young-looking cops trying to crack the undercover drug world of high school. When they arrive and see that they live in a world where environmentalism is in, being a bully and a jock is out, and hipster is in, it throws them all off, setting up even funnier situations. Has a great 80s throwback vibe without being so slavish it can't move forward. The end does get a bit "Pineapple Express" excessive with the violence, and the villain is a bit lame. Channing Tatum is a real star though, and the film shows that. Grade: B+
After the cut, the latest from Studio Ghibli, The Vow, and the teen rager Project X
I've been watching or covering the Oscars with varying degrees since 1998. And I can say with certainty, this is the most wide open race I've ever seen. 
