Dejá Vu

Just saw The Runaways again last night it was so good. Like I said, GO OUT AND SEE IT. You will NOT be disappointed.

Mostly I just watched Kristen Stewart more, because Dakota Fanning really steals the show the first time you watch it. This time I focused on Kristen Stewart and was blown away by what I saw.

The Runaways

This movie pleasantly surprised me in more ways than one. From the reviews I read, (which all graded the movie within a B range), I gathered that the reviewers were of the opinion that the movie focused too much on the individual characters and not enough on the feeling of the age. It was too character driven, they said, and missed out on an opportunity to showcase an entire decade of music history. I would just like to point out that the title of the movie is "The Runaways", not "A Brief History of Rock and Roll in the mid-70's". I was completely satisfied with the movie because I got exactly what I expected (the story of the band and the two most famous women who made it up) and most times a great deal more. I would recommend this movie to anyone. If the film were a history of rock and roll, then only people who appreciate that kind of music would be interested in seeing it. But this film goes beyond that; it is a tale of adolescence, of growing up and finding out who you are, who you want to be. I absolutely loved Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning's portrayal of Joan Jett and Cherie Currie. Both actresses eclipsed all work they'd done in the past, and I've seen a lot of both actress' work. People always give Kristen Stewart a tough time about her acting. I ask those people to take a look at the roles she's been given: they're not oscar-nominated screenplays, huh? Those roles are either cliché or poorly written altogether. She has not had her chance to prove herself with an awesome character and a well-written script. In The Runaways she does and she gives an understated yet powerful performance. As for Dakota Fanning, I can only wonder where she gets her inspiration. How a 15-year-old with, to my knowledge, no experience with drugs can give such a believable performance of a drug addict is beyond me. It is baffling (in a good way). She blew me away. The artistic direction gave the movie the grunge feel of the era, and the costumes were superb and in most cases exactly mimicked what the real artists wore; no liberties were taken. The reviews may have lamented the fact that music history was not represented thoroughly enough, but I was more than satisfied with The Runaways' story of teenage success, rebellion, and survival.

Shutter Island

I've seen Shutter Island twice and I enjoyed it both times. The second time was actually more fun because I knew the surprise ending and could look for the hints about it, the clues that led up to the twist! With the exception of corny lines at times (but it was set in the 50s, so that is to be expected...) and SUPER disturbing subject matter that made me bawl my eyes out during the last 30 minutes I loved the film. I LOVED the cinematography and the art direction; there were some beautiful visuals! Overall, for a Scorsese film, it was a little below average; why, I couldn't say. I really don't know why I thought it was subpar compared to The Departed and Mystic River, but it was. That doesn't make it a bad film. A below-average Scorsese film is still a superb film. Overall, the performances were brilliant. Leo is always spectacular; it's almost annoying how good of an actor he is. Ben Kingsley was wonderful, so chilling. His calm manner compels you to listen. Mark Ruffalo gave a surprisingly understated performance that is awesome to watch the second time around. The only week link I'd say is Michelle Williams. She really only comes into her own at the end of the film. Granted, her character is not particularly written very well until the last half hour and she just has random appearances all over the place and we're not quite sure who she is as a character. So... you have to take that into account. As an actress, I like her very much. She just had an awkward role. I'd recommend this movie to everyone but the people who are easily upset by traumatic events (there are SO many!) Go see it. You won't be disappointed.

THE RESULTS!

I'm sorry I'm so late in posting the Academy Awards results! I've had to do some Midterms work. Ick.

BEST PICTURE: The Hurt Locker

BEST DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow

BEST ACTOR: Jeff Bridges

BEST ACTRESS: Sandra Bullock

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christoph Waltz

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mo'nique

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM: Up

BEST FOREIGN FILM: El Secreto de sus Ojos (Argentina)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Mark Boal 'The Hurt Locker'

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Geoffrey Fletcher 'Precious'

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: The Cove

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: Up

BEST ORIGINAL SONG: The Weary Kind- Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett (Crazy Heart)

BEST FILM EDITING: The Hurt Locker

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Avatar

BEST COSTUME DESIGN: The Young Victoria

BEST ART DIRECTION: Avatar

BEST MAKEUP: Star Trek

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: Avatar (Big surprise!)

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Short Subject): Music by Prudence

BEST SHORT FILM (Animated): Logorama

BEST SHORT FILM (Live Action): The New Tenants (Yay!)

BEST SOUND EDITING: The Hurt Locker

BEST SOUND MIXING: The Hurt Locker


So, apparently I underestimated The Hurt Locker! I'm certainly happy that Avatar only received the awards it deserved. And I'm happy that my favorite Live Action Short Film won! Overall, I learned that even if you watch all the movies you will only be able to predict a couple more categories than if you only watch about a quarter (as I have in years past). It was still an amazing time! I love being able to truly appreciate who won and why, having seen all the entries! Thanks for sticking with me, faithful readers (I actually have no idea how many people have seen this blog or even regularly check it out!) But I will continue to report on movies I see during this year, especially ones that appear to be Oscar-worthy. I intend to watch more movies over the course of the year so I don't have to squeeze them all in at the last minute! Up next: my review of Shutter Island (no spoilers, I promise!)

Up!

I believe the only Best Picture-nominated film I have not talked about is "Up!" So here we go! I loved this movie. A lot of people thought it was a step down from Pixar's work, but I simply think it was a step in another direction that was not necessarily backwards. It was an exploration. I happened to thoroughly enjoy a movie about a young boy, an old man, and a talking dog. I ended up seeing it three or four times (this is incidental; first, I saw it with my boyfriend; then I saw it at my sister's birthday party; then it was playing at Sibling Day at NYU; you see how it happened). I didn't mind seeing it so many times at all. It never got old. That being said, I have to wonder if the general consensus at Hollywood is the same as the general consensus of my friends. I do not think there is any way it will take Best Picture (I feel like I'm saying that a lot lately...), not with all the heavy hitters in that category. It will almost definitely take Best Animated Picture, although Fantastic Mr. Fox (which was FANTASTIC, by the way) might come from behind and grab it. It also has chances for its jaunty Original Score, and a teeeensy chance of Original Screenplay, although, I have decided that that will probably go to Inglourious Basterds. All in all, I think Up can rest easy and expect the Best Animated Feature Film to come winging its way. After all, the Academy LOVES Pixar. I mean, who doesn't, honestly?

District 9

District 9 is, I feel, the movie most likely to be looked over in the Academy Awards. I don't think it has a chance for Best Picture or Best Adapted Screenplay. It's best chance is Film Editing. It might be tossed that just to recognize it. As for me, I thought it was a very well-done film. I liked the originality of the plot; rarely do you see alien movies where the aliens are the victims. I also thought the acting was surprisingly good, especially with first-time actors. The effects were, well, effective, and the only thing I can say against it is that the shaky camera technique really does get old after a while. I know they were going for the documentary feel, but seriously, too much is only good for nausea. I read that they used a lot of improvisation work with the actors; making up a lot of the lines. This gave the dialogue a very authentic feel. Overall, a fantastic movie, especially in a directorial debut.

Live-Action Shorts (Spoiler Alert in

Today I saw the Oscar Nominated Live-Action Shorts in succession at the IFC Center (which has now become my favorite cinema due to the fact that their popcorn is organic and their butter is REAL BUTTER). The films are:

Kavi (India) A boy in a slave-compound has to decide between freedom and finding his parents.

The New Tenants (Denmark) Two new tenants in an apartment complex receive a rude welcoming when a crazed drug addict bursts in their door and demands to know where his heroin is.

Miracle Fish (Australia) A boy who just turned 8 has the run of a school when a lunatic invading the school causes all the children but the boy to be evacuated.

The Door (Ireland) A man has to steal back his own door so that he can use it to bury his dead daughter.

Instead of Abracadabra (Sweden) A loser living with his parents comes into his own when he starts performing magic at birthday parties.

Of the five films (which were all spectacular; I would recommend them to everyone!) I liked The New Tenants and Miracle Fish the best. It's hard to tell which one will take the Oscar. The New Tenants was quirky and refreshing (and didn't rely on a cute kid to gain sympathy). I loved the farcical plot and the spectacular acting. The ending was a little strange though. I really like movies to which you don't know how to react. At one point I think I was laughing AND crying.

Miracle Fish was refreshing because the screenplay was impressive and it was pretty understated for a story that was so dramatic. It showed life as simply as it could. I really appreciated the easy acting and the piece of the film where there was no dialogue; the camera just followed the boy around the school.

If I had to choose one of the films to win I would choose The New Tenants simply because it held my attention the most. There was an excellent amount of tension and all the actors brought something to the film. I also liked it because it wasn't sentimental at all, as was Kavi (sooooo much!) and The Door. I think The New Tenants will take it, unless the Academy is more partial to something more dramatic; in which case, Miracle Fish will take it.

Up in the Air

Sadly, I think that Up in the Air may just get snubbed all around. I really enjoyed this movie; I enjoyed its easy pace and understated acting (by Vera Farmiga and George Clooney; the part played by Anna Kendrick required a little more farcical energy). But alas, it pains me to say that I do not think it will win Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, or Best Supporting Actress. I think the most it can hope for is Best Original Screenplay. Its only competition in that field is Precious and An Education. I think that is what it might be given, which is unfortunate seeing as it was a very solidly put together movie. It was a complete package and I have admired this in Jason Reitman's work for years. I just don't think it has enough "oomph" to push it past the frontrunners in the top categories. Best of luck, Mr. Reitman, and just so you know, I LOVED Juno (which, incidentally, was awarded Best Original Screenplay and nothing else...)

Inglourious Basterds

It is very hard to say whether or not Inglourious Basterds will be graced with an Academy Award (other than Best Supporting Actor, which I think, it is safe to say, is in the bag for Christoph Waltz). Best Picture is a long shot, not because it is an underdog of a film; to the contrary, it is quite the powerhouse. It's just that it seems to me that Hollywood has a bit of a grudge against Quentin Tarantino. Not a grudge because he's done anything per se, but simply because he's SO different and SO crazy. He doesn't quite play by the rules. With the exception of recognizing Pulp Fiction as having an excellent screenplay in 1994, Tarantino has never been honored for being an exceptional director or creating spectacular films. This has to change. If he gets stuck with Original Screenplay this year I will be very disappointed. I hope the Academy at LEAST throws in Best Cinematography. I can't hope for Picture or Director, not with Cameron and Bigelow in the mix, but I really hope that Basterds sweeps a lot of lower level awards. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the master of making violence a true spectacle, entertainment as gore. You gotta love it. :)

An Education

An Education was my favorite film of the year, yes, even more so than Inglourious Basterds. Crazy, right, seeing as I'm such a huge Quentin Tarantino fan! But alas, this small film won me over. It won me over because it made me think. After Inglourious Basterds I just sat around with my boyfriend Steve recounting the awesome scenes filled with tension or the hilarious lines. But this movie made me think for hours afterward. About women and their choices in society. About the dangers for women still apparent in the world. About the value of an education. It was spectacular. I loved everything about it: the acting, the screenplay, the cinematography. I'd nominate it for everything if I could. As it stands, it is nominated for Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay. I would seriously give it Best Picture if I could. I hope that it at least gets Adapted Screenplay, just to be appreciated. Helen Mirren should, in reality, get Best Actress. And I really hope that Hurt Locker gets Picture, at least to keep it from the unworthy, in my mind, Avatar. I have a sinking feeling that An Education will not get anything, but at least it has been recognized; therefore, more people will see it, as they should. I can't describe how much I love this movie. It spoke to me as a movie has not spoken to me in ages. Everyone, and I mean everyone, should see this film.