The Oscars happened! And it is because of them that I post. It was really the fact that somehow I have managed to watch most of the movies nominated in the last week that got me interested, and also slightly amazed. These films are as unlike the middlebrow crowd pleasers the Academy generally sees fit to honor as can be imagined. Atonement is really the only typical Oscar movie in the line-up, and it is hardly even close to being a front runner.
I'm thrilled that Joel and Ethan Coen managed to finally get the Oscar they so richly deserved. Their body of work is fantastic, and I truly thought No Country for Old Men was the best film I saw in the last few months. It even made me want to read Cormac McCarthy, who is one of those authors I could easily spend the rest of my life avoiding. I'm not sure how I feel about Daniel Day Lewis. He was the best thing about There will be blood, and while I didn't think the movie was as excessive as some, the last 20 minutes or so did ruin a lot of the film for me. Either way, he held the film together, and a lesser actor would have been unbearable in that role. So I don't think it was a mistake, per se. I do think though that if Clooney hadn't won the award for Syriana a few years ago he would've walked this one. Everybody loves George! That was actually clear when he came on stage to present the award. It was like he was a god. The music changed, everyone sort of sat up... sigh. Yeah, I think George Clooney could get away with murder.
I've watched both Michael Clayton and Atonement and while I loved the former (no MacGuffin tobacco company!) I don't know how I feel about the latter. The movie was gorgeous to look at. Normally I am a sucker for that kind of story, the epic romance tragedy. I really liked James McAvoy for the first time. But something about the film left me cold. I think it was the fact that the relationship between Robbie (McAvoy) and Cecelia (Keira Knightley) was so underdeveloped. It was based on nothing, really. So it didn't feel real. And I Did.Not.Like the end. So the only movie I have yet to watch is Juno, which I have on Dvd but which Dvd didn't work. Sigh. But with Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner, I'm sure the movie will be fun.
I did watch Beowulf. Less said the better.
I loved Jon Stewart as host, even if omg, the montages were mind numbing in so many ways. And I loved TwoP's coverage of the Oscars. It's like they looked into my brain! I did not like Marion Cotillard in La Vie En Rose (how trite to give it to the biopic). But she was charming, and I thought, well Ok, I'll overlook the fish-scale dress. But now she has been unvelied as a bit of a lunatic. Will her Hollywood career survive this? I won't be surprised if she finds good, juicy work hard to come by in LA now.
Last night I saw the Filmfare awards (yes this post has been a work-in-progress for a while). Shahrukh and Saif were hilarious. Hilarious! They spared nobody, not even themselves and it was just so funny. The obvious joke was of course one they cracked in the beginning, with the Writer's strike threatening the Oscars and all. Other stuff was sublime, from dancing in blue towels to the whole maal-function bit. Ha ha. As with Filmfare every year, the awards were deeply predictable, but no one really cares, because the hosts were just so entertaining. Gauri Khan looked somewhat hideous, though she came alive whenever her husband was on stage. Vidya Balan has very unfortunate taste in clothes. But how incredible did Shahrukh look? Yum.
I'm thrilled that Joel and Ethan Coen managed to finally get the Oscar they so richly deserved. Their body of work is fantastic, and I truly thought No Country for Old Men was the best film I saw in the last few months. It even made me want to read Cormac McCarthy, who is one of those authors I could easily spend the rest of my life avoiding. I'm not sure how I feel about Daniel Day Lewis. He was the best thing about There will be blood, and while I didn't think the movie was as excessive as some, the last 20 minutes or so did ruin a lot of the film for me. Either way, he held the film together, and a lesser actor would have been unbearable in that role. So I don't think it was a mistake, per se. I do think though that if Clooney hadn't won the award for Syriana a few years ago he would've walked this one. Everybody loves George! That was actually clear when he came on stage to present the award. It was like he was a god. The music changed, everyone sort of sat up... sigh. Yeah, I think George Clooney could get away with murder.
I've watched both Michael Clayton and Atonement and while I loved the former (no MacGuffin tobacco company!) I don't know how I feel about the latter. The movie was gorgeous to look at. Normally I am a sucker for that kind of story, the epic romance tragedy. I really liked James McAvoy for the first time. But something about the film left me cold. I think it was the fact that the relationship between Robbie (McAvoy) and Cecelia (Keira Knightley) was so underdeveloped. It was based on nothing, really. So it didn't feel real. And I Did.Not.Like the end. So the only movie I have yet to watch is Juno, which I have on Dvd but which Dvd didn't work. Sigh. But with Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner, I'm sure the movie will be fun.
I did watch Beowulf. Less said the better.
I loved Jon Stewart as host, even if omg, the montages were mind numbing in so many ways. And I loved TwoP's coverage of the Oscars. It's like they looked into my brain! I did not like Marion Cotillard in La Vie En Rose (how trite to give it to the biopic). But she was charming, and I thought, well Ok, I'll overlook the fish-scale dress. But now she has been unvelied as a bit of a lunatic. Will her Hollywood career survive this? I won't be surprised if she finds good, juicy work hard to come by in LA now.
Last night I saw the Filmfare awards (yes this post has been a work-in-progress for a while). Shahrukh and Saif were hilarious. Hilarious! They spared nobody, not even themselves and it was just so funny. The obvious joke was of course one they cracked in the beginning, with the Writer's strike threatening the Oscars and all. Other stuff was sublime, from dancing in blue towels to the whole maal-function bit. Ha ha. As with Filmfare every year, the awards were deeply predictable, but no one really cares, because the hosts were just so entertaining. Gauri Khan looked somewhat hideous, though she came alive whenever her husband was on stage. Vidya Balan has very unfortunate taste in clothes. But how incredible did Shahrukh look? Yum.
