It's the Oscars! The Academy Awards. Here are my picks for every category and who will win. Best Picture: 1917 Best Director: 1917, Sam Mendes Best Actor:Joaquin Phoenix Best Supporting Actor: Brad Pitt Best Actress: Renee Zellweger Best Supporting Actress: Laura Dern Adapted Screenplay: Jojo Rabbit Original Screenplay: Parasite Film Editing: Parasite Cinematography: 1917 Production Design: Once Upon a Time In Hollywood Sound Editing: 1917 Sound Mixing: 1917 Visual Effects: 1917 Costume Design: Little Women Makeup & Hairstyling: Bombshell Original Score: Joker Original Song: Rocketman International Film: Parasite Animated Film: Toy Story 4 Documentary Film: American Factory Animated Short Film: Hair Love Documentary Short: Learning to Skateboard in a War Zone Live Action Short: The Neighbor's Widow

Our viewing habits have changed. We lost the only local independent movie house. It was a mecca for foreign,art, and general weirdness. We haven't taken a movie watching trip in a couple of years. We find ourselves watching more and more on the different streaming portals. Look for more reviews coming soon........

Economy Sucks

The downturn in the economy has caused us to look more carefully at the cinematic escapes that we endeavor. The second run theater has become our friend. The death of the local indy theater has also lessened our viewing choices. We will endeavor to get back here.... not that anyone is actually reading our ramblings.

Oscar Picks

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My Oscar Picks for 2010

BEST MOTION PICTURE
My Predicted Winner - The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment)
My Alternate - Avatar (20th Century Fox)

BEST DIRECTING
My Predicted Winner - Katheryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

BEST ACTOR
My Predicted Winner - Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
My Alternate - Colin Firth, A Single Man

BEST ACTRESS
My Predicted Winner - Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
My Alternate - Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

SUPPORTING ACTOR
My Predicted Winner - Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
My Predicted Winner - Mo’Nique, Precious

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
My Predicted Winner -Up in the Air
My Alternate - Precious

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
My Predicted Winner - The Hurt Locker
My Alternate - Inglourious Basterds

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
My Predicted Winner - Up

ART DIRECTION
My Predicted Winner - Avayar
My Alternate - The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus

CINEMATOGRAPHY
My Predicted Winner - The Hurt Locker
My Alternate - Avatar

FILM EDITING
My Predicted Winner - The Hurt Locker
My Alternate - Avatar

COSTUME
My Predicted Winner - The Young Victoria

MAKEUP
My Predicted Winner - Star Trek
My Alternate - The Young Victoria

ORIGINAL SCORE
My Predicted Winner - Up
My Alternate - The Hurt Locker

ORIGINAL SONG
My Predicted Winner - Crazy Heart

SOUND MIXING
My Predicted Winner - Avatar


SOUND EDITING
My Predicted Winner - Avatar
My Alternate - The Hurt Locker

VISUAL EFFECTS
My Predicted Winner - Avatar

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
My Predicted Winner – The White Ribbon
My Alternate – A Prophet

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
My Predicted Winner - The Cove
My Alternate - Food, Inc.

DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
My Predicted Winner - The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
My Predicted Winner - Miracle Fish

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
My Predicted Winner - A Matter of Loaf and Death

Movie Shorts

Short Films that became Full length Films

9. If you plan to go to the film then watch the short after the film. It contains spoilers.

9

District 9
This one adds to the film.

District 9

Summer Movies

It has been a long time since either of us have posted. I will take the responsibility for that. I have become weary of movies or rather I have been worn down by the mediocrity of what passes for a movie. I am so tired of walking out of the darkness and being completely unmoved by a film. I want to dance the dance of idiots because I thought the film was great or I want to do the stomp of a curmudgeon because the movie was horrible. I want to be moved either high or low by a film.

The summer was not all bad:

Julie and Julia


There was no way that I was going to go to yet another Nora Ephron movie. I swear that she speaks in "code" that no man can truly understand. She trades on all that I despise about the difference in men and women. NO MORE EPHRON FILMS EVER was my creed. So what was I doing in Julie and Julia? Well it is because my pal, my friend, Dolly doesn't like horror movies so Dolly and the lovely wife picked. Did I have a good time? Yes but I left the film hungry as will everyone else. Meryl Streep has gotten better as an actress and while I didn't completely lose myself in her Julia, I did find myself rejoicing in the obvious delight of the performance. Streep and Tucci are one of the most believable couples on screen. I delighted that a film could show that a couple can remain completely and totally in love for a lifetime. Amy Adams was sweet and charming. This is the first thing that I have liked her in. UGH! This review sounds almost like I am channeling my inner "chik". I think I will go eat some butter.

District 9


This is perhaps the best movie of the summer. One of the best sci-fi mainstream movies in a long while. I thought that perhaps P. Jackson was going to be safe as a producer but instead he produced this. A movie in the tradition of all great sci-fi movies. One that shows the human condition through a fun romp. There are all kinds of political connections that one can make about this movie. I will leave that to the viewer. It is at times a creepy sci-fi film and at other perhaps the most macho (but with brains) film of the season. I look forward to seeing what Blomkamp will do. I hope he stays in this tradition and show that genre movies have both brains and heart as well as cojones. I realize that I am vague but let us say it is in the tradition of "Night of the Living Dead" and the original "War of the Worlds". Bravo