Oscars '08 Summary Song

From Crackle: Oscars '08 Summary Song

Oscar Nominated films that I have not seen are:

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – this film never opened around here
Enchanted
American Gangster
Away from Her – this film never opened around here
Gone Baby Gone
Into the Wild – this film never opened around here
Lars and the Real Girl – this film never opened around here
The Savages – this film never opened around here
The Kite Runner
Persepolis – this film never opened around here
Surf's Up
Norbit
August Rush
Beaufort – this film never opened around here
The Counterfeiters – this film never opened around here
Katyn – this film never opened around here
Mongol – this film never opened around here
12 – this film never opened around here
Operation Homecoming – this film never opened around here
Taxi to the Dark Side – this film never opened around here
War/Dance – this film never opened around here
Freeheld – this film never opened around here
La Corona – this film never opened around here
Salim Baba – this film never opened around here
Sari's Mother – this film never opened around here
At Night – this film never opened around here
Il Supplente – this film never opened around here
Le Mozart des Pickpockets – this film never opened around here
Tanghi Argentini – this film never opened around here
The Tonto Woman – this film never opened around here
I Met the Walrus – this film never opened around here
My Love – this film never opened around here

My Final Predictions

Best Picture
My Predicted Winner: No Country for Old Men
My Alternate: Juno

Director
My Predicted Winner: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
My Alternate: Julian Schnabel

Best Actor
My Predicted Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis
My Alternate: George Clooney

Actress
My Predicted Winner: Julie Christie
My Alternate: Marion Cotillard

Supporting Actor
My Predicted Winner: Javier Bardem
My Alternate: Hal Holbrook

Supporting Actress
My Predicted Winner: Ruby Dee
My Alternate: Cate Blanchett

Adapted Screenplay
My Predicted Winner: No Country for Old Men
My Alternate: Atonement

Original Screenplay
My Predicted Winner: Juno
My Alternate: Michael Clayton

Animated Feature Film
My Predicted Winner: Ratatouille
My Alternate: Persepolis

Cinematography
My Predicted Winner: There Will Be Blood
My Alternate: The Assassination of Jesse …

Art Direction
My Predicted Winner: Sweeney Todd the Demon …
My Alternate: There Will Be Blood

Film Editing
My Predicted Winner: No Country for Old Men
My Alternate: The Bourne Ultimatum

Costume
My Predicted Winner: Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber …
My Alternate: Atonement

Makeup
My Predicted Winner: La Vie en Rose
My Alternate: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Original Score
My Predicted Winner: Atonement
My Alternate: Ratatouille

Original Song
My Predicted Winner: "Falling Slowly," Once
My Alternate: “Raise it Up,” August Rush

Sound Mixing
My Predicted Winner: Transformers
My Alternate: No Country for Old Men

Sound Editing
My Predicted Winner: Transformers
My Alternate: Ratatouille

Visual Effects
My Predicted Winner: Transformers
My Alternate: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Foreign Film
My Predicted Winner: The Counterfeiters, Austria
My Alternate: 12, Russia

Documentary Feature
My Predicted Winner: No End in Sight
My Alternate: Sicko

Documentary (short subject)
My Predicted Winner: Freeheld
My Alternate: Sari's Mother

Live Action Short Film
My Predicted Winner:
Le Mozart des Pickpockets
My Alternate: The Tonto Woman

Animated Short Film
My Predicted Winner: Peter & the Wolf
My Alternate: My Love (Moya Lyubov)

Oscar Widget Trivia

Michael Clayton- Good Movie but NOT Great

The lovely wife and I finally saw Michael Clayton at the second run dollar theatre. We had missed the first run and boycotted the re-release to first run because it played at the local Carmike. We try to skip anything at Carmike because of it's ever increasing prices and ever decreasing service. I refuse to pay their ticket prices to sit in an underlit screen where the noise feedback from the next screen is seeping in. Their sound is the worse. Do yourself a favor and skip anything musical from a Carmike. Michael Clayton is dark but in a provincial sort of way. One will not be having any existential angst because of the film. It is a turn on good lawyer doing the questionable but somehow getting to the right conclusion. It is nothing that you have not seen before although the acting is fantastic. Everyone is going on and on about George Clooney and Tom Wilkinson so I won't. I will say that Tilda Swinton is perhaps the greatest actress working today (...and I will stand on Dame Judi Dench's table in cowboy boots and spurs and say so). The dialog is rich and full and completely believable so I will give it best screen play but best picture and best director? I think not. The film ultimately is nothing more than a good thriller, which I am not knocking, but it has very little mental impact after it's over. The direction was good but best direction should be great. Go see the film (come on you cheapskate as it's only a buck). I liked it very much but perhaps not enough to see again (this is where Jesse James is such a better film). Sorry. Thumbs up as to whether one should see it. No thumbs at all as to whether it is best film of the year.

Juno Jargon Jenerator Widget

Oscar Pretiction Update

Here are my latest updates. There may not be any changes before the big night, except for maybe Supporting Actress, Cinematography, Art Direction, Documentary Short and Live Action Short Film. I might change my mind on those before the 24th.
so here they are:
Best Picture
My Predicted Winner: No Country for Old Men
My Alternate: Juno
Dark Horse: There Will Be Blood

Director
My Predicted Winner: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
My Alternate: Julian Schnabel
The Dark Horse: Paul Thomas Anderson

Best Actor
My Predicted Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis
My Alternate: George Clooney

Actress
My Predicted Winner: Julie Christie
My Alternate: Ellen Page
The Dark Horse: Marion Cotillard

Supporting Actor
My Predicted Winner: Javier Bardem
My Alternate: Hal Holbrook
The Dark Horse: Casey Affleck

Supporting Actress
My Predicted Winner: Cate Blanchett
My Alternate: Ruby Dee
The Dark Horse: Tilda Swinton

Adapted Screenplay
My Predicted Winner: No Country for Old Men
My Alternate: There Will Be Blood
The Dark Horse: Away from Her

Original Screenplay
My Predicted Winner: Juno
My Alternate: Ratatouille
The Dark Horse: Michael Clayton

Animated Feature Film
My Predicted Winner: Ratatouille
My Alternate: Persepolis
The Dark Horse: Surf's Up

Cinematography
My Predicted Winner: The Assassination of Jesse …
My Alternate: There Will Be Blood
The Dark Horse: No Country for Old Men

Art Direction
My Predicted Winner: Sweeney Todd the Demon …
My Alternate: There Will Be Blood
The Dark Horse: The Golden Compass

Film Editing
My Predicted Winner: No Country for Old Men
My Alternate: There Will Be Blood
The Dark Horse: The Bourne Ultimatum

Costume
My Predicted Winner: Atonement
My Alternate: Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber …
The Dark Horse: Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Makeup
My Predicted Winner: La Vie en Rose
My Alternate: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
The Dark Horse: Norbit

Original Score
My Predicted Winner: Atonement
My Alternate: Ratatouille
The Dark Horse: The Kite Runner

Original Song
My Predicted Winner: "Falling Slowly," Once
My Alternate: “Raise it Up,” August Rush
The Dark Horse: "That's How You Know," Enchanted

Sound Mixing
My Predicted Winner: Transformers
My Alternate: No Country for Old Men
The Dark Horse: The Bourne Ultimatum

Sound Editing
My Predicted Winner: Transformers
My Alternate: Ratatouille
The Dark Horse: The Bourne Ultimatum

Visual Effects
My Predicted Winner: Transformers
My Alternate: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
The Dark Horse: The Golden Compass

Foreign Film
My Predicted Winner: The Counterfeiters, Austria
My Alternate: 12, Russia
The Dark Horse: Beaufort, Israel

Documentary Feature
My Predicted Winner: No End in Sight
My Alternate: Sicko
The Dark Horse: Taxi to the Dark Side

Documentary (short subject)
My Predicted Winner: Freeheld
My Alternate: Sari's Mother
The Dark Horse: Salim Baba

Live Action Short Film
My Predicted Winner: Le Mozart des Pickpockets
My Alternate: The Tonto Woman
The Dark Horse:Tanghi Argentini

Animated Short Film
My Predicted Winner: Peter & the Wolf
My Alternate: My Love (Moya Lyubov)
The Dark Horse: Madame Tutli-Putli

What has John Woo Be Up to?

My Husband and I were just wondering that ourselves yesterday. And discussing his best "American" films, like Face Off and Windtalkers.
We came to the conclusion that foreign directors whose films have made them the talk of Hollywood should stay in their own country and make films there, and no suffer the 'Hollywood' "treatment."

Well here is the trailer for his next film "Red Cliff." For more on this film check out this link http://www.monkeypeaches.com/battleofredcliff.html
there are some great stills.

TCM Day O Ram

I love TCM. And this is my favoirte time of the year, besides "Summer Under the Stars." I will stay up late just to see a movie even if I have to go to work the next day, and usually nothing keeps from getting to sleep, just ask my better half.