whoa

guess who's never making a list of Oscar predictions ever again?

ME.

(i'm so, so glad i was wrong on the best actress one though.)

the end.

"what's the most you've ever lost on a coin toss?"

dear old Oscar is wiping his feet on the welcome mat as we speak, and my hair's still in curlers! is he early, or am i late?

of course, i blame the writers strike for stealing the Academy's thunder, and i couldn't be more grateful that it's finally over. now, we'll hopefully be treated to a production of mammoth proportions, one with all the glitz, excess, and frivolity that God intended. i'm ready for the 3+ hour broadcast tomorrow night, and i hope they don't skimp this time around.
bring on the overlong speeches, padded out with the hems and haws of false humility, interrupted by cutaways of the losers. welcome trusty ol' jon stewart, who will remain just this side of subversive while still managing to please college fanboys everywhere. and please don't forget the über-awkward red carpet interviews before the main event, which will be painful to watch but also oddly reassuring (however crappy your life may seem at times, be glad that you are not a professional celeb-fawner. lookin' at you, mr. oceanpeak*). point is, Academy, my already-uncomfortable couch will be pins and needles tomorrow night if you'll just bring the show that this girl looks forward to all year.

what follows is my personal list of predictions for tomorrow night's winners... erm, award recipients. i should mention that this is my very first time making such a list, and the simple reason is that i hate when i'm not right. but i am psychologically prepared for every one of these predictions to be proven wrong, and, as you'll see, i hope some of them are.

here are the categories that i feel comfortable guessing on. my predicted winners are in boldface, while my preferred winners are in italics.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
George Clooney in "Michael Clayton"
Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood"
Johnny Depp in "Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
Tommy Lee Jones in "In the Valley of Elah"
Viggo Mortensen in "Eastern Promises"

(can we all agree that the inclusion of any nominees other than mr. day-lewis is a mere formality, here? thanks. by the way, let's all create a mental picture of any one of these other men taking a second to jot down a few names on a piece of paper in the limo on the way to the kodak theatre, just in case. awww, how precious.)

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Casey Affleck in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men"
Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Charlie Wilson's War"
Hal Holbrook in "Into the Wild"
Tom Wilkinson in "Michael Clayton"

(okay, i loved javier, so i have to explain. in a movie that wasn't worthy of the accolades it got, holbrook broke my heart and made me cry.)

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Cate Blanchett in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
Julie Christie in "Away from Her"
Marion Cotillard in "La Vie en Rose"
Laura Linney in "The Savages"
Ellen Page in "Juno"

(this one is really tough. christie was amazing and gut-wrenching. she will take it, as she's american and getting on in years. cotillard was simply incredible, though- fearless and a marvel to watch. please, God, i hope i'm wrong on this one and dear marion steals the statue.)

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Cate Blanchett in "I'm Not There"
Ruby Dee in "American Gangster"
Saoirse Ronan in "Atonement"
Amy Ryan in "Gone Baby Gone"
Tilda Swinton in "Michael Clayton"

(guess what? didn't even get to see GONE BABY GONE yet, but i'm sold on ryan, just based on the clips i've seen! whoa! we all know cate will take this one home, though, right?)

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR
"Persepolis": Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud
"Ratatouille": Brad Bird
"Surf's Up": Ash Brannon and Chris Buck

(ummm, how the heck did SURF'S UP get in here? is this a mistake?)

ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION
"American Gangster" : Art Direction: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Beth A. Rubino
"Atonement": Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
"The Golden Compass": Art Direction: Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
"Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street": Art Direction: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
"There Will Be Blood": Art Direction: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Jim Erickson

(hmm, i have a weird feeling on this one and hope i'm wrong about the winner.)

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford": Roger Deakins
"Atonement": Seamus McGarvey
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly": Janusz Kaminski
"No Country for Old Men": Roger Deakins
"There Will Be Blood": Robert Elswit

( i swear, i don't know what's going on here with the inklings. please, no ATONEMENT, people.)

ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
"Across the Universe" Albert Wolsky
"Atonement" Jacqueline Durran
"Elizabeth: The Golden Age" Alexandra Byrne
"La Vie en Rose" Marit Allen
"Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" Colleen Atwood

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly", Julian Schnabel
"Juno", Jason Reitman
"Michael Clayton", Tony Gilroy
"No Country for Old Men", Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
"There Will Be Blood", Paul Thomas Anderson

(please, please give it to p.t.a.)

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
"No End in Sight" : Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
"Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience" : Richard E. Robbins
"Sicko": Michael Moore and Meghan O'Hara
"Taxi to the Dark Side": Alex Gibney and Eva Orner
"War/Dance": Andrea Nix Fine and Sean Fine

(don't be fooled, Academy. SICKO wasn't nearly as good as it could have been. moore is getting even lazier, which i didn't think was possible.)

ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING
"The Bourne Ultimatum": Christopher Rouse
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly": Juliette Welfling
"Into the Wild": Jay Cassidy
"No Country for Old Men": Roderick Jaynes
"There Will Be Blood": Dylan Tichenor

(since roderick jaynes= the bros themselves, let's give them even more props for a job well done. pieced together splendidly, indeed.)

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP
"La Vie en Rose" (Picturehouse) Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald
"Norbit" (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount): Rick Baker and Kazuhiro Tsuji
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" (Walt Disney): Ve Neill and Martin Samuel

(ummm, yeah...)

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SCORE)
"Atonement" (Focus Features) Dario Marianelli
"The Kite Runner" (DreamWorks, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment and Participant Productions, Distributed by Paramount Classics): Alberto Iglesias
"Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.) James Newton Howard
"Ratatouille" (Walt Disney) Michael Giacchino
"3:10 to Yuma" (Lionsgate) Marco Beltrami

(refuse to predict since jonny greenwood is not nominated. do. not. care. who. wins.)

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SONG)
"Falling Slowly" from "Once" Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
"Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted" Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
"Raise It Up" from "August Rush" Music and Lyric by Jamal Joseph, Charles Mack and Tevin Thomas
"So Close" from "Enchanted" Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
"That's How You Know" from "Enchanted" Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz

(hopefully, all the ENCHANTED songs will cancel each other out, and falling slowly, which is beautiful, will win.)

BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR
"Atonement": Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Paul Webster, Producers
"Juno": Lianne Halfon, Mason Novick and Russell Smith, Producers
"Michael Clayton": Sydney Pollack, Jennifer Fox and Kerry Orent, Producers
"No Country for Old Men": Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
"There Will Be Blood": JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Lupi, Producers

(close call. i want TWBB to triumph, but we all know who'll win.)


ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
"Atonement", Screenplay by Christopher Hampton
"Away from Her", Written by Sarah Polley
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly", Screenplay by Ronald Harwood
"No Country for Old Men", Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
"There Will Be Blood", Written for the screen by Paul Thomas Anderson

(haha, can't pick, of course. and i haven't even seen THE DIVING BELL yet!)

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
"Juno", Written by Diablo Cody
"Lars and the Real Girl", Written by Nancy Oliver
"Michael Clayton", Written by Tony Gilroy
"Ratatouille", Screenplay by Brad Bird; Story by Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Brad Bird
"The Savages", Written by Tamara Jenkins

(you know what? i think LARS AND THE REAL GIRL's script was totally more boss.)



the end.
so what if i'm wrong?
we shall see tomorrow!
tune in, folks!




*not his real name.

"when it comes to the showdown, they won't be there."

a few randomosities before heading to class:

• finally saw THERE WILL BE BLOOD, and it was better than i expected by jillions of miles. if there's somebody out there who doesn't think that daniel day-lewis will take the oscar this year, i'd love to shake your hand.
  
• CLOVERFIELD is also amazing. if you're one of the few who hasn't seen it yet, what are you waiting for? i'm anticipating a third viewing soon, because i am a sucker, and j.j. abrams' trickery is more clever than i.

more importantly,

• i won't try to express the shock and confusion i felt last night upon hearing of the demise of a man whose name i can't bring myself to type, for some reason. i don't want to be trite, but my thoughts and prayers, for real. i hate the hollywood machine a lot sometimes.
  

"and i'm tellin' you, them pussycats is quick!"

2007 is finally over (for good, i think!), and i have to concede that it was a great year for movies.

just when i start to feel almost inconsolably disillusioned with the content of american multiplexes, a huge raincloud of cinematic genius bursts over my head. and now, here i stand, looking at the glistening treasures scattered around me, just trying to make sense of it all.

these are just 5 reasons why 2007 will go down in history as the year that restored my faith in the movies forever (yes, my tongue is resting squarely in my cheek- you should know that i deal only in hyperbole, if we've not yet met in person. though, if we haven't met, i doubt you'd be reading this at all. heck, i doubt if anyone is reading this, close friend or not. out of curiosity...mom, are you out there? hi! yay, i knew you'd support my lifelong dream of blogging! what's that? yesss, i've got a warm jacket, but i promise it's not cold down here! it was like summer today, for reals. what? i don't know how many degrees, what am i- benjamin franklin? sheesh.).
in no particular order (i can't commit- what else is new?):

1. SWEENEY TODD- just the first thing that comes to mind, since i saw it most recently for the second time. fun, fun, fun, and fun. it even comes with a commendable (and quite biblical) lesson to be learned in the end, for those who care about that sort of thing. honestly, stephen sondheim's score is gorgeous, and his lyrics are catchy but oh-so-clever at the same time. if you're not familiar with this musical, the film is a more-than-satisfactory introduction. helena bonham carter's mrs. lovett is nearly as good an interpretation as angela lansbury's- a bit dryer with the humor but great in its own right. and johnny depp seethes on-screen like no other. tim burton proved the perfect man for this job- not surprisingly, considering the content. bottom line? i couldn't have possibly had more fun watching this movie.

2. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN-

my dear coen bros,
thank you, thank you, thank you for returning with something worth waiting for. fortunately for you two, O BROTHER... managed to stick to my ribs in the interim between FARGO and this incredible surprise. if it hadn't, there would have been some sort of heck to pay in the form of a mild and possibly unvoiced dissatisfaction on my part. be glad that you dodged that bullet, guys. (and how!)
alright, truth is... well, shucks- i ain't never been so terrified in a movie theater before! seriously, i literally thought that i might possibly lose my life in that darkened room. i will not surrender on this night, i told myself, frozen in fear. tense is not the word. ok, for real, though: who are these strangers sitting around me? and why aren't there any metal detectors in this place? you mean to tell me that anyone can just stroll in here and watch a movie, no pre-show frisking required? who is that strange bald man just now coming in, halfway into the movie? nope, i did not see him leave for the bathroom earlier. why is he so stiff, looking straight ahead and sitting still so suspiciously? mister, can i just get a nod and a smile, please? dear Lord, this is not how i want to leave this earth. not by the hand of some cattle-gun-wielding copycat psychopath during a screening of the best film of the year.

sincerely,
tylergirly

3. THERE WILL BE BLOOD- okay, yes. i am basing this on the flippin' theatrical trailer! ...and the fact that daniel day-lewis is the best actor in the world. plus, if you know just one thing about me, it's that paul thomas anderson could set up a tripod outside his house and film a single leaf falling to the ground for three-plus hours (tall tree, y'all) and i would watch intently (thrice) before following him all the way to the razzies. after only four feature films, this dude had already more than earned the right to release a huge stink bomb on the viewing public, and i am still waiting for that day to come. and though i have not yet seen it (oh, the itch! it's getting worse! wide release, where are you?), i have a gut feeling that this one ain't the stinker. just a sneaking suspicion.

4. JUNO- it's now time to address the elephant in the room, so i'll humbly admit that so far, this list has been pretty predictable and clichéd. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN was the best movie of the year? no...duh! and SWEENEY TODD was fun and wicked and clever? you don't say! and THERE WILL BE BLOOD was probably amazing, too? scandalous!
so, to spice up this boring list, to remedy this sad situation we've now got on our hands, it is with great originality and creativity of imagination that i bring you JUNO.
what? never heard of it? that's what i thought. you would not believe the cranial acrobatics that i had to perform in order to dig up this little gem for you, my precious reader(s). i had to sift through a lot of gravel and grit, but i am sure that your groveling gratitude will be the aloe to my calloused hands. go and see this brilliant unsung little movie, i beg of you. though some of the dialog is pretty silly and michael cera is painfully underused, you will laugh a lot and cry a bit at the end (unless you are made of stone- in which case, why did you leave me with all of that digging?).
anyway, my hope is that someone out there will read this blog entry and campaign for their neighborhood theater to start screening JUNO immediately, along with every other theater in the nation. oooh, and then...maybe that same person will write to the movie studio and prompt it to deliver a billion different tv spots based on the trailer, each one containing some of the "best" (will no doubt be debatable) lines in the film...and then the networks could maybe air these little previews between each commercial, every night of the week...oh, and maybe place some ads on mtv.com, just a few, and every other site on the internet, causing audience numbers to skyrocket and ensuring numerous award nominations and wins. i know these are lofty goals, but can't a girl dream big?*

*i actually did like this movie, despite all of my bitterness regarding the marketing. oh, did you not pick up on that? the bitterness? i'll make sure to cut back on the subtlety next time.

5. all of the potentially great movies that i haven't seen yet- i have never, as far as i can remember, entered a new calendar year with so many terrible regrets, so many movies left unwatched. largely because of forces beyond my control, i have yet to see PERSEPOLIS (which i will love), I'M NOT THERE (lots of possibility there, for sure), GONE BABY GONE (can't wait), and a whole slew of others, which i will mercifully not attempt to list here.


note: i realize that i included an un-viewed movie among my fave four and not as a part of number 5, but you've got to understand my conviction. allow me to be frank, here. and i will not waver from my stance... THERE WILL BE BLOOD is going to be a good movie! there, i said it!

note 2: i also realize that soon after claiming to not have any hierarchical order in mind for this little list, i refer to NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN as the best of the year. come on, really? you're going to hold me to some casual claim even in the face of this towering, indisputable fact? no, it's totally indisputable, i promise you. c'mon, now you're just disagreeing for the sake of it. have you even seen the movie? wait, what? no, SPIDERMAN 3 was not better. no, it wasn't! ok, let's rock-paper-scissors.

no, wait! i've got a coin.

call it.

"the brain is the most overrated organ, i think."

it's over already?!

ok, so Christmas is imbued with all of this culturally-derived significance, filled to the brim with expectation and hope for whatever the imagination can conjure up. we're supposed to wait for it all year long, start planning (and shopping) early, and feverishly decorate our homes and trees for that one actual day, which is always over quite quickly. i try not to get too excited, since it's usually somewhat anticlimactic. plus, i have to continually remind myself to mentally strip away the layers of constructed meaning that the holiday has acquired. i must simply think of it as the day that we choose to celebrate Christ's birth- an intuitive yet fearsome notion that i can certainly get behind. i can't bear the pressure of treating the day very much differently than any other, except for some extra prayers of thanks and a bit more compassion toward my family, both immediate and extended. this year, it was a low-key but enjoyable time, which started with an out-of-town visit with relatives and ended with the perfect activity upon arriving home.

so exactly how did i spend the evening of Christmas day 2007? (glad you ask.)

i forced my mother to watch MANHATTAN (1979) with me (which she had somehow managed to avoid seeing until this night). for some reason, i can never get enough of this film. i can hardly explain why, as i notoriously have a problem voicing what, to me, is fundamentally just not articulable.

i lovelovelove this movie. it has to be my favorite of woody allen's, though there are a few close seconds.
perhaps firstly, it's beautiful (thanks again, gordon willis!),
it's perfectly complemented by gershwin's score,
its pace is comfortable and natural,
and
allen & brickman's script is electric, as usual.

so, part of it is certainly technical. allen has a way with the camera that just heightens the level of spectator-ship to a thrilling degree. in this film, he shoots through a curtained window when others would have used a less interesting close shot. he places the camera several yards away from an important isaac/tracy conversation. (and i won't even mention that awesome silhouetted lighting in the planetarium...oops.) one after the other, he employs each frame in the most provocative way. we are voyeurs, and we keep our distance (which makes it all the more exciting when woody throws a wink and a nudge our way).

i have to mention that for me, watching any woody allen comedy is like taking a leisurely walk through central (or prospect) park on a spring day, with a few detours into bagel shops and some exciting distractions along the way. it couldn't be more pleasurable. i feel coddled by the inviting style and tone of his films (even in the more farcical ones) but provoked by the playful dialog. it's silly for a gal like me, but i feel totally welcome and at home in his movies. MANHATTAN is just the perfect example.

"how is it in hillsborough? well, it's warm here, too."

let's kick off this all-too-relevant blog with a discussion of my experience with the best movie ever.

of course, savvy readers already know that we're talking about BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE (1972).
this gem was introduced into my life at such a young age that i could only remember hazy details until a couple of years ago when i rediscovered it. for about a decade, i would get mental flashes, lone images from a film that my subconscious was trying desperately to recall. now i know why the film stuck with me, even if only in fragments.
i finally pieced together the clues to find the title and, subsequently, a copy of the DVD during my sophomore year in college. it was like digging up a treasure that was lovingly and carefully buried in the backyard during the second grade. such a precious find; i couldn't believe we'd been separated for so long.

as i see it, it's more important for me to describe my affinity for this movie than it is to review its content and structure. this is because i recognize that the nature of my love for BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE is somewhat unreasonable and maybe even irrational. films in general are very important to me, and the experience of identifying strongly with a character or theme is a precious one. but this one in particular hit me on a whole new level.

if you must know about the film itself (as i have omitted even the names of the actors and an outline of the plot), please head over to IMDb. it's difficult for me to explain it here, as basic and simple as the plot may be. the whole of the film is so much greater than the sum of its parts, and it transcends the material so successfully that a discussion thereof seems almost moot. anyone who sees the film because of my recommendation may be left wondering why i would feel such an allegiance to it. but i suppose asking you to love this movie like i do would be like handing my old and tattered teddy bear to a stranger and expecting them to bond.

on the bandwagon

just a briefing,
what to expect from my blog:

1. oodles of random ruminations and essays, movie reviews and the like.

2. very rare occurrences of capitalization but an otherwise strict adherence to the guidelines that govern spelling, grammar, and syntax.

ok, now that you've been sufficiently prepared, strap on your seat belts!