2010 Awards Season Ramping Up

It’s the most wonderful time of the year *sings*

Not because it’s Christmas and my Birthday time, but because it’s movie awards time.

I haven’t been very good this year -at all- but I’m going to make a real effort to get myself caught up. Banking on that gift card to the Angelika that my sister-in-law has gotten me the last year or two and also on the fact that a lot of things are about to hit the dollar screens.

I’m sort of dreading the new Best Picture format. Hoping that there will be a lot of overlap with Best Acting awards, etc.

Anyway… for your preparatory pleasure:

The complete list of the Golden Globe 2010 nominees are:

Wendy & Lucy

I’m not going to go as far as calling Wendy & Lucy one of the greatest films of the year or anything, but it gets a solid “very good movie” from me. It’s a very simple story about a young woman (Wendy, played heartbreakingly by Michelle Williams) on the road to find work in Alaska, living in her car with her dog, Lucy. Her car breaks down in Oregon, she’s running out of money, and runs into trouble when she steals some dog food, gets arrested and loses her dog while she’s cooling her heels in a jail cell.

If you think I might have given too much away in that first paragraph, I really haven’t. The movie isn’t a plot-driven thing. The events that Wendy must live through are incidental and really kind of predictable. There isn’t any event in the film that doesn’t ring true – no “gotcha” moments with quirky surprising characters. It’s in that realism that Michelle Williams surprises you. She does a fantastic job with not a lot of material. What is remarkable about her performance is that she doesn’t even spend a lot of time interacting with the other characters in the film, with the exception of a security guard who busts her for sleeping in a Walgreens parking lot. He becomes the closest thing to a friend Wendy has, and is the only person in the movie to show much compassion for her situation, allowing her to use his cell phone for her “Lost Dog” flyers and generally trying to give her helpful advice and information. Most of Williams’s performance is solo work and silent, accomplished with her expressive face.  You will believe wholeheartedly that she is this wandering girl who loves her dog, her only real family.

This is a small indie movie with a lot to say in very few words. Director Kelly Reichardt delivers some amazing scenes, most notable to me was the scene one night when Wendy is sleeping in a park, and she is awakened by a homeless man going through her belongings. Reichardt shoots the scene in almost complete darkness. You only get glimpses of the ranting, half-crazy man, who initially goes through Wendy’s things, then when she wakes up, sharply instructs her not to look at him. Most of the rest of the scene focuses on Wendy. She has a blanket pulled up over her nose, so all you see in the mostly darkness are Williams’s eyes. Except for one small squeak of fear, she is silent, but conveys total terror with just her eyes.

Reichardt and Williams are perfect partners on this small story with a ton of heart. See Wendy & Lucy if you can.

Bad Blogger, No Biscuit. Oscar Night Predictions.

Tonight is Oscar Night! The Red Carpet starts at 7pm CST.

I have been derelict of late.

In my defense, my job hunt has gotten super urgent, and my dog died. But there we go.

Anyway. Today is Oscar Sunday, and I actually managed to finish most of my movies, and I’m ready to make my predictions. Whew. And then I have to go help my mom finish our snacky foods.

BEST PICTURE: I’m going to go with the flow here, and predict Slumdog Millionaire. It was the only nominated film to approach “feel-good” status, it has a large, talented, cast of unknowns, and a dance number at the end. I loved it, honestly, and I want it to win this, and best score.  I think its only other competition is Milk and Benjamin Button, both of which I also liked, but Slumdog is such a different kind of movie that I think it takes home the trophy.

BEST ACTOR: Speaking of Milk. I think Sean Penn gets this one. Mickey Rourke is a great story, and may win in a sentimental vote, but Penn’s performance in Milk is amazing. This is probably the strongest category this year, with great performances all-around. The Visitor‘s Richard Jenkins turned in a very strong, understated performance, and I also sincerely enjoyed Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon, but I think it goes to Sean Penn.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Heath Ledger will, of course, win this, though I need to applaud wholeheartedly the performance of both Josh Brolin in Milk and Michael Shannon, who was the best thing imho about Revolutionary Road. It’s not that I think The Dark Knight was a bad film, in fact I enjoyed it quite a bit and found Ledger terrifying, and funny, and sad, all at once… but I don’t think that’s what this award will be for. I think the Academy didn’t give him the Oscar for Brokeback Mountain because they assumed there would be lots more magnificent performances from this talented actor to honor, and it’s sad for all of us that they were wrong.

BEST ACTRESS: I think Kate Winslet will cap an incredible year with the award. I just saw The Reader this morning, actually, and it will be well-deserved. I also need to scream praise for Melissa Leo, in Frozen River. I hope she gets some big parts, and I hope she gets to look glamorous at the show.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: I sort of find this the hardest category to call, this year. What a strong group of perormances! I think in the end the award will go to Penelope Cruz for Vicky Christina Barcelona, but if I were handing it out I think it would go to Marisa Tomei for her work on The Wrestler.

The Wrestler

Mickey Rourke in his Oscar-nominated performance as Randy "The Ram" Robinson in The Wrestler

First of all, I want to say that along with probably everyone else on the planet, I am glad that in The Wrestler, Mickey Rourke has gotten such a career-changing role. He deserves the awards buzz he has been enjoying, and maybe even the win at the Golden Globes, though I’m personally still in Sean Penn’s camp.

SAG Awards, Gran Torino review

There wasn’t that much difference in the SAG nominees and the Oscar nominees, so look for SAG to be a big predictor of this year’s Academy Award winners. SAG is, of course, only handing out acting awards — so see below for a quick summary.

Best Cast in a Motion Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Male Actor in a Leading Role: Sean Penn, Milk
Best Female Actor in a Leading Role: Meryl Streep, Doubt
Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Kate Winslet, The Reader

2009 Oscar Nominations — The Ballots are Set!

Oscar nominations are in!

I didn’t do too badly!

Overall score: 24/30

Surprises: Nothing really for Revolutionary Road, save a nod to the fabulous Michael Shannon in the supporting actor category and some non-marquee award categories. Kate Winslet is nominated in The Reader, which nabs many more noms than I expected. The Dark Knight gets its nomination for Heath Ledger, but nothing else in the major awards.

2009 Oscar Nomination Predictions

Nominations for the 81st Annual Academy Awards will be announced tomorrow at 8:30 AM EST.

So, the day before Oscar noms are announced, I figured it would be the right thing to do to venture out on my limb and see how well I’ve read the Academy this year. I know I still owe three reviews (Gran Torino, The Wrestler, Milk — to come this week!) but damn it all, I’m on a deadline here! I’m only tackling the Best Picture, Best Director, and acting awards. Since I haven’t seen all the movies, I’m not going ALL the way to the end of the limb.

I know I may take some flak for leaving The Dark Knight off my Best Picture list, but I think it’s going to come down to whether the Academy includes it or WALL-E, and I think WALL-E was a better overall movie. There hasn’t been an animated movie nominated since Beauty and the Beast, and I think WALL-E stands up there with that movie.