Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Academy Awards Choices: You Gotta Give 'Em Hope




















Movies: one of the great distractions and hopeful consolations in times of recession, during the Great Depression, and throughout this past year. The Academy Awards provide continuity all the way back to 1929. Sunday's 81st Academy Awards include many good selections, from which I'll select my own winners. Make your bets and debate away.

Best picture: Milk. A progressive, important film, not shown in various pockets of the Bible Belt out of fear and homophobia, I suppose. It's not to be feared, but is best when actually seen.

Best Actress: Kate Winslet, The Reader (and for Revolutionary Road).

Best Actor: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler; or Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon. Sean Penn is remarkable in Milk, but Mickey and Frank could use a happy nod right about now.

Best Supporting Actor, Josh Brolin, Milk; or Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road. The others are worthy, too, but these are concisely packed performances in generally stronger movies.

Best Supporting Actress: Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler; or Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Best Director: Gus Van Sant, Milk. (His Drugstore Cowboy still kicks up the sand twenty years later, too).

Best Adapted Screenplay: Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon.

Best Original Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black, Milk; or Martin McDonagh, In Bruges.

Honorable Mentions: Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino; Joel and Ethan Coen, Burn After Reading (more enjoyable than No Country for Old Men, which won Best Picture last year).

Today's Rune: Strength.

9 comments:

nunya said...

*sigh* I think I read too much non-fiction these days.

The only one of those movies that looks interesting to me is MILK.

the walking man said...

To much Old Milwaukee, I suppose; haven't seen a one of them on that thar list.

Frank Partisan said...

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire

I thought No Country For Old Men was overrated last year.

JR's Thumbprints said...

Ditto: Slumdog Millionaire.

Ditto again: No Country For Old Men was overrated.

As for Drugstore Cowboy - in the words of Simone Cowell "forgettable."

Charles Gramlich said...

Another year has passed in which I successfully avoided seeing any of the best picture nominees. My perfect record continues. ;)

jodi said...

Hey Eric, I think the film industries grossly overpaid salaries are enough award. But I will read the results the next day after and see how well you picked!

Anonymous said...

THE ONLY MOVIE I HAVE SEEN IS SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE AND IT IS EXCELLENT. ESSENTIALLY IT IS A LOVE STORY BUT THERE ARE LAYERS OF OTHER STORIES WITHIN. AFTER SEEING THE SLUMS IN INDIA AND SEEING HOW PEOPLE COPE I REALIZE HOW WELL OFF WE ARE IN THIS COUNTRY.

Sidney said...

I'm behind on movies in general of late. I haven't had a chance to see which movies are playing in my town. Kept waiting for The Westler for a while.

Pythia3 said...

Slumdog all the way . . . babeeeee!
I have to say, I am envious of great fiction writers and story tellers, and movies that tell interesting stories like Benjamin Button, Gran Torino . . .
Someone (can't remember who) advised Kate Winslet (in jest) that if she wanted to win an Academy Award . . . do a Holocaust movie. And look, she's not up for Revolutionary Road.
Oh, Hello, BTW.