As long as I've had a blog, I've written about the Academy Award nominations. I kind of doubt that the same people that were reading my stuff when I started are reading it now. Other things get my blogging attention these days, and I don't update as often as I want to. Especially when it comes to writing about movies.

But we're going on six years with this, and traditions are what hold us together, right? So here are the big categories and their nominees. Comments to follow.

Best supporting actress:
Amy Adams - The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter - The King's Speech
Melissa Leo - The Fighter
Hailie Steinfeld - True Grit
Jacki Weaver - Animal Kingdom

Best supporting actor:
Christian Bale - The Fighter
John Hawkes - Winter's Bone
Jeremy Renner - The Town
Mark Ruffalo - The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush - The King's Speech

Best Actress:
Annette Bening - The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman- Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence - Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman - Black Swan
Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine

Best Actor:
Javier Bardem - Biutiful
Jeff Bridges - True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network
Colin Firth - The King's Speech
James Franco - 127 Hours

Best Director:
Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan
David O. Russell - The Fighter
Tom Hooper - The King's Speech
David Fincher - The Social Network
Joel and Ethan Coen - True Grit

I usually like to list each of the writers nominated for the screenplay awards, out of respect for the people who usually don't get enough credit. But a few of the films have multiple writers this year, so I'm just listing the titles.

Best Original Screenplay:
Another Year
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech

Best Adapted Screenplay:
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

Best Picture:
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

Initial thoughts that come to mind?

Read the rest of this post »

With just a few hours before the Academy Awards, I figured I should finally get around to writing about The Hurt Locker. I've been meaning to write about it since I saw it this summer. At the time, I thought it was the best movie I'd seen all year. And nothing I've seen since then has changed my mind. (Though I really did enjoy Up in the Air.)

The idea that another movie could win Best Picture tonight is almost unfathomable to me. I've seen nine of the 10 nominees, and neither of them is as thrilling or compelling as Kathryn Bigelow's film. If she wanted the audience to feel how tense life is for bomb disposal units in Iraq, she accomplishes that from the very first scene of the movie.

It's not just the disarming of the bomb. This isn't just "cut the red or green wire." Is there more than one bomb on the scene? Are they being set up for an ambush? Are the people surrounding the scene simply bystanders or snipers ready to pick off the vulnerable soldiers left out in the open?

And what sorts of people sign up for this kind of work? Is there a certain mentality required for facing explosive death a half-dozen times a day? Are you bound to butt heads with your fellow soldiers? And how can you go from that sort of heightened tension back to a normal life back home?

I think Oscar voters are going to agree that none of the other Best Picture nominees provided the same sort of experience. Most of them seem pretty insubstantial in comparison. But then I read this article in USA Today that explained the new Oscar voting system, in which voters rank the nominees from 1 to 10. With this setup, a movie could win without getting the most first-place votes, if it received enough second or third-place votes.

So it's entirely possible that Avatar could win tonight. And that wouldn't be the worst crime. Though Avatar's story is pretty standard stuff, it's obviously taken filmmaking to a different level in terms of motion capture and 3D technology. And it's a juggernaut in terms of popularity. I guess it comes down to what voters think "Best Picture" really means.

Here's how I'd rank the Best Picture candidates - excluding A Serious Man, the only movie I didn't see:

1. The Hurt Locker
2. Up in the Air
3. Avatar
4. Inglourious Basterds
5. Up
6. Precious
7. An Education
8. The Blind Side
9. District 9

There doesn't look to be much suspense among the acting awards. Jeff Bridges, Sandra Bullock, Christoph Waltz, and Mo'Nique all appear to be locks. Maybe Meryl Streep could win Best Actress. Though if I were voting, I'd go for Gabourey Sidibe from Precious. And after seeing A Single Man yesterday, I think Colin Firth is most deserving of Best Actor. But I understand it's Bridges' time (and Bullock's). 

On the writing side, I'd say Jason Reitman will win Best Adapted Screenplay for Up in the Air. (It'll be interesting to see how he and Sheldon Turner will handle the question of who deserves proper credit for the script.) And though The Hurt Locker should win Best Original Screenplay, Quentin Tarantino would be a very intriguing winner for Inglourious Basterds.

As long as I've had a blog, I've written about the Academy Award nominations. I probably shouldn't bother anymore, since there are hundreds of places you can find these online. But hey, it's five years running.

Plus, I like writing about movies. Though you might not guess that, based on how little I've written about them since moving my blog to Posterous. (Where's that Top 10 list? Reviews of The Hurt Locker or Avatar? Procrastinating on those is something of a blog tradition, too.)

Okay, here are the big categories and their nominees. More comments to follow.

Best supporting actress:
Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air
Penelope Cruz - Nine
Maggie Gyllenhaal - Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air
Mo'Nique - Precious

Best supporting actor:
Woody Harrelson - The Messenger
Matt Damon - Invictus
Christopher Plummer - The Last Station
Stanley Tucci - The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds

Best Actress:
Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side
Helen Mirren - The Last Station
Meryl Streep - Julie and Julia
Carey Mulligan - An Education
Gabourey Sidibe - Precious

Best Actor:
Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart
Colin Firth - A Single Man
George Clooney - Up in the Air
Morgan Freeman - Invictus
Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker

Best Director:
James Cameron - Avatar
Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker
Lee Daniels - Precious
Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds
Jason Reitman - Up in the Air

Best Original Screenplay:
Mark Boal - The Hurt Locker
Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds
Alessandro Camon, Oren Moverman - The Messenger
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen - A Serious Man
Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Tom McCarthy - Up

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell - District 9
Nick Hornby - An Education
Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche - In the Loop
Geoffrey Fletcher - Precious
Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner - Up in the Air

Best Picture:
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Up in the Air
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
District 9
Up
The Blind Side
An Education

[EDIT: I had that list wrong when I first posted this. Invictus wasn't nominated for Best Picture, and I forgot to list The Blind Side and Up.]

Assorted initial thoughts that come to mind?

▪▪ No snubs immediately jump out, which is sort of unusual. That's often the first thing that I pounce on when the nominations are announced. It would've been cool to see Star Trek among the Best Picture choices, as it was one of my favorites of last year. But I don't think it deserves to replace any of the actual nominees.

▪▪ Quick pick for a lock? Christoph Waltz for Best Supporting Actor in Inglourious Basterds. (Glad to see Woody Harrelson in that category, though.)

▪▪ Movies I still need to see: Crazy Heart, A Serious Man, A Single Man, Precious, and Invictus. I'm still not sure I want to see the last two on that list.

▪▪ I still don't like the idea of 10 Best Picture nominees, but it definitely had a benefit with movies like The Blind Side and District 9 (whoo!) getting nods. Those probably wouldn't have had a chance before.

▪▪ As a big Nick Hornby fan, it's great to see him among the screenplay nominees. I always admire writers who are able to excel in various fields (Michael Chabon, Richard Price, Curtis Sittenfeld, to name a few), and not just be a fiction writer, a screenwriter, etc.

I generally enjoyed The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, though it's doing the opposite of growing on me. The further I get from it, the less I think of it. (But I'll probably watch it again when it's released on DVD.) And I can't exactly put my finger on why that is - maybe because I'm not sure the movie really said anything - but Jimmy Kimmel might have figured out what was ultimately missing: Batman.

There we go. Now if Brad Pitt had gotten in some brawls and kicked a little ass, as he did in his other collaborations with David Fincher, maybe we would've had a Best Picture winner.

(via /Film)

For the benefit of those who may have missed it (such as the person with whom I watched the last 1/3 of the Oscars telecast over the phone), here is the 'Pineapple Express' skit with James Franco and Seth Rogen, in which they celebrate the year in comedy.

The contented look on Franco's (or Saul Silver's) face as the talented young actor named James Franco (who deserved a Best Supporting Actor nomination) makes out with Sean Penn in Milk was my biggest laugh of the evening.

I suppose Janusz Kaminski filled in for Saul's bubbie?

And how about the shot taken at The Reader? Between that and the poke it took during Hugh Jackman's opening song-and-dance number, Kate Winslet had some bruises before she took the stage to accept her Best Actress award. Or was that the classic defense of making fun of yourself so others won't pick on you?

As you probably know by now, Sean Penn won the Best Actor award at the Oscars last night, instead of Mickey Rourke. (And though I predicted a Rourke win, I tried to cover my bases by saying Penn deserved the award, in what will eventually be viewed as the more important film.) So not only was Rourke denied recognition for a great performance, but we as a viewing audience were deprived of what surely would've been a memorable acceptance speech.

Fortunately, Rourke won Best Actor at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday night, and got to make a speech that was surely more raucous than what he may have intended for the Oscars. (Just be warned if you're watching this at work: This is from the live broadcast, so the profanity isn't bleeped out.)

But hopefully for Rourke's sake, this is the launch of a comeback, and not a landing point. May his next movie choice be a good one. (Do Iron Man 2, Mickey!) Maybe Rourke will get another chance at an Oscar someday, and we'll get to see ABC censors freak out as he walks to the microphone. My fingers are crossed.

This is probably being posted too late for anyone to read it before the actual ceremony, but in the name of continuing a FRT institution - five years running, baby - we're predicting the Oscar winners in the so-called major categories. Tomorrow, we'll also be doing our traditional Oscar post-mortem and hand out some of our own awards.

As much as I love the Oscars, however, I don't feel as much enthusiasm for them as in recent years. Largely because I don't believe there's going to be much suspense, other than in two or three categories. (Maybe it's always been that way, and I talk myself into believing some awards are up for grabs. Or maybe I read so many movie blogs now that conventional wisdom seems more locked in than it used to be.)

In addition, I usually think the Academy gets it right with the Best Picture nominees, but I wasn't thrilled with their choices this year. I still think Doubt got screwed. How can every actor in the cast be recognized, yet the film itself doesn't get nominated. And I'm still disappointed a more daring choice like The Dark Knight or WALL-E wasn't made.

But I'm very curious to see how Hugh Jackman does as host. I think not having a comedian sounds like a bad idea, but maybe this is one of those daring choices that I just accused the Academy of not making. Plus, he's Wolverine. So he'll get it done somehow. Also, I really want to see if Mickey Rourke wins and what he might say in an acceptance speech.

Okay, here's how I think it'll go:

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Viola Davis - Doubt

I know - she's only in the movie for, like, 10 minutes. But it's a great 10 minutes, especially when you have to go toe-to-toe with Meryl Streep. I also think Doubt has to win something tonight, and this is where it'll be. I have to admit, however, I didn't see Vicky Christina Barcelona (though I just got it from Netflix), so I can't say if the herd has it right on this one.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

Probably the lock of the night, don't you think? Other than a happy ending for the Mickey Rourke rebirth story, this will likely be the most emotional moment of the evening. And it's not like Ledger doesn't deserve this award. It may have been the most memorable performance in any movie last year.

BEST ACTRESS
Kate Winslet - The Reader

Actually, this could be the lock of the night. I didn't see The Reader, nor do I have much interest in doing so, despite the promise of Winslet getting naked. Thankfully, she's done that in plenty of other movies, a dedication to craft that will finally be saluted tonight.

BEST ACTOR
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

I haven't posted my thoughts on The Wrestler, though I still intend to because I have a lot to say about it. But - spoiler alert - I loved it, and still think about it weeks after I saw it (twice). Rourke's performance was amazing, but I also wonder if his story has kind of overwhelmed critical opinion. Not to say I'm not guilty of that, either. I've read or watched as many recent interviews with him as I can, and gone back to read profiles from five to 10 years ago. It would be great to see Rourke win this when he's been painfully honest about how badly he's screwed his life up.

However, if you're talking about the craft of acting, Sean Penn completely becomes someone else in Milk. It's unlike anything else I've ever seen him do, and there's nothing showy or over-the-top about it. So I think there's a damn good chance he wins this.

BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

This isn't just because Boyle directed the likely Best Picture winner. But of the five nominees, I think he also created the most consistent, exciting film. Frost/Nixon really takes a while to get going. I'm not sure 'Benjamin Button' ever really does get going. And though I believe Milk is Gus Van Sant's best film, it sometimes feels formulaic. Slumdog Millionaire just feels alive. Boyle quick cuts when the action calls for it, he slows down when he has to, splices in flashbacks at just the right time, juggles humor and drama skillfully, and uses music masterfully.

BEST PICTURE
Slumdog Millionaire

Well, I think I already described what makes 'Slumdog' a worthy winner. I'll add, however, that it has quite possibly the best ending credits sequence that I can remember. If any of the other nominees has a chance at winning, I believe it's Milk. And years from now, we'll probably be saying that was the more important film. But there's also something to be said for acknowledging the zeitgeist and embracing a cultural phenomenon as it occurs, and 'Slumdog' has definitely tapped into something.

And because we're all about the writers, the screenplay awards must also be mentioned. I'm going to predict a surprise for BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY. Martin McDonagh is going to win for In Bruges - creating a strangely touching, though unquestionably dark and violent, story around four or five memorable characters - though Andrew Stanton is probably the favorite for WALL-E. And Simon Beaufoy will get BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY for Slumdog Millionaire.

Finally, I predict an 11:45 p.m EST ending for the festivities. Jackman will move the show along as best he can, but some of those speeches are going to run on.

I enjoyed The Curious Case of Benjamin Button for the most part (though I'd lean toward outrage if it wins the Best Picture Oscar), but Jon Stewart's thoughts on the film were still pretty hilarious.

Continuing a four-year tradition here at Fried Rice Thoughts, we post the Academy Award nominations (which I didn't even realize were being announced today, until I saw something on Twitter) for your perusal, along with some thoughts on the nominees.

You can read the complete list here, but for now, these are the major categories (and as a writer, I always have to include the screenwriters):

Best supporting actress:
Amy Adams - Doubt
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis - Doubt
Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler

Best supporting actor:
Josh Brolin - Milk
Robert Downey, Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road

Best Actress:
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Melissa Leo - Frozen River
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kate Winslet - The Reader

Best Actor:
Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

Best Director:
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry - The Reader
David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant - Milk

Best Original Screenplay:
Courtney Hunt - Frozen River
Mike Leigh - Happy-Go-Lucky
Martin McDonagh - In Bruges
Dustin Lance Black - Milk
Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon - WALL-E

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Eric Roth - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Patrick Shanley - Doubt
Peter Morgan - Frost/Nixon
David Hare - The Reader
Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire

Best Picture:
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Quick thoughts:

▪▪ Okay, let's just get it out of the way: It's a big disappointment not to see The Dark Knight among the Best Picture nominees. I had no delusions that it would actually win the award (Though The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King won in 2004, so would it really be that weird?), but I thought Batman would at least get nominated.

Maybe it's the comic book fan in me seeking validation, but this was one of the five best movies of the year. C'mon, Oscar - at least give Christopher Nolan a Best Director nod.

▪▪ Looking at the nominees for Best Supporting Actor, I think Heath Ledger definitely has a shot at a posthumous win.

▪▪ Doubt also got hosed for Best Picture.

So which two movies would I have taken off? Well, I haven't seen The Reader, so that would be an easy choice for me. And though I enjoyed it, and think it's quite a filmmaking achievement for David Fincher, I'd probably kick The Curious Case of Benjamin Button off the list, too.

▪▪ My sit-up-and-clap nominee this year? Richard Jenkins. The Visitor was a fantastic movie, with an ending that I still can't shake, and it's largely because of the arc Jenkins's character follows.

A close second would be Amy Adams, who hasn't been getting nearly enough acclaim for her performance in Doubt. An Oscar nomination takes care of that, I'd say.

▪▪ Robert Downey, Jr. brought me a smile. My love and admiration for the man has not been hidden on this blog, and I'm glad to see him get some recognition for the year he had, but I'd have rather seen him nominated for Iron Man.

However, there's one scene of his in Tropic Thunder that amazes me. If you haven't seen it, I'll try not to spoil it for you, but it involves his disguise as a rice paddy farmer.

▪▪ In place of Downey, I'd have nominated Sam Rockwell for Frost/Nixon or James Franco for Milk.

▪▪ The toughest category is probably Best Actor. You could make a great case for any of the nominees (though maybe I shouldn't comment on Rourke, since I haven't seen The Wrestler yet), but Sean Penn looks like the favorite to me.

▪▪ And I love Clint Eastwood, but I was glad to see he didn't get nominated for basically playing Archie Bunker in Gran Torino.

▪▪ Kate Winslet has to be a lock for Best Actress, right? With the nominations it received, The Reader has to win one award. Here it is. And it's not like she isn't overdue.

The 2008 Oscars were a rather predictable affair, with only a couple of unexpected winners. Despite the lack of surprises, however, there will still quite a few notable moments - as there almost always are. Both The Film Geek and Susannah captured many of them in their respective live blogs. (And kudos for those efforts. The closest I could come to live-blogging myself was updating my Twitter page. Watching the show alone, my mind just wandered a bit too much in the slow moments.)

I know bringing a host back year after year is a sure way to get tired of someone, but I'd love to see Jon Stewart emcee this thing again next year. Someone who could poke some fun at the tensions caused by the writers' strike (i.e., his joke about writers being invited to the Vanity Fair party), yet also found himself directly affected by the work stoppage was the right guy for the job.

Being hilarious - such as when he joked that the only time we see a female or black president is when a meteorite is about to hit the Statue of Liberty - doesn't hurt, either. (Stewart and his 'Daily Show' crew were responsible for the "Binoculars and Periscopes montage," I take it. That was a gem.) Having little preparation time suited Stewart's wit and improvisation just fine. He didn't hit a false note all night, and often seemed genuinely happy for many of the winners.

Here are the awards I would've passed out last night (and the list of actual winners):

Why Didn't They Think of This Before?
Regis on the red carpet! No one's getting in another word when Regis is holding the microphone. For example, when George Clooney made the mistake of asking him if Notre Dame won their basketball game earlier in the day. "Notre Dame finally WINNING AGAIN! Isn't that good, George?" Whatever you say, Reeg.

Okay, Maybe That's Why They Didn't
Inside the Kodak Theater just before the festivities began, Regis called Javier Bardem "Xavier Bardem." Where's that cattle stun gun when you need it? It's your business to get those names right, Friendo. Especially when the dude brought his mother along as a date.

I'm Not Sure I've Ever Seen a Tuxedo Tighter Than a Dress
The aforementioned Mr. Bardem, whose suit almost seemed to be wrapped around his body. Maybe I'm just jealous, since there's no way I'll ever be that thin.

That Nipple Joke Never Gets Old
Clooney will never live down having to wear the Batman suit with the nipples, will he? And Tilda Swinton just had to go there during her acceptance speech. Of course, Clooney can take it, which is why so many people seem to enjoy giving him a rabbit punch.

Where's a Rolled-Up Newspaper When You Need It?
I thought we were done having to endure Jerry Seinfeld and Bee Movie. Yet there he/it was, presenting an award. That must play great in the Kodak Theater. I thought that movie's original network tie-in was with NBC. Is the DVD coming out this week or something?

Hung Out to Dry
Poor Amy Adams, having to sing all alone on stage, with no dancers, cartoons, or anything else that could've accentuated her performance. She gave it the best she could, but had to be jealous when she saw the production Kristin Chenoweth got for her musical number.

Letdown of the Night
Roderick Jaynes not winning for Best Film Editing, which would've put Joel and Ethan Coen in the interesting position of having to accept the award for their fictional alias. It's just as well, I suppose, since the Coen brothers got plenty of stage time during the night (though Ethan gets brownie points for his short and direct acceptances). Still, maybe the Coens planned on sending an old man up there, like when Marlon Brando sent "Sasheen Littlefeather" in his place.

Speeches Can Be Good!
To me, Steven Soderbergh had the best acceptance speech in 2001, in which he thanked everyone who spends part of their day creating art. Glen Hansard imploring people to "Make art!" at the end of his speech last night was inspiring, as well.

First Class All the Way
Jon Stewart's finest moment (and it seemed to be his decision) was bringing Marketa Irglova back on stage after the orchestra rudely played her off before the commercial break. And Irglova made it truly memorable with a great speech saluting struggling musicians and artists who keep pursuing their dreams.

(You can see both speeches here.)

Wilma!
I hate to make fun of her, because she had a very touching acceptance speech, but Diablo Cody's dress looked like wardrobe from the Flintstones. It was an especially baffling choice after the va-va-voom she showed off the night before at the Independent Spirit Awards.

(And while I'm talking about va-va-voom, it's very disappointing that there were no obvious winners of the Best Cleavage award, which is one I spend a lot of time and effort researching. Where's Salma Hayek when you need her?)

So how'd I do on my Oscar picks? Really well, thanks for asking. Yet so many of the winners were locks that I didn't exactly have to be bold with my predictions. And I whiffed on both of the screenplay awards. Of course, I did nail the two actress awards, so maybe I'll strut a little bit.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
My pick: Tilda Swinton
Actual winner: Tilda Swinton

Susannah picked Tilda Swinton to win, too, so I can't get too high and mighty about that. But I think the popular opinion was with Cate Blanchett, and if you'd asked me back in December, I would've said she was guaranteed an Oscar. But there was just something about Swinton's performance. That, and the apparent sentiment that Michael Clayton was too good a movie not to win something - which shouldn't ever be a factor, but you know it is.

BEST ACTRESS
My pick: Marion Cotillard
Actual winner: Marion Cotillard

Cotillard completely transformed herself to play Edith Piaf. It's as simple as that. Sure, she had a lot of help from make-up (which was also an Oscar-winning effort), but Cotillard seemed to shrink her body as La Vie En Rose went on. That was only more apparent when you saw the hot French babe that took the stage to accept her award.

Before I go, I'd just like to thank my TV for working last night, and both my laptop and new home wireless network for cooperating this afternoon and allowing me to type out this post. This is for everyone out there who spent part of last night or today writing about the Oscars. Write blogs! Write blogs!