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True Nourishment from Nachos
One of my favorite annual duties in my role with the teen magazine Ignite Your Faith (CT Movies' sister site for teens) is sifting through the votes for our most redeeming movie awards, The Golden Nachos. While all but one of their choices also appeared in CT Movie's top ten list of the most redeeming movies this year, the order is pretty different.
So what do I dig about the Golden Nachos? The readers' explanations of WHY they vote the way they do. Say what you will about the average teen's movie-going tendencies or tastes, but our IYF readers aren't just mindlessly watching movies--they're processing, discerning, and evaluating them.
For instance, one teen explains that she used her one pick for the year's most redeeming film on WALL*E because it "demonstrated the very definition of agape love." Another chose The Dark Knight because it "showed a perfect illustration of Satan. The Joker just attacks because he hates goodness."
For as much as Hollywood churns out thoughtless sex comedies and bloody horror to appeal to the teen market, these readers year after year have voted for very conservative, faith-affirming films (past winners include End of the Spear and Amazing Grace)--and had thought-provoking things to say about them.
Through the Nachos and personal discussion with youth group kids about movies like Man on Wire and The Visitor, I've learned again and again not to underestimate these fellow moviegoers but to continue asking them to articulate what they like, why they do, and what messages they're hearing. To hold up a higher standard for them than what Hollywood tells them they should like. And to encourage both their artistic taste and discernment.
Oscar a Hit with Viewers
Sunday's telecast up 13 percent over last year
USA Today has the story and reader reactions.
Of Slumdogs and Beanies
Todd Hertz, Mark Moring discuss the Oscars -- and Philip Seymour Hoffman's goofy hat
Something we missed.
She also reminds us that this short film was not, in fact, shown during tonight's broadcast (though the New York Times says it was "shown to the in-theater audience during a commercial break").
One of the people who was interviewed for the film -- though she may or may not have made the final cut -- was Sr. Rose Pacatte, a Catholic nun who writes quite a bit about film (and who is the person pictured to the right). It would be interesting to see if any other people of faith were interviewed for this short.
If Miller's short turns up online anywhere, please, by all means, let us know.
FEB 23 UPDATE: The short film is now online at the Vanity Fair website. And Sr. Rose got a single word in edgewise. The video is embedded below, after the jump.
Congrats to 'Slumdog'!
8 awards, including Best Pic and Best Director
Biggest disappointment of the night: That Mickey Rourke didn't win for The Wrestler. An astounding performance.
What were your favorite highs, lows, and biggest surprises?
Slumdog the new Crash?
Okay, so I liked Slumdog Millionaire, but it really was not the best film of 2008. I think that this best picture win will go down in the pantheon on the level of 2005’s Crash, 2002’s Chicago, or 2001’s A Beautiful Mind: that is, nice films that became buzz films that, a few years later, people forgot about. These are not films that will be essential viewing in film school in decades to come.
Oh, I bet Mel loved that.
Having his Braveheart pre-battle speech edited into footage from Milk, that is.
Nixonian irony
It's funny to hear Michael Douglas say that Frank Langella makes all other interpretations of Richard Nixon fall away ... when Anthony Hopkins, the star of Oliver Stone's Nixon (1995), is standing right there on the stage with him. (With Douglas, that is.)
More statistical stuff
Titanic (1997) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) famously won 11 awards each, thereby matching the record set by Ben-Hur (1959).
But only one other film in the past dozen years has won 7 awards, namely Shakespeare in Love (1998).
Slumdog Millionaire now has 7, and it could easily have 8 when the night is over.
Just for the record, The English Patient (1996) and The Last Emperor (1987) won 9, Amadeus (1984) won 8, Dances with Wolves (1990) and Out of Africa (1985) won 7, and everyone else in the past quarter-century has won less.
Um, not that anyone's counting.
And the Golden Hanger goes to...
In the spirit of Joan Rivers' annual honors, here are my best/worst dressed for the night.
BEST
Amy Adams: She may not have won her category, but she wins best dressed in my opinion. This dress really grew on me as the night wore on. Her necklace provided a burst of color on a night that really lacked color diversity.
Angelina Jolie: She always wears black, so no surprise there, but the draping of the dress was beautiful and her emerald earrings punctuated the look perfectly.
Taraji P. Henson: Cute as a, well, button.
Anne Hathaway: I have a feeling the gold discs made this dress even more spectacular in person. I am referring to her red carpet dress, not the one she changed into for the ceremony (not sure why).
Freida Pinto: Still deciding my thoughts on this dress. I have a feeling it won’t age well, but she looks glamorous tonight.
WORST
Melissa Leo: Her dress reminded me of that Burnt Sienna crayon I never wanted to use.
Amanda Seyfried: She is young and beautiful but her dress was trying to do too many things at once, and did none of them well.
Viola Davis: I can’t remember the last time I saw that much gold lamé. I think I’m good for awhile.
Beyonce: She went for the classic Barbie gown but decided to have it made out of tapestry.
Heidi Klum: This was supposed to be modern but came across as more 2082 meets 1982.
Overall, this wasn't a very adventurous year for Oscars fashion. No true surprises and no real gossip fodder...no Bjork in a swan dress circa 2001. What did you think? Who were your best and worst dressed for the night?
I Miss Tina Fey and Steve Martin
Can they come back out?
Whatever else happens ...
... Slumdog Millionaire will at least tie for the most wins this year, now that it has six.
It probably will have the most awards, period, by the end of the evening. But there is still an outside chance that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which has won three awards so far, will win the three categories that it has not yet "lost".
why not a REAL actress?
Already in the past but I'm still fuming over Beyonce lip syncing during that dumb musical number. Broadway guy Hugh Jackman needed to be paired with someone with the lungs to sing AND dance. Srsly not cool guys.
Worth a Smile
Best Short Doc supports a great cause
I've never seen any of the nominees for Best Documentary Short, but the winner, Smile Pinki, was about a very good thing -- helping children around the world born with cleft lips and palates.
Watch this video about how the precious girl at the heart of this movie was transformed by the miracle of modern medicine:
And the Oscar for Best Film Editing goes to ...
... Slumdog Millionaire. This award goes to the Best Picture winner about half the time, and no film since Ordinary People (1980) has won Best Picture without being at least nominated for Best Film Editing.
If You're Interested...
...You can see a winner's list so far or read the acceptance speeches at the official Oscars site.
Bill Maher's Appreciation
While I have a hard time with Bill Maher's arrogant self-marketing approach and his assertion that "our silly gods cost us too much," I did find myself appreciating his comment that he is thankful that he lives in a place where he can make a documentary like Religulous.
I am just glad that we also have the same freedom to proclaim that the "silly gods" may cost us too much, but the real One provides us life as a gift.
"The musical is back"?
Didn't Dreamgirls almost win Best Picture two years ago? Didn't Chicago actually win Best Picture six years ago? Haven't people been talking about the comeback of the musical for years now?
And since Mamma Mia! is what Hugh Jackman cited at the beginning of this sequence: when we use the word "musical", is a bunch of pop songs, shoehorned into a story that may or may not fit the lyrics, really what we have in mind?
Thank goodness for Marley & Me.
In the midst of all these swooning, angry, and sometimes suicidal characters clogging the "romance" montage, there was a brief clip of Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston agreeing to start a family. At last, a clip that goes beyond the rush of hormones.
Best Costume Drama Award
"The Fashion Award" aka Best Costume Design, went to The Duchess. No surprise here, as period pieces generally win this category. I am happy to see this movie win; Keira Knightly played the fashionista of her day, and wore some truly beautiful, elaborate costumes. Great pictures are available here via the LA Times.
Does CGI Count as Make-Up?
In 'Benjamin Button,' apparently so
I thought that most of the miracle transformations of Brad Pitt's aging/de-aging in Benjamin Button were CGI induced. So how does it win Best Make-Up over The Dark Knight and Hellboy 2?
UPDATE: Button later won for Best Visual Effects -- and the little montage showed how they used CGI to age Brad Pitt's face. So, is it makeup or CGI?
Best Line of the Night
So far, anyway, goes to Jack Black
On his strategy for making money by doing animated films:
"Each year I do one Dreamworks project, and I take all the money to the Oscars and bet it on Pixar."
UPDATE: And Black's "strategy" proves true again, as Pixar wins again -- 'WALL-E' for Best Animated Picture, with a gracious speech from Andrew Stanton about finding beauty even in dark places. Amen. And hooray for WALL-E, our Most Redeeming Film of 2008.
Are the Oscars really more out of touch than ever?
Box-office-wise, I mean.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button has already grossed over $100 million, and Slumdog Millionaire could very well cross that line by tomorrow.
The last time two Best Picture nominees grossed over $100 million was four years ago, when The Aviator and Million Dollar Baby just barely crossed that line.
Of course, the other nominees that year were Ray ($75 million), Sideways ($71 million) and Finding Neverland ($51 million), whereas this year's also-rans -- Milk, The Reader and Frost/Nixon -- are all, at the moment, somewhere below $30 million.
Self-Deprecation?
Hugh Jackman's jab at the Academy for failing to nominate the year's most successful-- both critically and financially-- film, The Dark Knight, was funny, but if the Academy realizes what a foolish oversight that was, then why didn't they just, um, nominate it? Or at least admit that it was a major mistake?
(I realize that Jackman is not the Academy, but surely we can expect the views of the host to somewhat line up with those of the organization he represents?)
Brangelina Snub Seacrest Again
Favorite moment thus far happened on the red carpet: when Brad and Angelina avoided talking to Ryan Seacrest once again. Actually, Brad said a few passing words to Seacrest, though he clearly was in a hurry to move on. Angelina avoided him altogether. Apparently the Brangie-Seacrest feud which started at the 2007 Golden Globes continues...
Cruz Control
Penelope Cruz wins Best Supporting Actress for 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona'
I'm sure she was marvelous, but of the five Best Supporting Actress noms, this is the one film I still haven't seen. I was pulling for Taraji P. Henson. And you?
A deep thought for Oscar night
If The Reader wins Best Picture, will it be kind of like Ralph Nader winning the presidency?
Hugh's Song and Dance
Refreshing!
No idea how the rest of the show is going to go, but I got a kick out of Jackman's song and dance to start the night. Kind of a refreshing change from too many crude and/or inside jokes. What did you think?
It's OK Hugh, I Didn't See The Reader Either
Well, I tried. (And it wasn't that the Iron Man lines were too long as Hugh sang in the opening song.) Instead, The Reader was one movie I had to shut off this year because of my fear for what it was doing to my head. I made it about 30 minutes in and while I appreciated some of the art to it, I couldn't get past the nudity and sex.My wife and I decided to shut it off. This has rarely happened for me, but the sexual depiction of this relationship between Kate Winslet and a teen was too much for me personally.So this is one film I really can't judge tonight...
But back to Hugh, what did you think of the opening? I thought it was fun--but I missed a lot of the lines so I'll need to read a transcript of the song at some point. Anne Hathaway's inclusion was fun. And my favorite part was that they didn't cut away after the song's inclusion--instead, the camera caught what felt like a very real party.It's obvious that they're going for intimacy and informality. It's a good tone so far.
Much Ado about Oscar
Some other stories of note about the Academy Awards
The Los Angeles Times wonders if host Hugh Jackman can save the show; The Chicago Tribune has a story about how the pre-Oscar shows and parties have cut back on the glam and bling in deference to the crummy economy; the Seattle Travel Examiner shows how the last 10 Best Picture Winners have literally been all over the map; and the Dallas Morning News lists 25 Random Things About Oscar, including, "I wish Cher would make another movie" and "I miss Billy Crystal"; and the Louisville Courier-Journal vent
Cute Kids Always Win
Can we please go back to the kids from Slumdog Millionaire? They completely steal the show every time the camera goes near them. I kind of want Slumdog to take home the big prize just so we can see those adorable kids celebrate on stage.
Getting into the Spirit
Indies were in the spotlight last night
We're less than an hour away from the start of the Oscars, but less than 24 hours ago, the best independent films and performances of the year were recognized at last night's Spirit Awards.
It's a more freewheeling show than the Academy Awards -- look no further than Mickey Rourke's profanity laced speech for winning Best Actor for The Wrestler. But it's certainly a celebration of some of the year's best movies -- like The Wrestler, Rachel Getting Married, Frozen River, and Wendy & Lucy, among others.
As we're about to watch a spectacle that celebrates mostly mainstream blockbusters, it's good to take a moment to remember the great indies of 2008.
Black Tie = Black Hat?
I love Philip Seymour Hoffman. I really do. He's one of my favorite actors, and Doubt was my favorite movie of the year. But I really do not understand his choice to wear what looks like a knit beanie with that tux. He's inched past Mickey Rourke (who looked, dare I say, normal in a white tux) for Most Confusing Fashion Choice.
Supporting Actresses Make a Statement
Taraji P. Henson is an early highlight (via FabSugar). As the commentators on E! noted, she is rocking a statement necklace. I love the dress. It's a cream mermaid dress with a floaty layer effect. She looks adorable, and, for the record, nothing like Brad Pitt's mom. No offense, Mrs. Pitt.
Another great statement necklace on Amy Adams, also nominated for Best Supporting Actress. She is also one of the many wearing red...an unusual choice, because she risks blending in to the carpet, but the colors in her necklace, along with the black piping on the upper half of the dress, dramatically sweep the attention up to her face.
More photos to come. What do you think of the style so far? Leave your comments below!
Live from the Red Carpet
Hello all! I'm here to liveblog tonight's fashion. The preshow is actually my favorite part of the Oscars?the anticipation! The awkward interviews! The dresses!
As the stars begin to filter onto the red carpet, here's my most anticipated list:
Anne Hathaway- She is a style goddess. Her SAG Awards look (Grecian gown with loose, slightly messy hair) is the best I've seen at any awards show this season?how will she follow it up?
Kate Winslet- The favorite for Best Actress has a lot of pressure to wear the "right" dress. I have heard rumors that we might not actually see her on the red carpet; something to do with the show's promoters wanting people to tune into the ceremony to see the biggest names.
Freida Pinto- To this point in the awards season, her dresses have been a ton of fun - very colorful and exuberant.
Amy Adams- She always takes a fresh approach to old school glamour.
Meryl Streep ? Older women have more of a challenge when it comes to looking both age appropriate and fashion forward. Like Helen Mirren, she always pulls it off well.
Mickey Rourke- The Best Actor-nominated star is guaranteed to keep it interesting. He's a wild card in every sense of the word.
Sean Penn- He can wear a classic tux.
So far we've only seen Miley Cyrus. I'm having trouble capturing images off my TV so I am going to direct you over to FabSugar for the picture. What did you think of her glittery gown? At first the petal effect on the skirt looked like scales, but I think I'm a fan now. It's a fun princess dress, and she's 16...go for it while you can!
Leave your thoughts in the comments as the big stars begin to show up, and I'll be back soon.
Religion Crashes the Oscar Party
'Boston Globe' religion writer notes the films' faith themes
Michael Paulson, who covers religion for The Boston Globe, writes that this year's Oscar nominees "include multiple films with a faith angle -- from the Holocaust to Hinduism, with clergy sexual abuse and all sorts of good vs. evil thrown in."
Obviously he includes Doubt in the discussion, but also includes Slumdog Millionaire, The Reader, and Milk with his observations.
New Look Oscar?
Usually, I'm all about the business side of the Oscars. I could skip the glamour, glitz, and self-congratulation. The endless clips of movies? Keep them. The dancing? Eh. I just want to know the winners so I can either complain about the Academy or feel validated in my opinions.
So, I definitely feel the pain of Newsweek's Patrick Enright who asked this week, "Why do we subject ourselves to an experience we detest?" He actually admits to watching the Oscars every year; I often bow out completely.
But this year, for some reason, I'm looking forward to the ceremony. I might just be buying into the hype, but it seems as if the Academy has gotten the hint and will be trying to reinvent itself. That tends to happen when ad revenues are projected to be down 16 percent because last year marked the event's lowest viewership percentage.
The New York Times reported last week that architect David Rockwell, who designed the Kodak Theatre, is out to "redefine the show's DNA" with a new, intimate look. (Check out a quick slideshow of the stages over the years.) But the changes don't stop there.
Producers say they want to bring back the joy and celebration of the awards, return it to being a "communal experience," and are specifically using the 1969 ceremony as their model. "When I look at the old shows, one of the great things is they're all giving this party, and we're lucky to be invited to it," says ceremony co-producer Bill Condon. "Recently it's become just a TV show where they promote everything ?We wanted to restore a certain kind of mystery to it."
Even members of the academy don't know exactly who is showing up tonight to present or perform. (Anne Hathaway singing?) The Times did report that this year's Oscars "will have a storyline related to making movies and will lean heavily toward live theater instead of endless film clips, with the award presentations almost Shakespearean plays within a play."
Hey, "all's well that ends well" - as long as it ends before 1 a.m.
'Milk' and the problem of politics
And yet, there's another part of me that dreads what seems bound to happen if Milk wins: All of the film's detractors-- be they folks who object to its politics, folks who think it's simply not that great of a film, or folks who were really gung-ho about Slumdog-- will, very probably, accuse the Academy of picking the movie not for its cinematic merits, but simply for its "cause." Indeed, that's a charge that has already been leveled by more than a few critics, who think the film is too conventional to warrant the heaps of praise it has received.
I'm certainly not privy to the Academy's intentions, so if indeed Milk does win, I really won't be able to say exactly why. I will say, however, that this movie-- perhaps more than any other I've seen, at least recently-- highlights the difference between a political film and a propagandistic one. Certainly, the movie has a political agenda, and, to that end, it's a bold and fearless piece of filmmaking, one that never shies away from its cause, one that seems determined to stir up trouble and get right up in the face of those who might not share the same ideology. That said, I would also say that the film is inviting a serious conversation. It makes a persuasive argument (and I use that term descriptively, not necessarily evaluatively) for its side, but since when is that such a bad thing? Most Christian films make persuasive arguments of their own, it seems, and Milk never strikes me as demonizing those on the opposing side, nor does it seem uninterested in truly engaging principles and ideas.
In short, it tackles divisive issues with fervor, conviction, humor, compassion, and heart-- and it invites (possibly heated) discussion. And I'm certainly not one to condemn a movie for having such grand aspirations, when so many films have such small aspirations. If Milk wins tomorrow, it may very well be because the Academy likes its politics-- but that doesn't mean it isn't a dynamite movie, as well.
Milk Will Take It All
Sure, Slumdog took a zillion prizes but last minute upsets do happen. Slumdog peaked early but has picked up a sizable backlash in recent weeks, thanks in part to the controversy surrounding production's treatment of the adorable urchins playing young Jamal and Salim.
Slumdog's main liability is that it's just not a good movie (though that didn't stop Crash). Milk, on the other hand, is a phenomenal film on every level. Excellent storytelling, masterful acting, and an important message about living the truth. I'm well aware that many Christians will refuse to see this film because it's about a gay activist, but the genius of Milk is that director Gus van Sant finds the universal story here. Harvey Milk was a politician but Milk has a lot more going on that just a political agenda. If only all Christians would live as openly and fight as hard for their beliefs as Harvey Milk.
Anyway, I predict that Milk will take Best Picture and Best Director, and Sean Penn Best Actor.
Is Slumdog a Slam Dunk?
It's looking that way. As Entertainment Weekly wrote, "The crowd-pleasing hit has dominated the awards season like no other film in recent memory."
Last weekend--just days before Oscar ballots were due on Tuesday--the movie grabbed Best Film honors from the Art Directors Guild, the Cinema Audio Society, the American Cinema Editors and the American Society of Cinematographers. When added to other big association wins (like the BAFTAs, Golden Globes, Producers Guild, Directors Guild, Writers Guild, Broadcast Critics, and SAG awards) that is, as EW reports, "a completely unheard-of pre-Oscar sweep." That's right, even Oscar heavyweights like Forrest Gump, Return of the King, American Beauty, and Titanic didn't do that.
So if the little-movie-that-could Slumdog loses, it will actually be a huge upset. Some of the acting categories are still toss ups (Best Supporting Actress especially), but the biggest shoo-in of the night is obviously Heath Ledger for Supporting Actor category. (By the way, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said this week that "if" he wins, the statue would go to his daughter Matilda when she turns 18. Reportedly his family would accept the Oscar on Sunday.)
For more on who is predicted to win (and who critics are saying should win), check out this handy list from EW and this ranking from Rotten Tomatoes.
WALL-E Gets 'Spiritual'
BeliefNet gives Pixar's latest their top prize for 2008
Like I said, loose definition. And I was even one of the judges -- though I've always told our friends at BeliefNet that I thought their definition of "spiritual" needed refining. (For the record, I voted Doubt as the year's most spiritual film, having to choose from their short list of nominees -- Wall-E, Gran Torino, Slumdog Millionaire, The Dark Knight, and Doubt.)
Richard Jenkins in The Visitor won the Best Spiritual Performance (the people went with Queen Latifah in The Secret Life of Bees, and so did I), and Lord Save Us From Your Followers swept the Best Spiritual Documentary awards. (Inexplicably, Pray the Devil Back to Hell wasn't one of the nominees.)
God and the Oscars
ReligionLink takes a brief look at spiritually-infused films
ReligionLink, which helps to keep journalists aware of stories with spiritual angles, writes:
"The 81st annual Academy Awards ceremony is this Sunday, and as always there are plenty of religious issues to provide a substantive backdrop to the red-carpet glam.
"Films have long grappled with questions of ultimate meaning, and this year's crop is no exception. Whether it's the more overtly religious Doubt, based on John Patrick Shanley's Broadway production, or the "life is beautiful" fantasy, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, there's a lot of potential here for out-of-the-box stories. Frost/Nixon explores moral ambiguity, and The Wrestler is a redemption tale both for the main character and for its real-life actor, Mickey Rourke."
CT Movies plans to blog away on Oscar night, so please come join the party!
Jacked Up
Hugh Jackman is looking dapper for the Oscars
ABC TV released publicity shots of Academy Awards host Hugh Jackman today.
The Aussie, best-known for his role as Wolverine in the X-Men movies, will be hosting the Oscars for the first time. Few people have nailed the role, bringing just the right mix of charisma and humor to the gig. Here's hoping Jackman finds some of that magic when the telecast airs on Sunday, Feb. 22.
We're betting that sometime during the show that we'll see a teaser for X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
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