Misanthropy &amp; Entropy, Inc.

I have much to see from the last year, but of what I did, I don't think any film failed my expectations quite as much as The Good Shepherd did. Considering that I enjoyed the movie overall, my disappointment is clearly a fault of my expectations, which it would seem were unreasonably high. None the less, either Roth or Deniro need to take the fall for failing to produce a cohesive line in the film and for failing to fulfill in the last half the promise of the first. I tend to blame Deniro more, as it seemed the flick was too willing to sacrifice logical script and plot progression to create acting opportunities, such as the utterly unnecessary Pesci cameo. Now, I thought Pesci acted well, but I don't think the scene served the film. Much of the rest of the movie, including the deductive work by the team analyzing the footage, was riveting. However, there were a completely unnecessary one-liners, including the bit about God and the CIA at the end, and some flat characters, such as the guy who said it that line, who took away from what could have been.

Anyway, that's my long-winded way of saying that I'm not bothered by any oscar snubs for this movie. Also, I have no idea how Meryl Streep qualifies as a leading actress for The Devil Wears Prada. But whatever, that's Mirren's statue this year, anyway.

From:

The thing about Good Shepherd for me was a comment I read somewhere:

I was expecting a procedural history, and I got an opera.

The Pesci thing worked for me because it dovetailed into other reding I've done--which means you're right, it's a flaw of the film.

Which bit about God and the CIA at the end? It apparently didn't make much of an impression on me.

From:

I don't want to say too much, just in case it would spoil it for someone, but it was something about why they don't use the word the. Do you recall it now? It was just a very awkward script moment that really didn't develop from the dialog at all.

From:

Because she's Meryl.
---------------

To be more serious, I think it had something to do with the fact that she IS Meryl Streep and she was doing comedy. Successfully. There are a very large number of great actors and actresses who are horrible at comedy (Julianne Moore, I'm looking at you--as much as I love you, comedy is not your forte). Meryl pulled it off without trying to be all Will Ferrell about it (read: over the top obvious).

I did like her performance in A Praire Home Companion a lot, but I am not sure if that came out last year or the year before. However, it was a really well acted film, which I recommend if you haven't seen it. I'm not the biggest Altman fan--I respect his work a lot, but I've never been reeled in by any of his films (although, I've only seen a few)--but I enjoyed that movie more than I thought I would.

From:

It wasn't a slight at Meryl. I thought she did a fine job. It was a slight at the leading role designation. She simply wasn't the leading role. Anne Hathaway had the leading role. Meryl should receive a nomination in the supporting category if she's to receive a nomination. I'm sure there's another actress out there in a proper leading role who deserved notice but isn't getting it.

From:

By the by, here's who I think will win:

Best Picture:
The Departed

Best Actor:
Forest Whitaker

Best Actress:
Helen Mirren:

Supporting Actor:
Mark Wahlberg

Supporting Actress:
Jennifer Hudson

Director:
Scorsese

Original Screenplay:
Little Miss Sunshine

Adapted Screenplay:
The Departed

From:

Now, are these "Will Win"s, where you take into consideration the various voting blocs and their behaviours, and the assorted campaigning and previous award-season wins? Or are they "Should Win"s, where these are what would be the winners if you were God?

From:

These are my guesses at who the academy will pick. I haven't seen all the flicks, so I don't have a dog in all hunts.

But I really enjoyed The Departed and yes finally Little Miss Sunshine. Whitaker and Mirren are reactions to the buzz, I suppose. Wahlberg, because I liked Deparated, but I wouldn't be surprised by Murphy. Hudson, buzz. Director, legacy. I enjoyed the courageous Sunshine script, even if a couple moments were flawed. And finally, the adapted award because I think they need to tribute the cleverly titled movie whose name I can't remember but whose plot is remade into The Departed.

From:

I think it's something like "Internal Affairs"...

From:

Infernal Affairs.

From:

911939.livejournal.com

I'm also happy to see Abigail Breslin nominated for Supporting Actress. I can't remember a child actor in a film that wasn't either precociously cute but not really real or Osment/Fanning-style creepy and adult beyond their years. Abigail was very, very real. I thought she did a great job in Little Miss Sunshine. Plus, I'm all for that movie getting any nods that come its way. I'm seriously evaluating my Top 5...I may need to bump something to put it in.

From:

Come to LA, I'm sure they're in theatres somewhere around here. Plus, now that the noms are out, they'll probably be re-released.

I have a hard time believing that Mark Wahlberg deserved an Oscar nom, but I haven't seen The Departed. I generally don't think of him as being much of an actor (except that he was the heart and soul and saving grace of I Heart Huckabees). I'm bummed that Children of Men didn't score more! Clive Owen needs an Oscar for just being Clive Owen. I was hoping Sacha and Ken would get noms--I haven't seen Borat, but I love when comedic actors get nods...and Ken was AWESOME in Letters--actually, most of that cast was amazing. I loved the actor who played the Olympic rider. Affleck would have been nice, but I am not sure that people are ready to forgive him for the first iteration of Bennifer yet. I'm so SO SO excited that Jackie Earle Haley was nominated--he's amazing in Little Children.

Is it wrong that I hope Little Miss Sunshine wins best picture?

From:

Come to LA, I'm sure they're in theatres somewhere around here.

JetBlue started flying from O'Hare at the beginning of this month--don't tempt me.

Wahlberg in The Departed...oh my GOD. I spent most of the time he was onscreen wondering "where did THIS guy come from?"

Children of Men opened too small and too late for its own good (yet another casualty of moving the awards to the end of February).

Is it wrong that I hope Little Miss Sunshine wins best picture?

Only because you haven't seen The Departed. :) Still, everyone and their brother was surprised by LMS winning the Producers Guild award over the weekend, so I'd call it--at worst--a co-favorite right now.

From:

I have a lot of movies to catch up on. I'm going to try to see them on Friday, in one major blitz. It'll require me going to a few different theatres to do it. I really REALLY do not want to see Babel, much in the same way that I really didn't want to see Crash...but I have a thing about seeing all of the nominated movies (at least in the big categories). I only missed three last year. If there is a push to get them to dvd before the awards, I may be able to get it all done--that's how I did it last year. That and I had no job, so I had plenty of time to watch them. Add into that my three month long trial membership at a local video store where dvds are 99 cents a piece for one night rental during the trial...and I was set. That's a run-on sentence.
Does JetBlue go to Burbank? I know it is based out of Long Beach, but if it flies to Burbank, I may start investigating that for trips home. LAX is much further away from where I live. And while there are a shitload of ways to get to LAX, none of them are particularly speedy (with the possible exception of my mother's favorite route, except that it takes you through downtown, which is a bitch at rush hour...but everything is a bitch at rush hour in LA...mostly because rush hour is five hours long and public transportation sucks).

I live about two miles from the Kodak Theatre--my friend, Lisa, lives about half a mile away, probably less. It's pandemonium for a week beforehand. There is something kind of cool about being so close that you can hear the crowds cheering on the red carpet. Unfortunately, from what I gathered, you have to submit an application to be in the stands off of the red carpet, complete with picture.

From:

That being said, I'm wondering if any of the shops in the Hollywood & Highland complex are open during the ceremony...There are some balconies/windows that would probably give great views of the red carpet.

From: