Monthly Archives: February 2011
TCM’s 31 Days of Oscar – The Last Three Days
Sadly, TCM’s 31 Days of Oscar is about to come to an end. What a run, though, eh? I must have watched at least 100 new-to-me films in the last few weeks (that’s a conservative estimate; I’ll do a full recap of my crazy February film watching escapades tomorrow). Did you find any new favorites? I know I sure did. So here’s my last post about this wonderful month of programming. As always there are so many great films being shown, some I’ve seen and some I can’t wait to see for the first time.
Oscar Vault Monday – Ship Of Fools, 1965 (dir. Stanley Kramer)
This was a film I’d meant to watch for a while because it was Vivien Leigh’s last screen appearance. Then it disappeared off of Instant Netflix and I kind of forgot I wanted to watch it. Luckily for me, TCM showed the film last week as part of its 31 Days of Oscar and boy am I glad that they did. I absolutely loved it. I think it might be one of the finest examples of interlocking storylines I’ve ever seen. Plus, the set decoration and cinematography were to die for. Some of the crispest B&W cinematography I’ve seen in a while. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning two: Best B&W Art Direction (won), Best Cinematography (won), Best B&W Costume Design, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actress Simone Signoret, Best Supporting Actor Michael Dunn, Best Actor Oskar Werner and Best Picture. The other films up for Best Picture that year were Darling, Doctor Zhivago, A Thousand Clowns and winner The Sound of Music.
Movie Quote of the Day – Apollo 13, 1995 (dir. Ron Howard)
CAPCOM 1: This is Houston. Say again, please.
Jim Lovell: Houston, we have a problem.
83rd Academy Awards Winners
Best Picture:
127 Hours
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone
Best Director:
Darren Aronofsky – Black Swan
David Fincher – The Social Network
Tom Hooper – The King’s Speech
David O. Russell – The Fighter
The Coen Bros. – True Grit
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 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 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 Supporting Actress
Amy Adams – The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter – The King’s Speech
Melissa Leo – The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld – True Grit
Jacki Weaver – Animal Kingdom
Best Animated Feature
How To Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3
Best Adapted Screenplay:
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone
Best Original Screenplay:
Another Year
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
Best Foreign Language Film
Biutiful (Mexico)
Dogtooth (Greece)
Hors la Loi (Outside the Law) (Algeria)
Incendies (Canada)
In a Better World (Denmark)
Best Cinematography
Black Swan
Inception
The King’s Speech
The Social Network
True Grit
Best Film Editing
127 Hours
Black Swan
The Fighter
The King’s Speech
The Social Network
Best Art Direction
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Inception
The King’s Speech
True Grit
Best Costume Design
Alice in Wonderland
I Am Love
The King’s Speech
The Tempest
True Grit
Best Makeup
Barney’s Version
The Way Back
The Wolfman
Best Original Score
127 Hours – A.R. Rahman
How to Train Your Dragon – John Powell
Inception – Hans Zimmer
The King’s Speech – Alexandre Desplat
The Social Network – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
Best Original Song
127 Hour- A.R. Rahman, Rollo Armstrong, Dido(“If I Rise”)
Country Strong – Bob DiPiero, Tom Douglas, Hillary Lindsey, Troy Verges(“Coming Home”)
Tangled – Alan Menken, Glenn Slater(“I See the Light”)
Toy Story 3 – Randy Newman(“We Belong Together”)
Best Sound
Inception
The King’s Speech
Salt
The Social Network
True Grit
Best Sound Editing
Inception
Toy Story 3
TRON: Legacy
True Grit
Unstoppable
Best Visual Effects
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Hereafter
Inception
Iron Man 2
Best Documentary
Exit Through the Gift Shop
GasLand
Inside Job
Restrepo
Waste Land
Best Documentary, Short Subject
Killing in the Name
Poster Girl
Strangers No More
Sun Come Up
The Warriors of Qiugang
Best Short Film, Animated
Day & Night
The Gruffalo
Let’s Pollute
The Lost Thing
Madagascar, a Journey Diary
Best Short Film, Live Action
The Confession
The Crush
God of Love
Na Wewe
Wish 143
Movie Quote of the Day – Gone With The Wind, 1939 (dir. Victor Fleming)
Scarlett O’Hara: Rhett. . .Rhett. . .Rhett, if you go, where shall I go? What shall I do?
Rhett Butler: Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.
Black Swan Sweeps Independent Spirit Awards
BEST FEATURE
- 127 Hours
- Black Swan
- Greenberg
- The Kids Are All Right
- Winter’s Bone
BEST DIRECTOR
- Darren Aronofsky – Black Swan
- Danny Boyle – 127 Hours
- Lisa Cholodenko – The Kids Are All Right
- Debra Granik – Winter’s Bone
- John Cameron Mitchell – Rabbit Hole
BEST FEMALE LEAD
- Annette Bening – The Kids Are All Right
- Greta Gerwig – Greenberg
- Nicole Kidman – Rabbit Hole
- Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone
- Natalie Portman – Black Swan
- Michelle Williams – Blue Valentine
BEST MALE LEAD
- Ronald Bronstein – Daddy Longlegs
- Aaron Eckhart – Rabbit Hole
- James Franco – 127 Hours
- John C. Reilly – Cyrus
- Ben Stiller – Greenberg
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
- Ashley Bell – The Last Exorcism
- Dale Dickey – Winter’s Bone
- Allison Janney – Life During Wartime
- Daphne Rubin-Vega – Jack Goes Boating
- Naomi Watts – Mother and Child
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
- John Hawkes – Winter’s Bone
- Samuel L. Jackson – Mother and Child
- Bill Murray – Get Low
- John Ortiz – Jack Goes Boating
- Mark Ruffalo – The Kids Are All Right
BEST SCREENPLAY
- Stuart Blumberg & Lisa Cholondenko – The Kids Are All Right
- Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini – Winter’s Bone
- Nicole Holofcener – Please Give
- David Lindsay-Abaire – Rabbit Hole
- Todd Solondz – Life During Wartime
BEST FOREIGN FILM
- Kisses (Ireland)
- Mademoiselle Chambon (France)
- Of Gods and Men (Morocco)
- The King’s Speech (United Kingdom)
- Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Thailand)
BEST DOCUMENTARY
- Exit Through The Gift Shop
- Marwencol
- Restrepo
- Sweetgrass
- Thunder Soul
BEST FIRST FEATURE
- Everything Strange and New
- Get Low
- The Night Catches Us
- The Last Exorcism
- Tiny Furniture
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
- Diane Bell – Obselidia
- Lena Dunham – Tiny Furniture
- Nik Fackler – Lovely, Still
- Bob Glaudini – Jack Goes Boating
- Dana Adam Shapiro & Evan M. Wiener – Monogamy
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
- Daddy Longlegs
- Lbs.
- Lovers of Hate
- Obselidia
- The Exploding Girl
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
- Adam Kimmel – Never Let Me Go
- Matthew Libatique – Black Swan
- Jody Lee Lipes – Tiny Furniture
- Michael McDonough – Winter’s Bone
- Harris Savides – Greenberg
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD (Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its
ensemble cast)
- Please Give – Nicole Holofcener (director), Jeanne McCarthy (casting director), Ann Guilbert, Rebecca Hall, Catherine Keener, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Lois Smith and Sarah Steele
Piaget Producers Award
- In-Ah Lee – Au Revoir Taipei
- Adele Romanski – The Myth of the American Sleepover
- Anish Savjani – Meek’s Cutoff
Acura Someone to Watch Award
- Mike Ott – Littlerock
- Laurel Nakadate – The Wolf Knife
- Hossein Keshavarz – Dog Sweat
AVEENO Truer than Fiction Award
- Ilisa Barbash, Lucien Castaing-Taylor – Sweetgrass
- Jeff Malmberg – Marwencol
- Lynn True, Nelson Walker – Summer Pasture
Final Predictions for the 83rd Academy Awards
This year has been a hard one to cope with, mostly because the race seemed pretty set early on and then changed so drastically about a month ago. I’d like to say a change like that is refreshing, but I just can’t because I don’t like how it’s changed. I, for one, agreed with the critics and precursors with their choice of The Social Network for Best Picture. Then the guilds came and changed everything and gave their top honors to The King’s Speech. I think I’m still a bit in shock from it all (and maybe a little bit in denial). So now, the day before the awards, I’ve got to make my final predictions and I find myself unable. My head says, “look at the wind, it’s blowing towards The King’s Speech,” but my heart is saying, “The Social Network is better, stick with it til the bitter end.” Long story short, after the cut you’ll see if I decided to go with my heart or with my head.
Movie Quote of the Day – The Godfather, 1972 (dir. Francis Ford Coppola)
Don Corleone: You look terrible. I want you to eat, I want you to rest well. And a month from now this Hollywood big shot’s gonna give you what you want.
Johnny Fontane: Too late. They start shooting in a week.
Don Corleone: I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.
Movie Quote of the Day – The Thin Man, 1934 (dir. W.S. Van Dyke)
Nora Charles: How many drinks have you had?
Nick Charles: This will make six Martinis.
Nora Charles: [to the waiter] All right. Will you bring me five more Martinis, Leo? Line them right up here.
Movie Quote of the Day – Juno, 2007 (dir. Jason Reitman)
Vanessa Loring: Your parents are probably wondering where you are.
Juno MacGuff: Nah. . .I mean, I’m already pregnant, so what other kind of shenanigans could I get into?
the diary of a film history fanatic 