81st Annual Academy Awards

[ssongs]

So the nominations are in. Check them out here:

OSCAR.com - 81st Annual Academy Awards - Nominees

Best Picture is:

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

I haven't seen any of them! But they all seem like your typical Oscar-bait films. Deeply dramatic tales tell about the crappy life, the rise, and fall of a character(s). But The Dark Knight was nominated for 8 awards! That's a great movie!

My favorite award is for best music (score). This year it's for Wall-E, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Slumdog Millionaire, Milk, and Defiance. I hope Wall-E wins!

How about you guys? Any favorites?

 

[D_Ireonsyd_Colonrinse]

I've seen "Milk" (great performances from Sean Penn, Josh Brolin and James Franco). It's a mainstream film, yet Gus Van Sant keeps it artful and indie at the same time. It's interesting to look at all the way through. As a "gay movie", I liked it more than "Brokeback Mountain".

I think I'm the only guy I know who disliked "Slumdog Millionaire". Loud, bombastic music. Frenetic editing. That freaking movie was oppressive to watch and beat me into submission. I resented this film. It felt like some loudmouthed boor shouted at me and slapped me around for two hours.

"Frost/Nixon" is all talk. A complete dialogue film. But I enjoyed it. It's a decent political movie and Frank Langella is a towering, stunning Richard Nixon. He's bigger than life and quirky and really fills up that role nicely.

I never got around to seeing "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". It looks over-produced in that cheesy "Forrest Gump" way (a movie I loathed). It almost looks constructed to be an Academy Award-winning, touching, gooey, lush, impeccable era-spanning epic. This is just my instinct/first impression after being assaulted by the sentimental previews.

 

[flame boy]

I've seen Frost/Nixon and Milk. I fully intend to watch the other 3 best picture films very shortly. So far my opinion based on what I've seen is that Sean Penn and Frank Langella are both deserving of oscars for their brilliant portrayals of their characters.

 

[nudeyorker]

I've seen all of them, my money is on Slumdog, best of the bunch IMO.

 

[Xcuze]

Well I havent seen anything. But Im surprised Kate Winslet didnt get a supporting actress nod after winning the Globe. But I think it will increase her chance of winning the Best actress. Mickey Rourke & Heath are dead certs...no pun intended. Slumdog will clean up I think....its on a roll. I will see it soon.

Meryl Streep could play a brick & still get nominated.

 

[rbkwp]

Not into the Ocars myself
but i nominate yr Avatar ssongs
Think its quite Wonderful .. piercing'
(sort of demanding.. gimmeee gimmeee gimmeee) i imagine Attilla the Hun riding around with that look? ha
enz

 

[D_Ireonsyd_Colonrinse]

Xcuze:

I would bet money Mickey Rourke won't win for "The Wrestler". His winning the Golden Globe was considered a kind of deserved fluke (for a good performance). The Academy voters will think that's enough for him and give the Oscar to Sean Penn for "Milk". (There is some politicking going on here -- since "Milk" will not win Best Picture or director, which will almost certainly go to "Slumdog", and since the Academy loved "Milk", and since Mickey Rourke was already honored for his obscure film, Sean Penn will win another Academy Award for a brilliant role unlike anything he's played before).


Kate Winslet's Golden Globe supporting actress win in "The Reader" has now turned into a Best Actress (no longer supporting) nom for the AAs. Her Best Actress Golden Globe win for "Revolutionary Road" was not nominated at all this morning (in fact the film was mostly shafted, except for a supporting actor nom).

You can bet the farm on Heath Ledger.

 

[Xcuze]

Xcuze:

I would bet money Mickey Rourke won't win for "The Wrestler".

Kate Winslet's Golden Globe supporting actress win in "The Reader" has now turned into a Best Actress (no longer supporting) nom for the AAs.

Well I disagree. I think Rourke will win. He's this years comeback kid. This is probably his one chance ever to win it. Sean Penn will get a few more shots probably. Plus Sean's always had a snooty attitude to the Oscars & Im not sure he's been forgiven enough to win just yet.

Well, Kates confusing category switch aside, I still think it will help her win just having one nomination. They wouldnt want her to get a double again. Too greedy.

 

[nudeyorker]

We'll see about all of this...sometimes when you are sure someone will win... they don't and vice versa!

 

[D_Rod Staffinbone]

[

You can bet the farm on Heath Ledger.

"dark knight" was a piece of crap. (i know it made tons of money.)
ledger was good in a really bad film. maybe good enough for the people's
choice awards, but not usually for the academy, unless it's purely a sympathy vote and in lieu of the oscar he should have won for "brokeback mountain".

 

[Xcuze]

purely a sympathy vote and in lieu of the oscar he should have won for "brokeback mountain".

Well I think Im the only gay who didnt like that film. I also found his mumbling performance really annoying!

 

[nudeyorker]

Well I think Im the only gay who didnt like that film. I also found his mumbling performance really annoying!

Nope I'm right there with you...and he was not very nice in real life!

 

[D_Rod Staffinbone]

Well I think Im the only gay who didnt like that film. I also found his mumbling performance really annoying!

i felt that jake gyllenhaal was the most annoying part of "brokeback
mountain", thought heath ledger was true to the reality of that type of
relationship, in that part of the world, at that time. he mumbles in "dark knight" too, with far less impact, in my opinion.

(strangely, it was exactly one year ago today that heath ledger was found dead. also the same day a year ago that
last year's academy awards nominations were announced.)

 

[whatireallywant]

I've never even heard of The Reader!

I haven't seen any of the nominees (not surprising, since I rarely go to the movies - not that I don't like movies, just can't afford the tickets!) but I'd like to see "Benjamin Button" and "Milk".

I wouldn't mind seeing "Slumdog Millionnaire" either, but "Frost/Nixon" would probably bore me (but then, you never can tell...)

 

[ssongs]

As I said before I haven't seen or even heard of a few of the best pic nominees, but it seems like they always pick the same kind of films to be nominated. They have to be really deep with a little bit of artsy-fartsy thrown in there. I'm sure they are good movies though. I'll try to go see them before the awards. But I think I'll probably procrastinate again.

I'm glad you like the avatar, rbkwp. It's this guy called Marcus Fenix who is the lead character in a really violent video game series called "Gears of War." The main hook to that game is that your assault rifle has a chain saw on the end of it. He's a real bad ass!

 

[Xcuze]

Well to be fair a lot of these great films depend on these award shows for their publicity. Commercial films get their rewards from the box office & popular media coverage. So its good that these thoughtful, lovingly made films are brought to our attention via award shows. Otherwise they'd just pass by un-noticed.

 

[Deno]

The dude from Skins did a great job and I loved the movie. I think SlumDog will get a lot more awards. For an independent it sure is getting a lot of publicity.

 

[rbkwp]

I'm glad you like the avatar, rbkwp. It's this guy called Marcus Fenix who is the lead character in a really violent video game series called "Gears of War." The main hook to that game is that your assault rifle has a chain saw on the end of it. He's a real bad ass!

THANKs ssongs
will be passing that info on to my Nephews....aged 15 plus
blighters will probably shrug there shoulders and say they have had the game fr months ha
enz

 

[prince_will]

Out of all the Oscar nominated movies, i've seen:

Revolutionary Road.
Wall-E
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Tropic Thunder
The Dark Knight
Australia

I was quite upset to see how Revolutionary Road almost got totally shafted. Especially in Leonardo DiCaprio's case. He was great! Michael Shannon's nom for Supporting was surprising though even though he was perfect as the "crazy" guy who cut through all the bullshit in Revolutionary Road.
Downey Jr.'s nom for Tropic Thunder was fun to see, but i don't think he has any chance in hell of winning.
While Brad Pitt was a great actor in Button and totally deserved the nom, the movie was not all that great. Nicely done, but not emotionally compelling at all to me.

 

[D_Ireonsyd_Colonrinse]

willtom27:
"I would bet money Mickey Rourke won't win for "The Wrestler". His winning the Golden Globe was considered a kind of deserved fluke (for a good performance). The Academy voters will think that's enough for him and give the Oscar to Sean Penn for "Milk". (There is some politicking going on here -- since "Milk" will not win Best Picture or director, which will almost certainly go to "Slumdog", and since the Academy loved "Milk", and since Mickey Rourke was already honored for his obscure film, Sean Penn will win another Academy Award for a brilliant role unlike anything he's played before)."


Xcuze:
"Well I disagree. I think Rourke will win. He's this years comeback kid. This is probably his one chance ever to win it. Sean Penn will get a few more shots probably. Plus Sean's always had a snooty attitude to the Oscars & Im not sure he's been forgiven enough to win just yet."


------------------------------


Sean Penn won last night's SAG award for lead actor, a fair indicator of where the Academy's head is at (just as the Directors Guilld Award is a pretty odds-on indicator of which director will take home the Academy's directing award).

Other winners at last night's Screen Actors Guild award show: Meryl Streep ("Doubt") - which I finally got around to seeing, by the way, this weekend. It's a mostly mediocre movie - very stagey; obvious directorial choices; didactic screenplay - yet with 4 very good, intense acting performances; Heath Ledger ("The Dark Knight"); Kate Winslet ("The Reader"); and "Slumdog Millionaire" won for outstanding cast.