Yes, the Screen Actors Guild Awards were a week ago, but it's been a busy week so I'm gonna talk about it now. The SAGs are always a fun awards show to watch, even though the fact that SAG-AFTRA is union is sort of beaten over your head throughout the evening. The show always starts out with several stars in the audience facing the camera and telling a short story or anecdote about acting and finishing by saying, "I'm so-and-so and I am an actor." Talking to a friend about this opening a few days ago, we both agreed it is so stale and awkward. Why not just jump into the awards? If they cut out this 5 minute awkward opening then there wouldn't be a need to flash "wrap it up" on the teleprompter to Cate Blanchett.
The SAGs were the second awards show in a week, after the Globes, which featured both films and television. It's interesting that at both the best and most clever speeches came from the TV stars. I love love love movies, but there's no denying that we are clearly in a creative renaissance with television. The best speech was Julia Louis-Dreyfus'. It called back to the Emmy's by incorporating her Veep co-stars and called out her loss at the Globes. Comic genius. Look it up on YouTube if you missed it. Ty Burrel also gave a charming, funny speech about how to make it in show business. The SAGs also treated us to another whack-a-doo acceptance speech from an industry vet. Rita Moreno was presented with the Life Achievement Award by Morgan Freeman and is was full of awkwardness. She had Freeman "participate" in a bit from their 70's children's show The Electric Company and he clearly didn't know what was going on. Then she continued to sing half of her acceptance speech. This is another one worth YouTubing.
This weekend I went and saw 12 Years a Slave. It is heartbreaking and beautifully acted and filmed. It is another movie that deserves all of the accolades it is getting and more. Yes, it is an emotionally brutal movie to watch (I haven't cried so much in a movie theatre since Les Miserables) but it is an important movie to see as an American. In last year's Oscar race Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained gave us the revenge fantasy we wish could have happened to slave owners in The South. This year, Steve McQueen shows us the brutal honesty of one of America's darkest times in history 12 Years a Slave. It's interesting that it took a British director with a British leading man to make a movie that unflinchingly shines a light on the horrors of American slavery. I hope as years go by, this film will become a movie that schools show to students to illustrate to them America's past that should never be repeated. Just as I watched Schindler's List to learn about Holocaust.
Steve McQueen does a wonderful job directing and I'm so glad he was nominated for Best Director. In a different year I think he might win, but I don't think he has a chance against Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity. Chiwetel Ejiofor also gives an amazing performance as Solomon Northup, a free black man in the North who is kidnapped and sold into slavery. It looks like Matthew McConaughey will win the Oscar this year, but I think Ejiofor gives the more moving and tour de force performance. He is able to convey so much with just his eyes; it is truly astounding. Lupita Nyong'o for Best Supporting Actress is the surest bet for an Oscar win for 12 Years a Slave. After the Golden Globes I thought maybe there was a bit of a race between her and Jennifer Lawrence for American Hustle in this category, but now that I have seen Nyong'o's performance it would be a travesty if Nyong'o doesn't win. She gives a heartbreaking performance as Patsey, the slave who has become the favorite play thing and punching bag of Michael Fassbender's terrifying slave owner Edwin Epps. Fassbender is also nominated for Best Supporting Actor and deservedly so, but he hasn't got a chance against Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club this year.
In all, 12 Years a Slave was nominated for nine Academy Awards including Best Picture. However, I think it should have gotten ten. One thing that really struck me as I was watching the film was how seamlessly Hans Zimmer's score intertwined with the action of the film. I've only seen one of the Best Original Score nominees so far, which is Her, but I felt Zimmer's score was more emotional.
That's enough for tonight. Hopefully there are some Oscar nominated movies in my mailbox from Netflix to watch this week. Goodnight!
MGG
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
1st Movie Marathon of 2014
This past weekend was a whirlwind of Oscar nominated movie viewing and more awards shows. My favorite kind of weekend.
The first movie I saw on Saturday was Dallas Buyers Club and it deserves all the accolades it's received. It has six Oscar nominations including, Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Editing. (Side note: I forgot to mention the other day, but how the hell did The Lone Ranger and Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa get Oscar nominations for Best Makeup and Hairstyling over American Hustle? Wha?!) I think Dallas Buyers Club has two of the Academy Awards in the bag. Jared Leto should and will win everything for Best Supporting Actor. He's received a lot of buzz for his portrayal of Rayon, a transgender woman struggling with HIV/AIDS who forms an unlikely partnership with Matthew McConaughey's homophobic Ron Woodroof, who also has HIV/AIDS. Often, when I watch a movie I'm still aware that "the actor/actress" is portraying a part. However, Leto completely becomes Rayon. I forgot that it was Leto. I forgot that he was ever Jordan Catalano in My So Called Life or that he's a real life rock star. Watching him flirt/fight with McConaughey's Woodroof and face his own mortality and more (I won't spoil the more) is absolutely heartbreaking. McConaughey also gives the best performance I've seen him do to date. Last year he won an Independent Spirit Award for a buzzy but just okay performance in Magic Mike, but with Dallas Buyers Club he gives a truly Oscar worthy performance. His transformation from a womanizing, homophobic addict to a mostly clean living, advocate for all those fighting against HIV/AIDS is beautiful to watch. Of the two Best Actor performances I've now seen (Christian Bale in American Hustle being the other), I've noticed a trend of the characters being assholes with a heart of gold. In both movies the "hero" is the bad guy at the beginning, but both end up showing their better selves when pitted against the true bad guy: the government.
The next movie in the marathon was Her. I enjoyed the film and the ideas it played with. Spike Jonze always makes interesting, thought provoking films. This is only his fourth feature length film and I've liked all of them. (His first three films are Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and Where the Wild Things Are.) As we move into a more technological future, what happens to our relationship with other humans and with technology? That's the question that seems to be at the core of Her. Joaquin Phoenix plays Theodore Twombly, a man depressed about his impending divorce who falls in love with the new operating system he installs on his computer and phone. The operating system, Samantha, is voiced by Scarlett Johansson in a beautiful voice acting performance. Jonze's prescient vision of the near future is fascinating. Phoenix's Twombly works for an internet company that writes beautiful handwritten letters for other people and travels home on a subway where no one interacts with other humans but instead spends the time talking to their OS. We already spend evenings with other people constantly connected to our smart phones. How long before we are in the future of Her? Several years ago, when there were only five Best Picture nominations, I don't know if Her would have made the cut, but I'm glad it did this year. I think its' best shot for a win is probably in the Best Original Screenplay category and Best Original Song. I would really love it if Karen O, of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, won an Oscar. I'm rooting for her over U2. Her is also up for Best Production Design and Best Original Score. I haven't heard the other nominees scores yet so I don't know how I feel about that yet. There's stiff competition in production design though. Her is up against American Hustle, The Great Gatsby, 12 Year's a Slave, and Gravity. I thought The Great Gatsby had beautiful sets and American Hustle had some great set decoration (the "science oven" was awesome).
Finally, I saw August: Osage County, whose only Oscar Nominations are in the acting categories. Meryl Streep is nominated for Best Actress for her role as Violet Weston; the angry matriarch with a pill addiction of an extremely dysfunctional family. Now, I looove Meryl Streep, and I thought she did a solid job in the role, but she's not going to win for it. It's a flashy performance and not nearly as good as her winning work as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. I would compare her Violet Westin more to her character of Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada. Both characters are verbally and emotionally abusive, yet sort of have a love for their families. Julia Roberts has the other nomination for Best Supporting Actress as Violet's broken, angry daughter Barbara. I would argue that Roberts' performance should have been nominated for Best Actress versus Best Supporting Actress. She has just as much screen time as Streep and has the more natural performance. Thus far, I've only seen two of the Supporting Actress roles (the other being Jennifer Lawrence in American Hustle), but of those two I would give it to Roberts. I also thought Chris Cooper did a wonderful job in August: Osage County and in a year without as many strong Supporting Actor performances, he may have had a chance for a nomination.
Well, I've run out of time tonight for my SAG Awards thoughts, so I'll have to come back in the next day or two for those.
Good night!
MGG
The first movie I saw on Saturday was Dallas Buyers Club and it deserves all the accolades it's received. It has six Oscar nominations including, Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Editing. (Side note: I forgot to mention the other day, but how the hell did The Lone Ranger and Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa get Oscar nominations for Best Makeup and Hairstyling over American Hustle? Wha?!) I think Dallas Buyers Club has two of the Academy Awards in the bag. Jared Leto should and will win everything for Best Supporting Actor. He's received a lot of buzz for his portrayal of Rayon, a transgender woman struggling with HIV/AIDS who forms an unlikely partnership with Matthew McConaughey's homophobic Ron Woodroof, who also has HIV/AIDS. Often, when I watch a movie I'm still aware that "the actor/actress" is portraying a part. However, Leto completely becomes Rayon. I forgot that it was Leto. I forgot that he was ever Jordan Catalano in My So Called Life or that he's a real life rock star. Watching him flirt/fight with McConaughey's Woodroof and face his own mortality and more (I won't spoil the more) is absolutely heartbreaking. McConaughey also gives the best performance I've seen him do to date. Last year he won an Independent Spirit Award for a buzzy but just okay performance in Magic Mike, but with Dallas Buyers Club he gives a truly Oscar worthy performance. His transformation from a womanizing, homophobic addict to a mostly clean living, advocate for all those fighting against HIV/AIDS is beautiful to watch. Of the two Best Actor performances I've now seen (Christian Bale in American Hustle being the other), I've noticed a trend of the characters being assholes with a heart of gold. In both movies the "hero" is the bad guy at the beginning, but both end up showing their better selves when pitted against the true bad guy: the government.
The next movie in the marathon was Her. I enjoyed the film and the ideas it played with. Spike Jonze always makes interesting, thought provoking films. This is only his fourth feature length film and I've liked all of them. (His first three films are Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and Where the Wild Things Are.) As we move into a more technological future, what happens to our relationship with other humans and with technology? That's the question that seems to be at the core of Her. Joaquin Phoenix plays Theodore Twombly, a man depressed about his impending divorce who falls in love with the new operating system he installs on his computer and phone. The operating system, Samantha, is voiced by Scarlett Johansson in a beautiful voice acting performance. Jonze's prescient vision of the near future is fascinating. Phoenix's Twombly works for an internet company that writes beautiful handwritten letters for other people and travels home on a subway where no one interacts with other humans but instead spends the time talking to their OS. We already spend evenings with other people constantly connected to our smart phones. How long before we are in the future of Her? Several years ago, when there were only five Best Picture nominations, I don't know if Her would have made the cut, but I'm glad it did this year. I think its' best shot for a win is probably in the Best Original Screenplay category and Best Original Song. I would really love it if Karen O, of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, won an Oscar. I'm rooting for her over U2. Her is also up for Best Production Design and Best Original Score. I haven't heard the other nominees scores yet so I don't know how I feel about that yet. There's stiff competition in production design though. Her is up against American Hustle, The Great Gatsby, 12 Year's a Slave, and Gravity. I thought The Great Gatsby had beautiful sets and American Hustle had some great set decoration (the "science oven" was awesome).
Finally, I saw August: Osage County, whose only Oscar Nominations are in the acting categories. Meryl Streep is nominated for Best Actress for her role as Violet Weston; the angry matriarch with a pill addiction of an extremely dysfunctional family. Now, I looove Meryl Streep, and I thought she did a solid job in the role, but she's not going to win for it. It's a flashy performance and not nearly as good as her winning work as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. I would compare her Violet Westin more to her character of Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada. Both characters are verbally and emotionally abusive, yet sort of have a love for their families. Julia Roberts has the other nomination for Best Supporting Actress as Violet's broken, angry daughter Barbara. I would argue that Roberts' performance should have been nominated for Best Actress versus Best Supporting Actress. She has just as much screen time as Streep and has the more natural performance. Thus far, I've only seen two of the Supporting Actress roles (the other being Jennifer Lawrence in American Hustle), but of those two I would give it to Roberts. I also thought Chris Cooper did a wonderful job in August: Osage County and in a year without as many strong Supporting Actor performances, he may have had a chance for a nomination.
Well, I've run out of time tonight for my SAG Awards thoughts, so I'll have to come back in the next day or two for those.
Good night!
MGG
Friday, January 17, 2014
Oscar Nominations
Sorry this is a day later than promised, but as much as I wish I could watch movies for my full time job, that is not the case. The combination of a late night at work and the Critics Choice Awards airing equaled this girl being too tired to type last night. However, the upside is I've had more time to think about the Oscar nominations and analyze how I feel about them.
I'm not surprised at all by the Best Picture nominees. So far it seems like this category will be a two way race between 12 Years a Slave and American Hustle. It would be rather refreshing to have a Best Picture Oscar race that has some mystery to it. The last few years were so predictable from day one.
With Best Actor a lot of fuss has been made about Robert Redford and Tom Hanks getting snubs, but it's a stacked group this year. Which actor that was nominated should have been snubbed instead? I also think that Redford and Hanks may have "cancelled" each other out since both were featured in "lost at sea" movies. (I've yet to see either one, but I'm really not a fan of lost at sea/in the wilderness/in the arctic stories.)
Best Actress is another category that I'm not surprised about even though everyone seems to be shocked that Meryl Streep got a nomination. Really? The woman has more acting nominations than any other person in history. Clearly the Academy likes her and her work. I'm still rooting for Amy Adams in this race, but I think it's going to go to Cate Blanchett. And I have to say I'm tired of hearing people call her "Cate the Great". I think Blanchett is an amazing actress but "Kate the Great" is and always will be Katherine Hepburn. Even if their names are spelled differently.
Now, Best Supporting Actor had a genuine unexpected nomination; Jonah Hill. Hill hasn't been nominated for his role in Wolf of Wall Street in any of the other major Awards shows. I'm even more excited to see Wolf of Wall Street now. I sort of love the idea that the guy that played a puking demon earlier in 2013 (in This is the End) has now earned his second Oscar nomination.
Best Supporting Actress is another race I'm interested to see unfold. So far it seems like a two woman race between Lupita Nyong'o for 12 Years a Slave and Jennifer Lawrence for American Hustle. I've only seen Lawrence of the nominated performances so far and she did do a great job, but I've heard wonderful things about Nyong'o as well. Some people are predicting Lawrence will get her second win in a row, but only time will tell.
My biggest disappointment in the nominations comes from the lack of love for the movie Prisoners. It was the best movie I saw in 2013. The performances were all stellar, the direction was amazing and the cinematography was gorgeous. It's lone nomination was for cinematography. I'm also think Nat Faxon and Jim Rash should have gotten a nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Does Woody Allen really need another nomination? No. He never shows up to the Oscars and he married his daughter. Why does everyone seem to forget that?
Yesterday the Critics Choice Awards also aired and they are always an interesting night. I like that they now air the night of the Oscar nominations because you get a candid view of the attendees views on the Oscar nominations. Last year, the beginnings of Argo's support in reaction to Ben Affleck's Directing snub began at the Critic's Choice Awards. Last night the biggest reaction seemed to be towards Tom Hanks' lack of Oscar love. The biggest theme of the night was winners who had won at the Globes on Sunday essentially continuing their acceptance speeches with thank yous to the people they forgot before. Both Amy Adams and Leonardo DiCaprio followed this line, including DiCaprio congratulating Jonah Hill on his nomination that morning. My favorite moment of the night though, was when Cate Blanchett accepted her award for Best Actress and told her small son in the audience that he was lucky she was his mother and not her character in a super creepy voice. My one complaint is that the CW took over airing the show this year and they clearly need to brush up on how to air a live broadcast. Twice the screen just went blank and almost every commercial break went over and cut into the broadcast, even completely missing the award for Best Action Movie.
Well, that's enough rambling for now. I'm doing a mini marathon tomorrow. I'm joining my mom (who instilled in me my love of movies and the Academy Awards) and her boyfriend in seeing August: Osage County, Dallas Buyer's Club, and Her. Then I''ll close out the evening by watching the SAG Awards on my DVR. Oh how I love Awards Season.
Goodnight!
MGG
I'm not surprised at all by the Best Picture nominees. So far it seems like this category will be a two way race between 12 Years a Slave and American Hustle. It would be rather refreshing to have a Best Picture Oscar race that has some mystery to it. The last few years were so predictable from day one.
With Best Actor a lot of fuss has been made about Robert Redford and Tom Hanks getting snubs, but it's a stacked group this year. Which actor that was nominated should have been snubbed instead? I also think that Redford and Hanks may have "cancelled" each other out since both were featured in "lost at sea" movies. (I've yet to see either one, but I'm really not a fan of lost at sea/in the wilderness/in the arctic stories.)
Best Actress is another category that I'm not surprised about even though everyone seems to be shocked that Meryl Streep got a nomination. Really? The woman has more acting nominations than any other person in history. Clearly the Academy likes her and her work. I'm still rooting for Amy Adams in this race, but I think it's going to go to Cate Blanchett. And I have to say I'm tired of hearing people call her "Cate the Great". I think Blanchett is an amazing actress but "Kate the Great" is and always will be Katherine Hepburn. Even if their names are spelled differently.
Now, Best Supporting Actor had a genuine unexpected nomination; Jonah Hill. Hill hasn't been nominated for his role in Wolf of Wall Street in any of the other major Awards shows. I'm even more excited to see Wolf of Wall Street now. I sort of love the idea that the guy that played a puking demon earlier in 2013 (in This is the End) has now earned his second Oscar nomination.
Best Supporting Actress is another race I'm interested to see unfold. So far it seems like a two woman race between Lupita Nyong'o for 12 Years a Slave and Jennifer Lawrence for American Hustle. I've only seen Lawrence of the nominated performances so far and she did do a great job, but I've heard wonderful things about Nyong'o as well. Some people are predicting Lawrence will get her second win in a row, but only time will tell.
My biggest disappointment in the nominations comes from the lack of love for the movie Prisoners. It was the best movie I saw in 2013. The performances were all stellar, the direction was amazing and the cinematography was gorgeous. It's lone nomination was for cinematography. I'm also think Nat Faxon and Jim Rash should have gotten a nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Does Woody Allen really need another nomination? No. He never shows up to the Oscars and he married his daughter. Why does everyone seem to forget that?
Yesterday the Critics Choice Awards also aired and they are always an interesting night. I like that they now air the night of the Oscar nominations because you get a candid view of the attendees views on the Oscar nominations. Last year, the beginnings of Argo's support in reaction to Ben Affleck's Directing snub began at the Critic's Choice Awards. Last night the biggest reaction seemed to be towards Tom Hanks' lack of Oscar love. The biggest theme of the night was winners who had won at the Globes on Sunday essentially continuing their acceptance speeches with thank yous to the people they forgot before. Both Amy Adams and Leonardo DiCaprio followed this line, including DiCaprio congratulating Jonah Hill on his nomination that morning. My favorite moment of the night though, was when Cate Blanchett accepted her award for Best Actress and told her small son in the audience that he was lucky she was his mother and not her character in a super creepy voice. My one complaint is that the CW took over airing the show this year and they clearly need to brush up on how to air a live broadcast. Twice the screen just went blank and almost every commercial break went over and cut into the broadcast, even completely missing the award for Best Action Movie.
Well, that's enough rambling for now. I'm doing a mini marathon tomorrow. I'm joining my mom (who instilled in me my love of movies and the Academy Awards) and her boyfriend in seeing August: Osage County, Dallas Buyer's Club, and Her. Then I''ll close out the evening by watching the SAG Awards on my DVR. Oh how I love Awards Season.
Goodnight!
MGG
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Golden Globes Wrap-Up
Well, as I predicted, the Golden Globes was a fun spectacle. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler did a fantastic job hosting. I really wish they would host the Oscars, but I read and interview with them recently in Entertainment Weekly and both said they're not interested. Hopefully, some day they'll change their minds. I'll keep my fingers crossed. My two favorite jokes of the night were about George Clooney choosing to float away in space rather than stay with a woman his own age and about giving a warm welcome just like a model's vagina to Leonardo DiCaprio. Comedy gold. And they got some of the biggest laughs from the audience.
Some of my favorite themes of the evening included:
Some of my favorite themes of the evening included:
- Taking a very long time to walk to the stage--The most meandering being Jacqueline Bisset, who even stopped to kiss Jon Voight. At least Robin Wright had the decency to try and run up to the stage. (All I could think then was "Run Jenny Run" a la Forrest Gump.)
- Cursing in speeches--Again, Jacqueline Bisset with the win on this one. The censors sort of messed up and the we all heard Bisset say "shit" on national television. Plus, she gave one of the most whack-a-doo acceptance speeches I've ever seen at an awards show. I wish the censors had continued to fail at their jobs though, so we could have heard more of Elizabeth Moss' speech.
- Public/Private moments on stage--The best was Seth Meyers' reaction to Andy Samberg winning the Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical for TV. Meyers looked so freaking excited for his friend. My other favorite was the Best Original Score winner (Alex Ebert from Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros) telling P. Diddy that they'd met before on a yacht.
- SNL alum winning--What can I say? I just adore Amy Poehler and Andy Samberg.
As far as an analysis of the winners in the movie categories goes; like I said in my previous post, I don't think the Globes have a lot of weight when it comes to the Oscars. However, I was very happy to see Amy Adams get some love for American Hustle. As I've said before, I thought she was brilliant in that movie. It will be interesting to see if she gets an Oscar nod on Thursday morning. I really hope so. I haven't seen any of the other movies that had major movie category wins, but I'm looking forward to seeing Wolf of Wall Street, Blue Jasmine, and Dallas Buyer's Club for the performances. If Matthew McConaughey's performance in Dallas Buyer's Club is half as good as his impression of himself last night then, "Alright, Alright, Alright", I'm sold.
I'd love to keep going but it's getting late and I'm turning into a pumpkin. I'll be back Thursday for the Oscar nominations (!!!) and the Critic's Choice Awards that night.
Until then,
MGG
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Let's Begin/The Golden Globes
As the name of this blog states, the Oscars are my Super Bowl. I've come to use this term when describing my love of movies and the Academy Awards to non-movie people. I couldn't care less about the actual Super Bowl (which I'm told involves a sport with a ball), but to me the Oscars are the best night of the year. My love began as a little girl and has only grown over the past 25 years. I love the glitz and glamour, the acceptance speeches, the montages, and pretty much every single moment (Unless Seth MacFarlane is singing about boobs. Uhg.). I am one of a very small minority that wants the ceremony to keep going. I would be fine if the ceremony lasted 6 hours, but I don't think the people actually at the ceremony would agree.
What began when I was a child as a love of the Academy Awards and a curiosity about the movies highlighted there, has grown into a true passion for movies as an adult. I will watch pretty much anything except for horror. (I really don't like to be scared) I find all aspects of the movie making process fascinating; from acting to costuming to cinematography. When I go see a movie in theatres I always stay through the end of the credits because I think that even the best boys and gaffers deserve to have their names seen on the big screen by more than someone cleaning up the trash. Essentially, I am obsessed with all things having to do with the magic of movie making.
I felt that with today being the Golden Globes and the official kick off to Awards Season (my favorite season), that it would be a good day to kick off my blog as well. The Golden Globes are a fun spectacle. I don't put a lot of weight in their choices as any sort of prediction for the Oscars, but I'm genuinely looking forward to seeing Tina Fey and Amy Poehler host tonight. I'm also a sucker for awards shows so I'm interested to see how tonight unfolds and excited to see the red carpet fashions.
Of the best picture nominees for tonight I've only seen one so far--American Hustle--but that will be changing in the next few weeks. I thought it was a great movie with great performances. Amy Adams was amazing and I think the stand out in an outstanding cast. Jennifer Lawrence seems to be getting more buzz for her performance, but I think she proved she can play crazy for David O.Russell in last year's Silver Linings Playbook. Adams' was the more nuanced performance this year. Christian Bale continues to astound in the way he disappears into a character. It was hard to believe the same man was Batman a year and a half ago. My one complaint would be Russell's choice to have the camera move around so much. I get motion sick very easily and it's always a disappointment to have to miss parts of a good movie because the camera is moving so much that I start to feel ill. (One of the biggest reasons Argo was not the best picture to me last year.)
Red Carpet coverage starts in a little over an hour and a half and I need to get back to real life until then so, let's see how the Golden Globes go tonight. I'm rooting for Amy Adams.
Until next time,
MGG
What began when I was a child as a love of the Academy Awards and a curiosity about the movies highlighted there, has grown into a true passion for movies as an adult. I will watch pretty much anything except for horror. (I really don't like to be scared) I find all aspects of the movie making process fascinating; from acting to costuming to cinematography. When I go see a movie in theatres I always stay through the end of the credits because I think that even the best boys and gaffers deserve to have their names seen on the big screen by more than someone cleaning up the trash. Essentially, I am obsessed with all things having to do with the magic of movie making.
I felt that with today being the Golden Globes and the official kick off to Awards Season (my favorite season), that it would be a good day to kick off my blog as well. The Golden Globes are a fun spectacle. I don't put a lot of weight in their choices as any sort of prediction for the Oscars, but I'm genuinely looking forward to seeing Tina Fey and Amy Poehler host tonight. I'm also a sucker for awards shows so I'm interested to see how tonight unfolds and excited to see the red carpet fashions.
Of the best picture nominees for tonight I've only seen one so far--American Hustle--but that will be changing in the next few weeks. I thought it was a great movie with great performances. Amy Adams was amazing and I think the stand out in an outstanding cast. Jennifer Lawrence seems to be getting more buzz for her performance, but I think she proved she can play crazy for David O.Russell in last year's Silver Linings Playbook. Adams' was the more nuanced performance this year. Christian Bale continues to astound in the way he disappears into a character. It was hard to believe the same man was Batman a year and a half ago. My one complaint would be Russell's choice to have the camera move around so much. I get motion sick very easily and it's always a disappointment to have to miss parts of a good movie because the camera is moving so much that I start to feel ill. (One of the biggest reasons Argo was not the best picture to me last year.)
Red Carpet coverage starts in a little over an hour and a half and I need to get back to real life until then so, let's see how the Golden Globes go tonight. I'm rooting for Amy Adams.
Until next time,
MGG
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