Burn After Reading

I went to see Burn After Reading last night, it's that new Coen brothers' film. What I heard before I went to see it was that they wanted to do something light and silly after last year's No Country for Old Men (which is probably the only film that compares with Citizen Kane in greatness, but that's another story) and they did it. What I read after the film was a review that gave it a B+, which I think is pretty accurate.

It's not a film to watch if you want a mint plot, because the plot is pretty Coen-ish in that it's bizarre and doesn't conclude like the perfect American cinematic attraction, but that's what I like about their screenwriting and directing - it doesn't cater to people who are only in the theatre for brainless air conditioning. The characters are what really makes the film worth seeing - they all nail exactly who they need to be to interact to create the banter and hilarity (is that a word? I like the sound of it) of the film. It's sort of difficult to reccomend this one to a wide demographic; I'm completely unaware of who reads this blog (if anyone) so I can't really say "go see it!" if my youth kids are reading this (hey kids, I love you) because it's SO full of swearing. I don't really mind it because I've watched my fair share of Scorcese and Coen films, and in this one a lot of the time they twist the language to make the words themselves pretty funny.

So if you don't mind the language and you're the kind of person who watches films for characters more than plot, this is worth seeing in theatres. Brad Pitt knows how to pick a roll, Francis McDormand is so talented, and George Clooney just may be the last gentleman Hollywood movie star. The Coens have this knack for creating films with beautiful dark humour; Fargo was so dry and O Brother Where Art Thou was so lively, but Burn After Reading sits right in the middle, which I love.

The Dog Factory

So I'm taking this really cool film class called The History and Aesthetics of Cinema before 1945, which is right up my alley and so I'm enjoying it a lot. The cinema was up and rolling by about 1896, when little theatres showed short films that were usually only one take and anywhere from a few seconds to a couple of minutes. At this point, the cinema wasn't based on narrative, plot, character, cinematography - instead, because it was so new, it was dubbed the "Cinema of Attractions" because people went to the cinema to watch this new invention, not to watch a significant film. After a couple of years, the films were still usually only a couple of takes, but instead of featuring something simple like a train going by or a couple kissing, they had little plots that were usually silly and had some sort of trick effect.

One of my favorites was done by Edison and is called "The Dog Factory." The great thing about these early films was that they often weren't copyrighted and so some of them are available on YouTube, like this one.

I loved it - it's clever and I laughed in my lecture. Here it is.

The Dark Knight

I saw The Dark Knight yesterday. It was very good, but also sort of overrated. Everyone else saw it before me, and I said I didn't want to know anything about it. Instead, all I've heard is "it was so awesome" for weeks now.

It was awesome.
But not that awesome. The undertones were underrated, the overtones (?) were overrated.

A girl I worked with said she couldn't sleep because of the Joker. I think that's silly. I wanted to hug him after that hospital scene cause his getup was so dang adorable.

Also, because I didn't want spoilers, I was NOT aware of the whole Harvey Dent face situation. I have a phobia of fire and burn scars and even though his didn't look like a burn as much as an Evil Dead film, I still had a very long series of panic attacks. I'll probably never see the last half of the film again because of this. Nightmares ensued.


But, despite my complaints, it is worth seeing in theatres and Heath Ledger is deserving of an Oscar. And yes, I would say that if he was still alive. Plus, Christian Bale is a fox.

Also, I liked what the film said about human nature, etc. etc., until the scene between the two boats of people. I sympathised with the Joker when he was talking about the city protecting that man as they dealt with the hospitals as well, how if a criminal or army squadron was to die in place of a hospital of people nobody would bat a lash because those are the sort of people who are supposed to die for the 'plan.' I liked that. It made sense. I also liked how he talked about causing trouble for the sake of having fun instead of for personal gain. Obviously he was a cinematic example, but I find that when I instigate trouble it's to entertain myself with witty comments or mild disagreement with those I don't like, rather than sneaky tactics to get ahead. I think people do that universally - we enjoy being a pain in the ass. This is probably the only logical solution in explaining morning traffic.

People are born inherently evil - if we weren't, why would we need a God? Why would one exist? Maybe you don't agree with me on this one, but there isn't a doubt in my mind about that, so there isn't a doubt in my mind that we aren't as great as we make ourselves out to be. Which is why I thought the Joker was awesome, because he acnowledged that full force. Everyone else tries to cover it up with happy endings and heroes, even if the hero is drop dead sexy.

Anyways, I was loving the undertones until that boat scene, because I don't believe that both groups of people would have reacted like that. We all fight to live because we fight for everything else along the way, whether it's a promotion or custody of the kids or merging in front of that semi on the highway. Nobody is chill, nobody sacrifices.


Dang Harvey Dent's eyeball ruining it for me.

Chocoatl and Chocolat

I love food; Vancouver loves food. I love chocolate; Vancouver loves chocolate.

There's this really awesome chocolate boutique / coffee and tea shop in Yaletown that I read about in the paper last year (props for 'Arts&Life' in the Vancouver Sun) that I tell everyone about because it's so fabulous. It's called Chocoatl, and it's owned and run by a Mexican family so all of the food and drinks are authentically Mexican which I think is really great.

From what I remember, the article said that the family has most of their relatives in Mexico, and they have cocoa bean fields there. That means that instead of ordering mass-produced chocolate ingredients from the typical corporations and food wholesalers, Chocoatl gets all of their supplies directly from people they know down south. To top it off, everything is made right in the store - there are no middle men involved in any part of the production process. I've never ordered the chocolate or snacks there, but they look amazing - like how the chocolates look in the film Chocolat (with Juliette Binoche). But I have had the hot chocolate and it's definatly worth the money - it's a little pricier than Starbucks, with a cup of hot chocolate hitting about $4.50 - because they make it right there and the enviroment and service are great. Plus, you can sit on their little patio and people watch in Yaletown, which is always good, clean, classy fun.

I've ordered two kinds of hot chocolate: the first was milk chocolate infused with hazelnut (it was sweet and nice and had whipped cream), and the second was dark chocolate infused with chili (which obviously was richer and had a nice bite). Both were amazing and I was so impressed so if you ever get the chance, it's worth the 15 minute walk from Granville Station. Plus, it's nice to actually act like a Vancouver local and get a great drink sometimes, rather than getting the same thing everyone else buys at Starbucks or Esquires.

The address is 1127 Mainland St., Vancouver. Get on it.



Also, now that I've mentioned it, go rent Chocolat. It's brilliantly done, beautifully shot, believably acted, etc. Juliette Binoche is gorgeous and captivating, Judy Dench never fails, and Johnny Depp is a fox.


"If you are what you eat, in my case I'd be sweet..." - Jason Mraz

Che (or, Guerilla and Argentine)

I thought of something else to say. I logged onto msn.ca after I posted this morning, and saw an article about a new film called Che - yes, it's about Che Guevara - by Stephen Soderbergh. It's four and a half hours long, and the review for the preliminary screening is interesting: check it out here. I'm really interested in seeing it (not because of the length, I'll probably have a panic attack from sitting) because I love Benicio Del Toro and this is supposed to be one of his best films.

I don't particularly like Che, and I definatly don't like communism, but Cuba is pretty awesome and this looks like a good film even if it's not completely accurate. I guess my upcoming challenge is to find someone who will sit through a film that's longer with Gone with the Wind...

Part 1 on Wikipedia
Part 2 on Wikipedia

Once

I haven't talked about film in awhile and last night I rewatched 'Once' and I fell in love with it all over again, so here I go.

Once is the film that won Best Original Song at this year's Oscars, and it's an interesting film not only because it's a low-budget indie film that made it big, but also because the actors are not really actors at all: they are musicians who were hired not only to act, but also to write all the music. That's a pretty cool situation to be in because I've never heard of a film's actors winning the Oscar for Best Song.

The film features Glen Hansard (of Ireland's rock band The Frames) and Markéta Irglová, a Czech musician who sometimes collaborates with Hansard under the name The Swell Season. In the film, both are struggling musicians who happen upon each other on the street one day and spend the next few weeks getting to know each other while playing music, eventually collaborating with some other musicians to lay down some tracks for Hansard's character (nobody in the film has a name: Hansard is credited as "Guy" and Irglová as "Girl"). Although the film is only an hour and a half, it manages not only to give us insight into what it means to barely get by, but also allows us to realistically see how beautiful constructing music can be. The characters develop so fully and the plot is natural and realistic: if Once had been a blockbuster hit (it wasn't; the entire film was shot in seventeen days for $160,000) it would have involved the characters finding lucky breaks, making millions, and definatly would have featured some sort of sex scene. Thankfully, it isn't like that at all, and it's so much more satisfying by the time the credits roll.

I don't want to give much more away because it's such a pleasant suprise to sit down and turn it on. The soundtrack is also available now, and I definatly recommend it.

Also, here's the clip of Irglová's acceptance speech at the Oscars - she was cut off by the orchestra, but Jon Stewart brought her back out to finish her speech, which was one of the best of the night. http://youtube.com/watch?v=qx8yLvb0gZM

Married Life, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

The unfortunate thing about Spring (unfortunate things in Spring are very rare, thank goodness) is that the films hitting theatres are generally big and blockbustery and often lead to dissapointment. Generally, even if the film is entertaining, it doesn't have the sort of artistic merit I crave in a film. I can't really complain though, because I have a Charlie Chaplin silent film box set waiting for me whenever new films just aren't cutting it. That aside, I was browsing through trailers online today, and two films caught my eye: Married Life (with Rachel McAdams, Chris Cooper, Pierce Brosnan, Patricia Clarkson) and Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (with Amy Adams, Francis McDormand). I'm sure neither of these will fulfill my artisitc quality craving, but I'm sure they'll fulfil my honest whimsical comedy cravings. Married Life looks great because I love Rachel McAdams, and the whole idea of it seems interesting and real while maintaining a light quality about it, considering it's dealing with adultery. Miss Pettigrew looks equally fantastic because the cast is stellar and charming and from what the trailer shows, the writing is about the same. C-c-check out the trailers to see for yourself:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=z3CUH3826qA (Married Life)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=40X_XkmqGao (Miss Pettigrew)

The Fantastic Mr. Fox (!!!), Battle In Seattle, No Country for Old Men

So as I'm sure you may have noticed, I'm an enormous fan of Wes Anderson (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Darjeeling Limited, etc.) so today I decided to Wikipedia-search him. What I discovered was the BEST NEWS I've heard all week. Anderson is directing a new film slated for a November 2009 release: The Fantastic Mr. Fox, which is adapted from the Roald Dahl book of the same name. If this wasn't cool enough, the film is done with STOP MOTION ANIMATION (think 1933's King Kong) which is awesome because nobody ever ventures there anymore. What makes it EVEN BETTER is that George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston, and Jason Schwartzman are the stars. How fantastic is that?!?!?

Answer: Super-ridiculous-fantastic.


I'm sure nobody besides me is very interested in this, but I thought I'd share because it looks GREAT.


Another film I'm looking forward to is Battle in Seattle, because my friend German Dan was an extra and may have a few speaking lines (unless the scenes were cut - fingers crossed!). The film is about the famous Seattle riots in 1999 but was filmed here in Vancouver. It has a lot of big names, notably Charlize Theron, Woody Harrelson and Andre 3000. Dan had a great time on the set and has a lot of photos with famous people so I'm pretty excited to see it! Release details are pretty nebulous because I found three different dates from three reliable sources, but Yahoo Movies says it's scheduled for a limted release on April 11, 2008, so let's hope that's right.


ALSO, No Country for Old Men hit store shelves this week, so I would suggest at LEAST renting it because it's so amazing and wonderful and I can't tell you enough how much I love Javier Bardem. One word of warning: don't sit down to watch it expecting a lot of shooting and action etc. because it's not like that, it's so much more.


In case you actually are excited about Mr. Fox: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantastic_Mr._Fox_%28film%29

The Darjeeling Limited

When I first heard about Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited I was super excited and saw it on opening weekend, and I'm pleased to say I was NOT disapointed. Anderson is the brilliance behind Rushmore, The Life Aquatic and The Royal Tenenbaums and The Darjeeling Limited follows in their footsteps of quirkiness and comedy. It stars Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, and Jason Schwartzman with cameos by Natalie Portman and Bill Murray. It also just came out on DVD so GO RENT IT asap.

Basically, without giving anything away, it's about three brothers (Brody, Wilson, and Schwartzman) who travel across India on a train (which is called the Darjeeling Limited, how cute is that?). The cast is amazing, and even if you don't like Owen Wilson (it seems like every woman over 25+ that I've told about this film has said "ugh" to Wilson, so I wanted to get that out there...) you'll love how the three characters interact in all of their banter, dysfunctionalism (is that a word?) and charisma. Plus, Adrien Brody just may be the sexiest man alive (Clark Gable is the sexiest man dead, while Marlon Brando is just the sexiest man past, present and future, period.) and he's shirtless through a lot of the film, so even if it had been awful, it sure wouldn't have been awful. It wasn't awful though, especially due to Brody because he's so heartwrenching and when you watch it you'll see what I mean.

What I loved about the film is that it takes such a rich setting and combines it with rich, enjoyable dialogue and beautiful cinematography. Although Juno was dubbed this year's Little Miss Sunshine, The Darjeeling Limited may have been a better pick simply because it was put together so well (I still don't understand how it failed to gain Oscar buzz). Plus, of course, it's insanely adorable and funny - and yes, it does mix in some dark bits. It's so vibrant and real and so easy to fall in love with because despite their inability to do anything right, you'll love the three brothers and the way they interact (or fail to) and how they grow.

The film was preceeded by the short film "Hotel Chevalier" starring Schwartzman and Portman, which helps understand the angstiness of Schwartzman's character. I'm assuming this short film is on the DVD as well, so I suggest watching it before the feature if you can.

This is probably Anderson's best work to date (even though the Royal Tenenbaums was better recieved) and in my opinion, one of the best films of the year. My heart swelled as literally as possible when I was in the theatre and I was actually a bit sully when it was over.

If you need more convincing (pfffft...), here's the trailer (which actually makes it seem less enticing and charismatic than it is):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO1bYukdvLI

The Canterbury Tales, Even Pidgeons go to Heaven, The Kitchen

Unfortunatly, I plan on destroying my afternoon by writing a paper about the Canterbury Tales, and although I enjoyed reading parts of it, I do NOT want to write ten pages on why the Nun's Priest's Tale is funny, mostly because it wasn't. It was a parable about a chicken and a rooster and bluntly comments on male and female gender roles. I dislike Medival comedy, ten page papers, barnyard animals, and gender roles. Especially gender roles. I've been learning about gender roles since my first year at SFU and the only thing I've ever taken away from such lessons is that I am a girl and that is why I act like a girl. Regardless of my dislike for sections of the Canterbury Tales, I suggest that if you have a half hour, Google search the Wife of Bath prologue and tale and give it a quick read through (find the modern translation, I'm sure you'd hate the Old English more than myself.) because she is actually funny, and is a totally fresh and wild break from what has been written about women over the years.

Also, I have two more suggestions pour vous, since it's the weekend and I'm sure most people that read this aren't going out to party (because that's boring). They are:

One of the nominated short animated films from the Oscars is called "Even pidgeons go to heaven" and I know I've mentioned it before although I don't remember the details I gave. WATCH IT! It's ten minutes and super cute, super funny, etc. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agRX7w-2xRE

Also, there's this great local band called The Kitchen (don't try and Google that, what a nightmare) that I saw live last fall at the SFU pub (they played with Stabilo and it was incredible). They have a really fantastic funk vibe and are very well put together. You can listen to three of their songs at their Myspace ("Flow" is my favorite). http://www.myspace.com/kitchenmusic



Also, HI MIRIAM! I have your umbrella, you left it in the car today :)

Oscars, Even Pidgeons go to Heaven

Now that the Oscars are done, I don't particularly want to discuss them in depth because it only reminds me that I have a whole year to wait until they come again. However, as to not ignore them completely, I have a few things to say:

The biggest dissapointments of the night were Transformers's loss of the special effects award and Amy Ryan's loss of the best supporting actress award. I haven't seen The Golden Compass, nor do I want or plan to, but I can't imagine that the special effects that a polar bear (etc) requires are far less than what Megatron and Co. required. Regardless of how cool or realistic things looked in both films, there was a lot more necessity for effects in Transformers and the whole film rocked my world even though I had no initial intention to watch it. IMO, if you're going to animate a polar bear, why not use a trained bear? That's so much more hardcore and exciting! Sheesh.

Also, Tilda Swindon was probably the least deserving of the five supporting actress nominees. I thought for sure the race was between Cate Blanchett, who played a man (and a famous, albiet severly overrated one) and Amy Ryan, who played a slummy coke addicted single mom. To me, those two characters would have been so much more of a stretch to play for the actresses, neither of which are a man or are slummy, than for Tilda's well to do lawyer. Let's face it, Tilda is well to do. Wow, big stretch. She did do a good job, don't get me wrong - but there was no emotional response from the viewer, whereas Amy Ryan managed to bring up a series of debatable thoughts and a couple of tears. In all fairness, Tilda's speech was pretty pimp, so props to her for that.

Speaking of speeches, sheesh! What a great year for well spoken people! Daniel Day-Lewis is instantly hotter in my books because he was so posh and well spoken, and Javier already was sexy, but the Spanish made him slightly outta this world. He's pretty babe-a-licious, even with 'the world's worst hair cut.' Also, big love to Marion who is BEAUTIFUL... French women get all the luck!

Also pretty stoked on No Country's win :)

In other news, I know it didn't win, but I think everyone should watch the nominated short film "Even Pidgeons go to Heaven," which can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agRX7w-2xRE

It's adorable, and only eight minutes long, so you have no excuses. I laughed the whole way through but at the same time it made me think a little bit.




Also, this blog is definatly going to be a media centered one. I'm not really down with broadcasting my life on the Internet (hence the Facebook Lenting, ha) but I love to broadcast my opinions, especially about film, books, and music. Sometimes fine men and fine coffee might be included cause I just can't help myself. On that note, I'm also probably going to start writing for SFU's The Peak newspaper... gotta get involved to create "positive, lasting university memories," right?

The Academy Awards

The Oscars are, by far, my favorite day of the year. And yes, I'm aware that Christmas and my birthday happen every year as well. That said, if you haven't noticed, film is kind of my thing... so here are my picks for tomorrow's Oscars (!!!!):


Performance by an actor in a leading role:

Daniel Day-Lewis is the clear win for this category. If I had money to bet, it would go to him hands down - everything from the way he carries himself to the way he talks to the look in his eyes is perfectly played. He manages to take a film about good, evil, oil, and preachers and turns it into a film about his character, which is pretty brilliant.

Performance by an actor in a supporting role:

Like I've said before, Javier Bardem is my main man. Generally I put up the arguement that whoever stretches themselves is more deserving of the Oscar, and even though the personality he plays isn't a stretch, nailing the lack of personality is what gets me. He sincerely creeped me out until I saw promo photos of him - what's with the older men? I love it... George Clooney, Adrian Brody, Javier, etc... superfine. I should also give props to Casey Affleck for being so natural it's easy to forget he's acting and to Tom Wilkinson for that opening monologue.

Performance by an actress in a leading role:

This is a pretty tough call, which is what I love about the 2008 Oscars - besides the male acting categories, it's tough to decide who deserves the award the most. I'm rooting for Marion Cotillard because it took a lot of guts to play Edith Piaf, someone who was so well loved and hated by her country. She nails everything from the alcoholism to the young swagger to the old age stagger. Props to Cate Blanchett for nailing that look in her eyes that I think is so important - Elizabeth I is probably my favorite woman in history and I think Cate does her justice.

Performance by an actress in a supporting role:

Amy Ryan is my personal favorite because I see women like her on the skytrain every day, and even though a drug addicted single mom isn't exactly news to any city in the world, it's hard to get into that mindset when most of us are so far from it. It's easy to hate her, but it's easy to love her - she's misguided but the way she portrays the love for her little girl is legit. Also, props to Saoirse Ronan because she was beautiful and elegant which is difficult for a girl who's only thirteen - which is also the reason she shouldn't win. She has to find herself a lot more as she grows up before we throw that much ego on her.

Best animated feature film of the year:

I unfortunatly didn't get a chance to see Persepolis, but it seems pretty clear that Ratatouille is going to win. I'm pretty sure the only other animated film to ever be nominated for a 'big' award (it's also up for original screenplay) was Beauty and the Beast when it got a Best Picture nomination. Ratatouille is great because it combines really lovable characters with a great story, a great end, a great soundtrack, and a really rich and warm animation.

Achievement in art direction:

For anyone who isn't all that into film, art direction is basically figuring out how the scenes are going to look - where stuff is placed, etc. I'm siding with Atonement for this one because class and status is a pretty crucial part of the characters and plot, so surroudings are really important. The sets are beautiful (as they are in every nominated film) but because they connect with the characters they have my vote. Also, props to Sweeney Todd for the awesome grimy look.

Achievement in cinematography:

This is one of my favorite categories because I've always been in love with art, so aesthetics in film is important. Again, this is a tough call because Jesse James gives a beautiful dreamlike quality with the way they use blurred edges and backgrounds, and There Will Be Blood uses warm and cool colours to compliment the good/evil theme I've talked about before. However, I'm going with No Country for Old Men because the 'dry' look works well with the wide desert shots and how these two aspects work together with the way the characters play out and the lack of music.

Achievement in costume design:

Although costumes in each film work well and look great, Elizabeth the Golden Age is the clear winner - the lace and bells and everything else which is so true to the era.

Achievement in directing:

Again, No Country for Old Men is my choice because the Coen brothers are surreal. They've managed to take a fairly ordinary story of chance and misfortune and through direction have turned it into the next Citizen Kane. Props to Paul Thomas Anderson for making There Will Be Blood so enjoyable to watch and so easy to invest emotion in.

Achievement in film editing:

The Borne Ultimatum is definetly deserving of this award because of the way the camera shakes, the way the scenes are cropped, and the way shots jump back and forth frantically when the plot is frantic. It's difficult to capture adrenaline with a camera but Borne does it. Also, props to There Will Be Blood for doing this to a milder extent.

Achievement in makeup:

While La Vie En Rose is tempting to side with because of the way they turn Marion Cotillard (who's gorgeous, wow) into a sickly, empty, dying woman, it's only fair to go with Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End for this one. I would never have known otherwise, but a friend of mine who's in makeup school told me that the bases of Davy Jones's tentacles were put on his face, along with all that other makeup and prosthetics, every day. The moving parts of the tentacles were animated, of course, but I think it's pretty pimp that eight daily hours of work went into someone who could have been digitally edited even more.

Achievement in music written for motion pictures - Original Score:

Scores are always tougher to remember because they're usually part of the plot instead of defined by the plot. This category is a toss up because each score works well with each film, effectively setting the mood. I'm going to side with Atonement though because the music is pretty dang regal. Props to 3:10 to Yuma as well.

Achievement in music written for motion pictures - Original Song:

Although I didn't see Enchanted or August Rush I can't see any song being more deserving than Once's "Falling Slowly". It's an interesting situation because the indie flick hired professional musicians to star in the film and also to write the songs. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (who's adorable) nailed what the song needed to be to make the film work: it's full of love and passion even though the characters don't share that with each other.

Best animated short film:

Suprisingly, the only film to be unavailabe online was "I Met the Walrus", which is basically an interesting five minute animation set to the amateur interview a kid did with John Lennon. While that sounds neat and even worthy for an award, the film is only five minutes long and the sound has been sitting around for years. While the other films are great, my favorite was "Even Pigeons Go to Heaven" because it dealt with some interesting issues and made me laugh so hard, especially when the Reaper nails the con. Props to Peter and the Wolf for an interesting end.

Achievement in sound editing:

For those who don't know, sound editing is the digital editing process of polishing off the sounds that are created for a film. With that in mind, my vote goes to Transformers because so many different sounds are worked in with amazing clarity given to each. The purity of the sound works well with the color saturation to make it seem extra surreal.

Achievement in sound mixing:

This category is different from the last because it deals more with the way sounds are initially created. My vote is a dead split between Transformers and Ratatouille because Transformers is intense and uses a lot of different sounds, while Ratatouille nails the rich hustle and bustle of a kitchen in a way that makes you want to eat there because it sounds good to cook there.

Achievement in visual effects:

Again, I'm siding with Transformers and I don't think I need to explain why. Although Pirates is great, Transformers is amazing - good thing I hang out with a lot of boys who wanted to watch it, because I probably wouldn't have rented it on my own, and I'm really glad I did.

Adapted screenplay:

Although I love No Country, the film is centered more on tone and feel than on script. There Will Be Blood will probably take this award and will definatly deserve it, but Atonement is my favorite in this category because the film is hugely based on script - one lie creates the whole film. Plus, I'm a girl, and it made me cry in the theatre, so there.

Original screenplay:

Although I loved Juno, I don't think it deserves an Oscar in any other category except for this one. It's incredibly witty in its banter, and although I'm sure none of us could be that funny, it somehow comes across as very natural for the characters. I loved Michael Cera's "I try really hard actually," Rainn Wilson's "that aint no etch-a-sketch, homeskillet" and Ellen Page's "My hamburger isn't working". If Juno doesn't win, Ratatouille is an equal contender.

Best Picture:

This one makes me cry every year because I can imagine how ever person who worked on it must feel when the title is announced. In every other category, these people can be happy for their coworkers, etc., but with this award everybody was a part of winning it. This year is really great because each film is fantastic in it's own way, even if it doesn't deserve the title. But, as I'm sure you've guessed, my vote goes to No Country for Old Men for pulling off what, in my opinion, only Citizen Kane has done before it. I have a feeling that There Will Be Blood will take the award because it's more lively - but I hope not. Kane was booed offstage and wasn't given the many awards it should have won, and I hope that for it's sake, the next film to follow in it's footsteps can snag the Oscar.


Note: I didn't discuss 'best documentary feature', 'best documentary short subject', 'best foreign language', or 'best live action short film' because I didn't see any of the films in those categories. unfortunatly, most foreign nominees aren't popular until after the awards, so if I get around to seeing any of them I'll probably post about it. I guess I could have gotten a hold of Sicko from the documentaries, but let's face it - Michael Moore is a fat slob, and socialism just isn't going to cut it, baby :)

Michael Clayton

I watched Michael Clayton today because it was the last of the Best Picture nominees that I hadn't seen and although I've heard mild-it's-alright-too-much-talking reviews I actually really enjoyed it. I don't mind slow moving films because they aren't about plot, they're about character, and this one was. The cinematography was pretty money, but it won't win best picture because of that - it's too similar to Crash. Even if you can't decide which film will win (it's between No Country and There will be Blood... I'm rooting for No Country because Javier Bardem is my main man, among several other reasons) it's pretty simple to figure out who wont. Michael Clayton wont because it's the only movie that doesn't really tug at anyone's heart strings: Juno appeals to everyone who likes Sunny D, witty banter and adorable pregnant girls (or anyone who likes realism filtered through great one liners), Atonement appeals to anyone who's ever lost someone, No Country appeals to (or should appeal to) everyone because you feel lonley (but after thinking about it for a week you decide it's great because you're not as lonley as the film is), and There Will Be Blood appeals to anyone who's ever struggled with good and evil (Daniel Day Lewis isn't so bad! Paul Dano's character is the really horrible one). So between it's similarities to Crash's look and it's removal from your heart (and because of that, long term memory), Michael Clayton is great for a slow night with a warm fire, but it's not going to take home Best Picture.

There Will Be Blood, Melville

I dislike initial blog posts because there's this unspoken need to introduce yourself to the people who already know you. I'm not going to do this.

It's sunny today and I ate bacon and I don't want to research bullying or the Canturbury Tales or George Lippard or Measure for Measure, so I made a blog that I'll get bored of in a few weeks and throw away, but whatevz.

I saw There Will be Blood and it's so minty fresh it should come with it's own mini breath strips. It makes me super stoked for the Oscars, and I don't know how my papers are going to get written while I'm busy watching Gone Baby Gone and Michael Clayton this weekend. Go see it! It's not about oil, it's about ying and yang and Daniel Day Lewis is my new it-man.

Also, get your hands on Melville's "Bartleby, the Scrivener". It's a short story that I adore, and the blog title is from it. It'll blow your mind, I'm sure.