Zola's Intermission Take 18 - March 7, 2010

Later on this evening we will know the results of all the 2010 Academy Award Winners but just to recap some of the top,

The nominies are....

Performance by an actor in a leading role

Jeff Bridges in "Crazy Heart" (Fox Searchlight)
George Clooney in "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
Colin Firth in "A Single Man" (The Weinstein Company)
Morgan Freeman in "Invictus" (Warner Bros.)
Jeremy Renner in "The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Matt Damon in "Invictus" (Warner Bros.)
Woody Harrelson in "The Messenger" (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Christopher Plummer in "The Last Station" (Sony Pictures Classics)
Stanley Tucci in "The Lovely Bones" (DreamWorks in association with Film4, Distributed by Paramount)
Christoph Waltz in "Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company)

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side" (Warner Bros.)
Helen Mirren in "The Last Station" (Sony Pictures Classics)
Carey Mulligan in "An Education" (Sony Pictures Classics)
Gabourey Sidibe in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)
Meryl Streep in "Julie & Julia" (Sony Pictures Releasing)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Penélope Cruz in "Nine" (The Weinstein Company)
Vera Farmiga in "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
Maggie Gyllenhaal in "Crazy Heart" (Fox Searchlight)
Anna Kendrick in "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
Mo'Nique in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)

Best animated feature film of the year

"Coraline" (Focus Features) - Henry Selick
"Fantastic Mr. Fox" (20th Century Fox) - Wes Anderson
"The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney) - John Musker and Ron Clements
"The Secret of Kells" (GKIDS) - Tomm Moore
"Up" (Walt Disney) - Pete Docter

Achievement in art direction

"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) -Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert StrombergSet Decoration: Kim Sinclair
"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" (Sony Pictures Classics) - Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia MasaroSet Decoration: Caroline Smith
"Nine" (The Weinstein Company) - Art Direction: John MyhreSet Decoration: Gordon Sim
"Sherlock Holmes" (Warner Bros.) - Art Direction: Sarah GreenwoodSet Decoration: Katie Spencer
"The Young Victoria" (Apparition) - Art Direction: Patrice VermetteSet Decoration: Maggie Gray

Achievement in cinematography

"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) - Mauro Fiore
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (Warner Bros.) - Bruno Delbonnel
"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) - Barry Ackroyd
"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) - Robert Richardson
"The White Ribbon" (Sony Pictures Classics) - Christian Berger

Achievement in costume design

"Bright Star" (Apparition) - Janet Patterson
"Coco before Chanel" (Sony Pictures Classics) - Catherine Leterrier
"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" (Sony Pictures Classics) -Monique Prudhomme
"Nine" (The Weinstein Company) - Colleen Atwood
"The Young Victoria" (Apparition) -Sandy Powell

Achievement in directing

"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) - James Cameron
"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) - Kathryn Bigelow
"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) - Quentin Tarantino
"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate) - Lee Daniels
"Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) - Jason Reitman

Best documentary feature

"Burma VJ" (Oscilloscope Laboratories)A Magic Hour Films Production - Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
"The Cove" (Roadside Attractions)An Oceanic Preservation Society Production - Nominees to be determined
"Food, Inc." (Magnolia Pictures)A Robert Kenner Films Production - Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
"The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers"A Kovno Communications Production - Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
"Which Way Home"A Mr. Mudd Production - Rebecca Cammisa

Best documentary short subject

"China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province"A Downtown Community Television Center Production - Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill
"The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner"A Just Media Production- Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
"The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant"A Community Media Production - Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
"Music by Prudence"An iThemba Production -Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
"Rabbit à la Berlin" (Deckert Distribution)An MS Films Production - Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra

Achievement in film editing

"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) - Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
"District 9" (Sony Pictures Releasing) - Julian Clarke
"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) - Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) - Sally Menke
"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate) - Joe Klotz

Best motion picture of the year

"Avatar" (20th Century Fox)A Lightstorm Entertainment Production - James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
"The Blind Side" (Warner Bros.)An Alcon Entertainment Production - Nominees to be determined
"District 9" (Sony Pictures Releasing)A Block/Hanson Production - Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
"An Education" (Sony Pictures Classics)A Finola Dwyer/Wildgaze Films Production - Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment)A Voltage Pictures Production - Nominees to be determined
"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company)A Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures/A Band Apart/Zehnte Babelsberg Production - Lawrence Bender, Producer
"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)A Lee Daniels Entertainment/Smokewood Entertainment Production - Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers
"A Serious Man" (Focus Features)A Working Title Films Production - Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
"Up" (Walt Disney)A Pixar Production - Jonas Rivera, Producer
"Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)A Montecito Picture Company Production - Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

more Academy nomines

Law Abiding Citizen (2009) R - 3½ Stars

I really enjoyed the concept behind this movie. On the verge of giving it a 4 star rating, I just wished I would have cared more about the characters and the ending was different, though I guess that was the way it should have ended. Everyone seemed a little cold except for Sarah Lowell's character. She's the only one I cared for up until the car scene. Foxx and Butler were great, but I never felt real compassion to Foxx's problem with the Law Abiding Citizen. As a matter of fact, I identified more with Butler until his little dinner scene. If the point of this movie is to show how screwed up our judicial system is, murderers getting off on technicalities, then they did a great job. Sometimes the bad guys have more rights than the innocent bystanders like this role reversal and I really did enjoy this action packed film.

Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), is an assistant district attorney with a nearly flawless record of convictions. His client is Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler), who's wife and daughter were murdered by Clarence Darby (Christian Stolte) and his home invader accomplice, Rupert Ames (Josh Stewart). Not only was Nick stabbed himself, he had to watch the faces of the men as the killed. But now here we are in court and Darby is plea bargaining and pinning everything on his partner in order to save his own ass. Nick is forced to take the deal which will see Darby walking in a matter of a few short years. Unacceptable for Clyde, he decides to take matters into his own hands proving how corrupt the judicial system really is.

The Film Department, Momentum Pictures, Overture Films
Director: F. Gary Gray
Writers: Kurt Wimmer, Frank Darabont
Producers: Robert Katz, Allan Siegel, Gerard Butler

I viewed 2/10

Star Trek (2009) PG13 - 4 Stars

The movie starts off with the old Enterprise engaged in battle and the tiny tot be given new life in an escape pod. New characters, the descendants of the great Starfleet before will ascend upon the Enterprise once again. I did like guest appearance of Nemoy proving an understanding to their fate. I really think Quinto was cast perfectly in his role as the new younger version of Spock. Nice to see John Cho in a serious role for a change as he's actually pretty good in this. Great special effects and action.

On the same day as James Kirk's (Chris Pine), is born, his father dies on his ship's last stand against the alien vessel, Narada. He was on his way to find Ambassador Spock (Leonard Nemoy), when overtaken and killed, but not before saving the lives of his wife in labor, son and hundreds of others. The ship encountered the alien vessel, the Narada with it's captain Nero (Eric Bana). Captain Nero demands that captain, Richard Robau (Faran Tahir), come aboard. He agrees and the USS Kelvin's command is now that of George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth). Robau wants Kirk to wait only fifteen minutes for a signal from him or evacuate the ship. The signal doesn't come and George Kirk will end his life crashing the ship into the Narada.

Later in the year of 2233, as James Kirk is growing up, he's a little arrogant and a bit of the stuck up side knowing his father was a great commander. One night at a bar, he meets Capt. Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood), who through his arrogance and cockiness gets him in a bar fight. But because he's tough, Pike invites Kirk to take part in the Starfleet Academy. While training, Kirk doesn't take it seriously, thinking he knows it all and gets irritated quickly with take his trainer, Lt. Spock's (Zachary Quinto). Kirk thinks he can master his own techniques as they arise. As the two spar off, Spock calls Kirk on his lack of ethics and when these young members of Starfleet are summoned to an emergency call from Vuklcan, the USS Enterprise, will not be under the command of Kirk. Instead Lt. Spock will take the bridge along with Sulu (John Cho), Scotty (Simon Pegg), Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban) and Communication Specilaist Uhura (Zoe Saldana). But this will never work and Kirk will be eventually be accused of mutiny aboard the ship when he tries to do what he thinks should be done. Left stranded on Delta Vega, a desert like planet, Kirk will be meet and be saved by the old wise Spock who tells him what he needs to do to save the galaxy.

Nominated for 4 Oscar's

2010 - Academy Award Winner - Best Make Up

Paramount Pictures, Bad Robot, Kurtzman/Orci, Spyglass Entertainment Holdings, LLC
Director: J.J. Abrams
Writers: Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci
Producers: J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof

I viewed 2/10

Stage Beauty (2004) R - 3 Stars

Based on a true story, in 17th Century London where it's forbidden for a woman to act on stage, a young man is once again performing a woman's role as Desdemona in the Shakespeare's play of Othello. Any female part of a play must be performed by a man and Kynaston is really good at it. That is until Mrs. Hughes, who's memorized every line, steals his clothes and sneaks out to a stage at a small club to perform. She must return in time before she is noticed, to keep her secret safe.

Danes and Crudup have a nice love hate relationship and I truly enjoyed the quirkiness of Everett as King Charles. I did find myself feeling sorry for Crudup and his inability to perform in any other way than he's been trained. His world is crushed when Danes comes into play, so to speak, as his competition. A touching story that turns to love.

Ned Kynaston (Billy Crudup), is starring in his role as Desdemona opposite Thomas Betterton (Tom Wilkinson), in the Shakespearean play, Othello. Ned has trained and perfected every movement of a woman in order to make his character seem as real as possible. A bit arrogant, he appreciates but looks down on his faithful dresser Maria Hughes (Claire Danes), as nothing more than that. Maria has been watching Ned preform night after night and shes managed to learn every word of his role. So eager to perform for herself, she steals one of Kynaston, wig and costume while he is out, and gives her own performance at a small no name club. While shes performing on stage, Kynaston still in costume, gets propositioned by Sir Charles Sedley (Richard Griffiths). When Sir Sedley finds he's the brunt of a joke, he seeks revenge on Kynaston by getting him beat up. But Kynaston's world fall apart even more when Maria is giving peak performances before King Charles II (Rupert Everett), who now deems only woman can play woman's roles.

Awards:

2004 - National Board of Review - Special Recognition for Excellence in Filmmaking

Lions Gate Films
Director: Richard Eyre
Writer: Jeffrey Hatcher
Producers: Robert De Niro, Hardy Justice, Jane Rosenthal

I viewed 1/10

Zombieland (2009) R - 2 Stars

The young girl behind the video counter says, "Have you seen Zombieland yet? It's pretty funny." So I say what the heck, she watches all sorts of movies working there right, and must know what she is talking about. Well nothing personal, but I thought this movie was a complete waste of my time. Starring Woody Harrelson, it's a perfect role for him, just not the perfect movie. But as I was corralling over the movie list to watch at Blockbuster, I noticed there are over 16 pages just dedicated to Zombie movies. Perhaps having said that, this just might be one of the better ones.

Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), seems to be an intelligent young man but cowardly when it comes to zombies. Though discovering he is the only one left in a small town, he packs his rifle and sets out to make it to Columbus too see if his parents are still alive. Along the way he meets up with Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), one bad ass zombie killer, in search of mankind's perfect food; the Twinkie. He offers Columbus a ride stopping at any grocery store a long the way to find his tasty treat. As they approach the next store, the men take out the zombies lurking in the store. But they also meet up with two girls Wichita (Emma Stone), and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin).

The girls are headed to California and try to ditch the guys a few times along the way. But it's the men who come to their rescue as the world is starting to bite off more than they can chew at the amusement park.

Sony Pictures Releasing
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Writers: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick
Producer: Gavin Polone

I viewed 2/10

The Maiden Heist (2009) PG13 - 3 Stars

Morgan Freeman is great in just about anything he does. Here, he teams up with Christopher Walken and George Macy playing three aging security guards, obsessed with the art they've been guarding for years. Macy is hilarious and I especially loved the editing of their mock-up plans. It's a cute little movie.

Charles (Morgan Freeman), Roger (Christopher Walken), and George (William H. Macy), all are guards in the towns local museum. Each spend countless hours a day daydreaming over their favorite pieces. When they find out the museum will be moving their exhibits to Copenhagen, these three temporary thieves start plotting a way to stop this obstrocity. They make replicas of each of their favorite items hoping to replace them for the originals with no one the wiser.

Yari Film Group
Director: Peter Hewitt
Writer: Mike LeSieur
Producer: Rob Paris, Lori McCreary, Bob Yari

I viewed 1/10

Far North (2007) R - 2½ Stars

Wow, this movie looked so awesome in the trailer and had the potential to be so much more but alas, it's far north of a great film. While it does have a visually stunning location, it's a very disturbing look at what one isolated woman will do in the name of her daughter. Well acted for it's lack of dialog but yet another movie for my bizarre category.

Saiva (Michelle Yeoh) and Anja (Michelle Krusiec) live in solitude in the far North Artic tundra. Banished by the local Shaman at birth for being cursed, Saiva has existed in absolute isolation until she rescues Anja as a baby from a brutal attack on the closest village. The soldiers intent for pilfering and killing everyone in site, left Anja for dead. Taking Anja under her arm, Saiva has tried to shelter and instill the traits needed for survival in this frozen solace. The two women have only known to rely upon each other until Saiva encounters an injured soldier, Loki (Sean Bean), passed out on the ice. Hesitant, by lonely, Saiva brings Loki back to the home to nurse him back to health. When Anja sees Saiva and Loki becoming close, she uses her girlish charms to win his affections away from Saiva causing a battle of loneliness seeking out revenge.

Film4, Le Bureau, Bureau (U.K.)
Director: Asif Kapadia
Writers: Tim Miller, Asif Kapadia
Producers: Bertrand Faivre

I viewed 12/09

The Hurt Locker (2008) R - 4 Stars

This movie really makes you feel what it's like to be in the middle of a war. One minute you can be doing routine missions and the next, dead. Based loosely on the journals of the first hand war experiences of Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker is an honest and scary look at what our young men and women are face daily in Afghanistan, and Iraq. Having watched a lot of movies about these Middle Eastern wars, they all share the imagery of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), deliberately set with only one purpose in mind; killing American soldiers and innocent Iraqi families. The photo I've selected below is about one of the scariest moments in this movie I've ever seen.

With only 38 days left in their tour of duty with Bravo Company, Sergeant J.T. Sanborn (Anthony Mackie), and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty ), know just how dangerous their current job in Iraq is, dismantling bombs. There highly precision mission involves detecting and disarming Improvised Explosive Devices, or (IEDs). Having just lost a major part of their team of the Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal(EOD),they're uneasy when the new replacement, Staff Sgt. William James(Jeremy Renner), takes seemingly unnecessary risks with their lives.

Nominated for 9 Oscar's, Awards include:

2009 - Austin Film Critics - Best Cinematography
2009 - Boston Society of Film Critics - Best Actor
2010 - Academy Award Winner - Best Picture
2010 - Academy Award Winner - Best Director
2010 - Academy Award Winner - Best Film Editing

Voltage Pictures, First Light, Kingsgate Films, FCEF, Summit Entertainment, LLC
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Writer: Mark Boal
Producers: Nicolas Chartier, Greg Shapiro, Mark Boal

I viewed 2/10

Paradise Road (1997) R - 4 Stars

War is not pretty especially when the innocent get caught up in the middle of it. I've actually seen this movie twice now. Once when it first came out before I started my blog and again this month. I'd forgotten what a great movie is was. Many proper well do to European women are captured and put in a POW Japanese camp in 1940's. This is the movie based on their true story of survival in horrendous conditions. It takes almost 3 years in captivity before the war is over and they are finally released. In order to carry on, they form a vocalized orchestra to give them the will to go on. Glenn Close is not necessarily one of my favorite actors but she did an amazing in this movie.

It's the middle of WWII and Adrienne Partiger (Glenn Close), a well to do British woman is attending a gala with her husband at a fancy hotel. All of a sudden, an explosion is heard outside followed by a few soldiers who barge in telling everyone the Japanese are close, all soldiers return to duty and all women and children are to evacuate immediately. The women and children are put on a naval gun ship and sent away. But the Japanese bomb the ship forcing the women into the water. Three of the women become separated by the larger groups and wash ashore the island of Sumatra. They are picked up by a Japanese soldier and delivered to town only to be captured and join the rest of the survivors in a primitive camp. It is here they will spend the next almost three years of their lives, learning to deal with the very brutal conditions of the Japanese as women are lower on the totem pole than garbage. Their only sanity is when Adrienne teaches them to sing in a vocal orchestra. Also starring Margaret Drummond (Pauline Collins), a missionary, Jewish-German Dr. Verstak (Frances McDormand) an Australian nurse Susan McCarthy (Cate Blanchett) and Jennifer Ehle (Rosemary Leighton-Jones) a young bride who gives up the will to live when she sees her young husband captured by the Japanese. Colonel Hiroyo (Sab Shimono), Captain Tanaka (Stan Egi), and the Interpreter (David Chung), all play the Japanese soldiers in command.

Fox Searchlight Pictures
Director: Bruce Beresford
Writer: Bruce Beresford
Producers: Sue Milliken, Gregory Coote

I viewed 2/10

Re-Cycle (2006) NR - 3 Stars

Re-Cycle engages the controversial subject of abortion while it gives an objective view of it consequences. The one thing I liked most about this movie is the colorful imagination of the sets, I found the movie visually stimulating. So much so I want to credit Visual Effects Creative Director, Ng Yuen-fai. Also because of these sets, and the whole mixture of the journey the story line takes, it has to go in my bizarre category. Featuring almost exclusively one actor, Lee Sin Je, I think she does a great job holding down the show, though not always exciting in her facial expressions. With subtitles, an eerie beginning, and a touching ending, I give credit to the entire production for it's unique contribution to the movie industry.

Angelica Lee Ting-yen (Lee Sin Je), is a young author, working on her latest novel. As she tries to concentrate, strange sounds and visions disturb her work almost causing her to send her novel to the shredder for recycling. Frustrated, she's convinced these interruptions are taking her on a parallel journey of horrifying reality. She'll soon learn the importance of things shes discarded in life that now she holds dearly.

Universe Entertainment, Matching Motion Pictures Company, Magic Head, Luminous Velocity Releasing
Directors: Danny Pang, Oxide Pang Chun
Writers: Cub Chin, Pak-sing Pang, Oxide Pang Chun
Producers: Danny Pang, Oxide Pang Chun, Alvin Lam

I viewed 12/09

Ghost Town (2008) PG13 - 3 Stars

Though this movie has a good message about not becoming an uncaring asshole and taking the world for granted, I found it to move too slow for my taste. While it has some chuckles, like the dog with the air freshener scene, and a lot of great acting, it's one of those movies that you can get up and walk away from and not feel your missing something. Gervais has some great one lines and it's cute with a romantic touch but I seemed to enjoyed it more at the end than watching from the start.

A bored with the world and it's people, dentist, Dr. Pincus will encounter an annoying ghost to create major change on his life. After under going a routine colonoscopy, Pincus dies for 7 minutes and when brought back to life, now has the strange ability to converse with the dead.

Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais), is a dentist who routinely goes through his day avoiding as many people as he can. He finds the conversation of his patients, co-workers, neighbors and just about everyone else on the planet, feverishly annoying. After a routine medical procedure where he actually dies for 7 minutes, he is reawakened with a new sensory perception. He can now see and speak to the dead. With his already annoyance of fellow mankind, these new intruders are looking for his help to get messages to their loved ones so they can move on. One in particular is Frank Herlihy (Greg Kinnear).

While Frank was arranging a love shack for his new Mistress, a large A/C unit crashes to the ground, barely missing him causing his reactions to step foot in the path of an oncoming bus. Next thing he knows, he's dead. Months later, Frank deeply regrets his unfaithful behavior to his wife Gwen (Téa Leoni), as he sees she is about to marry another man, Richard (Billy Campbell), and starts following the dentist to help make amends with his wife. It's Frank's final wish for Pincus to convince Gwen that Richard is not the one for her. But in the process, Pincus develops his own undying love for Gwen, causing major changes in his own circle of life.

DreamWorks, Paramount Pictures, United International Pictures (UIP)
Director: David Koepp
Writers: John Kamps, David Koepp
Producer: Gavin Polone

I viewed 2/10