Oscars 2012: best dresses, best moments and RDJ

I promised some in-depth analysis, but you can't really expect me to keep a promise I made at 7am after staying up all night. Instead, my favourite dresses and moments, in summary.

Watching the 84th Academy Awards

22:43 HAS IT REALLY BEEN ANOTHER YEAR? Jeez! Well, Oscar night is here again and I'm ready to face the botox and the disappointments. Haha. I've been sick all week (my week off, naturally), and I'm still not completely at my best state of staying up all night long. I will definitely needs some doping here. My sinuses hurt. Haha. Really! Also, I'm watching the Oscars alone this year, because all of my potential companions are unavailable. This is why I decided to blog my way through the night. This should be interesting. And even though I'm watching alone, I have food for at least two people. Got a little excited there...

This year I'll be looking at both the front and the insides of Kodak theatre extra carefully. (I heard Kodak declared bankruptcy just recently, so the home of the Oscars is not actually called Kodak theatre anymore; it's the Hollywood and Highlands Center. Whatever. It's still Kodak theatre for me.) I actually took a tour inside the theatre when visiting LA last fall. It was awesome! It'll also be awesome to watch the gala and keep an eye for seat fillers, while George Clooney sneaks out to the bar every ten minutes. He does that. It's a fact! I've got reliable sources! Meaning our tour guide. Haha.

An hour before the broadcast begins. Better go prepare the pizza, and get some caffeine and medicine in my system. This could be a looooong night...

A word or two about a movie or seven

Writing posts has been incredibly challenging recently, god knows why. Anyways, here are some good, recent films I've seen during the last few months. Just want to say a few words of each. While waiting for tonight.

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The Artist

 I saw this in New York, in the Paris Theatre near Central Park. It was a very nice little theatre, and made you feel like you should've dressed up a bit.

I very much fell in love with this movie! There is just something about good old black and white silent films, some charm that makes you want to build a time machine and travel back to another era to experience that glamour and romantic simplicity of life. Ah! It is so genius that while everyone else is making 3D movies and throwing money to the wind in order to make bigger and better CGI explosions, someone has the sense to return to the roots of cinema and bring us something so genuine and wonderfully straight-forward that you can't help but nostalgize about a time that must have been so much better than the one we live now! Whoever thought it'd be a good idea to shoot movies in color, and with sound... Shame on you! (And if you have to use sound, do it in the clever, creative ways as seen in this movie.)

The Artist has ruled the awards season so far. My thumbs are up high and hopefully the season will end accordingly today.

Carnage

Carnage was the last film I saw during my stay in the US last fall. I saw it in a shady little theatre near the Lincoln Center in NYC. There were hardly anyone else in the audience.

Carnage tells about two pairs of parents, whose kids get into a minor fight, and so they get together in the appartment of one of the couples, to settle the issue... like mature, civilized grown-ups. The story was originally written for the stage, which is quite clear, since the whole movie takes place in the appartment. And the staircase, a little. Even the elevator, once or twice!

I very much enjoyed this movie. It's hugely entertaining and pretty hilarious, leaning completely on the fast, witty dialogue and silly situations that culminate into absurd proportions. Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly all do a fantastic job, portraying their more or less mentally unstable characters, but Christoph Waltz steals the spotlight (he does that, doesn't he?). His character definitely seems like the biggest asshole of them all, but he ends up being the one that makes the most sense. Pretty awesome little movie, highly recommended!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Aka Hollywood comes to Scandinavia.

It is weird seeing Daniel Craig standing next to the Scandinavian traffic sign for a pedestrian crossing. It was also weird listening to his more or less convincing Swedish accent (and all those hej hejs and skåls...). But I got over both of these oddities pretty fast. David Fincher's American remake of the original Swedish story about men who hate women managed to absorb me in pretty well.

The impressive opening credits make it more than clear that the Scandinavian modesty and simplicity is all gone and we're talking about Hollywood now. But I actually thought Hollywood did a lot of good to the story. They hadn't even censored any of the horrible and violent scenes, which is a good thing, I guess, even though not very much fun to watch. The music was Oscar-winner-great, and the altered ending better than the original.

Rooney Mara's Lisbeth Salander was, first, kind of an action hero. I mean, that slide down the escalator? She's also slightly softer, younger, more fragile and humane version of Lisbeth Salander. Yay or nay? Well, she was certainly more approachable and somehow more relatable than Noomi Rapace's interpretation of the character, and you know me, I don't mind a hint of that good old American sentimentality...

So yeah, I kind of prefered the remake to the original. Was this because I'm more used to watching American films, shot, acted and directed in that distinctive American way? Maybe. I don't know. Does David Fincher have something to do with it? Definitely.

The Help

The Artist might still be my favourite in the Oscar race, but maybe if The Help had equal chances for victory, the tables might be turned. I'm not really sure why, but I liked this film enourmously and was very much touched by it.

For one, I'm happy to see a great movie concentrating on women and it's great that its greatness is acknowledged. There are not many such movies out there; movies about women, movies that can be taken seriously even though they are about women. In addition, in The Help, most important characters are black, which I suppose is another unusual thing to be pointed out. Sure, there's the thing about black people only being able to be saved by white people, but let's put that aside. I'm just happy about this movie, because it's genuine and true and funny and touching, and the characters and the acting are just suberb. I actually want Oscars for all of these people! I still have about twelve hours to decide whether I'm rooting for Octavia Spencer or Jessica Chastain for Supporting Actress!

Also, I'm currently reading the book and it's excellent. Very engaging.

Midnight in Paris

I don't usually like Woody Allen. I mean, his earlier work is kind of charming, even for me, but that more recent stuff just made me want to skip Midnight in Paris altogether. I'm glad I didn't, though!

First, it's le Paris, ah, oui, l'amour, c'est la vie, and other stuff I could say to pretend I actually
speak French. Paris is beautiful, and the beauty of it is more easily transfered on screen than the beauty of any other place on Earth. It might even look better on screen than in real life! No! Yes! Yes. Shoot me! OK, kidding...

The story of the movie was not what I expected. I mean, it was just what I expected until the first midnight. Then it got interesting and odd and fascinating, and that's what makes it stand out in my book, making it my favourite Woody Allen film I've seen so far.

Hugo

Very much like The Artist, Hugo is a love song for early cinema, in it's own, charming way. And not just for early cinema, more like for cinema as a whole, as an art form.

I did like Hugo. It was quite captivating and magical and sweet. Again, Paris is merveilleux! (Yeah, I used a dictionary for that...) The actors did a solid, good work, though none of them really stood out for me. Except maybe Christopher Lee, in that tiny role he had. Darn, does that man have a presence!

If nothing else, Hugo is a reminder that it's pretty nice, after all, to live in the era of CGI and 3D. My gosh, this movie looked amazing! Every frame was a work of art!

So this is what we'll do tonight: Hugo gets the awards for all the technical stuff. The Artist gets the real cream. Deal?

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P.S. Finally, I have to say something about Drive. Everyone's been going on and on about how it's so awesome and one of the best, if not best, film of 2011, so I expected a lot. And... um, ok? I have absolutely nothing to say about it. It didn't affect me in any way. I didn't even find Ryan Gosling desirable. Nothing. Blank head, no emotions. No wait, I was annoyed by what a sorry little bitch they had turned Christina Hendricks into. Despicable! Oh well. I just didn't get the movie, I guess. I usually don't get this kind of gangster nonsense.

Oscar nominees 2012

It seems it was about a month ago when they last gave away a bunch of Hollywood's golden boys, but here we are again. The nominees for this years Academy Awards were just announced. I must say I haven't been building up any expectations, and I'm feeling a lot more indifferent about these awards than usually. Maybe because there hasn't been a Toy Story 3 or a Social Network for me this year, meaning nothing has gotten me too pumped up. And of course, I still have a LOT to see before February 26. Funny, you'd think that spending the fall in the country where all the biggest and best movies come from (and where a movie comes to theatres the same day it's released - not four months later, if at all) would give you an advantage in keeping up with your Oscar hopefuls, but apparently not. Maybe it was my inopportune location (Emporia, Kansas isn't exactly the Mecca of culture). Maybe I just saw the wrong movies (whooot, I was CERTAIN Glee the 3D Concert Movie would rob all the awards!). Anyway. Here are a few of my thoughts.

It's a good year for animated film. And when I say good I mean unpredictable! Since Pixar spent the year making Cars 2, there is no Pixar film nominated for best animated film, so someone else finally has a chance! Good for them.

The Bridesmaids! Well well well. I'm not a huge fan of the film, but it certainly is refreshing to see a female-centered comedy nominated for best original screenplay, and one of its stars in the supporting actress category.

I really can't say much, because there's so much yet to be seen before I can shout out opinions that are not completely baseless and biased. From the best picture category I've actually seen just one film, so it's not very surprising that I feel like naming The Artist as my favourite. Well, it was a wonderful film, and I think it might remain my favourite, even after I've seen some of the other candidates. Let's see.

I am very eager to see The Help and Hugo; these are actually the two that I believe might have a shot at challenging The Artist in my book, and I will do my best to check them out before the Oscars.

I'm not sure why, but The Descendants seems really annoying to me. The trailer kind of makes me yawn. I'm not excited about Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, either, it just gives me a too strong The Blind Side kind of vibe, you know, one of those oh-so-sentimental and inspirational and disgustingly American stories. Might skip it. I've never been one for Woody Allen, and Tree of Life just seems boring as hell. I'm not sure about what The War Horse might have to offer for me... And Moneyball. Well, it's about baseball. Baseball is officially the most numbing sports in the world. I might still give the film a chance. Maybe it's not all about baseball. And if it is, maybe they've edited out all the parts where the players try and try and try and try hit the ball but never do.

When it comes to the acting categories, I, again, don't dare say much. Bérénice Bejo was absolutely lovely in The Artist, so her nomination made me happy. Sure, she wasn't exactly in a supporting role, but never mind, she's better off in a category without Meryl Streep, haha. Speaking of whom, I really want her to win that third Oscar, it's been a damn long time coming. Even though Michelle Williams as Marilyn really won me over, too... Rooney Mara's nomination was a nice surprise, but I guess she doesn't stand a chance, and that's ok.

I've been kind of inattentive, so I don't know if someone got snubbed. I did notice the lack of J. Edgar. Shame, it was an alright film. And yeah yeah, I have good memories about it since I saw it in Washington, a few blocks from the FBI building. Ah! Good times. Anyways. Enough with the bragging, haha...

In summary... Hugo got most nominations (11), with The Artist right behind it (10). I guess I'm happy! My favourite and my potential other favourite! And lo and behold, it is indeed a "kids' film" leading the game! Hurray! Take that, stupid adults!

2011: A Summary of a Year

It's been an unusual year. It feels like most of the year I've been so preoccupied with everything else that there hasn't been as much movie-watching as, say, last year.  Still, there has been some gems and discoveries from both this year and previous years.

I found John Hughes (better late than never, right?) and thus added The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off to the list of my all-time favourites. I watched more documentaries than ever before; I bawled my eyes out at Bowling for Columbine and Nuit et brouillard; I was shocked by The Cove and Food Inc. and swore never to see a dolphin show or eat a fast food burger again; I was entertained by Exit through the Gift Shop and Glee: the Concert Movie. One documentary really stood out, but more on that later.

The year's total is 163 films watched, out of which 52 were rewatches, which makes 111 new films. I went to cinema 23 times. And let me add, twice I saw a film with live orchestra playing the music (The Gold Rush (here at home) and the first Lord of the Rings (in Vegas; guess which one was more expensive...)). Here's the full list of the films, from another Inception rewatch to the Sherlock Holmes sequel.

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Here are some of my favourite people of the year.

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My (more or less succesful) New Year Resolution project was a nice spice to the year's movie-watching experience. Sure, due to being in the US I was behind schedule for part of the year, and in the end got to mark only ten of the twelve movies as 'over and done with'. Because, yes, that's what it was like most of the time: an obligation, something I just HAD to do, whether I enjoyed it a lot or not. This of course is NOT the attitude that movies should be watched with, but since I know myself (and what I know is that unfortunately I just often happen to dislike classics), this techinique is the best way to ensure that I watch what every movie fanatic should watch. Anyway, here's how it turned out:

The films I still need to see in 2012: Scarface, Manhattan

The film that I very strongly disliked: A Clockwork Orange

The films that bored me to death: Mulholland Dr., 8½, Goodfellas

The films I might have liked more had I been able to concentrate on them properly: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Blade Runner

The films I kind of liked and properly concentrated on, but that failed to impress me in a way worth mentioning: Sunset Blvd., Citizen Kane

The film that I expected to like the least, but that ended up blowing my mind a little or at least giving me a pretty epic Friday night: 2001: A Space Odyssey

The film that I very much liked and that I will actually see again in the near-future (unlike the previous one): The Deer Hunter

So. Maybe the percentage of the films I actually ended up liking isn't very encouraging, but I will all the same continue this project in 2012. I need to get more classics watched.

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My extremely unofficial TOP FIVE of 2011

My Week with Marilyn

It's Michelle Williams that earned this movie a spot on my list. When I was watching her in My Week with Marilyn, there was a moment when I realized I didn't remember what the real Marilyn looks like. That's how good Ms. Williams is! Other than that, it's a cute, quite harmless little film. A little sad at times, and quite relateble, in some ways, at least for me.

Captain America: The First Avenger

 Haha. Weird? I don't know why I liked this film so much. But I did. I haven't liked a superhero this way since my ridiculous Spiderman phase when I was fifteen. There is something sincerely sweet about Chris Evans's Steven Rogers, and something admirable in the way he develops into a superhero: it's merely a physical transformation, since his mind was the mind of a hero all along.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II

Well duh. The conclusion of the adventures of everyone's favourite wizard boy was nothing less than epic, even though the conclusion of that conclusion was disappointingly ridiculous thanks to the poor attempt to make the young cast look nineteen years older. Sigh. Anyway! This was the end of another era. But Harry will live on.

The Artist

 This black-and-white silent strike of genius will be my favorite in the Oscar races next year, and I'm not alone with my opinion. It's charming and fun and tragic and just delicious. I loved the creative ways to use sound they'd come up with, in the midst of the good old Hollywood kind of title cards and wonderfully exaggarated acting. It's a love song to the roots of cinema, with a modern twist and a great sense of humor.

Life in a Day

Well, this is interesting. I never saw this little film coming. One day I read about it somewhere, watched it, and whoa, it just blew me away. The idea is wonderful, really, maybe the best idea any filmmaker ever had. People all over the world documented their lives on film in July 24, 2010. The material came together as what apparently is my favourite film of the year. In summary, I cried at people brushing their teeth. I'm determined to finish my post about this, so this is all I will say now.
If you haven't yet, see the film here.

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Well, I guess that's what we can call a mixed bunch; a Hollywood icon, a superhero, a fantasy blockbuster, a silent film and a documentary. But the list is extremely unofficial because there are many films I haven't yet seen that might've easily made the list. I still need to see at least The Help, Hugo, 50/50, Drive, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo... Still, I'm quite confident about number one, at least.

It was a pretty good year, and 2012 will probably be pretty epic. Just saying.