I'm always excited about the Academy Awards — yeah, there are still a few of us left out there — but I'm guessing there won't be a whole lot of thrilling and/or shocking moments this year. (Most any upset would go thusly: Oooh, the frontrunner didn't win! Which means...someone or -thing completely undeserving did.)
But for [...]
You know it's the same every year: You swear you're going to see all the Academy Award-nominated films before the big day. You put the chosen ones on your to-do list as soon as awards season kicks off. You've got plenty of time!
Then suddenly it's Oscar night, and you're left shrugging at all the opening-monologue [...]
Let's see, where did I leave off nearly 12 hours ago?
Actually, I don't have a whole lot more to say:
8) I'm flabbergasted that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button received 13 (!) nominations, while the superior and far more engaging Gran Torino got nothing.
9) I think Milk and Slumdog Millionaire are the only [...]
It finally happened.
I'm not a violent person. But my temper usually hovers somewhere between Frank Grimes-frustration and Incredible Hulk-fury when I go to a public screening and people won't shut up. It distracts me, it affects my mood, and therefore it can't help but affect my reviews.
And if I'm actually paying to see something off-duty? [...]
I've still got rum balls to roll, people. So let's make this run-down of the week's openings quick, using an easy-to-understand grading system that's both familiar and festive:
The Wrestler: NICE
Gran Torino: NICE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: NOT AS NICE AS IT THINKS IT IS
Marley & Me: NAUGHTY
Bedtime Stories: REALLY NAUGHTY
The Reader: BORDERLINE, BUT I'M [...]
The Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association today announced its pick of Fox Searchlight's Slumdog Millionaire as Best Film of 2008, additionally awarding it Best Director (Danny Boyle), Best Breakthrough Performance (Dev Patel), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Simon Beaufoy).
Other notable nods include a posthumous Best Supporting Actor win for Heath Ledger, whose creepy, mesmerizing Joker [...]
