Posted on 03/05/2006 12:00:21 PM PST by doesnt suffer fools gladly
Yeah, the boats were better (it's only a model!)....and the real horse-wreck. But I like Charleton's performance better.
Why watch? Few of us who make up the mass audience have seen this year's Oscar movies. If we watched the "stars" go down the red carpet, most of us wouldn't know their names or what movies they had been in lately.
Take a pass on the show and the "winning" movies too.
You are tougher than I. I don't think I could hit myself on the head with a hammer for the length of time required so I have decided to hit my thumb with a hammer instead.
I think the 1959 version used quarter-scale miniatures in a tank. The silent version used full-sized ships populated with real people who had to flee when a fire got out of control (oops).
But I like Charleton's performance better.
Silent acting is different from talkie acting; it's hard to compare the two.
I don't want to watch a movie about filthy buggers.
Performance by an actor in a leading role
At least they didn't put Felicity Hoffman in this category. It's between Hoffman (Capote) and Ledger (Brokeback). I was thinking it would be a Brokeback sweep to give it the big push that it needs for DVD sales, but I think they'll share the wealth and give it to Hoffman. "Walk the Line" is being snubbed totally.
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
George Clooney's politics beats out Gyllenhaal's homosexuality.
Performance by an actress in a leading role
Felicity Huffman wins by default because "Walk the Line" is being snubbed. The rationale will be "Hello? It's Reese Witherspoon." (So they'll go with a Desperate Housewife). (sidenote: the movie probably would have been more interesting if the lead was a male actor.)
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Didn't see any of them. (Actually, I haven't seen anything from any of the categories, so far, but you really don't need to to know how the voting will go. You only need to see them to know how they should go.) The women in Brokeback are an afterthought, but the actors won't win, so Michelle Williams will win. Rachel Weisz, however, will be the hottest one of the five there that night.
Best animated feature film of the year
I only saw "Corpse Bride" but I'm thinking "Howl's Moving Castle" wins. I don't know why, but I am. (I have to rent W&G.)
Achievement in art direction
Achievement in cinematography
Achievement in costume design
Achievement in makeup
Achievement in sound editing
Achievement in sound mixing
Achievement in visual effects
I have come to believe that the technical folks actually value their craft more than their politics, so I won't hazard many guesses because I've seen few of the films involved. King Kong will probably be tossed one and Geisha, which had been an Oscar contender not long ago, will probably get the costumes. Makeup will go to Star Wars or Narnia (which had nice period costumes, too, but wasn't nominated).
Achievement in directing
Ang Lee, straight off his directing of "The Hulk" is a shoe-in. ("Straigh off", heh heh, I crack me up.)
Best documentary feature
“March of the Penguins” was such a wonderful little picture that it probably won't win. At least there isn't a Moore film in the category. I don't really know the other movies in the category, so no further info.
Best documentary short subject
Based on the title alone, the winner is “God Sleeps in Rwanda”.
Achievement in film editing
Brokeback isn't nominated, so they'll toss this one to Munich. Walk the Line will be snubbed.
Best foreign language film of the year
Italy usually does well in this category, so that's “Don’t Tell”, but don't count out “Tsotsi” from South Africa.
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
Another “Brokeback Mountain” win
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
For once, I haven't been hearing the songs on the radio, so I know little about them individually. Gut-check tells me to go with the pair of Dolly Parton and Transamerica.
Best motion picture of the year
Duh. “Brokeback Mountain” will repeat from the Director category.
Best animated short film
No information. Not political.
Best live action short film
No information. Not political.
Adapted screenplay
“Brokeback Mountain”. Granted, there's a lot of PC crap to spread the manure around, which might allow for a surprise.
Original screenplay
"Good Night, and Good Luck.” Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov is just about a lock. It'll be funny if Clooney loses out to Syriana, but they wouldn't do that to him.
And that's the way it'll be, Oscar Night 2006. z
TS
Yeah, there is that. But the 1959 version is more emotionally satisfying. I think it's the whole happy to grief to anger to peace transformation of Judah Ben Hur that does it.
The scripts certainly diverge there. I wonder which version is closer to the book?
What? You don't enjoy moviews about sheepboys ingesting each others semen and feces? Why, don't you know <2% of the population thinks that's a good thing? You are obviously homonauseous and must be made to understand that queer is normal!
I'll have to rent the silent Ben Hur and watch both movies back to back just to compare. The 1959 version is the one I remember the best although I've seen the silent version at least a couple of times.
"I don't think I could hit myself on the head with a hammer for the length of time required"
I'm hoping I'll knock myself out.
Oscars are a queer event! Attempt to make queers just regular folks.......
http://www.readbookonline.net/title/192/
You have to scroll down the page a bit.
So now they're banking on the American public wanting to see the movie because its going to be showcased on an awards show that no one will watch??
Sheriff of Rotingham: "You've said that so succinctly!"
Don Giovanni: "Suck what?"
My husband will occasionally watch a "chick flick" if it is well made. He actually was interested in seeing Pride and Prejudice in the theaters and had said that if any of us (myself or our two daughters) had wanted to go see it, he would have. (I am beginning to think he may have a "thing" for Kiera Knightley.)
Fortunately, for him, I am not much of a "chick flick" kind of a gal so the number of girlie films he has to see is actually limited. And, although I wanted to see this film, I knew I could wait until it came out on DVD.
If you are looking for a "love story" type movie that he will sit down and enjoy, and so will you, may I suggest Cinderella Man. I was so disappointed that this movie didn't do better, as it has a lot of great "conservative" values to it. I saw it in theaters with my hubby and our 18 year old daughter and all three of us enjoyed this movie. I don't think women wanted to go see it because of the boxing, but there is a love story in there about a man completely devouted to his wife and children. Also, although I don't like boxing, after watching this film I began to understand what someone else might like about it. The boxing scenes are so well done. Anyway, if you want to know how good Cinderella Man is, it pretty much got ignored by The Academy which means, IMHO, that it is a first-rate movie that would appeal to a wide swath of the American public.
Okay, done with my movie reviews.
This really says it all, and I can't argue with it. If a movie appealled in any way to the majority of the American public, or families, it got hosed this year.
I screwed-up last night. I rented "Wedding Crashers" and loved it -- but I forgot all about the Duke-Carolina game. :-(
Interesting. The silent version appears to have veered significantly from the novel, and the 1959 version followed in its footsteps.
I own the 1959 version (too bad the silent version doesn't seem to be available except in a package with the 1959 version I already have). It's been awhile since I've seen it; what role did Iras play in it?
Looking at the last chapters from the book, Esther is Judah's wife; she is visited by Iras, daughter of Balthazar, who relates that she has slain Messala. The last chapters of the book do not seem to mention that Esther and Tirzah were cleansed by the rains following the crucifixion; that's would appear to be a screenplay addition.
Since I haven't read the rest of the book, I can't say how it compares to the movies, but it's clear from the last chapter that the movies don't follow terribly closely.
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