Limitless

Limitless contains the best, most cinematically confounding shot that I’ve seen so far this year.  It’s so groovy, in fact, that director Neil Burger implores it a handful of times in order to keep the audience intrigued (which is helpful, because there ain’t a whole hell of a lot to keep one interested in a flick like this).

I don’t even know how to explain it.  The cameras appears to zoom down the streets of Manhattan at an exceedingly heightened pace.  It goes faster and faster, coasting down what appear to be dozens and dozens of blocks, without ever cutting away.  It isn’t a time lapse (filming for 10 minutes then speeding the shot up in editing so it only lasts 10 seconds), and it isn’t being done with just one camera, but it is simply incredible to watch.

The shot is, undoubtedly, achieved with the use of special effects, but not to the point of distraction.  The third time the shot occurred, I kept thinking, “Jesus, how are they doing that?” And then it hit me: HOW it is done isn’t important, that fact that it IS done is all that matters.

Moving past that, there isn’t much more to positively draw from this film.  Bradley Cooper stars as a fumbling, worthless writer struggling along in a shitty apartment buried in Chinatown.  Cooper’s Eddie Mora is plagued with crippling writer’s block, a God-awful mop of hair, a depressed attitude and a demeanor that's a slight step up from that of a homeless man.

That is until he runs into his former brother-in-law on the street, a high level dealer who supplies Eddie with a nifty new drug that opens up his brain to full capacity.  Eddie pops the pill and it’s off to the races.  He finishes his book in four days, reworks his look to GQ status, gets laid effortlessly, cracks the stock market, and vacations in tropical locales, all in the course of a week.

Before long,  Eddie is being chased by a slew of bad guys who all want at his drug stash (yawn) while he juggles the biggest Wall Street merger of all time with his new boss, played to campy mediocrity by Robert De Niro (double yawn).

Look, Limitless has its moments.  In addition to the shot I mentioned, Cooper does moderately well flexing his charm through a muddled script, and De Niro proves (if only in one scene) that he may still have a hint of the burrowing intensity that made him who he is.  But the flick is wholly predictable and filled with roll-your-eyes moments of mania (a scene involving a little girl and an ice skate is particularly absurd).  In short, limitless may accurately describe some of the characters’ means of acquiring knowledge, but as far as your attention span goes, the title couldn’t be further from the truth. D+

The Adjustment Bureau

The Adjustment Bureau is what Inception would be in less capable hands than Christopher Nolan, or what The Truman Show could’ve turned into if not directed by a visionary like Peter Weir.

It’s an interesting concept: that there are a group of people designed specifically to carry out the master plan set by God (or whoever), human emotion or desire be damned. Ever wonder why you can’t find your car keys that one morning? Or why you missed that bus by seconds?  Some of it is chance, sure, but most of the time, the film tells us, it’s the work of the Adjustment Bureau.

If this all sounds corny and tired, well, that’s because it is.

With this unique sci-fi scenario, the plot could be structured around basically anything, which is why it’s kind of a letdown that we’re stuck with the aimless familiarity of lovers in distress.

David Norris, a young politician vying to be New York’s next Governor (Matt Damon), meets Elise (Emily Blunt) by chance, but after their flirty, fleeting moment together, they are split apart indefinitely.  Years later, David runs into Elisa (again, by chance) and their romance takes off.  Enter the Adjustment Bureau, a slew of suited dudes in Mad Men fedoras who inform David that if he continues to see Elisa, their relationship will eventually ruin both of their lives.

This being a love story, David fights to stay with Elise.  He screams, he runs, he convinces; all in the name of love.

The Adjustment Bureau is based on a story by Philip K. Dick, the same mind that spawned stories that later became Blade Runner, Total Recall and Minority Report.  Once you step into Dick’s world, you have to accept it, or you’ll never enjoy yourself.  So to say I dug the concept behind The Adjustment Bureau really isn’t saying enough, because as it turns out, this is a unique gimmick stuck in a nearly lifeless film. 

Despite the chemistry of the two leads, the dialogue is stuffy and forced.  More than once I laughed out loud at what I thought was latent sarcasm, but was actually the remnants of a lacking screenplay.

We are, however, privy to a few cool effects: a character opens a door in an alley and steps onto Yankee field, walk through the back door of a restaurant and you’re magically standing next to the Statue of Liberty, and so on.

But two talented leads and a few groovy special effects aren’t enough to make you care. In the end, we’re left with a series of unremarkable, wasted scenes that add up to a movie you may enjoy in the moment, but forget as soon as you leave. D+

Take Me Home Tonight

Friendly note of caution, if a movie is completed then shelved for four years, it’s usually because it:

a.) Sucks

b.) Can’t find a distributor

c.) too controversial, thereby making it unmarketable

d.) Sucks big time

e.) All of the above

Choice ‘e’ was the case with Take Me Home Tonight, Topher Grace’s ‘80s-set “passion project” that he developed with director Michael Dowse for years before finishing production in 2007.  Once the film was completed, it was buried in movie purgatory before recently getting resurrected for a limited release.

The studio is marketing the film as “a John Hughes-type movie with cocaine, lots and lots of cocaine.”  This isn’t true for a number of reasons.  First off, if you’re trying to label your film as controversial for its frank depiction of casual drug use, then you should probably have more, you know, drug use in it.  By my count, two characters each do one line of coke in the entire film, off screen.  So… what’s all the fuss about?

Secondly, Take Me Home Tonight ain’t no John Hughes flick.  If it were, then it’d be funny (nope), charming (not a chance), daring (ha), and memorable (no way).

In short, there’s a reason why Take Me Home Tonight took four years to be released: it’s lame.  Unless he’s being directed by Steven Soderbergh, Topher Grace can’t act for shit. (Okay, to be fair, I really enjoyed the indie flick P.S., but not necessarily Grace’s contribution to it.)

In Take Me Home Tonight, he plays a squeaky-voiced fumbler who, despite having recently graduated from MIT, has no ambition to do anything with his life.  That is, of course, until he runs into his high school crush who invites him to a bitchin’ Labor Day party.  You’ve seen it all before: the geek tries to, and undoubtedly will, get the girl, but not before a few cute shenanigans ensue.

There is one small thing about Take Me Home Tonight that I actually enjoyed (well, other than the rockin’ soundtrack), and that would be Teresa Palmer, who plays the interest of Grace’s affection.  I’ve never seen Palmer in anything before, but I can tell you that she has some serious comedic timing resting gently on top of some dramatic acting chops just waiting to be tested.  I’m looking forward to seeing what she’s got. 

One last thing: Take Me Home Tonight is set during one night in September, 1988, and there are a couple of references to the film Rain Man, which was released in December, 1988.  That whole continuity thing… who needs it? Just sayin’.  D

Oscar Winners Who Went On To Do Nothing

There’s a famous vexation thrown around Hollywood known as the Supporting Actress Curse. There was a time, mostly in the ‘90s, when many Best Supporting Actress winners saw a serious decrease in their career prestige post-Oscar.  A few of them are listed below, along with other underachievers who sold out or went off the map after nabbing Hollywood’s favorite golden boy.

“Nothing” may be moderately inaccurate.  A lot of these Oscar winners did indeed continue to advance their film careers as they sought fit. However, none of them lived up the hype that voting members of the Academy once granted with an Oscar.

Note of distinction: Because the Oscars are for film, I’m concerned only with the movie careers of the people listed below.  Whether they went on to find success as musicians or painters or desperate housewives is not of issue to me.

1987 – Cher, Best Actress for Moonstruck

With the throw of a merciless slap followed by the delivery of one of cinema’s most recognizable lines, Cher graced the Oscar podium to accept the award she so thought she deserved.  Think of Moonstruck what you will, but no one can make a solid argument that Cher deserved this more than Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction.  Oh well.  As predicted, Cher got her Oscar then basically faded away from the silver screen spotlight.

Minor redemption: If you enjoyed Burlesque, then I can do nothing for you.

1991 – Mercedes Ruehl, Best Supporting Actress for The Fisher King

Mercedes Ruehl is great as Jeff Bridges’ faithful yet frustrated love interest in The Fisher King, flexing her sultry, brazen charm all the way to the Oscar stage.  But then what?  The mom in Last Action Hero (which, for the record, is a fantastically absurd guilty pleasure)?  Two episodes as Vince Chase’s mom in Entourage?

Minor redemption: Other than the roles mentioned above?  I got nothing. 

1995 – Christopher McQuarrie, Best Original Screenplay for The Usual Suspects

This is a bit of an admitted stretch as I thoroughly enjoyed The Way of the Gun, which McQuarrie wrote and directed five years after winning an Oscar for penning The Usual Suspects.  The Way of the Gun is twisty and clever, but it ain’t no Usual Suspects, one of the most twisty, clever films… ever.  Since his first and only directional effort, McQuarrie hasn’t done much.  Oh, he did write Valkyrie.  And The Tourist, which contained one of the worst, most obvious “twist” endings of recent memory. Probably not something to brag about.

Minor redemption: As I’ve said, The Way of the Gun is a solid flick.

1996 – Cuba Gooding, Jr., Best Supporting Actor for Jerry Maguire

Before getting crazy lucky by being cast as the egotistical Rod Tidwell, Gooding had a few key roles in Boyz in the Hood, A Few Good Men, Judgment Night, and Outbreak.  Since his Oscar win?  Well, we’ve certainly seen him, but not in anything worth mentioning.  Chill Factor?  Instinct?  Rat Race?  Pearl Harbor? Boat Trip? His post-Oscar resume reads like a flop list from hell.

Minor redemption: His small but volatile role as Nicky Barnes in American Gangster.  He stood toe to toe with Denzel, and nailed it.

1997 – Helen Hunt, Best Actress for As Good as It Gets

Only the second person to win a Golden Globe, Oscar and Emmy in the same year (damn you Liza Minnelli), Hunt was destined for Oscar gold after delivering in emotionally fierce and comically blissful performance opposite ol’ Jack in As Good as It Gets.  And then? What Women Want made shitload of money, but it’s a throwaway role.  Woody Allen has called The Curse of the Jade Scorpion his worst film for a reason, and Pay It Forward is nothing better than a glorified Lifetime movie (which may indeed be an insult to Lifetime movies).

Minor redemption: Her “you-said-you’d-be-right-back” love interest of Tom Hanks in Cast Away.  I’m one of the few people who actually enjoys the final 20 minutes of that film, but the whole movie could’ve been exponentially better if a different actress was cast in Hunt’s role.

1997 – Kim Basinger, Best Supporting Actress for L.A. Confidential

People forget this now, but there was a time when Curtis Hanson’s masterful film rested almost solely on the shoulders of an ‘80s sexpot.  L.A. Confidential was pre-Gladiator Russell Crowe and pre-Memento Guy Pierce.  To be fair, the film was post-The Usual Suspects Kevin Spacey, but it was Basinger’s face who was plastered all over the marketing material for this film.  The effort paid off.  The movie was a hit, thanks in part to Basinger’s restrained, taunt performance. After she won the Oscar, she more or less vanished from Hollywood’s radar.  Hanson was generous enough to cast her as Eminem’s mother in 8 Mile, and The Door in the Floor had its moments, but Basinger’s never lived up to the sultry, wide eyed Lynn Bracken.

Minor redemption: I love 8 Mile, but most people forget she’s even in it.

1998 – Roberto Benigni, Best Actor for Life is Beautiful

What a waste.  He deserved Best Foreign Film, but Best Actor?  Over Tom Hanks’ compassion (Saving Private Ryan), Nick Nolte’s desperation (Affliction) and Edward Norton’s fury (American History X)? I’ve never understood the appeal.  And what since?  Nothing.  Unless you count his “rethinking” of Pinocchio, which I doubt, considering no one saw it.

Minor redeemer: None.

2006 – Jennifer Hudson, Best Supporting Actress for Dreamgirls

She was Hollywood’s Homecoming queen, using American Idol as a “stepping stone” to land the meaty role of Effie in the heavily anticipated film adaptation of the wildly popular Broadway show.  She sang, she screamed, she cried, she won.  And…? Look, I’m not gonna lie, I was pretty blown away by Hudson’s performance the first time I saw Dreamgirls.  But look at her competition: Rinko Kikichi gave the best performance of 2006 in Babel, with her co-star Adriana Barraza right behind her.  Then there’s Cate Blanchett in Notes on a Scandal, who would’ve been a shoo-in had she not won two years earlier for The Aviator.  Hudson’s win is just another example of Oscar voters being temporarily buzzed by the sugar high of a flashy performance.

Minor redeemer: Uhh.  The Sex and the City movie?  Anyone?

Future Predictions

I doubt that Colin Firth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale and Melissa Leo vanish anytime soon.  But how about Sandra Bullock?  Or, hell, Mo’Nique for that matter?  I haven’t seen much of Forest Whitaker lately, either.  Time will tell. 

Hall Pass

I firmly believe that praise due is praise deserved.  So let’s get this out of the way first.  There’s a scene in Hall Pass that takes place in a hotel bathroom that is, in no uncertain terms, one of the funniest scenes I have ever witnessed in film.  When I saw Hall Pass, there were five other guys in the large theatre with me.  But after that scene, there could’ve been 500.

I rarely laugh out loud in movies.  If something is really funny, I’ll sit there and think, “Yeah… that’s funny,” and I’ll probably laugh about it later.  After the bathroom scene, I was laughing so hard that I was struggling to catch my breath for several minutes. 

That scene is worth the price of admission alone, and I’m honestly considering seeing the movie again with a packed house, just to listen to the reaction.

Now, you may guess where I’m going: that scene is pretty much the only good thing about Hall Pass, the new comedy from gross-out kings Peter and Bobby Farrelly.  The Brothers Farrelly struck gold with their first film, Dumb and Dumber, by and large one of the stupidest, most hilarious movies of recent memory.  They found critical and commercial success with There’s Something About Mary, but what since?  Me, Myself & Irene had a few solid gags.  But Shallow Hal?  Stuck on You?  The Heartbreak Kid?  Lame.

Hall Pass is about two married middle aged dudes (Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis) whose wives, fed up with their husbands' constant horniness, give them a week off from marriage to flex their inner frat boy.  

The resulting message is, of course, didactic and boring: the guys are no longer the studs they were in college; getting laid ain’t too easy when you’ve been out of the game for so long.

The antics the two men get into throughout the week – consuming impossibly potent pot brownies, skimming the talent at Applebee’s, getting wasted and trying lame pickup lines – all fall flat because they’re all old gimmicks. 

In short, Hall Pass is just another run-of-the-mill, I'm-a-bored-married-man farce.  But if you’re in the mood for a good laugh (even if it’s just one) I promise that scene I mentioned earlier will in no way let you down.  The hotel bathroom scene: A+, the rest of the film: D+.

Drive Angry

Well here’s one for the books.

In Drive Angry, a movie that no one in their right, conscious mind would get any semblance of pleasure or enjoyment out of, Nicolas Cage, yet again, shows us how much fun he has at destroying whatever creditability may be left of his career.

As the movie rambles on, the characters talk using indecipherable dialogue wrapped aimlessly around not even the slightest shred of anything coming close to resembling a coherent plot.

From what I remember: Cage roams the Midwest in search of his granddaughter who has been kidnapped by devil worshippers. At some point, the devil’s “Accountant” shows up and tries to stop Cage, who is, I think, from Hell as well.

Oh yeah, and it’s in 3D, which means you can feel like more of an asshole for dishing out the extra dough.

Drive Angry is directed by Patrick Lussier, who made a name for himself as the editor of such modern masterpieces as D3: The Mighty Ducks and My Boss’s Daughter, before moving on to direct newly discovered classics like My Bloody Valentine and White Noise 2: The Light.  (Okay, to be fair, Lussier did edit all of the Scream films, and Red Eye, which I offer as a compliment.)

But after sitting through every painstaking minute of Drive Angry, it’s clear that Lussier hasn’t the faintest idea what the hell he is doing ; and, for once, movie going audiences seem to comprehend that. (Drive Angry only netted $5.1 million its opening weekend, making it nearly impossible to earn back its staggering $50 million budget.)

In a few short years, Nicolas Cage has phoned in more than a dozen roles, each one (somehow) worse than the one before. You have talent, dude, why don’t you challenge yourself?  It’s kind of like what Rashida Jones tells Jesse Eisenberg at the end of The Social Network: you’re not a bad actor, Nic.  You’re just trying so hard to be. F (but seriously, you already knew that).

King’s Speech Win Echoes Dances with Wolves

Throughout the past few weeks, several critics have been making a very drastic comparison between this year’s Best Picture race and one from years past.

Veteran Oscar handicappers said that when/if The King’s Speech bested The Social Network for Oscar’s biggest prize, it would be similar to when How Green Was My Valley, a very decent, very well-produced film, beat Citizen Kane, a very brilliant, wholly game changing film, in 1941.

Well, that’s a bit drastic.

Best Picture

It isn’t fair to say that when The King’s Speech won Best Picture yesterday evening, it beat out a film that will forever change the way most all other movies are made.  The Social Network is a great film, an ingenious one on many levels.  The King’s Speech simply catered to the majority of Oscar voters’ tastes, and it comes as no surprise that it won.

As much as I enjoyed The Social Network, with its caffeinated editing, red hot dialogue, revelatory music, fluid camera work and foreboding acting, it is not, in any way, Citizen Kane.

Instead, I believe a far more apt comparison to this year’s Best Picture race can be made to the 1990 Academy Awards, when Dances with Wolves, and its director Kevin Costner, beat Martin Scorsese and his film Goodfellas.

Again, Dances with Wolves, with its epic scope, sagging running time, and love-conquers-all mentality, was far more accessible to most voters than Scorsese’s ultra-violent, coke-infused Mafia madhouse.

But, as I posted on my Facebook wall mere seconds after Steven Spielberg announced The King’s Speech as the winner: be honest, when was the last time you actually watched Dances with Wolves?

I believe I’ve seen it all the way through one time… in high school, probably on one of those final days before winter break.  On the other end, I’ve probably seen Goodfellas 20 times (at least). 

Goodfellas is a masterpiece, one of the best films to be released in the past two decades.  Dances with Wolves is, well…who cares.

In short, I firmly believe that 20 years from now, film goers will still be quoting The Social Network, filmmakers will still be stealing from it, and Oscar watchers will still be scratching their heads going: The King’s Speech?  Really?

Best Director

I was actually genuinely surprised that Tom Hooper beat out David Fincher here.  My jaw wasn’t dropped or anything, but it just seems so grossly inadequate.  Oh well.

The Acting Awards

If you look at my previous posts, I predicted that Colin Firth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale and Melissa Leo would all win, so, no big shockers here.

The best speech?  That’s two fold.  Leo dropping the F-bomb was great, but Bale making fun of himself for “dropping the F-bomb too much recently” was brilliant.

Everything Else

I love the Oscars, and I will watch every minute of every show every year.  And while I appreciated that the show was a tab bit shorter this year, the whole ceremony was kind of blah.  People have been giving Ricky Gervais so much shit for his Golden Globes hosting duties, but that was a month and a half ago.  I seriously doubt that anyone will still be talking about Anne Hathaway’s giddiness (or James Franco’s perpetually baked demeanor) two weeks from now.

On to next year.  The Tree of Life, for the win.

Don’t Take My Word for It: Critics Guess Oscar Winners

I have a pretty solid track record for guessing who will land Academy Awards (just ask anyone whose gone up against me in an Oscar pool), but as I said in my earlier post, this year is tricky.

I guessed two ways: a King’s Speech sweep, or everyone else.  Seems like most critics share that same sentiment. Here is a complied list of “Who Will Win” Oscar picks from critics I respect. (For the record, I don’t respect Entertainment Weekly, but their Oscar handicapper seems to know what he’s talking about.)

BEST PICTURE

Roger Ebert: The King’s Speech

Peter Travers (Rolling Stone): The King’s Speech

Dave Kruger (Entertainment Weekly): The King’s Speech

Richard Corliss (Time Magazine): The King’s Speech

Tom O’Neil (Golden Derby): The King’s Speech

Me: The King’s Speech

BEST DIRECTOR

Ebert: Tom Hooper for The King’s Speech

Rolling Stone: Hooper

EW: David Fincher for The Social Network

Time: Fincher

Golden Derby: Fincher

Me: Fincher

BEST ACTOR

Ebert: Colin Firth for The King’s Speech

Rolling Stone: Firth

EW: Firth

Time: Firth

Golden Derby: Firth

Me: Firth

BEST ACTRESS

Ebert: Natalie Portman for Black Swan

Rolling Stone: Portman

EW: Portman

Time: Portman

Golden Derby: Portman

Me: Portman

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Ebert: Geoffrey Rush for The King’s Speech

Rolling Stone: Rush

EW: Christian Bale for The Fighter

Time: Bale

Golden Derby: Bale

Me: Bale

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Ebert: Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit

Rolling Stone: Helena Bonham Carter for The King’s Speech

EW: Steinfeld

Time: Melissa Leo for The Fighter

Golden Derby: Leo

Me: Leo

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Ebert: David Seidler for The King’s Speech

Rolling Stone: Seidler

EW: Seidler

Time: N/A

Golden Derby: Seidler

Me: Seidler

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Ebert: Aaron Sorkin for The Social Network

Rolling Stone: Sorkin

EW: Sorkin

Time: N/A

Golden Derby: Sorkin

Me: Sorkin

Click here for Roger Ebert’s full write up

Click here for Peter Travers’ full write up


Click here for Dave Kruger’s full write up


Click here for Richard Corliss’s write up


Click here for Tom O’Neil’s full write up


Click here for my full write up 

OSCARS: Who Will Win (and, More Importantly) Who Should

It’s funny that such a competitive awards race has stemmed from one of the slowest most sporadic movie years I’m able to recall.

When the winners to the 83^rd Academy Awards are announced this Sunday, we may be thrown very few surprises.  The King’s Speech, Fincher, Firth, Portman, Bale, Leo, good night.  But here’s the thing: every major category could shift to a King’s Speech sweep.  Whatever acting category is awarded first; that’s your first sign.  If Helena Bonham Carter steals Supporting Actress, expect Geoffrey Rush to take it from Christian Bale. 

You have to think like the average Oscar voter (which is to say, an elderly white guy): “If I voted for The King’s Speech here, then I may as well here, too.” In short, I think it’s either all or nothing for The King’s Speech (save Best Actor, of course).

Here’s who I think will walk away with the 13 inch, 8 pound golden boy come Sunday.  And, of course, who I think SHOULD nab said statuette. 

BEST PICTURE

Black Swan

The Fighter

Inception

The Kids Are All Right

The King’s Speech

127 Hours

The Social Network

Toy Story 3

True Grit

Winter’s Bone

Game changer The Social Network was the heavy early favorite, but at this point, it seems destined to lose to The King’s Speech, a glorified HBO movie with no real impressive feats (other than, of course, it’s flawless acting).

Will Win: The King’s Speech

Should Win: Black Swan

BEST DIRECTOR

Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan

David O. Russell- The Fighter

Tom Hooper - The King’s Speech

David Fincher - The Social Network

Joel and Ethan Coen- True Grit

David Fincher

Same story as Picture.  David Fincher, one of the most far reaching, acclaimed auteurs working in American cinema, should in no way lose out to Hooper’s still-got-a-lot-to-learn direction for The King’s Speech. But he just might.

Will Win: Fincher

Should Win: Christopher Nolan for Inception (oh, right, sorry… Fincher, or Aronosfky)

BEST ACTOR

Javier Bardem- Biutiful

Jeff Bridges- True Grit

Jesse Eisenberg- The Social Network

Colin Firth- The King’s Speech

James Franco- 127 Hours

Firth. A lock.

Colin Firth is this year’s lock.  No question.  Moving on.

Will Win: Firth

Should Win: Ryan Gosling for Blue Valentine (oops, I meant Firth, or Bardem)

BEST ACTRESS

Annette Bening- The Kids Are All Right

Nicole Kidman- Rabbit Hole

Jennifer Lawrence- Winter's Bone

Natalie Portman- Black Swan

Michelle Williams- Blue Valentine

Can Portman pull it out?

Bening has been heavily favored to win twice (in 1990 for The Grifters and 1999 for American Beauty), but has never pulled it out.  I’m not saying she’ll take it from Portman (who delivered the best acting performance of the year, period) but it wouldn’t surprise me if she did.

Will Win: Portman

Should Win: Portman

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christian Bale- The Fighter

John Hawkes- Winter's Bone

Jeremy Renner- The Town

Mark Ruffalo- The Kids Are All Right

Geoffrey Rush- The King's Speech

There better be Bale

Bale has swept most every honor out there so far, but Rush has steadily gained momentum for his strong-willed, deft performance in The King’s Speech.  Bale deserves this Oscar five times over, but, again, don’t be shocked if Rush takes the stage… again (as he did in 1996 for Shine).

Will Win: Bale (let us hope)

Should Win: Bale

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams- The Fighter

Helena Bonham Carter- The King's Speech

Melissa Leo- The Fighter

Hailee Steinfeld- True Grit

Jacki Weaver- Animal Kingdom

Ms. Leo's got some tough competition.

This is the real curveball category.  Like Bale, Leo has nabbed nearly every pre-Oscar prize, but her name isn’t being thrown around as much as it was a month ago.  I could easily see Steinfeld, Adams, or Bonham Carter replace Leo.  Ironically, the person who deserves it the most doesn’t have a shot.

Will Win: Leo (I suppose)

Should Win: Weaver

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Another Year

The Fighter

Inception

The Kids Are All Right

The King’s Speech

David Seidler

The Kids Are All Right was the buzz-heavy favorite, but as I’ve said, The King’s Speech could, and probably will, swoop in for the steal.

Will Win: David Seidler for The King’s Speech

Should Win: Christopher Nolan for Inception

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

127 Hours

The Social Network

Toy Story 3

True Grit

Winter’s Bone

Aaron Sorkin

The other lock of the night should justly go to Aaron Sorkin for his brilliant, mile-a-minute Social Network prose.  Sorkin’s screenplay reminded people that screenwriting is indeed an art form.

Will Win: Sorkin

Should Win: Sorkin

A FEW OTHERS WORTH MENTIONING

-- Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross had better walk away with Best Original Score for their Social Network music; a movie score unlike any every heard.

-- Give it to Roger Deakins for his True Grit cinematography.  Deakins’ work wasn’t the best in his category this year (that would be Matthew Libatique for Black Swan) but the dude has been nominated nine damn times and never won.  Well deserved.

-- I’d love to see Banksy wave his proverbial middle finger around as Exit Through the Gift Shop wins documentary, and Alejandro González Iñárritu gracefully accept Best Foreign Language Film for Biutiful.  Although, I doubt either will happen.

Click here to see the full list of nominees.

The Oscars are Sunday Feb. 27 at 8 p.m. on ABC

101 Cinematic Reasons Why I Love the ‘80s

1. "Wake up! Wake up, wake up, wake up, up you wake, up you wake, up you wake, up you wake! This is Mr. Senor Love Daddy, your voice of choice, the world's only 12-hour strongman on the air, here on We Love Radio, 108 FM, the last on your dial but first in your hearts.  And that's the truth, Ruth."

2. "I was 12 going on 13 the first time I saw a dead human being."

3. "It's a sunny, woodsy day in Lumberton, so get those chainsaws out.”

4. This force of nature:

5. This force of nature:

6. This force of nature:

7. The use of “Adagio for Strings" in Elephant Man

8. The use of “Adagio for Strings" in Platoon

9. Robert De Niro playing Jake La Motta playing Marlon Brando playing Terry Mallow

10. John William’s score for E.T.

11. The start of this great collaboration (the ending... not so great):

12. The American crime genre is forever altered with the release of Thief, Michael Mann’s first film

13. The 105-minute long conversation Wally has with Andre

14. Watching Klaus Kinski orchestrate the dragging a giant ship across a mountain

15. Watching Werner Herzog direct Klaus Kinksi orchestrate the dragging a giant ship across a mountain

16. Paul Newman playing pinball.  The man is acting… with his shoulders.

17. “I’m the boss I’m the boss I’m the boss I’m the boss.”

18. The birth of independent cinema:

19. Rupert Pupkin laughing with Jerry Langford

20. The 188 seamless minutes that make up the flawless Fanny and Alexander

21. Spinal Tap’s inability to harmonize in front of Elvis’ grave

22. A scrawny black kid from Brooklyn makes She’s Gotta Have It, singlehandedly giving birth to contemporary African American independent cinema

23. Willem Dafoe smiling at Tom Berenger across a dense forest

24. At 75 years old, a master proves he’s at the top of his game:

25. One thing is clear at the start of the 1989 Oscars: Tom Cruise is going to win Best Actor for his balls-out, remarkable performance in Born of the Fourth of July.  Jodie Foster opens the envelope and reads the winner.  Daniel Day-Lewis glides on stage to accept his award.  Screen acting is forever changed.

26. “I’m not bad.  I’m just drawn that way.”

27. Matt Dillon casually hitting a security guard in the face with a crowbar

28. From “the next James Dean” to complete obscurity within eight years:

29. Dustin Hoffman counting toothpicks

30. “My name is… John…Merrick.”

31. The fact that Another Woman is the best, most underappreciated, film of Woody Allen’s prolific career

32. Rob Epstein releases The Times of Harvey Milk. The documentary genre becomes an exercise in emotion.

33. Errol Morris releases The Thin Blue Line.  The documentary genre gets a man off death row.

34. Michael Moore releases Roger & Me.  The documentary genre becomes cool.

35. "I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen."

36. Mookie throwing a metal trashcan through Sal’s window

37. The fact that, no matter how hard I try to found faults with it, Field of Dreams is simply a damn fine film

38. David Mamet releases his first film, House of Games, screenwriting is finally considered an art form.

39. Albert Brooks sweating his ass off on live television

40. Character acting is never the same:

41. Ben Kingsley as Mahatma Gandhi

42. “I’ll be back.”

43. “Now I have a machine go.  HO-HO-HO”

44. “Get away from her you bitch!”

45. “DO YOU WANNA?! Do you wanna jump?  All right then asshole, let’s do it, let’s jump.”

46. “Get to da chopper!”

47. The horrifying scene in which Meryl Streep, as Sophie, makes her choice

48. The fact that one dude made all of these great (occasionally classic) films:

49. Dean Stockwell singing “In Dreams” into a small spotlight

50. Jeremy Irons as Beverly Mantle

51. Jeremy Irons as Elliot Mantle

52. The guests of a posh dinner party randomly singing “Day-O”

53. The brazenly bizarre brashness of Brazil

54. “Did you fuck my wife?”

55. Timothy Hutton in Ordinary People.  An utterly flawless performance.

56."Let's daaaaaaaaance!"

57. “I’ll have what she’s having.”

58. Kubrick’s tracking shots in The Shining

59. …and Full Metal Jacket

60. "Do you have a problem with that?!"

61. That little piece of skin that dangles from Jack’s face in An American Werewolf in London

62. “You’re crazy!”

“I know you are, but what am I?”

“You’re a nerd!”

“I know you are, but what am I?”

“You’re an idiot!”

“I know you are, but what am I?”

63. The misleading opening scene of Blow Out

64. Al Pacino shoving his face into a giant pile of cocaine

65. Using Reese's Pieces to befriend an alien

66. Jeff Spicoli

67. Full Metal Jacket’s terrifying use of tube socks and bars of soap

68. The Big Chill hits theatres, movie soundtracks are forever altered

69. "Wolfman's got nards."

70. Ed Harris trying to revive Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio in The Abyss

71. “Give my daughter the shot.  Give my daughter the shot! GIVE MY DAUGHTER THE SHOT!”

72. The ghost of an old woman reading in the basement of the New York Public Library

73. The peep show scene with Harry Dean Stanton and Nastassja Kinski in Paris, Texas

74. It is because of this performance that I will always like Michael Keaton:

75. Willem Dafoe getting off the cross

76. Ferris lip synching “Twist and Shout”

77. Jeff Goldblum teleporting with a common housefly

78. Gordie, Chris, Teddy and Vern trying to outrun a train

79. “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.”

80. The Union Station shootout in The Untouchables

81. “Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.”

82. Tom Hanks playing "Chopsticks" with his feet

83. Kevin Kline eating a live gold fish

84. The fact that The Vanishing never goes where you expect it to (seriously, see this movie)

85. “Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?”

86. The single tear that rolls down Denzel’s face

87. “I’ll make it.”

88. The discovery of Luke’s father

89. Jason Patric turning into a lost boy

90. Robert De Niro alone with a concrete wall

91. Rutger Hauer’s pronunciation of the word “father” in Blade Runner

92. “This is my rifle. There are many others like it, but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. Without me, my rifle is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy, who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will. Before God I swear this creed: my rifle and myself are defenders of my country, we are the masters of our enemy, we are the saviors of my life. So be it, until there is no enemy, but peace. Amen.”

93. "EXCELLENT!"

94. Harrison Ford punching a guy out in Witness

95. Glenn Close’s cooking habits in Fatal Attraction

96. The perfect villain:

97. Tom Cruise sliding across the living room floor

98. “We did not fight the enemy; we fought ourselves. The enemy was in us. The war is over for me now, but it will always be there, the rest of my days.”

99. “Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.”

100. “I’ll… be… right… here.”

101. “I wondered if a memory is something you have or something you’ve lost. For the first time in a long time, I felt at peace.”


Answer Key

1. Do the Right Thing

2. Stand By Me

3. Blue Velvet

4. Blue Velvet

5. Full Metal Jacket

6. The Shining

9. Raging Bull

13. My Dinner With Andre

14. Fitzcarraldo

15. Burden of Dreams

16. The Verdict

17. Raging Bull

19. The King of Comedy

21. This is Spinal Tap

23. Platoon

24. Ran

25. My Left Foot

26. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

27. Drugstore Cowboy

28. From top left: 9 ½ Weeks, Body Heat, Rumble Fish, Diner

29. Rain Man

30. Elephant Man

35. Say Anything…

36. Do the Right Thing

39. Broadcast News

40. Sid and Nancy

42. The Terminator

43. Die Hard

44. Aliens

45. Lethal Weapon

46. Predators

47. Sophie’s Choice

49. Blue Velvet

50. Dead Ringers

51. Dead Ringers

52. Beetlejuice

54. Raging Bull

56. Footloose

57. When Harry Met Sally…

60. The Karate Kid

62. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure

64. Scarface

65. E.T.

66. Fast Times and Ridgemont High

69. Monster Squad

71. Terms of Endearment

72. Ghostbusters

74. Beetlejuice

75. The Last Temptation of Christ

76. Ferris Buller’s Day Off

77. The Fly

78. Stand By Me

79. Dirty Dancing

81. Wall Street

82. Big

83. A Fish Called Wanda

85. Batman

86. Glory

87. Hoosiers

88. The Empire Strikes Back

89. The Lost Boys

90. Raging Bull

92. Full Metal Jacket

93. Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure

96. The Little Mermaid

97. Risky Business

98. Platoon

99. Back to the Future

100. E.T.

101. Another Woman

Click here for 101 Cinematic Reasons Why I Love the ‘90s

Click here for 101 Cinematic Reasons Why I Love the 2000s