South Park: Censored

Last night I returned home, eagerly anticipating the episode "201," a conclusion to last week's 200th episode special. I missed the original airing and caught the re-air that occurs ever Wednesday two hours after the initial one. I was slightly surprised it was a recent episode, "The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerBalls" and thought maybe this was a joke: after all, I had thought South Park might not air the episode like they did 12 years ago to pull an April Fool's Prank.

Now I see that that is not the case. Comedy Central pulled the re-airing and as far as I've heard have pulled all scheduled re-airings for the next week. Why, you may ask?

It all has to do with the Prophet Mohammed. Remember back in 2006, when a Danish cartoonist depicted the Prophet and incited the unholy wrath of a bunch of pissed-off extremists? Well, South Park aired a two-part episode called "Cartoon Wars" in which the show Family Guy is coming under fire for trying to air the image. The episodes raised great questions on the limits on what is and what isn't ok to show on TV, and how you set that precedent. The episode ends with Family Guy depicting the image, though ironically Comedy Central wouldn't allow the image to be shown.

Why is it ironic? Back in 2001, South Park aired an episode titled "Super Best Friends" in which Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Lao Tsu, Sea Man, Joseph Smith, and yes, Mohammed, all teamed up to fight an evil David Blaine. Back then, no one cared. True, it was two months before 9/11, but Comedy Central set precedent that Mohammed was ok to show. And even after the "Cartoon Wars" episodes, "Super Best Friends" was re-aired on syndicated television (I know because I saw the episode on CW channel).

So that brings us to now. Last week, to commemorate their 200th episode, South Park went back and rehashed a lot of old jokes, one of them being the Mohammed controversy. The episode ended with Mohammed dressed in a bear suit, as the townspeople debate what to do with him. During the week in between episodes, a radical website called Revolution Muslim posted a note saying that Matt and Trey better watch out or they'll end up like Theo van Gogh. Van Gogh was a documentary filmmaker who made a film about Islamic abuse of women, and was killed by extremists in Amsterdam in 2004.

Though I wasn't able to watch the episode live, I did find it online and watched it there. I was surprised that the word Mohammed altogether had been bleeped completely. I assumed it was a joke and Matt and Trey's part, as did most of the Internet community. Additionally, the character Kyle gives a speech on what was learned, yet that was bleeped out completely. That, again, I assumed to be a joke.

Today, it was revealed that Comedy Central added the bleeps over Mohammed's name to protect Matt and Trey, and Matt and Trey later released a statement saying Comedy Central bleeped out the end speech as well. The episode isn't available uncensored, as all episodes are, for the show's website: instead, there is a note saying that Comedy Central won't allow them to put it up.

Now, I understand why Comedy Central wouldn't let the image of the Holy Prophet be broadcast: they were trying to protect the staff of South Park, who would all be in as much danger as Matt or Trey if these threats were somehow became real. But I think it is the start of a terrible chain reaction that they bleeped Mohammed's name from even being uttered. Muslims have no problem with his name! They say it all the time! And Mohammed spent the whole episode behind a black censored bar (which I firmly believe Matt and Trey put in there) and didn't say anything this week! Why bleep his name? And why bleep the end speech, in which Mohammed apparently wasn't mentioned but about intimidation and fear.

Even the episode "Super Best Friends" isn't on the South Park website anymore. It's gone. Kapoot. Luckily I own season 5 on DVD, and there are dozen other places you can find the episode. But still, it is a terrible move on CC's part. Last time Mohammed wasn't shown, Matt and Trey showed Jesus and George Bush shitting on each other, poop-a-flyin'. This week, Buddha snorts coke and Jesus is accused of watching Internet Porn. Comedy Central has now set the standard South Park warned against four years ago: if you give in to threats, then soon more people will threaten you. It will start a landslide until, boom, you can't do anything taboo anymore.

Ultimately, I'm not calling for the episode to air with Mohammed uncensored. I don't think that will ever happen. But the episode should become available without Mohammed's name or the end speech censored. It's just ridiculous and doesn't make sense. The name isn't the thing forbidden, it's the image. I'm quite interested to see what South Park does next week for it's mid-season finale.

Kick-Ass (2010)

Kick-Ass starts out with a noble goal: "Why hasn't anyone ever tried to be a superhero before?" inquires the hero, Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson). "Probably because they'd get their ass kicked," responds one of his friends. And when Dave first dons the outfit of Kick-Ass, he does get his ass thoroughly kicked, so much so that he nears death. You'd think this would stop him, but instead it screws up his nerves so that he can't feel pain as much and can endure more.

Dave is a normal High School nerd who dreams of the hot girl (Lyndsy Fonseca) and whacks off daily, with an ever-expanding collection of comic books. Fed up with getting pushed around, he becomes Kick-Ass, with the hope to do good, though he fully acknowledges he has no reason to seek vengeance: no murdered parents or otherwise.

It is sad then that the movie's best characters, Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) conform to the conventions of the comic book. Big Daddy is seeking revenge for one reason or another, and has trained his daughter to become a totally bad-ass killer. Yet in a movie that is trying to convey realism, it is these characters that shatter that realistic barrier, taking on dozens of villains by themselves and standing victorious over them all. And while their scenes of kick-assery provide much of the movies action thrills, I was more interested in Dave's story of grappling with the responsibility of being a superhero, rather then Big Daddy's quest to take revenge on Mob Boss Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong).

Some people may find the notion of Hit Girl altogether unsettling and quite disturbing. She is, after all, a kid who kills dozens upon dozens of people. And superheroes traditionally don't kill when they have to, right? I have no moral qualms over her actions (does that make me a bad person? Maybe so), but I think the movie has a bad sense of timing in the fun it's going after. In the first scene when we see Hit Girl annihilate a crowd of baddies, it is completely awe-inspiring. But when she storms D'Amico's New York penthouse to Joan Jett's Bad Reputation, the stakes have changed, and the fun factor is all but null. In fact, when Hit Girl is getting her ass kicked, it seems like the movie is still going for laughs. What?

I really enjoyed the movie, but I can't help but pick apart it's inconsistencies, and I have one more complaint: the movie seemed to be heading in a totally unexpected direction, and for a good minute I thought that this movie would do the unexpected. But, alas, it conforms to the clichés of the genre and disappointed me somewhat. While the tone of the film would have been much darker, I think it would have been a bold way of challenging audiences. Just saying, I think they pussed out.

But, overall, the movie is still a fun entertainment. It succeeds more then the film version of Watchmen (2009) did of examining the life of a superhero, so that's something. But, in the end, it's not near the satire it quite wants to be.

Pygmalion (1938)

People often say that there is no original work, that something had to stem from somewhere and everything is based off of something that came before it. OK, this is true a lot of times, but there are some instances where someone really used their imagination to take some original material and transform it into a great story set in then-modern times. Take the mythological story Pygmalion: it tells of a sculptor who had no interest in women, but carved sculptures of them, until one day he fell in love with one of his own sculptures. Praying to Aphrodite, or Venus, depending on which way you look at it, she took pity on him and brought the statue to life.

Henry Higgins (Leslie Howard) is obviously drawn to be comparable to Pygmalion: he seems to have no interest in women, yet obsesses over dialects and proper speech. He takes on the challenge of turning the lowly Eliza Doolittle (Wendy Hiller) into a lady, with proper speech and accent and all. And, of course, he comes to love her.

Movies back in the day liked to spell out their themes or references for the audience; after all, people didn't have access to the Internet and its wide bank of knowledge. The story of Pygmalion is told to us through text, at the beginning, so that we may know exactly what the filmmakers are aiming for and what their true intentions are. Today, no such scroll would precede the movie, and audiences would be forced to look up Pygmalion and discover the title's source.

The movie is exceptionally well made and is better, I think, then the musical My Fair Lady that came out 27 years later (the film version, anyways). For one, it's an hour shorter, and while I have no problems with long movies, I didn't feel that the plot supported the length. Here too the movie seems to meander, and it is only slightly over 90 minutes!

But the performances are also very good. Wendy Hiller and Leslie Howard may be no Audrey Hepburn or Rex Harrison, but they still deliver thoughtful performances and their chemistry lights up the screen. As we watch Eliza progress, we care about what happens to her. There is a hilarious scene where she tries out her new dialect, and speaks in tongue twisters as if they were normal conversation. The subsequent reactions to this are priceless.

Part of what drags the story of Pygmalion down, for me, is everything that happens after the ball scene. The whole movie builds up to that point, and then continues for an extra thirty minutes (My Fair Lady goes on for another hour). It's such a great scene, and the buildup is worth it. The Queen employs a former pupil of Higgins to find out where Ms. Doolittle is from, and he makes the astute observation that "...only people who are taught English can speak it well."

The movie delivers an important message of women being just more then objects, as evidenced by Higgins' treatment of Ms. Doolittle. Early on Higgins' assistant refers to her as "Ms. Doolittle," and that level of respect makes her smile. Of course, Henry sees her only as Pygmalion saw his creations: as statues. Until she comes to life and fights for herself, he continues to disrespect her.

All versions have a particularly odd ending, as Eliza returns to Henry after leaving him, and he really realizes he is in love with her. Upon her return, he simply states, "Where the devil are my slippers, Eliza?" I accept that as a game that they are playing with each other, by the end, and that Higgins really does have newfound respect for Eliza.

One note: David Lean, the acclaimed director of Lawrence of Arabia and several other epics, was the editor on this film. One should note he was an editor for several films before he broke out into the directing world, and didn't edit again until his final movie, A Passage to India. Just a fun note. I spotted his name in the credits.

82nd Annual Academy Awards: Morning After Thoughts

Man, that ceremony seems like one bad dream.

Part of the reason is that I got drunk last night watching the show, but it also has to do with just how bad the show was put on. Opening with a strange parade of the 10 lead actors up for an award and displaying them for all the world to see was one of the most miscalculated decisions I've seen in awhile. This was followed by a totally misfired musical number starring Neil Patrick Harris, who is a funny guy. Go to YouTube and find some of his Tony Awards antics, they are hysterical. But here, his number introducing Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, as well as making fun of some of the nominees, was unmemorable and just plain awful.

Then down came our hosts, lowered from the rafters of the stage, and as they came out and began their rapport, I realized what a miscalculated decision this co-hosting job was. Martin lead most of the jokes, with Baldwin following suit. Baldwin looked uncomfortable up there, and it was more obvious then ever that the lines were scripted. The problem with two co-hosts is it makes improvisation harder, especially when they don't have a good chemistry. That is what the two lacked as well; a Colbert/Stewart pairing would fire up some great chemistry, or any number of, but these two are obviously funnier when there's an editor in the chair choosing their best lines.

Christoph Waltz's win was expected, as was Pete Doctor's for Up and T-Bone Burnett for Crazy Heart. Screenplay went with the WGA, so I guess Tarantino isn't as liked by his peers as we thought he was. Mark Boal still gave a rousing speech.

Then there was an unexpected but very sweet tribute to John Hughes, who died this past year. Matthew Broderick, Molly Ringwald, Macauly Culkin, and many others came out onstage and a very touching montage was shown of all his films. I've never been the biggest Hughes fan myself (Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is my favorite of his), but I recognize what makes him so loved, and he deserved these minutes. It came in place of the usual Honorary Award, which they didn't hand out this year, so I'm guessing this is who they meant it for.

In the short films I keep learning different lessons; Logorama won, which I thought was the best, and I guess I should have gone with my favorite from the Live-Action, The New Tenants. I thought for sure the Academy would take the bait Chernobyl, but I guess like Six Shooter, you should always go for the film that ends in bloodshed. And fuck Documentary Short; if there's anything I learned this year, it is to not even listen to what other people are picking and select a random title. I did it two years ago and got it right, and it is what I will continue doing.

Ben Stiller in Na'Vi makeup was a highlight of the night. Much better then his miscalculated Joaquin Phoenix impersonation, he fully embodied the character of the Na'Vi. Ironically, he pointed out, Avatar was not up for Makeup, and maybe he should have worn Spock ears. And the makeup was so good that I kind of wish Avatar had combined more of that. Stiller proved that actors have the most intense eyes, and are more alive then any computer will be able to imitate. Then Star Trek won, which is no surprise.

Then the biggest upset of the night, won that I don't think any official prognosticator saw coming: Precious upset Up in the Air for Best Adapted Screenplay, and a very emotionally overwhelmed Geoffrey Fletcher and gave probably the most passionate speech of the night. His upset was very unexpected, and I'm still trying to figure out how it happened. Up in the Air was so certain! But hey, that's why we watch, because there is always one big upset.

Avatar and The Young Victoria won Art Direction and Costume Design, respectively, and then Zac Efron and Anna Kendrick came out to distribute the Sound awards. We got a very funny clip narrated by Morgan Freeman about the Sound work in The Dark Knight, and clarifying for us what exactly the difference is. I've done Sound work and I even have a had time telling. The Hurt Locker surprisingly won both awards (I was sure Avatar was going to win one of them, so I put it down for both). That guy was strange.

Martin and Baldwin showed an amusing Paranormal Activity spoof of them to introduce the Horror montage. Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner came and made the introduction proper, though I noticed Stewart seemed either really nervous, or strung out on drugs. Or both, she is Joan Jett in the new movie The Runaways. The Horror montage was great, though one of them said Horror has been little recognized since The Exorcist more then 30 years ago. Excuse me, but what about The Silence of the Lambs winning Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay a mere 19 years ago? Horror isn't under-recognized, it's just done bad most of the time.

Mauro Fiore became another famous alum of my college Columbia College Chicago to win an Academy Award for Cinematography (for Avatar) though I still feel you shouldn't win for a movie that was created mostly in a computer. Following this was as a very odd interpretive dance to all the Original Score nominees, followed by Michael Giacchino winning for Up. Well deserved, well deserved.

Avatar wins visual effects, easily the most locked category of the night. The Cove wins best Documentary, and Ric O'Berra comes onstage and holds up a sign that says "Text Dolphin to 41....something something". I couldn't tell because the cameras quickly cut away to a shot of the audience, which made me mad. Let Mr. O'Berra, who is fighting for something he believes in, to have his moment in the spotlight.

Tyler Perry handed out Film Editing, and made fun of himself for probably never being able to hear his name again at the Oscars (I guess I can appreciate someone who knows their work isn't great). The Hurt Locker won, of course. Pedro Almodovar and Quentin Tarantino handed out the Best Foreign Language Oscar to El Secreto de Sus Ojos, which I haven't seen and merely predicted on the hunch that you can't go with anything that's already out. Finally, the final four, and the Oscars hit the 210 minute mark, already over-running their length.

They continued having people talk about the Actors, which I liked, and this time they made it old friends of the Nominees, rather then famous movie stars who might have nothing to do with the person they are taking about. Michelle Pfeiffer introduced Jeff Bridges, Vera Farmiga talked about George Clooney, Julianne Moore about Colin Firth, Tim Robbins about Morgan Freeman, and Colin Farrell about Jeremy Renner. Jeff Bridges won.

For Actress, Forest Whitaker introduces Sandra Bullock, Michael Sheen about Helen Mirren, Peter Skarsgaard about Carey Mulligan, Stanley Tucci about Meryl Streep, and Oprah about Gabourey Sidibe. Sandra Bullock, as expected, won. She said she wasn't going to cry (they all do), but she broke down a bit at the end. I've grown to like her as this Awards Season pressed on, but I still don't think she deserved it.

Then Oscar officially made history with Barbra Streisand walking to welcome the first female director ever into the white boys club. I think it would have been hilarious if Lee Daniels or Jim Cameron had won instead. Barbra makes the moment fairly epic; as she opened the card she paused and then said, "Well, the time has come, Kathryn Bigelow." She was great, and I was very happy she won.

Now the Oscars were 30 minutes into overtime, so Tom Hanks simply came out and opened the envelope. No recap of the ten nominees at all, he just came out, ripped open that envelope, and announced The Hurt Locker for Best Picture. Kathryn Bigelow was too stunned to give a speech, so Mark Boal spoke for her. It was proud moment that exemplifies the Academy honors what really is a great movie, not merely a great spectacle.

But overall this show as a step-back from last year. My advice: bring back Stewart, cut out all musical numbers. That would help. These shows can seem long and it doesn't help that the co-stars weren't funny.

UNTIL NEXT YEAR!

82nd Annual Academy Awards

Thoughts on the Red Carpet:

- Kathy Ireland is really annoying

- So is Miley Cyrus

- Taylor Lautner DOES NOT play the most famous werewolf. That was Lon Chaney, Jr.

And here we go...

Best Supporting Actor

Prediction: Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds

Winner: Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds

Animated Feature

Prediction: Up

Winner: Up

Original Song

Prediction: "The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" from Crazy Heart

Winner: "The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" from Crazy Heart

Screenplay, Original

Prediction: Inglourious Basterds

Winner: The Hurt Locker

Short Film, Animated

Prediction: Logorama

Winner: Logorama

Documentary Short

Prediction: The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant

Winner: Music by Prudence

Short Film, Live Action

Prediction: The Door

Winner: The New Tenants

Makeup

Prediction: Star Trek

Winner: Star Trek

Screenplay, Adapted

Prediction: Up in the Air

Winner: Precious

Supporting Actress

Prediction: Mo'Nique in Precious

Winner: Mo'Nique in Precious

Art Direction

Prediction: Avatar

Winner: Avatar

Costume Design

Prediction: The Young Victoria

Winner: The Young Victoria

Sound Editing

Prediction: Avatar

Winner: The Hurt Locker

Sound Mixing

Prediction: Avatar

Winner: The Hurt Locker

Cinematography

Prediction: The Hurt Locker

Winner: Avatar

Original Score

Prediction: Up

Winner: Up

Visual Effects

Prediction: Avatar

Winner: Avatar

Documentary Feature

Prediction: The Cove

Winner: The Cove

Film Editing

Prediction: The Hurt Locker

Winner: The Hurt Locker

Foreign Language Film

Prediction: El Secreto de Sus Ojos

Winner: El Secreto de Sus Ojos

Leading Actor

Prediction: Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart

Winner: Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart

Leading Actress

Prediction: Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side

Winner: Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side

Directing

Prediction: The Hurt Locker

Winner: The Hurt Locker

Best Picture

Prediction: The Hurt Locker

Winner: The Hurt Locker

Overall: 17/24

Boo ya motherfucker!

82nd Annual Academy Awards: My Predictions

And another year comes to an end. This will be the third official post I've made about the Oscars and what film I believe is going to win. This year was a pretty good year, with a lot of great little films peppered in. Will Avatar win tonight? Probably, but I'm staying true to The Hurt Locker, and Basterds could pull through if the Actors theory holds up. Most categories are locked, with the two toss-ups being Original Screenplay an Picture. So, what are my predictions?

Leading Actor

Last year I coin-flipped and guessed Sean Penn would win, and hurrah, I was right! This year, Jeff Bridges is the clear favorite, and there is no reason he is going to lose. He has tons of love from his acting friends, who gave him a standing ovation at the SAG awards, and he's been cleaning house with every other show. Colin Firth is better, in a complex, layered, and emotional turn in A Single Man. Morgan Freeman embodied Nelson Mandela, and it was a fitting role because Mandela himself told Freeman he would like him to play him in a biopic. George Clooney was once the frontrunner, and has now fallen back to least likely with Jeremy Renner, who was the "surprise" nomination (not really, we all knew it was going to happen). Jeff Bridges, this is yours to lose.

Prediction: Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart

Supporting Actor

The Academy has a had a fond fascination with serial killers these past couple years, Javier Bardem and Heath Ledger being the last two to win for psychotic characters. This year will be no different, with Christoph Waltz being the clear favorite (and, like Ledger, he has been since the summer), for playing the ruthlessly smart, selfish, and evil Hans Landa. Matt Damon sported a satisfactory South African accent, Woody Harrelson cried, Christopher Plummer was gruff I guess (didn't see this one), and Stanley Tucci was also an evil serial killer. But none of them have had as much heat behind them as Mr. Waltz, who will dance away with this award. If my presumption is correct, this will be the first award presented too, so the lack of suspense will be over with quickly.

Prediction: Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds

Leading Actress

There are a lot of interesting performances in this category, but overall leading roles for men and women were weak this year. Carey Mulligan and Gabourey Sidibe should be the two duking it out for Best Actress, but Sandra Bullock somehow blasted in front of the competition and is now the clear frontrunner for this award. Admittedly, she gave a pretty good performance and was the only level-headed character in that entire film, but she certainly does not deserve an Oscar for it, not even a nomination (and how The Blind Side is even nominated is beyond me). Meryl Streep is the only one for a potential upset, but I don't see how Bullock can lose at this rate. The Academy loves a biopic performance, of which there are three in this case, so you gotta go with the most popular one (lesson learned from Marion Cotillard two years ago).

Prediction: Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side

Supporting Actress

The last two years this category has alluded me, but this year it is not doing it. Penelope Cruz is up again for Nine, but she is NOT winning this time; Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick are both nominated for their roles in Up in the Air, and they were both very good and should be happy to be there; and Maggie Gyllenhaal was the surprise nomination for Crazy Heart, but that film won't sweep. So, it's down to Mo'Nique, who has had buzz surround her since this film was mentioned way back when last year. Her performance was powerful and one of the best things about that movie, and it'll be a pleasure to see her win. Any other winner would be a huge upset.

Prediction: Mo'Nique in Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

Animated Feature

Pixar is in it again, and is going to win for sure, but it should be noted that this is the first year there are five nominees. Coraline is overrated if you ask me, but still decent; Fantastic Mr. Fox is a delightful film and a possible upset; The Princess and the Frog is only here because it brings back traditional animation; and The Secret of Kells is the little-wtf film that nobody has heard of, but I hear is quite good. If voters were required to see all the films I would put money on Kells, but since it is one of the popularity contest categories, the clear winner will be the best of the lot, Up, though I feel the Academy is tiring of handing this one to Pixar all the time. Missing from this category: Ponyo.

Prediction: Up

Art Direction

I've only seen one of the nominees in this category, and it is also the one that will likely win. Avatar's design is massive and impressive, realizing lush forests and a futuristic space world. Sherlock Holmes could be upset, but I think this is a locked category.

Prediction: Avatar

Cinematography

This category is a toss-up: Avatar, Hurt Locker, and The White Ribbon all could win this award. Avatar I disqualify because 60% of the movie is created by the computer, so a lot of that wasn't lighting by the DP anyways. White Ribbon has sumptuous black and white photography that is visually arresting and could very well pull in a sneak attack win. But, I think this is Hurt Locker's category, with it's beautiful imagery of slo-mo bomb explosions. Harry Potter stands no chance.

Prediction: The Hurt Locker

Costume Design

The hard lesson I have learned over the past two years is never defy the Costume Drama (Elizabeth and The Duchess won the prior two years), so I will go with The Young Victoria as my pick for the Costume award. Though watch, now Nine or Doctor Parnassus will win this award and throw off my lesson to myself. Bright Star, the other costume movie, could very will win as well, but it's not about royalty, so its costumes are more plain and less extravagant.

Prediction: The Young Victoria

Directing

This one should be a shoe-in lock for Bigelow. If Cameron wins, fuck the Academy. Bigelow made a better, more courageous film anyways. And it's time to end the 81-year history of white men winning this award. It's an historical moment for the Academy, and I don't see them voting the other way. Bigelow.

Prediction: The Hurt Locker

Documentary Feature

I don't pretend to know anything about this category since voters have to view all five films to cast a choice. I have seen two of them, and of the two the better made film is The Cove: it is exciting, dangerous, and conveys an important message. I don't see any other film in that category beating it; it's simply too damn entertaining. But, again, I haven't seen three of the nominees, so what do I know?

Prediction: The Cove

Documentary Short

I actually have seen one of the films nominated in this category, China's Unnatural Disaster, and that was a powerfully made film about a terrible disaster and the government's unwillingness to flinch on the matter. But another film, The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant (unseen by me) is the clear frontrunner because it deals with an issue that directly effects us as Americans. I can't judge the quality of the film, but it probably connected the most with Academy voters and will most likely win. But again, I haven't seen four of these films.

Prediction: The Last Truck: Closing of GM Plant

Film Editing

I feel this category is locked. What District 9 is doing here I'm not certain, but if The Hurt Locker wins, it should indicate a Best Pic victory (though who knows). If Avatar wins, then it will take Best Picture. Or not. Editing doesn't necessarily correlate, but one assumes it should. Still, Hurt Locker relies a lot on precise editing to build tension and heighten those explosion scenes, and it worked very well, so there's no reason it shouldn't win.

Prediction: The Hurt Locker

Foreign Language Film

Another category I'm not going to pretend to know anything about, since I have only seen The White Ribbon. A Prophet is supposed to be excellent, but I'm going to pick El Secreto De Sus Ojos to win. Why? No reason, but I'm not confident in any of the films so it seems like a good option. Remember The Lives of Others and Departures upsetting? Well, Kris Tapley predicted those upsets and is predicting Ojos, so I'm just going with him.

Prediction: El Secreto de Sus Ojos

Makeup

With only three nominees, the winner should be clear. Il Divo and The Young Victoria are nothing fantastic, but Star Trek had that all green lady. So it wins.

Prediction: Star Trek

Original Score

Michael Giacchino will finally get his due with his beautiful score for Up, though Fantastic Mr. Fox deserves recognition for its fun score as well. The Hurt Locker and Avatar were unmemorable, and Sherlock Holmes...I don't know it. But Up deserves it, and will get it.

Prediction: Up

Original Song

No strong showings this year, unlike the past two years when we got Jai Ho and Falling Slowly. The Wear Kind from Crazy Heart will undoubtedly win, since the others are all unmemorable (especially Princess and the Frog). Go T Bone!

Prediction: "The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart) from Crazy Heart"

Short Film, Animated

I saw all the films this year, and wrote a review of all them already. I'm going with Logorama, although you should know that A Matter of Loaf and Death, the new Wallace & Gromit short, is the favorite and probably will win. But Logorama was something unique and very, very different. And I lot of people liked it, so I'm predicting an upset on Nick Park this year. Logorama all the way!

Prediction: Logorama

Short Film, Live Action

Again, I've seen all the films and already written a review on them. None of them were particularly strong, but you can probably go with The Door, since it is about Chernobyl and tugs at the heart strings. The others ranged from OK to good, but none stand out as Oscar bait more then The Door.

Prediction: The Door

Sound Editing & Mixing

They are different categories, but I'm lumping them together because my prediction for them both stands the same. Yes, they are very different arts, but I think Avatar is the clear winner for both. Of course, Hurt Locker could upset in the Mixing section, but otherwise this is Avatar's to lose.

Prediction for both: Avatar

Visual Effects

Locked. Avatar. Go home.

Prediction: Avatar

Screenplay, Adapted

This one is a lock for Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner. Up in the Air perfectly balances a multitude of themes and plots, and it wouldn't have been possible without a great script. I would love an In the Loop upset, but Up in the Air deserves it.

Prediction: Up in the Air

Screenplay, Original

This category is one of the biggest toss-ups, between the Guild-favorite Hurt Locker and Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. Basterds didn't make a show at the WGA because Tarantino himself is not a member, which is fair. It just makes it harder for us prognosticators to decide who will win since we don't know which way the writers themselves lean. But the actors really like Basterds, and Tarantino has a gift for building long dialogue scenes, so I don't see this one losing. Hurt Locker works more on a visual level then a script level, and I'm sure Basterds is a more entertaining read.

Prediction: Inglourious Basterds

Best Picture

This year, we have ten films nominated for Best Picture, and a new preferential system that could really fuck with the results. Three movies stand-out as the possible winners. First, Avatar, which has made more then $2.6 billion worldwide, which makes it obviously a favorite with the public, but it lacks support from both the Writers and the Actors (it has no nominations in either of those categories). Cameron himself has said give Bigelow director, but give us Picture. However, I feel Picture should mean that best overall elements, and Avatar is purely a technical achievement. Now, Hurt Locker, which has been cleaning house at the major guild awards; the only thing it has going against it is that it only made $13 million domestic during its run in theaters. However, it is a very popular rental item, and has been listed for the last month on Netflix as "Long wait" for availability. People are watching it. Finally, Inglourious Basterds, the dark horse that took the SAG ensemble award. It definitely has strong acting, strong writing, and strong directing. It's a terrific film, and one that I bet could upset and actually take the award. However, it is also a fanboy film, and most of the members probably vote by what is most popular. However, if people try and fuck Avatar and Hurt Locker over by putting them at 10, then Basterds could win. At the end of the day, though, I'm going with Hurt Locker; it will probably lose, but it is the best film of all the nominees and one of the best of the decade.

Prediction: The Hurt Locker

And there you have it. I believe the show starts at 8:30/5:30 ET/PT, live all across the nation (and I guess in Australia). I'll come back after the show and tell how well I did. The worse I do, the drunker I'll be though.

LET'S DO THIS!

The 2009 Oscar-Nominated Short Films: Live-Action

It's that time of year again! It's OSCAR SUNDAY! The most religious for me and people who are like-minded, I guess. Anyways, part of my tradition is to seek out the short films, and today I have ventured out to view the Live-Action short films nominated this year.

Overall I'd say the quality of the films was lower then last year, but like the Animated category there is one clear audience favorite that should win, and one that will win, as it always goes with the Academy. However, I can respect them in these categories because, well, they actually have to see the movies. Alright, on to the films.

First up, Kavi (India, 19 min), a story of modern-day slavery and a little boy who undergoes considerable abuse at the hands of a slave-master that the boy's (Kavi is his name) father owes a debt to. It looks like a really pretty student film, and indeed at the end we are told that the film was made in part for a master thesis film at USC (or one of those California schools). Overall, the technical aspects are amazing, and the kid is really good to, and it has a hopeful open-ended ending. Still, it is the weakest of the bunch because the story is kind of hokey and you can tell its a student film.

Second, The New Tenants (Denmark, 20 min), a hilarious story that recalls Six Shooter, the Martin McDonaugh short that won the Award five or so years ago. The premise involves two friends who have just moved into a new apartment, and are greeted by a landlady, a drug dealer, and a grieving husband with a vendetta. The movie goes into wacky comedic directions and is probably my favorite of the bunch, but it has a really stupid ending. It has a great script, and a great cast (including Gomer Pyle) but overall it kind of trails off at the end. This was the only film that got applause, I might add, so it was an audience favorite.

Third, Miracle Fish (Australia, 17 min), a film that is the prime example of why a director should never be their own editor (though the Coens are the standing exception), as it drags its feet in the beginning and doesn't really pick up the pace or get interesting until the last five minutes. It is Joe's 8th birthday, and he is the outcast at school, poor, and socially unliked. He hides in the sick bay and takes a nap, and when he awakes, the school is completely deserted. At first, I assumed this was just his imagination and it would all be a happy dream land (he finds solace in the solitude), but after a good eight minutes of Joe wandering aimlessly you begin to realize that its real, and something fucked up is going to happen. The movie's ending is really good, but the pacing sucks, and the kid actor is only ok (you are always asking for trouble when your cast is primarily kids).

Fourth, The Door (Ireland, 17 min), is the most likely to win because it deals with the radiation leak at Chernobyl in the 80s, a truly horrible event. It concerns a family whose daughter falls victim to the radiation, and the sadness and anger that comes with it. It sets the mood well, and is deliberately paced and executed, but it feels like nothing more then Oscar-bait (like last year's winner, Toyland). Overall well made, but nothing special.

And finally, Istället för abrakadabra (Instead of Abracadabra, Sweden, 22 min), a dark comedy about a 25-year-old loser who wishes to be a magician and lives at home with his parents. He performs a magic show and ends up impaling his own mother with a sword. At the hospital he meets a cute nurse, who happens to be his neighbor, and becomes determined to be a better magician to impress her. The movie is sweet and funny, but again it is nothing special and really doesn't stand heads above the others.

So my final prediction is The Door, simply for its message and somber tone. The Academy loves that stuff, although they do like the black humor too, as evidenced by Six Shooter's win. However, The Door is the one to beat, even if it ain't the best.