A few late 2009 viewings

The Other Man (Liam Neeson, Antonio Bandaras). A real twist on a familiar tale, and again a chance for men to play ordinary vulnerable people. The character and plot turns in this story make for a surprisingly engaging and touching film.

Five Minutes of Heaven (Liam Neeson, James Nesbitt). A nice surprise and interesting idea. The story uses the idea of a reality show as a device to promote truth and reconciliation, and focuses on two somewhat reluctant participants. The result is interesting, heart-wrenching, and believable. A nice change to see men in vulnerable sensitive roles that do not involve using those qualities to seduce women.

Inglorious Basterds (Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger). A hoot! Funny revisionist WWII story - pretty tough to do anything really new in that genre, but leave it to Quentin Tarantino. Brad Pitt is marvelous. The film is fun and well made. Perhaps not as monumental as Kill Bill or Pulp Fiction, but certainly a good addition to that oeuvre.

Paranormal Activity. I'm normally someone who doesn't like horror/scary movies, but this one was very well done - creepy without being terrifying and enjoyable. The "real" cinematography was well used here to heighten the tension and create effects without really having effects. A very impressive film considering its history.

It's Complicated (Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin). I only found out afterwards that the Nancy Meyers responsible for this film also brought us Something's Gotta Give and Baby Boom, amongst other women 'breaking out' films. Meryl Streep is as good as it gets in this one, but I could not get past the "I've seen this before" feeling throughout. The slapstick comedy in several spots was quite distracting and several character and story elements really fell flat (the kids - for a group that have all left home, they sure all spend a lot of time at home, the girlfriends - none of them as interesting as Meryl or really much concerned with her life). Steve Martin was given pretty short shrift in this, with a character as interesting as a lukewarm glass of white wine - you want to think there's something good or interesting there, but it doesn't come through. Overall, just okay.

Avatar (doesn't matter who's in it - you know the film I mean). This is worth seeing on the big screen (and in Imax if you can manage it). The effects are truly ground breaking - several times I felt myself ducking or moving or reaching up to touch something - and so the film is lovely to watch. The story is rather ordinary - Dune meets Dances With Wolves, with a bit of Star Wars thrown in - but the characters are well done with few caricatures. The film comes in a bit long at 2:40, but it is worthwhile.

District 9

I didn't know anything about this film when I went into the theatre - thought it was something about robots from space. I was pleasantly surprised by this smart and daring action film. The treatment of the aliens (or "prawns") is unsettling to say the least, and certainly a clear parallel to internment camps of history, while the juxtaposing of this racist society within the formerly Apartheid South Africa made some very challenging statements - how do societies deal with anyone that is "other"? How should societies balance the needs and security of the many with compassion for the few?

While certainly not for everyone (clearly, as I do know some folks who would not watch this film), I found it engaging, exciting, thought-provoking, funny in places, and enjoyable. My only real criticism is for the shameless plugging of the sequel opportunity, with the repeated promise of a three year return. The heretofore unknown lead actor, Sharlto Copley, was brilliant - a great mix of bumbling bureaucrat turned reluctant rebel, pathos for his lost love and shattered ideology. He moves so quickly from "us" to "them" that the destruction of his world is hard for him and the audience to absorb, and yet he must if he is to survive the experiments and his new reality.

There are really no other human characters in the story, other than the horrible chieftain and his gang of miscreant followers living amongst the aliens. These creeps serve primarily to show that, like the drug dealers and pimps, gang leaders and warlords of our current world, the lowest of society will move to exploit any situation, no matter how depraved - in the midst of the squalor of District 9, some group of humans has already moved in to exploit the aliens and declare themselves kings of that pathetic hill. The fact that they are Nigerian has been commented on in the news, but I don't think it matters where they are purportedly from - it makes sense geographically and historically. They are cretins, regardless of their nationality.

I would like to see this one again eventually, as I'm sure there are elements of the story and dialogue that I missed in the action.

Julie & Julia

I'd been looking forward to this film for a while, mostly because I love films about food (for those who need a fix, try "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman" or "Babette's Feast" for true foodie film indulgence). While the food elements were good, it was the portrayal of the relationship between Julia Child and her husband Paul that was the true force of the film.

As Julie cooks her way through Julia, hoping to gain some meaning in her life, we see Julia her self pulling herself into the cooking world and bringing French cooking to Americans. Her life and her marriage bring her hardships and heartache, but throughout it all she maintains a laugh and a love for her husband that is unsinkable. Julie, on the other hand, is "a bitch" as described by her own best friend, and I couldn't agree more. She is whiny and self-centred, heaping abuse on her well-meaning and saint-like husband. She seems to pull herself around at the end, but only after achieving success beyond reason as a result of her blog, so it is unclear whether she really learns the life lessons beyond cooking from Julia, or if her new success makes them now unnecessary.

Meryl Streep is a goddess. There is no other word for her. She so completely becomes Julia Child that we stop seeing Meryl Streep, which is exactly what is required here. The loving, moving, close relationship between Julia and Paul is captured beautifully by Meryl and Stanley Tucci, and is truly the best part of the story.

Of course, it will be a crime if Meryl is not nominated for an Oscar for this, but I'll also predict something for Stanley, for the costumes and art direction - for the Julia sequences, mostly.

The International

I meant to write about this one weeks ago when I saw it, not because I enjoyed it - which I didn't - but because it included some of the most implausible dialogue I've heard. 

In essence, the story has Clive Owen as an Interpol agent (who apparently have no power or jurisdiction anywhere, which was news to me any anyone who's read the Interpol warning at the start of a video or DVD movie) on the trail of some kind of dodgy bank. At things develop, it is hinted that this bank knows everything, controls everything. The film trailer did hint at this "they are everywhere" theme, but the movie itself did little to show that the bank was everywhere, just that they were always wherever Clive Owen was. In the end, the bank goes belly up, and Clive takes the law into his own hand to finish off the bad guys.

The dialogue was what most astounded me. Clive is given the most astounding prosaic dialogue. My favourites (and they must have been astounding since I remember them):

"Sometimes you find your destiny on the road you take to avoid it." This astounding fortune cookie philosophy convinces a hardened criminal to suddenly spill his story about the Bank and set Clive on the trail of the real baddies.

"In life there are bridges you cross and bridges you burn. I'm the one you burn." This one gives him a clean break from the female lead played by Naomi Watts. It is unclear why she was even in the story, as she did not bring in any other information, and any possible romantic link between them was squashed early on by showing her loving husband and son.

There big shoot out scene in the film - in the Guggenheim gallery in New York - was very well done, but unfortunately cannot save this movie from all its other flaws.

The Days the Earth Stood Still

We recently watched both the 2008 and 1951 versions of this story. It was interesting to watch them back-to-back and to have watched the newer version (I was not that fond of it) before the older one (I liked it).

Hopefully without spoiling anything for anyone, the summary of the story is: a strange object arrives on earth with 2 passengers, an alien "man" named Klaatu and a robot named Gort. Klaatu has come representing a federation of other life bearing planets to assess the potential for damage represented by man to the life bearing capacity of Earth. He warns that if Man cannot be trusted with responsibility to take care of the Earth, Man will be eliminated.

In the 1951 version, Klaatu is truly just an advance man, representing no real threat other than to Mankind's conscience. He spends some time getting to know the human race through a mother and son he meets at his rooming house. He blends in, and shows understanding, compassion and humanity, even a sense of humour. He demonstrates the potential power of the aliens by making the Earth stand still - bringing all mechanical devices to a halt for 30 minutes. In the end, Klaatu leaves having done little more than disturb the peace, with a warning about what might happen if Man doesn't smarten up and play nice with each other.

In the 2008 version, Klaatu is a bit more menancing, almost robot-like, which is understandable with the casting of Keanu Reeves in the role. There is a very strange scene at the beginning of the film, with Reeves as 1930's mountaineer discovering a strange glowing orb in the Himilayas that leaves him unconscious and with a strange mark on his hand; this is never explained in the story and so is truly pointless, serving only to allow a brief snicker at the poor make-up and scenery (for being in the mountains and a snow storm, he looked pretty warm, you could not see his breath at all, and the beard he wore was pretty ridiculous). In his later incarnation as Klaatu, he is much more at home, adopting the alien persona complete with automaton expressions. The rest is pretty unbelievable story of a him escaping and the dodging recapture by the entirety of the US Military (lead by Kathy Bates as the Secretary of Defense, sporting the wardrobe and hairdo that one might expect if Ivana Trump was Secretary of Defense. This was very odd casting.) aided only by Jennifer Connelly and her stepson and their Honda Civic. In the end, Klaatu and his GORT (now renamed with a typically ominous military acronym for Genetically Organized Robotic Technology) lay waste to much of the eastern US, only ceasing when Klaatu takes pity on the son and mom. However, his reprieve comes at a price - no more technology for Mankind, as he wipes out electricity and everything with a massive EMP. In this version, The Day the Earth Stood Still becomes the that last scene, and the Earth presumably stands still ever after as Man learns his lesson and takes better care of the planet. Unlikely.

I enjoyed the 1951 version more mostly because the alien was truly not a threatening presence. He lived among the citizens, learning about Mankind through the eyes of a young boy excited to show off his home town to a stranger. The film ends with the hope that Man will heed the warning. The 2008 version is almost like a sequel - Man did not listen to the first Klaatu and so the second one came on a clean-up mission. The idea that the other ships that accompany Keanu to Earth start to perform an ark-like function, collecting up all the species except Man, presumably to repopulate the Earth after Man's extinction; this was a nice little add-on to the story that did not get adequate coverage in the movie, which is too bad.

Hopefully the later movie will lead folks to rediscover the earlier film, as it is well worth watching. The 2008 version can be left standing still.

Recent viewings

I've now finally seen Slumdog Millionaire. I completely understand what all the hype is about for this film, but don't believe it was the best of 2008. While the story is very well done - a great use of the game show questions to tell the life story - it is was in the end unsatisfying. All of the characters are redeemed, and those who deserve it get what's coming to them, but the resolution is unbelievable. The sudden development of a conscience by the brother makes no sense, and the strong bond of love between Latika and Jamal is hard to understand or believe, since they really do not know each other at all. Those problems aside, the film was enjoyable and very well done - a nice crossover from Bollywood to small Hollywood.

Other recent sightings of note (all on DVD or Blu-Ray):

• Let the Right One In - a Swedish child vampire story, with Oskar and Eli as the Jamal and Latika of this strange little love story. While pretty slow and dark, it was actually an interesting story, with a strange moral message about how to deal with school bullying.
• Role Models - I'm embarrassed to admit that I really enjoyed this film. It is not normally my kind of genre for comedy, but I found the stories and characters very entertaining and sweet.
• Nobel Son - a story with potential gets terrible treatment here. I keep rooting for Alan Rickman to get into a good groove in a role like this, but he seems to keep missing the mark.

Pickings are a bit slim these days, both at the theatre and the movie store.

Post Oscar Reviews 2009

First of all, I can't really comment on the night's big winner - Slumdog Millionaire - as I still have not seen it. However, most reports from others who have indicate that it is very good and it is therefore premature for me to have considered it a little movie (this year's Little Miss Sunshine). So I'll definitely aim to see it before it leaves theatres.

I was greatly anticipating this year's show, with Hugh Jackman as host and the "new" format involving a narrative presentation. I thought it started out well, and I enjoyed the way they put the categories together, and used the same host(s) for multiple awards, essentially creating "super-award" categories - pre-production, writing, music, technical production. I also really liked the use of the 5 previous award winners to introduce the 5 nominees in the acting category - although I was initially worried that it would take more time and make the show too long - and I hope they continue this approach in the future. It made the phrase "it's an honour to be nominated" a truth instead of a platitude, and it was very moving - seeing Shirley Maclaine congratulating Anne Hathaway was wonderful. 

I also really liked the projecting stage, bringing the main nominees in the front rows right up to the action. I wonder what the view was like for them - the front row like that is not always good - but it was great for those of us watching.

Despite all these things that I liked, I felt overall that the show lacked the usual surprise and emotion that we often get to see, and although it was a big show, it felt slow. Few of the speeches were especially moving and there was nothing the producers could do about Slumdog being the repeated winner and having people up there to say "thanks...again", but there was a distinct lack of spontaneity in the acceptance speeches. I do hope they stick with this type of show overall, and with Hugh as host, but also hope there is something they can do to spice it up a bit.

Other things:

• There seemed to be some disorganization with the presenters - some walking off stage without realizing they had another award to do, the foreign language film nominees not being listed. Ben Stiller was just weird - I had to read elsewhere that he was mocking Joaquin Phoenix, as I just didn't get it. Hugh Jackman seemed to be missing for much of the show, so much so that Will Smith (the most entertaining presenter of the evening) commented that he must be napping.
• The big musical number - liked it, Hugh was great, but it was also a bit all over the place and a bit pointless. It was not Mamma Mia! that signalled the return of the musical, it was Chicago and Moulin Rouge! that did that. And I REALLY could have done without seeing Beyonce with her shameless promotion of her own upcoming and overexposed portrayal of Etta James later this year.
• In Memorium - this was well done, and Queen Latifah's rendition of "I'll Be Seeing You" was awesome. However, there were two significant oversights in this - Heath Ledger and Brad Renfro. While Brad may not have had enough clout to merit mention, Heath Ledger's death and subsequent glory as The Joker was one of the most memorable stories of the year and his absence in the memorial tribute was obvious. Yes, he did win the Supporting Actor award and the moving tribute from his family did him justice. But what if by some miracle he HADN'T won that? Would they have run to the editing room to add his footage in to the memorial film?
• The memorial film also suffered from something that plagued other presentations - while it looked great to have multiple scenes playing on multiple screens on stage, the show producers seemed to forget the viewing audience - it was sometimes impossible to see what was going on, as the camera was showing the presenter or the audience and not what was on the presentation screen. Similarly, we never got a really good look at any of the background sets for the presentations, and so those were a bit wasted.

No Oscar review would be complete without some fashion commentary. For me, best dressed were Kate Winslet, Penelope Cruz, and, um, that's about it. Too much in the way of white or off-white this year. Most horrid were Whoopi Goldberg, Tilda Swinton (although better than last year) and Beyonce - for whom, it seems, that all outfits must hug her hips so she knows where to put her hands in her signature pose. This website has some great pics of the fashions. www.dose.ca/photos/celeb/oscarfashion09.

Best speeches were from Kate Winslet and Sean Penn. I was so happy that Kate won (even though I think The Reader was not as strong a performance as Revolutionary Road, it was still excellent) and Sean was humble, witty, charming and strong in his speech.

Notable absences from the show - Jack Nicholson, Leonardo diCaprio, Tom Cruise, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington and many of last year's winners including Javier Bardem, Daniel Day Lewis, The Coens, and Diablo Cody. So it did seem like a much smaller affair.

All in all, a slow-feeling show but one with potential. They might make this formula work with some fine tuning. And please, no more Beyonce...

Tomorrow's the Big Day! (and Oscar Legacy Project)

Well, tomorrow is Oscar Day!

I believe Robyn and I are adequately prepared for the occasion... we haven't seen ALL of the nominated films, but between us I think we've done better than in past years. It can be hard to squeeze in viewings of all the nominated films between the announcement of nominations and the awards show. And there's always some random out-of-nowhere nomination like Melissa Leo in Frozen River. Not that she doesn't deserve a nomination, but how and where would we have a chance to see that?

Oscar day for us is a fairly informal ritual. There is always the pre-show discussion and debate of the nominations and completing the ballot with our official predictions (we always separate our prediction of who will win from our personal vote of who should win). There is always food - snacks and dinner - but tending much more towards informal than formal. Occasionally we will watch one of the nominated films in the afternoon - if there's something conveniently available that we haven't yet seen. But this practice is intended to add to our annual celebration and has backfired more than once... Once we tried watching two movies but the day was too long and we didn't get all the way through the second movie (Sherry Baby, which wasn't actually nominated) and then we were rushed to get through our discussion and voting. And once we painfully suffered through a stupid movie about a camel - nothing like a bad movie to put a damper on the day!

This year it's a fairly long all-day plan... we hope to view Vicky Cristina Barcelona if there's time but we decided to do a long-term reflection on Oscar wins in the past 10+ years and revisit which ones were (in retrospect) Gross Miscarriages of Justice. There are some well-known burs under my saddle. (Ellen Burstyn in Requiem for a Dream, and Annette Bening in Being Julia, for starters...) I expect there will be many interesting topics to debate - such as when a sentimental win is ok and when it isn't. And what exactly makes a "best movie" anyway? Groundbreaking achievement in storytelling or effects? A movie that remains a favourite many years later? An overall combination of excellent performances and outstanding production? Some of my all-time favourite movies wouldn't necessarily meet those criteria, so what gives? Can a movie be a Best Movie if it didn't really qualify for Best anything else? Can a movie be Best everything else and yet not be a Best Movie? Hmmmm...... We shall discuss at length...

As part of this we'll be looking at groups of years, instead of just year-by-year (though we'll be doing that too), because some years have very strong contests and so perhaps the awards would be better if they were more like Olympics - a top 3 every 4 years? Again, we shall discuss at length...

Reviewing these many years of past Oscar nominations and wins, I was immediately struck by the fact that if I hadn't seen a nominated film by Oscar time, I rarely saw it later, even if it won (like The Insider, and Unforgiven). And there were movies in the not-too-distant past that I recall loving and supporting in the Oscars - but which I never watched again and had even quite forgot them until this exercise (like The Hours, and Affliction). This disturbs me and makes me almost contemplate whether these awards mean anything. (emphasis on almost, I'm re-watching The Hours, and Affliction tonight).

As for the actual show tomorrow - I'm most excited about Hugh Jackman as host! Billy Crystal was my favourite host, and think Hugh Jackman will have the same kind of spirit and style. (One Oscar time-waster that I hope disappears is "introducing the presenters." When Julia Roberts struts onstage to give an award, I don't need a voiceover reminding me about her upcoming film or her undeserved win for Erin Brockovich! (meow! hiss!)

Revelling in movie geekness,
Surely much much more to report after tomorrow,

JODI (& Robyn)


I might have exaggerated the lack of fomality in our Oscar-day ritual. One of the reasons we often watch the show without other people is because we're very intolerant of chatter during the important moments of the show! Most family and friends know not to try calling because we won't answer the phone or we'll answer with 'Why are you calling?? The Oscars are on!" We have had a friend or two join us and it has always been fine, but there was one tragic year long ago when Robyn's husband kept stealing the remote and changing the channel in the middle of speeches (while laughing hysterically at our indignation and outrage). Ever since then we've been pretty uptight about the whole thing...

More 2008 films seen

A true sign of being an Oscar geek - in the first 2 months of the year, almost all the movies seen are from the previous year. Could it be because not much in the way of good film is released at this time of year? Or are not many good films released this time of year because people like me don't go see them because we're too busy watching films from last year? A vicious circle...

Body of Lies - not very good. I think that Leo is wanting to a bit like Tom Cruise - moving from action/thriller/blockbuster where he plays scruffy tough guys to beautiful serious films where he plays more real people - but he is much more believable in the serious roles than the action ones (Blood Diamond would be the only exception, and that was a quasi-serious/action film). Whenever he has to don fake facial hair, swear a lot, and perhaps throw a punch, he is less than convincing. And in Body of Lies, he wore perhaps the worst fake beard ever. Russell Crowe was just irritating, and the overall story was lame. However, this movie was a classic compared to...

Miracle at St. Anna - this movie made no sense whatsoever. It never becomes clear what the miracle actually was. The story is predicated on a ludicrous coincidence and a rambling boring tale of some WWII soldiers in Italy, one of whom is carrying around a statue head that seems to be blessed. When St. Anna is finally revealed, it remains unclear what it has to do with anything in the story. Spike Lee's outburst at Clint Eastwood was completely uncalled for - it was not racism that made people prefer Clint's war movies to Spike's, it was the fact that Spike's movie was bad and Clint's were good.

It is Oscar weekend, and I did not make it this year to see all of the films, but am looking forward to the big shew, and to a full day of discussion, dissection, debate and delight with Jodi. No phone calls after 4pm!

 

Some 2008 films seen

Bottle Shock - disappointing. Alan Rickman was great as always, but the story lacked intensity, and the contrived romances (even if they were based on a true story) were silly.

The Reader - very good, but not great. Both actors were wonderful, but there were problems with the script and dialogue that they could not get around. I've since read the book, which is much better; I cannot understand why they changed the elements that they did for the film.

The Visitor - very good. A story about kindred friendships, hope, and tragedy in this new world order of Homeland Security.

Pride and Glory - would probably have made my worst of 2008 list if I'd seen it earlier. I haven't heard such flagrant use of the f-word since Joe Pesci in Casino.

Passchendaele - while the battle scenes were very well done (especially for a Canadian film which likely had a limited budget), again the contrived romance and sappy story diminished the films overall effect. The blatant historical inaccuracies in the dialogue were also disturbing. However, the chance to look at Paul Gross for two hours was okay :-) and the film score was very well done.

Rocknrolla - a characteristic Guy Ritchie film, not as good as Lock, Stock.

Revolutionary Road

This film was incredible - a heartrending, agonizing window into the lives of a couple struggling to make themselves BE happy. They are miserable, and put on the bravest of faces while inside they are screaming - at themselves, at each other, and occasionally at those that point their finger at the awful truth - their endless hopelessness. It is uncomfortable to watch at times, like when you are in a restaurant and overhear a couple nearby arguing - you can't help but listen, and at the same time feel incredibly uncomfortable witnessing their private lives.

Kate and Leo are awesome, there is no other word for it. Their individual ranges and their chemistry make for powerful love scenes and hate scenes. Their appearances as the happy and special couple, the Wheelers, are made all the more poignant and remarkable when contrasted with their passionate and volatile private relationship.

I can see how many viewers would see this as well worn territory for Sam Mendes, as the parallels with American Beauty are clear, right down to the musical score which works well in some places but eventually becomes annoyingly repetitive. But the look, script and pacing of the story are much better that American Beauty, as are the characters. These are real people in real distress, with no dream sequences to distract you from the ongoing onslaught that is their life.

It is a crime, big time, that Leonardo DiCaprio was not nominated for this. And Kate too. What were the academy members thinking? Michael Shannon was excellent in a fairly small role, and added a great spark to the fuse of the bomb that is the Wheelers' lives.

This film definitely gets added to my recommendations for 2008. Too bad I won't be able to vote for it at Oscar time.

2008 in review

Granted I still have many movies to see to be able to adequately comment on the year, but here's where I stand thus far.

Movies I Still Have to / Want to See:

Blindness

Bottle Shock

Brideshead Revisited

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Defiance

Last Chance Harvey

Milk

Quantum of Solace

The Reader

Revolutionary Road

Slumdog Millionaire

Vicki Christina Barcelona

The Visitor

Wendy and Lucy

The Wrestler

2009 movies I'd recommend:

Cloverfield - a very well done monster movie.

Dark Knight - Batman, Heath Ledger, enough said.

Doubt - although I thought the play was better, and Meryl Streep seems to have lost her facility for spot-on accents, this was a good film.

Eagle Eye - a well done thriller action movie.

Fugitive Pieces - likely my favourite of the year. Also, one of my favourite novels of all time, so very fortunate for me that the film did not ruin that, as so often happens.

Funny Games - definitely not for everyone, but this unnerving  spooky film stayed with me for days.

Gran Torino - Clint is awesome, and the theme song makes the abrupt ending of the film okay.

Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - a good sequel to the even better first film, too bad they changed so much of the story.

In Bruges - wicked funny, a real surprise. Ralph Fiennes was awesome.

Kung Fu Panda - nearly peed my pants laughing.

Mamma Mia! - nearly sang out loud all the way through. How can you not love Abba? (although Pierce Brosnan should not sing. Ever.)

Son of Rambow - delightful, funny, touching story.

Wall-E - well done prophecy, very timely in our days of consumerism, obesity, and technology.

2009 movies I'd recommend you NOT see:

The Happening - see review below. Most ridiculous movie of the year.

Death Race - would have been an it-is-what-it-is car race/prison movie, were it not for the embarrassing appearance by Joan Allen - she must have lost some pretty serious bet with someone to have to appear in this, and say some of the worst dialogue of the year.

Appaloosa - . Renne Zelleweger puts the Appalling in Appaloosa. Only Viggo Mortenson saves this from becoming Appallingoosa.

One Missed Call - a silly horror movie that we watched only because the movie store put the wrong DVD in the box, and neither of us had the energy that evening to get up and shut it off.

Pineapple Express - if I had read the back of the DVD box and realized that this was brought to me by the same schlockmeister who brought me Knocked Up (one of my most despised movies of last year), I never would have rented it. As it was, we endured as much as we could (about 40 minutes) before shutting it off. 

Transsiberian - just plain awful.

As we get closer to the big day (Oscar day, 22 February 2009 - mark your calendars, and don't call me after 4:00pm), I'll hopefully make a significant dent in the want-to-see category, especially those with Noms. Early predictions:

• Kate Winslet for Best Actress
• Penelope Cruz for Best Supporting Actress
• Heath Ledger for Best Supporting Actor