Commercials We Loved - Super Mario Land 2 (Wario)

Never played this one but the commercial was way cool...



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Oscar Predictions (Part II)

Best Actor

This is one of the more competitive categories this year, so the list of nominees regrettably does not include Michael Sheen’s turn as desperate yet debonair TV host David Frost in Frost/Nixon, nor Leonardo DiCaprio as resigned to his lot in life (but occasionally raging) husband, Frank Wheeler, in Revolutionary Road.

Sean Penn’s performance as the title character in Milk was heartfelt and compelling and in a lesser year, he might run away with this award. Penn won the statue previously (for 2004’s Mystic River) and Hollywood’s infatuation with films with gay and lesbian themes and characters, and its penchant for handing out Oscars to actors appearing in these types of films (e.g., Charlize Theron in Monster, Tom Hanks in Philadelphia) could work in Penn's favor.

Brad Pitt gave a sensitive portrayal as the title character in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but Pitt too often seems to be a bit subdued in his performances (from True Romance, to Sleepers, to Meet Joe Black to the Ocean’s movies). And though in this case, soft-spokeness suits the character of Benjamin well, Academy voters might feel that this performance wasn’t “stirring” enough.

Richard Jenkins, as fine as it he may have been in The Visitor, is handicapped by the fact that probably no one outside of the Jenkins family saw this movie.

Everything seems to be setting up nicely for Mickey Rourke. His personal story is the kind everyone loves. Once a slightly dark and brooding but super-talented young actor (in the line of James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Christopher Walken) he earned critical praise early for his roles in Diner, Body Heat, and The Pope of Greenwich Village, then fell into substance abuse, made a seemingly neverending string of crappy movies (Harley Davidson and The Marlboro Man, Wild Orchid), slid from the A- to the D-list, lost his looks, and was completely written off in Hollywood before being resurrected first by Quentin Tarantino (who cast him in Sin City) and then by The Wrestler director Darren Aronofsky. Further boosting Rourke’s Oscar hopes is the fact that this real-life journey in some ways mirrors that of Rourke’s character in the film, Randy “The Ram” Robinson. 

Frank Langella is a Hollywood veteran who, in Ron Howard’s Frost/Nixon, gives a wonderful depiction of the former President and all the dimensions of his personality -- intellectual, cocksure, condescending, bullying, and finally (during his dramatic final confrontation with Frost) cornered, broken, disappointed and sad.

Should win: Langella
Will win: Rourke

Supporting Actress

Historically, supporting actress has been the Oscar category where underdogs have the best shot at taking home the prize. In the past, we’ve seen such unlikely winners as Mira Sorvino (Mighty Aphrodite), Tatum O’Neal (Paper Moon), Anna Paquin (The Piano) and Marisa Tomei (My Cousin Vinny.) That said, Sophie Okonedo gave the best of many strong supporting performances in The Secret Life of Bees and deserved a nomination for her role as "May" in that film.

By upsetting the far more accomplished Judy Davis, Vanessa Redgrave, and Miranda Richardson in 1993, Tomei probably had the most stunning Oscar win in the last two decades (with the possible exception of Three 6 Mafia who won Best Song in 2006 for for “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp”.) Tomei has branched out nicely in her career since, mixing mainstream roles with gritty performances in offbeat films and arty independents like Slums of Beverly Hills, Unhook the Stars, and Before the Devil Knows Your Dead. Though Tomei was solid in The Wrestler, as stripper and object of Mickey Rourke’s affection "Cassidy", her role didn’t have as much meat on it as those of her competitors and Evan Rachel Wood, who played Rourke’s daughter in the movie, was far better.

Taraji P. Henson gives perhaps the most authentic performance in this category in her role as the strong, sassy, nurturing but no-nonsense mother to Brad Pitt in Benjamin Button.

Viola Davis’ strong performance in Doubt could be overlooked because in the movie, she acts alongside heavyweights Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Both she and her co-star and co-nominee Amy Adams would have shined more if Streep and Hoffmann both hadn’t been so great.

Penelope Cruz is a pleasant surprise in the sadly overlooked Vicky Christina Barcelona. But though her acting may be getting increasingly better, doesn't her thick accent and, dare I say, ultra-irritating voice get in the way of her performance?

Again, it’s Supporting Actress, and history has shown anything can happen. Henson is probably the favorite; Tomei has the best pedigree; but the prediction is that Davis sneaks in here, aided by the fact that Doubt is likely to be shut out in all the other major categories and voters will likely want to honor the film somehow.

Should win: Henson
Will win: Davis

Best Editing
A film that’s not “tight” has no shot at winning in this category and The Dark Knight has been fairly criticized for being overlong with a final 30 minutes or so that seemed tacked on.

Editing Frost/Nixon no doubt posed an interesting challenge insofar as the film’s most important scenes consists of a sit down interview between the two title characters in a dimly lit room. Keeping those scenes taunt with tension was certainly an achievement, however, the smaller scope of this picture will prevent it from winning a Best Editing Oscar over a film like Benjamin Button, which traces an 80-year long story across two continents and is filled with wonderfully creative and entertaining flashbacks (such as the scene where Benjamin recounts how Lily had her accident.) Over the course of Button’s two and half hours, never once do you feel antsy, and as it winds down, you truly feel as if you’ve been on a journey. All that spells good editing, my friend.

Despite its eight nominations, Milk will largely be passed over on Academy Award night. That'll certainly prove true in this category.

Slumdog Millionaire is the clear winner here. Like Button, the film has a larger scope and a journey-like feel, as it interweaves the life stories of the three protagonists. The pacing is perfect as well, seamlessly leaping back and forth from gritty action, to tense drama, to tender love story. And of course, Slumdog timeshifts, with the bulk of the story told in flashbacks. And although this is a much more ostentatious example of editor Chris Dickens' prowess, the film demonstrates other, more subtle but no less brilliant editing in the slum scenes that chronicle Salim and Jamal growing up, and also in the very suspenseful final act, when Salim helps Latika escape and then prepares for his confrontation with his boss -- all juxtaposed with Jamal being reinstated and facing the final question.

Should win: Slumdog

Will win: Slumdog

Top 10 "Rain" Songs

We’ve been deluged with rain here for the last three days and I’m getting a little sick of shining my damn shoes. (And don’t even get me started on how my living room carpet and car floor mats look.) 

Anyway, the foul weather got me thinking about rain-related songs, so, with apologies to James Taylor's "Fire and Rain", Blind Melon's "No Rain", The Dramatics' "In the Rain", Gene Kelly's "Singin' In The Rain", Madonna's "Rain", The Doors' "Riders on the Storm", Milli Vanilli's "Blame it on the Rain" and of course the gay anthem “It’s Raining Men” by The Weather Girls, here are the Top 10 "Rain" Songs:

10. "Have You Ever Seen The Rain"
This mournful Credence Clearwater Revival entry reached #8 on the Billboard charts in 1971.

9. “I Wish It Would Rain”
One of the lesser known Temptations hits features the stirring vocals of David Ruffin as he laments a lost love.




8. “Run Between the Raindrops”
Shamefully overlooked, the lyrics of this haunting, little-known gem from Pat Benatar’s Seven the Hard Way album urge us to carry on even through the hard times.

7. “Rhythm of the Rain”
San Diego’s Cascades gave us this masterpiece of easy listening.

6. “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head”
B.J. Thomas cut multiple versions of this adult contemporary classic that was featured in 1969’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.



5.“The Rain, The Park, and Other Things”
This psychedelic blend of dreamy harmonies, trippy arrangements, and a unique strong structure came to us courtesy of The Cowsills, a singing family from Rhode Island that served as the basis for TV’s The Partridge Family.

4. “Rainy Days and Mondays”
The sweet, sweet voice of Karen Carpenter sings about two things that depress us all.

3. “Here Comes the Rain Again”
This 80’s synth-pop classic from the Eurythmics blends Dave Stewart’s “plinky” keyboards and an eerie Annie Lennox vocal.

2. “Purple Rain”
The power ballad’s crushing, orchestral sound is superbly complemented by Prince’s scorching guitar licks.

1. “November Rain”
And speaking of an orchestral sound, Guns N’ Roses’ surging, soaring (nearly nine minute) opus mixes gentle strings and lush piano with explosive drums and virtuoso solos from guitarist Slash.

Deal Or No Deal Girls Branching Out

Recently noticed that Deal Or No Deal briefcase model Hayley has a role in the new movie Fired Up, opening February 20th. Judging from this trailer, it looks like Bring it On meets Sorority Boys with a smattering of American Pie Presents Band Camp.

In any case (no pun intended) it seems Hayley is a trained actress with a number of screen credits on her resume. Who knew?

It's nice to see the DOND girls are getting more exposure. For the record, I'd like to see more of...

Jenelle...

Megan...

Lindsay...

Lisa...

and Anya.

Anya, by the way, is featured in this commercial for Skinit.com.

Oscar Predictions

The Academy Awards are February 22nd. Here are some predictions you can bank on:

Best Actress

Though she’s previously won a supporting actress statue for Girl Interrupted, Jolie is still somewhat underrated because of her looks and high-profile life with husband Brad Pitt. She shows off her acting chops in The Changeling, which should have replaced The Reader as a Best Picture nominee. But the there’s so much going on in the film and it’s not as dialed in on Jolie’s character as it needs to be to elevate her performance above those of her competition.

Now speaking of The Reader, try and follow this: Kate Winslet gets a Golden Globe best supporting actress nomination for her role in the movie and a best leading actress nomination for Revolutionary Road. She wins in both categories. Kate then gets a nominated in the same two categories for the same two roles at the SAG awards. She wins supporting actress but loses lead actress to Streep. Then the Academy Award nominations come around and Winslet gets nominated as lead actress for The Reader (which finally gets it right because she’s clearly the lead in that film) but then gets completely ignored for Revolutionary Road, which is actually the stronger performance. In The Reader, Winslet is sober, somber, and pensive, and while she’s excellent in the film, in RR, as tortured suburban housewife April Wheeler, we get to see her character’s angst, lust, wrath, and anguish explode on the screen. It was obviously a much more demanding role and Winslet not getting nominated for it was baffling. Academy voters will no doubt feel the same way, giving Winslet a great shot at being honored (if for nothing else) her combined work in the two films.

With her role in Rachel Getting Married (as well as her 2007 film, Becoming Jane) Ann Hathaway is just now starting to gain her reputation as a “serious” young actress.

Melissa Leo’s nomination for her quirky role in Frozen River was one of the Oscars annual change-up pitches, designed to show that Academy members are independent thinkers and not slaves to the Hollywood establishment or the studios’ publicity machines. Unfortunately, nominations like Leo’s usually come off as manufactured attempts to shake things up just for the hell of it.

Should win: Winslet (for Revolutionary Road, for which she wasn’t nominated)
Will win: Winslet (for The Reader)

Best Supporting Actor

Michael Shannon had two scene stealing appearances in Revolutionary Road, and was irritatingly good in his role as a slightly unbalanced dinner guest who gets under the skin of reluctant suburbanites Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. But a lack of screen time (maybe 15 minutes total) is bound to hurt Shannon’s chances here.

2008 was a comeback year for Robert Downey Jr. He was perfectly cast as Tony Stark in Iron Man, but his comic turn in the mix-reviewed Tropic Thunder is just not Oscar material.

Phillip Seymour Hoffmann has established himself as one of Hollywood’s most reliable and versatile actors. Unfortunately, his performance in Doubt may be unfavorably (and unfairly) measured against his Oscar-winning role as the title character in 2005’s Capote.

In The Dark Knight, Ledger gives an unforgettable performance as the maniacal Joker, in the spirit of how the character was reworked in Frank Miller’s graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns, which by the way was the inspiration for Tim Burton's Batman movie back in 1988. And of course, Ledger died just before his film's release, making him a virtual lock in this category.

After fine performances in No Country for Old Men, American Gangster, W, and now Milk, Josh Brolin has reached a point where he will now be on the short list (along with Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and a few others) for every plum leading actor role that comes along. If not for Ledger, he’d be the winner here.


Should win: Ledger
Will win: Ledger

Best Cinematography

No nomination for Baz Lurhmann’s Australia was a surprise, as he’s known for stunning visuals (his Moulin Rouge was a nominee in this category back in 2002) and the photography in Australia was Out of Africa-esque. The Reader’s stark, barren look nicely complemented the film's subject matter and the bleak circumstances of the two protagonists, but nothing about the photography in The Changeling seemed exceptional.

So what we’re left with is pretty much a three horse race. Slumdog Millionaire was maybe the most visually exciting of the nominees, but are folks tiring of steadicam shots that follow characters as they race through crowded streets?

The Dark Knight’s cinematography may have been the best part of the movie, but too many people will only remember the heavy use of CGI and pyrotechnics.

That leaves The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which has the sweeping, majestic photography of a Titanic or a Reds (both previous winners in this category) combined with state-of-the-art rotoscopy and other visual effects. Throw in some wonderfully moody and shadowy (sometimes sepia-esque) camerawork in and around the New Orleans, and you've got yourself a winner.

Should win: Button

Will win: Button

Related Posts:
Oscar Predictions (Part II)
Oscar Predictions (Part III)