THE OSCARS: My Thoughts

If I were a betting woman, I would be just as broke as I am right now when it comes to the Oscars. Actually I did not do too badly until the end of the evening. Here were my picks and who won.

Supporting Actor/ Actress
George Clooney and Rachel Weisz
I picked both/ they both won

Clooney

I wanted Clooney to win because he is not only my secret Hollywood movie star boyfriend, (and lets face it if you are a woman, over thirty, you have a crush on Clooney, It is something that every woman gets, like a period, that is a sign that you have come to maturity) I wanted him to win because I thought his performance in Syriana was outstanding, I thought he was great, it was subtle, powerful, I thought it was a very real performance that was not showy at all, understated, but real. What I think good acting is all about. I really liked Syriana, there were flaws but in general, it was good. I also knew that he was up for three, he would probably get one, and since the competition was strong in the other categories, so I picked him to win this one. Plus he’s so cute in a tux.

Rachael Weisz

First I love her, saw her in Shape of Things in New York and she was then one of my favorite Actors out there. I also thought her performance in Constant Gardner was stellar. For me, there was no other choice. Also Constant Gardner, I think was my favorite movie this year. I am a longtime fan of le Carre, and the story was compelling and kept me on the edge of my seat. I thought she was beautiful, passionate, and powerful. She was great. She is also my ex-boyfriend, MichaelA's secret Hollywood girlfriend.

Best Suporting Actor/ Actress

Phillip Seymour Hoffman/ Reese Witherspoon

My Picks Phillip Seymour Hoffman/ Felicity Huffman

Actor: Phillip Seymour Hoffman

Honestly, why this man does not have five oscars is beyond me. Wasn't he great. I mean, his portrayal was not just an immitation of a man who is peculiar enough to be immitated, but something so much more layered and dense. The voice and the gestures were flawless, but what was really interesting, was that we forgot about that, and got to see this person who was broken from childhood, who is manipulative and coniving, yet sweet and vulnerable. It was so real. That’s why I wanted him, in many ways there was no performance in any category that even came close to what we saw in capote. On a purely technical standpoint his use of the presentational and representational and his complete presence, in each moment was astounding. I mean its one of those performances, like Brando's in On The Waterfront, that actors will actually study.

Actress:

My pick

Felicity Huffman. Like Phillip Seymour Hoffman, I think this was an amazingly strong performance, not just because she was playing a transsexual. But because it was real, and funny, and sad, and the whole range of emotions that you are supposed to have when you watch someone who is at the top of their craft, perform. I think the limited release hurt this film as well as the subject matter, I am sure it is hard to sell.

Oscar Pick:

Reese Witherspoon. Don’t get me wrong, I thought she was great, she was the best thing in that movie and I think she is a great actress, and I am always pulling for the southern girls. I just thought Felicity Huffman performance was really special.

Director

My pick Paul Haggis
Oscar Pick: Ang Lee

Paul Haggis:
I loved Crash, I thought it was inventive, in terms of the shooting style, had a strong, ensemble cast, all of whom were great. I thought it was well put together and creative and thought provoking and the only film this year that I did not think was too long.

Ang Lee
I like him, I really like him, and I just did not think he should have won for this movie. The Ice Storm, another subject all together, now that was brilliant. This was, too long, and honestly, I did not connect with it at all. I know that 50 million gay guys think I am wrong. But Brokeback just was not his best work. I thought it lacked some substance.

Original Screen Play

My Pick
CRASH. Although I really liked Squid and The Whale.
Winner:CRASH

Great script. perfect. Powerful, great dialogue, Thought provoking.

Adapted Screenplay
My pick: Munich
Winner: Brokeback

Why I picked Munich. Cause, honestly, I am a huge Tony Kushner freak, Even though it needed to be cut, I thought the dialogue was great, It was thought provoking and it did keep the story moving. There were parts, like the scene with the explanation of Arabian Nights, that reminded me of Angels in America, which for me is the play,that made me want to do theatre. I thought Munich was 20 minutes too long, but not since Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, have I thought that a Spielberg movie, was the perfect length, his movies are always 20 minutes too long. Honestly I liked this movie, I thought it was ballsy, and actually tried to give the audience an understanding of an issue that, honestly makes my head hurt on a daily basis.

Winner;
Brokeback: Perhaps if I could figure out what the two main characters were mumbling about, I would have understood why the screenplay should have won.

Best Pick
My pick
Brokeback Mountain
Oscars Pick:
CRASH

Brokeback
I actually agreed, that man/ woman Ann Coulter when she predicted that Brokeback would win, not because I thought it was the best, but because it had the powerful PR machine behind it. She said something about it being about gays and Hollywood. This is because she is an ignorant woman who suffers from Diarrhea of the mouth. (I am sorry, if her name is mentioned, I have to trash her) But I secretly think that she wanted it to win because she is a gay man (how else do you explain the adams apple). More on my theory on that later. I digress. It was good, and americans like vast expansive movies about the west with lots of hunting and fishing and men who mumble a lot and never reveal any type of emotion. This movie also had real Gay Sex in it. Don’t get me wrong, I would be Jake G's Gay lover at any point, I just didn’t think the movie was interesting, I thought it was too long, and honestly I did not care about the people in it. But I thought it would win cause what I like never wins.

CRASH
Now, I loved this movie. I did not think it had a chance in hell of winning, but I was proven wrong. I thought it had a strong ensemble cast, some of the best direction this year, and a script that moved you a long. It was thought provoking, as someone who has lived in a city, on the other side of the country from LA, yet still has many similar issues when it comes to race, I was so stimulated by this film. I am glad it won.


And if you want to read further, here are all the geek awards, the ones only film geeks care about.


Ill lumped these cause these are film geek ones.

Editing
My pick CRASH
OSCAR: CRASH

It was great. That’s all I have to say. I also was pulling for Syriana, since I met the editor at a party not long ago. But it wasn’t even up.

Cinematography
My pick: Brokeback
OSCAR: Memoirs of a Geisha

I never saw Geisha, I liked the book so much I actually don’t want to see the movie because, and I have this idea of it. So there are no comments. I did pick it for best costumes, which it won, cause of the kimonos and the geisha getup.
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Sound editing and mixing: Oscar and Me agree that it was King Kong.
Costume: Geisha, we agreed on that one too.

Makeup: Lion Witch and Wardrobe, we agreed on that one too except I think that Mr. Tumbness was a little disturbing.

Art Direction: Geisha, cause of all those Kimonos

Doc Feature: March of the Penguins. Come one you guys know it was great, I know that all you guys were crying when that egg cracked. I know I was.

animated feature film: Wallace and Gromit, cause it’s the only one I saw this year.

I did not make any prediction on the shorts cause I did not see any of them.

I did pick Tsotsi for foreign film and it won, cause it’s the only one I saw.

I did pick “Hold Out Here for a Pimp” Cause I really liked Hustle and Flow and am actually pushing my dad to play it in his Southern Film Class he teaches every summer.

I picked Brokeback For Score. Cause, there was nothing else that really struck me.

And King Kong for any Special Effects Related Oscar.

That’s all.

Oh yeah I cannot end my oscar piece by saying that I think that Robert Altman has deserved to win the Oscar so many time over. Like perhaps for,I know this is geeky, NASHVILLE or MASH? I even thought he deserved it for his last film. Hes a Maverick and he thinks about film and acting is this completely unique way. I hope this means he's not about to die. That is the award they give you when you are about to kick it. Cause I really like him.