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thehefnerOscar noms are in, and as with every year, I am largely indifferent. Bizarrely, BORAT is nominated for best adapted screenplay. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm a huge lover and defender of BORAT as a work of true artistic comedy genius that should stand the test of time, damn the backlash. I've been too chicken to write a whole post defending the film from folks who dismiss it as anything from "cruel" to "dumb frat boy potty humor" (and I WILL write it at some point, or else Bloo will wallop me, and no one wants that... well, maybe she does).
But a largely improvised movie getting a best screenplay nod strikes me as the dumbest frickin' "Best Screenplay" nomination since LOST IN TRANSLATION. That movie was sold by the direction, the acting, and (more than many folks probably want to admit) the pop soundtrack. NOT the barebones screenplay!
This brings me to another rant. I just read on a friend's LJ people responding to a post parodying LOST IN TRANSLATION as an action movie, and, not for the first time, I read people saying how, "Urg, people who didn't like LOST IN TRANSLATION are ignorant/have short attention spans/prefer super-fast MTV style shoot-em-ups, and didn't understand the nuanced subtleties and wank wank wank." Me, I liked the movie fine, but I didn't love it. I thought it was a feather-weight light and kinda forgettable movie, Scarlett Johanssen's butt notwithstanding.
It brought to mind that pretty much every other review of THE PRESTIGE I've read says something along the lines of, "People who didn't like this movie didn't get it. The true magic of this movie slipped past them because they 'weren't watching closely.' Oooh, you see how clever we were just then?"
Nothing so gets my goat when there's something that I don't care for or don't get and all the fans get superior about it. Now, I absolutely am gonna rewatch THE PRESTIGE, and with other people who've never seen it, because I still want to know what the hell everybody saw in this film (especially when, say, a masterpiece like THE FOUNTAIN went largely unwatched... I called Hugh Jackman being snubbed, that man deserves a Best Actor nod desperately for his performance), but these movies have gotten seriously browncoated for me.
Ah well. At least the other greatest film I've seen all year, PAN'S LABYRINTH, is up for Best Foreign Language Film. I mean, it deserves Best Picture, but that'll do.
Seriously, though. Jackman was robbed.
In other movie news, Clive Owen has been cast as Raymond Chandler's private eye Phillip Marlowe, and I couldn't be happier. He's filling the badass shoes of Bogart and Bobby Mitchum (and, uh, Elliot Gould), as well as the best Marlowe ever, who-would-have-thought-the-musical-star-could-have-done-it Dick Powell in one of my all-time favorite noirs, MURDER, MY SWEET (a more tough title than the original book FAREWELL, MY LOVELY).
I gotta say, now I really am glad Owen didn't get the role of James Bond (no matter how much Daniel Craig's sunken chest disturbs me... you could drink punch out of that thing!) because we get to see him in more opportunities for badassery like this.
But a largely improvised movie getting a best screenplay nod strikes me as the dumbest frickin' "Best Screenplay" nomination since LOST IN TRANSLATION. That movie was sold by the direction, the acting, and (more than many folks probably want to admit) the pop soundtrack. NOT the barebones screenplay!
This brings me to another rant. I just read on a friend's LJ people responding to a post parodying LOST IN TRANSLATION as an action movie, and, not for the first time, I read people saying how, "Urg, people who didn't like LOST IN TRANSLATION are ignorant/have short attention spans/prefer super-fast MTV style shoot-em-ups, and didn't understand the nuanced subtleties and wank wank wank." Me, I liked the movie fine, but I didn't love it. I thought it was a feather-weight light and kinda forgettable movie, Scarlett Johanssen's butt notwithstanding.
It brought to mind that pretty much every other review of THE PRESTIGE I've read says something along the lines of, "People who didn't like this movie didn't get it. The true magic of this movie slipped past them because they 'weren't watching closely.' Oooh, you see how clever we were just then?"
Nothing so gets my goat when there's something that I don't care for or don't get and all the fans get superior about it. Now, I absolutely am gonna rewatch THE PRESTIGE, and with other people who've never seen it, because I still want to know what the hell everybody saw in this film (especially when, say, a masterpiece like THE FOUNTAIN went largely unwatched... I called Hugh Jackman being snubbed, that man deserves a Best Actor nod desperately for his performance), but these movies have gotten seriously browncoated for me.
Ah well. At least the other greatest film I've seen all year, PAN'S LABYRINTH, is up for Best Foreign Language Film. I mean, it deserves Best Picture, but that'll do.
Seriously, though. Jackman was robbed.
In other movie news, Clive Owen has been cast as Raymond Chandler's private eye Phillip Marlowe, and I couldn't be happier. He's filling the badass shoes of Bogart and Bobby Mitchum (and, uh, Elliot Gould), as well as the best Marlowe ever, who-would-have-thought-the-musical-star-could-have-done-it Dick Powell in one of my all-time favorite noirs, MURDER, MY SWEET (a more tough title than the original book FAREWELL, MY LOVELY).
I gotta say, now I really am glad Owen didn't get the role of James Bond (no matter how much Daniel Craig's sunken chest disturbs me... you could drink punch out of that thing!) because we get to see him in more opportunities for badassery like this.
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no subject
Date: 2007-01-25 04:55 pm (UTC)its a SPOOF, for pete's sake.
just enjoy it and dont read into it too much.
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Date: 2007-01-25 04:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-25 05:05 pm (UTC)btw, we had a blast last night. thank you very much, and thank your mom, as well. Holly really enjoyed meeting her, and you know i love your mom.
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Date: 2007-01-25 05:11 pm (UTC)I'm serious, we should get together and watch the original Wicker Man, the lot of us, and Holly can help Mom with tiles and stuff.
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Date: 2007-01-25 05:14 pm (UTC)and yes, i am going to drink you out of house/home. you are just getting really good at this, and i dont get to enjoy mixed drinks often because they are retarded expensive in restaurants.
i can bring some beer or something to help out, though.
we both really enjoyed Edd. how long is he here for?
no subject
Date: 2007-01-25 05:18 pm (UTC)And yeah, keep it up and I'll start asking for tips. Just slip 'em in my butt crack. Because they'll still be expensive for me, pally!
Beer good too, but I try to go easy because it's too many calories.
Edd'll be here for... two or three more weeks at least, and he'll be back in a month or two. He'll be back and forth over the year to work on this massive project.
no subject
Date: 2007-01-25 05:27 pm (UTC)but tossing you a few bucks (from afar, but i could try aiming for your ass) wouldnt be out of the question. beats paying bar prices.