(Click to enlarge)
(L): Stuck in foot traffic on 3rd St., I raised my camera as high as I could reach. This guy pulled out a periscope. I don't think he fared any better than we did, moving about a block an hour. (R) Sitting on someone's shoulders, this woman couldn't have done much better to ruin a perfect shot in the moments before the inauguration.
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As my mind clears and my battered body recovers, I'm slowly realizing the magnitude of what I witnessed this weekend in Washington, D.C. Based only the sights I saw and the indelible images now stuck in my mind, yesterday in particular was unquestionably one of the most exhilarating days of my life.
To take nothing away from the hundreds of millions who watched it online or on TV, I'd be lying if I said the live experience was anything but unforgettable, unbelievable and, well, indescribable. From where I stood in the silver ticketed area behind the Capitol reflecting pool, I saw a million humans standing behind me - and yet I didn't see one of them, so distorted was the picture. It didn't look like a sea of people, but some kind of holographic image, as if out a "Magic Eye" book. The Washington Monument was clearly visible a mile further down the mall, but everything between me and it was this glittering...stuff.
(not my shot, click to enlarge)THE BIG ONES:
Best Picture:
Slumdog Millionaire
Frost/Nixon
Gran Torino
The WrestlerGran Torino
Milk
Sneaking in through the side door (possible upset)...: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
(Alright, I admit I prefer guessing the right upsets to the more obvious selections, but that I don't have The Dark Knight and Benjamin Button in there is ridiculous.)
(Alright, I admit I prefer guessing the right upsets to the more obvious selections, but that I don't have The Dark Knight and Benjamin Button in there is ridiculous.)
Best Actor:
Mickey Rourke - The WrestlerSean Penn - Milk
Clint Eastwood - Gran Torino
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Sneaking in through the side door...: Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Actress:
Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Melissa Leo - Frozen River
Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky
Sneaking in through the side door...: Kristin Scott Thomas - I've Loved You So Long
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Melissa Leo - Frozen River
Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky
Sneaking in through the side door...: Kristin Scott Thomas - I've Loved You So Long
Best Supporting Actor:
Josh Brolin - Milk
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Robert Downey, Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
James Franco - Milk
Sneaking in through the side door...: Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Robert Downey, Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
James Franco - Milk
Sneaking in through the side door...: Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road
Best Supporting Actress:
Kate Winslet - The Reader
Viola Davis - Doubt
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler
Sneaking in through the side door...: Rosemary Dewitt - Rachel Getting Married
Viola Davis - Doubt
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler
Sneaking in through the side door...: Rosemary Dewitt - Rachel Getting Married
Best British or American White Male Director (again):
Christopher Nolan - The Dark KnightRon Howard - Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant - Milk
David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
Sneaking in through the side door...: Mike Leigh - Happy-Go-Lucky
Best Original Screenplay:
Dustin Lance Black - MilkNick Schenk - Gran Torino
Jenny Lumet - Rachel Getting Married
Woody Allen - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Mike Leigh - Happy-Go-Lucky
Sneaking in through the side door...: Charlie Kaufman - Synecdoche, New York
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Eric Roth - The Curious Case of Benjamin ButtonJonathan Nolan - The Dark Knight
Peter Morgan - Frost/Nixon
Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire
David Hare - The Reader
Sneaking in through the side door...: Justin Haythe - Revolutionary Road
Best Cinematography:
Claudio Miranda - The Curious Case of Benjamin ButtonRoger Deakins - Revolutionary Road
Roger Deakins and Chris Menges - The Reader
Anthony Dod Mantle - Slumdog Millionaire
Wally Pfister - The Dark Knight
Sneaking in through the side door...: Colin Watkinson - The Fall
THE OTHER NOTABLES:
Best Editing:
Slumdog MillionaireWALL*E
The Dark Knight
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Best Art Direction:
ChangelingRevolutionary Road
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Australia
The Dark Knight
Best Costume Design:
Revolutionary RoadAustralia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Duchess
Changeling
Best Sound:
The Dark KnightCloverfield
WALL*E
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
Best Sound Mixing:
WALL*EThe Dark Knight
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Defiance
Slumdog Millionaire
Best Original Score:
Revolutionary RoadSlumdog Millionaire
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
WALL*E
The Dark Knight
Best Original Song:
"Jaiho", Slumdog Millionaire"I Thought I Lost You", Bolt
"Down to Earth", WALL*E
"The Wrestler", The Wrestler
"Gran Torino", Gran Torino
Best Foreign Language Film:
Waltz With BashirThe Class
Everlasting Moments
The Baader Meinhof Complex
3 Monkeys
Best Documentary Feature:
Man On WireNerakhoon (The Betrayal)
Standard Operating Procedure
Trouble the Water
Encounters at the End of the World
Best Visual Effects:
Hellboy II: The Golden ArmyIron Man
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Makeup:
The Dark KnightThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Best Animated Feature:
WALL*EBolt
Kung Fu Panda
Most nominated films: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (11), The Dark Knight (9), Slumdog Millionaire (8)
There's really no reason for me to do this other than to fake gamble with myself and a few others, but it's as fun a movie game as anything else, and if I've seen all of the nominees (with the exception of four movie listed above, I have), why not do it?
I'll update this space with my final tally tomorrow after the nominees are announced. Doesn't seem worth another post...unless I'm 99 for 99 with these picks...
UPDATED:
Well that was messy. Because Best Original Song is for some reason down to three songs this year instead of five, I ended up being 72 for 97 with these picks, which means...absolutely nothing!
Welcome back pards!
ReplyDeleteI thought there were only 5 noms per cat. CHEATER!! Gran Torino best pic? Boo that. Dark Knight will be the one sneakin' in the side door. Also sneakin' in the side door.....Patel. Yep I called it. We'll see in a couple hours chief!
ReplyDeleteMan, I hate you!
ReplyDeleteHaha, why? I didn't get a whole bunch of these suckers. I should have thrown Shannon in there for Best Sup Act - that was my best shot at sweeping a legitimate category.
ReplyDeleteWell there are a whole bunch of snubs here (and just plain bad picks - Jolie, Frears, Hunt), but I have to go to work so I can't lodge my complaints right now...
And for this year's reason that I don't care at all about the Oscars I present to you...The Reader.
ReplyDeleteI understand that we would hate to award anything that was actually popular, but the fact that this was nominated over The Dark Knight and Walle is a travesty.
I don't even have anything bad to say about The Reader. Just complete indifference. But hey, Fiennes, Winslet, the Holocaust, redemption and physical disability, it just sounds like an Oscar movie.
And no Winslet for Revolutionary Road ?? Even she got screwed by The Reader.
Well I didn't even find The Reader moving enough to write a review, so that should say something. WHat did I say when we walked out of the theater, "lackluster"? Worst makeup since Love in the Time of Cholera last year, too. Note to makeup artists: caking an actor's face with powdered sugar and glue doesn't make them look older.
ReplyDeleteMy Oscar preview a couple of weeks ago is looking pretty bad. Eastwood didn't even get a whiff of attention, and Winslet appears to be at risk to not winning an Oscar AGAIN. I think she has the momentum right now, but I've got a bad feeling Hathaway will snatch it. Even Melissa Leo might shock the world. I'd say Streep and Jolie have no chance.
I wouldn't have minded TDK or WALLE getting in here. I really wouldn't have. Although these are not my top five movies of the year, this the realistic list I would have been happier with:
Benjamin Button
Slumdog
Gran Torino
The Wrestler
WALLE/The Dark Knight
So I guess I'd still have to choose between one of the two. Alright, maybe toss The Wrestler.
Whoops, guess I got my British directors named Stephen mixed up - I meant Daldry when I said Frears a couple comments ago.
ReplyDeleteIt was amazing on TV, I can only imagine how it was in person. The humanity!
ReplyDeleteIt's your Woodstock, and you were there!
Welcome back, I'm glad it was everything you must've dreamed it would be.
Now the hard part begins. Here's hoping the man can turn this ship around...
It was pretty surreal to see so many humans massed in one place with the naked eye. And I couldn't even see past the Washington Monument to see the half million behind it.
ReplyDeleteIt will be a slow road, I think, but at this point almost every decision Obama makes will be the correcting of a wrong one made in the past. In that sense, we can only go up from here.
Well,as i complained to you before< i thought you should have given The Reader more attention as I thought it made the viewer "think" more than most movies. I least I know I am not absolutly crazy!!
ReplyDeleteI know, I thought that must have been sweet justice for you.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what I missed in that movie, but it just didn't grab me in any way. There were things to appreciate (Winslet, the cinematography), but the story just...happened. I'm all for thought, but it didn't seem like there were a lot of inroads to do so in this one. We were supposed to feel sorry for her? For him? Forgive and forget? Things just weren't flushed out clearly enough for me.
I guess I should just read the book.
I'm with you, Daniel, except The Reader not only failed to grab me, I felt like it was actively pushing me away. It was a tremendous surprise this morning; I was fully braced for the reality of a Frost/Nixon nomination and a nomination for Ron Howard, but I was not expecting The Reader, which is sort of a self-fulfilling punchline as far as the Oscars are concerned.
ReplyDeleteI also thought it was humorous that, at the end of the televised announcement this morning, Sid Ganis implored people to watch the telecast. Yes – as if there's been a problem getting word out about the Oscars. That's surely the reason the televised audience has fallen by 20 million in ten years.
Wow - those pictures from DC are great.
ReplyDeleteThere were definitely times when it looked surreal/hologramish when I watched it online at work, but when I got to see some clips in HD at home it was much clearer. Either way the whole, spectacle did look quite stunning, and I am truly thankful again for a peaceful transfer of power in this country and the hope for a brighter tomorrow.
Having said that, I really wish The Dark Knight would have gotten the picture nod.
I know it wouldn't have won, but man I really thought it deserved the honor. After watching it through a few times now even on DVD I think the script and impact of the story impress me more each time.
Also, with your on-going documentary expertise, I am again impressed that you got 4 out of 5 right, and I am mildly surprised that Standard Operating Procedure was the one left out.
To TS's point - haha indeed Sid Ganis. I am glad that this years noms support a diverse range of films and many deserving (and several head-scratching) nominees, but good luck getting some meaty ratings from this bunch. Might be able to beat last year's though, which apparently was the worst since Nielson started keeping track in '74 ...
It's true, T.S. - the inclusion of The Reader is the perfect punchline to the jokes about the Academy's tastes. It's so obvious in hindsight that The Reader would have bumped out The Dark Knight. How short our memories are.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the ceremony goes, I'm not sure why the telecast ratings are such an important marker of the health of Hollywood. Box office numbers have been high all year, and if the ratings are low, the most damaged entity is ABC, not AMPAS. Nobody ever said the Oscars had to draw Super Bowl audiences. The Grammys and the Tonys aren't held to such a standard.
I don't know, the whole obsession with the telecast has always boggled me. I'll obviously watch it from start to finish no matter what, but if I was the only one, I wouldn't really care.
In any case, I think the TDK crowd will definitely tune in anyway just to see Ledger's win.
Although I thought The Reader was great and thought provoking in a way that you end up sympathizing, in way, with a woman responsible for mass murder of innocent people, including women and children, I do not think it deserves this nod. Especially over TDK. This might be do to the Weinsteins always pushing their movies to the academy or the fact that the late Sydney Polluck had a big part in making this movie.
ReplyDeleteI fully agree with everything but the "great" part there. I just thought it could have been better somehow, some way. I'm not having fits about it being nominated because it had a few positive elements, but that Best Picture nod didn't need to be included in the nominations it received.
ReplyDeleteThe Weinsteins are apparently back in a big way.
The further I get from these announcements, though, the more surprised I am that neither TDK got the job done. What does it say about the year when The Lord of the Rings swept the awards? Are Oscar voters bigger fans of hobbits than superheroes, or were the movies that year just awful?
Ah well, I guess I'm the odd duck as I was deeply-moved by THE READER and applaud mightily it's surprise nomination. T.S.'s eloquent comment here somewhat unerves me, as I respect his opinion--and yours Dan--greatly.
ReplyDeleteBut this is one instance where the Weinstein complicity yielded a pleasant surprise. I'll wait for your review Dan.
I could have sworn i saw you at the inauguration holding up a poster for THE READER!
Just kidding! You will remember that day for the rest of your life.
Haha, Sam, whether it was me or someone else holding a sign, the message was received loud and clear. It seems like it's a really divisive movie all of a sudden, which surprises me! Well I'm glad we (T.S., you, me, and others) can agree to disagree on this one, because I'm not holding on too tightly to it. Not a bad movie, not a great one, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, that time I had will not fade from this head very quickly at all. It was like I visited another planet for a day and witnessed the coronation of their king.