Oscar Shutout

damn

The 85th Academy Awards aired last night. I had to work and missed the entire broadcast. Looks like I didn't miss much however, since all my favorites lost in every category. That's right folks, I know how pick em'.

Here's the rundown:

Argo is a damn fine movie, I even said so HERE, but I don't think it was Best Picture worthy. Same deal with Jennifer Lawrence. She's great in Silver Linings Playbook...but Jessica Chastain and Naomi Watts are friggin phenomenal in Zero Dark Thirty and The Impossible. Daniel Day Lewis will always be my homeboy, but Joaquin Phoenix's performance in The Master is, well it's just as uncanny and fearless as Daniel Day Lewis was in There Will Be Blood. Phoenix out DDL's DDL in this case.

Speaking of The Master, Philip Seymour Hoffman was ROBBED. Flat out robbed. Christoph Waltz is Tarantino's new go to guy, and he was great as Hans Landa 2.0 in Django Unchained but he doesn't come close to Hoffman's firebrand performance. Since we're on the subject of Tarantino, he needs to be stopped. I love the bastard and really enjoyed his latest film, but he's just getting out of hand. Winning Best Original Screenplay will only reinforce his bad habits, meaning we'll be stuck with more of his overtly long, bloated and campy films for the foreseeable future.

I wish Helen Hunt, or Amy Adams would have walked away with the Best Supporting Actress Oscar, but Anne Hathaway really stole the show with her five minute performance (or so I'm told).  Notice I didn't pick anyone for Best Director. Since Paul Thomas Anderson and Kathryn Bigelow were snubbed in the category I really didn't have a favorite. I'm cool with Ang Lee (he gave me Jennifer Connelly in Hulk, I'm forever thankful), so I can't hate on him.

TLDR:None of my horses came in. Bummer.

*NOTE*
Here's a list of great films that either lost or were snubbed for Best Picture altogether:

King Kong
Modern Times
Citizen Kane
The Wizard of Oz
Rebel Without a Cause
Psycho
To Kill a Mockingbird
Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
The Good The Bad and The Ugly
Bonnie and Clyde
2001: A Space Odyssey
Easy Rider
Taxi Driver
Network
Star Wars
Apocalypse Now
Raging Bull
E.T.
Glory
Full Metal Jacket
Goodfellas
Pulp Fiction
The Shawshank Redemption
LA Confidential
The Truman Show
American History X
The Thin Red Line
Saving Private Ryan
Requiem For a Dream
City of God
Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind
Brokeback Mountain
Zodiac
There Will Be Blood
The Social Network

Fear not Zero Dark Thirty, you're in great company.

Movie Review: The Impossible

I was not ready. I simply was not prepared for this film. The Impossible is the true life story of a Spanish family who survived the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. I knew the film, based on one of the worst natural disasters in human history, was going to be a bit on the tragic side. That would be putting it lightly. The Impossible is an emotional onslaught the likes of which I hadn't experienced in some time. It's a cinematic beat down that will leave you, trembling, exhausted and ready to hug the next member of your species you encounter on the street like they're a long lost relative.

The film, like the real event, takes place around the Christmas holiday. We follow a family of five as they arrive in Thailand and enjoy their exotic, beachfront vacation. Then, it's tsunami time. Out of the blue, a giant wall of angry ocean storms through their resort and brutalizes the country side. Over 200,000 people are killed, billions of dollars in property damage, an entire continent is in ruins, and this one family is separated amongst the chaos. The Impossible, is the seemingly impossible story of their survival.

After seeing the film, I was shocked that Naomi Watts was the only cast member nominated for an Academy Award. This is easily the best performance of her career and her nomination (and a win) is well deserved. That being said, the rest of the cast is phenomenal and just as deserving of critical praise and accolades. Prepare to see Ewan McGregor like you've never seen him before. There's one scene in particular where he's so distraught over what's happened to his family that he flips the fuck out. I had to keep reminding myself that Obi Wan can't lose and repeatedly said "YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE!" under my breath in order to keep myself from loosing it. The oldest boy, played by newcomer Tom Holland basically carries the film on his shoulders. The audience follows his arc throughout the film. We're smug little shits on vacation/at the movies in the beginning, then shit gets real and we cry for our mommies, then we're just emotionally hardened super men who long to save and hug the world. That kid should have definitely scored a supporting actor nod.

Naomi Watts really does wonders in this film though. Watching her in The Impossible is like watching the torture scenes from The Passion of the Christ. It's brutal. That's what you're in for folks. The Impossible is a giant slab of gut wrenching, cringe worthy, awe inspiring, sentimental film making that will leave you floored. Schindler's List, Requiem For a Dream, fucking Toy Story 3! The Impossible ranks up there with some of the all time saddest movies. It's a damn fine film that any self respecting masochist will enjoy. Us normal folks however, harden your wits or bring some tissues. You've been warned.



*Note*
The name and nationality of the original family was changed for the film. The Alvarez family from Spain became the Bennett family from the UK. Why? Who knows? Maybe because a blonde English speaking family led by A list stars would sell more tickets than a dark haired Spanish cast would. I still find it strange though, since the director and production company all hail from Spain themselves. Either way, interesting little note that in no way diminishes the awesomeness of the movie.