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Only the Strong Will Survive

Have you ever taken part in an Oscar® movie marathon?  I haven't. In fact, I didn't even know such a thing existed until recently.  My mom was visiting last week, and as she read the newspaper one morning she asked, "Are you going to go to this?"  I looked at what she was pointing to on the page, and it was an article about a thirteen-and-a-half hour event at a local theater.  They were going to play the five Best Picture nominees in a row, starting at 10:30 AM.  Milk, then The Reader, then The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, then Slumdog Millionaire, and finally Frost/Nixon to wrap things up.  All for the low, low price of $30 -- which included unlimited popcorn and soft drinks.  It was almost too good to be true. 

The problem is, however, that I honestly don't know if I could sit in a theater for that long.  My back, legs and you-know-what hurt just thinking about it.  And unlimited popcorn?  The mere idea makes my arteries cry out for mercy and compels me to search my fridge for the nearest piece of fruit. 

I have, however, watched the extended version of The Lord of the Rings trilogy in the comfort of my own home in one sitting.  I viewed it as a mission that all true LOTR fans must complete.  It's a mission that lasts eleven hours and twenty-three minutes, mind you.  (For the record, I did attempt to buy tickets for a theatrical showing of the three films back-to-back, but it was already sold out.)

But I digress.  Let's return to the concept of the Oscar marathon.  The bottom line is that I'd be more willing to participate if I hadn't already seen two of films.  So maybe I'll give it a try next year. 

All of this movie marathon talk has made me very curious to hear the longest amount of time any of you have ever spent in a movie theater -- fess up!  Would you ever carve out a half-day in order to prepare yourself for the Academy Awards?  If they encouraged you to wear your pajamas, would that change anything?  Because that's what would seal the deal for me.

Button Leads Oscar Field Full of Small Surprises

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button snagged 13 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Brad Pitt), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress (Taraji P. Henson), and Best Director (David Fincher).

The full list of 2009 Academy Award nominees can be found here.

Heath Ledger naturally received a posthumous Supporting nod for The Dark Knight, but the film itself and its director, Christopher Nolan, were shut out of the Best Picture and Director categories. The Dark Knight still pulled down eight nominations, but other than Ledger, they were all for technical and visual categories.

What even more surprising is what film bumped Knight out of the Best Picture category. Never count out that Weinstein award-lobbying magic (i.e. strong-arming): Despite tepid reviews, The Reader got five major nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actress (Kate Winslet), Best Director (Stephen Daldry), and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Golden Globes fave Slumdog Millionaire came away with 10 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director (Danny Boyle--his first), two Original Song nominations, and Best Adapted Screenplay. The Best Picture race appears to be between Slumdog and Button--the other nominees are Frost/Nixon, Milk, and the aforementioned The Reader.

Some other interesting twists: Richard Jenkins rightfully earned a Best Actor nomination for The Visitor. Jenkins had been on many speculative lists last fall, but his momentum had sagged a bit when Eastwood arrived in his Gran Torino. However, Jenkin's inclusion means Clint did not get nominated for what he has suggested is his final acting role.

The biggest surprises are those not included. Eastwood was also snubbed for Best Director. Globe winner Springsteen did not get nominated for his Wrestler song, nor did Globe nominee Miley Cyrus for Bolt. Revolutionary Road, which roared into the season with high Oscar hopes, stalled out with only three noms, including a Supporting Actor tip for Michael Shannon. Woody Allen didn't get his usual Best Original Screenplay nomination for Vicky Christina Barcelona, and Jenny Lumet's script for Rachel Getting Married was also left off. And sure-thing front-runner and Globes winner Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky) was left out of the race for Best Actress, replaced by Melissa Leo (the indie Frozen River).

Catching Up for the Oscars

With the Golden Globes last Sunday and the announcement of the Oscar nominees next Thursday, we're into the heart of Awards Season. And with so many of the new theatrical releases being, well, kinda lousy, this is the time of year when many of us catch up on the critically acclaimed, Oscar-y films released in December but that are just now spreading to wider release.

I know I'm spending the next week or so seeing the ones I've missed so far (The Wrestler, Revolutionary Road, The Reader, and Rachel Getting Married, and Vicky Christina Barcelona -- not to mention a couple that aimed for Oscar attention, but seem to be falling short in terms of buzz: Defiance and Last Chance Harvey) and trying to get my own Best of 2008 Round-Up ready to go before the end of January. (I'm working on it, I'm working on it! And on my holiday cards, too...)

So which new awards-friendly films have you already seen, or are going to try to catch in the theater between now and the Academy Awards ceremony February 22?

(Films with Oscar chances that were released earlier this year are not represented, such as The Dark Knight, Changeling, Vicky Christina Barcelona, Happy-Go-Lucky, Tropic Thunder, I've Loved You So Long, The Visitor, and WALL-E.)

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And be sure to check out more Redblog reviews of these likely to-be-nominated films:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Doubt

Milk

Slumdog Millionaire (and a second look)

Gran Torino

(Check back later for reviews of Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler, and Revolutionary Road as they expand into more theaters.)

The Golden Globes! Live Redblogging and Round-Up

Looking to re-live the boozy glory of Sunday night's Golden Globes? We've got live Redblogging, video clips, a red-carpet round-up, and all the winners!

(Note: The live-blog entries are written in reverse chronological order, so you need to start reading the posts at the bottom and work your way to the top.)

Live-Redblogging the Golden Globes! Pregame

Live-Redblogging the Golden Globes! First Hour

Live-Redblogging the Golden Globes! Second Hour

Live-Redblogging the Golden Globes! Third Hour

The 66th Golden Globe Awards: A Round-Up

Live-Redblogging the Golden Globes! Third Hour

(Note: The live-blog entries are written in reverse chronological order, so you need to start reading the posts at the bottom and work your way to the top.)

10:06 -- It's over. I'm done. I'm not sure I'm able to get up off this couch. Four hours of drunken glamor and snarky comments... it's like going to prom again. I feel like I've crossed the finish line at the marathon, exhausted, half-blind, and covered in my own vomit. Hope you all enjoyed it -- see ya in the morning.

9:59 -- Tom Cruise gives out the evening's top award, best picture drama, to Slumdog Millionaire. It's clearly the night's big winner (along with John Adams and 30 Rock). The big question is whether that love from the Hollywood Foreign Press will carry over to the Oscars. After all, we Americans may love our founding fathers and our neurotic TV writers, but poor people? From other countries? Hmmm... We'll get back to you on that one...

9:50 -- Susan Sarandon is here to give best actor drama. Mickey Rourke wins for The Wrestler, which is pretty much according to script--the redemptive comeback and all that. But also certainly deserved. He comes up on stage looking like he was dressed by Classy Fred Blassie--all Vegas sequins and shades. As Rourke makes his way to the stage, everyone checks their wallets and purses. His acceptance speech is about what you'd expect, kinda rambling, kinda bar-room seedy. He thanks his dogs. Fantastic.

9:44 -- Blake Lively and Rainn Wilson make possibly the evening's oddest presenters pairing. They give the best TV drama award to Mad Men for the second year in a row. Nothing against Mad Men--it's a very decent show--but I can no longer think of anything witty or insightful to say. Insert Rumer Willis joke here.

Live-Redblogging the Golden Globes! Second Hour

(Note: The live-blog entries are written in reverse chronological order, so you need to start reading the posts at the bottom and work your way to the top.)

8:55 -- Scorcese gives Spielberg his honorary Cecil B. DeMille Award. Martin's introduction is appropriately fawning, and naturally overreaching. After all, it's an awards show. We certainly don't have time for me to get into my long, complex attitude toward The Beard--Jaws is one of my favorite films of all time. But giving him these kinds of awards is just easy, lazy PR stuff. Spielberg is the perfect director for everyone to agree on, join hands and sing the praises of, but it will  be interesting in decades to come to see what  his body of work really adds up to artistically. Still, a montage reel of Spielberg films is, naturally, a delightful reminder of most of our film-going lives (at least for those of us under 50). Which is why they give him these awards.

8:47 -- Duchovny and Jane Krakowski give out the award for best actress in TV comedy. Can I just say that Duchovny and Californication have so utterly grown on me. Like an STD. It's embarrassing,  but true--it's completely usurped Entourage as my favorite premium cable comedy guilty pleasure. Tina Fey wins for 30 Rock, a fait accompli. (I'm not really sure that's the correct phrase for this occasion, but it's fun to say.) Her speech is, of course, hilarious.

8:44 -- Kate Beckinsale and Sean Puffy Combs give out best film soundtrack. I'm not sure Puffy even does anything anymore other than show up on awards show and try to compare himself to Sinatra in vodka ads. I can't even look at  Kate --  I'm just that disappointed that she and her latex pants aren't going to be in Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. Slumdog Millionaire wins. Composer A.R. Rahman thanks everyone in India. Collectively, luckily.

8:43 -- Pierce Brosnan is here to introduce Mamma Mia! He is officially entering his James Mason Period.

Live-Redblogging the Golden Globes! First Hour

(Note: The live-blog entries are written in reverse chronological order, so you need to start reading the posts at the bottom and work your way to the top.)

7:57 -- Demi Moore comes out and jokes with daughter Rumer, who, as Miss Golden Globes, appears to just be standing over to the side of the stage for the entire show, like some sort of living decoration. Moore gives the award for best supporting actor in a film to Heath Ledger, of course. Someone needs to find a Gyllenhaal and ask them how they feel about this. Chris Nolan gives a nice acceptance speech on Ledger's behalf.

7:53 -- Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore again. Turns out they're appearing in a TV version of Grey Gardens. In fact, they do look like crazy relatives. They're giving out the award for best TV miniseries or movie. So I finally learned what Cranford is. Fortunately John Adams won. I still have a couple episodes of John Adams to watch, so don't tell me how it ends!

7:51 -- Jake Gyllenhaal is here to introduce Benjamin Button. I'm surprised someone doesn't ask him about Heath Ledger.

7:48 -- Over on 24, Jack appears to be talking while riding in a car. Guess I'm not missing much. (TV viewing without Tivo is a living hell. How do you non-DVR folks do it?)

Live-Redblogging the Golden Globes! Pregame

(Note: The live-blog entries are written in reverse chronological order, so you need to start reading the posts at the bottom and work your way to the top.)

6:59 -- Post-carpet debriefing with the hosts. Tiki says he really liked Slumdog Millionaire and almost cried at it. Awww, Tiki. Oh, and the Chargers have lost. Sorry, Nate.

6:55 -- Selma Hayek just promised to give a big kiss to Penelope Cruz later when Hayek presents Vicky Christina Barcelona. Set Tivos!

6:54 -- When the hell are you supposed to eat, drink, or go to the bathroom during these live-blog things? I need some of those astronaut diapers, like they wear when they go on cross-country stalking sprees.

6:47 -- Newcomer Tom Cruise has a dazzling smile. Expect big things from this hot up and comer. Downey Jr. is with him, sporting amazingly carefully mussed hair. And Sting and Trudie Skyler. Sting appears to be morphing into some sort of craggy sea captain.

6:41 -- Kate and Leo. Turns out they were both very happy to work together again in Revolutionary Road. Wow. I love the pull-string nature of these carpet interviews. "Very excited... oh, he/she's terrific... it was a wonderful experience..." It's the Hollywood equivalent of Crash Davis's tips to Nuke LaLoosh about how to answer sports reporters' questions. Speaking of sports, looks like the Chargers might be done. Down by 18 with three minutes left. Dang.

6:40 -- Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell from In Bruges. Later this week or next, in my year-end round up, I'll sing both theirs and the film's praises in depth. Farrell got the first beep of the evening, directed at Eva Mendes. Now Tina Fey and Amy Poehler and Will Arnett are being interviewed next to Steven Spielberg. They're asking Fey about Sarah Palin. I'm very surprised they didn't ask her about Heath Ledger.

6:35 -- Commercial and time to do some catching up. Amanda Seyfried -- that's the name of the young actress from Mamma Mia! I should have known that. Dustin Hoffman was just on, pushing Last Chance Harvey, of course, and being his usual charming, befuddled self. He mentioned Kung Fu Panda 2, which made me very happy, since he was actually one of the best things about an all-around great flick.

6:33 -- Hudgens and Efron from HSM3. They said nothing of interest. People screamed a lot. They and the Jonases and the Miley should have to sit at some sort of kids table. And then be slipped drinks by Denis Leary. Now it's Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore. They aren't saying anything more interesting than the HSM3 kids. And Tiki is pinning Jeremy Piven down about the mercury poisoning fiasco. Mark Wahlberg is there for moral support. Tiki points out to Piven that when he, Tiki, was told not to play by doctors, he still played. Piven is not amused.

6:28 -- Maggie Gyllenhaal is on. Heath Ledger question in  three... two... one... disco.

Defiance WILL Be Considered, Dammit!

There are not one, not two, but three Nazi-themed films that will be in theaters by the time the curtain closes on 2008.  You're already aware of Valkyrie, you might have seen posters for Defiance at the movie theater as its release date has been jerked around for months, and I'll cover the lesser-known of the trio, Good, tomorrow. 

For now, let's take a look at the trailer for Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell's Defiance, which, like Valkyrie, is based on a true story. 

Defiance will be released tomorrow in a handful of theaters in order to be considered for an Academy Award; it won't expand across the nation, however, for a few more weeks.  Quite frankly, I am not sure this one looks like Oscar material in the first place.  I always have a hard time with actors feigning accents that aren't their own -- and in Daniel Craig's case, I connect him too strongly with Agent 007 and therefore I'm just not feeling his Polishness.  In addition, I think it's infinitely harder to get excited about a film that shares so many similar themes and aspects with another major release that's out at the exact same time.  I'm not saying that I don't think Defiance will be a good movie, I simply think that at this late stage in the game, it might be tough for anyone to get very excited about it.  I know I'm not.   Timing is everything, guys!

Pandering for Oscars Just Got a Lot More Creative

I had to do a double-take the first time I saw the ad below...

... and then I burst out laughing.  How brilliant is Paramount's campaign to get Robert Downey Jr. an Academy Award nomination for his role in Tropic Thunder... by way of launching a faux campaign for his character, actor Kirk Lazarus?  I love it when someone decides to shake things up a bit in a town that takes itself much too seriously most of the time. 

The question is, will it work?  We'll find out on January 22 when the nominations are announced.  Until then, may you be so lucky as to catch one of the TV spots that also tout the wonders of Lazarus's performance!