After...
...$34.50 in cinema ticket sales;
...$4.67 in movie rental sales;
...$10.50 in popcorn purchases;
...$2.50 in contraband Vitamin Waters;
...10 hours and 13 minutes of movie-watching;
...1 hour of preview-watching;
...and almost 4 hours of Oscar ceremony-watching...
I am thrilled to announce that I met my goal for the 80th Annual Academy Awards: I not only watched all five nominees for Best Picture, but I also correctly guessed this year's winner, No Country for Old Men.
I'll be honest, I didn't love this movie. (Side note: I did love Javier Bardem, in a slightly-erotic, totally-disturbing way.) But as soon as the movie finished (and it was the first of the five), I knew this one would take home handsome Oscar.
The Breaking Ice verdict? Watch it, especially if you love the Coen Brothers. I do.
In the same way that I knew about No Country, I also knew, as the closing credits of There Will Be Blood scrolled by, that Daniel Day-Lewis would take home the golden guy last night for Best Actor in a Leading Role. (And I knew the movie itself would not bag the big one. There will be blood... And there will be boredom.)
The Breaking Ice verdict? Watch it if you love Daniel Day-Lewis. Otherwise, eh.
Juno was my favorite, as I have not snort-laughed in a long while, nor have I been in a theatre where the entire audience missed a few lines because we were all enjoying the movie so... loudly. To all those who criticize the film for "glamorizing" teen pregnancy, I kindly remind you: IT IS FICTION. Not to mention, the soundtrack is absolutely fabulous.
The Breaking Ice verdict? Watch it, then watch it again to catch the lines you missed the first time, when you were cleaning up the soda that sprayed out your nostrils.
I also enjoyed the chick-flick of this year's crop, Atonement, and only wish that I had Keira Knightley's body (but slightly more plump because, really, woman, eat a cookie) and that emerald green dress. Oh, that dress. Love. That. Dress. I also have a new crush, and his name is James McAvoy. Yum. On the whole, the movie did feel a little Man in the Moon meets Titanic. But the soundtrack's use of regular noise - clacking keys on a typewriter, for example - as underlying rhythm was innovative and powerful.
The Breaking Ice verdict? Watch it, preferably with your gal pals, and don't forget the Kleenex.
And then there's Michael Clayton. Oh, Michael, you are my Babel. I do love me the George Clooney goodness, but renting the movie and starting it at home around 9 p.m. was not a good choice. I struggled to stay awake to movie's end, but it was worth it if only for the final showdown between Tilda Swinton and George Clooney. Wow. Kudos to Tom Wilkinson, too - he was just incredible, and if it weren't for Javier Bardem, I would have chosen Tom to win Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
The Breaking Ice verdict? Watch it if you need a good movie that suits both boy and girl... But don't start it after 9 p.m. Zzzzz...
Of the 15 predictions that I made before last night's ceremony, I correctly guessed 10 winners. I was kind of shocked by the winner of Best Actress in a Leading Role, Marion Cotillard in La Vie en Rose. I hoped the Academy would recognize Julie Christie for her performance in Away From Her.
I was sure the winner of Best Actress in a Supporting Role would be Cate Blanchett for her gender-bending turn as Bob Dylan in I'm Not There. But I was wrong. The Academy instead chose Tilda Swinton for Michael Clayton. (Tilda Swinton? Seriously? Her performance was fine, but definitely not fantastic. I would have given the Oscar to 13-year-old Saoirse Ronan of Atonement far before Tilda Swinton. But hey, Tilda's acceptance speech was one of the more entertaining of the night, so there's always that.)
I did get several others right; and I'm pleased that, as a writer, I correctly predicted the winners of Best Adapted Screenplay (No Country for Old Men - yeah, Coen brothers!) and Original Screenplay (Juno - yeah, former exotic dancer and daring Oscar dresser Diablo Cody!).
But my favorite moment by far was the second chance that Jon Stewart gave musician and actress Marketa Irglova to deliver her acceptance speech, which was cut off in a moment of miscommunication between the producers and the pit orchestra. Marketa and Glen Hansard won the Oscar for Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song) for "Falling Slowly" from Once. Marketa's message: Hope. Glen's message: More Arts. My message: I hope for more Marketa and Glen.
And that's the end of this year's Oscar wrap-up. Good night, drive safe, thank you.
