I was making my way back home from Boston earlier tonight and — per usual — got stuck in some traffic in the not-so-great state of Connecticut. So I ended up missing most of the Oscar show. But apparently they just went ahead and gave out the awards without me.
Cool friends, guys.
You likely already know what happened, but we may as well give you the full list below. And, no, it’s not a misprint — Sandra Bullock now has an Oscar. I never bothered to see The Blind Side, but I’m guessing I will always prefer her character in Speed. Less white guilt and more bus driving. What can I say? I’m a sucker for protagonistas who lost their license for … let me finish … speeding and are then serendipitously tasked with jumping a 15-ton automobile over a highway gap in order to save the lives of a dozen of her fellow Los Angelenos. Call me old-fashioned.
Obviously, the even bigger surprise was that Avatar didn’t take home many statues, which was odd, but not something that I will shed many tears over even though I think The Hurt Locker was too flawed as a film (see: unnecessary final 15 minutes) to out-rank the technological and industry-changing achievement of James Cameron’s opus. This will probably really, really weird in 10 years when 2D movies don’t even exist anymore and our schools are no longer teaching kids that the Iraq War was a conflict so much as it was The Louisiana Purchase, Part Deux.
Whoa.
Sorry about that. I swear I was on my down to jokeville there and somehow took a left at political. Won’t happen again.
Most importantly, here’s the new, longer trailer for Iron Man 2. The person in the red and gold suit is for sure more important than talking about the people who won gold statues. (trailer via Super Hero Hype)
I was sold anyway. But, man … look at all those guys in superhero suits with guys. Yes, please.
The 82nd Academy Awards are tonight, and the best, brightest and beautiful of Hollywood will gather yet again to honor the year that was in cinema. Below are my predictions for who will win the hardware tonight.
Best Actress – Gabourey Sidibe, Precious (IF THERE WILL BE A SURPRISE ON OSCAR NIGHT THIS WILL BE IT. If all goes to predictabilty, congratulations, Sandra Bullock.)
Best Supporting Actor – Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Best Supporting Actress – Mo’Nique, Precious
Best Original Screenplay – Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino
Best Adapted Screenplay – Up in the Air, Jason Reitman
Animated Feature – Up
Art Direction – Avatar
Cinematography – Avatar
Costume Design – The Young Victoria
Documentary Feature – The Cove
Film Editing – Avatar
Foreign Language Film – The White Ribbon
Makeup – The Young Victoria
Original Score – Up
Original Song – “The Weary Kind,” Crazy Heart
Sound Editing – The Hurt Locker
Sound Mixing – The Hurt Locker
Visual Effects – Avatar
(Disclaimer: I have no clue whatsoever on these final three.)
Documentary Short – The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant
Characteristically, Jeff Bridges captivates the audience with his portrayal of Bad Blake, a hard-drinking, serial marrying, downward-spiraling country singer who has gone from headliner to saloon-crooner. The film’s redemption theme is not unique—it’s really kind of a rehashing of 2008’s The Wrestler — so Crazy Heart offers nothing new to the category of “man must save his life or die by the way he lives” formula; however, Bridges often overshadows the clichéd story with a performance that shies away from the oft-hyperbolic portrayals of alcoholics and drug abusers — see Leaving Las Vegas, which will be discussed in an upcoming post, titled Nic Cage: My Uncle is Francis Ford Coppola.
In a refreshing performance, Bridges plays Blake as a cognizant, functioning alcoholic, not as one who stumbles from bar to bar, starting fights and slurring consistently before breaking down in tears. There is really only one scene where alcohol visibly gets the best of Blake, but it’s only momentary, requiring him to leave the stage in a dumpy bar to vomit before continuing.
Similarly, Crazy Heart doesn’t force an uber-tragic moment of clarity on us. While we feel for Blake, his rock-bottom transpires from coincidence and a child’s curious nature, not a drunken hallucination that results in someone’s death or injury. Instead, Blake obviates the trust that Jean Craddick (Maggie Gyllenhaal) bestows on him, which makes Blake’s fall internal, and refreshingly, it doesn’t feel forced.
Perhaps this is because Gyllenhaal portrays Jean as strong-willed yet whimsical, aware that Blake is on the verge of tumbling off a cliff, but enamored by the talented poet underneath. And while Gyllenhaal gives a rather underrated performance in Crazy Heart, this relationship is the major element of the film that I have a problem grasping. The acting is genuine, but the story is weak. She’s a journalist for a small-town newspaper, and Blake is her temporal subject. Somehow, they fall in love, but it’s never clear why. Yes, she loves his music, but we find that out well after they begin their affair, so what’s the impetus? There are only so many times that movies can employ the “love is a mystery” scapegoat.
Of course we know a fall is coming, but when it does, Crazy Heart does not compile a montage that conveys the trials and tribulations of rehab — the clinical scene lasts about forty-five seconds and merely shows Blake standing up in front of a group, admitting that he’s an alcoholic.
In the end, there is no neat little bow. Often, there is one of two directions taken in redemption films: relapse, which leads to death and suggests that humans are destined to fail, or victory, which insists that humans can erase their flaws. This film really depicts neither. He doesn’t fall at the end, but he doesn’t win either. He knows temptation lies within reach, and he acknowledges his limitations while taking responsibility for letting most everything slip out of his grasp.
He’s not a hero, and he’s not a villain. He’s human.
We don't always review movies, but when we do, we often give them numeric values to let you know what we think. Those numbers roughly mean the following:
10
One of the best movies I've ever seen. If you don't at least sort of like it, I probably just lost some respect for you as a person.
9
Great, great stuff. Your film-watching career can't be complete if you don't see this.
8
You should definitely see this. One of the better films of the year.
7
I enjoyed it. If you see it, you see it, but won't change your life either way.
6
I wasn't upset that I watched this, but it's certainly not great. Watchable if you're on a plane and don't have a book, but wouldn't go out of your way. Meh.
5
Hot garbage, entirely forgettable and a total waste of time. Never watch this.
4
Epically, memorably terrible.
3
You cannot be serious. Maybe the worst thing I've ever seen. Absolutely staggering. Unreal. I loathe everyone involved with this.
