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I thought we could use a thread to talk about movies in general. I see a lot of threads about various upcoming releases and certain music-oriented movies, YouTube shorts and even a thread for our favorite movies, but there's nothing about classics, indie / arthouse movies, documentaries, funniest comedies, et cetera. So... enjoy!
awesome idea for a thread. i'm a double major in film studies and english so i will probably be posting in this thread a lot.
so is heath ledger going to win that oscar? until recently i thought it was a shoo-in but i am starting to think that Josh Brolin's performance in Milk or Philip Seymour Hoffman's performance in Doubt could easily pull an upset.
I hope he does, and I actually think he will. Although I really enjoyed The Dark Knight, I also thought it was one of the most over-hyped movies since The Phantom Menace or the two Matrix sequels. It wasn't even my favorite superhero movie of 2008 (I preferred The Incredible Hulk, to be honest)
However, Heath Ledger's performance is what made that movie truly outstanding. When I saw it, I thought to myself, "wow - the Joker is what really killed him". I can only think of a handful of other performances where I've seen someone immerse themselves so completely into their character. The Academy has always been more about honoring celebrities for their career moreso than their performances, IMO.
Ledger's tragic death this time last year was only compounded by the fact that we were just beginning to scratch the surface of his breadth as an actor. I had long dismissed him as a typical, disposable Hollywood heart throb, but I really began to change my mind once he started to take on more serious / challenging parts, in films like Brokeback Mountain and I'm Not There. I think he'll win.
of course ledger is in the top spot to win the award, it was indeed a great performance. but if you've seen Milk or Doubt you would know what i mean when i say that he is facing some competition. i think he'll get it though. another question about the oscars this year is will they give the dark knight or wall-e best picture noms? benjamin button, slumdog, and milk are almost locked for best picture, with frost/nixon probably being a sure bet too. question is will they bend their animated feature rule.... or even allow a comic book movie to be given a top honor. both movies were among the 5 highest rated films from critics of 08.
I still haven't seen either Milk or Doubt, though I really want to see both (particularly Milk, I've been looking forward to that for months), so I can't really pass judgment on Heath's competition. Philip Seymour Hoffman is one of my favorite actors though, and I have no doubt he put on a really phenomenal performance as well. So it's a bit hard for me to say right now.
I think we will probably see either Wall-E or The Dark Knight get a best picture nod, but I'm guessing not both. They may want to honor more "serious" films instead. The cool thing about The Dark Knight is that it works not only as a superhero movie, but also just as great crime drama, too. It's Nolan's best film since Memento.
I'm not entirely ruling out Wall-E either - I think if films like Juno and Little Miss Sunshine (which were both good but tried far too hard to be indie) can get nods, then Wall-E has a shot too.
I've not seen very many movies this year... I've only seen Tropic Thunder, The Wrestler, The Happening, and The Dark Knight.
Hands down, the best was The Wrestler.
Hands down, the worst was The Happening.
And as far as Oscars go, The Wrestler should at least get nominations for Mickey Rourke and Marissa Tomei, and maybe a nod for Evan Rachel Wood. Rober Siegel for Best Original Screenplay could be possible. I doubt it'll get nods for Director or Picture, but it'll get at least one; Best Song, "The Wrestler" by The Boss.
I don't think we'll ever see a nod for a comic-book movie, no matter how good it is. Just like an actor in a comedy will never be nominated for Best Actor--I think Robert Downey Jr. was absolutely sublime in Tropic Thunder, but he wont get the nod.
^^you'd think that, but then again, back in 1992, Marisa Tomei was not only nominated for a comedy role, but actually won the Oscar for it too. However, that was definitely the exception to the rule.
I don't think Robert Downey Jr. will get the nod, however, mainly because of all the controversy surrounding his blackface performance, as well as the hubbub over the movie's frequent use of the R word.
Last Edit: Jan 7, 2009 13:46:29 GMT -5 by Guest - Back to Top
I read an article several months ago about animated features in the Best Picture catagory. I think the last animated movie nominated for Best Picture was "Beauty and the Beast". Then the next year, they created the Best Animated Film category. As much as I enjoyed Wall-E, I'm unsure if it deserves a place in the Best Picture category. I enjoyed Cars and Ratatouille more than Wall-E... I felt both of those films were more creative in their storylines and the little details.
I saw Benjamin Button last week, and while it was good, I wasn't overly impressed to tell you the truth. The cinematography sort of reminded me of Big Fish. I like the effect but didn't seem too original. It was also long and (in my opinion) could have been edited without losing any the story. The only other "big" movie I have seen so far is Slumdog Millionaire, and it may have been the best movie I saw in 2008. Great storyline, great cinematography, not a wasted scene. And who doesn't love a dance number during the credits??
The Dark Knight was pretty quacking awesome, and I'm not a fan of comic book movies, but I'm not sure it's Best Picture material. Visual effects were great and makeup (of course). I agree that Heath Ledger is a shoo-in for Best Actor... imagine the backlash from fans if he didn't win.
ledger will get best supporting actor. best actor will either go to Sean Penn or Mickey Rourke more than likely.
so a side note from the oscars are any other fanboys excited for WATCHMEN?? i'm a huge fan of the graphic novel and couldnt be more excited for it. the rights for the release are currently tangled in a lawsuit between Fox and Warner Bros. For those that dont know Fox originally bought the rights in the 80s when the comic mini series was written but dubbed it unfilmmable. fast forward to 2008 with huge technological advancements in the SFX area and we have warner bros. putting the film into production and completing it. now Fox is like whoa whoa wait a minute this is our film..(even though u guys paid for it). there is tons of new articles all over the web on this but i am wondering if this is going to prevent it from its scheduled 3/6/09 release date.
here is a link to a letter written by one of the producers regarding the lawsuit. its written on somewhat of a personal level and allows everyone to see how big of a deal this is and how long this movie has been trying to get made.
Same. These kinds of studio conflicts are never resolved quickly, and they have less than two months before it's supposed to hit theaters. I'm afraid we might not get to see it until late summer or early fall.
my unpopular opinion: the dark night wasnt that good.
ledger was good, a better joker than nicholson. but i cant get past batman and his mcgruff the crime dog voice. i totally enjoyed the movie, but it was just a popcorn film. there were many times when i felt the actors were just actors - and that's not good.
i am a huge aranofsky fan, so the wrestler is on my list of things to see. as is milk, since i like sean penn as an actor. and doubt, since SPH is fantastic in almost everything he does.
problem is, i dont "go" to the movies. i look forward to the day when new releases are on demand so i can avoid the cell phones, rudeness, overpriced snacks, etc etc... i wont be seeing any of these films until they are on dvd (er... or the intertubes)
I thought the Dark Knight was awesome. It seems like it's really hard to make a quality sequel to a super hero movie as well as incorporate 2 villain's storylines adequately, and the Dark Knight did both of those things really well, IMO. On the flip side is Spiderman 3
Just saw The Wrestler, Gran Torino, and Slumdog Millionaire this past week. They were all very good. Eastwood will get a best actor nod, methinks.
my unpopular opinion: the dark night wasnt that good.
ledger was good, a better joker than nicholson. but i cant get past batman and his mcgruff the crime dog voice. i totally enjoyed the movie, but it was just a popcorn film.
I agree! It was good but not the-best-movie-I've-seen-in-ages. His voice really bothered me. I'm surprised someone in the studio did comment on it before it hit theaters.
Bruce Wayne alters his voice to sound more intimidating....BUT, I'm not going to fan that fire any longer.
Speaking of movies being pushed back, I'm so excited about The Road, but it's original release date was sometime in November. Anyone read the book? I'm wondering if they stayed true to the novel, and the Ratings board said NC-17. I'm thinking its pushed back for editing, but haven't heard.
so yeah currently Watchmen is at an R rating at 2 hours and 30 minutes...but Zach Snyder already has mentioned that there will be a special DvD cut that is close to 4 hours that will include the black freighter comic subplot.
and the whole point of batmans scruffy rough voice is to scare the shiz out of the bad guys. while we at in theater may not be afraid, put yourself in the criminal's shoes.. like in batman begins when he lifts the guy off the ground eating the falafel and goes "WHERE ARE THE OTHER NO NO WORD!!! GOING!!" in that voice.... idk bout if u but i was looking into a guy wearing black mask screaming at me like that i'd be scared shizless
Batman's voice seems to be the only complaint about the movie that I hear from people. His voice instills fear into criminals which I think goes along great with the new Batman movies' central theme, which is fear. If that's people's only complaint with the film, then I'd be satisfied with that.
Post by chicojuarz on Jan 10, 2009 12:08:44 GMT -5
I'm shocked at all the ledger love in here. I think that is one of the most overhyped performances ever. Give me a break. There was almost no challenge as an actor to create depth. All he had to do was (this is the term used by my acting professors and no I didnt ever want to be an actor the classes were required) take it to the jackass zone consistently. What choices did he have to make? Oh, in this scene I think I'll be psycho. In this scene I'll really get to explore the emotional depth and conflict within my character. The role wasnt demanding, the makeup reduce the requirements for him as an actor as well. Half of acting is facial expression and when its completely obscured it makes less of a difference, see Kabuki.
For supporting I'm on the Josh Brolin train. He was superb in Milk. And for Best Actor I'm torn between Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon and Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler.
I think we'll see Frost/Nixon take most categories. When I saw it the audience was hypnotized and applauded afterwards. Its incredibly powerful. It might not be a better movie than The Wrestler but I'm calling it for Best Pic, Director, Actor and Adapted Screenplay.
I'm shocked at all the ledger love in here. I think that is one of the most overhyped performances ever. Give me a break. There was almost no challenge as an actor to create depth. All he had to do was (this is the term used by my acting professors and no I didnt ever want to be an actor the classes were required) take it to the jackass zone consistently. What choices did he have to make? Oh, in this scene I think I'll be psycho. In this scene I'll really get to explore the emotional depth and conflict within my character. The role wasnt demanding, the makeup reduce the requirements for him as an actor as well. Half of acting is facial expression and when its completely obscured it makes less of a difference, see Kabuki.
For supporting I'm on the Josh Brolin train. He was superb in Milk. And for Best Actor I'm torn between Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon and Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler.
I think we'll see Frost/Nixon take most categories. When I saw it the audience was hypnotized and applauded afterwards. Its incredibly powerful. It might not be a better movie than The Wrestler but I'm calling it for Best Pic, Director, Actor and Adapted Screenplay.
i agree with you chico that the role of the psychopath and the role of the frittated man are probably some of the most overly exploited roles for oscar bait in hollywood, but still... ledger's performance in the dark knight was the most mezmerizing for me personally. if there is anyone that will snub him though itll be Josh Brolin or Philip Seymour.
golden globes come on tomorrow but those are so disconnected from the oscars these days they are almost completely irrelevant. The Producers Guild and the Directors Guild named the same exact 5 for their noms which will probably be the same 5 oscar noms for best pic and best director:
Benjamin Button dir. David Finchner The Dark Knight dir. Christopher Nolan Frost/Nixon dir. Ron Howard Milk dir. Gus Van Sant Slumdog Millionaire dir. Danny Boyle
possible upsets from Doubt, The Wrestler, or Wall-E
Post by chicojuarz on Jan 10, 2009 14:29:46 GMT -5
I'm actually pretty disappointed to see Benjamin Button up for best pic. I think its too much of the Forrest Gump model. I enjoyed it but its really predatory in the way it tries to gain sympathy by making main characters so kind and lovable. I'd much rather see The Wrestler up there. Doubt I'm torn on. It was good but it still felt like a play.
I finally saw Milk last night - I thought it was really amazing. There really wasn't a wasted moment the whole two hours. Sean Penn simply became Harvey Milk in every way. He also managed to make the character very clearly gay without doing anything that was over-the-top flamboyant. The others were great, but he was really the shining star. Everyone totally transformed themselves into their roles though - if there were a Golden Globe category for best ensemble cast, this would take it hands down. During the credits, they showed stock footage of the actual people, along with their Hollywood counterparts in the movie - it was pretty astonishing.
I'm also glad the movie didn't paint Milk as some perfect, selfless martyr. They showed him as a guy who cheated on his lovers and who solicited men half his age in the subway, but also as a guy who would do whatever it took to instigate change for his cause. The film depicted a much more human side to him, and, perhaps most importantly of all, even though his sexuality was so pivotal to the plot, it took a side stage to his cause, to the point where you almost forgot about it in parts. The movie had tremendous mise-en-scene that really seemed to accurately capture the era, and the cinematography and scriptwriting complimented each other perfectly.
I have a few criticisms, though - for one, it glossed over Moscone's assassination to the point where, literally, you blink and you miss it. Also, I wish they had shown more of Dan White's descent into madness, anger and isolation, and also his junk food diet which led to the Twinkie Defense. Still a damn good movie though.
Don't get me wrong, The Dark Knight was a blast. Seeing it in theaters was great, as usual for good action flicks, and IMO, the best way to see this movie. I thought the movie had a great beginning and middle, however, around the 3/4 mark, it started to get a little stretched out; that huge action sequence was way too long, and for the most part, uninteresting. Good ending, though. Very solid film, all together, one of the better comic book films.
Ledger... was good. Not a Nicholson, but they basically played two different Jokers. His physical nuances were what made it special. Not really his delivery of his lines or anything like that, he was genuinely creepy. And something I didn't like was his performance begged for the audience to love him. More so than Batman, even. Loved his performance, though.
Ledger had better not win the Academy Award... I mean, do you really think he would've won if he were still alive?
Watchmen at two and a half hours sounds good to me... I still am a little worried about how it's going to be paced.
Other movies I need to see are Doubt, Milk, the movie with Ralph Fines and Kate Winslet (can't remember the title), and Gran Torino.
the movie with Ralph Fines and Kate Winslet (can't remember the title)
The Reader is the name of that one... and I really want to see it to.
I have a free pass to see "Defiance" (with Daniel Craig) this Thursday but I haven't heard anything about it so I'm not sure if I want to go. Has anyone heard anything about this one??
Speaking of movies being pushed back, I'm so excited about The Road, but it's original release date was sometime in November. Anyone read the book? I'm wondering if they stayed true to the novel, and the Ratings board said NC-17. I'm thinking its pushed back for editing, but haven't heard.
It wasn't pushed back for editing. It got pushed back for the same reasons The Soloist got pushed back. A lot of the studios are cutting their budgets and releasing less films in a given year, so they held back The Road to meet the quota of films in 2009 and save on budget this year.
I imagine the film will get a pretty hard R. The director's previous feature was The Proposition, which is an Australian western starring Guy Pearce and is well worth checking out. One of the more underrated movies in recent memory.
