Partners in Kryme: Where are they now?
For some reason I was thinking about the original Ninja Turtles movie. When it came out, it easily became my favorite movie of all time. I even had the soundtrack on audio tape which contained the rap classic "Turtle Power" by the duo Partners in Kryme. They were so badass, they didn't even spell 'crime' correctly. The low rent channel in Anchorage used to play music videos back in the early 1990s and I got very excited when the music video for "Turtle Power" was played. Reading about the song on its Wikipedia entry, I remember that the video infamously labeled Raphael the leader of the Ninja Turtles, not Leonardo, in one of its lyrics. Why question is, what happened to these pioneers of rap?
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
The 81st Annual Academy Awards will be given out on Sunday, February 22nd. Unlike last year, the films nominated from the 2008 crop seem to not be quite as stellar. Nevertheless the awards will be given out with the requisite amount of comprises, sentimental favorites, and politically appropriate choices made at any Oscar awards. Even though I will weigh-in on who should, I admit I have not seen that many films nominated this year. Therefore I will offer “who I think will win” and “who I would like to win.” The latter opinion will be based entirely on the person or film nominated rather than on any artistic merit.
Best Visual Effects
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Iron Man
The Dark Knight
All the buzz recently has been surrounding the visual effects in Benjamin Button used to create the old man-baby version of Brad Pitt, but the effects in Iron Man were as good as they possibly can be for a comic book movie. The Dark Knight didn’t seem to be as effects heavy as Iron Man, but scene where the semi-truck flips ass over tea kettle is pretty astonishing even though it is grounded more in reality.
Should Win: Iron Man
Will Win: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Song
Slumdog Millionaire - For the song "O Saya"
Slumdog Millionaire - For the song "Jai Ho"
WALL•E - Peter Gabriel - For the song "Down to Earth"
I have not seen Slumdog Millionaire and have no idea what those two songs nominated sound like, but I like Peter Gabriel’s music a lot and I think Academy voters will be thinking like me. Plus, the votes for Slumdog will probably cancel each other out.
Should Win: WALL•E - Peter Gabriel - For the song "Down to Earth"
Will Win: WALL•E - Peter Gabriel - For the song "Down to Earth"
Best Animated Film
WALL•E
Kung Fu Panda
Bolt
Hands down, WALL•E will win and should win. The travesty is that it wasn’t nominated for Best Picture.
Should Win: WALL•E
Will Win: WALL•E
Best Cinematography
Changeling - Tom Stern
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Claudio Miranda
The Dark Knight - Wally Pfister
The Reader - Chris Menges; Roger Deakins
Slumdog Millionaire - Anthony Dod Mantle
The race is between The Dark Knight and Slumdog Millionaire. My money is on Slumdog Millionaire, because I think it will be a big night for this movie. The Dark Knight was one of the great achievements in film last year and also deserved to be nominated for Best Picture. The film sported several eye-popping sequences including the bank heist and the beginning and the kidnapping in Hong Kong. They were even better on IMAX.
Should Win: The Dark Knight
Will Win: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Adapeted Screenplay
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
Screenplay awards usually go with the movie that wins Best Director, so my money is on Slumdog Millionaire even though the other films were adapted from well regarded source material. Other than that, I have no other opinion to offer on this category.
Should Win: ???
Will Win: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Original Screenplay
Frozen River
Happy-Go-Lucky
In Bruges
Milk
Wall-E
Frozen River is the real indie-that-could, even though Slumdog Millionaire claimed that mantle. I think Milk goes home with this award, because it won’t win that many during the night. Wall-E should take this one for making one of the most emotionally rich movies of the year. It’s too bad it got pigeon-holed for being an animated film.
Should Win: Wall-E
Will Win: Milk
Best Supporting Actress
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Taraji P. Henson
Doubt - Amy Adams
Doubt - Viola Davis
Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Penélope Cruz
The Wrestler - Marisa Tomei
This seems to be one of the most up-in-the-air categories. Best Supporting awards always seem to have an upset. They usually go to old veterans who never one or newcomers to the Hollywood scene. Everyone thinks Cruz wins this award, but Amy Adams has recently become a Hollywood darling. Viola Davis got some buzz, but her scene is really short in Doubt and I think there is a backlash against awards going to actors in relatively small roles. But if there is any justice, Tomei should get this little golden man. Why? Because like Kate Winslet, Tomei is not afraid to do nudity and I think that should be supported.
Should Win: Marisa Tomei
Will Win: Penélope Cruz
Best Supporting Actor
The Dark Knight - Heath Ledger
Doubt - Philip Seymour Hoffman
Milk - Josh Brolin
Revolutionary Road - Michael Shannon
Tropic Thunder - Robert Downey Jr.
Heath Ledger will win this award. Would he have been nominated if he lived? Probably. Would he have been such a lock to win? Probably not. His death can not be separated from the nomination which is too bad since his portrayal of the Joker took The Dark Knight to the next level. It is too bad Robert Downey Jr. will not win, because last year was his comeback year with Iron Man and Tropic Thunder. Josh Brolin also seems to be on a roll and he will probably win an award within the next five years.
Should Win: Heath Ledger
Will Win: Heath Ledger
Best Actress
Changeling - Angelina Jolie
Doubt - Meryl Streep
Frozen River - Melissa Leo
Rachel Getting Married - Anne Hathaway
The Reader- Kate Winslet
This is another very competitive category, but Kate Winslet will probably get the Oscar win. Why? Because she’s been nominated a bunch of times before and has never won. Also she is a rarity in Hollywood for not being a waif and still being very hot. Plus she portrays a Nazi with a heart of gold and gets nude a lot in The Reader. Anne Hathaway is young and will probably win an Oscar won day, but not this year even though she received a lot of strong marks. Jolie is already an Oscar winner and Changeling wasn’t that popular. Streep might be Winslet’s strongest competition and she has not won an Oscar for a longtime despite being the most nominated actor in Academy Awards history. Who is Melissa Leo? That’s why she won’t win.
Should Win: Kate Winslet (because of the nudity)
Will Win: Kate Winslet
Best Actor
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Brad Pitt
Frost/Nixon - Frank Langella
Milk - Sean Penn
The Visitor - Richard Jenkins
The Wrestler - Mickey Rourke
This race is between Rourke and Penn. A Rourke victory would seem to be the better story, but Penn is always a distinguished actor and in Milk he gets to play a gay martyr. It is too bad Langella will not likely win because a win for Frost/Nixon would redeem the Academy for failing to nominate him as Skeletor in the He-Man movie. I like Richard Jenkins and seems like a genuinely nice man. It is too bad he won’t win.
Should Win: Richard Jenkins
Will Win: Mickey Rourke
Best Director
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - David Fincher
Frost/Nixon - Ron Howard
Milk - Gus Van Sant
The Reader - Stephen Daldry
Slumdog Millionaire - Danny Boyle
This is another category I have no opinion about.
Should Win: ???
Will Win: Slumdog Millionaire - Danny Boyle
Best Picture
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
I thought Milk would be a lock a few months ago given its subject capturing the gay zeitgeist in Hollywood. But Slumdog Millionaire seems to have captured all the momentum. Anything but a Slumdog win would be a huge upset. The Reader seems like the most likely picture to be the dark horse since it is a Holocaust movie.
Should Win: ???
Will Win: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Visual Effects
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Iron Man
The Dark Knight
All the buzz recently has been surrounding the visual effects in Benjamin Button used to create the old man-baby version of Brad Pitt, but the effects in Iron Man were as good as they possibly can be for a comic book movie. The Dark Knight didn’t seem to be as effects heavy as Iron Man, but scene where the semi-truck flips ass over tea kettle is pretty astonishing even though it is grounded more in reality.
Should Win: Iron Man
Will Win: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Song
Slumdog Millionaire - For the song "O Saya"
Slumdog Millionaire - For the song "Jai Ho"
WALL•E - Peter Gabriel - For the song "Down to Earth"
I have not seen Slumdog Millionaire and have no idea what those two songs nominated sound like, but I like Peter Gabriel’s music a lot and I think Academy voters will be thinking like me. Plus, the votes for Slumdog will probably cancel each other out.
Should Win: WALL•E - Peter Gabriel - For the song "Down to Earth"
Will Win: WALL•E - Peter Gabriel - For the song "Down to Earth"
Best Animated Film
WALL•E
Kung Fu Panda
Bolt
Hands down, WALL•E will win and should win. The travesty is that it wasn’t nominated for Best Picture.
Should Win: WALL•E
Will Win: WALL•E
Best Cinematography
Changeling - Tom Stern
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Claudio Miranda
The Dark Knight - Wally Pfister
The Reader - Chris Menges; Roger Deakins
Slumdog Millionaire - Anthony Dod Mantle
The race is between The Dark Knight and Slumdog Millionaire. My money is on Slumdog Millionaire, because I think it will be a big night for this movie. The Dark Knight was one of the great achievements in film last year and also deserved to be nominated for Best Picture. The film sported several eye-popping sequences including the bank heist and the beginning and the kidnapping in Hong Kong. They were even better on IMAX.
Should Win: The Dark Knight
Will Win: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Adapeted Screenplay
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
Screenplay awards usually go with the movie that wins Best Director, so my money is on Slumdog Millionaire even though the other films were adapted from well regarded source material. Other than that, I have no other opinion to offer on this category.
Should Win: ???
Will Win: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Original Screenplay
Frozen River
Happy-Go-Lucky
In Bruges
Milk
Wall-E
Frozen River is the real indie-that-could, even though Slumdog Millionaire claimed that mantle. I think Milk goes home with this award, because it won’t win that many during the night. Wall-E should take this one for making one of the most emotionally rich movies of the year. It’s too bad it got pigeon-holed for being an animated film.
Should Win: Wall-E
Will Win: Milk
Best Supporting Actress
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Taraji P. Henson
Doubt - Amy Adams
Doubt - Viola Davis
Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Penélope Cruz
The Wrestler - Marisa Tomei
This seems to be one of the most up-in-the-air categories. Best Supporting awards always seem to have an upset. They usually go to old veterans who never one or newcomers to the Hollywood scene. Everyone thinks Cruz wins this award, but Amy Adams has recently become a Hollywood darling. Viola Davis got some buzz, but her scene is really short in Doubt and I think there is a backlash against awards going to actors in relatively small roles. But if there is any justice, Tomei should get this little golden man. Why? Because like Kate Winslet, Tomei is not afraid to do nudity and I think that should be supported.
Should Win: Marisa Tomei
Will Win: Penélope Cruz
Best Supporting Actor
The Dark Knight - Heath Ledger
Doubt - Philip Seymour Hoffman
Milk - Josh Brolin
Revolutionary Road - Michael Shannon
Tropic Thunder - Robert Downey Jr.
Heath Ledger will win this award. Would he have been nominated if he lived? Probably. Would he have been such a lock to win? Probably not. His death can not be separated from the nomination which is too bad since his portrayal of the Joker took The Dark Knight to the next level. It is too bad Robert Downey Jr. will not win, because last year was his comeback year with Iron Man and Tropic Thunder. Josh Brolin also seems to be on a roll and he will probably win an award within the next five years.
Should Win: Heath Ledger
Will Win: Heath Ledger
Best Actress
Changeling - Angelina Jolie
Doubt - Meryl Streep
Frozen River - Melissa Leo
Rachel Getting Married - Anne Hathaway
The Reader- Kate Winslet
This is another very competitive category, but Kate Winslet will probably get the Oscar win. Why? Because she’s been nominated a bunch of times before and has never won. Also she is a rarity in Hollywood for not being a waif and still being very hot. Plus she portrays a Nazi with a heart of gold and gets nude a lot in The Reader. Anne Hathaway is young and will probably win an Oscar won day, but not this year even though she received a lot of strong marks. Jolie is already an Oscar winner and Changeling wasn’t that popular. Streep might be Winslet’s strongest competition and she has not won an Oscar for a longtime despite being the most nominated actor in Academy Awards history. Who is Melissa Leo? That’s why she won’t win.
Should Win: Kate Winslet (because of the nudity)
Will Win: Kate Winslet
Best Actor
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Brad Pitt
Frost/Nixon - Frank Langella
Milk - Sean Penn
The Visitor - Richard Jenkins
The Wrestler - Mickey Rourke
This race is between Rourke and Penn. A Rourke victory would seem to be the better story, but Penn is always a distinguished actor and in Milk he gets to play a gay martyr. It is too bad Langella will not likely win because a win for Frost/Nixon would redeem the Academy for failing to nominate him as Skeletor in the He-Man movie. I like Richard Jenkins and seems like a genuinely nice man. It is too bad he won’t win.
Should Win: Richard Jenkins
Will Win: Mickey Rourke
Best Director
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - David Fincher
Frost/Nixon - Ron Howard
Milk - Gus Van Sant
The Reader - Stephen Daldry
Slumdog Millionaire - Danny Boyle
This is another category I have no opinion about.
Should Win: ???
Will Win: Slumdog Millionaire - Danny Boyle
Best Picture
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
I thought Milk would be a lock a few months ago given its subject capturing the gay zeitgeist in Hollywood. But Slumdog Millionaire seems to have captured all the momentum. Anything but a Slumdog win would be a huge upset. The Reader seems like the most likely picture to be the dark horse since it is a Holocaust movie.
Should Win: ???
Will Win: Slumdog Millionaire
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Fozzy Bear, Captain Picard, and William Wallace Finally Come Together
This is a great montage of inspirational movie speeches. There is nothing better than a good movie montage or a memorable inspirational speech to make me smile. Kudos to the author for combining both well known and obscure titles. Anything set to the Henry V soundtrack will sound great.
This is a great montage of inspirational movie speeches. There is nothing better than a good movie montage or a memorable inspirational speech to make me smile. Kudos to the author for combining both well known and obscure titles. Anything set to the Henry V soundtrack will sound great.
Lost Sports Night plot?
Citing security concerns, the organizers of a WTA event in Dubai decided to bar Israeli tennis player Shahar Peer from participating in the 2009 Dubai Tennis Championships. This got me thinking: how great this would have been for an episode of Sports Night? This is the type of sports world meets the political world event that Aaron Sorkin would have found irresistible. It is too bad Dan, Casey, Jeremy, Dana, Natalie, or Issac are not around to put it all in perspective for us.
Citing security concerns, the organizers of a WTA event in Dubai decided to bar Israeli tennis player Shahar Peer from participating in the 2009 Dubai Tennis Championships. This got me thinking: how great this would have been for an episode of Sports Night? This is the type of sports world meets the political world event that Aaron Sorkin would have found irresistible. It is too bad Dan, Casey, Jeremy, Dana, Natalie, or Issac are not around to put it all in perspective for us.
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