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Sunday, February 24, 2008
After the envelopes: Did the right people win?
A few big surprises on Hollywood’s biggest night, especially in the actress categories. Marion Cotillard came out of nowhere for her best actress win, and Tilda Swinton shocked with her supporting actress win for her role in ‘Michael Clayton.’ The other biggies held some suspense, especially with the ‘There Will Be Blood’ and ‘No County for Old Men’ battle, but the Coen brothers and their film, much of which was shot in Texas, carried the day, winning best director and best picture. As for Diablo Cody’s win for best screenplay, we’ll spare you our vitriol.
What do you think of the night? Did the right folks win? Who got snubbed?
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Sans CGI, still enchanting
Poor Amy Adams. She had to go up there and trill her little heart out in front of her peers like that.
She looked forlorn, all alone on the wide open stage. In the movie “Enchanted,” from which her song appears, Adams sings with a swirling, frisky team of cartoon forest animals. Not here. Not fair.
But she was a sport. Sort of blushing while she girlishly gripped her hands to her chest and sustained a smile that blinded billions.
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Hot host
Oscar emcee Jon Stewart begins with a bang, riffing, often ruthlessly, on the topical — the writers strike, politics, the war, Obama — Hollywood culture and the nominees. He’s got rhythm and beat and form. And he’s very funny.
We couldn’t keep up with the stream of quips — not a dud in the bunch — but liked how he described “this year’s slate of nominated psychopathic-killer movies” and addressed screenwriter newbie Diablo Cody.
Cody, “an exotic dancer, now an Oscar-nominated screenwriter. I hope you’re enjoying the pay cut.”
An OK joke went: “Oscar turned 80 this year, which automatically makes him the front-runner for the Republican nomination.”
There were lots more, we promise.
(Snide sider: Who does Jack Nicholson think he’s kidding with the sunglasses indoors?)
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Colin all fists
I might be the only person on Earth who really appreciates the performances of Colin Farrell, so I held high hopes — too high, perhaps — that the actor would punch Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet.
He failed me. He owes me one.
And, with Farrell, we’ve just the received the evening’s first mention of Heath Ledger, whose recent death surely will be lugubriously noted throughout the show. We hope speakers keep it tasteful and subtle, like the late actor himself.
Oh! Hilary Swank just threatened to slug Seacrest if he misbehaves. (Yes, yes, yes …)
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E!-rase, please
E! stands for: Egads!
I like most of the Oscar hoop-dee-do, but the red carpet parade isn’t part of it. (“Who are you wearing?” “My cleaning lady.” Now that would be fresh.)
E!’s fawning giddiness is toxic. It’s mike-mauling greeters spoil the lines of worshiped multi-millionaires as if they’re orphan children with self-esteem problems. Thank heavens the celebs get those vaunted goodie bags.
“You know what’s great about these shows?” Ryan Seacrest asked. “It’s live, so you can’t go back!”
We know, we know.
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I need a large polo mallet
Just when I thought Ryan Seacrest had redeemed himself playing it self-effacingly nasty in “Knocked Up,” he returns to his odious, obsequious, unfunny ways on the red carpet: hectoring Amy Ryan to fake punch him (I would have handed her an Oscar for really doing it); carrying-on about the lame “Crotch-Cam”; showing us the new, terrribly unwitty hairdo, “The Bardem,” on best actor nominees; and simply being an overbearing knucklehead.
But I will shut up, for the celestial Anne Hathaway has just appeared, unmolested by Seacrud, and summarily eaten my heart.
(Most unpleasant news of the night so far: “Let’s go back to Ryan.”)
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Watch Malick’s movie take root in Smithville
Some crafty YouTubers have posted clips of what they claim (and we have no reason not to believe them) is video of the actual moving and planting of the title live oak in Terrence Malick’s “Tree of Life,” which starts shooting in March in Smithville with Brad Pitt and Sean Penn.
There’s a helicopter view and two ground-level scenes. So this is the centerpiece of the movie, which is reported to weigh 65,000 pounds and had to be hauled quite a stretch.
News from East Austin Stories, the series of UT student short films depicting a prismatic look at the East Side in all its hues and moods, overseen by UT film prof Andrew Garrison:
“Quinceanera” by Sergio Carvajal and Ruwan Perera plays at SXSW in the Texas Shorts program.
“Letters for Las Manitas” by Joshua Tate, Yuta Yamaguchi and Jeff Gipson is screening at the San Francisco International Children’s Film Festival.
And Garrison’s own feature documentary “Third Ward TX,” about Project Row Houses in Houston, is airing on KLRU beginning Monday night. Showtimes: 9 p.m. Monday; 10 p.m. Tuesday; 12 a.m. Thursday; and 2 a.m. Saturday.
Watch the “Third Ward TX” trailer HERE.
‘Third Ward TX’
A top-tier cast — including Jesse Plemons, Brad Williams and Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, all from “Friday Night Lights” — will read the new script by filmmaker brothers Alex and Andrew Smith at 7:30 p.m. March 2 at Cap City Comedy Club (8120 Research Blvd.).
The script is “Out of the Woods,” a feature length road film by the Smiths, whose 2002 drama “The Slaughter Rule,” starring Ryan Gosling and Amy Adams, played Sundance and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.
The brothers are on a hot streak: They’ve been named by Variety as one of Ten Screenwriters to Watch, and recently sold a one-hour TV crime drama to the F/X network.
Put on by the Austin Film Festival, the special reading is part of the Conversations in Film series sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
