State of Play (2009)

This movie's better than the reviews might lead you to believe. It's taut and well put together, and Russell Crowe's still a dream of an actor (though perhaps not of a person).

The main complaint I saw in reviews was Ben Affleck's casting as the philandering, cuckolded Representative Stephen Collins and former college roommate of Crowe's wildly unethical and intensely dedicated reporter Cal McAffrey, which is exactly the wrong kind of criticism to read. At every turn, Affleck's casting seemed exactly right. There wasn't a scene or nuance that wasn't believable from him. That is, unfortunately, until the very last. How horrible for a finely crafted performance to fall short in the exact moment it needs to rise above.

And rise above is what most of this movie fails to do. There's a lot of sitting around a computer watching others type. Though typing is a fairly large percentage of any writing job, it's rarely exciting to watch. Hilariously, the movie refuses to let us even so much as read over Cal's shoulder for very long and never gives voice to his actual text. We're meant to take his single-minded pursuit of his story as evidence of his writing prowess.

The other thing the movie fails to do is give us a delightfully sleazy Jason Bateman in every scene. I haven't seen him in a single ad, which is a mistake. He owns his screen time. I only wish he had had a scene with the criminally underused Helen Mirren. She's a dream of an editor, capable of defending her writers and cutting them down in the same stroke.

There's the usual paranoia over the internet and blogging as death to journalism (particularly ridiculous is the notion that it should be an insane point of pride to share a byline in a print edition when one already has one's own blog with a major daily), and it's made slightly worse by the fact that Rachel McAdams, who I generally enjoy, starts out strong but finishes bland. There's an adorable scene with a pen necklace that almost makes up for it, but I wished that we could have spent more time with Robin Wright Penn as Collins' wife Anne. Now there's a performance that suggests a lot with only a little to go on.

Director Kevin Macdonald and screenwriters Matthew Michael Carnahan, Tony Gilroy, and Billy Ray want desperately to make their own 70s political thriller (suggested with Wright Penn's wardrobe, as pointed out by eagle-eyed Emily; made ridiculously obvious by pinning up a photo of Woodward and Berstein at Cal's desk). While it's full of the right kind of bon mots, they are exactly the kind of bon mots that don't hold up if you take a minute to parse them. Cal makes a crack about working at the paper for 15 years on a 16 year-old computer, and you chuckle, but then you wonder what he had to do to hang onto said computer when everyone else was going through mandatory updates. I doubt it's what Macdonald et al meant for you to wonder about. B-

"What was once your first-draft, grade-A choice from your parents as a gift becomes... socks."

Unlike my first-draft, grade-A choice in our Hollywood Fantasy Draft, who was . . . well, I'll let you read it for yourself. What's a fantasy draft? Steve, Kevin, Joe, and I each drafted ten actors for our fantasy studios. At the end of the year, we'll tally up box office receipts, nominations, and award wins to see who is the Sausage King of Chicago.* I mean, the Studio King. This link will bring you to Round 1-3. More rounds will go up throughout the week. I'll keep you posted.

*Subject to laziness.

Pop Culture Round-Up: April 18-24

Oh, good. I've always wanted to know.

Because we're still stuck on All the President's Men?

Whoo! Take that, criticism in crisis.

Can it be resurrected as a movie instead? Or a mini-series? Or, you know, a TV show?

You know, I'm still not sure I want to see this as a movie.

Huh. Of course, if they really wanted to do this list right, it'd be Billy Connolly and Joe Morton at the top.

Hmm.

Everyone's just looking to cash in, aren't they?

Take that, slump! Make the rich richer. Oh, proletariat, how could you?

Squee! One can only hope.

Aw.

Holy crap. Out of print books? This is the revolution calling.

Won't get any arguments with a Supernatural movie 'round here. Not that we're getting one, mind.

Like most things Twilight-related, overwrought and unnecessary.

Dude, those books are going to be killer.

I'm a little confused because I thought someone was already hired for the job, but, hey, I guess he knows vampires. Do you think he'll find a role for movie-boyfriend Ben Foster?

Pop Culture Round Up: April 4 - 17

I had one ready for last Friday, but I didn't have time to publish. Ah, well, I'll do better soon.

Are there still young critics? Okay, I know the answer to that, so I hope the answer is soon.

This is going to be great.

I haven't made up my mind if that's kind of awesome or just Neil LaBute's woman-hating fault.

Didn't we learn anything from Eternal Sunshine?

YAY! I will happily stay home Saturday nights for The Piemaker.

Number 10's probably my favourite even though I'm pretty sure it takes place over one day.

Mapping the Cultural Buzz: How Cool Is That?

It's like Golden Girls starring men.

I think it makes us feel like we're all hanging in there, and we're all in it together.

Heh. Yup, that's all.

I rocked it, and so can you. It may surprise you to learn that I rocked this one even harder.

I hope Harry Hamlin gets a cameo.

I am so confused by this news. It seems antithetical.

It's kind of Apocalyptic, but I like it.

More returned art!

I believe it.

We should should what, exactly? Stop making disaster movies in order to protect children's imaginations? Your point is beyond me, Lisa Kennedy.

Aw, yeah. Covering his werewolf and now his vampire bases. I hope zombies are up soon.

You're not the only ones left wondering what this means for next season.

“I’m reading it going, ‘Really, we’re going to put fucking shark in Jason’s spine and he thinks it’s going to work?’ ”

"The story is allegedly a loose retelling of the 16th U.S. president's life story — embellished with the notion that he is also a highly skilled vampire slayer." Yes. I love it.

While I'm pretty sure that Julian would be dead, I'd still watch it.

"Turns out, Milton was more rebellious and politically left than I realized. He was a risk-taker. He was arrested and imprisoned. Thanks, in part, to Andrew Marvell, he barely escaped a death sentence." Dudes, Milton. Milton. Can you believe it?

Hip-hop theatre! That excites me.

It's the movie choices that save it.

I don't know how they do it, but the tie-in products continue to be genius.

I Love You, Man (2009)

I'm just going to come out with it and tell you that I love Paul Rudd and Jason Segel. I might love Rudd just a little bit more (can you believe he's 40?) (also, sorry, Segel). While I'm glad that their latest outing didn't go to a weird woman hating place like their last one, I do wish Rashida Jones and Jamie Pressley had a little more to do. Even so, there's something here that anyone over the age of 22 can identify with: how do you make friends post-college?

For all the brouhaha over the man dates and the best man crunch, all director and co-writer John Hamburg is addressing is the difficulty of making friends without school to bind you. For some reason there's this whole extra level of awkward to go along with it after graduation, and Hamburg taps into that via Rudd so virulently that even as you laugh, you cringe (the nexus of the best comedy). Rudd's always been one to go the extra mile for a joke (that's what makes his outburst in Wet Hot American Summer so damn funny), and the way he hits everything not one beat off but two sells how uncomfortable it would be to try to find not only a new friend but also a best friend.

Segel plays off Rudd wonderfully, all loose energy and phony masculinity. I wish he'd do something about that hair but otherwise love him, too.

Of course, there is a little something off here: Zooey and Peter have been dating for years. She would have noticed by now that he doesn't have any male friends and that his best friend is his mom (although who can blame him since his mom is Jane Curtin). She would have noticed, she would have been concerned, and she would have said something. When people don't have any friends, no matter how great they are, it says something. Something like "crazypants." Although Andy Samberg and J.K. Simmons are so adorable as Peter's gay brother and his dad who became the brother's best friend by learning to be okay with his gay son ("I love my dead gay son!"), that it's almost worth it.

Now if they could have only worked in more scenes with Jon Favreau playing against type as a man's man who argues his wife into sexual favours. Those two should have a sitcom. B+

"Ain't no nostalgia to this shit here. There's just the street and the game and what happen here today."

So true. Just like the lack of nostalgia I feel for Dr. Strangelove, the subject of my latest Culture article. You'll get closer to the things I feel nostalgic about if you check out my latest YouTube picks. And, as always, there is Miss Smartypants's advice, updated Mondays. This month, in honour of Earth Day, she tackles all green questions. You can send your questions, green or otherwise, to advice@culturemagazine.ca.

Cadillac Records (2008)

I went to see Cadillac Records when it opened here. It chronicles the rise and fall of Chess Records, legendary Chicago-based record label, and co-founder Leonard Chess' (Adrien Brody) rise and fall right along with it. I say co-founder because Leonard Chess founded the studio with his brother Phil, who is, hilariously, nowhere to be found in the movie.*

Writer-director Darnell Martin's work plays about as fast and loose with the truth as it does with logic. Leonard has this on-going, never-consummated love affair with Etta James (Beyoncé Knowles), and, while I am not disputing the possibility of such an affair in real life, it's so ridiculously drawn on the screen. There's a short sequence where he goes from having sad, workman-like sex with his wife (Emmanuelle Chriqui), to running over to Etta's when she's overdosed, to kissing Etta while she's still coming down, to getting caught, to saying to Muddy Waters (the always fantastic Jeffrey Wright), "What if I told you I have feelings for her?" in the span of about 10 minutes. "What if?" Dude, you should be able to do better than a hypothetical at that point. No sooner has that flared up than it disappears.

That little vignette is exemplary of the problem with most of the plot points, to be honest. Martin consistently brings up wrong doing on the part of Chess, whether it's how he got his start in the record business or how he treated his artists that got him there, but it refuses to engage with him on that level beyond mentioning these things. How are we supposed to feel about that? I like it when movies don't judge their characters (cf Rachel Getting Married), but you have to give everyone a valid point to be able to do it properly. We don't even have the slightest idea how Chess may have felt about the charges laid against him, and I'm not ready to lay that at Brody's feet.

The flip side, of course, is the performances and the singing. I'd never thought I'd say this, but, if hearing Beyoncé sing "All I Could Do Was Cry" doesn't bring a frisson to your spine, you're heartless. Who knew she could sing like that? Who knew she could act like that? All the hurt and resentment James could pack into her voice is right there on screen. Wright shows up to remind us what a brilliant character actor he is, Eamonn Walker is a particularly inspired Howlin' Wolf, and Colombus Short's Little Walter is full of fire. It's Mos Def's Chuck Berry that injects the movie with style and fun. B

*Norman Reedus is credited as "Chess," but he's got, like, one line. If that was supposed to be Phil, maybe someone should have called him that. Oh, no, wait, Shiloh Fernandez is credited as Phil Chess. No, sorry, no. I literally do not remember him in a single scene. Does he have any lines? Also, why is Norman Reedus also credited as Chess?

Watchmen (2009)

I've already wrote and published my Book vs. Film, so I don't want to repeat too much of what I said there. I saw the movie before I had finished the novel, I wrote and published the article, and then I saw it again. The other night a friend said to me that she thought my criticism of the interpretation was too harsh. Perhaps.

It's not that I didn't like the movie. If I hadn't read the novel beforehand, I'm sure I would have quite liked it. The opening montage, which catches us up on the first generation of masked adventures, set to Bob Dylan's "The Times, They Are A-Changin'", is quite possibly the best part of the movie. Even if you aren't familiar with the source material, it captures the sort of nostalgic feeling (the classic, pain from an old wound kind) that permeates the novel.

When Ozymandias says that he made himself feel every death, the first time around I whispered, "How?" Ozymandias in the book surely could have found a way. The second time I simply frowned. I like Matthew Goode, but he's too small and young for this role. He seems too much like he's playing at being a grown up, unable to live up to the body building genius that Moore created.

Two friends who had never picked up the novel saw the movie. One called it boring; the other complained that there are too many flashbacks. I don't agree with either criticism, nor did I find the movie Edelstein's "an awe-inspiring corpse." Something does get lost in the interpretation, though I think I hit it right when I said that it's the psychology that's missing. The thing that made Rorschach (the perfectly cast Jackie Earl Haley) Rorschach wasn't burying a meat cleaver into a murderer's head. It was the moment he realized that he could use the indifference of good people in his favour. It's a startling notion in the book that never materializes in the movie.

Still, the movie's not anywhere near as bad as I am no doubt making it sound. It's nothing short of a tremendous visual feat, and there are plenty of sly references for all the fanboys (the screens at the TV studio from the beginning of the movie read S.Q.U.I.D. at the end, the song references at the end of the chapters are woven into the bitchin' soundtrack). I think, in the end, that Zach Synder's heart's in the right place. The novel's world - its paranoia, its fears, its teetering on the brink of destruction from seemingly every angle - remains preserved. Some of the contents may have shifted during flight, so fanboys and girls will just have to remember to open carefully. But there's a lot to uncover if you do open up. B

P.S. Dr. Manhattan's huge, swinging dick really is distracting, though.

Pop Culture Round Up: March 28 - April 3

Sometimes the headline says it all: Cheese book wins over monkey manual for oddest book title prize

Thanks for coming. Now eat some popcorn!

Two more years! Two more years!

Initially all I saw was "Sweeney Todd co-star," and I got so excited for pretty much any one in that movie doing anything. Do you think he'll sing?

Sad.

Secret face!

I think this might be worse than the time they gave away my passport. Oh, man.

"He was quite lecherous. But he was lecherous to all the girls." One would hope!

Will it star Dan and Chuck? Don't you think it should? Well, I suppose they're a bit young.

Criticism in crisis continues: An orchestra gets a critic fired for not liking their conductor.

That's punacceptable!

Want you back, want you back, want you back for good.

"The findings support a neurobiological hypothesis for why impoverished children consistently fare worse than their middle-class counterparts in school, and eventually in life."

Oh, I'm so surprised by who he's sitting next to.

Pop Culture Round Up: March 14 - 27

Whoo! Two weeks worth of news! Only not because I haven't had time to read much these days. Even so, I do have a little something for ya.

Russian movie industry in grips of big chill.

"Museum numbers are up, because, quite suddenly, museums aren't much like museums."

Sad. I quite liked him on The West Wing.

Yay! This was one of my two favourite shows when I was young.

Why choose?

"After complaining for years of unfair or insensitive reviews, they have come to the realization that the only thing worse than getting criticized is being ignored."

"It's a delicate balancing act: Make enough titles to fill the pipeline, but not so many that they drown each other, as happened in 2007 and again last year."

This casting is crazy.

Yay! I bet he doesn't use auto tune.

Heh.

There's a pairing I wouldn't have seen coming.

"There’s pretty good evidence that we generally don’t truly want good information — but rather information that confirms our prejudices."

What, what? I'm going to check this out.

Ha? This doesn't look so good.

Way to stay on the ball. Also, leave him alone. He's a national treasure.

"Even as talent and money cross borders, the studios are finding out that negotiating the distance between Burbank and Bollywood is trickier than expected."

This shouldn't be funny, but it kind of is.

"In a marketing culture so perfectly calibrated that experts can predict what's in our fridge by the car we drive, why is it that what women want in a movie is still considered mysterious?"

"It is all too easy for a female actor to find herself cast as the mother of someone who once played her boyfriend as soon as she blows out the candles on her 35th birthday cake."

Exactly.

Guess they're trying to cover all their vampire bases?

I want to read this now.

Hee!

Oh, how I do love it.

Pop Culture Round Up: March 7 - 13

Because they feared Liam Neeson coming after them?

I rocked this thing.

That would be cool, but how would you find out about new shows? Channel surfing is still important.

Yay! I think I am okay with this. You`re welcome.

Wow, do I ever want to read this now. There`s so much I`m missing out on! This, too!

While I am quite excited that David Edelstein is blogging again, this addition so threw me that I don`t recall even finishing the sentence. What?

I finally got around to watching this, and it looks great.

Let`s go!

I hope so!

This is beautiful.

Is it me, or is there something wonky with Lenin`s eyes?

Why must this be so ridiculous?

Ha!

Really? Okay.

Is there?

This is the best thing I read all week.

Pop Culture Round Up: February 28 - March 6

I'm not sure how I feel about this, but I'm leaning toward negatively at the moment.

Aw, they want to forget their troubles!

Nothing this cool ever happens at my office.

Yes? Listen, I think I've made it pretty clear that I'm all for criticism, but why would lack thereof equal no book culture? It's not like the publishing industry, English majors, and book clubs have ceased to exist.

Is it me, or does Paul Rudd look hot in this photo?

Ha! I knew those Baby Einstein DVDs were a crock. Another good reason to steer clear.

Well, yeah. When else can you call your friends and yell "Holy shit!"?

Continued obsession: Tracking down Nazi art booty. Yeah, that's what I just said.

I'm not quite at this point yet with the show, but Sars is right about the way pretty every conversation goes lately.

Oh, how I want to see it.

There are about 500 million things you could read about Watchmen this week, but I'd recommend this one.

Reactions to this headline: Shock, disbelief, suspicion that the Fug Girls were lying to me. Reactions to photo: Mild anxiety, as Vampire Boy suddenly looks kind of like ex-co-worker that I occasionally run into in the streets.

I think I may be reaching the saturation point on my anti-obsession as I didn't immediately clamour for one of these. Mind you, if it were actually like she described, I would want one so bad.

I do kind of want this.

Truth: I've only read two of these. I don't recall lying about the rest, mind.

I know it's supposed to sound hard and discouraging, but I thought, "Cool job."

I'm down with this casting, but the job is preposterous. It's a stupid contrivance entirely to cause friction. They are old money, for pete's sake!

The casting of this movie is getting surreal, but I kind of think it could end up being awesome.

Trailer insanity:

Terminator: Salvation

500 Days of Summer

Wolverine

Public Enemies

The Limits of Control

The Short Take: 2009 so far

Bearing in mind that January and February are generally a cinematic wasteland that people use to get caught up on awards fare, there's sometimes a gem in the bunch, an Eternal Sunshine or In Bruges. This year, not so much, hence the capsule reviews.

My Bloody Valentine 3D (2009)

Reason: Jensen Ackles

Yes, we went for the Ackles. It's a known fact that I rarely watch horror movies in part because I scare easily and in part because I don't have the stomach for gore. I've started to get over both in recent years, and, more importantly, Ackles should really be a lot more famous than he is. Probably not for this movie, in which we learn that even pregnant women aren't safe in horror movies any more, but generally he should be. Aside from the Ackles, Edi Gathegi, and the brief moments when I considered it possible that Jamie King was the killer (spoiler: she's not), there's little to recommend it. D

Push (2009)

Reason: Chris Evans

Okay, not really. I like Evans, but I wouldn't go to a movie just for him. I actually decided to go because the AV Club claimed it was not that bad, and it turns out they were right. Dakota Fanning's the best part of the movie as its emotional core, and the relationship between her and Evans is surprisingly sweet and believable. There's enough style and moody blues to keep your interest even when the story doesn't (makes them super soldiers how?). Camilla Belle's spangly suit didn't do any one any favours, though. B

Taken (2008)

Reason: Liam Neeson

Oh, again not really. It did turn out that he is the only reason to see this movie, but we also needed to get out of the house. If we get to see famous original Ruby and hear Neeson shout, "This is not the time for a dick measuring contest, Stuart!", so much the better. Other pluses include the hilariously short running time (91 minutes), and the important take home lesson that if you incur incredible amounts of damage, kill foreign nationals, and uncover a sex slave ring*, France will send you home with a pat on the back. C

*You know, the kind made up of affluent white Westerners.

The International (2009)

Reason: Clive Owen (for reals this time)

If you were thinking that what you'd really like to see is Naomi Watts and Owen slumming it for no discernible reason with nothing but risible dialogue between them, have I ever got a movie for you. It's as though someone made a full length version of Superfluous Indifference. The current economic climate adds a patina of relevance to the proceedings, so it's too bad that it wears off pretty quickly. The shoot out in the Guggenheim goes like gangbusters, but in the end you're left with nothing but the distinct feeling that Watts, Owen, and Armin Mueller-Stahl deserve a lot better. C

Friday the 13th (2009)

Reason: Jared Padalecki

Since pretty much everyone I know that watches Supernatural is a Dean-girl, I've got this complex called, "I'm not even a Sam-girl, but you guys are making one due to your insane love of Dean." One might also call it unnecessary pity, as no one is kicking The Chest out of bed for eating crackers. Aside from the fact that Padalecki wears far fewer layers than he does in the average episode and I was reminded that Ryan Hansen exists, there is no reason to see yet another horror remake. Now let's do something about that hair. D

"I learned, at a very young age, the only currency worth anything in this world is power."

Between you and me, I think betting against Irina Derevko is always a mistake. Mind you, I've only finished season two, so don't spoil me on anything. Just like I won't spoil you on the ten steps I uncovered to win Best Picture in my latest Culture article. You can also read my advice column (updated every Monday; send questions to advice@culturemagazine.ca), and check out my new YouTube picks. Currently playing is an all-Conchords edition.

Pop Culture Round Up: February 21 - 27

But how do you ask questions?

Good for them.

I can't saw I ever thought much about this (confession: I don't have an mp3 player. I used to, then my headphones broke, then it broken, then I realized I prefer to hear the world around me most of the time when I'm out walking, which is pretty much the only time I used it), but I am glad that there is a solution. There's no reason to be denied your Prokofiev.

Holy shit, harsh! Sometimes criticism is crisis really gets me down.

Heh.

Watchmen guide for the uninitiated. Next Friday still seems so far away.

"Greenfield warns social networking sites are changing children's brains, resulting in selfish and attention deficient young people."

Was this an unknown previously?

Finally. What was his problem?

Yay! I can only assume that awesomeness will result.

This week in greatest things ever: Vladimir Putin releases judo instruction DVD.

Good, they should.

The answer is Conchords.

Nine! That's just fine by me.

Hee!

Why?

If I knew how to contact Kenneth Clark, I would mail this to his racist ass.

I don't see this happening, but it's a great rumour.

Top 10 of 2008

With 58 movies to choose from, you'd think this list would be difficult to write. Considering the fact that a mere 14 fell in the A range and not a one received an A +, it appears that I am not going soft, as I suspected. While 2008 was no 2007, what was good was really, genuinely, easy-to-spot good.

N.B. Having seen neither Wall-E nor Man on Wire, neither appear on this list. That's not a knock against either. I just haven't seen them, which puts them out of the running.

10. Tropic Thunder
"Seven years have lapsed between this and the highly quotable Zoolander. If it takes another seven years to get a parody of this quality, one that is this smart, silly, and fun, we'll wait."

9. Milk
"There's something so sweet and innocent and daring about a man who can look at his life at 40, thinking nothing of it, and decide to do something about that."

8. Waltz with Bashir
"Waltz with Bashir is one of the most beautiful movies about death I have ever seen: death to self, to country, to memory."

7. The Wrestler
"Thanks to a fantastic -- though occasionally too on the nose -- script from Robert D. Seigel, this movie is really the resurrection of Aronofsky. Or, rather, the renaissance of Aronofsky as a director."

6. Let the Right One In
"It's to both Alfredson and Linqvist's credit that the answers don't come easy. Instead we're kept off kilter in a world that happens just outside the boundary of normal, that presses in on all sides without ever quite crossing over."

5. In Bruges
"McDonagh's story of guilt, retribution, and spiritual awakening clinches on a dead priest and a midget filming a dream sequence. It's hilariously sad."

4. Slumdog Millionaire
"Working in tandem with gorgeous, sensual, and richly textured work from cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle and the surprisingly subtle screen adaptation from Simon Beaufoy, Boyle and Tandan have nothing short of magic on their hands."

3. The Dark Knight
"Yes, it's very dark. It's downright bleak. But it is also exactly how it has to be. Nolan executes exactly what he needs to without hesitation or remorse. It's the kind of filmmaking that, despite how dark it is, inspires."

2. Rachel Getting Married
"It's as real as any movie in recent memory and more so, for Jonathan Demme delicately picks up Jenny Lumet's screenplay and weaves colour, texture, and life into her carefully selected words."

1. Entre les murs (The Class)
"In his diverse class (a mix of African, Asian and Middle Eastern immigrants with a few French thrown in), in his role of bringing the kids out, Bégaudeau faces challenges, some of which he meets, some of which he exceeds, and some of which he falls short. It takes courage to recognize this, and afterward you realize that you have witnessed something rare."

Honourable mentions go to Mongol and Iron Man, which were narrowly beat out for a spot on the list. Now, what will 2009 bring?

Oscar Wrap Up (2009)

Around the time that Kate picked up her Oscar (finally, even if she is only 33), I got a little worried. I was four for four, and, by my track record, either Mickey Rourke or Slumdog Millionaire would have to go down. Even though I would have loved to have seen yet another deranged speech from Mr. Rourke (and where the dogs in all this?), I was relieved when Penn took the podium (Rourke's his brother, apparently). Slumdog's win was secure.

As was Anthony Dod Mantle's, who may have taken home the most deserving statuette last night. Sure, Philippe Petit was adorable when he rushed the stage and balanced Oscar on his chin, but, really, is there anything better than Mantle's collaboration with Boyle? Maybe his hair?

While I loved Kate's dad's whistle, my award for best acceptance speech is going to Dustin Lance Black. It was beautiful, moving, and simple. That he happens to be so cute and youthful didn't hurt either.

Pattinson did not bite anyone during the show (though I feared in particular for Rourke, who was seated directly in front of the young vampire). Seriously, though, even Troy made a crack about his pallor. I wouldn't be surprised if being perpetually in character was part of his particular brand of crazy.

Pluses: great hosting by Jackman (but where did he disappear to after half time?); the presentation by committee plan worked out (loved the endless movement that went with Angelica Huston's little speech -- apparently she's too va va voom to stand still; loved Swinton for wearing separates and Maclaine for wearing pants); a lovely, moving speech from Ledger's family; the Pineapple Express interlude complete with singing; Jerry Lewis; Angelina's emeralds; Marion Colltiard, as always I hope; Tina Fey, as always for reals; Penélope Cruz's dress; Penélope Cruz, just generally; Viola Davis's dress; Taraji P. Henson's dress; Ben Stiller's Joaquin Phoenix impersonation if only because it may, as Dana hopes, serve as proof that it's all a put-on; my boyfriend Robert Downey Jr, now and forever.

Negatives: the salute to musicals; the salutes to genres; the inability for the camera to show us people's names during the dead people montage; watching Po trying to eat a dumpling at the bottom of the screen during everything ever; figuring out who those two people about to kiss were and then promptly forgetting; getting distracted by said kissing; SJP's dress; Winslet's dress; the general dreariness of the dresses, actually; no Javier Bardem with Penélop Cruz; Meryl Streep's dress; Reese Witherspoon's dress; Reese Witherspoon's make up; Frida Pinto's dress.

All in all, a decent night. Now if someone will only start mass marketing Wall-E crock pots.

Oscar Round Up (2009)

Let's do this thing. View full list of nominees.

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Amy Adams in Doubt
Penélope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis in Doubt
Taraji P. Henson in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei in The Wrestler

I didn't mention Henson at all in my review of Button or say much about Tomei in The Wrestler. It's not that either of them don't deserve consideration. They are both great in their respective roles (though it's hard to pick out exactly what's meant to be so extraordinary about Henson's work. Tomei manages to imbue the old stripper with a heart of gold trope with an earthiness that grounds the character). I mention these things because I don't think either one is going to win. Instead, that'll go to . . .

Who will win: Cruz. Which is fine by me, as she is by far the spark that makes the movie come alive.
Who should win: From the list, Davis. She gets more across in her ten minutes of screen time than most other actors can in an entire movie. I hope she wears something fantastic tomorrow night. Going outside the list, Debra Winger and Rosemarie Dewitt for Rachel Getting Married.

Performance by an actress in a leading role

Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie in Changeling
Melissa Leo in Frozen River
Meryl Streep in Doubt
Kate Winslet in The Reader

Do you think Streep ever saw Hathaway as competition when they were making The Devil Wears Prada? While I doubt that Streep thinks that way, I doubt she would have if she did. While it's great to see something as small as Frozen River up there and a great character actress like Leo on the list, that's as far as she'll get. Jolie's nod feels like par for the course, and, though Hathaway deserves it for shedding her lingering Princess Dairies shimmer and bringing something truly revelatory to the screen, she's not really much of a contender. It's a Streep-Winslet grudge match.

Who will win: Winslet.
Who should win: Hathaway.

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Josh Brolin in Milk
Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt
Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon in Revolutionary Road

Since this category's been a foregone conclusion for months, let's take a moment to note how unimaginative it is. Downey, sure, but why not go whole hog and put Cruise up there? Ledger, yes, but let's not forget about Eckhart. Harvey Dent made that movie. What about a little something for Michael Sheen? Brolin deserves it for waking up a couple of years ago and deciding to knock every one's socks off, and Shannon deserves it most of all for breathing such life into the holy fool trope that the role became that movie's lightening rod.

Who will win: Ledger.
Who should win: Ledger. That's right. If that's the list you're going to give me, that's how I vote. It's a stunning performance, and those who suggest otherwise is just looking to be contrary.

Performance by an actor in a leading role

Richard Jenkins in The Visitor
Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn in Milk
Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler

Much like Leo on the leading lady list, it's nice to see some recognition for a consummate character actor like Jenkins. He won't win, but it'll be great to see him there. Langella should have won last year for Starting out in the Evening, and I doubt the Academy is going to rectify that this year. Same goes for Pitt's work in The Assassination of Jesse James. Which leaves us with showdown between Penn, playing a truly likable character that he refuses to allow to slip into caricature, and Rourke, whose crazy Oscar campaign only underlines want an amazing feat his raw performance truly was. This is the closest race of the bunch.

Who will win: Rourke.
Who should win: Rourke. Why not? Also, Robert Downey Jr for Iron Man, Christian Bale for The Dark Knight, François Bégaudeau for Entre les murs . . .

Achievement in Directing and Best Motion Picture of the Year

We've got five for five this year, and, as I have said in the past, it's hard to talk about one and not the other.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, David Fincher
Frost/Nixon, Ron Howard
Milk, Gus Van Sant
The Reader, Stephen Daldry
Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle

I've seen and reviewed all these movies, so I'm just going to call it.

Who will win: Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Who should win: Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire. Neither it nor him fit the "little indie that could" bill that has been applied during its campaign, but it's the best of the bunch. I sincerely hope that Anthony Dod Mantle wins for cinematography as well. Love that man. This year, I think that means something. The only upset I can see is in favour of the Van Sant/Milk combo.

I'll tell you what, though. I will laugh and laugh if I get this all wrong.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Finally! One day to go, and I can now official say that I have seen all of the movies up for Best Picture. It's nice to cross this one off the list.

That said, it's . . . alright. I'd like to say that it's more than that, but it's not really. While the scope of director David Fincher and screenwriter Eric Roth's adaptation of the Fitzgerald short story is epic, nothing about the finished product really is. Fincher continues to be one of the most exciting visual directors working today, and while Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett turn in fine performances as Benjamin Button and his true love Daisy, there's nothing in the emotional payout or the story to earn the label of epic.

Part of the problem is that the formula the plot line follows bears more than a little resemblance to Roth's previous Academy favourite, Forrest Gump. Which, when thought about objectively, is nothing more than an alright movie itself: a likable protagonist in unlikely circumstances set against major events across the 20th century and with a circuitous love story running through the middle. And yet, the best part of movie occurs when Pitt and Blanchett are finally freed up to be their approximate ages instead of covered in prosthetics and make up (for the record, her youth make up is far more impressive than his old man make up). I imagine it's difficult to fully inhabit a character who is also a construct.

The decision to move the story to New Orleans seems a strange one as well. They use the beautiful old city admirably, but using Katrina as a framing device is questionable at the very least. Factoring in that poor Julia Ormand, reading the story to her mother on her deathbed, has to learn and digest two idiotic decisions in short order, and it feels, at the very least, unsettling. Confidential to the producers: maybe you could have gotten her some blue contacts? Just a little biology related thought.

At the end of the day, it's Fincher and Roth's refusal to draw any conclusions or apply anything more than a broad "life is sad sometimes" moral to their story that stops it short of being the epic they were obviously seeking to create. It's certainly a technical masterpiece. Maybe next time they can remember the heart. B-

Pop Culture Round Up: February 14 - 20

Sort of a slow week if you want to read something other than Oscar coverage.

"Americans have developed an admirable fondness for books, food, and music that preprocess other cultures. But for all our enthusiasm, have we lost our taste for the truly foreign?"

I'm a little sick of this.

Oh, c'mon. This is just too much. It's on purpose, I am sure of it.

Mystery solved!

I'm pretty sure the answer is, "Maybe?"

If you think about which you have gone without longer, the results seem obvious.

Now that is a tradition worth remembering.

First a bidding war over Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and now this? This is what happens when copyright can't protect you anymore.

Three does make a trend.

Type fonts are cool, and so is his photo.

Heh. I'm often outraged by the same thing.

Holy crap! That makes sense, and it's probably an unsinkable series, but seriously, what is the matter with that studio? Will they hire Catherine back? Will they hire me? It's my favourite of the books!