Academy Award Winners

Best Picture

Winner: Million Dollar Baby
My Prediction: Million Dollar Baby

Best Director

Winner: Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby)
My Prediction: Martin Scorsese (The Aviator)

Best Actor

Winner: Jamie Foxx (Ray)
My Prediction: Jamie Foxx (Ray)

Best Actress

Winner: Hillary Swank (Million Dollar Baby)
My Prediction: Hillary Swank (Million Dollar Baby)

Best Supporting Actor

Winner: Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby)
My Prediction: Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby)

Best Supporting Actress

Winner: Cate Blanchett (The Aviator)
My Prediction: Cate Blanchett (The Aviator)

Best Original Screenplay

Winner: Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry, Pierre Bismuth (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
My Prediction: Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry, Pierre Bismuth (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Winner: Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor (Sideways)
My Prediction: Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor (Sideways)

Foreign Language Film

Winner: The Sea Inside
My Prediction: The Sea Inside

Animated Feature

Winner: The Incredibles
My Prediction: The Incredibles

Documentary Feature

Winner: Born Into Brothels
My Prediction: Born Into Brothels

Art Direction

Winner: The Aviator
My Prediction: The Aviator

Visual Effects

Winner: Spiderman 2
My Prediction: Spiderman 2

Costume Design

Winner: The Aviator
My Prediction: Troy

Makeup Effects

Winner: Lemony Snickets: A Series of Unfortunate Events
My Prediction: The Passion of the Christ

Best Editing

Winner: The Aviator
My Prediction: The Aviator

Cinematography

Winner: The Aviator
My Prediction: The Aviator

Sound Mixing

Winner: Ray
My Prediction: Ray

Original Score

Winner: Finding Neverland
My Prediction: Finding Neverland

Best Song

Winner: Al Otro Lado Del Rio (The Motorcycle Diaries)
My Prediction: Look To Your Path (The Chorus)

And the rest of the winners in categories I didn't predict:

Animated Short: Ryan
Documentary Short: Mighty Times: The Children's March
Sound Editing: The Incredibles
Short Film (Live Action): Wasp

I got a mind blowing 16 out of 20 on my predictions. That's much better than I expected and may just go to prove that The Oscars are getting a bit too predictable. 16 out of 20 is going to be real tough to live up to next year, that's for sure.

Here is the final tally of how many awards each film nabbed:

5 - The Aviator
4 - Million Dollar Baby
2 - Ray
2 - The Incredibles
1 - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
1 - Sideways
1 - The Sea Inside
1 - Born Into Brothels
1 - Spiderman 2
1 - Lemony Snickets: A Series of Unfortunate Events
1 - Finding Neverland
1 - The Motorcycle Diaries

Best Moment: Jamie Foxx's acceptance speech.
Worst Moment: Scorsese losing again / Sean Penn not having a sense of humor.
Funniest Moment: Chris Rock talking "White Chicks" at the Magic Johnson Theater.
Looked Great: Salma Hayak, Natalie Portman, Hillary Swank, Beyonce, Leonardo DiCaprio.
Looked Less Than Great: Rene Zellwegger, Carlos Santana.

The Independent Spirit Awards

Saturday afternoon in a big tent on the beach they handed out the Anti-Oscars, the Independent Spirit Awards. I love watching these every year because it seems so much more fun and spontaneous. The people let loose a little and have a good time, making for a fun watch. This year was a bit on the predictable side, with "Sideways" taking home every award it was nominated for (which was a bunch, including: Best Picture, Actor, Sup. Actor, Sup. Actress, Director, and Screenplay), but that didn't make it any less enjoyable to watch. Thomas Haden Church crying in his award speech was nice to see, and Catalina Sandino Moreno winning for her touching performance in "Maria Full of Grace" was also welcome. Joshua Marston took home Best First Screenplay and Zack Braff won the award for Best First Feature, which is a bit odd cause I would have predicted it would be Braff winning for screenplay and Marston winning for first feature. Watching the show tonight reminded me of a few years back, when Derek Luke won Best Actor for "Antoine Fisher" and gave probably the best acceptance speech I have ever seen. It was funny, touching and inspiring all at the same time. He commented that just one year earlier he was a waiter at that very same award show. For the first time in a while, John Waters didn't host the show, opting instead to present an award. Sam Jackson hosted and held his own, but he lacked that perfect flair that Waters always brings. All in all it wasn't as riveting as some of the years past, but it still was a good way to kill 2 hours.

Random Top 10 Lists (Rappers Turned Actors)

This weeks installment of the blog sensation that is sweeping the nation known as "Random Top 10 Lists" is the best movies staring rappers turned actors.

10. Chicago (Queen Latifah)
9. Independence Day (Will Smith)
8. Monsters Ball (Mos Def, Puff Daddy)
7. Friday (Ice Cube)
6. Training Day (Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre)
5. Three Kings (Ice Cube, Mark Wahlberg)
4. The Cider House Rules (Heavy D)
3. Narc (Busta Rhymes)
2. Boyz In The Hood (Ice Cube)
1. Boogie Nights (Mark Wahlberg)

Honorable Mention: 8 Mile (Eminem), Bad Boys (Will Smith), Bamboozled (Mos Def), The Basketball Diaries (Mark Wahlberg), The Italian Job (Mos Def, Mark Wahlberg), Men In Black (Will Smith), New Jack City (Ice T)

DVD Roundup (Mr. 3000, The Notebook, Shark Tale)

Mr. 3000

I'm a sucker for baseball movies. I'll see pretty much any baseball movie and will usually like it. Even if everyone else thinks it is awful like Major League 3, I will still probably still dig it. So I rented "Mr. 3000" expecting a plotless comedy, and what I got was a relatively unfunny but decent film. With Bernie Mac playing the lead you would think that laughs are a given, but he plays this more more serious that I would have ever guessed. Bernie's thinly vailed Barry Bonds impression is pretty dead on and the story is better than I would have ever guessed, but at the end of the day it just wasn't funny. It had it's moments here and there, but it has nothing you haven't seen elsewhere. While the movie isn't really bad, it isn't really all that good either. It is the kind of movie you watch and are mildly amused by, and once it's over you forget you ever watched it.

The Notebook

So, I have been putting off seeing this movie for a while now. I had read the good reviews and heard from a few buddies that it is quite good, but it is still a chick flick. I can count on one hand the amount of chick flicks I have actually enjoyed, so "The Notebook" had it's work cut out for it. Much to my surprise however, this movie had me crying like a little girl with a scraped knee. Not openly weeping mind you (I am pretty sure I would get my man card revoked for that), but the eyes were a bit watery on more than a few occasions. If there is a better chick flick than this one, I have yet to see it. This movie was flat out good. The performances were good, especially from the 2 leads. Ryan Gosling (one of the very good young actors) and Rachel McAdams (relatively unknown, but on the verge of stardom) have terrific chemistry. They were electifiying together on screen. The movie really only slows down when they are separated. James Garner and Gena Rowlands are both good here as well. There is nothing better than watching great older actors who can still act circles around most of the youngsters. This was definitely a step in the right direction for director Nick Cassavettes, after the disappointing "John Q". Maybe John Cassavette's kid isn't just coat-tailing his famous parents after all (his mother is Gena Rowlands). Word to the wise here guys, if your like most men and you have to watch the occasional chick flick, do yourself a favor and beg your wife/girlfriend/date/callgirl to watch this one.

Shark Tale

The whole adult movie packaged as a kid film seems to work wonders for the "Shrek" movies, but it is a bit much here. If I were a kid I wouldn't have any idea what is going on in "Shark Tale", it tries so hard to be hip and modern that it must confuse anyone younger that 12 and also just sounds hokey half the time. The story is good enough about a fish who feels he is destined for bigger things and he decides to lie to get there, of course leading to all kinds of craziness. Will Smith voices the lead role, Oscar, and he does his best fresh prince impression. Jack Black as the shark with the heart of gold on the otherhand is absolutely hilarious. I didn't even know that Jack Black was doing the voice until the credits, but it did not surprise me one bit. Robert DeNiro, Renee Zellwegger, Angelina Jolie and many more voice other characters. This movie isn't bad by any means and at times is quite good, but I can't help but wonder how much better it would have been without all the random catch phrases and hip-hop jargon. Worth a watch, but Pixar quality it ain't.

Random Top 10 Lists (DeNiro Films)

I am bored at work (as usual) and decided to add a new feature appropriately titled "Random Top 10 Lists". Seems pretty self explanatory, but for those of you who went to public school I'll explain. Basically, I will be doing random top 10 lists from time to time (see, that wasn't so tough to grasp). I figured I would start with the top 10 Robert DeNiro Films. This list is rating the overall films, not performances. So without further rambling, let the games begin...

10. Jackie Brown
9. A Bronx Tale
8. Goodfellas
7. Casino
6. Heat
5. Mean Streets
4. Deer Hunter
3. Taxi Driver
2. Raging Bull
1. The Godfather 2

Honorable Mention: Brazil, Copland, The King of Comedy, Meet the Parents, Sleepers, The Untouchables

If anyone has any good ideas for " Random Top 10 List" subjects, post it in the comments and I'll try to get to it eventually.

Napoleon Dynamite: The Next Big Lebowski

I first saw "Napoleon Dynamite" on DVD the day it came out, and like a lot of people, I found it mildly entertaining. It certainly was not laugh out loud funny like everyone else seemed to think. When I would tell people this they would inevitably tell me to watch it again, so I did, and it was funnier than I remembered. Fast forward a couple of months later and I have now seen "Napoleon Dynamite" roughly 10 times (I work part time in a video store, I gotta watch something) and everytime I see it it seems funnier than the last time. Not since "The Big Lebowski" has a comedy held up this well to repeated viewings. Also both movies are funny without being played for laughs. There is not a single character in either movie that isn't acting seriously, the comedy comes from the absurdity of the situations and the crazy things the characters say. This is especially true in "Napoleon Dynamite" (but also true of "The Big Lebowski") where lines that wouldn't be remotely funny in every day life are hysterical in the context of the film. Lines such as "Grandma wants you to leave because your ruining our lives, and eating all our steak" or "Your out of your element Lonnie". So it appears they may need to make room in the cult classic archives because "Napoleon Dynamite" looks like it will only increase in popularity over time.

I can't wait to see what Jon Heder does next, he was so convincing as a nerd that I thought he was one, until I saw him on Letterman and he was a good looking laid back surfer guy with straight blond hair. Who knew?

Oscar Predictions

Best Picture

Million Dollar Baby
The Aviator
Sideways
Finding Neverland
Ray

This really could go either way between Million Dollar Baby and The Aviator. I predict Million Dollar Baby to win in a very close race. If there is a wildcard here it is Sideways, which had a small chance if Million Dollar Baby and The Aviator split votes.

Best Actor

Jamie Foxx (Ray)
Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby)
Leonardo DiCaprio (The Aviator)
Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda)
Johnny Depp (Finding Neverland)

Jamie Foxx is the clear cut winner here in the only lock of all the main categories. DiCaprio and Cheadle are neck in neck if for some reason Foxx is robbed. If Foxx loses expect some funny Chris Rock jokes to follow.

Best Actress

Hillary Swank (Million Dollar Baby)
Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake)
Annette Bening (Being Julia)
Kate Winslet (Eternal Sunshine)
Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace)

If I am right about my Million Dollar Baby prediction to win Best Picture then you would have to assume that Hillary Swank wins here. Benning has never won and lost to Swank last time when she was nominated for American Beauty, but Swank and MDB are just too good here.

Best Supporting Actor

Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby)
Clive Owen (Closer)
Thomas Haden Church (Sideways)
Jamie Foxx (Collateral)
Alan Alda (The Aviator)

I'll bet anyone 50 bucks that Alan Alda doesn't win. Tough category to call and it could go to Freeman, Owen or Church, but I predict Morgan Freeman to finally win his first (and long overdue) gold statue.

Best Supporting Actress

Cate Blanchett (The Aviator)
Natalie Portman (Closer)
Virginia Madsen (Sideways)
Laura Linney (Kinsey)
Sophie Okonedo (Hotel Rwanda)

Cate Blanchett seems to have a stranglehold on this one, but usually upsets come from this category. Watch out for Portman and Madsen but I'm taking Blanchett.

Best Director

Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby)
Martin Scorsese (The Aviator)
Alexander Payne (Sideways)
Taylor Hackford (Ray)
Mike Leigh (Vera Drake)

I find it terribly ironic that Marty Scorsese has lost in this category 4 times when he should have won and now will likely win when he probably shouldn't. If Million Dollar Baby gets on a big time roll Eastwood could win here, but all signs point to Scorsese winning his long overdue Oscar.

Screenplay - Original

Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
Mike Leigh (Vera Drake)
Keir Pierson (Terry George, Hotel Rwanda)
John Logan (The Aviator)
Brad Bird (The Incredibles)

This all depends on how much love The Aviator is getting. I'm guessing Eternal Sunshine wins here over The Aviator. If The Aviator wins here look for it to do some damage in the big categories.

Screenplay - Adapted

Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor (Sideways)
Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby)
David Magee (Finding Neverland)
Jose Rivera (The Motorcycle Diaries)
Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy (Before Sunset)

Sideways has a chance to swoop in and steal one away from MDB here. This will likely be the category where Sideways wins it's one and only award.

Animated Feature

The Incredibles
Shrek 2
Shark Tale

The Incredibles will win here without breaking a sweat. If it doesn't then Dreamworks must have cut a check.

Animated Short

Birthday Boy
Gopher Broke
Guard Dog Lorenzo

Foreign Language Film

The Sea Inside
The Chorus
As it is in Heaven
Downfall
Yesterday

The Sea Inside is my prediction but I am starting to hear more and more buzz for The Chorus, and we all know how Oscar loves to go for unknowns here.

Documentary Feature

Born into Brothels
Super Size Me
The Story of the Weeping Camel
Tupac: Resurrection
Twist of Faith

Born into Brothels is my guess, but it is only a guess because this category is brutal to predict every year.

Documentary Short

Autism is a World
The Children of Leningradsky
Hardwood
Mighty Times: The Children's March
Sister Rose's Passion

Art Direction

The Aviator
Lemony Snicket's
Finding Neverland
A Very Long Engagement
Phantom of the Opera

The Aviator should pick up the hardware here.

Visual F/X

Spider-Man 2
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
I, Robot

Spidy 2 will be rewarded for being a very good movie. This often goes to the best movie with FX and this year will be no different.

Costumes

The Aviator
Ray
Lemony Snicket
Finding Neverland
Troy

Look for Troy to walk away with this one.

Makeup

Lemony Snicket's
The Passion of the Christ
The Sea Inside

The Passion will win here, because it has to win somewhere to appease the religious right and this is the most deserving category.

Editing

The Aviator
Million Dollar Baby
Ray
Collateral
Finding Neverland

The Aviator covered a lot of ground and did it without a hitch, that is why it wins here.

Cinematography

A Very Long Engagement
The Aviator
The Passion of the Christ
The Phantom of the Opera
The House of Flying Daggers

A real crap shoot, but I'm guessing The Aviator wins again here.

Sound Mixing

The Aviator
The Incredibles
The Polar Express
Spider-Man 2
Ray

Ray will pick this one up.

Sound Editing

Spider-Man 2
The Incredibles
The Polar Express

Original Score

Finding Neverland
Lemony Snicket
Harry Potter
The Passion of the Christ
The Village

This looks to be the category where Finding Neverland gets it's conciliation prize.

Song

Accidentally In Love - Shrek 2
Al Otro Lado Del Río - The Motorcycle Diaries
Believe - The Polar Express
Learn To Be Lonely - The Phantom of the Opera
Look To Your Path (Vois Sur Ton Chemin) - The Chorus

What a weak field this year. I think the song from The Chorus will win in a shocker.

Short Film (Live Action)

Everything in this Country Must
Little Terrorist
7:35 in the Morning
Two Cars, One Night
WASP

The Aviator

Martin Scorsese is incapable of making a bad film. He's a filmmaking robot. He's the more artistic model of the Spielberg model robot filmmaker. I can see your looking at me funny, patiently waiting for me to make some version of a point, so I'll try. I finally got to see "The Aviator" today, Scosese's newest opus and maybe his most mainstream. Don't let that mainstream thing fool you though, because Scorsese is still in the business of making great films, and while his newest is no "Taxi Driver" or "Raging Bull" it certainly is another in the long line of great films. "The Aviator" is a biopic about the life of tycoon/ filmmaker/ aviator/ playboy Howard Hughes, played very convincingly by Leonardo DiCaprio. This should be the film that makes DiCaprio a legit leading man and not just the cute guy from "Titanic". In some other years this performance would have been good enough to win an Oscar, but thanks to Jamie Foxx he will just have to make do with a nomination. The cast aside from DiCaprio is absolutely loaded with big time acting talent. Scorsese can definitely bring together a cast. Cate Blanchett, Alan Alda, Alec Baldwin, Kate Beckinsale, John C. Reilly and Gwen Stefani round out the star studded cast, all giving solid if not spectacular performances. Blanchett is a standout as Katherine Hepburn, and very deserving of all the positive press she is getting. The cinematography and art design also standout in making the film look like a technicolor film from the 40's. The flying scenes are equally spectacular and may very well be the best aviation scenes ever put on film, which I am sure would have made Howard Hughes proud. Hughes is an extremely interesting person and this film does him justice, it is a bit long at a little over 2 and a half hours, but well worth the ride.

It seems all my reviews on here are positive, I promise to get some bad reviews on here soon. Now that the Oscar-bait films are past us and we move in the dead season before the summer I am sure plenty of bad films lay ahead. Also, I have now officially seen all the big Oscar films and can get my predictions for the big show up in the next few days.

2003 Cammy Awards

Best Picture

Mystic River
Lost In Translation
Thirteen
LOTR: Return Of The King
Kill Bill: Volume 1

Winner: Thirteen

Best Actor

Bill Murray (Lost In Translation)
Sean Penn (Mystic River)
Jude Law (Cold Mountain)
Russell Crowe (Master And Commander: TFSOTW)
Ben Kingsley (House Of Sand And Fog)

Winner: Sean Penn (Mystic River)

Best Actress

Evan Rachel Wood (Thirteen)
Uma Thurman (Kill Bill: Volume 1)
Naomi Watts (21 Grams)
Charlize Theron (Monster)
Samantha Morton (In America)

Winner: Evan Rachel Wood (Thirteen)

Best Director

Sofia Coppola (Lost In Translation)
Clint Eastwood (Mystic River)
Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen)
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (21 Grams)
Peter Jackson (LOTR: Return Of The King)

Winner: Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen)

Best Supporting Actor

Johnny Depp (Pirates Of The Caribbean: COTBP)
Tim Robbins (Mystic River)
Benicio Del Toro (21 Grams)
Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai)
Djimon Hounsou (In America)

Winner: Djimon Hounsou (In America)

Best Supporting Actress

Holly Hunter (Thirteen)
Marcia Gay Harden (Mystic River)
Patricia Clarkson (The Station Agent)
Renee Zellweger (Cold Mountain)
Scarlett Johansson (Lost In Translation)

Winner: Scarlett Johansson (Lost In Translation)

Best Breakthrough Performance

Evan Rachel Wood (Thirteen)
Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai)
Peter Dinklage (The Station Agent)
Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later)
Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider)

Winner: Evan Rachel Wood (Thirteen)

Best Screenplay

Brian Helgeland (Mystic River)
Catherine Hardwicke & Nikki Reed (Thirteen)
Sofia Coppola (Lost In Translation)
Mike White (School Of Rock)
Guillermo Arriaga (21 Grams)

Winner: Guillermo Arriaga (21 Grams)

Best Ensemble Cast

Mystic River
Cold Mountain
21 Grams
In America
LOTR: Return Of The King

Winner: Mystic River

Best Song

The School Of Rock - School Of Rock (School Of Rock)
Annie Lennox - Into The West (LOTR: Return Of The King)
Eddie Vedder - Man Of The Hour (Big Fish)
Sting - You Will Be My Ain True Love (Cold Mountain)
Mitch and Mickey - Kiss at the End of the Rainbow
(A Mighty Wind)

Winner: Mitch and Mickey - Kiss at the End of the Rainbow
(A Mighty Wind)

Best Special Effects

LOTR: Return Of The King
Terminator 3: ROTM
The Matrix Revolutions

Winner: LOTR: Return Of The King

Best Sound Effects

LOTR: Return Of The King
Pirates Of The Caribbean: COTBP
Kill Bill: Volume 1

Winner: Kill Bill: Volume 1

Best Debut Feature Film

Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen)

Worst Film

Dreamcatcher

Million Dollar Baby

I finally took my lazy ass to the theater to see what all the fuss was about. I'm a big Eastwood fan so I had wanted to see "Million Dollar Baby" since it came out but I never got around to it. Finally curiosity and boredom got the best of me so I turned off the Grammy's and me and a buddy went to a movie. Let me start by saying, I loved this movie. All these people making a big deal about it's ending are making something out of nothing. I would even go so far as to say that "Million Dollar Baby" is the 3rd best boxing film of all time, behind of course "Rocky" and "Raging Bull". This movie is just perfectly crafted in every way, reminding us that Eastwood is one of the genius filmmakers working today. Everything about this movie works, from the acting all the way down to the sets and locations. It is a bit long and slow at times, but that's the only minor complaint I can muster. Luckily for you I can muster plenty of praise and it all starts with the acting. Hillary Swank is clearly the new Meryl Streep, she just lights up the screen here. Swank is always believable as a white trash boxers, which says a lot because most male actors are not believable as boxers. She will likely win her 2nd Oscar for this and you won't hear me complaining. Eastwood and Morgan Freeman also do great work here, even if their parts aren't quite as juicy as Swank's. Eastwood and Freeman are ultra-believable as grizzled boxing lifers and they have a wonderful chemisty together, which was very necessary for the film. I really probably could go on all day with praise for this film but I am going out of my way not to give away any of the plot. Do your self a favor and get out and see this movie before the Oscars air on Feb. 27.

Also, be on the lookout of my Academy Award winners predictions and my 2004 Cammy Award nominees being unveiled soon.

DVD Roundup (Cellular, The Grudge, Harold and Kumar)

Cellular

I never had any desire to see this in the theater. The overall premise is cool enough, but the trailer didn't do much for me. It kind of made it look like a second rate action movie, the kind that go straight to video and star former kickboxing champions. So fast forward to a few days ago when I was wandering through the video store impulse renting, I stumbled upon the box for "Cellular" and it looked cool. Had a 2 thumbs up from Ebert and Roeper and it had Bill Macy and Jason Stratham in it. Needless to say, they had me at Macy. I don't remember seeing he or Stratham in the trailer. So I scooped it up and went home to watch it. After having seen it, I think this movie could have been a big summer hit, has New Line done a better job with it. This is a good smart action film with a good cast and a breakout young star. The movie is about a lady (Kim Bassinger) who is kidnapped and manages to make a call out to the cell phone of the main character, played by soon to be movie star Chris Evans. He then has to drive all over LA doing an assortment of crazy things to try to save the day. Where this movie really works is with the stellar supporting cast, led by the afore mentioned Bill Macy and Jason Stratham and also Bassinger, Jessica Biel, Eric Christina Olson and Noah Emmerich. There is plenty of action here, but not over the top action like a Jerry Bruckheimer film, the action works with the story and makes this a film worth seeing if your an action fan.

The Grudge

Somehow I never saw this one in the theater, despite being a big horror fan. A lot of people seem to think this movie is just the scariest thing ever, apparently they were watching a different film than me. "The Grudge" isn't a bad movie by any means, but there is nothing all that good about it either. It is a likeable movie that never seems to get scary enough to be anything more than a drama. The story is nothing too original if you have seen "The Ring" or any other Japanese horror flick. It's worth a look but didn't do much to separate itself from the 1000 other average horror films made every year. Bill Pullman and Clea Duvall do good work here though, and Sarah Michelle Gellar seems to be on her way to being the new Jamie Lee Curtis.

Harold And Kumar Go To White Castle

I have quite a few stoner friends, so I had heard all about this one before getting a chance to see it. It seems that the amount you like this movie is inversely proportionate to how much pot you actually smoke. For those of you that didn't graduate from high school that means if your a pothead, you probably won't like it as much as if you aren't. None of my stoner friends seemed to like it while most other people seemed to find it pretty funny. As long as you can get past the fact that by and large stoners don't act like these guys then you will be entertained. My friends kept saying things like, "dude, we'd have just given up and hit Taco Bell at first sign of trouble". Valid point. Much like the directors previous film, "Dude, Where's My Car", there is some funny stuff in here, and there is some stuff that is over the top and just doesn't work. Thankfully this movie is funnier than his earlier masterwork, if for Neil Patrick Harris alone. Doogie Howser doing coke off a hookers ass is reason enough to see this. Give it a look if you like your comedy dumbed down. If your looking for smart comedy steer clear and find "Sideways" at your local theater.

Always An Oscar Bridesmaid, Never An Oscar Bride

Here is a little list of the most glaring omissions to that prestigious club known as Oscar winners.

Best Picture

1. Citizen Kane (Lost to: How Green Was My Valley)
2. The Wizard of Oz (Lost to: Gone With The Wind)
3. Chinatown (Lost to: The Godfather: Part 2)
4. Star Wars (Lost to: Annie Hall)
5. Raging Bull (Lost to: Ordinary People)
6. It's A Wonderful Life (Lost to: The Best Years Of Our Lives)
7. Pulp Fiction (Lost to: Forrest Gump)
8. The Graduate (Lost to: In The Heat Of The Night)
9. Shawshank Redemption (Lost to: Forrest Gump)
10. Taxi Driver (Lost to: Rocky)
11. The Grapes of Wrath (Lost to: Rebecca)
12. Double Indemnity (Lost to: Going My Way)
13. North By Northwest (Lost to: Ben-Hur)
14. Dr. Strangelove (Lost to: My Fair Lady)
15. Apocolypse Now (Lost to: Kramer vs. Kramer)
16. Singing In The Rain (Lost to: The Greatest Show On Earth)
17. The Maltese Falcon (Lost to: How Green Was My Valley)
18. High Noon (Lost to: The Greatest Show On Earth)
19. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (Lost to: Gone With The Wind)
20. Saving Private Ryan (Lost to: Shakspeare In Love)

Best Director

1. Stanley Kubrick (4 Nominations)
2. Martin Scorsese (5 Nominations)
3. Alfred Hitchcock (5 Nominations)
4. Ridley Scott (3 Nominations)
5. Akira Kurasawa (1 Nomination)
6. Robert Altman (5 Nominations)
7. Terrance Malick (1 Nomination)
8. Spike Lee (No Nominations)
9. Howard Hawkes (1 Nomination)
10. Ingmar Bergman (3 Nominations)
11. Orson Welles (1 Nomination)
12. Arthur Penn (3 Nominations)
13. Mike Leigh (2 Nominations)
14. Hal Ashby (1 Nomination)
15. David Lynch (3 Nominations)
16. Brian DePalma (No Nominations)
17. Fritz Lang (No Nominations)
18. Jean-Luc Godard (No Nominations)
19. Federico Fellini (4 Nominations)
20. Sidney Lumet (4 Nominations)

Best Actor/ Supporting Actor

1. Cary Grant (2 Nominations)
2. Charlie Chaplin (2 Nominations)
3. Peter O'Toole (7 Nominations)
4. Albert Finney (5 Nominations)
5. Clint Eastwood (2 Nomination)
6. Morgan Freeman (4 Nominations)
7. Peter Sellers (2 Nominations)
8. Richard Burton (7 Nominations)
9. Robert Mitchum (1 Nomination)
10. Tom Cruise (3 Nominations)
11. Fred Astaire (1 Nomination)
12. Montgomery Clift (4 Nominations)
13. Nick Nolte (2 Nominations)
14. Samuel L. Jackson (1 Nomination)
15. Kirk Douglas (3 Nominations)
16. Steve McQueen (1 Nomination)
17. Rock Hudson (1 Nomination)
18. Bruce Willis (No Nominations)
19. Bob Hope (No Nominations)
20. Harrison Ford (1 Nomination)

Best Actress/ Supporting Actress

1. Judy Garland (2 Nominations)
2. Barbra Stanwyck (4 Nominations)
3. Natalie Wood (3 Nominations)
4. Marilyn Monroe (No Nominations)
5. Deborah Kerr (6 Nominations)
6. Glenn Close (5 Nominations)
7. Angela Lansbury (3 Nominations)
8. Greta Garbo (4 Nominations)
9. Michelle Pfieffer (3 Nominations)
10. Marlene Dietrich (1 Nomination)
11. Cate Blanchett (2 Nomination)
12. Lauren Bacall (1 Nomination)
13. Jean Harlow (No Nominations)
14. Meg Ryan (No Nominations)
15. Rita Hayworth (No Nominations)
16. Ava Gardner (1 Nomination)
17. Kathlene Turner (1 Nomination)
18. Doris Day (1 Nomination)
19. Sharon Stone (1 Nomination)
20. Deborah Winger (3 Nominations)

2002 Cammy Awards

Best Picture

Adaptation
Catch Me If You Can
Narc
The Pianist
The Road To Perdition

Winner: The Road To Perdition

Best Actor

Adrian Brody (The Pianist)
Nicholas Cage (Adaptation)
Daniel Day Lewis (Gangs Of New York)
Leonardo DiCaprio (Catch Me If You Can)
Jack Nicholson (About Schmidt)

Winner: Daniel Day Lewis (Gangs Of New York)

Best Actress

Jennifer Anniston (The Good Girl)
Maggie Gyllenhaal (Secretary)
Diane Lane (Unfaithful)
Julianne Moore (Far From Heaven)
Renee Zellweger (Chicago)

Winner: Renee Zellweger (Chicago)

Best Director

Joe Carnahan (Narc)
Peter Jackson (LOTR: The Two Towers)
Spike Jonze (Adaptation)
Sam Mendes (The Road To Perdition)
Roman Polanski (The Pianist)

Winner: Joe Carnahan (Narc)

Best Supporting Actor

Chris Cooper (Adaptation)
Ray Liotta (Narc)
Paul Newman (The Road To Perdition)
John C. Reilly (Chicago)
Christopher Walken (Catch Me If You Can)

Winner: Ray Liotta (Narc)

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams (Catch Me If You Can)
Kathy Bates (About Schmidt)
Meryl Streep (Adaptation)
Hillary Swank (Insomnia)
Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago)

Winner: Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago)

Best Breakthrough Performance

Amy Adams (Catch Me If You Can)
Eminem (8 Mile)
Tyler Holchlin (The Road To Perdition)
Derek Luke (Antwone Fisher)
Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding)

Winner: Derek Luke (Antwone Fisher)

Best Screenplay

Joe Carnahan (Narc)
Carlos Cueron (Y Tu Mama Tambien)
Charlie Kaufman (Adaptation)
Jeff Nathanson (Catch Me If You Can)
David Self (The Road To Perdition)

Winner: Charlie Kaufman (Adaptation)

Best Ensemble Cast

Adaptation
Catch Me If You Can
Chicago
The Hours
The Road To Perdition

Winner: Chicago

Best Song

Eminem - Lose Yourself (8 Mile)
Madonna - Die Another Day (Die Another Day)
Paul Simon - Father And Daughter (The Wild Thornberrys)
U2 - The Hands That Built America (Gangs Of New York)
Catherine Zeta-Jones - All That Jazz (Chicago)

Winner: Eminem - Lose Yourself (8 Mile)

Best Special Effects

LOTR: The Two Towers
Reign Of Fire
Spiderman

Winner: LOTR: The Two Towers

Best Sound Effects

Gangs Of New York
LOTR: The Two Towers
Reign Of Fire

Winner: LOTR: The Two Towers

Best Debut Feature Film

Bill Paxton (Frailty)

Worst Film

The Truth About Charlie

DVD Roundup (Friday Night Lights, Troy, The Village)

Since I can rent DVD's for free now, it seems like a good opportunity to drop some quick reviews on you from time to time. I'll try to keep them brief as I should be doing 3 or 4 at a time each time I do a DVD Roundup.


Friday Night Lights

I saw this in the theater the night it came out, but that seems like forever ago. So I was excited to pop in this DVD and see if I liked "Friday Night Lights" as much this time as I did in the theater. This movie definitely does the book justice, it stays true to the intentions of the book even when changing things around to help the movie. It didn't sensationalize and sugar coat the story like "Varsity Blues" did. What makes "Friday Night Lights" so good is that it isn't really about football. Stop looking at me funny and let me explain. There is certainly a lot of football in the movie (real looking football at that), but at it's heart this movie is a morality play set with football as a backdrop. That is what made the book great and it is also what makes the movie work so well. The acting in this movie is the best I can ever remember seeing in a sports movie. Billy Bob Thorton is very good as the coach in over his head and all the kids are very believable. Derek Luke turns in an especially great performance as Boobie Miles, the doomed star player. Derek Luke is one of the great young actors today. So if you are into sports movies, do yourself a favor and give this one a rent. If for no other reason than to see just how crazy Texans can be.

Troy

"Troy" is another movie I had already seen in the theater, but my dad hadn't seen it so I went ahead and watched it again. I enjoyed the movie when I saw it in the theater but it wasn't exactly something I was clamoring to see again. "Troy" works well as a "Gladiator" clone with more action and less substance, which is kind of sad considering it is based on a treasured piece of literature. This retelling of the "Iliad" worries more about what happens and less about why. Giving us great action scenes and tough characters, but no real substance behind it all. Brad Pitt is perfectly cast as Achilles the great warrior and Eric Bana lights up the screen as Hector of Troy, the head of the Trojan army. This is a perfectly good action adventure film and worth renting as long as you don't compare it to the book.

The Village

So after "The Sixth Sense" and "Unbreakable" I was pretty much buying what ever M. Night was selling. That is until I spent 8 of my not so hard earned dollars to see "Signs", a film that spends the first hour building up something great and then spends the next hour not delivering on it. "Signs" was just a complete 180 degree turn from the other great M. Night films. Sure it followed the same formula with the building of suspense and trick ending, but it just seemed so much more sloppy and unsubtle. All that said I had been putting off seeing "The Village" since it came out. I was pretty sure I was not going to like it and it's lackluster reviews only backed up my assumption. Tonight though, I finally sat down and gave it a whirl and boy am I glad I did. While it isn't as good as the early M. Night classics, it is a far superior film to "Signs" and reaffirmed my belief that M. Night Shymalan was a very good film maker. I won't go too into the plot because I don't want to spoil it by giving anything away. I loved the plot turns in this and even though everyone I talk to tell me they saw everything coming, either they are lying or I am a moron because it was constantly ahead of me. Deffinalty worth a rent.


I'll be back in a week or so with another rundown of DVD's for you to check out or avoid.