Chasing The Screen

Foreign Language Film

Will Win:

The White Ribbon

Missing Nomination:

Sin Nombre


Screenplay: Adapted

Should Win:

Up in the Air

Will Win:

Precious

Missing Nomination:

Crazy Heart


Screenplay: Original

Should & Will Win:

Inglourious Basterds

Missing Nomination:

Away We Go & (500) Days of Summer


Animated Feature

Should & Will Win:

Up

Missing Nomination:

Ponyo


Supporting Actress

Should & Will Win:

Monique in Precious


Supporting Actor

Should & Will Win:

Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds


Directing

Should Win:

James Cameron for Avatar

Will Win:

Katheryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker


Leading Actress

Should Win:

Gabourey Sidibe in Precious

Will Win:

Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side


Leading Actor

Should & Will Win:

Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart

Missing Nomination:

Matt Damon in The Informant


Best Picture

Should Win:

Up in the Air

Will Win:

Avatar

Missing Nomination:

(500) Days of Summer

My Yearly Predictions: Who should win, who will win, and who is missing. I am not predicting the Short Films since I didn't get a chance to see any of them this year.


Documentary Feature

Should & Will Win:

The Cove

Missing Nomination:

Anvil! The Story of Anvil


Original Song

Should & Will Win:

The Weary Kind from Crazy Heart


Original Score

Should & Will Win:

Up


Visual Effects

Should & Will Win:

Avatar

Missing Nomination:

2012


Makeup

Should & Will Win:

Star Trek


Costume Design

Should Win:

Coco before Chanel

Will Win:

The Young Victoria


Sound Editing

Will & Should Win:

Avatar


Sound Mixing

Will & Should Win:

Avatar


Art Direction

Should Win:

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Will Win:

Avatar


Film Editing

Should Win:

District 9

Will Win:

Avatar


Cinematography

Should & Will Win:

Avatar

Its Oscar week, the big night is this Sunday, and as I wrap up my Oscar nominee viewing I thought I would take a moment to draw attention to some of the movies Oscar snubbed this year.

In the Best Picture Category:

(500) Days of Summer: Easily better than Blind Side, which somehow stole an Oscar nod. Its not your typical romantic comedy, unique, with great editing and a smart script.

In the Best Actress Category:

Audrey Tatou inCoco Before Chanel

In the Best Screenplay Category:

Away We Go

In the Best Documentary Category:

Anvil! The Story of Anvil

In the Best Animation Category:

Ponyo

In the Best Foreign Film Category:

Sin Nombre

Most people remember Orson Welles for his fictitious portrayal of William Randolph Hearst in Citizen Kane, fewer have seen him shine as Harry Lime, Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton) "dead" friend in the thriller The Third Man. A textbook film noir that earned three 1951 Academy Award nominations, and won for Best Cinematography: Black and White. Holly Martins arrives in post-war Vienna to find out his friend Harry has been killed in a car accident. Then a host of characters appear and lead Holly to believe his friend's death was no accident. Holly, who is a crime novelist plays detective and tries to unravel the mystery behind his friend's death. Released in the United Kingdom in 1949, it is widely regarded as a film ahead of its time. In fact it was filmed on location in Vienna, giving the story added drama and authenticity.

Although the film's story didn't completely captivate me, the technical aspects of the film really drove the mystery and suspense and kept me interested. The climax of the film is really no surprise (Harry might not be dead after all), but nevertheless leads to a brilliant scene between Cotton and Welles, where we learn just who our characters really are and who they are pretending to be. This film is a must for any Orson Welles admirer or film noir aficionado. It really is filmed the way I would expect to see a true representation of the genre.

My Rating: (out of 5) 4 stars

Want to see it for yourself? Catch it on February 24th @ 10 a.m. on Turner Classic Movies

So about a month ago I thought I would jump start this blog, but of course as usual I have been dragging my feet. I have already watched 3 films from the 1001, which obviously puts me way behind schedule. My hope is to have those three film commentaries available by the end of this weekend. Of course I like to use work as an excuse, but this time of year, much of my movie watching is consumed by the Award Nominees of the previous year. In the midst of the Awards season I make it my goal to see as many movies that were nominated for major awards (Golden Globes, National Board of Review, etc.), and all of the Academy Award nominees (in every category) before they are handed out on March 7th. The good news this year is even though they have added 5 additional nominees in the Best Picture category, I have already seen 7 of the 10 nominees (still have An Education, Precious, and Blind Side to knock out sometime in the next month. Later this month Tiffany and I should find time to make our 3rd annual trip down to LA to see the Oscar shorts at the Landmark in Westwood (great theater by the way).

In addition to my 1001 reviews I will probably use this blog as a venue for my yearly Oscar predictions and talk about my own personal faves of the past year that were snubbed by the ever unfair Academy (i.e., (500) Days of Summer & Away We Go). So all I can say now is, stay tuned....

Thoughts on the first 2 film views: The Third Man and Slacker.

Last week I finally picked up "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" (5th Edition). Since I consider myself to be such a cinephile it felt only natural I should eventually own this book. At the same time I have been looking for an excuse to get back on a regular writing schedule, so the blog has come into being. I won't pretend I wasn't partially influenced by the film "Julie & Julia". I'm also aware I'm not the first to tackle this book in such a manner, but instead, like Julie Powell, I am using it as an opporunity to write. I have seen approximately 250 of the 1001 movies, and 192 currently grace my shelves, but I will re-watch every movie and probably add several to my collection over the next few years. So, clearly stated, I will watch all 1001 movies on the list and blog about them. My goal is to finish this project before the end of the year 2014.

And Away We Go....