Oscar Dreams

One quick followup to my Oscar post. I'm very pleased with all of The King's Speech victories. They helped my Oscar ballot with 17 of 24 correct. Hurrah!

I loved David Seidler's acceptance speech. He won for Best Original Screenplay. Elderly white haired gentleman who overcame a stutter - this award obviously meant the world. He began by saying that his father always said he'd be a "late bloomer". Classy and understated. Wow!

Kudos to him.

I love the movies. This year's Academy Awards show was a tad boring, trying too hard to be hip and cool. And yet, when it came down to the actual victors - they gave really heartfelt speeches, they are true to their craft, and they epitomize acting star quality. It was worth paying my $$$ and sitting in the dark and spending precious time to enjoy their performances.

Hooray for Hollywood and here's to the David Seidler's of the world. Write, write, write, create, and dream.

Oscar awaits

Oscar Picks

A year's worth of sitting in the dark, and it comes down to Sunday, February 27th. Academy Awards time. Who shall win Oscar?

I look back at 2010 as a so-so year for movies, and yet when I look at the nominations, I think, "Wow. That one was great. Or such a superb performance. Or I could watch that one again." So, I think 2010 was a good year for a small number of really fine films. It was "eh!" for the medium grade - entertaining and worth your money, but not awesome. There's been a whole lot of crap made and I think films are being cranked out to fill the DVD and instant viewing pipeline. With that said, let me give an opinion on key categories.

Ballot courtesy of Entertainment Weekly.

Best Picture: All worthy contenders. I think The King's Speech will win - it fits the Oscar sensibility. Well filmed, well acted, and British accents. As far as innovation - Inception or Black Swan should take the statue. And for sheer joy to watch again and again - Toy Story 3.

Best Actor: Colin Firth, hands down. Jeff Bridges won last year and gets better and better. Jesse and James - young brilliant actors who shall build great careers. Javier - sorry, didn't see you. But I bet you were good.

Best Actress: Natalie Portman has grown through the years and I think she was excellent in her ballerina breakdown. I give her the statue, but I'm fine if Annette Bening wins. She's so dynamic on the screen.

Best Supporting Actress: This is so tough. Melissa Leo started out ahead, but I think Hailee Steinfeld might just pull the final punch. I'd award the whole lot of 'em. (Jacki Weaver is a surprise gem in a wee Aussie film - whew!)

Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale went full tilt into his role and came up a winner. But Geoffrey Rush could ride that King's Speech momentum and he was awfully key to Colin's performance.

Best Director - David Fincher - Social Network. The old split the award from picture trick and I think that's okay. We'll see.

Best Original Screenplay - either King's Speech or Inception (that was darn good creative writing)

Best Adapted Screenplay - Aaron Sorkin knocked it out with Social Network. This movie captures 2010 with his language and pacing.

Just working on this post makes me want to re-watch these movies and performances. Hollywood is still alive and brings magic to the darkness.

Roll film...............

King's Speech Kick-off for 2011

I have joined a gym, where I have lifted as much as 6.5 pounds. Let's see what happens next. Author Gary Shteyngart

To improve my painting, a recent hobby for which I have no natural aptitude whatsoever. Author Tom Rachman

Go to the movies and create reviews. Writer, Joanne Faries

Resolutions and goals for 2011 - nah! I've decided this year to just roll with it. Write, edit, write more, send it out, accept, reject, edit, send it out again. Poetry, flash fiction, short stories, work on my (I think) crappy novel (obviously there is a goal to improve the garbage). Enjoy the process, and the happy brain dance when some words flow and you do think, "Hmm, that ain't bad."

Plus, attend movies and write reviews for The Little Paper of San Saba. I'm not paid. I'm barely edited. I only see what I want to see. Thus generally the reviews are positive because I've proven myself correct in choosing something decent for my two hours and four dollars. Let's kick off 2011 with a winner:

No, you don't have to adjust your ears. Your first encounter with actor Colin Firth, as the Duke of York, is painfully awkward. He's assigned a speech to a huge audience and his horrible stammer is excruciating. You wince, you cringe, and you wonder how the duke could ultimately become King George VI, the man who carried England through WWII and inspired his people with ...yes, speeches.

Well, go see The King's Speech, and witness what I consider an Oscar worthy performance. Firth plays Prince Albert who's happily married and father to Princess Elizabeth (now the current reigning monarch) and Princess Margaret. But his stammer keeps him in the background of royal life. The movie presents various doctors' suggestions for a cure. All to no avail. Finally his wife (Helena Bonham Carter) finds a peculiar Australian, Mr.Logue, who seems to have a knack for speech therapy. Played by Geoffrey Rush, the odd man offers a fitting contrast to the pompousity of royalty. His methods work and a friendship grows.

The movie slowly taps into the childhood struggles, the overbearing father - King George V, and the shining star of a brother who renounces the throne to marry Wallis Simpson (twice divorced American - shocking). No wonder poor Bertie stammered. Amidst the backdrop of history, we share Albert's torture and pray for him to succeed. We see how much he cares for England and its peoples, and how fate got it right. Albert becoming George VI was absolutely perfect for the times. His stammer actually kept him a bit humble, and he grew into his leadership.

The King's Speech is not action packed adventure. It's character driven, well written, and superbly acted by every well known English actor on the planet. Each performance is a gem. This is why I go to the movies.

And now I roll up my sleeves, open a fresh page in Word, and blast any roadblocks hindering my progress toward my lack of goals/resolutions. Happy 2011!