Oscar Weekend at Newcritics. Ooooh, Ahhhh...

Haven't had much time to prepare for live blogging The Oscar's tonight over at newcritics.  Since I haven't seen most of the movies nominated, I figured I'd spend yesterday preparing myself as much as possible.  Figured I'd use The Google and read up on as much as I could.  Didn't work out that way.

I've seen The Departed, The Queen and Little Miss Sunshine.  Haven't seen Letters From Iwo Jima or Babel.  But, I'm predicting The Departed will take Best Picture.

Haven't seen Ryan Gosling in Half Nelson, Peter O'Toole in Venus, Will Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness or Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland.  I did see Leo Dicaprio in The Departed.  He was really great.  Never really appreciated him before I saw him in this movie.  He was so good.  I hope he wins best actor, but I'm not so sure he will.

Haven't seen Jackie Earle Haley in Little Children, Djimon Hounsou in Blood Diamond or Eddie Murphy in Dreamgirls.  But, I did see Mark Wahlberg in The Departed.  I don't think he should've been nominated.  His part was over-written and he over-acted in his over-written role.  I did see Alan Arkin in Little Miss Sunshine.  Even though I don't think his character was all that much of a challenge for him, I predict he'll take the Oscar home for best supporting actor.  Maybe.

Haven't seen Penélope Cruz in Volver, Judi Dench in Notes on a Scandal, Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada, or Kate Winslet in Little Children.  But I did see Helen Mirren in The Queen.  I'll bet anyone a gazillion dollars that Helen Mirren will win for best actress.  No.  I'll bet anyone five gazillion dollars.  No.  A gazillion gazillion dollars.

Haven't seen Adriana Barraza or Rinko Kikuchi in Babel, Cate Blanchett in Notes on a Scandal or Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls.  I did see Abigail Breslin in Little Miss Sunshine.  She was just great in that movie.  I loved her.  She was perfect in every scene.  My favorite scene being the one with her and Alan Arkin in the hotel room together talking about how worried she was about being in the beauty pageant.  And she says to him, "I don't want to be a loser."  The whole movie's worth seeing for how she delivers that one line.  I'm not sure she'll win though.  Although, I'd be really happy if she did.

I bet Martin Scorsese wins best director for The Departed.  Which brings me to why I didn't use The Google yesterday as much as I should have to read up on all the movies.  In the middle of reading about Babel, I went downstairs to make a sandwich and Taxi Driver was on.  It had just started.  Had to watch it.  Two hours gone in the blink of an eye.  Well, except for the climactic, violent scene at the end where Robert DeNiro's character kills all the dirty, rotten scumbags.  That seemed to go forever. 

Watch it!

5 second in:  He blows that guys fingers off.  Ew!

10 seconds in:  Neck shot!  Ew!

45 seconds in:  Man!  That old guy takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'.  He is totally relentless.  "I'll kill you!  I'll kill you!  I'll kill you!"

1:03:  Guy with the plaid suit comes downstairs.  Gets it in the face!  Watch his cheeks flap around.  Pop, pop, pop!  Ew!  Ew!  Ew!

1:23:  The old dude just won't stop.  "I'll kill you!  I'll kill you!  I'll kill you!"

1:43:  "Don't shoot him!"  The old dude gets popped!  Right through the head!  Blood all over the wall!  Ew!

2:48:  The most cheesey, overblown, schmaltzy music to ever play in the background of a scene in the history of cinema begins.

3:04:  Most memorable scene of the movie to me.  When De Niro raises his hand to his temple in slow motion, blood dripping from his finger, eyes half closed.  Pphuh ... Pphuh ... Pphuh.

Then the slowish motion aftermath of the violent scene begins with that overblown, dramatic music.  Note Harvey Keitel's eyeball pinky ring 4:59 in.  Gross eyeball ring covered in blood!  Ew!

The Skimmer came downstairs as this scene was wrapping up.

"Oooh, you watching Taxi Driver?"

"Yeah!  You just missed all the blood and guts!  But, listen to this music!  If it doesn't stop soon, I'm going to give myself a mohawk and blow my own head off!"

Which got me thinking about the sountrack of The Departed.  Seemed to be an uninspired selection of songs to use, at least to me.  Scorsese has used most of these songs before, or songs just like them, to add drama to scenes.  Like Sean said over at newcritics:

Remember when Scorsese had an ear for music? Remember “Be My Baby” floating over the opening of “Mean Streets?” There was a time when he could throw Bach, Bad Brains, and “Someone To Watch Over Me” into the mix, using each for effect or counterpoint or whatever. Now he’s sounds like he’s stuck on the same ipod playlist. How many times is going to use “Gimmie Shelter?”

They didn't actually use Gimmie Shelter.  They used Let It Loose.  Same difference.

There's not an Oscar category for best soundtrack.  Just best original score and best original song.  But, I'm confident to predict that if there was a category for best soundtrack, the soundtrack from The Departed would not win.  I'd bet you a gazillion gazillion dollars.

I was planning to spend a few hours today reading through that linkfest above to prepare myself for my live blogging gig tonight over at newcritics.  But, The Skimmer just called me down for breakfast and The Exorcist is on!  It's just starting!

Ew!  She's looks so scary!  All yucky!  Oh!  My virgin ears!  Look at her tongue flicking in and our like that!  Ew, ew, ew!  The holy water cuts her!  Yuck!  Gack!  The beds knocking against the floor!  It's floating!  Get the bible!  The crucifix! Something! Ew!   Look at the green slime oozing!  Ick!  Ew!  Blech!  Gross!

Gotta go watch the whole thing!  You guys go read all the great Previews that have been posted so far and be on the lookout for all the one's that'll be posted throughout the day today. 

Hope to see you live blogging with me tonight.  Starts at 8pm.

I promise there'll be more Ahhhhing than Ewwwwing.  Maybe.  Depends on what the dresses look like.

Comments

[shayera]

Hey BG, you did a great job.
And I'm saying this here: Shut up stupid Jennifer Hudson! If it hadn't been for American Idol no one who have seen your stupid face anywhere. Because I sure as heck don't remember her being in anything at all before.

[Adorable Girlfriend]

I taped them last night since I had to fly to South Dakota. I get back tonight and will watch the Oscars.

I am trying to not read the news tooday.

[grasshopper]

Catch as catch can: loved your reminiscence of meeting Denzel Washington.

[BOSSY]

Sorry Bossy missed it, BG - she was too busy watching while drinking wine and eating every dairy product ever made (cheese, ice cream, whipped topping, etc.)

[almostinfamous]

i wish i were an oscar mayer weiner...

[Claire]

BG, my folks and I found Taxi Driver a half an hour in and were watching it on mute for awhile. I just didn't want a psychopath ruining my otherwise comfortable evening in front of the fire, gossiping with my mom.

[The Uncanny Canadian]

BG, you must see Volver. It is such a rich and rewarding movie and the performance from Penelope Cruz is not to be missed. Sure, she never had a chance faced with a great Streep and Mirren, but she was amazing. Almodovar just makes the most wonderful movies about women, and this is one of his finer films.

[Adorable Girlfriend]

And what qualifies UC to know who makes the best movies on women? What a pig and egoist?

Over here at BG's place after he cheats on her cookies left and right with Jennifer.

You know what AG says to that: PEEE-SHAW!

[Jennifer]

Actually BG and I have a visitation agreement regarding UC and his cookies. :)

[Adorable Girlfriend]

The problem is J-Lo that he has no cookies to visit. He only consumes them. And fast. He doesn't make any. He expects us all to be his cookie whores making him cookies while he lays around all day doing nothing but eating and watching baseball. And then we let him decide who is the Cookie Queen?!!!

Frankly, we gals should be outraged and unwilling to take this anymore.

[The Uncanny Canadian]

*Sigh*