blue_lotus13 | Entries tagged with oscar

The Oscar red carpet with Ben Mulroney was fricking funny. When he approached Ice Princess Robot (AKA Nicole Kidman), Ben said, "Hey, you're dressed like the Canadian flag..."

And when he approached Mark Wahlberg, Wahlberg told him that he needed to use the Men's room. Heh.

A few brief comments...

1. Good show overall
2. What was with Jennifer Hudson's space cape at the beginning? And her boobs almost fell out of that red dress
3. Celine Dion should go back to Vegas and stay there.
4. Forest Whitaker had the best speech
5. I loved Helen Mirren's dress. And her boobs.
6. I love Leo. Love him. (All enviro and conscious...sigh)(And Gael Garcia Bernal was also hot. But please, lose the glasses. I need to see your face)
7. I was surprised by the Alan Arkin win, and happy with most of the other wins. I was disappointed that "Water" lost, though. Thank god Scorscese won. I'm also happy that The Departed won, because I fricking loved it.

We went to see "Good night and good luck" last night. Overall, I enjoyed it, but it definitely won't take the best picture.

( more, includes some spoilers )

This movie will not take best picture, nor will David Straitharn win best actor. There is definitely a possibility that it could pick up another award though. This wasn't my favourite movie, but I was intrigued, I did appreciate it and afterward we went home and looked up a whole bunch of facts to answer questions we had.

I do have one question for those more knowledgeable in American history. How did Joe McCarthy get so much power and how could one senator have such an impact on the country?

Until I started the Oscar project, I'd never heard of 1942's best picture winner, "Mrs. Miniver." Directed by William Wyler, this film takes place in Britain during World War 2. One of its main purposes was to show the plight of British civilians during World War 2, and interest Americans in the war effort.

Kay Miniver and her husband are ordinary rich people who spend their time buying cars and hats and running around town. Then the war begins, and their lives are turned upside town and tragically changed. Greer Garson won an Academy Award for her portrayal of the title character, and she really makes the film. Her acceptance speech for Best Actress is still the longest recorded on record, since it clocked in at 5 and a half minutes. Compared to modern war movies, this movie is incredibly understated. One of the most powerful scenes is one in which Kay and her husband Clem are lying in bed listening to planes, wondering if their son is flying a plane overhead. Greer Garson's strength in this role comes from her ability to convey the strong emotions of fear and determination at the same time. An excellent film.

*Interesting piece of trivia- After the movie, Greer married the man who played her son, Richard Ney. This might explain why their mother/son kisses look a little too friendly!

As you can tell, the Oscar project was stalled once again, as I have been working a lot and watching Degrassi Next Generation Season 1 on DVD.

The latest addition to the project was 1962 winner Lawrence of Arabia . It's the story of a British man who leads some Arabic tribes against the Turks during World War 1. It's an interesting historical epic, made even more interesting by good actors, desert scenery and a liberal use of eyeliner.

First, I'll confess that I did not watch this film in one sitting, but in one hour bits. I quite enjoyed it. Peter O'toole does a good job of showing Lawrence's quandaries. I enjoyed seeing how Lawrence became confused by his surroundings and what he was expected to do. I also enjoyed the scenery in this movie. I love deserts and could watch desert scenery for hours. For some reason, I also adore camels, and since this movie has many scenes of men riding around in the desert on camels, I was quite happy. Seriously, someone could make a movie called "Man rides around in the desert on a camel", and I would probably watch it.

The music in this movie is fantastic. Many characters also give get performances, including the chameleon Alec Guiness as Prince Feisal.

There were several scenes which I found very compelling, but the most disturbing scene for me was the scene involving quick sand.

I also discovered that I have a major thing for young Omar Sharif, who played Prince Ali in this film. He was so extremely sexy that several times I started fantasizing about riding him, um, I mean riding with him on his camel. I'll be sure to check out more of his films in the future. I'm thinking Dr. Zhivago would be a good place to start.

After more tooling around the Internet, I have solved my own problem. Zip.ca has Season 1 and 2 available for rental. It's probably not a bad idea to sign up for the Zip service, since I might need it during the Oscar project. So far I haven't had any trouble finding any of the titles I need, but as I near the final 17, it might get a bit more difficult.

While searching the Internet for Degrassi, I also found these fine items. . The book of essays about Degrassi and youth identity looks like something I would love.

In case you haven't noticed, yes, I'm incredibly dorky. And I can't really explain my fascination with teen culture, it just is what it is.

A man for all seasons won the Best picture in 1966. It's the story of Thomas More, who refused to acknowledge the divorce of Henry the 8th and his marriage to Anne Boleyn, as he felt that acknowleging it was heresy and a sin against the church. His unpopular position leads to his death. This is an interesting historical film, and I quite enjoyed learning more about the story. I was somewhat embarassed to note that most of my knowledge of the period comes from reading "The Other Boleyn Girl" by Philippa Gregory.

I wasn't really expecting to like 1946's best picture The Best years of our lives , but I really did. It's the story of 3 World War 2 veterans and their struggle to fit in after they come back from the war. One character has lost his hands, which have been replaced by hooks. He has to deal with the reaction from people who are not used to dealing with someone who is different. This character was played by actor Harold Russell, who was the first actor with a disability ever to star in a film. (He really did have hooks for hands). Another character must deal with the changes in his family, and the third must deal with his unemployment and failing marriage. The film is still a bit cheesy at times, but all in all, it's an interesting look at both a phenomenon and a part of history. The message is still pro-war, and it is worthwhile to contrast this film with those that were made after the Vietnam War.

All the King's Men won the best picture in 1949. Based on the novel by Robert Penn Warren, it follows the rise of a "hick" politician and his rise to fame and corruption. I enjoyed it. The thing that freaked me out is how relevant it still is today. In fact, I spent most of the movie thinking about how this movie's story is not dated at all. It could even be a successful remake. None of the actors really stuck out for me. I guess it's really an ensemble piece and a timeless story.

*I have noted that many Oscar pictures also feature reporters.

Current Music: Theresa Sokyrka- taped from bidetofevil

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Canadian girl out and aboot

Entries tagged with oscar

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Good night and good luck

The Oscar project "Mrs Miniver"

The Oscar project- Lawrence of Arabia

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The Oscar project- "A Man for all seasons"

The Oscar project "The Best Years of our lives"

The Oscar project- "All the King's Men"

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August 2015

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