2nd Annual "And The Oscar Goes To"

What do Mike Francessa and I have in common? Unfortunately not as much as I would like. But the answer is our obsession with the Oscars. Its Hollywood's biggest night and being the movie junkie that I am, it's only fitting that I get caught up with the Oscars. I am such a sick person that I rattled off almost every winner of the 5 major categories of the last 20 years (true story, just ask Mr. IMDB Lenny the Critic). Usually I like to see majority of the films up for awards however this year I am severely slacking. I'm not happy about it. In fact I may have a cram session on Saturday just to make myself feel better, but I don't know...I don't know if we'll have enough time. Shockingly I've only seen 3 of the 10 movies nominated for Best Picture. Usually I'm well over 50%. But I've done my homework, seen some trailers, read some reviews, watched some award shows, had dinner with Roger Ebert, sat courtside with Jack, smoked pot with Johnny Hopkins and Sloan Kettering and then decided to blog. Based on my research there are at LEAST 4 absolute, stone cold, lock it up, put it in pen sure thing bets that will not lose. And the rest are kind of up in the air. So here are my predictions...

Best Picture: 
Nominees: Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids Are Alright, The King's Speech, 127 Hours, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, True Grit, Winter's Bone


What will Win: The King's Speech - This is the textbook Academy movie in which they can't say no to. They love British time piece movies with great costumes, elaborate set designs and classically trained actors (See Shakespeare In Love). I have not seen this movie, but it won Best Picture at all the other award shows and based on the reviews and opinions and buzz, I think this nudges out The Social Network. 


What Should Win: Inception - It's easily the most creative, unique, entertaining movie of the year, however it will surely get overlooked. The consensus opinion for the "only reasonable threat" is Social Network. I really enjoyed Social Network but I didn't think it was amazing. When I saw Inception I was completely wow-ed by the experience. But Christopher Nolan wasn't even nominated for Best Director, which sums up how the Academy feels about this movie (and seriously what does Nolan have to do get a nomination).

Darkhorse: The Social Network - It's not much of a darkhorse considering its the only real competition. But I just think King's Speech has this thing locked up so if Social Network wins it will technically be an upset. Its a two horse race for sure. I loved the speed and pacing of this movie, and I'm positive that those two aspects got this movie nominated. I mean its a moderate story, but because everyone loves Facebook and really didn't know all the details, people became enthralled. However, its the story telling, speed and tempo that got this movie nominated.





Best Actor: 
Nominees: Javier Bardem (Biutiful), Jeff Bridges (True Grit), Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network), Colin Firth (The King's Speech), James Franco (127 Hours)


Who Will Win: Colin Firth (The King's Speech) - This is 1 of my ABSOLUTE locks and I will be betting on this. Not only is the competition very weak, but chips are in his corner. The biggest threat is Jeff Bridges, but he won last year for Crazy Heart and I don't think the Academy is going to make him the first back to back winner in this category since Tom Hanks (Not to mention that the role of Rooster Cogburn in the movie True Grit has already won Best Actor award for John Wayne in 1969).

Who Should Win: Colin Firth (The King's Speech) - I haven't seen this movie, in fact the only I've seen in Social Network but this is a sure thing. Firth has been around for a while, gaining respect for years and I have a feeling that the Academy is going to reward him for this. Seriously, this is a shoe in.

Darkhorse: Jesse Eisenberg - Just for the sake of format I will give a darkhorse. As good as Eisenberg was, I would be shocked if Firth didn't win.

Best Supporting Actor: 
Nominees: Christian Bale (The Fighter), John Hawkes (Winter's Bone), Jeremy Renner (The Town), Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are Alright), Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)

Who Will Win: Christian Bale (The Fighter) - This is the biggest lock of the night. I may bet this seperately and as part of a parlay because this award is already over. Bale lost nearly 30 pounds almost to the point of which he was unrecognizable (a known weakspot of the Academy) and absolutely commanded the screen. He has won the Golden Globe and the Screen Actors Guild award, which means he is being recognized by peers and critics alike. Take this one to the bank.

Who Should Win: Jeremy Renner (The Town) - Renner has now been nominating for acting awards in back to back years and to borrow a term from a friend, he is "piping hot". Renner was simply perfect as the psychotic bank robber that it was almost scary. We've seen plenty of bank robber and plenty of killers in the past, but there was something about this performance that stood out. It was cold, succinct and strangely compelling because he was completely unpredictable. I'm sure you will be seeing a lot more Renner in the next few years.

Darkhorse: Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech) - Rush is an academy favorite having already won a Best Actor award in the 90's and theres a good chance that this movie makes a clean sweep of the major awards. Rush plays the speech therapist who helps the future king overcome his speech impediment. I still can't see how Bale doesn't win this award. LOCK IT UP.

Best Actress:
Nominees: Annette Benning (The Kid's Are Alright), Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole), Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone), Natalie Portman (Black Swan), Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine) 


Who Will Win: Natalie Portman (Black Swan) - I'm pretty sure this is a shoe in. She's gained all kinds of accolades as the schizophrenic ballerina. Being able to pull off multiple personalities is not easy, in fact it often time leads to unintentional comedy. The other major factor that she has going for her is the awesome girl on girl love scene with Mila Kunis (if your girl makes you watch this, that scene can make it worthwhile) which shows her fearlessness (it worked for Halle Berry in Monster's Ball). I'm very confident about this, but I'm not gonna bet this one.

Who Should Win: Natalie Portman (Black Swan) - Because honestly have you, the casual movie-goer, heard anything about any of these other performances. I'm sure they were all really good, but Portman has America talking. She will win this award.

Darkhorse: Annette Benning - She's the wily old veteran in this category and has just enough going for her for me not to make Natalie a absolute lock. She won the Screen Actors Guild as a Lesbian who finally meets the man who donated his sperm for their children. I haven't seen this and I probably won't (not that there's anything wrong with that) but its got that off-beat quirky, new age movie kind of approach and certainly Annette has been around for a well and has done some great work. I wouldn't be surprised if she won, but I stand by Natalie.

Best Supporting Actress:
Nominees: Amy Adams (The Fighter), Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech), Melissa Leo (The Fighter), Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit), Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom)


Who Will Win: Melissa Leo (The Fighter) - I'm not happy with myself that I have not seen this movie, and this may be my choice to see on Saturday. It had to be good when it receives 3 acting nominations (but my boy Wahlberg gets screwed again). There is the chance that Adams and Leo could split the vote, but from what I've heard she dominated this role.

Who Should Win: Hailee Steinfeld - How about getting nominated for an Oscar in your first big screen movie. She must have done a hell of a job if she could hang with Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon. The only problem is I doubt she will win for her very first movie. I could be wrong, but this is the only major category that is totally wide open.

Darkhorse: Helena Bonham Carter - Just because there's a 20% chance that King's Speech runs aways with any close call category.

Best Director:
Nominees: Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan), David O. Russell (The Fighter), Tom Hooper (The King's Speech), David Fincher (The Social Network), Joel and Ethan Coen (True Grit)


Who Will Win: David Fincher (The Social Network) - This is very interesting, because generally speaking, the winner of best Director is also the movie that wins for best picture. However I think this trend will break, at least in my opinion. I think Fincher finally gets recognized (another trend recently has been rewarding great directors who are long overdue. see Scorsese, Martin).

Who Should Win: Tom Hooper (The King's Speech) - Again, just because there's a 20% chance that King's Speech goes for a clean sweep (except for Best Actor, that shit's over before it began).

Darkhorse: Coen Brothers (True Grit) - I think this is another two horse race between the top pictures of the night. I can't imagine the Coen's winner 2 oscars in 4 years, but you never know.

Full Winner Predictions:
Best Picture: The King's Speech
Best Director : David Fincher (The Social Network)
Best Actor : Colin Firth (The Kings Speech)
Supporting Actor: Christian Bale (The Fighter)
Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
Adapted Screenplay: The Social Network
Original Screenplay: The King's Speech ****Inception deserves this award though***
Animated: Toy Story 3
Art Direction: Alice in Wonderland
Cinematography: Inception
Costume Design: The King's Speech
Documentary Feature: Inside Job
Documentary Short: Poster Girl
Film Editing: The Social Network
Foreign Language Film: Biutiful
Makeup: The Wolfman
Original Score: The Social Network
Original Song: "If I Rise (127 Hours)
Short Film Animated : The Lost Thing
Short Film Live Action: Na WeWe
Sound Editing: Inception
Sound Mixing: Inception
Visual Effects: Inception





ABSOLUTE LOCKS:

So here are the picks that I'm betting heavy money on :

Toy Story 3 -Best Animated Feature
Christian Bale - Best Supporting Actor
The Social Network - Best Adapted Screenplay
Colin Firth - Best Actor


I would bet my entire life savings on Toy Story 3 but these 3 options make for a very compelling parlay. Honestly, I would do ridiculous things if Toy Story doesn't win Best Animated Feature. 1 of my friends already owes Pasquale a ridiculous thing, and I would certainly join in that ridiculous event if Toy Story lose. I mean it was nominated for Best Picture, its an ABSOLUTE lock to win this category.

Well that will wrap it up. I know there wasn't as much fun stuff in this entry, but there's a lot of information. I will be very curious to see my results. So sit back and enjoy the show folks.

Until next time, as always.....STAY CLASSY!

10 Movies For The Rest Of Your Life

Guess who's back????

I know what you all must be thinking...ETC ETC ETC has the laziest blogger of all time. Well I can't argue with that entirely, however I will say this. If I had more time, in essence if I was lazier, I would have more time to dedicate to this blog. However more pressing things demand my attention and I have not been able to dedicate enough to this blog. But a snide remark from a co-worker known only as Bob really gave me a reason to write today's post (that and a lengthy bar discussion about movies). So a while back Bob asked me a question that demanded more thought than I anticipated. He asked me "if you could only watch 10 movies for the rest of your life, which 10 movies would you pick". Now at face value, that seems like an easy enough question to answer. You'd pick a few of the all time favorites, a few feel good movies and a few personal favorites. But then I began to dig a little deeper....

I mean 10 movies for the rest of your life?!?! I love Big Macs and all but could I eat them for the rest of my life? I don't know. But along that line of reasoning, if I eliminated Big Macs, does that mean I eliminate hamburgers altogether? So I really had to think long and hard about this topic and what I realized was is this; that my list says a lot about who I am as person, and certainly each person's list will inevitably say a lot about a person's personality (please excuse the alliteration). In fact I think this list might be as telling of an indicator as anything you could ask a person. For example, if you asked this to a potential friend or love interest, and they responded "you know, i really don't like movies" well then I walk away from that person before they have the time to tell me that communism is a misunderstood form of government.

But chances are any normal human being will able to provide you a list of movies that they hold dear. Now i can easily tell you my 10 favorite movies of all time, or even tell you what I consider to be the 10 best movies of all time. But asking a person to list 10 movies, and only 10 movies that they could watch for the rest of their lives...well thats a question that requires some serious thought. But I think this is a great question, and I think this should be used more often as a screening process for potential friends or love interests. Because in my opinion, and granted I am a sick person who LOVES movies and watches tons and tons of movies, this provides great insight into the kind of person you are.

So without further adieu, this is how I would answer the question "If you could only watch 10 movies for the rest of your life, which movies would you pick"

*Please note, these are in no particular order. Assuming I have all the time left on earth and can only watch these 10, I'm sure I would watch all of these movies an equal amount of times*

Dumb & Dumber - This is an all time classic comedy in my opinion. What makes this movie so great is that it's hilarious the first time you saw it (regardless of your age) but it gets funnier the more you watch it and the more you understand. The Farrelly brothers are comedic geniuses with movies like There's Something About Mary and Kingpin to their name but I feel this is their finest achievement. I saw this movie when it came out in 1994 when I was 9 years old and thought it was the funniest movie I had ever seen. It wasn't until I was in high school and truly understood every joke of this movie did I think it was a legendary movie. One of the  reasons I think I could watch this for the rest of my life is because in all the years of toilet humor, there has never been and will never be a funnier toilet scene than Harry's epic turn on the faulty throne. This movie is quotable and rewatchable and is absolutely on my list.

Old School - Comedy is a huge theme in my selections and let's be honest, if you could only watch 10 movies for the rest of you life, you have to pick movies that continue to make you laugh even when you can recite the entire movie by heart. This is the case with Old School. I mean who hasn't said "You're my boy Blue" or "actually a pretty nice little Saturday. We're gonna go to home depot, yeah buy some wall paper, maybe get some flooring, stuff like that. Maybe Bed, Bath & Beyond, I don't know. I don't know if we'll have enough time". This movie changed the way I viewed comedies. I had seen Animal House and I had seen Caddyshack, but this really took the outrageous comedy to a whole new level. Vince Vaughn and Will Ferrell deliver incredible performances that I will never get tired of.

Anchorman - This may be my most polarizing choice of my 10. However, I can not leave this movie off my list. I saw this move 4 times in theaters. You can ask the people who saw this movie with me for the first time how funny I thought this was. And they will tell you that I laughed so hard that I had tears running from my eyes at 3 separate times....in the first 30 minutes of the movie. I absolutely love Ron Burgundy but the performances from Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and David Koechner are equally as memorable. And what's not to love about the mustaches? One of my top 2 Halloween's of my life was when I dressed in full suit, donned a stellar wig and powerful mustache and stayed in character as Papa Burgundy all night. I drank scotch and made claims like "I'm kind of a big deal, people know me" all night. It was fantastic. I can peform this movie as a 1 man show on Broadway and I still find it hilarious, so this is 100% on my list.

Wedding Crashers - (are you picking up a theme yet) I could make a case for this as the funniest movie I've ever seen. The first hour of this movie is non-stop, over the top, outrageous humor that stands against some of the greatest hours of a comedy move ever. A lot of people knock this movie for the "chick flick" element that dominates the end of the movie, however I think that that part makes this movie even stronger than its incredible comedic introduction. Rachel McAdams makes every guy fall in love with her and proves that shes not just a one trick pony in The Notebook. But let's not overlook the incredible quotability of this movie, like "stage 5 clinger" or "lock it up" among the many unreal quotes. And let's not forget the break out role of "Sack" aka Bradley Cooper who has emerged as a legitimate Hollywood A-Lister. Bottom line is that I never get sick of this movie, and its absolutely part of my 10 FOREVER list.

A Few Good Men - This is a no brainer in my opinion. This has one of the most iconic lines in all of movie history. Anyone over the age of 18 has heard the line "You can't handle the truth" (I arbitrarily picked the age of 18 but I think that my case holds water). I absolutely love this movie for many reasons. Not only is it incredibly gripping and riveting, but it also has moments of great comedic value. Tom Cruise delivers one of his best performances ever and Jack Nicholson, despite appearing on screen for only 14 minutes, provides a character that will last forever. Nicholson absolutely commands the screen in the short period that he appears and gives us some great quotes (besides the afore-mentioned "truth" quote) like "i want you to stand there in your faggoty white uniform and extend me some fucking courtesy". And I cannot mention A Few Good Men without mentioning Kevin Bacon and the most underrated quote of the movie "You're a lousy fucking softball player Jack"

Gladiator - I can and I have made a case that Gladiator is the best movie that I have seen....ever. The story of Maximus, a powerful general who becomes a slave and fights for his freedom as a gladiator is one of the finest character arc's I've ever seen. Not only is the story incredible, but the film making and cinematography is phenomenal as well. There is a scene in which Maximus (played to perfection by Russell Crowe) first lays eyes on the Roman Colosseum. The character is supposed to be in awe but not only is Maximus taken aback by the sight of this historic structure, but the audience is amazed as well by the incredible re-creation of the building that everyone only knows today by its ruins. And how can you forget the unreal speech Maximus delivers to Commodus, the man who ordered his death, in which hes says "my name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the armies of the north, General of the felix legions. Loyal servant to the true emperor of Rome, Marcus Arelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife...and I will have my vengeance, in this life of the next". It really doesn't get much better than this movie.

Forrest Gump - I could easily make a case for this being as good or better than Gladiator. What I love about this movie is that it has everything you can possibly ask for in a film. It is very funny, there are great action sequences, its tragically sad but at the same time creates an amazing feel good story. All at once this movie is about friendship, love, relationships, war, family, heartbreak, despair, triumph and perseverance while covering every noteworthy event in American history from 1950 to 1994. Tom Hanks won an Academy Award as the title character and I feel that an Oscar, while being the ultimate award for an actor,  is not enough recognition for a performance that transcends film. Gump, for lack of a better term is slow, but Hanks was able to connect with all of us by displaying character traits that everyone can relate to. We all have had a best friend, been hopelessly in love, felt overwhelmed and done illogical things just because we wanted to do it. And we've all heard the cliched quote from this movie that "life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get"

Goodfellas - I find this to be one of the most influential movies of all time. People often compare and contrast this movie with The Godfather but in my opinion you simply cannot compare the two films. Godfather is so historic and so classic that people write it off, much the way people write off "Moby Dick" or "The Great Gatsby" as just another classic, without ever giving them their due recognition. Godfather gives us so many great quotes and scenes that are forever apart of the American consciousness that we assume no other mafia movie could ever be as good. Having said that, I find Goodfellas provides us with an intense, gritty, realistic portrayal of what life is really like in the mafia. Organized crime is not glorified in this movie, rather we are given a unique insight into life as ganster. The characters are disturbed, psychotic sociopaths that have an incredibly captivating quality. As you watch the movie you can't help but be drawn into the mafia lifestyle. And who can forget the absolutely legendary performances from Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci. Pesci's "how am I funny" speech is without question one of the most famous of all time. Some may disagree with this choice because of its length and straying storylines but in my opinion there is no better glimpse into the life of a gangster than this Scorsese classic.

The Sandlot - While this movie will not be in any critics top 10 list of all time greatest movies, The Sandlot is on this list without question. Perhaps the biggest contributing factor is the nostalgic angle that brings me back to my childhood. This was one of my favorite movies as a kid, but the true test of a "for the rest of my life movie" is that this movie has improved with age. The quotability of this movie is off the charts with classics like "you're killing me smalls" to the more inspirational "heroes get remembered, but legends never die". This classic tale of youth baseball -turned epic adventure is one that I can rewatch over and over again. I truly believe this movie will survive the test of time, not only with me as I get older, but that it will be a movie I can play for my kids and they will enjoy it as well. (If they don't like it.....well I haven't even considered that as a possibility, so ask me about this in like 20 years)

Good Will Hunting - This is another movie that I put in my top 5 of all time and could easily make a case for it to be in the top 3. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck gave us one of the finest screenplays of all time. The writing and dialogue are absolutely incredible. There are so many great scenes like when Damon tells a Harvard snob that he spent 130 grand on an education he could have gotten for $1.50 in late charges at the public library. Or when Affleck goes on a job interview for Damon and asks for an out of pocket cash retainer. But the two scenes that stand out, that make this movie legendary in my opinion are the scene when Damon and Williams meet on the park bench, and when Damon and Affleck talk about their futures at the end of the move. The scene with Williams single-handedly won him the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in which he told Will Hunting that " If I ask you about women, you'd probably give me a syllabus about your personal favorites. You may have even been laid a few times. But you can't tell me what it feels like to wake up next to a woman and feel truly happy. You're a tough kid. And I'd ask you about war, you'd probably throw Shakespeare at me, right, "once more unto the breach dear friends." But you've never been near one. You've never held your best friend's head in your lap, watch him gasp his last breath looking to you for help. I'd ask you about love, you'd probably quote me a sonnet. But you've never looked at a woman and been totally vulnerable" . It's one of the best monologues in movie history and it totally defined a generation of people who used the internet to understand the finer life points. 

And the scene with Damon and Affleck was an asbolutely perfect way to end the movie. Not only because its a fantastic display of screenwriting, but also because most people can find a Will or Chuckie in their lives and this line summed up all of our thoughts. "Every day I come by your house and I pick you up. And we go out. We have a few drinks, and a few laughs, and it's great. But you know what the best part of my day is? For about ten seconds, from when I pull up to the curb and when I get to your door, 'cause I think, maybe I'll get up there and I'll knock on the door and you won't be there. No goodbye. No see you later. No nothing. You just left. I don't know much, but I know that".


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So thats my list of 10 movies that I would watch for the rest of my life. I know I have left off a lot of classic movies, skipped over a few genres of movies, but as always I stand by my list. And I have said it before and I'll say it again...the great thing about top 10 lists are that no two lists are exactly the same and you can debate them forever. So I would love to hear your feedback and response to my list, as well as to see the 10 movies that other people would go with. I know I have promised a drinking game manifesto and I will promise to you all right now that I will release said Manifesto shortly. It has required MUCH more thought and time than I had planned.


Its great to be back blogging and I can't wait to hear the response that we get from this entry. So until next time, as always.....STAY CLASSY!