Even more words of wisdom

This is a little something I wrote for a newsletter. I'm beggining to regret my LMS choice, but hey, it could happen.

It is time once again to ponder the question that plagues mankind every
February. Who will the win Best Picture at the Academy Awards? Usually
everyone has a pretty good idea, whether they're right or not. (See last
year's "Crash" and "Brokeback Mountain," or 1998's "Shakespeare in Love" and
"Saving Private Ryan"). This year that's not the case; it's one of the most
wide-open races since "Gladiator" won. The nominees are "Babel," "The
Departed," "Letters From Iwo Jima," "Little Miss Sunshine," and "The Queen."

I think it's safe to rule out "Letters" because it isn't American enough,
and no one's seen it. Although "The Queen" won the BAFTA I don't think it
will find much love outside the UK. I was going to rule out "Babel" because
it hasn't won any awards since the Golden Globe in January, and voters might
feel it's too much like "Crash." What worries me is Ebert predicts it will
win, and he's not to be taken lightly. I, however, think it's between "The
Departed," a violent good cop/bad cop Scorsese film, and "Sunshine," a
comedy about a dysfunctional family and a beauty pageant. A lot of bloggers
are predicting "The Departed" to win, but I think it's really a toss up and
they're just uncomfortable with picking a comedy--which is perfectly valid
as the last comedy to win was "Annie Hall." But in the interest of being
bold, I formally predict "Little Miss Sunshine" to be the winner.

The other races are a little easier, though. Helen Mirren and Forest
Whitaker should win in the lead acting categories, and Jennifer Hudson and
Eddie Murphy in the supporting. Martin Scorsese will win Best Director, and
"Sunshine" and "Departed" for the screenplays. It's interesting that this
summer all the Oscar buzz was around "Dreamgirls," which did get the most
nominations, but none for Best Picture. I personally think it was robbed,
but it will win some awards with Hudson and Murphy. That's my Oscar
cheatsheet, so pop some popcorn, sharpen the pencils, print the ballots
(imdb.com), and enjoy the show.

Coffee would help me think

It's a CHARLIE KAUFMAN MARATHON!!! If you're tired of same-old same-old comedy, try one of these.

ADAPTATION
Charlie Kaufman has a book with no plot he needs to adapt, a suddenly successful twin brother living with him, and a receding hairline. Susan Orlean wants to feel passionately about something, writes about flowers, and finds herself in a crocodile infested swamp. Throw in an eccentric orchid dealer, a screenwriting seminar, and a whole lot of voice-over, and you've got a fast-paced ride from start to finish. How Kaufman didn't get an Oscar for this is beyond me.

BEING JOHN MALKOVICH
Craig Schwartz finds a tunnel in his office that puts you inside John Malkovich's head for 15 minutes before dropping you beside the highway outside of town. He starts charging people 200 dollars a ride, and attracts quite a crowd. But what does Mr. Malkovich have to say about all this?

ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND
What if you could erase the memory of your ex-girlfriend/boyfriend? What if they erased you first? What if you decided to erase them, but change your mind after it's too late and try to hid them in your childhood memories? That's what happens to Joel Barish, and yes, he thinks it's complicated too.

#%&@ reviewers block!!!

Here's my Ten Things I Hate About You review. I'm not completely satisfied, but I can't think of anything to add/take away. Does Ebert have these kind of problems?


With She's The Man in theaters, here's a review for Ten Things I Hate About You. Both movies were written by Karen McKullah Lutz, and Kirsten Smith. (They also wrote Ella Enchanted, and Legally Blond.)

Did you know Ten Things I Hate About You was based on Shakespeare? The writers hardly let you forget it, going out of their way to make references. Ten Things I Hate About You is indeed based on The Taming of The Shrew, and the parallels just barely out weight the differences. Despite the plot holes and some cringe worthy dialogue, it's a cute movie, sometimes hitting chuckles that would make the Clueless writers proud.

Our story begins with Cameron, the new kid at school, who upon seeing the pretty and popular Bianca Stratford, is instantly infatuated with her. He even pauses his regular high-school slang to say (straight out of The Taming of the Shrew) "I burn, I pine, I perish". Unfortunately for him, Bianca is not allowed to date until her older sister, Kat does. (Kat of course would rather eat a bucket of live eels.)

Cameron, with the help of his friend Michael starts looking for possible beaus. Sadly, they all either laugh , or cry in terror at the thought of dating Kat the Shrew. So, they hatch a rather risky plan: Tell Joey, the rich jock, who has also been eyeing Bianca, that he could pay Patrick Verona, the mysterious bad boy, to take Kat on a date. (They would pay Pat, but they don't have the money.) Then, Bianca being free to date, could go out with Joey. I guess Cameron was thinking that he would ask Bianca out first, but still, then Joey would be mad, and the money would run out. Hence, plot hole number one.

Meanwhile, Cameron and his friend Michael try to help Pat win over Kat. "[She] likes Thai food, feminist pros, and angry girl rock music of the indie persuasion". Despite tip offs, Pat has trouble getting the first date. After many one-liners, revealed secrets, splattered paint balls, and Can't Take My Eyes Off You serenaded to the girls soccer team, Pat and Kat end up, in true Shakespearian fashion, making out in her car. The romance is just killing me.

Um, Singapore, that's right...

I am on a roll! Here is my King Kong review:

The plot to King Kong is a simple one. A giant monkey is captured and brought back to New York where he falls off the Empire State Building. I can appreciate the twelve hours it took to adapt the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but three hours of wrestling giant bugs gets old.
I crawled out of my indie hovel for the first time in a while, and remembered how good a big-budget action/adventure movie could be. If you liked Pirates of the Caribbean, Men in Black, and the Lord of the Rings, you'll probably like King Kong. The only complaint I can think of, is it was too long. I have nothing against running from giant bugs and lizards, but after a while it ceases to move along the plot and (to me) is just boring.
Why You Should See It: You want special effects, on-foot chase scenes, and it's Peter Jackson, people!
Why You Shouldn't See It: You want snappy dialogue, and a happy ending.

Just call me Ebert

I'm going to start writing a movie review for my homeschool newsletter, and I'm starting out with a review for Capote. I wanted to do a review for something actually IN THEATERS, but that would require seeing something like The Shaggy Dog. *shudder*
Here is my review:

Capote follows Truman Capote and Harper Lee as they research the killings of the Clutter family in Kansas. They get increasingly involved with the town and with the murderers. In the end he must decide which he values more, his book, or his friendship with Perry Smith.
Philip Seymour Hoffman delivers a frighteningly dead-on portrayal of Truman Capote. While he has the showiest performance, the rest of the cast's more understated roles ring true, and occasionally steal scenes.
Why you should see it: You want to see a smart showcase of actors, and the story behind the unraveling of a great author.
Why you shouldn't see it: You want a light feel-good movie.


Corny? Cliche? Total brilliance? I don't know.