Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Characters

Movies and tv-shows need a lot working for them in order to become something to remember. A good story, funny moments, shocking moments, twists are just some of the different ingredients that can make us remember a certain movie, tv-show (or even just one specific tv-episode). Very often, though, the characters can make or break a movie or tv-show. From Robert De Niro's portrayal of the young Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II, through George Wendt's Norm in Cheers and all the way to Colin Firth's oscar-winning role in The King's Speech, characters have amazed us.

Characters can be intriguing in many ways; their complexity, their mannerism, simplicity, actions, figure of speech, dialogue etc. Very often the "bad guys" have taken the limelight, understandably so considering they are often equipped with both a complexity challenging the viewer's own morality as well as dark humour, witty dialogue and other intriguing qualities.

We all have our favorites, and I have many. Here are some of mine (with emphasis on some), and feel free to hit me up with yours!


Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II - played by Robert De Niro



Portraying the young Vito Corleone after Marlon Brando had immortalized the role in The Godfather Part I was always going to be a differcult task. Robert De Niro nailed it. Vito Corleone was one of thos quiet gangsters, whom did everything for his family. Never lost it, and always seemed to have the answer. His revenge in Italy on the mafioso who killed his father and brother is an amazing scene.

Bill 'The Butcher' Cutting in Gangs of New York - played by Daniel Day-Lewis

Never before has anyone sounded as cool as he did saying "Whoopsy-daisy". The character is well-written, well-acted... it's amazing to see The Butcher's different moods, especially in the scene where he sits talking to Amsterdam (DiCaprio) wrapped in an American flag

Amélie in Amélie - played by Audrey Tautou



Great heart, charming and the scene where she guides the blind man is as beautiful as a film-scene can be.

Alfredo in Cinema Paradiso - played by Philippe Noiret



Who wouldn't like to have this guy as an extra grandfather? A friend of mine suggested I dressed up as Alfredo for Halloween.. maybe one day I will.

Lars in Lars and the Real Girl - played by Ryan Gosling

Socially inept, this character is both tragic and hilarious. The comic aspect of his character is very well written, though, which makes this movie a very touching depiction of the life of a person deeply challenged on how to interact with the outside world. The "flower-throwing"-scene is one of the funniest scenes I've seen, with just about all the elements of it's comedy spot on.

Omar Little in The Wire - played by Michael K. Williams



One of the best characters in a tv-show, Omar Little was the homosexual gangster strolling around the hood armed with a shotgun and a love for whistling. How's that for a twist on the stereotypical tv-gangster?

Josh Lyman in The West Wing - played by Bradley Whitford

Together with other amazing characters from the show (Toby Ziegler, Leo McGarry and C.J. Cregg), Josh Lyman made this tv-show one of the best tv-shows ever. I've never been a fan of quick dialogue, but these characters made it work.

Phil Dunphy in Modern Family - played by Ty Burrell



One of the funniest characters in a sitcom these days, Phil is the dad who tries a little bit too hard to be the cool dad. Funny on so many levels. His lines are incredible, but Ty Burrell has to be given a lot of credit cause his delivery is brilliant.

Javier Rodriguez in Traffic - played by Benicio Del Toro

Breakthrough performance for Benicio Del Toro, and not without a reason. Javier is one of the most likable characters in this movie, add to that the amusing scene in the pool. Don Cheadle's character is also a great one in Traffic.

Mario Ruoppolo in Il Postino - played by Massimo Troisi



This rather slow character is introduced to us through a conversation with his father where he takes the term "beat around the bush" to a new level. The simplicity of his mind is both funny and beautiful. Troisi died just after finishing the movie, having gone against the doctor's advice on not shooting the film.

Sydney Fife in I Love You, Man - played by Jason Segel

The axe-man to Peter Klaven's bass-slapping in the movie that defined bromance. Sydney's lines, appearance and behaviour is all great fun, although one might not want the dude to spring a surprise-speech at your Wedding...

Chuck in Forgetting Sarah Marshall - played by Paul Rudd



Although a very small role, this character is funny in all off his scenes as the surf-instructor with a "slight" drug-problem. "You sound like you're from LAN-DAAAN!"



As mentioned, these are just a few of my favorites, and there are plenty of others I could have included, such as a few characters from tv-shows like The Shield, Sopranos, Band of Brothers, Mad Men, Six Feet Under as well as from the movies...

How about you? Agree/disagree? Any favorites of your own?

Sunday, October 9, 2011

A passenger far from home

Finally Lisa Hannigan has released her sophomore album, the follow-up to the wonderful Sea Sew. She's been writing the album from late 2009 throughout 2010. I thought the first album was a masterpiece, and Passenger, the new release does not disappoint.

The favorite tune so far is the hauntingly beautiful Home, including lyrics as such:

And oh, every lie we told,
is written in stone
Every lie we wrote in our bones

And hold on, there's nothing to pack,
we know we're not coming back






First official video out is Knots, a more up-tempo tune from the wonderful Irish artist:




Another great tune from the album is the low-key Paper House:




Next song, the title track Passenger, has been featured in this blog before, but deserves a re-post. Live-version from 2009.




Next tune really speaks volumes of how Lisa's voice can make you feel she's in the same room as you while listening to her. Here is the wonderful Safe Travels (Don't Die):
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Bonus - from the making of the album:




For some of her stuff from the debut-album, check out this old post:

http://frodevincenzo.blogspot.com/2011/04/damien-and-lisa.html

Monday, September 26, 2011

Spread love is the Brooklyn way...

A little trip down memory lane again. Topic of the day: Hip hop Classics from the 90's


It's impossible to NOT include this first song. Sorry about the poor quality on the video. I remember sitting between the two towers in NYC back in... 98-ish maybe, when a police-officer walked by dropping a few lines from this tune... ah, the memories:


Notorious B.I.G. - Juicy





Can't do a post on this subject without the Wu-Tang Clan, and here's one of my first fave rap-tunes...


Wu-Tang Clan - C.R.E.A.M.




I have to include two more Wu-related tunes:


Method Man - All I Need




Ghostface Killah (feat. Mary J. Blige) - All That I Got is You




Anyone remember Lost Boyz? Well, here's an old classic...

Lost Boyz - Renee




Tupac could've had a dozen of songs here, but just one this time:

Tupac - Keep Ya Head Up



... and now to something completely different... who can forget this classic?

Luniz - I got 5 on it




Last tune out.. an odd favorite, maybe

Nine - Whutcha Want

Monday, September 19, 2011

Femmina Alfa

My love for Italy is no big secret. The culture, the history, Roma, the beaches, the people, the language, the football (AS Roma) etc. I've also heard my share of Italian music through the years, most notably Gianna Nannini, who I basically grew up listening to.

This next artist however, is someone I recently became aware of, after a friend of mine (who again had her recommended from another friend) told me to check her out. I've had the following songs on repeat basically ever since. Seriously.

Baby K is the name of the artist, and... well, now it's my turn to recommend her tunes to you. Rap has had it's ups and downs lately, and to me this is definitely one of the ups. Great beats, wonderfully built up tunes, great flow. Enjoy!


Baby K - Femmina Alfa




Baby K - Primo Round




Baby K - In Piedi




Baby K - Una su un millione




Baby K - Sole

Friday, September 16, 2011

Autumn

It's mid-September, and summer is over. In all honosty, it never really seemed to be present here in Norway this year, at least not for a duration of time. These last couple of weeks have given me plenty of time to sit inside looking out... Being sick is mostly just a pain the... well, throat in my case, but there is also something quite swell about sitting inside when the rain is falling down HARD on the outside.

Here are a couple of songs that'll make sure that autumn isn't as dark and depressing as it can be...


Bon Iver - Skinny Love - Painfully beautiful




Bon Iver - Re:stacks




Bon Iver - Flume




Ray LaMontagne - You Are the Best Thing





Ray LaMontagne - Let it be Me





Ray LaMontagne - Meg White
- Yes, it's the Meg White from White Stripes


Iron & Wine - Such Great Heights




Iron & Wine - Flightless Bird, American Moth - Live version




The Avett Brothers - Murder in the City




Bon Iver - Perth





Dave Matthews - The Stone





Hope you enjoy!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

The end of summer...

Tomorrow is the first day of school after the summer. It's been, mostly, a great summer. Been working a lot, but have also been to a beautiful Wedding in wonderful Cinque Terre in Italy, had one of - if not THE - best concert-experiences in my life, and enjoyed another week in Italy later on. Can't complain.

My iPod has been a bit on and off the last few months, but luckily it's working now, and here are a few songs that have been played during the summer, as well as some other nice tunes. As usual, not brand-new tunes, but tunes worth a listen anyway.


Adele - Someone Like You (Live AOL Session)




Tyler the Creator feat. Frank Ocean - She




Manu Chao - Bongo Bong




Santana feat. Musiq - Nothing At All




Gianna Nannini - Ti Voglio Tanto Bene




And a last little bonus for you, I gotta show some love for my friend Vertel. Check out this song, which I've had on repeat since she dropped it. Ear-candy! Follow her on twitter @vforvertel. It's a good idea. Just sayin'.

Vertel - A Woman's Requiem

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Live this summer...

Well, it's been forever, so it's about time with an update. Summer is here, and due to a Wedding in Italy, as well as working full-time for a few weeks, I haven't kept this blog as updated as I would have wanted to. Anyway, here's a couple of tunes from artists which I have seen, or will see, live this summer.

About two weeks ago I saw Aloe Blacc live in Oslo at the Oslo Live Festival. I had been looking forward to the concert for quite some time, and he didn't dissapoint me. Due to bad weather (and maybe the Foo Fighters concert, which was on the same day just outside of Oslo), the attendance wasn't as high as I (and probably Aloe) had hoped, but that didn't stop him. He did a great gig, and here are a few favorites of mine:

You Make Me Smile




Loving You is Killing Me

Aloe performed a great version of this at the concert




Mama Hold My Hand



















In less then two weeks, I'm off to Berlin to watch Gianna Nannini again. Last time I saw her in concert was in Rome 2009. This time, she will be performing in Berlin in a venue with a capacity of 3500, and I'm looking foward to seeing her at a smaller venue then last time, even though the concert at Palalottomatica was amazing. Nice to see her in different settings. Anyway, here are a couple of great tunes from the amazing Gianna Nannini.

Ogni Tanto - from her most recent album, Io e Te.



America - live from the Amiche per L'Abruzzo concert



Fotoromanza - an old classic




Bonus: Fabri Fibra feat. Gianna Nannini - In Italia





Later the same week, I'll be back in Oslo to see a legend. Prince sold out in a couple of minutes when the tickets for his concert in Oslo Spektrum became available. No surprise. Here are a couple of reasons why Prince is regarded a living legend in the music-industry.


When Doves Cry




Little Red Corvette

Friday, May 13, 2011

A journey through the music of a legend.




Stevie Wonder is most definitely one of my favorite artists, and today Stevie celebrates his 61st birthday. Needless to say, this is dedicated to the wonderful music of the multi-talented soul-legend from Michigan. I've had the pleasure of seeing him live in concert on two occasions, and his stage-presence matches his unique sense of musicality.

Although still active today, his best work (in my opinion) is to be found in his releases during the 60's and 70's. The diversity in his repetoire is incredible, as is the range of his voice.

Here are some of my favorite tunes from one of the true Motown-legends. Happy Birthday, Stevie!


Sir Duke

Probably one of the most well-known songs from his funky catalogue, this song is taken from the classic album Songs in the Key of Life.




Free

Taken from the album Characters, released in 1987, this song and the lyrics speak volumes of Stevie Wonder's range, and the choir does a pretty amazing job as well.




A Place in the Sun

A young Stevie Wonder without his characteristic long hair performs one of his songs from the album Down to Earth, released in 1966.



Don't Know Why I Love You

Stevie sings his heart out in this great tune from the album For Once in My Life, released in 1968.




They Won't Go When I Go

Haunting song from the album Fullfillingness' First Finale, released in 1974.




Lately

This ballad was on the album Hotter Than July, released in 1980.




Part Time Lover

Stevie Wonder encapsulates the 80's in less then 5 minutes. From the album In Square Circle from... you guessed it, 1985.




Living for the City

Another great live performance of another great song, from the album Innervisions, released in 1973.




Higher Ground

Funky classic from the same album, Innervisions.




Evil

Amazing tune from the album Music of My Mind, released in 1972.




Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday

Stevie just standing there kicking ass as usual. From the album My Cherie Amour, released in 1969.




Never Had a Dream Come True

Great song from the album Signed, Sealed and Delivered, released in 1970 (with possibly the corniest album-cover he ever had).




Village Ghetto Land

Another song from the album Songs in the Key of Life, this time showing the more socially interested side of Stevie.




I Wish

More of the funky stuff, again from Songs in the Key of Life.




If It's Magic

Live performance of another beautiful tune, again from SOngs in the Key of Life.




You & I

One of Stevie's, in my opinion, most beautiful ballads. From Talking Book, released in 1972.




Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer

Another great ballad. From the album Where I'm Coming From, released in 1971.





To end this journey through the music of Stevie Wonder, here's a few songs that should get your feet moving for the Weekend, as well as the one song I really couldn't leave out on this occasion. Enjoy!


For Once in My Life



Superstition



Happy Birthday

Saturday, May 7, 2011

If I sing a song...

Spring has finally settled in Oslo, and this means one thing for a student. It's time for finals, studying and a hellish month before one can finally put the books away and return to social life. This is somewhat ironic, as part of what I'm studying this semester is sociology... Anyway, this blog has been quiet for a while now, much due to the aforementioned school-work, but also because I went to Rome for a week to live the good life. Rome was, as always, amazing, and it only took me a couple of days before I booked myself another couple of days to Rome this summer... Grande!

I've finally "fixed" my iPod, that is to say.. I bought new headphones. Here are some great tunes I recommend you to have available on your iPod as you stroll along the streets of.. wherever you are.

First off, a tune a friend of mine recommended to me.

Charles Bradley - "The World (is going up in flames). Cheers Ståle!



Aloe Blacc should me a name most of you recognize after his hit "I Need a Dollay", which was also featured in the Tv-show How to Make it in America. His album "Good Things" came out last year, and has a lot of great tunes, such as...

If I



Life so Hard




And one of my def favorites from the album:

Mama Hold My Hand




And speaking of songs about mamas, here are two bonus songs. Have a good one!

Tupac - Dear Mama



Nas - Dance

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Damien and Lisa

9 years ago Damien Rice released his debut album 'O', an album which is still one of my favorite albums of all-time (of ALL time #kanyewest)... It featured the wonderful Lisa Hannigan on several tunes, and they're collaborations would last for 6 years.



In 2009 she released her debut album, 'Sea Sew', and she is currently working on her sophomore album. Unlike many artists, Damien Rice have been pretty relaxed about pushing out cds, which has resulted in only two albums in total since his 2002 debut. Here are a few of my favorite tunes from the two Irish musicians, both solo and in collaborations:


The Blower's Daughter



Volcano



Elephant



Coconut Skins



Amie






I Don't Know



Passenger



Lille



Ocean and a Rock



Bonus:

I Don't Know - Live



Pistachio

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Dedication

We're all familiar with the classical stories of "he lost/gained 80 pounds for his part in (insert movie)". Here's a couple of impressive facts in that regard:

Obviously it's differcult to speak of actors dedicating themselves more then what is usually expected without mentioning the great Robert De Niro. The man needs no further introduction, and these might be known facts for many of you, but anyway. Here goes:

- To prepare himself for portraying Vito Corleone in The Godfather: Part II, he spent four months learning the Sicilian dialect, and most of his lines in the movie are (surprise, surprise) in Sicilian. As the task of recreating the role of a younger Vito wasn't hard enough after Marlon Brando's oscar-winning performance in the prequel...

- The very same De Niro paid a dentist $5000 to make his teeth look bad for his role as Max Cady in Cape Fear... he then later paid $20000 to have them fixed post-production.

- For his role as Jake La Motta in "Raging Bull", De Niro went through a lot of physical training and even entered three boxing matches in Brooklyn. He won two of them. To portray the scenes of the older Jake La Motta he gained 60 pounds (27.3kg)...



- Vincent D'Onofrio holds the world record for most weighed gained for a role, 70 pounds (31.8kg) for his role in Full Metal Jacket. He also gained 45 pounds (20.5kg) for his role in The Salton Sea.

- Nicolas Cage ate a cockroach in the movie Vampire's Kiss... it took three takes. He also pulled two teeth without anestethic for his role in Birdy.

- Christian Bale, who recently won an Oscar for best supporting actor (The Fighter), lost 63 punds (28.6kg) for his role in The Machinist, a feat which is even more impressive considering he portrayed the not quite so skinny Batman a year later in Batman Begins...



- While shooting Gangs of New York, Daniel Day-Lewis rarely got out of character, and actually spoke with a New York accent the whole day. He also sharpened his knives at lunch (he played 'The Butcher')

- Last, but not least, Massimo Troisi was told that he needed treatment for his heart condition prior to filming Il Postino. Troisi, however, believed that making the film was of greater importance and carried on. 12 hours after the cameras stopped rolling, Troisi died...





Obviously, there are just a selected few, and there are many, many more examples of great transformations and stories of how actors/actresses have done amazing things in order for their portrayal in film to be as believable and true as possible.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Hamm & Haggis

March 10th, Jon Hamm turned 40, and Paul Haggis turned 58. I'd therefore like to share some of my fave moments from these two, who have both done amazing work in TV/film.

Paul Haggis has won two oscars (Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Original Screenplay), and they both were awarded to him for the movie Crash in 2006. A movie which surprised many, and ultimately won the oscar for best movie ahead of Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Munich and Good Night, and Good Luck.

Paul Haggis has done a lot of great work in film, although Crash is to me his finest work (especially as director). As a screenwriter he became the first person to win Oscars back-to-back in 2005 and 2006 (Million Dollar Baby was the other one).

Crash has an impressive cast, including a personal favorite of mine, Don Cheadle. Also starring in the movie is Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillon, Ryan Phillippe, Jennifer Esposito, William Fichtner, Terrence Howard, Thandie Newton and Ludacris(!). A lot of "small" parts in this movie, but they all did great jobs.

Here's a trailer for the movie, which if you haven't seen, you definitely should get to it:





So, Jon Hamm. "Don Draper" turned 40 on March 10th, and one might call him a late-bloomer in the industry. That is so say, he's been around for a long time, but it's safe to say his big break came with the show "Mad Men". He won the Golden Globe for his portrayal as Don Draper in 2008. He was recently in Ben Affleck's new movie "The Town", where he does a good job as FBI Agent Frawley. Here's a presentation of his charachter on "Mad Men":

Thursday, February 24, 2011

The Academy Awards awaits

With only a few days to go until the Academy Awards, it's time to look through the different nominees in the main categories. I've seen as many of the films as I've come across, and that includes all the 10 nominees for Best Motion Picture, as well as all of the movies which held the nominations for Best Actor/Supporting Actor and Best Actress/Supporting Actress, except for Javier Bardem in Biutiful.

Anyways, I thought I'd start with the category of directing, and work my way through 8 of the awards, so here goes...

Best Achievement in Directing

Nominees:

Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen for True Grit
David Fincher for The Social Network
Tom Hooper for The King's Speech
David O. Russell for The Fighter




This category has got a nice variety of movies, and includes the Coen Brothers, Darren Aronofsky, David Fincher, David O. Russell and Tom Hooper. I enjoyed all the movies which are nominated, though I consider Black Swan, The Social Network and The King's Speech to be favorites to win, for various reasons. First and foremost, "the facebook movie" could benefit from the fact that it is a movie VERY much talked about and in tune with today's society. I liked the movie, and the cast does a fine job. Aaron Sorkin as screenwriter is also very welcome, as he is a favorite of mine (West Wing, Studio 60 at the Sunset Strip). I'm not sure, though, if I'd consider this worthy of film of the year...

The Fighter
is, probably, my least favorite of these five movies. Although Melissa Leo and Christian Bale did excellent jobs, the story really wasn't that exceptional. We've seen the similar story before... and yes, based on a true story or not, it's not THAT much fun to see an underdog in the world of sport do a comeback.. Decent movie? Yes. Good movie? Yes, mostly because Bale is a legend, but oscar? Hardly.
True Grit was a good movie, although not my fave from the Coen-brothers. Then again, it does take a LOT to beat my fave movies from the crazy Coens... Jeff Bridges mumbles away, Matt Damon does a good job, and the young Hailee Steinfeld won herself a nomination for best supporting actress with her performance as the young girl looking for revenge on her father's death.

So, that leaves us with two movies. Black Swan is a dark, yet beautiful, movie. And I'm not just thinking about the fact that Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis stars in two of the roles. Aronofsky does a great job in creating a dark and quite claustrophobic atmosphere, and although it does seem to be a bit too much at times, it'll keep you on the edge of your seat all the way through. I definitely wouldn't be dissapointed if Aronofsky takes home the Oscar for this movie. Then again, The King's Speech is also a wonderful movie with great casting, a wonderfully story as well as surprisingly good humour. Colin Firth is incredible in this movie, as is Geoffrey Rush, and Tom Cooper stands out as a second favorite to take home the award for best director.


Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role


Nominees:


Javier Bardem
for Biutiful
Jeff Bridges for True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network
Colin Firth for The King's Speech
James Franco for 127 Hours




So, which actor is to win this years award for best performance? As I haven't seen Biutiful, I can't comment on Javier Bardem's performance, but as to the others, I do have my favorites. Although Jesse Eisenberg does a very impressive job in The Social Network, I don't feel it's enough considering the competition he has to beat. And, in all honosty, his character does tend to resemble other characters he has portrayed in previous movies (Zombieland, Adventureland). James Franco - who will be co-hosting the show - did a very good job in 127 hours, and could be an outsider. It's unusual to see him in a role where he doesn't smoke pot, by the way. Then again, he probably would have, if it hadn't been for the fact that he was stuck in a mountain throughout the movie.

Jeff Bridges is Mr.Cool himself, and delivers again in True Grit, but could fall victim to the fact that he won the award last year for his wonderful performance in Crazy Heart. That leaves us with my favorite Colin Firth. His portrayal as King George VI, with his constant battle with his speech emp.. uhh.. stutter, is simply astonishing. A great actor, who many feel should've been a winner last year for his role in A Single Man, which I very much hope will be giving his thanks from the podium this year.


Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Nominees:


Annette Bening for The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman for Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence for Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman for Black Swan
Michelle Williams for Blue Valentine



Another category with very tough competition. Annette Bening is very impressive in The Kids Are All Right, much thanks to her interaction with Julianne Moore, but she also impresses in the more emotional scenes where she does it all on her own. She won the Golden Globe (for best actress in a motion picture - comedy or musical), and could snatch the Academy Award as well. Nicole Kidman is nominated for the movie Rabbit Hole, and I have to say probably my least favorite to win. The movie wasn't that good, and honostly, her best scenes were the ones with Miles Teller, who impressed as Jason in the movie.

Jennifer Lawrence is nominated for her role in the surprisingly entertaining Winter's Bone. A movie which is basically a tragic story within a tiny community mostly inolving hillbillies. Jennifer Lawrence plays her part as a tough, young girl looking out for her family due to her father's absence, and she does it brilliantly. A definite outsider. The big favorite, though, is definitely Natalie Portman, who despite her still not having turned 30, seems to have been around forever. Well, not forever, but for a long time anyway. A truly gifted actress, and a beautiful one as well, she is marvellous in Black Swan. She plays the role beautifully, and portrays her character's struggle against her "opponents" and most of all herself, quite brilliantly.

The last nominee is Michelle Williams. Despite me having been a fan of Natalie Portman since I was too young to watch "Leon", I'd actually say this is my personal favorite for this years award for best actress. Michelle Williams was simply amazing in Blue Valentine, and I was surprised to see the complexity she brought to her character. Her scenes with Ryan Gosling varied from being amazingly charming to being utterly painful - and I mean painful in the best way there is. One of the best performances I have seen in a long time, and she left me stunned. I def feel Ryan Gosling was snubbed of a nomination as well, as he as well was brilliant in Blue Valentine - a movie that really caught me off guard.


Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Nominees:

Christian Bale for The Fighter
John Hawkes for Winter's Bone
Jeremy Renner for The Town
Mark Ruffalo for The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush for The King's Speech

A couple of interesting choiced here, in my opinion. John Hawkes did a decent job as Teardrop in Winter's Bone, but I don't think he realistically stands a chance in winning this year. I do feel his part was a bit too small, and maybe even a bit over the top for my liking at times. Mark Ruffalo is an actor I like, and I enjoyed his character in The Kids Are All Right, but worth an oscar? I'm not so sure. His character could've enjoyed more on-screen time, as well as a bit more depth. Jeremy Renner is a cool dude, and proved himself again in The Town, which was another good film from the director Ben Affleck. Again, though, I don't feel he proved enough in this movie, and that leaves us with who I consider to be the two favorites in this category...

Christian Bale was the highlight of The Fighter, and played the part of the drug-addicted former boxer Dicky Eklund brilliantly. Where Mark Wahlberg was the sane(?) person, Christian Bale was the uncontrollable x-factor, which in a pretty predictable movie, still kept you hoping for more craziness. He was also by no means a one-dimensional character, and Bale once again proved how brilliantly he is at creating a great diversity within the character he portrays. The other favorite for me is Geoffrey Rush, who plays the speech therapist for Colin Firth's King George VI, is (not surprisingly) amazing. His scenes with Colin Firth are very well-done, and the balance between humour and respect (as well as lack of it) is intriguing.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Nominees:

Amy Adams for The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter for The King's Speech
Melissa Leo for The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit
Jacki Weaver for Animal Kingdom



Again, a very tough call this one. Amy Adams did a great job in the Fighter as the girlfriend of Wahlberg's character who has to struggle with his relatively special family, in particular his mother. This brings us on to the next nominee, Melissa Leo who I have to say, did a great job at making me hate her. Her way of controlling the family, as a way of helping herself out, is scary. However, I'd like to see her NOT win, only due to the fact that she annoyed me too much during her thank you speech at the Golden Globes...

Helena Bonham Carter
, this wonderfully odd person, is great in The King's Speech as the wife of King George VI. She is given a great character to play, and she didn't dissapoint. Her scenes with Colin Firth are very easy to like, and I also enjoyed her humour, which she nailed throughout the film.
Jacki Weaver, much like Melissa Leo in The Figter, plays the role of a mother controlling the family in a less then idealistic way in the movie Animal Kingdom. This Australian movie tells the story of a family of crime, where Joshua (her nephew) ends up after his mother dies from an overdose. Jacki Weaver is impressive in her role, and is definitely in with a chance to win. The last nominee is Hailee Steinfeld, which at only 14 years, could take home an Oscar for her role in True Grit. She does a good job as the tough girl who wants revenge on the man who killed her father, and her chemistry with both Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon is very good. I do however feel the character was a little hyped, and it might have something to do with the fact that I sometimes struggle with the typical "so young but soooo wise and adult-like"-characters. A recent example is the young son of Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side which irritated the hell out of me. I'm not saying Hailee did that in this movie, but I didn't buy her character all the time. She is definitely an outsider, and she DID do a very good job, however.


So, the last one...


Best Motion Picture of the Year

Nominees:

127 Hours
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone



As I've touched unto most of these movies previously, I'll just quickly mention the others that haven't been mentioned thus far. Inception was, in my opinion, a very good movie with many interesting layers, good characters, humour, and a good script. Leonardo Di Caprio seems to play in only good movies lately. Christopher Nolan creates the universe within the movie masterfully, and after seeing the movie twice, I still know I'll definitely watch it again. Toy Story 3 was funny, entertaining and surprisingly sad at times. But, come on... On a sidenote, it must be quite frustrating for the other two nominees for best animation picture when one of their competitors also is nominated for best picture...

I'd say my favorites to win is The King's Speech and Black Swan. The Social Network, as mentioned, could benefit from being "very 2010", and Inception is an outsider, although I do feel it might not go all the way. Although it was a great movie, I still have a feeling that the potential was there to have made it even better.

In the race behind those movies I consider the following: 127 hours, The Kids Are All Right and True Grit... and then, movies I don't really feel have the chance of winning: Winter's Bone, The Fighter, Toy Story 3



Well, that's it. On Sunday night the show is ON! Have a good one!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Back in the days...

The Oscars are fast approaching, and I'll give you my two cents on the nominees before the event takes place. Both who I consider to be favorites, and who I'd personally like to see win. First, thought, just to get this blog breathing again, here's a couple of "old" tunes you might remember.

PS: Yes, I know I very often post "old" songs, but then again.. there's so much great stuff from back then, and so much crap now.




















Stay tuned for the upcoming Academy Awards update!