Oscar Contender - 3

My third choice is a movie that looks like Hollywood's adaptation of a Kamal Hassan movie. Profound intellectual debates surrounding morality, ethics and religion are etched into the powerhouse screenplay that the movie 'Doubt' stands on. Add to that rave reviews and a stellar star cast (read: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Amy Adams and Viola Davis) and you have one hell of a heady Academy cocktail.

My sceptisim arises solely from the fact that stellar star cast and Academy ass kissing (primarily the whole limited release, and the the end of the year release phenomena) that is synonymous with this movie is precisely why it might be nothing extraordinary. We have seen that in the past with films like Crash, No Country and A Beautiful Mind and this to me is another notch on the now scar riddled totem pole of the Oscars. On the bright side the Academy's rarely repeat their mistakes (too soon atleast) and this year I do not see Doubt winning too many accolades.... Nominations mebbe, but Oscars... I really 'Doubt'. Meryl Streep however is someone for whom id watch the movie anyways.

Oscar Contenders (Contd.)

I have harbored a perpetual admiration for Brad Pitt. Not so much his looks and acting skills, the latter being significantly better than the former. What I truly am in awe of is his ability to choose the best roles and his knack of attracting the best directors. David Fincher's and Steven Soderbergh's affiliations are not something too many actors in Hollywood can boast of. Fight Club, The Ocean's Series and Seven are all cult classics and runaway hits (Fight Club making up with DVD sales what it couldn't recover at the BO).

'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' sees Pitt rejuvenating his association with David Fincher. Add to this combination, Cate Blanchett (who made Bale and Ledger look like wax dolls in I Am Not There btw), a plot by F. Scott Fitzgerald's story of a man ageing backwards (a stoner trip inspired this.. I am so sure) and you one hell of a heady concoction.

The reception of this movie by critics has been good, with one of my personal faves Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter calling the fim "superbly made and winningly acted by Brad Pitt in his most impressive outing to date." He also says the "cinematography wonderfully marries a palette of subdued earthern colors with the necessary CGI and other visual effects that place one in a magical past." something which I think holds true for almost every single one of Fincher's films.





This one's a definite classic.

Oscar Contenders.. Maybe???

In my most esteemed opinion (Modesty be damned), I really think that the Oscars ought to provide a better platform for movies. With the number of awesome movies being made across the world, it is morally, ethically and most importantly cinematically superfluous if some of the best movies of the year are not even nominated and some of the most ordinary ones win popular acclaim.

Cases in point; Rocky over Taxi Driver, Crash, Sideways even getting nominated, Crouching Tiger getting accolades whereas Hero scrapes in a nondescript nomination and the piec' de resistance - A Beautiful Mind winning (Seriously.. U have got to be kidding me!!) . And let me not even get into how hypocritical it is for the jury to not even consider movies like A Scanner Darkly, Fight Club and Memento for the top accolades while the Coen fuckers winning another Academy for No Country!!!

This year I have just etched out some of the movies that would be vying for the top spot across categories. Hopefully the Academy reads my blog of shame. Might I add I haven't seen any of these movies because good pirated copies havent yet surfaced... Axxo thy humble servant awaits thee. So dont be surprised if I diss them a couple of weeks later. Happy viewing:

Slumdog Millionaire:

Set in India, the story revolves around Jamal Mallik who participates in Kaun Bangega Crorepati with his love interest rather than the prize money in mind. Captures the energy, filth and intoxicating beauty of India like no movie before this. Rich in pure adrenaline pumping electricity the trailer is bloody inviting.
Danny Boyle of Trainspotting fame (another victim of the Academy's hypocrisy) directs. Music by A.R. Rahman, the movie sports an all star Indian star cast which inludes Anil Kapoor, Irrfan khan and Saurabh Shukla.
If this movie is half as good as its trailer betrays it to be my recommendation to Johnny Depp would be "Dump Mira Nair. Get Danny Boyle on board for Shantaram... Wassup with that movie anyways... was looking forward to Bachchan winning the Best Supporting Actor Academy.



Some insane trivia from IMDB

• Mercedes-Benz asked that its logos be removed in scenes taking place in the slums. The company, according to Danny Boyle, did not want to be associated with the poverty-stricken area, fearing that that might taint its image.
• The actor whose autograph young Jamal gets is Amitabh Bachchan. Amitabh Bachchan is a very real, and very famous Indian actor, the original host of the Indian version of 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire',

Also check out this awesome song from the movie:
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=ejKfQpzIdIY

FYI... The movie has won several awards including British Indie Film Awards (Best Film and director), and has 4 Golden Globe nominations including a nomination for A.R Rahman.

Keep watching this space for more