Hollywood Disagrees With Me

Big surprise, huh?

The Oscars were telecast last night. I thought it was a good show. Jon Stewart did an awesome job as the host.

I just love Amy Adams - y'all know I do. I think she is just a darling actress and seems like a genuine person. I'm putting her on my list of people I would like to know IRL. She starred in Enchanted, and I thought she deserved a nomination. It was an adorable performance. Anyway - the movie ended up with three of the five nominations for Best Song. She sang one of them ("Happy Working Song") live on the show. Bless her heart...They sent her out there all by herself, dressed in regular clothes, and she hit it! The song that won is "Falling Slowly" from Once. (I've reviewed this movie previously, and you really should see it, if you haven't already.) The two actors sang it live and it was wonderful. They were so cute when they came up for their awards. First, Glen Hansgard gave his thanks. Then, Marketa Irglova said "Thank you" to a dead mike and they walked off the stage. After the commercial break, Jon Stewart had her come back and give her thank you speech. It was very thoughtful and heartfelt. I really liked that he did that.

Anyway, here were my picks (not predictions - I always have to make that one clear).

Best Picture - Juno. No Country for Old Men won.
Best Actress - Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Marion Cotillard won for La Vie En Rose. I liked the movie, but her performance annoyed me for some reason. I guess I don't know too much about Edith Piaf, or I might have appreciated it more.
Best Supporting Actress - Amy Ryan in Gone Baby Gone. Tilda Swinton won for Michael Clayton. She was very surprised. I thought it was a nice surprise, actually.
Best Actor - -Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood. He won!
Best Supporting Actor - Casey Affleck in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Javier Bardem won for No Country for Old Men. Boy, this movie won lots...and I did not appreciate it enough apparently.

I did not see two of the movies until this weekend - just in time to watch the show and enjoy it:
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - I really liked this movie. Brad Pitt does a great job as Jesse James, and Casey Affleck was wonderful as Robert Ford. I thought the role was a stretch for him, and having recently seen him in Gone Baby Gone, I had a comparison of his acting talents fresh in my mind. He is a good actor. I think we will be seeing more of him. Anyway, the movie is about Jesse James' final days. Need I tell you how it ends?
In the Valley of Elah - Tommy Lee Jones was nominated for Best Actor in this movie. He did a great job, and deserved the nomination, but the field was dead in the water with Daniel Day-Lewis on the list. It is about a man looking for his son, who recently returned from Iraq and is in danger of being tagged AWOL by the Army. It was a good movie. Susan Sarandon and Cherlize Theron also star.

And finally, I watched Becoming Jane, with Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, Julie Walters, James Cromwell and Maggie Smith. It was well acted and very good. The movie was inspired by events in Jane Austens life. I don't know how factual it was, but it was good, none-the-less. It is rather a chick flick, though.

Well, must head off to my real job...

Merry Karma out.