In light of Benjamin Buttons‘ 13 Oscar nominations yesterday, this video seems especially apt. Who cares about the copyright date of Fitzgerald’s short story. It’s screenwriting that matters here.
Oscar nominations are out. If I wasn’t in the midst of learning about anarchy in modern art, I would do a real breakdown. But initially, I’m shocked at the Academy’s decision to give the fifth best picture slot to The Reader. Way to disappoint.
For the full list, check out Dave Carr’s NYT blog.
Oscar predictions have been coming in for months at other blogs. We at the Playground don’t need to spend months speculating. One (expansive) list (with some obscure categories) shall do. It seems these things are pretty much set at this point, so I threw in some surprises because you never know with L.A. Check back Jan. 22 for an analysis of the awards and until Feb. 22 for our take on the major categories. And without further ado, here’s the list.
Best Adapted Screeplay
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
Slumdog Millionaire
Best Original Screenplay
Milk
Rachel Getting Married
Synecdoche, NY
The Visitor
The Wrestler
(more…)
Dear Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences,
It has come to our attention that you think your precious golden statue is really something special. I mean, don’t get me wrong. Titanic was a really great movie. Really. I love overacting, unsightly makeup jobs and epic melodrama as much as the next guy. And James Cameron’s a real modest guy.
But you’ve kind of been slipping in recent years. Crash? Juno? Really? C’mon guys. We all know you’re better than that. Even if public interest is waning, that’s no excuse to award bad films.
I could lecture on movies you should nominate this year (or at least ones you shouldn’t give too much credit too), but that’s not my goal. No, my beef is Mary Pickford’s Oscar statues. So it was a really, really long time ago when you gave the silent film star her awards. Keep word: GAVE. Now, her heirs have them and they want to sell them for charity. But you’re suing those children for disrespecting your award.
I know getting an Oscar is the biggest award in film, and if any Joe the Plumber had one, it would devalue it. But you’re giving people a gold-painted naked man. That’s just tacky. And preventing charitable donations-so not cool. It’s really not a big deal. There’s a ton of people around who have Oscars who don’t deserve them. So what’s a few more. Really? Just let Mary Pickford’s statues go. They were a gift.
Sincerely,
A.O. Hibbard
P.S. I think Hugh is a really be a good choice. I’ll be watching.
An infant in the world of movie studios, two-year-old Overture Films does not want to be considered a lightweight. The Visitor from writer/director Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent) and Dustin Hoffman’s Last Chance Harvey are two contenders for Oscar glory in 2009 from the studio. The screenplays for both films were just put online over at Overture’s website. To read them, click here.