Oscar Picks and Random Geekiness

Ah, finally some time to wind down after a week and a half that was pure craziness. Not to say it was a bad week or anything, quite the oppossite. Just that after seeing Aerosmith, entertaining my parents for the next four days, then starting a new job the following Monday, there's barely been a second to stop and take it all in.

Otherwise, had a nice Friday night and finally got to sleep (and sleep, and sleep ...) today. Now, like I have said, I am not really feeling this year's Oscars. It is one of those years where it looks like one movie (Brokeback Mountain) is poised to sweep many of the major categories. But unlike the last time this happened, with Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, I have yet to even see Brokeback, and it's not a movie that I am particularly rooting for, unlike LOTR, where it was a huge statement that a genre movie could be as good as any other and as deserving of critical acclaim.

Also, of the movies I did see this year, many of my favorites are only minimally recognized. A History of Violence got shafted with only a few nominations, and Viggo Mortensen definitely should have been in the best actor race and David Cronenberg in the mix for best director. Munich is nominated but seems to have little chance of winning. Otherwise, I unfortunately have not had the chance to catch up on a few heavily nominated movies like Good Night and Good Luck, Crash, and Capote.

So without any further ado:

Best Picture:

Will Win: Brokeback Mountain - too much buzz, seems inevitable

My Pick: Munich - A powerful, relevant film that is Spielberg's overall best in years - I don't understand why there is so little buzz? And anyone (ie Ann Coulter) who decides to call this movie antisemetic is on crack.

Actor:

Will Win: Philp Seymour Hoffman - also too much buzz, and seemingly well-deserved

My Pick: Terence Howard - Hustle and Flow was an amazing movie, and Howard carried it, through and through. Sure, we've seen the basic story before, but Howard injected his character with multiple dimensions, making his scenes pack a huge emotional punch. Jouaquin was also great in Walk the Line, but his performance was a little bit caricaturish in retrospect.

Actress:

Will Win: Reese Witherspoon - there IS room for an upset here (possibly Felicity Huffman), but otherwie Reese is the biggest name in the highest profile movie, and she did do a great job as Jun Carter in Walk the Line - easily her best movie performance yet, so although I haven't seen any of the other nominated actress' movies, by default and by choice ...

My Pick: Reese Witherspoon

Supporting Actor:

Will Win: Matt Dillon - Crash will get a few bones thrown its way, and I think this will be one of them, although Clooney seems to have some buzz, why I'm not sure since he was decent but not great in Syriana (Where's MICKEY ROURKE for Sin City?), and yet ...

My Pick: William Hurt - although his scenes in A Histoy of Violence were brief, Hurt absolutely lit up the screen and stole the movie. I think people have stood up and taken notice of this kickass performance, so he IS a dark horse to win, though his limited screen time will be a factor

Supporting Actress:

Will Win: Rachel Weisz - Okay, I admit I haven't seen any of the movies with actresses nominated in this caregory, though I have a screener copy of A Constant Gardner I've been meaning to watch. Still, I feel a buzz for Weisz (maybe those rumors of her as Talia Al Ghul in Batman II have something to do with it?) and think she'll win ...

My pick: Rachel Weisz - Since I haven't actually seen these movies, see above

Director:

Will Win: Ang Lee - Look, I am a huge Ang Lee fan - loved Crouching Tiger, loved The Ice Storm ... (I even liked The Hulk!), and his direction is one of the reasons why I was initially interested in seeing Brokeback before it became Jay Leno's favorite punchline. So if he wins, I'm sure it will be deservedly so.

My Pick: Steven Spielberg - I gotta say, in my mind this was the year of Spielberg, with two amazingly directed movies in War of the Worlds and Munich. Munich was, really, a directing clinic as far as I can see. Locations that made you feel like you were there, amazing cuts, huge emotional impact and a tense dramatic pacing. Old school directing, awesome impact ... I say don't ignore the obvious, and pay Spielberg his due respect. But like someone said (Harry Knowles maybe?), this movie is probably too good for the Oscars.

Foreign Film:

- didn't see any of these, but from the buzz I hear my pick is Tsotsi.

Adapted Screenplay:

Will Win: Munich - this is actually a tough category to pick, and I think anyone could win it. Brokeback is just from a short story so it will have a hard time winning. Capote seems like a possible favorite, but Tony Kushner's name-value and respect-factor should hopefully earn him a trophy.

My pick: Munich - Well my sentimental fav is A History of Violence since it's adapted from a graphic novel, but I gotta say that Tony Kushner's script for Munich was ridiculously good. More sophisticated than your average movie and light years ahead of your average thriller, the dialogue, plotting , and characters of Munich were all amazingly written.

Original Screenplay:

Will Win: Crash - remember how I said some bones will be thrown to Crash? Well this is the other one. Paul Haggis is a rising star and I think that even though the movie has gotten somewaht mixed reviews, it's screenplay wil lcome away with an Oscar.

My Pick: Good Night and Good Luck - okay, I realize it's kind of pointless to pick a movie I have not yet seen, but let me put it this way - I've heard nothing but good things about this movie, and I am eager to finally see it. On the other hand, I HAVE seen Match Point and Syriana. Syrian had a meandering and textbook like script, and Match Point was very good, but not quite great. Oh yeah, would really like to check out Squid and the Whale too, but for now I'm goin' with Good Night and Good Luck.

Animated Film:

Will Win: Wallace and Grommet

My Pick: Howl's Moving Castle - Only seen Corpse Bride, which had amazing animation but didn't live up to the greatness of Nightmare Before Christmas. Have yet to see Howl's Moving Castle, though I do like Miyazaki, however this probably is not his year. Why is it my pick? Because let's hear it for TRADITIONAL 2-D ANIMATION, which NEEDS to make a comeback ... now!

Art Direction:

Will Win: Memoirs of a Geisha - Oscar loves period pieces

My Pick: King Kong - some of the best CGI ever used to animate Kong and the creatures of Skull Island

Cinematography:

Will Win: Brokeback Mountain - the year of Brokeback continues

Should Win: Good Night and Good Luck - Well, Batman is nominated, but truth be told I wasn't even crazy about some of the cinematography in that movie (fight scenes cut WAY too jumpily). Gotta go with Clooney and co. for their use of stock news footage integrated into the new stuff. Where's SIN CITY here?!?!

Original Score:

Will Win: Brokeback Mountain - come on, that themsong is everywhere

My Pick: Brokeback Mountain - Aw hell, any song that can make BROKEBACK TO THE FUTURE so funny deserves to win. Oh, and where in the name of Obi-Wan is STAR WARS here? Two words: John Friggin' Williams!

Original Song:

Will Win: Hustle and Flow - It's HARD OUT HERE FOR A PIMP!

My pick: Hustle and Flow - WHOOP THAT TRICK! WHOOP THAT TRICK!

Costume Design:

Will Win: Memoirs of a Geisha - Like I said ...

My Pick: Memoirs of a Geisha - Turning Japanese oh yes I'm turning Japanese I really think so!

Documentary:

Will Win: March of the Penguins: Who doesn't love penguins?

My Pick: March of the Penguins: Yes, even I love those darn penguins. But, um, where the bleep is GRIZZLY MAN?!?!

Makeup:

Will Win: Star Wars Episode III - Come on, we gotta give SOMETHING to Star Wars! And Narnia was good, but the makeup? Well, Mr. Tumnus couldda done a bit better ...

My Pick: Star Wars, baby! Come on, the makeup for THE EMPEROR was awesome!

Visual Effects:

Will Win: King Kong - come on, give something to the GIANT GORILA already! Kong had amazing f/x, and it will be honored for 'em.

My Pick: KONG, duh. Why? One word: Kong vs. T-Rex = crazy delicious.

Alright, there's my picks. Oh, and these are really insider, just so you know. Just kidding, they are grasroots legit, dude. Whatever that means. But come Oscar time you can be assured of one thing - a really boring-ass, five hour show! Yes, even if John Stewart is hosting.

OKAY ...

Time for some comic geek indulgences, so the rest of you can switch back to reading defamer.com now or whatever.

COMIC BOOK QUICK REVIEWS:

Well this was a huge week for the DC Comics nerds among us, as Infinite Crisis 5 was finally released and all DC Comics jumped ahead "one year later." So in almost every mainstream DC book released this week, things had changed, there were new creative teams, and suddenly everything is a year later. Craziness I tell ya. How were the comics?

Infinite Crisis 5: Once again, business is picking up and things are going full steam ahead, but I still feel like writer Geoff Johns is having trouble pulling all of the various subplots together into one cohesive epic. There seems to be a lot of random chaos without much rhyme or reason behind it except as a way of giving lots of characters face time and creating a sense that we really are in the midst of a crisis, even though what exactly that crisis is still seems kinda loosely defined and shakily tied together. But, this is bar none THE most jaw dropping read right now, as for one, the artwork is absoultely stunning, ridiculously detailed, and totally EPIC. Phil Jiminez is outdoing himself here. Unfortunately all that crazy art is requiring various fill-in artists to lend a hand, and this month comics legend Jerry Ordway steps in. Now some "legends" inevitably disapooint as they get into their later years - their work becomes loose, shaky, a shadow of that artist's former greatness. But Jerry Ordway comes in here and lives up to his legend, drawing classically styled Superman vs. Superman scenes that positively rock! And of course Jiminez delivers with more than a few memorable scenes of his own - Nightwing in Bludhaven, Booster and Beetle in the Batcave, Superboy Prime bursting through back into our reality. Damn that art is amazing. Now what Geoff Johns does do right is the big moments and the classic, iconic dialogue. "A perfect world wouldn't need a Superman." = yet another insta-classic line of dialogue from Johns in this series. Minor complaints: church scene = kinda lame. Ditto all the parallel earths floating in the sky - wouldn't this cause some kind of crazy gravitiational mess? And um, what exactly is Alex Luthor's big plan again? Anyways, lots of fun and exciting stuff going on here, I just hope everything comes together nicely in the last two installments. My grade: B +

Detective Comics: One Year Later - wow! Now this is Batman! James Robinson has been one of my favorite writers since I read his classic work The Golden Age, and he comes in and lends a touch of class and a classical mentality to part one of an eight part story, as the Batman mytos jump forward by one year. A number of great moments scattered throughout, the return of a number of much-missed supporting characters (Gordon! Bullock! Ivy! Dent!), and most of all - a return to a Batman who is a dark and grim hero, but NOT a through and through asshole as he's been portrayed in recent years. Kudos to Robinson, and great art by Leonard Kirk. My grade: A

Outsiders: One Year Later: ugh! Judd Winnick, former Real World Cast member and current go-to DC writer, is often wildly inconsistent and very annoying in his preachy writing and lame characterizations. Here we get both, and though longtime characters like Nightwing should feel familiar, here they just feel .. wrong. My grade: C

JSA: One Year Later - Paul Levitz, current DC head honcho, is a legend for his 1970's work on the Legion. But he hasn't written in years, and it shows on his latest JSA, which has a simplistic, dated feel that actually reads like it was written sometime in the 70's. Nice art by Identity Crisis' Rags Morales, and it' nice to see that the JSA has been largely un-messed with One Year Later, but this issue really made me hope that regular writer Geoff Johns returns ASAP. My grade:

Blood of the Demon: One Year Later: This overlooked gem is a great little horror comic, with spectacular artwork by comics legend John Bryne. Now many people, myself include, are wary of Bryne these days, as his writing and art over say, the last decade or so, has been, to put it mildly, pretty bad. His writing has become bland and uninspired, and his art has become loose, sketchy, and inconsistent. But wait, here, Bryne seems to be really having fun for the first time in years. His art is reinvigorated, and to put it simply, it is beautiful. And his writing is old school and over the top, sure, but in a horror comic like this, it actually works really well. Plus, the scripting is actually by rising star Will Pfeifer, so the dialogue is sharp and funny and engrossing. Most of all, this is a damn fun comic that is just totally over the top, ultra-violent, and a throwback to the kind of stuff that they just don't make anymore. The One Year Later story is actually a lot of fun as well. So for those who have given up on John Bryne, take a look at the Demon. My grade: A -

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis: One Year Later - yes, I said Aquaman. Look, I admit that Aquaman is goofy as hell, but look at who is making this comic! It's written by one of the great writers working today, Kurt Busiek, and drawn by Butch Guice, who is one of the premiere talents out there right now. So here we have a totally new take on Aquaman - a kind of underwater sword and sorcery epic that sees a new lead character (who he is part of the big mystery), thrown into an epic quest aided by a guy with tentacles for a beard and a huge beast who is a walking, talking shark! While the overly vague and mysterious opening was a little frustrating, it should be fun to see it all unraveled in future issues. Pretty damn cool, and thanks to the tight writing by Busiek and the spectacular art by one of my favorites, Guice, I am willing to see where this is going and not write it off as yet another attempt to revitalize a hopelessly silly character. Yes, they did it - they made Aquaman cool. Well, at least for now. My grade: B+

And yes, by reviewing an issue of an Aquaman comic book I have now sunk to the ninth circle of nerdiness, and I must sign off before I start reviewing unopened Battlestar Galactica action figures or give my two cents on the greatest Green Lanterns ever.

Alright, peace out, and enjoy the Oscars (hmm, I wonder if The Simpsons is a repeat?)