Rainbow Nights

Drenched in the sweat of the ones before

Holding out for the greatest score

Lighting up the night with your golden touch

Afraid of too little, don't want too much

Colors of sweetness but you sour on me

Little to know but everything to see

Dream a little dream with frightening sights

Goodbye, sweetness, with your rainbow nights...

Oscar Nominee Predictions

While the Oscar nominations won't be out for a few weeks, I present some predictions for the major categories with some other films, performances, etc. that I think could sneak in:

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

Apologies to:
"The Town"
"Rabbit Hole"
"Shutter Island"
"Blue Valentine"

Best Director
David Fincher, "The Social Network"
Darren Aronofsky, "Black Swan"
Christopher Nolan, "Inception"
Tom Hooper, "The King's Speech"
Joel & Ethan Coen, "True Grit"

Apologies to:
Danny Boyle, "127 Hours"
David O. Russell, "The Fighter"

Best Actor
Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"
James Franco, "127 Hours"
Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network"
Ryan Gosling, "Blue Valentine"
Robert Duvall, "Get Low"

Apologies to:
Jeff Bridges, "True Grit"
Javier Bardem, "Biutiful"
Leonardo DiCaprio, "Shutter Island"
Aarron Eckhart, "Rabbit Hole"

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

Apologies to:
Lesley Manville, "Another Year"
Julianne Moore, "The Kids Are All Right"

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, "The Fighter"
Geoffry Rush, "The King's Speech"
Andrew Garfield, "The Social Network"
Jeremy Renner, "The Town"
Mark Ruffalo, "The Kids Are All Right"

Apologies to:
John Hawkes, "Winter's Bone"
Sam Rockwell, "Conviction"
Matt Damon, "True Grit"

Best Supporting Actress
Melissa Leo, "The Fighter"
Amy Adams, "The Fighter"
Helena Bonham Carter, "The King's Speech"
Hailee Steinfeld, "True Grit"
Jacki Weaver, "Animal Kingdom"

Apologies to:
Mila Kunis, "Black Swan"
Dianne Wiest, "Rabbit Hole"
Miranda Richardson, "Made in Dagenham"

Best Adapted Screenplay
"The Social Network"
"True Grit"
"Toy Story 3"
"127 Hours"
"Winter's Bone"

Best Original Screenplay
"Inception"
"The King's Speech"
"The Kids Are All Right"
"Black Swan"
"Another Year"

Best Editing
"Inception"
"The Social Network"
"Black Swan"
"True Grit"
"The Fighter"

Best Cinematography
"Black Swan"
"Inception"
"True Grit"
"The King's Speech"
"127 Hours"

Top Movies of 2010

Here is my list for the top movies of 2010 with the films that I have yet to see that have a good chance of making this list:

1. The Social Network
2. Inception
3. Black Swan
4. The King's Speech
5. Toy Story 3
6. The Fighter
7. True Grit
8. 127 Hours
9. Shutter Island
10. The Kids Are All Right

Remain to Be Seen:
- Blue Valentine
- Another Year
- The Way Back

My 2011 Golden Globe Predictions, Vol. 1

This is my first post in a while (many months, in fact), so here it goes:

Note: I have not seen all of the films/performances, so my predictions shouldn't be taken too seriously. Also, I may be changing these as the awards get closer.

Best Motion Picture -- Drama
The Social Network (WINNER)
The King's Speech
Inception
Black Swan
The Fighter

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture -- Drama
Natalie Portman, Black Swan (WINNER)
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine
Halle Berry, Frankie and Alice

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture -- Drama
Colin Firth, The King's Speech (WINNER)
James Franco, 127 Hours
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine
Mark Wahlberg, The Fighter

Best Motion Picture -- Musical or Comedy
The Kids Are All Right (WINNER)
Red
Burlesque
Alice in Wonderland
The Tourist

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture -- Musical or Comedy
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right (WINNER)
Julianne Moore, The Kids Are All Right
Emma Stone, Easy A
Anne Hathaway, Love and Other Drugs
Angelina Jolie, The Tourist

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture -- Musical or Comedy
Paul Giamatti, Barney's Version(WINNER)
Jake Gyllenhaal, Love and Other Drugs
Johnny Depp, Alice in Wonderland
Kevin Spacey, Casino Jack
Johnny Depp, The Tourist

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Melissa Leo, The Fighter (WINNER)
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom
Mila Kunis, Black Swan

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Christian Bale, The Fighter (WINNER)
Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech
Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Michael Douglas, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Best Animated Feature Film
Toy Story 3 (WINNER)
How to Train Your Dragon
Despicable Me
The Illusionist
Tangled

Best Director -- Motion Picture
David Fincher, The Social Network (WINNER)
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
Christopher Nolan, Inception
Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
David O. Russell, The Fighter

Best Screenplay -- Motion Picture
The Social Network (WINNER)
Inception
The King's Speech
The Kids Are All Right
127 Hours

Best Original Score -- Motion Picture
Inception (WINNER)
The Social Network
The King's Speech
127 Hours
Alice in Wonderland

Academy Award Predictions, 2nd Edition

Here's my final set of predictions for the upcoming Academy Awards:

Best Picture
"Avatar" (WINNER)
"The Hurt Locker"
"The Blind Side"
"District 9"
"Inglorious Basterds"
"Up in the Air"
"Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire"
"Up"
"A Serious Man"
"An Education"

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges - "Crazy Heart" (WINNER)
Colin Firth - "A Single Man"
Morgan Freeman - "Invictus"
George Clooney - "Up in the Air"
Jeremy Renner - "The Hurt Locker"

Best Actress
Carey Mulligan - "An Education"
Meryl Streep - "Julie & Julia" (WINNER)
Gabourey Sidibe - "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire"
Sandra Bullock - "The Blind Side"
Helen Mirren - "The Last Station"

Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Plummer - "The Last Station"
Woody Harrelson - "The Messenger"
Christoph Waltz - "Inglorious Basterds" (WINNER)
Stanley Tucci - "The Lovely Bones"
Matt Damon - "Invictus"

Best Supporting Actress
Vera Farmiga - "Up in the Air"
Anna Kendrick - "Up in the Air"
Maggie Gyllenhaal - "Crazy Heart"
Penelope Cruz - "Nine"
Mo'Nique - "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire" (WINNER)

Best Director
James Cameron - "Avatar"
Kathryn Bigelow - "The Hurt Locker" (WINNER)
Quentin Tarantino - "Inglorious Basterds"
Jason Reitman - "Up in the Air"
Lee Daniels - "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire"

Best Original Screenplay
"The Hurt Locker"
"Inglorious Basterds" (WINNER)
"Up"
"A Serious Man"
"The Messenger"

Best Adapted Screenplay
"Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire"
"Up in the Air" (WINNER)
"In the Loop"
"District 9"
"An Education"

Best Cinematography
"Avatar"
"The Hurt Locker" (WINNER)
"Inglorious Basterds"
"The White Ribbon"
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"

Best Editing
"The Hurt Locker" (WINNER)
"District 9"
"Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire"
"Avatar"
"Inglorious Basterds"

Best Sound Mixing
"Star Trek"
"Avatar"
"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen"
"Inglorious Basterds"
"The Hurt Locker" (WINNER)

Best Sound Editing
"The Hurt Locker"
"Up"
"Avatar" (WINNER)
"Star Trek"
"Inglorious Basterds"

Best Animated Film
"Up" (WINNER)
"Fantastic Mr. Fox"
"Coraline"
"The Princess and the Frog"
"The Secret of Kells"

Best Art Direction
"Avatar" (WINNER)
"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus"
"Sherlock Holmes"
"Nine"
"The Young Victoria"

Best Costume Design
"The Young Victoria" (WINNER)
"Nine"
"Bright Star"
"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus"
"Coco avant Chanel"

Best Visual Effects
"Avatar" (WINNER)
"Star Trek"
"District 9"

Best Makeup
"Star Trek" (WINNER)
"The Young Victoria"
"Il divo"

Best Original Score
"Sherlock Holmes"
"Fantastic Mr. Fox"
"Up" (WINNER)
"The Hurt Locker"
"Avatar"

Movie Review - Milk

There are few actors that have the abilities of Sean Penn. There are also few that are as polarizing. While many may be turned off by his political views, there is no doubt that Penn is one of the premier actors working in Hollywood today, and as Harvey Milk in Gus Van Sant's "Milk" he delivers the best performance of his storied career. The film, nominated for 8 Oscars in 2008, is a stirring and uplifting look at the life of a man who did so much for his community and gays across the nation.

"Milk" charts the rise of Harvey Milk as the first openly gay man elected to political office. Milk realizes that, at age 40, he has done nothing special so, with the help of his lover Scott Smith (James Franco) he begins to campaign. As he tries over and over to gain the support of the public he is met with stiff resistance from the non-gay community. Even after he succeeds in being elected to public office he faces new challenges from the inside as he continues to put his life at risk to stand up for homosexuals across the country.

Van Sant has had an up and down career, with highlights such as "Good Will Hunting" and some lows like the ill-advised shot-for-shot "Psycho" remake. However, "Milk" finds him in top form. In what is the most mature film of his career, Van Sant's guiding hand not only lets Penn do what he does best but makes sure the movie doesn't stray too far in any direction. Some may see this film as a pro-gay rights film, and while it certainly sets Harvey Milk as a sort of hero it speaks more to the freedoms that all men have and the need to stand up for what we believe in. Benefiting greatly from a personal screenplay by Dustin Lance Black, meticulous editing that blends real footage with what's being played out on screen, and an operatic score by Danny Elfman the film soars in its vision and engages the audience while keeping bias out of the picture.

The film is riddled with excellent performances, but none as great as the lead. Sean Penn fully embodies Harvey Milk: his strength, his doubts, his passion, his playfulness. In a terrifically nuanced performance Penn creates a completely sympathetic character, one the audience finds themselves cheering for and believing in as he gives his all for a cause that is at the core of his being. His Oscar win was well deserved. The support Penn recieves is excellent, starting with Emile Hirsch as the fiesty, determined Cleve Jones and trickling on down to Diego Luna and Franco. However, the best support comes from Oscar-nominated Josh Brolin as Dan White, a man who does not know how to deal with Milk and his homosexuality and in the end lets ignorance get the best of him. His work is at the same time depressing, tragic, and at times even sympathetic.

While it was unable to win Best Picture (that honor went to the Cinderella story that was "Slumdog Millionaire"), "Milk" is one of the best films of 2008 and may have taken the top prize had it not been for "Slumdog" (which deserved its win). Anchored by one of the best performances of the decade as well as top notch production from all involved "Milk" is a triumph of the human spirit and deserves to be seen for its message of how to persevere in the face of persecution.

Academy Award Predictions, 1st Edition

Here's my first set of predictions for the upcoming Academy Awards:

Best Picture
"Avatar" (WINNER)
"The Hurt Locker"
"The Blind Side"
"District 9"
"Inglorious Basterds"
"Up in the Air"
"Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire"
"Up"
"A Serious Man"
"An Education"

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges - "Crazy Heart" (WINNER)
Colin Firth - "A Single Man"
Morgan Freeman - "Invictus"
George Clooney - "Up in the Air"
Jeremy Renner - "The Hurt Locker"

Best Actress
Carey Mulligan - "An Education"
Meryl Streep - "Julie & Julia" (WINNER)
Gabourey Sidibe - "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire"
Sandra Bullock - "The Blind Side"
Helen Mirren - "The Last Station"

Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Plummer - "The Last Station"
Woody Harrelson - "The Messenger"
Christoph Waltz - "Inglorious Basterds" (WINNER)
Stanley Tucci - "The Lovely Bones"
Matt Damon - "Invictus"

Best Supporting Actress
Vera Farmiga - "Up in the Air"
Anna Kendrick - "Up in the Air"
Maggie Gyllenhaal - "Crazy Heart"
Penelope Cruz - "Nine"
Mo'Nique - "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire" (WINNER)

Best Director
James Cameron - "Avatar" (WINNER)
Kathryn Bigelow - "The Hurt Locker"
Quentin Tarantino - "Inglorious Basterds"
Jason Reitman - "Up in the Air"
Lee Daniels - "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire"

Best Original Screenplay
"The Hurt Locker" (WINNER)
"Inglorious Basterds"
"Up"
"A Serious Man"
"The Messenger"

Best Adapted Screenplay
"Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire"
"Up in the Air" (WINNER)
"In the Loop"
"District 9"
"An Education"

Best Cinematography
"Avatar"
"The Hurt Locker" (WINNER)
"Inglorious Basterds"
"The White Ribbon"
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"

Best Editing
"The Hurt Locker" (WINNER)
"District 9"
"Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire"
"Avatar"
"Inglorious Basterds"

Best Sound Mixing
"Star Trek"
"Avatar"
"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen"
"Inglorious Basterds"
"The Hurt Locker" (WINNER)

Best Sound Editing
"The Hurt Locker"
"Up"
"Avatar" (WINNER)
"Star Trek"
"Inglorious Basterds"

Best Animated Film
"Up" (WINNER)
"Fantastic Mr. Fox"
"Coraline"
"The Princess and the Frog"
"The Secret of Kells"

Best Art Direction
"Avatar"
"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus"
"Sherlock Holmes" (WINNER)
"Nine"
"The Young Victoria"

Best Costume Design
"The Young Victoria"
"Nine"
"Bright Star" (WINNER)
"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus"
"Coco avant Chanel"

Best Visual Effects
"Avatar" (WINNER)
"Star Trek"
"District 9"

Best Makeup
"Star Trek"
"The Young Victoria" (WINNER)
"Il divo"

Best Original Score
"Sherlock Holmes"
"Fantastic Mr. Fox"
"Up" (WINNER)
"The Hurt Locker"
"Avatar"