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kaydeefalls
Why is LJ being a slowassed bitch tonight? Bah.
Anyway, what with all the Oscar hubbub, and people trying to gauge the frontrunners in all the categories, and which-will-be-the-top-five-up-for-best-picture and all, I thought I'd take a slightly different approach.
These are three excellent movies released in the past year. Not one of them will be up for Best Picture. Which is a crime, really.
Monsoon Wedding
The Indian import film that didn't make it into nearly enough theaters here in the U.S., but I was lucky enough to find it anyway. It's a brilliant look into the life of one extended Indian family as it gathers together in preparation for a wedding (no shit, Sherlock). But with this family, it not only rains but it pours. Literally and figuratively. The bride-to-be, Aditi, has never met her fiance -- this is an arranged marriage, and he's been studying in America. She's still carrying on an affair with a married TV producer. Her "old maid" cousin, Ria, is attempting to be the helpful confidante, but has some serious unspoken issues of her own. Her father may or may not declare war on either her younger brother or the wedding planner -- or both. The wedding planner is in love with the servant girl. The story begins simply, and unfolds in complexity as it goes along, with a vein of humor throughout, and always maintains a rich atmosphere of Indian cultural traditions and modern influences. Think of it as a culture study, and a wonderfully enlivening and enriching one at that. It's a beautiful piece of work.
Noms it'll be cheated out of: Best Director (Mira Nair), Best Supporting Actress (Shefali Shetty as Ria), Best Art Direction, either Best Picture or Best Foreign Language Film (it's half in English, and half in Hindi or Punjabi, so I'm not sure if it qualifies for Foreign Language or not).
Igby Goes Down
An indie film with an edge, and darkly hilarious. And, hey, the Culkin kid can act! Igby is a slightly macabre teenage misfit -- think Holden Caulfield, except more likeable and with added sense of humor. He's got the dysfuctional upperclass family from hell (Mom swallows drugs like candy, Dad is ever-so-slightly schizophrenic, older brother is a preppy asshole). He gets kicked out of every school his mom sticks him in -- and runs away from the ones that won't expel him. He sleeps with older women, lives out of a wannabe-dancer's illegal studio apartment in SoHo, and makes shady deals with his godfather. If you like black humor, this is the best film example out there. I suppose there were deep, philosophical undercurrents somewhere, but I was too busy alternately laughing and cringing to notice.
Noms it'll be cheated out of: Best Picture, Best Actor (Kieran Culkin), Best Supporting Actress (Susan Sarandon), Best Supporting Actor (Jeff Goldblum or Bill Pullman), Best Screenplay (Burr Steers)
The Good Girl
This was really the year for excellent indies, wasn't it? Here we go again. The story is exceptionally simple at heart -- lower-class woman attempts to escape the painful mundaneness of her life through affair with intriguing younger man. Okay, so some of the details are a bit bizarre (I don't run into many adorable, sullen stockboys who think they're Holden Caulfield). But Jennifer Aniston pulls off a wonderfully understated performance of the "good girl" who needs an escape, only to find it's more trouble than it's worth. The complexity lies in her means of, well, escaping her escape -- to live the fantasy or to go back to her somewhat unappealing husband. And extricating herself from the fling is not as easy as it seems. Extra bonus points go to her dimwitted husband, for actually making me feel sorry for him.
Noms it'll be cheated out of: Best Director (Miguel Arteta), Best Actress (Jennifer Aniston), Best Supporting Actor (John C. Reilly), Best Screenplay (Mike White).
And that's all. I was just pondering. Maybe none of these deserve to WIN anything, but I wish they could be nominated for SOMETHING...
Anyway, what with all the Oscar hubbub, and people trying to gauge the frontrunners in all the categories, and which-will-be-the-top-five-up-for-best-picture and all, I thought I'd take a slightly different approach.
These are three excellent movies released in the past year. Not one of them will be up for Best Picture. Which is a crime, really.
Monsoon Wedding
The Indian import film that didn't make it into nearly enough theaters here in the U.S., but I was lucky enough to find it anyway. It's a brilliant look into the life of one extended Indian family as it gathers together in preparation for a wedding (no shit, Sherlock). But with this family, it not only rains but it pours. Literally and figuratively. The bride-to-be, Aditi, has never met her fiance -- this is an arranged marriage, and he's been studying in America. She's still carrying on an affair with a married TV producer. Her "old maid" cousin, Ria, is attempting to be the helpful confidante, but has some serious unspoken issues of her own. Her father may or may not declare war on either her younger brother or the wedding planner -- or both. The wedding planner is in love with the servant girl. The story begins simply, and unfolds in complexity as it goes along, with a vein of humor throughout, and always maintains a rich atmosphere of Indian cultural traditions and modern influences. Think of it as a culture study, and a wonderfully enlivening and enriching one at that. It's a beautiful piece of work.
Noms it'll be cheated out of: Best Director (Mira Nair), Best Supporting Actress (Shefali Shetty as Ria), Best Art Direction, either Best Picture or Best Foreign Language Film (it's half in English, and half in Hindi or Punjabi, so I'm not sure if it qualifies for Foreign Language or not).
Igby Goes Down
An indie film with an edge, and darkly hilarious. And, hey, the Culkin kid can act! Igby is a slightly macabre teenage misfit -- think Holden Caulfield, except more likeable and with added sense of humor. He's got the dysfuctional upperclass family from hell (Mom swallows drugs like candy, Dad is ever-so-slightly schizophrenic, older brother is a preppy asshole). He gets kicked out of every school his mom sticks him in -- and runs away from the ones that won't expel him. He sleeps with older women, lives out of a wannabe-dancer's illegal studio apartment in SoHo, and makes shady deals with his godfather. If you like black humor, this is the best film example out there. I suppose there were deep, philosophical undercurrents somewhere, but I was too busy alternately laughing and cringing to notice.
Noms it'll be cheated out of: Best Picture, Best Actor (Kieran Culkin), Best Supporting Actress (Susan Sarandon), Best Supporting Actor (Jeff Goldblum or Bill Pullman), Best Screenplay (Burr Steers)
The Good Girl
This was really the year for excellent indies, wasn't it? Here we go again. The story is exceptionally simple at heart -- lower-class woman attempts to escape the painful mundaneness of her life through affair with intriguing younger man. Okay, so some of the details are a bit bizarre (I don't run into many adorable, sullen stockboys who think they're Holden Caulfield). But Jennifer Aniston pulls off a wonderfully understated performance of the "good girl" who needs an escape, only to find it's more trouble than it's worth. The complexity lies in her means of, well, escaping her escape -- to live the fantasy or to go back to her somewhat unappealing husband. And extricating herself from the fling is not as easy as it seems. Extra bonus points go to her dimwitted husband, for actually making me feel sorry for him.
Noms it'll be cheated out of: Best Director (Miguel Arteta), Best Actress (Jennifer Aniston), Best Supporting Actor (John C. Reilly), Best Screenplay (Mike White).
And that's all. I was just pondering. Maybe none of these deserve to WIN anything, but I wish they could be nominated for SOMETHING...
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no subject
Date: 2003-01-09 09:10 pm (UTC)(Billy Pullman. *nods*)
no subject
Date: 2003-01-09 09:59 pm (UTC)Bill Pullman earns my lifelong adoration/worship for Igby. My god. He was the character you *really* felt for, more than anyone else...
Re:
Date: 2003-01-10 07:51 pm (UTC)tsk tsk tsk... sad how money can't buy all specs of talent. I'm sure the company heads are wiping perplexed tears on their $120 ties.
He was the character you *really* felt for, more than anyone else...
I downloaded the movie (very illegal, very time consuming...), which happened to be a really horrible copy with, er, Japanese or Chinese or one of those -ese subtitles JUST so I could watch the shower scene. Again. And then again.
And it *still* makes me tear up. The loss, the "I give up" written to plainly across his face... brilliance. Can't wait until that DVD comes out. whoa.
no subject
Date: 2003-01-10 01:19 pm (UTC)...Tari
Re:
Date: 2003-01-10 06:05 pm (UTC)Eh, it'll come out on video sooner or later, and then you can rent it. Since you're not willing to go out of your way. ;)