Did you catch Quentin Tarantino on The Rachel Maddow Show last night? He was his usual vainglorious --excuse me vainglourious-- self. But it is interesting to see how successfully they have repositioned the movie for Oscar season. This was the plan way back of course, to move away from the outrageous comedy persona they were cultivating in the summer. But sometimes I'm surprised that Tarantino, who can never shut up, is so good at staying on message. He gives the movie all sorts of extra credit points here for political relevance and comparing its modern take on past history to Bonnie & Clyde (!)
I actually watch violent movies with the "chick-vision" they laugh about. I'm not ashamed. I'm just not a big lover of gruesome violence. I don't have the bloodlust that the box office receipts for just about everything imply that I should have. I love that Maddow admits that she does this, too. "This is one chick like thing about me."
Now I want to see one of these "glockenspiel musicals" that QT references when he's talking about the German film industry at the time.
7 comments:
Jim T
said...
Tarantino obviously knew exactly what to say because his invisible rabbit, Harvey (W), was dictating all the right words. :p
Hi, I just wanna share some of my thoughts on Oscar '09 with ya all! I’m from Germany, I was born in '81, I’ve been following the Oscars since '96, in some years more extensively, in some years less extensively. Never before as extensively as this year, probably because '09 was the year I discovered Nathaniel’s blog. It made me excited about the March 2010 Oscars as soon as summer of '09 – that never happened before to me. From what I’ve read here, and what I think I’ve learned all by myself from watching the Oscars kind of regularly since '96, this is who I think will most likely take home the golden statuettes in what I consider the top 6 categories (picture, director, 4 acting categories). Please note: Here in Germany, only about half the pictures nominated for Oscar are even released before Oscar night. And then I go to the cinema much less regularly than I’d like to. Please note: Most people seem to consider Avatar and Hurt Locker almost equal contenders in Picture and Director, and Bridges, Bullock, Waltz and Mo’Nique locks in the acting categories. I think that in the past years there has always been AT LEAST one total surprise in the acting categories. What really bothers me: in almost every category, the win that would most annoy me, seems the second-most likely win! EVERY SINGLE YEAR: Part 1 Best Picture Avatar 39 % more box office than Titanic The Hurt Locker 25 % critical darling Up in the Air 8 % Inglourious Basterds 7 % Up 6 % A Serious Man 5 % Precious 4 % An Education 3 % The Blind Side 2 % District 9 1 % Have seen: Inglourious Basterds Should win: Avatar – doesn’t hurt Oscar too much, if it represents box office. I’m at peace with “Titanic”… Most annoying: The Blind Side – f**k you, Sandra Bullock!
Part 2 Best Actor Jeff Bridges 70 % career achievement award George Clooney 15 % they love him more than they should Morgan Freeman 10 % Clint Eastwood movie + they snubbed him for “Driving Miss Daisy” Colin Firth 4 % career achievement award Jeremy Renner 1 % it just won’t happen Have seen: none Should win: I’d be okay with anyone but George Clooney… they love him more than they should… and also not Morgan Freeman… it’d be a win for Clint “conservative right-wing a-hole” Eastwood as well… Most annoying: George Clooney – I don’t exactly hate him… but he’s already got one Oscar, and that might be one too many already… Best Actress Meryl Streep 45 % she totally deserves to have 3 Oscars! Sandra Bullock 40 % like Sharon Stone in ‘96, everyone thinks she’ll win, but I believe, and I hope and pray, she won’t! Gabourey Sidibe 10 % she seems more likely than Mulligan by now Carey Mulligan 4 % I used to think she could be the surprise winner à la Matlin/Brody/…, but right now, Sidibe seems more likely Helen Mirren 1 % two Oscars, and both by the age of 60+ years? I just don’t see it happen! Have seen: none Should win: Meryl Streep deserves the rare treat of having 3 oscars more than Sandra Bullock deserves having one, but I’d be happy with a Sidibe or Mulligan first-nomination-win just as well! Most annoying: Sandra Bullock – I remember loving her in “While You Were Sleeping”, haven’t seen that movie in years, and right now I’m feeling ashamed for having ever liked it. Best Director Kathryn Bigelow 45 % it would stand Oscar well to finally decorate its first woman director, and Kathryn seems deserving. Plus, it’s an Oscar-bait movie, it’s a guy movie, it’s not a girl movie, no way! James Cameron 35 % everyone seems to love “Avatar” Jason Reitman 10 % maybe the love for “Juno” helps… Lee Daniels 8 % I don’t see the no-name director winning, but still rather than… Quentin Tarantino 2 % … I just don’t see it happening… Have seen: Inglourious Basterds Should win: Kathryn Bigelow – it would stand Oscar well to finally decorate its first woman director, and Kathryn seems deserving Most annoying: James Cameron – he’s not King of the World….I don’t want him to be!
Part 3 Best Supporting Actress Mo’Nique 65 % she seems a lock… and none of the others convince me… Anna Kendrick 15 % there seems to be more buzz about her than about Vera… it’d be a Jennifer Hudson – Showgirls kind-of win… Vera Farmiga 10 % there seems to be more buzz about Anna than about her... it’d be a Tilda Swinton – Michael Clayton kind-of (surprise) win… Maggie Gyllenhaal 7 % the nomination seems to be more like a redemption for previous snubs… Penélope Cruz 3 % I don’t see her having two consecutive wins… but it could happen… Have seen: none Should win: I’d like to see Vera Farmiga win, if only because she was in one of my favorite movies of 2009: “The Orphan” (in which she was good, but Isabelle Fuhrman was ten times better…) But I’ll also be totally ok with Mo’Nique winning… Most annoying: Anna Kendrick, because she seems so ugly and unsympathetic in everything I’ve seen from “Up in the Air”, and they say the nomination is not for her acting but for a role every actress would have been nominated for. I’d also hate it if Penélope Cruz wins, because she doesn’t deserve two consecutive wins. And I’d even hate it if Maggie wins, because everybody says it’s an undeserving performance, and I really like her. I’m happy she’s nominated, but I want her to win one day for something she really deserves it for! Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz 50 % I don’t think he’s the lock everybody thinks he is… Christopher Plummer 20 % career achievement award Matt Damon 15 % nominated so many times, they seem to love him Woody Harrelson 11 % why not? Stanley Tucci 4 % they say he could win because his wife died recently… but I don’t see it happening Have seen: Inglourious Basterds Should win: I’d be happy with both Christoph Waltz, because he’s Austrian, and I’m half-German (which is almost the same as Austrian in international fields), half-Austrian, or Christopher Plummer, because he’s 80 years old and I can’t believe it’s his first nomination ever… Most annoying: Matt Damon – I hate that “man”, but the academy seems to love him…
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7 comments:
Tarantino obviously knew exactly what to say because his invisible rabbit, Harvey (W), was dictating all the right words. :p
Only Tarantino could get away with being a best director nominee and wearing that outfit on a television interview.
Hi,
I just wanna share some of my thoughts on Oscar '09 with ya all!
I’m from Germany, I was born in '81, I’ve been following the Oscars since '96, in some years more extensively, in some years less extensively. Never before as extensively as this year, probably because '09 was the year I discovered Nathaniel’s blog. It made me excited about the March 2010 Oscars as soon as summer of '09 – that never happened before to me.
From what I’ve read here, and what I think I’ve learned all by myself from watching the Oscars kind of regularly since '96, this is who I think will most likely take home the golden statuettes in what I consider the top 6 categories (picture, director, 4 acting categories).
Please note: Here in Germany, only about half the pictures nominated for Oscar are even released before Oscar night. And then I go to the cinema much less regularly than I’d like to.
Please note: Most people seem to consider Avatar and Hurt Locker almost equal contenders in Picture and Director, and Bridges, Bullock, Waltz and Mo’Nique locks in the acting categories. I think that in the past years there has always been AT LEAST one total surprise in the acting categories.
What really bothers me: in almost every category, the win that would most annoy me, seems the second-most likely win!
EVERY SINGLE YEAR:
Part 1
Best Picture
Avatar 39 % more box office than Titanic
The Hurt Locker 25 % critical darling
Up in the Air 8 %
Inglourious Basterds 7 %
Up 6 %
A Serious Man 5 %
Precious 4 %
An Education 3 %
The Blind Side 2 %
District 9 1 %
Have seen: Inglourious Basterds
Should win: Avatar – doesn’t hurt Oscar too much, if it represents box office. I’m at peace with “Titanic”…
Most annoying: The Blind Side – f**k you, Sandra Bullock!
Part 2
Best Actor
Jeff Bridges 70 % career achievement award
George Clooney 15 % they love him more than they should
Morgan Freeman 10 % Clint Eastwood movie + they snubbed him for “Driving
Miss Daisy”
Colin Firth 4 % career achievement award
Jeremy Renner 1 % it just won’t happen
Have seen: none
Should win: I’d be okay with anyone but George Clooney… they love him more than they should… and also not Morgan Freeman… it’d be a win for Clint “conservative right-wing a-hole” Eastwood as well…
Most annoying: George Clooney – I don’t exactly hate him… but he’s already got one Oscar, and that might be one too many already…
Best Actress
Meryl Streep 45 % she totally deserves to have 3 Oscars!
Sandra Bullock 40 % like Sharon Stone in ‘96, everyone thinks she’ll win, but
I believe, and I hope and pray, she won’t!
Gabourey Sidibe 10 % she seems more likely than Mulligan by now
Carey Mulligan 4 % I used to think she could be the surprise winner à la
Matlin/Brody/…, but right now, Sidibe seems more
likely
Helen Mirren 1 % two Oscars, and both by the age of 60+ years? I just
don’t see it happen!
Have seen: none
Should win: Meryl Streep deserves the rare treat of having 3 oscars more than Sandra Bullock deserves having one, but I’d be happy with a Sidibe or Mulligan first-nomination-win just as well!
Most annoying: Sandra Bullock – I remember loving her in “While You Were Sleeping”, haven’t seen that movie in years, and right now I’m feeling ashamed for having ever liked it.
Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow 45 % it would stand Oscar well to finally decorate its first
woman director, and Kathryn seems deserving. Plus, it’s an Oscar-bait movie, it’s a guy movie, it’s not a girl movie, no way!
James Cameron 35 % everyone seems to love “Avatar”
Jason Reitman 10 % maybe the love for “Juno” helps…
Lee Daniels 8 % I don’t see the no-name director winning, but still rather
than…
Quentin Tarantino 2 % … I just don’t see it happening…
Have seen: Inglourious Basterds
Should win: Kathryn Bigelow – it would stand Oscar well to finally decorate its first woman director, and Kathryn seems deserving
Most annoying: James Cameron – he’s not King of the World….I don’t want him to be!
Part 3
Best Supporting Actress
Mo’Nique 65 % she seems a lock… and none of the others convince
me…
Anna Kendrick 15 % there seems to be more buzz about her than about Vera…
it’d be a Jennifer Hudson – Showgirls kind-of win…
Vera Farmiga 10 % there seems to be more buzz about Anna than about her...
it’d be a Tilda Swinton – Michael Clayton kind-of (surprise) win…
Maggie Gyllenhaal 7 % the nomination seems to be more like a redemption for
previous snubs…
Penélope Cruz 3 % I don’t see her having two consecutive wins… but it
could happen…
Have seen: none
Should win: I’d like to see Vera Farmiga win, if only because she was in one of my favorite movies of 2009: “The Orphan” (in which she was good, but Isabelle Fuhrman was ten times better…) But I’ll also be totally ok with Mo’Nique winning…
Most annoying: Anna Kendrick, because she seems so ugly and unsympathetic in everything I’ve seen from “Up in the Air”, and they say the nomination is not for her acting but for a role every actress would have been nominated for. I’d also hate it if Penélope Cruz wins, because she doesn’t deserve two consecutive wins. And I’d even hate it if Maggie wins, because everybody says it’s an undeserving performance, and I really like her. I’m happy she’s nominated, but I want her to win one day for something she really deserves it for!
Best Supporting Actor:
Christoph Waltz 50 % I don’t think he’s the lock everybody thinks he is…
Christopher Plummer 20 % career achievement award
Matt Damon 15 % nominated so many times, they seem to love him
Woody Harrelson 11 % why not?
Stanley Tucci 4 % they say he could win because his wife died recently…
but I don’t see it happening
Have seen: Inglourious Basterds
Should win: I’d be happy with both Christoph Waltz, because he’s Austrian, and I’m half-German (which is almost the same as Austrian in international fields), half-Austrian, or Christopher Plummer, because he’s 80 years old and I can’t believe it’s his first nomination ever…
Most annoying: Matt Damon – I hate that “man”, but the academy seems to love him…
@JimT -- but i can't believe Tarantino is a willign puppet. He doesn't seem so controllable?!
@David -- HA! Or making that pose with the fist. Oy.
@Dominik -- So thorough! thanks for sharing and for being excited about the Oscars. I'm not sure i get your reaction to Matt Damon though.
What the hell, QT? Dress up for Rachel Maddow! Respect!
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