Ok - so I was completely wrong with all those Oscar predictions yesterday (actually i wasn't really - I was betting on the ones I thought might surprise people) but could the results have been any less interesting.. Apart from Sean Penn, I suppose, and even that seemed somewhat inevitable too.
It's a shame that Mickey Rourke's performance in The Wrestler which was staggering for many reasons is now being referred to as a 'losing' one. Sean Penn is excellent in Milk but he's such a part of the establishment that his win just seems to be the safe choice by the Academy. It's funny that people have him down as some kind of loose cannon when, in fact, he always seems to say what's expected and do the right thing.
The contrast is clear when you see Mickey Rourke's speech at the Independent Spirit Awards the other night. One look at this tells us all we really need to know about why he didn't win last night. Clue: there's lots of swearing. It's also very funny.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
A fool. His money.
Just been to paddypower.com to wager a few quid on tonight's Oscars. I haven't gone near online betting since last summer's European Championships and found, to my surprise, that there's 60euro in my account. Not any more - I've just thrown down twenty quid on tonight's results. This year I'm going for a bit of value. The favourites aren't offering any decent odds so I'm hoping that there'll be one or two surprises this year and that perhaps I can cash in on some of them..
Best Film - Benjamin Button. It's long, it's boring, it stars very beautiful people, it covers a huge part of the 20the century and it's American. Surely the Oscars will reward it ahead of Slumdog.. Possibly not but I've got it at 11-2 so let's hope.
Best Director - David Fincher. If the Academy give best film to Slumdog, they won't give the director award for the same film, will they? Probably.. Still 5-1 is pretty tasty.
Best Actor - this is Mickey Rourke's, right? And if not Mickey, then Sean Penn. Fair enough.. Both of them are fantastic in The Wrestler and Milk and Rourke's comeback has truly been astonishing but spare a thought for The Visitor's Richard Jenkins. Last summer when the film was released, most critics said that it would take a fantastic performance from someone to stop Jenkins winning an Oscar. That may well be the case but at 66-1 I'm hoping there's a little twist in the Best Actor tail. If not, give it to Mickey - he's brilliant.
Best Actress - It's got to be Kate, it just has. But at 4-1 Meryl Streep might just come good for me. But no - it's surely going to Kate this time.
Supporting Actress. Marisa Tomei. This is probably the only instance where the person I want to win actually has some handy odds (10-1). It seems that Penelope Cruz has this one sewn up but Marisa Tomei is fantastic in The Wrestler and has been doing great work for a long time now. Go on Oscar - give the girl a nod!
Supporting Actor. Heath Ledger? Seriously, Heath Ledger? I suppose it's appropriate that his performance as a bad Joker should end with a bad joke. He was very talented - brilliant even, but his Joker was a one note performance in a pretty average summer blockbuster. Nobody's going to stop him I suppose, but if the Academy surprises everyone and does the right thing, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Michael Shannon are there at very attractive odds.. I'm going for Hoffman at 20-1.
So that's it. According to paddy power, my 20 quid will potentially yield 388euro. That's mostly thanks to Richard Jenkins.. This time tomorrow I could be rich beyond my wildest dreams. Or else I'll be just like I am know - 20quid poorer.
See you back here tomorrow..
Best Film - Benjamin Button. It's long, it's boring, it stars very beautiful people, it covers a huge part of the 20the century and it's American. Surely the Oscars will reward it ahead of Slumdog.. Possibly not but I've got it at 11-2 so let's hope.
Best Director - David Fincher. If the Academy give best film to Slumdog, they won't give the director award for the same film, will they? Probably.. Still 5-1 is pretty tasty.
Best Actor - this is Mickey Rourke's, right? And if not Mickey, then Sean Penn. Fair enough.. Both of them are fantastic in The Wrestler and Milk and Rourke's comeback has truly been astonishing but spare a thought for The Visitor's Richard Jenkins. Last summer when the film was released, most critics said that it would take a fantastic performance from someone to stop Jenkins winning an Oscar. That may well be the case but at 66-1 I'm hoping there's a little twist in the Best Actor tail. If not, give it to Mickey - he's brilliant.
Best Actress - It's got to be Kate, it just has. But at 4-1 Meryl Streep might just come good for me. But no - it's surely going to Kate this time.
Supporting Actress. Marisa Tomei. This is probably the only instance where the person I want to win actually has some handy odds (10-1). It seems that Penelope Cruz has this one sewn up but Marisa Tomei is fantastic in The Wrestler and has been doing great work for a long time now. Go on Oscar - give the girl a nod!
Supporting Actor. Heath Ledger? Seriously, Heath Ledger? I suppose it's appropriate that his performance as a bad Joker should end with a bad joke. He was very talented - brilliant even, but his Joker was a one note performance in a pretty average summer blockbuster. Nobody's going to stop him I suppose, but if the Academy surprises everyone and does the right thing, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Michael Shannon are there at very attractive odds.. I'm going for Hoffman at 20-1.
So that's it. According to paddy power, my 20 quid will potentially yield 388euro. That's mostly thanks to Richard Jenkins.. This time tomorrow I could be rich beyond my wildest dreams. Or else I'll be just like I am know - 20quid poorer.
See you back here tomorrow..
Thursday, February 5, 2009
The best film review in years?
… and absolutely nothing about it will disappoint.
… a formidable team of pure, soaring talent.
… a visual masterpiece
… in all respects it is the finest film made in years.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is opening tomorrow and reviewed here. Perhaps I'm being cynical but I can't believe Brad Pitt himself would agree with the above. Anyone seen it yet?
Mind your head
So, a bus crashed into a tree this morning.. Amazing - looks like it came straight off.. Would love to hear the driver's explaination of this one.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
