The Oscar Dood

New Late-September Predictions!!!

2008-09-28T14:49:00.002+01:00

Best Motion Picture

1. Changeling
2. Doubt
3. The Road
4. The Wrestler
5. Revolutionary Road

Best Actor In A Leading
Role

1. Viggo Mortensen, The Road
2. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
3. Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
4. Sean Penn, Milk
5. Leonardo DiCaprio, Revolutionary Road

Best Actress In A Leading
Role

1. Meryl Streep, Doubt
2. Angelina Jolie, The Changeling
3. Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road
4. Kristen Scott Thomas, I've Loved You So Long
5. Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married

Best Actor In A Supporting
Role

1. Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
2. John Malkovich, Changeling
3. Michael Sheen, Frost/Nixon
4. Josh Brolin, Milk
5. Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Road

Best Actress In A Supporting
Role

1. Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
2. Amy Adams, Doubt
3. Viola Davis, Doubt
4. Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
5. Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

Best Directorial Achievment

1. Clint Eastwood, Changeling
2. Darren Arkonofsky, The Wrestler
3. Woody Allen, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
4. John Hillcoat, The Road
5. Sam Mendes, Revolutionary Road
PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS

Review: Mamma Mia!

2008-09-25T19:09:00.004+01:00

Guest Reviewer: Efa Edwards

The Good
Okay, so it's not exactly Oscar material, but this is one of the most
enjoyable films I've ever seen. It's so feelgood, it makes me want to stand up
and sing Dancing Queen on the top of my lungs. And Meryl Streep 's voice wasn't
actually that bad. It has a strong well-known cast, that includes Amanda
Seyfried (the thick one off Mean Girls), Colin Firth, and Pierce Brosnan. Julie
Walters and Christine Baranski deliver good comedic performances as Streep's
back up singers. Baranski's solo song, Does Your Mother Know, was one of my
personal highlights. Also the young 'uns, Dominic Cooper (History Boys) and
Seyfried are two promising young actors who have chemistry as the young lovers.
As usual Streep was on top form.

The Bad
The story is so out-there, it's
quite hard to believe. And it's really cheesy so it might not be for everyone.
But that's why I love it!!

The Ugly
Don't get me started on Pierce
Brosnan's singing. He looks like he's constipated in his big solo, SOS.

Rating: A / 9.0/10

Review: Man On Wire

2008-09-25T18:55:00.003+01:00

The Good
This is an enjoyable, entertaining and shocking documentary. Although
somewhat controversial, it is an extraordinarily fascinating delve into the
world of Phillipe Petit, the man who conducted and perfomed "The Artistic Crime
Of The Century" in 1974. The best documentary of the year so far, and in my top
10 of the year.

The Bad
For some, the very strong atmosphere and opinions expressed in the
film, could be too much. Although I thought it was wonderful, it wouldn't
please the NYPD.

The Ugly
n/a

Rating: A / 9/10

Review: Somers Town

2008-09-25T18:44:00.001+01:00

Somers Town

The Good
What can I say? It's a beautiful, simplistic story, and is well-acted by
the entire cast. Turgoose is possibly even better here than he was in TiE, and,
despite being his first screen role, Piotr Jagiello is also extremely well-cast.
I would say this is even better than Dead Man's Shoes and This Is England. (and
the black-and-white adds a very nice touch as well)

The Bad
Although not perfect, there is little to fault with this film.

The Ugly
Well Thomas Turgoose is no child model, and the accents get pretty
annoying, but overall, it is very pretty to look at.

Rating: A / 9/10

Review: Young @ Heart

2008-09-23T18:14:00.002+01:00

Young @ Heart

---The Good---
Where to start? It's touching, it's beautifully-made, shocking,
heart-breaking, ever-so-subtle, and the songs are great. Equally depressing and
uplifting, it is everything I look for in a movie. Ranks at my #11 of the year.
Unfortunately no wins, Man On Wire was slightly better documentary-wise, in my
humble opinion.

---The Bad---
Thougn far from perfect, I honestly can't really think of a bad thing to
say about this movie. highly reccomended - go see.

---The Ugly---
Well, it's a film about wrinklies covering pop classics, and wrinklies
aren't exactly known to be the most attractive species...

Rating: A / 9/10

Review: Vicky Cristina Barcelona

2008-09-23T18:12:00.001+01:00

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

---The Good---
Woody Allen is finally back on tip-top form. The cast all deliver superb
performances, Hall and Cruz in particular, could be in the running for Oscars
come next February. The script is original, funny and light-hearted. It really
is very, very enjoyable.

---The Bad---
Although there wasn'y really anything "bad", I felt Johansson was strongly
overshadowed by the rest of the cast, but that was a very minor fault in an
otherwise brilliant city-study.

---The Ugly---
Have you SEEN the cast list???

Rating: A / 9/10

Review: The Duchess

2008-09-23T18:09:00.001+01:00

The Duchess

---The Good---
The Costume Design is excellent, and it
delivers pretty well in most
technical aspects. Dominic Cooper is the film's
last hope for any sort of good;
he delivers a well-timed and thoughtful
performance.

---The Bad---
Keira Knightley once again
slipped into her all-present corset for this
movie. She delivers a
been-there-done-that performance that could've been done
by a baby
chimpanzee, and to be honest with you, she is quite bland. Ralph
Fiennes
isn't much better. I am certain that this is the worst performance of
his
so-far faultless career. The direction is lazy, the script cheesy, soap
opera-ish and unoriginal, and the whole thing really is quite boring.

---The Ugly---
see first sentence of "The Bad"

Rating: D+ / 3/10

First '09 Predix!!!

2008-08-16T12:48:00.001+01:00

Best Motion Picture

1. Revolutionary Road

2. Australia

3. The Road

4. Synecdoche, New York

5. Doubt

Best Actor In A Leading Role

1. Viggo Mortensen, The Road

2. Leonardo DiCaprio, Revolutonary Road

3. Sean Penn, Milk

4. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Synecdoche, New York

5. Brad Pitt, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

Best Actress In A Leading Role

1. Meryl Streep, Doubt

2. Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road

3. Sienna Miller, The Edge Of Love

4. Angelina Jolie, The Changeling

5. Anne Hathaway, Dancing With Shiva

Best Actor In A Supporting Role

1. Heath Ledger, The Dak Knight

2. Michael Sheen, Frost/Nixon

3. Josh Brolin, Milk

4. Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Road

5. Robert Downey Jr., The Soloist

Best Actress In A Supporting Role

1. Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

2. Amy Adams, Doubt

3. Viola Davis, Doubt

4. Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

5. Frances McDormand, Burn After Reading

Best Directorial Achievment

1. Baz Luhrmann, Australia

2. John Patrick Shanley, Doubt

3. Woody Allen, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

4. John Hillcoat, The Road

5. Sam Mendes, Revolutionary Road

PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS!!!

My Top 40 Performancesa Of All-Time!

2008-08-16T12:35:00.002+01:00

Best Actor In A Leading Role

1. Robert DeNiro, Raging Bull (1980)

2. Marlon Brando, On The Waterfront (1954)

3. Johnny Depp, Edward Scissorhands (1990)

4. Anthony Hopkins, The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)

5. James Stewart, Rear Window (1954)

6. Steve McQueen, The Great Escape (1963)

7. Marlon Brando, The Godfather (1972)

8. Tom Hulce, Amadeus (1984)

9. Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump (1994)

10. Jack Nicholson, One Flew Over The Quckoo's Nest (1975)

Best Actress In A Leading Role

1. Judy Garland, The Wizard Of Oz (1939)

2. Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast At Tiffany's (1961)

3. Pauline Collins, Shirley Valentine (1989)

4. Meryl Streep, Sophie's Choice (1981)

5. Kate Winslet, Titanic (1997)

6. Audrey Hepburn, My Fair Lady (1964)

7. Liza Minelli, Cabaret (1972)

8. Katharine Hepburn, The Lion In Winter (1968)

9. Bette Davis, All About Eve (1950)

10. Jodie Foster, The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)

Best Actor In A Supporting Role

1. Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight (2008)
2. Jonathan Ke Quan, Indiana Jones & The Temple Of Doom (1985)

3. Al Pacino, The Godfather (1972)

4. Khleo Thomas, Holes (2003)

5. Robert DeNiro, The Godfather: Part II (1974)

6. Martin Landau, Ed Wood(1994)

7. Ralph Fiennes, Schindler's List (1993)

8. Rod Steiger, On the Waterfront (1954)

9. Jeff Conoway, Grease (1978)

10. Ted Levine, The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)

Best Actress In A Supporting Role

1. Catherine Zeta Jones, Chicago (2002)

2. Rita Moreno, West Side Story (1960)

3. Meryl Streep, Kramer VS Kramer (1979)

4. Stockard Channing, Grease (1978)

5. Robin Wright, Forrest Gump (1994)

6. Pam Ferris, Matilda (1996)

7. Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls (2006)

8. Dianne Wiest, Edward Scissorhands (1990)

9. Gloria Stuart, Titanic (1997)

10. Jessica Lange, Tootsie (1982)

PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS!!!

My Top 100

2008-08-16T12:18:00.003+01:00

Enjoy!

1. Edward Scissorhands
2. Home Alone
3. Grease
4. Holes
5. The Great Escape
6. Hedd Wyn

7. The Wizard Of Oz
8. Monty Python’s The Life Of Brian
9. The Silence Of The Lambs
10. School Of Rock
11. Brokeback Mountain

12. Amadeus

13. Etre et Avoir

14. Psycho
15. Forrest Gump
16. Rear Window
17. Toy Story 2
18. Y Dyn ‘Nath Ddwyn Y ‘Dolig
19. Chicago
20. Matilda

21. Raiders Of the Lost Ark

22. Mean Girls

23. Groundhog Day
24. The Hours
25. Mrs Doubtfire
26. How Green Was My Valley
27. Pinocchio
28. West Side Story

29. Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl
30. Schindler's List
31. E.T:The Extra-Terrestrial
32. Taxi Driver
33. Billy Elliot
34. Singin’ In The Rain
35. Titanic
36. The Shining
37. Back To The Future

38. Manhattan
39. La Dolce Vita
40. Goldfinger
41. Mulan
42. Casino Royale
43. Bugsy Malone
44. Gremlins
45. Dr No
46. The Godfather: Part II

47. Jaws
48. The Aristocats
49. Finding Nemo

50. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
51. On the Waterfront
52. In the Heat Of The Night
53. Shirley Valentine
54. Doctor Zhivago
55. Bambi
56. Die Hard
57. The Jungle Book

58. The Godfather
59. Clue
60. The Graduate
61. Toy Story
62. North By Northwest
63. Moulin Rouge!
64. Grand Slam
65. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
66. Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Wolff?
67. The Sixth Sense
68. The Jazz Singer
69. Solomon A Gaenor
70. Some Like It Hot
71. Hairspray (2007)

72. Raging Bull
73. American Beauty
74. Noson Yr Heliwr
75. The Apartment
76. Annie Hall
77. My Fair Lady
78. The Iron Giant
79. Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade

80. Mean Streets
81. The Elephant Man
82. Saturday Night Fever

83. Network
84. Breakfast At Tiffany’s
85. Equus
86. The Sting
87. Annie
88. Y Tu mama Tambien

89. Kramer vs Kramer
90. Disney's Robin Hood
91. Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs
92. Shrek
93. Metropolis
94. Good Morning Vietnam
95. A Streetcar Named Desire
96. Milwr Bychan
97. Freaks

98. Fight Club
99. The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas
100. Rocky

PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS!

My All-Time Awards: Part II, MAJORS

2008-07-29T15:40:00.001+01:00

This is the second part of my all-time awards.

Best Animated Feature

***Toy Story 2***

Pinocchio

Finding Nemo

The AristoCats

Bambi

Honorable Mention: Toy Story, Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs, Monsters Inc., The Castle Of Cagliostro

Best Foreign-Language Film

***Hedd Wyn***

Y Dyn 'Nath Ddwyn Y 'Dolig

Pan's Labyrinth

The Castle Of Cagliostro

Seven Samurai

Honorable Mention: 12 Angry Men, La Dolce vIta, Solomon A Gaenor

Best Directorial Achievment

***Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhands***

Steven Spielberg, Raiders Of The Lost Ark

Jonathan Demme, The Silence Of the Lambs

Paul Turner, Hedd Wyn

John Sturges, The Great Escape

Honorable Mention: FrancisFord Coppola - The Godfather: Part II, Andrew Davies - Holes, Victor Fleming - The Wizard Of Oz

Best Actress In A Supporting Role

***Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chicago***

Rita Moreno, West Side Story

Dianne Wiest, Edward Scissorhands

Meryl Streep, Kramer vs Kramer

Stockard Channing, Grease

Honorable Mention: Robin Wright - Forrest Gump, Jessica Lange - Tootsie, Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls

Best Actor In A Supporting Role

***Jonathan Ke-Quan, Indiana Jones & The Temple Of Doom***

Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Al Pacino, The Godfather

Khleo Thomas, Holes

Ralph Fiennes, Schindler's List

Honorable Mention: Martin Landau - Ed Wood, Robert DeNiro - The Godfather Part II, Ted Levine - The Silence Of The Lambs

Best Actress In A Leading Role

***Judy Garland, The Wizard Of Oz***

Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast At Tiffany's

Pauline Collins, Shirley Valentine

Liza Minnelli, Cabaret

Kate Winslet, Titanic

Honorable Mention: Meryl Streep - Sophie's Choice, Katharine Hepburn - The Lion In Winter, Audrey Hepburn - My Fair Lady

Best Actor In A Leading Role

***Robert DeNiro, Raging Bull***

Marlon Brando, On The Waterfront

Johnny Depp, Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl

Anthony Hopkins, The Silence Of The Lambs

Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump

Honorable Mention: Tom Hulce - Amadeus, Johnny Depp - Edward Scissorhands, Steve McQueen, The Great Escape

BEST MOTION PICTURE

***EDWARD SCISSORHANDS***

HOME ALONE

GREASE

HOLES

THE GREAT ESCAPE

Honorable Mention: Hedd Wyn, Wizard Of Oz, The Life Of Brian, The Silence Of The Lambs, E.T: the Extra-Terrestrial

PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF MY AWARDS, AND ON HE ENTIRE WEBSITE ON THE COMMENTS PAGE.

My All-Time Awards: Part I, Techs

2008-07-28T11:24:00.001+01:00

Here goes, leave comments in that place where you leave comments:

Best Original Song

***"You've Got A Friend In Me", Toy Story***

"When She Loved Me", Toy Story 2

"You're The One That I Want", Grease

"Over The Rainbow", The Wizard Of Oz

"Everybody Wants To Be A Cat", The AristoCats

Honorable Mentions: "Hakuna Matata" from The Lion King, "Electricity" from Billy Elliot, "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?" from The Lion King

Best Visual Effects

***Transformers***

Titanic

T2: Judgement Day

Jurrasic Park

King Kong

Honorable Mentions: Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, The Dark Knight, Raiders Of The Lost Ark

Best Original Score

***Edward Scissorhands***

West Side Story

Home Alone

The Wizard Of Oz

Grease

Honorable Mentions: Casablanca, The Music Man, Brokeback Mountain

Best Sound Mixing

***Cabaret***

Jaws

Chicgo

Indiana Jones & The Temple Of Doom

Amadeus

Honorable Mentions: Wizard Of Oz, The Jazz Singer, Speed

Best Sound Editing

***The Matrix***

Forrest Gump

The Jazz Singer

Jaws

Grease

Honorable Mention: Amadeus, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, T2: Judgment Day

Best Costume Design

***Breakfast At Tiffany's***

Amadeus

Ghandi

Titanic

Cabaret

Honorable Mention: Sex & The City: The Movie, Chicago, Grease

Best Cinematography

***Brokeback Mountain***

Lawrence Of Arabia

The Great Escape

E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial

Edward Scissorhands

Honorable Mention: Schindler's List, The English Patient, Doctor Zhivago

Best Art Direction

***Charlie & The Chocolate Factory***

Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans

Chicago

The Elephant Man

Titanic

Honorable Mention: Brokeback Mountain, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Wizard Of Oz

Best Film Editing

***The Great Escape***

Life Of Brian

Edward Scissorhands

Hedd Wyn

The Godfather: Part II

Honorable Mention: Amadeus, Forrest Gump, Titanic

Best Make-Up

***Edward Scissorhands***

Beetlejuice

Titanic

Amadeus

Moulin Rouge!

Honorable Mention: The Elephant Man, Pan's Labyrinth, The Color Purple

PLEASE let me know what you think of these in the comments section.

Coming Soon!

2008-07-27T18:34:00.000+01:00

Either tommorow, the day after, or sometime within the next 5 years, I will be doing my All-Time Awards in every Oscar category. One day will be the Techs, then the day after, I will be doing the majors. Look forward, it will be good.

Review: The Dark Knight

2008-07-27T14:08:00.000+01:00

Dir: Christopher Nolan Starring: Chrisian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman

The Performances

Heath Ledger's Joker is one of modern cinema's true great villains. In every scene he's in, he steals the screen. His voice, his mannerisms, his cunning plans - this is what a screen villain should be all about. His performance is reminiscent of Hopkins' Lecter in The Silence Of The Lambs; creepily powerful, terrifying yet somehow adds a sense of sensitivity to this dastardly mass-murdering clown. We have lost a great talent in Ledger, but this performance stands among the best of the last 25 years.

Perhaps the biggest surprise in The Dark Knight is Gary Oldman as Liutenant Gordon. He handles the tough role wonderfully with charm and surprise, and his climatic choice towards the end of the film is truly riveting.

Aaron Eckhart is just as good, but will probably be overshadowed by his showy co-stars. His charming politician is as good as any of the Supporting Actor nominees in 2007, and his powerful transformation into two-face is acted brilliantly.

Maggie Gyllenhaal is a fantastic replacement for Katie Holmes' sleepy performance as Rachel Dawes in Barman Begins. She does Buisneswoman Rachel and Girlfriend Rachel with effortless charm.

The Action

Criticized by some for being too adult (The Telegraph's reviewer said kids shouldn't be allowed to watch films this dark), yet chmpioned by others for it's fantastic use of IMAX, I thought the action was great. Visual Effects in this film were astounding, and they weren't overused at all. I admit, it is very dark, but that's how Nolan does it. And by the way, I do think it should be rated R (15 in the UK).

The Script

Many have said the dialogue was cheesy, and while I agree with that (to a lesser extent) I thought most of the dialogue was brilliant, creating instantly classic lines such as "Why So Serious?", "This Town needs A Better Class Of A Criminal" and "You either die a hero ot live long enough to see yourself become the villain". thes are classic examples of great, iconic lines.

The Direction

Christopher Nolan has cemented his reputation asne of the best directors working in Hollywood with this film. He has yet again created a dark, mysterious city with a desire for a hero. Some of the Joker shots are fabntastic, and the action scenes are absolutely mesmerizing. Bravo, Mr Nolan, Bravo.

*****/*****

WELCOME

2008-07-24T17:35:00.000+01:00

This is my first ever blog post. Enjoy!!! This blog is about me, my film taste, the next Oscar race and other film-related stuff. If you want to comment on the blog or if you have a suggestion, feel free to email me at dylzodood@hotmail.co.uk or PM me via IMDb.