Yes, it's the Fran and Julie Show again: we've been trying to see all the bigger contenders for the Academy Awards that we can find in the Santa Cruz area. (It's not as easy as it was for me in Santa Barbara – otherwise known as Hollywood By The Sea – where all the newest and greatest films seem to screen as soon as they come out of the starting gate.)
So, yesterday we saw "Revolutionary Road." Don't. I'd heard it was a downer, so I was prepared for that: I wore all black, in fact, as a gesture of sympathy. But there was no one in the least sympathetic in that film. The two protagonists were so self-involved and self-destructive, so shallow in fact, that I just sat there thinking, "So what?" (I have to confess that I just don't get women who find raising children, caring for one's family and keeping house to be a living death.) P.S.: And to top it off, as my acerbic daughter Leenie commented, "Leo Di Caprio has gotten podgy".
So far, we have seen the following films that are in the running in major categories: Milk; The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Rachel Getting Married; Doubt; and Vicki Cristina Barcelona.
We want to see Frost/Nixon and Slumdog Millionaire, because they are likely to be in the running during the final lap.
There are some smaller films we've missed because they just haven't been shown in Santa Cruz; if they win any honors we may get to see them later (at the top of that to-do list is "Frozen River").
So what are your picks for the major categories? I call those Best: Picture; Actors/Lead /Supporting; Actresses/ditto; Direction; Art Direction; Screenplays/Orig. and Adapted; Documentary; and if you care, Costume Design.
All entries invited here: and Ju and I will reveal our choices after we hear from some of you at least.
2 comments:
The only movie I ever liked "Leo" in was Gilbert Grape. He's an ok actor, I just don't find him anything to rave about.
The movie I want to see now is Coraline. Nothing like a little children's horror stop-motion flick :-)
I agree with mom on Revolutionary Road; it wasn't bad, but I had a big problem with it because I just finished reading the book. The screenplay was true to the story, so I knew just about every line that was coming.
I also didn't think it was Kate Winslet's best work. I could tell they were acting, which is never a good thing.
All that being said, I highly recommend the book -- Richard Yates is a tremendous writer.
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