and the oscar goes to...

Sigh, Julianne Moore didn't make the cut for the nomination, neither does Tom Ford. Anyway, here's my prediction for the winner.

Performance by an actor in a leading role:
Jeff Bridges, “Crazy Heart”
Though i hope it'd be Firth, he was great in a Single Man, but i know this is still not his year, Bridges has got all the love, he could even made Maggie Gyllenhaal got nominated, so it's Bridges.

Performance by an actor in a supporting role:
Christoph Waltz, “Inglourious Basterds”
No question. Well, i've watched Bastards, he's real good.

Performance by an actress in a leading role:
Meryl Streep, “Julie & Julia”
Many say it's Bullock, but i really hope it's Streep, It's time for her third oscar, the last time she won was 28 years ago, and she deserves it. Streep!

Performance by an actress in a supporting role:
Mo’Nique, “Precious”
Hands down.

Best animated feature film:
“Up”

Achievement in directing:
Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker”
The first female to win.

Best picture:
“The Hurt Locker”
Avatar is soo boring...

Writing, Adapted Screenplay:
“Up in the Air,” Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

Writing, Original Screenplay:
“The Hurt Locker,” Mark Boal

Ha!

movie marathon in a long time

I watched some movies last week, most of them are Oscar nominees. Though the Oscar was over, but the nomination list is always a movie choice guide for me to follow. I've watched Milk, Slumdog Millionaire, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Vicky Christina Barcelona, Revolutionary Road, and The Reader all in a roll. I'm not really a Award follower geek, but kinna a Oscar goer. I do believe in this theory, i don't have all the time for all the movies, but at least i know that the award mentioned movies are worth watching, at least at some points. For Milk, i would've watch it, for the matter of the subject. For Benjamin Button, the sake of the celebrities stardom power. For Vicky Christina Barcelona, the hot Spanish couple instead of Woody Allen. For Revolutionary Road and The Reader, we have the Extraordinary Kate Winslet. For Slumdog, it's a no, not before all the awards it got, but after i watched it, of cause i found the uniqueness of it, sure it has its way to manage all the awards, including winning the best picture of Oscar.

James Franco in Milk

Pitt & Blanchett in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Cruz & Bardem in Vicky Christina Barcelona

Slumdog Millionaire

Winslet in The Reader

fantasy

Have you ever imagined how does these Disney Heroes (ok, and some male villains) look like underneath their costume? Or would you like to find out? Alright, except Tarzan, we've seen pretty much of him. See it here.

breakfast at tiffany's

There's always the little thing about classic movie, how did they became classic, there must be something extraordinary about it. It's like when i watched Rashomon, i was so amazed by the film, the film was so perfectly crafted.
For this Audrey Hepburn's classic of Breakfast at Tiffany's, I didn't intend to watch, but my friend borrowed and insisted me to watch , so i did. The film so much fun to watch, Audrey Hepburn was breathtakingly glamorous, she's so shiningly beautiful. I must say even i watch it after so many years the film was produced, it still looks absolutely fashionablely gorgeous.

the opening scene of 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'.

the oscar went to...

It was a hell of a year, but i'm sure it's pretty enjoyable. Again, i caught the live telecast from NTV7, i kinna do it every year. Alright, before i start with the oscar after show thought, allow me to have a little word to the pre-show programme, the breakfast show, which was prepared by the tv station. That was so fucking unbelievable lousy! The host are 2 fucking dumb whores, or maybe 1, the male anchor wasn't that bad, but the stupid bitch host didn't even know the real name of the show is called Academy Awards, not before the male anchor hinted her?!?! I assumed this is the first time they did this kind of speacial pre-show programme, (and i hope it's the last 1, I'd rather watch red carpet arriving show) as i didn't see it in previous years, they should expect a big amount of audiences must be some crazy oscar fans! Then shouldn't the host be more professional, shouldn't they done some research before they host the show?! They are so unprepared, they know nothing about Oscar. So, don't expect them to be able to name the film when some nominated film clips were showing, or even list out the 5 films which were up for the Best Picture! Making it worse, they invited some freaks who were so-called gurus and experts of the film industry?!?! What the fuck?!?! When the gurus were asked who they think would win the awards, they answered, George Clooney for Best Actor, Cate Blanchett for Best Actress, And Micheal Clayton for Best Picture?!?!?! Who the hell on earth didn't know that those were all the darkest horse that they had no chance in hell to upset the frontrunners?!?! I know it's not a hit in this country, nobody would expect much, but i think at least they could've done it in a more simple way, not to make it 'so' happening to make themselves look like a fool.

The winners. Day-Lewis, Swinton with her remarkable dress, gorgeous Cotillard, and hot Bardem, and none of them is American!

Back to the show, all i can say for this year is 'wow', of cause not the ceremony, but the results. I did awfully bad for prediction, but i was right for Marion Cotillard. Normally, after the first award handed out, you would starting to have the clue on who's gonna be the night's owner, for the first year, i couldn't even tell the big winner not till the last two awards. No Country for Old Men didn't sweep much, it only won four. It's so full of surprises, started with the first costume design, who wouldn't think it's in the hand of Atonement? No Oscar for Giant Robots? I thought it wouldn't take all, but not even 1? Tilda Swinton for her 'not so much as an upset' win. She won with the 'what the hell kinna outfit is that' dress was pretty hilarious (When i saw her, i swear to god, hei, honey, i'm sure you gonna on the list!). The Bourne Ultimatum surprisingly swept 3, which made it the second movie with most awards won. Marion Cotillard! (Sorry for Julie Christie for having the same stylist with Swinton.) Cinematography to There Will Be Blood, yes!
Beside that, this year ceremony is kinna dull, judging on this year is the 80th year, the show running so rush but still took 3 and a half hours. Jon Stewart was pretty good, i would hit it. That's about it. Some of my favourite moments of the show are, Javier Bardem winning speech, Cotillard win, 'Falling Slowly' performance, Scott Rudin thanking his partner and proving that an out gay man can win an Oscar (well it happened before actually).
Here for the list of winners.

Cotillard winning clip.

clip of Bardem's winning speech.

and the oscar goes to...

The nominations are announced on the last 22nd, you can check out the list here, i did pretty bad on the predictions, well, who didn't. 2 days left before the awards hand out, let's play another game of predicting the winner. I always find this game is so interesting to play, doing all the calculation on who should, who will, who's locked, who's the underdog, who's gonna upset, who goes with expectation, too much fun to have to play the game. That's why so many movie goers from all over the globe waiting all whole year playing the game of, 'and the Oscar goes to...'.

Even i don't remember when did i start on following all this, and some how find it addictive. Well, i still haven't manage to watch any one of the contenders, but the game isn't all about how good the film is, again is all about the calculation, prediction, guts. Here's my winner predictions for the 80th Academy Awards.

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Daniel Day Lewis - There Will Be Blood

Hands down for his second win, and i think he should've won for his last nomination for Gangs of New York. He's one of best living actor.

There Will Be Blood

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Everybody thinks that he's the biggest lock, i just simply think that he's hot. I loved him in Before Night Falls.

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Marion Cotillard - La Vie En Rose
Some how you need to predict some upset, it happens every year, so i think here it would be.

La Vie En Rose

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There
I'm gonna stick with this, though many say her shine is fading, but i love her, she is my favorite. Finger crossed.

The amazing Cate in I'm Not There.

Best animated feature film
Ratatouille
Lock, though i like Surf's Up.

Achievement in art direction
Jack Fisk - There Will Be Blood
Because it's a strong Best Picture contender?

Achievement in cinematography
Robert Elswit - There Will Be Blood
I think it needs this, though No Country for Old Men seems stronger, sometimes the technical awards ain't all about which film's the best on the particular category, but it needs to jaga the overall awards winning film tally, so you'll know why.

Achievement in costume design
Jacqueline Durran - Atonement
The green dress.

Achievement in directing
Ethan, Joel Coen - No Country for Old Men

They have 2 of them.

No Country for Old Men

Achievement in film editing
Roderick Jaynes - No Country for Old Men
This always goes to the Best Picture nominee.

Achievement in makeup
Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald - La Vie En Rose
Because Norbit is ridiculous.

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
Dario Marianelli - Atonement
There's no Lust, Caution for me to choose.

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"Falling Slowly" - Once
Multiple nominations doesn't guarantee the win.

The clip of "Falling Slowly" from the movie Once

Best motion picture
There Will Be Blood
That's why it needs to win the Cinematography, so the tally of awards would be balance. Nah, i just have the faith on this, and maybe another upset since Crash, and i like Day-Lewis, no, i don't like blood.

Achievement in sound editing
Karen Baker Landers and Per Hallberg - The Bourne Ultimatum
Winning 3 is too much for Transformers.

Achievement in sound mixing
Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell and Peter J. Devlin - Transformers
Those robot sounds can't be real.

Transformers

Achievement in visual effects
Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Russell Earl and John Frazier - Transformers
So does the robots.

Writing, Adapted Screenplay
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen - No Country for Old Men
Because everybody says so.

Writing, Original Screenplay
Diablo Cody - Juno
Same with above.

Juno

the trip

Came back from the trip, many thoughts, a bit jam now. it wasn't a bad trip after all, at least. Three words to describe it, cool, rush, walk. Maybe it's a bit too complex, from every expect of the trip, that's why i'm still feeling a bit dizzy. Cool weather in Hong Kong and Macau, the temperature was about 10 to 17 degree, but the air condition wasn't so good compare to local. I think we had 2 of biggest news during the trip in the beginning of 2008, unfortunately, it wasn't good. Hong Kong and the global shock market was slumped badly, the headline of the last tuesday newspaper cruelly written 'Hong Kong people lost 1 million EACH'. Every media, the newspaper, TV or radio was all talking about the market news, everybody was talking about it. Then we had another lost of the talented Mister Ledger, sigh. I couldn't bother much about the shock market news, since i had nothing to do with it, but the sudden lost of Ledger was pretty shocking to me, he was such a talented actor. I didn't really love him that much, but there are some works of him were impressive, at least i must say i really liked Ennis Del Mar. It was a legendary role, that movie had made him. Waiting for another more promising performance from him, 'the dark knight' which he stars as the joker, which would probably bring him another fame, we heard the bad news, how gloomy is that.

Hong Kong isn't really a shopping paradise, well, not to me, i bet it only apply to people who has more money than i do. I didn't enjoy much for the shopping experience, not until i found H&M, the Madonna's fashion line, it's located in the central. At first i thought i was just wanted to go in and have a look, who knows the prices there are so attractive! How 'sayang' i only found it on our last day in Hong Kong, if i could find it earlier, i think i would just spend all my money there. Can you imagine how cheap could a beanie hat be? It's HK $4.90, isn't that crazy? Then a trouser for $59.90, and a jacket for $69.90!

Causeway Bay subway

Hong Kong night scene @ Avenue of Stars

For food, i didn't expect much, not saying that the food wasn't nice, it's nice for most of place we went, maybe we weren't lucky enough to find something unforgettable. I bet it's pretty much about Hong Kong.

In Macau, it's even more simple, the historical Ruins of St. Paul is basically all about Macau, oh, and the Casinos. The Casinos in Macau are probably more than the 7-11 stores here, it's everywhere. The ruins of St. Paul is really an attraction. The front façade and the grand stone stairs are so splendid. The structure is the only remains of the formal St. Paul Church, which was the greatest church in East Asia.

The magnificent The Ruins of St. Paul

The famous Lisboa

Is that all about the trip? I really can hardy recall anymore. Basically, Macau is more like a tourism spot, and Hong Kong is a island size shopping center.

P.S.
As i predicted, how nice would it be if we didn't have that much of quarrel, sigh. I think i tried hard enough to manage it, maybe just not good enough.

R.I.P. Mister Ledger (the one next to him was his ex-wife, Michelle Williams)

cate

Cate Blanchett is one of my favourite actor, I admire her acting performance. She has an up comming film, I'm Not There, a biopic of Bob Dylan which she plays Bob Dylan. Cate is used to adopting a number of guises. From her breakthrough role as Elizabeth I, which is also my favourite role of her - through to her Oscar-winning turn as Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator - she is as mesmerising playing historical figures as she is modern ones. She has the unique screen attraction which i just couldn't resist.