Thoughts on the Tony Nominations

Will this finally be Kelli O'Hara's year?

With this morning’s Tony nominations (I didn’t do awful on my predictions, particularly considering the wide-open nature of the race), these are a dozen thoughts I had about the 2014 lineup:

1. The Tony Awards are perhaps the least consistent awards body in terms of who they nominate in any given year.  The Oscars, Grammys, Emmys, Golden Globes-they all have their own idiosyncrasies, but they only go against them rarely (the Grammys like big hits, the Globes like big stars, the Emmys like the same people every year, etc).  While the Tony Awards will pick the same people frequently (it’s a finite amount of space on Broadway), they vary wildly on whether or not they want movie stars or not to be amongst their nominees.  This year was clearly leaning toward not as Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Denzel Washington, Toni Collette, Rachel Weisz, Daniel Craig, James Franco, and Marisa Tomei all missed out on their respective fields.

2. How long will it be before Bryan Cranston grabs an Oscar?  There’s a very strong chance the man takes a Tony now to follow all of those Emmy wins, and he’s so revered (and appearing in supporting parts in movies like Argo and Drive) that I assume some director is going to give him a biopic or character study soon and he’ll win Best Actor.  Perhaps he’ll even bring LBJ to the big screen?

3. Chris O’Dowd is this year’s Tom Sturridge.

4. Mark Rylance, Kelli O’Hara, Sutton Foster, and Audra McDonald-why is it that they cannot transfer successfully to the big screen?  Why does no one give these people big-screen deals?

5. With Kelli O’Hara, Estelle Parsons, Linda Emond, and Celia Keenan-Bolger all nominated in the four female acting categories, is this potentially primed for a year of “we owe you” at the Tony Awards?  I’m hoping at least one of these women pick up a trophy.

The incredibly sexy Brian J. Smith

6. Brian J. Smith is a beautiful man.

7. If Diahann Carroll had made it through and actually been able to do Raisin in the Sun, would this have been hers for the taking?  LaTanya Richardson Jackson, a relative unknown (more famous for being the red carpet companion of her husband Samuel L. Jackson), managed to get nominated for the role in one of the bigger surprises of the morning-I think Carroll, an acting legend, would have pulled off the win.  Her absence means that Audra McDonald could take a record-breaking sixth acting trophy, at a mere 43 years of age.

8. I have never understood the appeal of Tony Shalhoub.  The man seems to be invited to awards’ bodies every chance that he gets, and while I haven’t seen his on-stage work, I have never been impressed by his acting skills.

9. Mare Winningham or Sophie Okonedo: which is the more obscure former Oscar nominee competing in Featured Actress?  And can either of them take down the former Disney Princess?

10. It’s not the Tony Awards without Susan Stroman or Scott Rudin.  Nominated for Bullets Over Broadway and A Raisin in the Sun (respectively) they have amassed a total of 42 Tony nominations between themselves.

Marin Mazzie: Not even a bridesmaid

11. I know the entire media is focusing on Michelle Williams, Dan Radcliffe, and Denzel missing, but don't you feel for Marin Mazzie-she hardly got cited once for what was one of the bigger snubs of the day and she's in that grey area for musical actresses where the original roles don't come as often as they once did, and as a result she's typically replacing bigger stars in productions.  Plus, Helen Sinclair is an Oscar-winning role-who would have thought it couldn't have at least gotten a nomination?  At this rate, Mazzie will likely never take home a trophy.

12. Though no one is going specifically for an EGOT (lately it seems like someone always is at these things), Jonathan Tunick could disrupt his perfect EGOT-record.  Nominated this year for Best Orchestrations, he's the only person to have one of each trophy, but no more.

Those were my thoughts-how about you?  Are there any candidates you’re rooting for?  What are you hoping to see from Hugh Jackman as the host?  Share in the comments!

Actors You Didn't Know Were Oscar Nominees

If any film actor worth their salt put together a true, never-leaked-to-the-press bucket list, on that list would be an Oscar.  And as we find out every year, a few of them get to have that wish, but as there are only four acting Oscars, some of them, whether out of artistic curiosity or being tired of losing (cough Glenn Close cough) try their luck at other categories.  We’re used to the likes of Clint Eastwood, Mel Gibson, and Brad Pitt scoring their Oscars in directing or producing fields, but I was looking the other day, and there are other categories that have nominated movie stars that you might not know about.  I’ve detailed eleven instances of people whom you may not have known got Oscar nominations that in-fact did:

1959

Nominee: Peter Sellers

Film: The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film

Category: Live Action Short Film

Plot: The film, from what I can tell (for the record, I’m basing these pieces on Wikipedia and IMDB pages, as I’ve only seen one of these films) is just a series of gags and comic bits starring the incomparable Sellers.  The film was also directed by Richard Lester, who would famously go on to direct the Beatles in the madcap A Hard Day’s Night.

The Rest of the Oscar Story: Sellers would go on to get two more nominations after losing this award to Jacques Cousteau.  In 1964, for playing the title character in Dr. Strangelove (he lost to Rex Harrison) and for his work as Chance in Being There (losing to Dustin Hoffman).  Sellers would never win an Oscar.

1968

Nominee: John Astin

Film: Prelude

Category: Live Action Short Film

Plot: Some saint someday will decide to put all of the Oscar-nominated ahort films into a giant box set and I shall spend weeks indulging and writing OVP articles, but in the meantime, I have no idea what Prelude, which also stars Astin, is about (the comments are right there for our film aficionados).

The Rest of the Oscar Story: Astin would be known almost exclusively as a television actor in the years since, best remembered as Gomez Addams on The Addams Family.  Astin lost this category to legendary documentary filmmaker Charles Guggenheim (who would score nine nominations and three wins throughout his career).

1975

Nominee: Shirley MacLaine

Film: The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir

Category: Documentary Feature Film

Plot: A documentary on mainland China, MacLaine made her debut as a director for this film, which she also narrated, wrote, and produced.  Oddly, despite its success at getting an AMPAS nomination, MacLaine would wait 28 years before she would direct another movie.

The Rest of the Oscar Story: At this point, MacLaine was already a three-time Best Actress nominee for Some Came Running, The Apartment, and Irma la Douce.  She would go on to be nominated again for The Turning Point and finally win for Terms of Endearment.  You can find out more about MacLaine’s legendary career with Oscar here and here.

1976

Nominee: Dyan Cannon

Film: Number One

Category: Live Action Short

Plot: IMDB (if it’s to be believed) has a pretty detailed look into this film, about a group of teenagers who discover the birds-and-the-bees in a boys’ bathroom, and then have to discuss the incident with their parents, who take different approaches to the subject.  It sounds a bit after-school-special, and also unlike anything that would be nominated today when this category usually heads for heavier subject matter.

The Rest of the Oscar Story: Cannon was already an Oscar-nominated actress at the time, having been nominated for Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (losing to Goldie Hawn…a year after losing Cary Grant).  She lost this particular Oscar to Peter Werner, who gained most of his fame as a TV movie director.  Cannon would go on to get very close to an Oscar win in 1978 for her nominated performance in Heaven Can Wait (she would win the Golden Globe), but ultimately lose to Maggie Smith in California Suite.

1992

Nominee: Kenneth Branagh

Film: Swan Song

Category: Live Action Short

Plot: Like almost all of Branagh’s work, this film has its origins in the stage.  The film is a one-act play based on the work by Anton Chekov.

The Rest of the Oscar Story: Branagh is one of the oddest stories in Academy history, having lost the Oscar in five different categories (he’s the only person who has done this and never won for any of them).  Aside from this category (which he lost to the French comedy Omnibus), he also was nominated for starring in and directing Henry V (losing to Daniel Day-Lewis and Oliver Stone, respectively), writing Hamlet (he lost to Billy Bob Thornton), and playing his hero, Laurence Olivier, in My Week with Marilyn (losing to Christopher Plummer).

1994

Nominee: Sean Astin

Film: Kangaroo Court

Category: Live Action Short

Plot: I can find little about this film, though I do know that he directed the movie with his wife, and they lost the award in one of the only ties in Academy history, and was nominated alongside another actor (the mid-90’s were a gold mine of actors winning nominations in non-acting categories).

The Rest of the Oscar Story: Astin would go on seven years later to have the role of his career in the multi-nominated Lord of the Rings, playing Samwise Gamgee (Astin would win awards for the role, but not an Oscar nomination).  Since then he’s worked in a number of smaller projects in film and television, but Oscar has not called.  It’s worth noting that his mother is an Oscar-winner (Patty Duke), as is his stepfather John Astin.

1994

Nominee: JoBeth Williams

Film: On Hope

Category: Live Action Short

Plot: Based on a short story by Lynn Mamet (sister of David Mamet), I can find no information about the film except for its impressive list of actors who star in it, including Annette O’Toole, Mercedes Ruehl, Jill Eikenberry, and Veronica Cartwright.

The Rest of the Oscar Story: A major film star in the early 1980’s in movie such as Poltergeist and The Big Chill, this was Williams’ only Oscar nomination, though she’s enjoyed nominations at the Emmys and Golden Globes.  She’s currently president of the Screen Actors Guild Foundation.

1995

Nominee: Christine Lahti

Film: Lieberman in Love

Category: Live Action Short

Plot: Based on a short story by W.P. Kinsella, I cannot find a plot, but I do recall that the author had no idea the film had been made, and got an apology afterwards.  Lahti’s film starred herself, as well as Danny Aiello, Beth Grant, and Nancy Travis.

The Rest of the Oscar Story: Lahti had lost eleven years earlier for her work in Swing Shift (losing to Peggy Ashcroft).  She managed the win here, taking her only Oscar to date; since then she’s been a mainstay on shows like Chicago Hope, and won an Emmy and (quite famously while she was in the bathroom) a Golden Globe.

1995

Nominee: Jeff Goldblum

Film: Little Surprises

Category: Live Action Short

Plot: Again, I can tell it was about a wedding (that box set, AMPAS, would pay for itself), and know it has a relatively famous cast with Julie Harris, Kelly Preston, and Rod Steiger amongst the cast.

The Rest of the Oscar Story: Goldblum has starred in some of the biggest motion pictures of all-time (including Jurassic Park, Independence Day, and The Lost World), but he’s never competed for an Oscar in the years since, though he was cited for a Golden Globe for his guest work on Will and Grace.

2009

Nominee: Fisher Stevens

Film: The Cove

Category: Documentary Feature

Plot: I’ve actually seen this one, as have many of you, I’m guessing!  The film is about the abhorrent practices of killing dolphins in Japan.  The film was a major player at Sundance that year, and made over $1 million at the box office (a coup for a documentary).

The Rest of the Oscar Story: The one-time star of Early Edition and Short Circuit, Stevens principally works behind the camera these days-this is his only Oscar nomination (and, in this case, win) to date.

Those are eleven that I found-can you think of others?  And which person on this list most surprised you with their citation?

OVP: Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

Film: Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
Stars: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, Justin Timberlake, F. Murray Abraham, Adam Driver
Directors: Joel and Ethan Coen
Oscar History: 2 nominations (Best Sound Mixing, Cinematography)
Snap Judgment Ranking: 4/5 stars

I follow the Coen Brothers almost everywhere, and as a result, I’ve been largely rewarded and occasionally burned.  While True Grit still remains a bit of a head-scratcher, for the most part this is a cinematic pair that I generally tend to love.

As a result of seeing so many of their movies, however, it’s getting harder and harder for them to surprise me.  I know the quirks that I’m about to encounter, the familiar off-beats and brilliant cinematography.  So I was somewhat surprised how much Inside Llewyn Davis, one of the near-missses in last year’s Best Picture race (that admittedly still scored two Oscar nominations) connected with me.  Days after I viewed it I found myself returning to its familiar tunes and lived-in characters, wondering why they had affected me so well.

The reality is, of course, that the film is very familiar to all of us who have seen a film about someone struggling with their own reality and the vision they had for their lives.  Llewyn Davis (Isaac, in a wonderfully felt performance) is not someone without talent.  Struggling to make it as a solo act after his singing partner committed suicide, Llewyn finds himself playing beautifully-felt folk music (most of the songs in the film are based on classics from the past, reinvented for the Coen Brothers) to audiences that are more attuned to other such things (this is 1961, after all).  Llewyn is forced to pay for the abortion of his ex-girlfriend Jean (Mulligan) and play with her current boyfriend’s (Timberlake) band in a ridiculously funny sequence (the song, “Please Mr. Kennedy,” gets much of its comic sensibility from the he’s-just-good-in-everything-lately Adam Driver, finding new facets for his quirky persona).  After that, armed with an orange cat (you always want your cats to be orange), he sets off on a road trip across the country with a beat poet Garrett Hedlund (who, like Driver, is great in basically everything these days) and a heroin-addled jazz musician John Goodman (it wouldn't be a Coen Brothers film without him), and slowly finds himself growing up, if not entirely giving up on his dream.

The film was wonderfully received by critics, and even those that didn't like it used words like "sad," "slow," and "grey," words that I latch onto like flypaper, so I can say most assuredly that I loved the movie.  I think what really stuck out to me most (aside from the music-so specific and crisp) was the effective work of lead actor Oscar Isaac.  The Juilliard-educated actor makes Llewyn so believable-I love the way that his hair always wants to pull distraction and the way his eyes roll.  This is someone who clearly has spent a considerable amount of time looking in the mirror, practicing for the big break that never seems to come.  I also love the level of exhaustion he seems to feel that the world hasn't caught up with his genius-there's something arbitrary about success, and the way that Llewyn doesn't quite get that at the beginning of the film and slowly has it dawn on him is really shrewd observation, and you wouldn't get there were it not for Isaac.

The rest of the cast is hit-or-miss for me.  For every excellent turn like F. Murray Abraham's dreamlike record producer or Garrett Hedlund's angsty Johnny Five, you get a performance that isn't quite there.  Carey Mulligan is a fine actress, but for some reason she's very hit-and-miss for me, and this wasn't a bullseye.  She plays Jean as too shrill, too conniving, and not nearly in-mesh with someone that we'd picture Llewyn falling in love with; this may be in small part the fault of the writers, but Mulligan doesn't help this by skipping out on what made her nuanced work in something like Shame or An Education so intoxicating.  Equally off-putting was Justin Timberlake's naive moron Jim, who is Jean's going-places lover.  While I liked that they made his stupid song a hit (again-the arbitrary nature of success), can we all just admit that Timberlake is not a good actor and call it a day?  I know that he has hilarious Saturday Night Live episodes and that he was in The Social Network and he's crazy sexy, but the reality is that parts in films made by David Fincher and the Coen Brothers should go to actors of actual promise.  Think of how much better Adam Driver would have been if he'd been promoted up to the Jim role or how an actor with the confidence of a Ryan Gosling could have handled Sean Parker, and tell me I'm wrong.

We'll be getting to those two Oscar nominations in short time (we should be finishing up the 2009 OVP in the next couple of weeks, and will be rolling right into 2013, which I'm almost done with).  However, in the meantime-what were everyone's thoughts on Inside Llewy Davis?  Did you agree that it was mostly hit and a little miss?  What are your thoughts on Justin Timberlake as an actor?  And where do you think it should have made it with Oscar?  Share in the comments!

Everybody's Linking for the Weekend

We haven't done a link roundup in a while (we actually haven't done seven days in a row worth of posts in a while, so I'm hoping everyone is enjoying my oddly consistent streak of posts-there should be more to come!).  Here's some of the stories I found fascinating around the web this week:

In Entertainment...

Jack and Finn Harries (aka JacksGap)

Film Experience: The much awaited latest installment of the Supporting Actress Smackdown (one of my favorite things in all of the internet) has arrived, with Stinky, Nick, Nathaniel, Guy, and the crew discussing the 2003 Supporting Actress race.  We haven't quite gotten there in the OVP (I'm actually stunningly behind in that race and haven't even hit 50% yet, but there's an amusing story about why I haven't seen House of Sand and Fog that I'll share when we get there in the OVP).  Either way, this is always a wonderful discussion of actresssing on the edges, so please head over and say so so we get more installments.

IndieWire: Despite the fact that Talya Lavie won at Tribeca this past week, the Croisette remains decidedly behind in honoring female filmmakers, with only two women (Alice Rohrwacher and Naomi Kawase, who won the Grand Prix in 2007) competing at this year's festival.  This despite the fact that Jane Campion, Sofia Coppola, and Andrea Arnold are all serving as jury members in some capacity at the competition-you'd think that a celebration of some of the boldest and grandest films in the world would be smart enough to recognize that viewing under-represented voices would be integral to a celebration of art, but apparently not.

In Contention: We get a rundown of the films that cinephiles, and not the general movie populace, is looking forward to this summer (that sounded snotty...I don't mean for it to sound snotty...I might have meant for it to sound snotty).  Boyhood, A Most Wanted Man, Snowpiercer, and Night Moves are the ones I'm most interested in, but these guys can sell you on just about any movie.  Share in the comments what you're most looking forward to!

The Guardian: J.K. Rowling will be bringing her Casual Vacancy across the pond, as the novel is set to be turned into a three-episode miniseries from HBO, which means that Rowling needs to start looking for Emmy dresses (as is the wont of HBO and the miniseries).

YouTube: After a three-month long absence, Finn and Jack Harries are back with a new video...hopefully this means we won't have to wait so long for our next JacksGap attack.

In Politics...

Vice President Al Gore (D-TN)

Politico: Politico Magazine (probably the best reason to visit that site nowadays) does yet another fascinating insight piece/interview on a complicated politician, in this case former Vice President Al Gore.  It starts a lot of interesting debates and invites a number of important questions to the man-who-would-be-president, particularly on whether or not Gore is the right man for the message ("once a politician, always a politician is a solid way of putting it from Sen. Claire McCaskill), what his thoughts are on President Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John McCain, and inevitably whether he would run in 2016 (he didn't give an exact no, just for the record, though if he didn't run in 2004 or 2008 I have little anticipation that he'd run in 2016, even though I think he would have been and would still be a phenomenal president).  And though it's a political article, not an entertainment article, do any Oscar/political junkies (am I the only one?) get supremely frustrated every time the media gives Davis Guggenheim's Oscar away to Gore?

Roll Call: In one of the cuter ads of the cycle, Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV) brought his folksiness and a bit of a Pace Picante throwback to his campaign after being battered by the Koch Brothers.

Huffington Post: In perhaps one of the scariest developments in recent days, the Missouri House Judiciary Committee is advancing articles of impeachment against Gov. Jay Nixon.  Aside from a lot of obvious (though cheeky) articles about "Nixon Being Impeached," the reality is that the utter flimsiness of the articles of impeachment against Nixon are insane.  The reasons he's being impeached is for an executive order allowing gay couples that were married in other states to file federal income tax returns in Missouri, for not filling vacant legislative seats fast enough, and for releasing the names of Missourians who have concealed weapons permits to the federal government.  Does anyone else feel this is simply because Nixon is a Democrat and the Republicans are in the middle of a power grab (were he to be removed from office, Republican Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder would assume the office)?

Washington Post: A lot was written this week about how brilliant Monica Wehby's (Republican Senate candidate in Oregon) recent positive campaign commercial is, and while I will admit it's touching and it's nice to see a positive political ad and it's also nice to see a woman doing well in a Republican primary, I have to say that the collective orgasm the media (particularly the Post) had over the commercial has me disappointed.  Watching the video, there's little to no actual substance about issues that Dr. Wehby would address in Congress.  The commercial desperately makes me wish that she was my doctor, but not my senator.

Just One More...

ESPN: I haven't really had time to comment on Michael Phelps' return to the pool (it's always stunning when an athlete comes out of retirement the first time...though then no one ever believes them again when they say they're quitting).  Phelps beat Lochte in the heats, but Lochte eat him by .2 seconds in the 100-meter butterfly, a promising return to the pool for Phelps after a long hiatus...and perhaps a preview of Rio in two years?  We can only hope.

OVP: The Lego Movie (2014)

Film: The Lego Movie (2013)
Stars: Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman
Director: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Oscar History: 1 nomination (Best Original Song-"Everything is Awesome")
Snap Judgment Ranking: 4/5 stars

While recent years have brought an onslaught of superheroes and fairy tales to multiplexes across the planet, it was only a matter of time before toys and games became a mainstay.  I mean, the cross-marketing possibilities are endless-look at what Disney and Mattel have done with their Princess, Tinkerbell, and Barbie lines through the years, creating a multiplatform industry by incorporating what’s going on on a big screen and what’s happening on a DVD.  Nothing better spices up a staid toy that’s been around for decades than a fresh new film.

Of course, this strategy hasn’t always worked (cough Battleship cough) and even a comic masterwork like Clue wasn’t a hit initially.  Therefore, I went into The Lego Movie with my brow furrowed, even with all of the praise being showered upon the film.  Little did I know that I was worried for nothing, as the film was a charming, utter delight.

(Spoilers Ahead) The plot of the film is pretty easy to solve and follow, with Emmett (Pratt) playing the role of our amiable but clueless hero, and Wildstyle (Banks) the girl he’s destined to fall in love with as they attempt to stop the evil Lord Business (Ferrell).  The film gets a bit long in the middle (occasionally there are too many twists as we’re getting to the obvious next plot shocker), but the movie’s secret weapon is that it is so attuned to its audience.  Most of the kids in the audience will be thrilled to see Batman, Superman, and countless other action heroes enter the screen and this is cheeky fun, but what’s better is all of the callbacks to the Lego brand itself.  From the appearance of the iconic ghosts and ninjas to a quick Duplo tease at the end of the film, the movie plays frequently with the toy brand itself and gives lots of great inside jokes for the adult audience.

The film also animates the story quite beautifully.  Computer-animated, it’s one of the only non-Disney films of its kind to really find the fun, clever color palette that Pixar employs and apply it to the screen. Lego toys are most often in solid patterns and bright, bold colors, so there’s very little tonal shifts and shadows, and instead we are given a cheeky look at the worlds that children created when they were young (which of course matches the big twist toward the end when we get a live-action sequence).

Since I’m in the midst of reviewing multiple Oscar-nominated films, I will point out that this movie could well be the Academy’s surest thing this year for a nomination of released films.  Animated feature this year looks quite lacking; Pixar has no contenders and Disney’s latest is a comic book film, a genre that has fared pretty poorly when the hero doesn’t have a butler named Alfred.  The only other contender that could make a legitimate play for the trophy right now is How to Train Your Dragon 2, but it’s worth noting that in a genre that crushes hard on sequels, only Toy Story 3 has pulled off a win as a follow-up (and it beat Hiccup's original escapade).  Could one of the bigger categories of the Oscars already have been locked up so soon?  Share your thoughts in the comments!

And also share your thoughts on The Lego Movie-I’m currently working my butt off to get through all of the films that I have stockpiled with reviews (most of them from the 2013 Oscar race…and then there’s a pile of films that I’m hoping to see soon and basically I'm just surrounded by oodles of ideas, though we're about to have our first seven-day-in-a-row-post-streak in eons, so at least we're delivering), so I’m far past getting to the party here, but surely some of you must remember the movie.  Did you like it?  Does it play well in the whole hippocampus?  Share your thoughts!

2014 Tony Predictions

There is no time of the year that I miss New York more than April.  The city is just starting to bustle from the long winter, with the park glowing and coming to life, and everyone out enjoying the weather before it becomes unbearably hot (New York in July is like the fifth circle of hell...if the fifth circle of hell also sold you $17 movie tickets and smelled like garbage when it rained).

But the real draw for me is the opening of all of the Broadway musicals and plays-honestly, I don't understand how people can pass up the chance to see so much vibrant, wonderful theater if they live there (except, you know, the cost), and it makes me want to figure out some way to skip paying rent for a month just so I can see people sing to the rafters and soliloquize raw pain on the stage.

This all said, I was going to give a list of some of the shows that I most wanted to see, but then I realized that the Tony nominations were already going to be announced on Tuesday, and though I sadly haven't seen any of the shows (argh...why do I not save my money better?!?), I figured I should give my two cents on what will be nominated in the big eight categories.  While I'm going through these, I'll tell you what I would see if I managed to win the lottery tomorrow (actually, if I won the lottery tomorrow I'd see them all as I'm a theater-junkie, but I digress).

Best Play

All the Way

Casa Valentina

Mothers and Sons

The Velocity of Autumn

Tyne Daly in Mothers and Sons

The Nominees: Can we first off just say thank god that I'm only predicting the nominees right now?  In the many years since I started following the Tony Awards, I have never seen a race this wide open for both Best Play and Musical.  Usually there's a War Horse or Book of Mormon waiting in the wings, ready to take everything in sight-this year, though, there's not a lot of frontrunners.  Velocity of Autumn and All the Way have that nice combination of critical acclaim and prestige, and surely are going to be included.  Casa Valentina has the magnetism of Harvey Fierstein and Joe Mantello, both of whom are frequently a fixture at the Tony Awards and makes me think this is included.  There's a few other plays that spring to mind (Outside Mullingar, Act One) that could make the cut, but I think absence makes the heart grow fonder for Terrence McNally, and his Mothers and Sons is my upset surprise.

If I Had a Golden Ticket: Mothers and Sons seems the most interesting to me, and seeing Tyne Daly on a Broadway stage is a magnificent thing.

Best Musical

Aladdin

The Bridges of Madison County

A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder

Rocky

Kelli O'Hara and Steven Pasquale in The Bridges of Madison County

The Nominees: I believe theoretically both of these races could go five-wide, but the field typically stays at four, so I'm going to stay there.  Aladdin is probably the surest thing of the bunch, even if that doesn't necessarily translate to a win-Disney has a major push, the show has gotten much better notices than it did in previews, and it's certain to be the biggest hit of the bunch.  It's hard to believe that If/Then isn't there, even if it isn't AMAZING in the reviews, but the tepid response (despite boffo box office thanks to Idina) has me place it at fifth place.  Rocky is probably the biggest news of the year (people will not stop talking about it), and will make it.  The final two I'm basing off of reviews-Kelli O'Hara's getting excellent notices in Bridges (and she's the Midas touch of nominations, even if she can't win a trophy to save her life) and Gentleman has been far more successful than I initially expected.  Throw in the jukebox hit Beautiful (featuring the music of Carole King) and you probably have some combination of the four nominees.

If I Had a Golden Ticket: I would give it to Bridges...it was going to be Aladdin but you just know that one's going to go on tour and Kelli O'Hara having steamy sex tops boxing any day of the week, in my opinion.

Best Revival of a Play

The Glass Menagerie

A Raisin in the Sun

Twelfth Night

Waiting for Godot

Cherry Jones and Zachary Quinto in The Glass Menagerie

The Nominees: Rule Number One of the Tony Awards is to not discount Scott Rudin, so A Raisin in the Sun, despite it just being revived, will surely be back for another go-around, though Rudin will have to accept his loss to The Glass Menagerie, one of the only sure things about this year's Tony Awards.  Other star-encrusted shows like James Franco's Of Mice and Men and Rachel Weisz's Betrayal will probably take the backseat to more celebrated works like Twelfth Night and Waiting for Godot, though this being the Tony Awards, they could have one of their celebrity mood swings and try to put a movie star in the audience.

If I Had a Golden Ticket: It would have to go to Glass Menagerie-Tennessee Williams can be breathtaking on-stage, and I've heard it was a miracle to behold.

Best Revival of a Musical

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Les Miserables

Violet

Sutton Foster in Violet

The Nominees: An exceedingly light year for this category, the only other production that could be in contention would be Cabaret, which is getting a lackluster response and seems very similar to the 1998 production of the play.  Violet and Hedwig are both making their Broadway debuts, but have been around long-enough that they will probably go with this much easier category for a nomination.  Who wins is a great question-does Les Miz get in based on box office, or does that still seem "been there, done that" after it hauled off at the Oscars so recently?

If I Had a Golden Ticket: Violet, hands down-Sutton Foster is perfection.

Best Actor in a Play

Bryan Cranston, All the Way

Ian McKellen, Waiting for Godot

Mark Rylance, Richard III

Patrick Stewart, Waiting for Godot

Denzel Washington, A Raisin in the Sun

Mark Rylance

The Nominees: Mark Rylance's performance in Jerusalem remains the most impressive thing I've ever seen on a Broadway stage-thinking about the final moments of that play still sends shivers down my spine.  He is the Daniel Day-Lewis of the theater, and I doubt that he misses this year, even if that means he gets nominated twice (he could make it for Twelfth Night for featured).  Honestly, this lineup seems relatively set.  Tony Shalhoub's work in Act One is a possibility, but I think that Denzel with his movie star appeal (and Scott Rudin pushing) will be able to trump him.  And James Franco-sorry dude, but picking fights with critics isn't going to help you one bit.

If I Had a Golden Ticket: It's hard to pass on Rylance, but Professor X and Magneto on the same stage-that's impossible to turn down.

Best Actress in a Play

Toni Collette, The Realistic Joneses

Tyne Daly, Mothers and Sons

Cherry Jones, The Glass Menagerie

Audra McDonald, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill

Estelle Parsons, The Velocity of Autumn

Audra McDonald

The Nominees: I'm still not entirely sure how Audra is in a play with the entire Billie Holiday discograpy playing during Lady Day, but that's a discussion for a different time.  As it is, she will go for her record sixth Tony win likely against a woman who has never managed to pull off a trophy despite four nominations and decades in the theater, Estelle Parsons.  I am going to guess that sentiment (and the sure realization that McDonald will have others) will give this to Parsons (keep in mind they gave Cicely Tyson the trophy last year), and that they will be joined by Tyne Daly and Cherry Jones, both getting strong notices.  The last shot is a hodgepodge, but I'm going to go with one of my brother's favorite actors, and a movie star to boot, Ms. Toni Collette, an actress the Tonys honored with a nomination some fourteen years ago for The Wild Party.

If I Had a Golden Ticket: Audra, forever and always.

Best Actor in a Musical

Jefferson Mays, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder

Neil Patrick Harris, Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Ramin Karimloo, Les Miserables

Andy Karl, Rocky

Steven Pasquale, The Bridges of Madison County

Andy Karl

The Nominees: It's unfathomable that after all the years he's spent promoting Broadway and championing the Tony Awards that NPH's comeback to the Great White Way wouldn't be honored in some fashion-I find it difficult, quite frankly, to see him losing though Jefferson Mays is a constant presence on Broadway and hasn't won in a decade.  Andy Karl (who like a certain leading lady in the Best Actress category, was part of the wonderfully charming Mystery of Edwin Drood revival recently) should get his first nomination as Rocky Balboa, and Steven Pasquale's sexy and brooding leading man in Bridges should also make the cut.  For the final slot, I'm going with the tried-and-true Jean Valjean, which won Colm Wilkinson a nomination in the original production and probably can do the same for Karimloo.

If I Had a Golden Ticket: The more I read about it, the more, honestly, that I kind of want to see Rocky, which isn't remotely my cup of tea.  The heart wants what it wants, I guess.

Best Actress in a Musical

Sutton Foster, Violet

Marin Mazzie, Bullets Over Broadway

Idina Menzel, If/Then

Jessie Mueller, Beautiful

Kelli O'Hara, The Bridges of Madison County

Idina Menzel

The Nominees: Like the Oscars, the Tony Awards have their frequent favorites, and two of them happen to be Sutton Foster and Kelli O'Hara, who rarely miss (O'Hara is in the hunt for her first Tony win, whereas Foster already has two).  It seems unthinkable that Idina Menzel would miss on her big, splashy return to Broadway, even if her show doesn't seem quite there for a nomination for the big prize (then again, this is the Tony Awards...this category is probably the "big prize").  Jessie Mueller is on a roll lately in a similar way to last year's winner Patina Miller (everything she touches turns to gold), and I couldn't be happier for her (she was the best thing about Mystery of Edwin Drood, and as I mentioned above, that's a play filled with best things).  The final nomination I'm going with Marin Mazzie, another Tony nominee-but-not-winner favorite (three nominations in this case, so Kelli doesn't have to start sweating yet), as reprising the role that won Dianne Wiest the Oscar surely has to count for something.  If the Tony Awards try to go big and movie-star like, Michelle Williams tepid performance in Cabaret could be the stunner, but they've avoided stars in poorly-reviewed vehicles before (Julia Roberts, anyone?), so I think the five Broadway divas will be sufficient.

If I Had a Golden Ticket: Easily my favorite category of the night, so I will cheat and say all of them.

Those are my thoughts-how about yours?  Who are you rooting for on the 29th?  Should I pull the plug and do my NYC trip and give in to temptation?  Share in the comments!

Wednesday Diversion: Who is the Hottest Guy on Game of Thrones?

I got a teensy bit lazy last night (and shot my diet to hell for absolutely no reason), and so I didn't have time to throw together the morning post I was planning on.  However, I figured that I shouldn't punish you for my sloth-like behavior, and so I figured I would pose an impossible to answer question-who is the hottest of the men of Westeros?  Our challengers are...

Kit Harington (Jon Snow)

Richard Madden (Robb Stark)

Finn Jones (Ser Loras Tyrell)

Nikolai Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister)

Joe Dempsie (Gendry)

How can winter be coming with this much smolder?  Happy Wednesday everyone!

OVP: The Invisible Woman (2013)

Film: The Invisible Woman (2013)
Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Felicity Jones, Kristin Scott Thomas, Tom Hollander, Joanna Scanlan
Director: Ralph Fiennes
Oscar History: 1 nomination (Best Costume Design)
Snap Judgment Ranking: 2/5 stars

Ralph Fiennes frequently finds himself working with the same actresses.  Rachel Weisz, Juliette Binoche, and Vanessa Redgrave have all costarred with him more than once.  Most exhilarating for me, though, is when he finds himself in the company of one Kristin Scott Thomas.  Their chemistry in The English Patient (a personal favorite of mine) was absolutely electric, and this is their third film together.

Imagine, though, my disappointment when I found out that the two, both brilliantly sexy as lovers in the 1996 Best Picture winners, had a bit of a role reversal.  Though Scott Thomas is just two years older than Fiennes, apparently she is deemed too old to play his lover here, and instead we go with the 21 years Fiennes's junior Felicity Jones as his movie-appropriate romantic conquest.  Yes, I'm aware that this is based on actual history, but doesn't anyone find this a tad bit, well, sexist?  I mean, would it be so horribly wrong for Fiennes to date a woman his actual age on-screen?  Or to at least tell that story?  I spent most of this movie wishing that were the case, but sadly it was not, and that was one of many bits of unpleasantness I experienced while viewing The Invisible Woman.

The story is of Charles Dickens affair with the young Ellen Ternan late in his life.  Dickens, one of the greatest novelists to ever live, is presented by Fiennes as a bit of a rapscallion and quite immature.  It may be implied that his brilliance in writing about young men is that he still believes himself to be one-the film focuses quite a bit on his youthful behavior, despite long ago abandoning such chronological excuses for wild shenanigans.

The film follows their affair, and occasionally has quite interesting things to say.  Every focus that Fiennes took on the two older women in the film (Scott Thomas and Joanna Scanlan’s portrayal of Dickens’ listless wife) pays off, and you sort of wish they, and not the actual main characters, were the principle focus.  The way that Scott Thomas knows that her daughter’s best chance for survival may in fact be as the mistress of a wealthy man is heart-breaking, and she spares no moment pointing out such in her troubled eyes and constant worry.  Even better is Scanlan, who as Dickens’ wife, is the object of our pity even though Scanlan doesn’t always emote.  She frequently is willing to blend into the background, and we see why Dickens has tired of her, as she is far more concerned about observing, but not speaking.  And yet, when he abandons her not through telling her, but through a letter in the paper, we get to see her breakdown.  Her entire life, shattered by no actions of her own but everything related to her husband-these sorts of commentaries about the incredibly painful waters of the 19^th century woman, even a very privileged one, are territory not tread enough in cinema and well worth the investigation.

The film falls apart when put into the hands of Felicity Jones, though.  Jones, whom most people will recognize from her work in Like Crazy, is an actress of great beauty, but as I have found time and again, very little skill.  She cannot emote or connect with her characters in any real way, and I find her extremely flat on-screen.  This is now the third film that I've seen her in (there was also Julie Taymor's awful The Tempest), and I have been either underwhelmed or in this case, thinking she was completely wrong for the part.  Clearly casting directors see something in her, but it's not coming across on-screen, and with her rising star, I find that to be wildly disappointing, since I'm going to continue to see more of her at the movies.

Considering she's the lead character, it's hard to celebrate the rest of the film with such a blase work in the center.  Scanlan and Scott Thomas are the reasons to go (Fiennes, perhaps my favorite working actor, is good but cannot get enough chemistry with Jones to make his performance something to talk about), as well as the Oscar-nominated costumes (stuffy, heavy, and a great combination of aged and expensive, this is a beautifully outfitted film and I'm glad the costuming branch discovered it to make it part of the OVP), but for a film that featured my English Patient actors, I left totally unfazed and a bit bored.

What did you think of The Invisible Woman?  Did you, like me, think Felicity Jones was all-wrong for the part or are you like crazy over this actress?  Where was the Oscar heat for Joanna Scanlan?  And where would you rank this film in the Best Costume category from last year?  Share in the comments!

Happy Earth Day!

With both Earth Day and Arbor Day this week, I figured it was quite appropriate to talk about the environment and where we are at politically with it.  I have talked before about how this issue is one of my most impassioned and principle concerns, and I figured there were a couple of different ways that I could talk about this issue.  I could either put a series of beautiful photos of the planet on this post, celebrating the marvel of the Earth as if this had turned into a Terrence Malick film (wouldn't that be marvelous?) or I could give a wish list of what I would love to see as a result of people not just celebrating the Earth one day or one week but year round.  Considering my occasionally rant-y politically-minded self, I'm thinking you know where this is headed.  Here is my wish list for this Earth Day:

1. Stop the Climate Change Denial

People who stand in the face of common facts and say, "the scientific community have all of the education and expertise, but somehow I'm still right," are the equivalent of a four-year-old standing in a schoolyard, covering his ears and screaming "I can't hear you, I'm not listening."  Climate change being universally accepted by experts in the field as both a major concern and largely driven by humans, it's not really an issue we can debate anymore.  People have the right to their opinion, of course, but this isn't a subject like abortion or gay marriage or the death penalty where moral ambiguity leaves room for an opinion.  You cannot dispute something that is a fact, and the sooner people realize that, the better.

2. Stop Being So Short-Sighted on Environmental Laws

You put public safety at the center of almost any project, and it is literally the first box that has to be checked-is this project safe for the public?  And yet, with things like fracking or the Keystone Pipeline or loosening clean-air regulations for big businesses to increase manufacturing, the concern is about jobs and the short-term rather than the long-term implications of what this will do to the public.  I am as sensitive as anyone to the impact of cutting jobs and how we need to make sure that people who lose their jobs in one field of energy-production have the opportunity to transfer their expertise into new fields, but the reality is that oil, coal, and natural gas are finite resources that we cannot consume at the same rate we are doing so, and we need to shift dramatically over to the use of solar, wind, and other renewable sources of energy renewal.  The faster we do this, the better off the entire planet will be.

3. Politicians Should Remember the Environment Year-Round

I have said it many times, but while I am quite proud about some of the achievements of the Obama administration (gay rights, the focus on women's rights, and, yes, the healthcare law all spring to mind), I have to say that my biggest disappointment has been in regard to the environment.  I don't understand why environmental issues have not been more popular on a national scale, and I get that politicians go where the votes are, but I wish that at least the safe, liberal congressmen in seats in the Senate and House would make more of an effort to bring light to environmental causes.  One of the main reasons that I support Brian Schatz for the Senate is that he is actually out on the road, championing environmental causes.  I wish that more primaries would shift their focus to this particular topic so that we could have a real conversation about the issue.

4. Make AMC Theatres Recycle!

I tweeted them this morning (trying to do my part), but this is one of my biggest pet peeves.  I almost always go to either an AMC or Landmark to see movies, and while Landmark is a consistent beacon of conservation (one of my theaters even started sorting out their compost), AMC theaters do not have any option to recycle, and it is so stupid, particularly since I am in a state where recycling is extremely easy. Water, juice, and sports drink bottles are on sale at AMC, and there's absolutely no reason why I should have to bring the plastic bottle into my car to recycle at home when the theater could make a nice step for the environment and start recycling.

5. Find Something New to Do

When Senator Gaylord Nelson (D-WI) created Earth Day in 1970, he hoped to use the momentum of the anti-war movement over Vietnam to address another vital concern of the day, the high rates of pollution in the environment.  Sen. Nelson's inspiration for this now global holiday should be remembered as we celebrate, and hopefully bring that celebration into the rest of the year.  Therefore, I'd recommend looking at your behavior and seeing 1-3 things that you could do to change your behavior.  If you want an easy way to do this, head over to this site and find some ideas.  I am going to make a concerted effort to shut down my computer at night both at work and at home and force myself to only shop with reusable bags.  What will you do?  Share in the comments!

And also, what are your favorite Earth-friendly tips/environmental pet peeves!  Share in the comments, and happy Earth Day!

OVP: Original Score (2009)

OVP: Best Original Score (2009)

The Nominees Were...

James Horner, Avatar
Alexandre Desplat, Fantastic Mr. Fox
Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders, The Hurt Locker
Hans Zimmer, Sherlock Holmes
Michael Giacchino, Up

My Thoughts: Despite the lack of a nomination for John Williams (he wasn't eligible-this wasn't one of those rare years where he missed), there are a lot of repeat nominees in the 2009 lineup.  In fact, only Buck Sanders was enjoying his first nomination in this lineup, which featured a pair of animated films, the Best Picture frontrunners, and finally one of those films that makes it because the Academy loves the composer.  Let's start with him, shall we?

Hans Zimmer, as I've pointed out before, goes hot and cold with Oscar-sometimes he's their favorite person, other times he cannot get nominated to save his life.  After just coming off a controversial snub for The Dark Knight (originally Zimmer had been deemed ineligible, then he had the decision reversed, but still couldn't manage to get cited for the film), it seemed appropriate for the Academy to bring him back in their good graces and this was the first of a back-to-back pair of nominations for the Oscar-winner.

The score matches the personality of the film perfectly, something that Zimmer usually manages to pull off (he is frequently compared to John Williams, but Zimmer molds to his film considerably better-you can’t always pick out one of his scores).  Holmes is a rowdy, action-filled mystery, and that’s exactly what Zimmer goes for here, utilizing a series of unconventional instruments (a cimbalom and a broken pub piano, amongst others, give the film its raucous beat and great 19^th century feel), and overall I was impressed.

Michael Giacchino’s music in the Pixar films is always lovely, and here we get a bouncy but occasionally melancholy piece like “Married Life,” which haunts the film.  One of the really remarkable things about Pixar during the late aughts was that it shied away from almost anything related to children’s cinema (who else could pull off a film about a cranky old man and animate it in American cinema?).  Giacchino’s work frequently relies on heavy recurring themes (this is what made Lost his magnum opus, and why he’s better in television where he can recall similar emotions across a long storyline), which is great during the earlier half of the films, but veers a bit too much into the Randy Newman level of music (which doesn’t quite fit the latter moments of the film) when you get to the Paradise Falls portion of the movie.  However, this is nit-picking with a great score, and, as I pointed out “Married Life” may be the single best piece of music used in a film in 2009.

Like a lot of things in The Hurt Locker, the actual music utilized underwhelmed me.  Marco Beltrami’s score finds the ominous nature of the film, and to its credit, doesn’t overwhelm the movie (this is something that Zimmer’s score can be accused of in certain moments).  However, I found the score to be too derivative of Ennio Morricone’s work in certain spaces, and was used too sparingly and too non-descriptly in the non-peak moments of the film.  Overall, it’s lovely music on its own but gets too lost in the shuffle to actually warrant this citation.

Speaking of film’s that are stealing from Ennio Morricone (I know the OVP may cause me to eat my words on this, but it’s absolutely ridiculous that man never won a competitive Oscar…I know the honorary award makes up for that, but still), Fantastic Mr. Fox has that wonderful lone whistle to welcome the main title, and the film’s score is playful, if a bit shocking for an Academy pick (there’s quite a bit of relying on non-original music in the score, something they traditionally shy away from).  I never quite know how to count something like “Boggis, Bunce, and Bean” which is delightful, but gets a lot of that delight from the lyrics of the cheeky song, which is not necessarily part of the musical score (instead, part of a song score).  Either way, this was the big surprise of the bunch and was a fun inclusion.

Finally, we have the most traditional choice for the Oscars, James Horner’s melodic and rich score to Avatar.  Horner’s music is always fitting of an epic-relying heavily on drums and vocalists (there is singing in the native language of Na’vi).  Horner’s scores are very specific, I have found-you look at something like Titanic or Braveheart, and they work, but this is not a man who adapts well to small films.  That said, there’s nothing small about Avatar and this score hits all of the big notes and is aurally intoxicating in pieces like “You Don’t Dream in Cryo,” though like Zimmer’s work in Sherlock Holmes, it occasionally veers into the “overpowering the movie” camp.

Other Precursor Contenders: The Golden Globes generally go a little bit out of the Academy’s comfort zone with this category, and so along with Up and Avatar we see Marvin Hamlisch’s terrific score to The Informant!, Abel Korzeniowski’s wonderfully lush work in A Single Man, and Karen O/Curter Burwell’s work in Where the Wild Things Are (it’s worth noting that while the prolific Burwell is still searching for his inevitable first Oscar nomination, Karen O would score in Best Song four years later for Her).  Giacchino took the Globe.  The Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music at the BAFTA Awards also went to Up, with Oscar-nominated Avatar and Fantastic Mr. Fox being joined by T-Bone Burnett’s Crazy Heart and the only-at-the-BAFTA’s Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (Chaz Jankel).  As far as sixth place goes, Hamlisch is certainly a possibility, but the rest just don’t seem up Oscar’s speed.  It was probably one of the “usual contenders” like Alexandre Desplat’s Julie & Julia, Thomas Newman’s Brothers, or James Newton Howard’s It’s Complicated.

Films I Would Have Nominated: This isn’t a bad lineup of films-while not exactly the list I would have gone with, the only swap I’d make would be The Hurt Locker (clearly my lowest-ranking nominee) in favor of the brilliant work of A Single Man.  Frequently that overly-stylized film veers into a Dior commercial with its cinematography and editing, but the music helps Ford’s vision so much that it’s difficult not to recognize it.  Honestly, it’d probably take my vote out of all films released that year.

Oscar’s Choice: Fourteen years after Pocahontas inexplicably stopped the animated score gravy train at the Oscars, it started up again as Giacchino won for the first time in this category (and picked up Pixar’s first award here).

My Choice: A tough call between Avatar, Up, and Sherlock Holmes, and while I think that Zimmer’s overall work is probably slightly more interesting, I cannot help but follow the consensus-when Up’s score is on its game, it’s by far the best thing in this category, and so I’ll go with the Oscar victor.  He is followed by Sherlock, Avatar, Mr. Fox, and The Hurt Locker.

Those are my thoughts-how about yours?  Is everyone on the Up bandwagon, or is there some dissent?  If so, who do you vote for?  And what was the best overall score of 2009?  Share in the comments!

Also in 2009: Original Song, Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume, Editing, Visual Effects, Makeup, Previously in 2009

Past Best Score Contests: 2010, 2011, 2012