Marty Gets His Oscar Due…About Time!!

One of my favorite directors, Martin Scorcese finally won the Oscar for The Departed, after years of being snubbed by the Academy. Standing ovation and all, Scorcese accepted his award with zest. Congrats to Scorcese!!

Filed under: Film , 2007 Academy Awards, Film, MArtin Scorcese, Oscars, The Departed

Forest Finally Finds His Oscar!!

It’s about damn time!! Another one of my Oscar predictions comes to fruition! Forest Whitaker took home the gold tonight for his role in Last King of Scotland. Props to Whitaker. I haven’t seen the film yet, unfortunately but I’m definitely going to be making a date with that when it’s released on video. And his Oscar speech was truly inspirational and humbling. I love this guy. Yeah for Forest!!

Filed under: Film , 2007 Academy Awards, Film, Forest Whitaker, Oscars, the last king of scotland

J-Hud Wins Oscar Gold!

Jennifer Hudson won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress tonight!! This woman was truly deserving. And once again, she stole the show away from Ms. Knowles as they performed, “I Love You, I Do” and “Listen” together onstage. Hmmm…I bet Ms. Knowles is licking her wounds now. No, she wasn’t nominated for anything, so she doesn’t really have a reason to be angry about anything. But, it’s Beyonce…so…yeah you know the rest. Apparently, Ms. Knowles is allegedly jealous that Hudson has been getting more attention than her for her show-stopping performance in Dreamgirls. So, with Hudson winning the Golden Globe and now the coveted Oscar, Ms. Knowles may be feeling even more jealous. Hopefully, Jay will come get his girl before she makes anymore statements to the press that clearly indicate her “uneasiness” with Hudson’s quick rise to fame.

http://www.damnimcute.com/the-juicy/beyonce-knowles/beyonce-snubs-jennifer-hudson/

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,26334,1565678,00.html

Sigh…

Filed under: Film , beyonce, Beyonce vs. Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls, Film, Humor, j-hud, Jennifer Hudson, Music, Oscars

Predicting Oscar Gold

The road to Oscar will culminate tonight as winners are announced and acceptance speeches are delivered. Who will take home the gold tonight? Here are my final predictions!

Best Actor

Forest Whitaker, Last King of Scotland
Peter O’Toole, Venus
Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness
Leonardo DiCaprio, Blood Diamond
Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson

***Forest Whitaker. Critics say he gives the performance of a lifetime as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. He’s already won more awards than any of the other nominees for 2006, including a Golden Globe. Plus, he’s been giving quality performances throughout his long-spanning career, which means it’s time for the Academy to give credit where it’s due.

Best Actress

Helen Mirren, The Queen
Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada
Judi Dench, Notes on A Scandal
Penelope Cruz, Volver
Kate Winslet, Little Children

***Helen Mirren. Sure The Devil Wears Prada probably outsold all four of the other movies combined, (I loved it, of course), but let’s remember, this is the best actress category, not the best pop culture film category. Plus, we all know that the Academy loves Brits, so Mirren will probably take home the gold for her compelling performance as Queen Elizabeth II.

Supporting Actor

Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls
Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine
Mark Wahlberg,The Departed
Djimon Hounsou, Blood Diamond
Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children

***Djimon Hounsou. I can honestly say that I saw all of the nominees’ performances in this category, with the exception of one, Jackie Earle Haley in Little Children. Wahlberg’s witty banter (“I’m the guy that’s doing his job. You must be the other guy”) and his surprising final scene with Matt Damon make him worthy of the prize. Eddie Murphy steals the show in Dreamgirls, which I think is his best performance of his career. And Alan Arkin, makes us laugh and cry in his short, but memorable performance as Olive’s drug-addicted, but supportive grandfather in Little Miss Sunshine. But, none of these performances hold a candle to Dijimon Hounsou’s role as Solomon Vandy as he risks his life to save his kidnapped son from rebels in Sierra Leone. His performance is mesmerizing and worthy of an Oscar.

Supporting Actress

Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi, Babel
Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal
Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine
Adriana Barraza, Babel

***Jennifer Hudson. I know Jennifer’s new to the game, but she delivers as Effie like she’s been in the acting game for a while. And I’m not even talking about her gut-renching performance of “I Am Telling You.” Placing singing aside, (we all know she’s got chops) Hudson’s dialogue is convincing and she brings the character to life.

Best Director

Martin Scorsese, The Departed
Paul Greengrass, United 93
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Babel
Stephen Frears, The Queen
Clint Eastwood, Letters from Iwo Jima
***Martin Scorsese. Come on Academy, you know you’ve overlooked Marty way too many times. But, I wouldn’t even say give it to him because it’s long overdue. Scorsese is truly deserving of this prize. The Departed is one of the best films of 2006 and I don’t think anyone could have done it better justice than Scorsese when it comes to directing. He’s the master of the gritty, dark, and sarcastic crime drama.

Best Original Screenplay

Babel

Letters from Iwo Jima

Little Miss Sunshine

Pan’s Labyrinth

The Queen

**Little Miss Sunshine

Little Miss Sunshine is this year’s little film that could. When I saw this film earlier last year, what impressed me the most, besides the cast, was the writing! This drama captures the heart of viewers with its softness and light-hearted comedic performances from a dysfunctional family on a roadtrip, who you just have to grow to love at the end. There’s also a realness to the film that resonates with people. It’s a timeless critique of American family life that’s well-worded in every scene.

Best Score

Babel, Santaolalla

Good German, Newman

Notes on A Scandal, Glass

Pan’s Labyrinth, Navarette

The Queen, Desplat

***Pan’s Labyrinth. While this film didn’t dazzle me as a whole (except for its cinematography), there was something else that I found outstanding about it. It’s musical score, which actually helped me get through watching the film, which was not all it was cracked up to be. The music was moving and captured what was transpiring in the film with every frame. That’s outstanding. I’ll admit it.

Best Original Song

Cars,”Our Town.”

An Inconveinent Truth, “I Need to Wake Up.”

Dreamgirls, “Listen”

Dreamgirls, “I Love You, I Do.”

Dreamgirls, “Patience.”

***Dreamgirl, “Listen.” It’s Beyonce. The film was a musical. Need I say more?

Best Picture

Babel

The Departed

Letters from Iwo Jima

Little Miss Sunshine

The Queen

***The Departed. A fan favorite, this film was actually a commercial and critical success. It was my favorite movie of 2006. Remember when the commercial and critical Crash won for Best Picture? Looks like this will be yet another year where the Academy pays attention to the commercial and critical aspects of filmmaking. The film’s exciting, action-packed, witty, unpredictable, and the all-star cast gives some of the best performances of their careers. Think Leo, Alec, Mark, Martin and Matt. Damn right, The Departed wins hands down, and rightfully so.

What film should win more awards than it it will, but probably won’t…Children of Men…Loved it and if you didn’t, there must be something seriously wrong with you. Ahem…Oscar!!!

Filed under: Film , 2007 Academy Awards, Film, Oscars, predictions, Reviews

Crazy/Beautiful: Amy Winehouse Is Kind Of A Big Deal

Surely, by now you have heard of Britain’s highly-anticipated musical import, Amy Winehouse–coming to an American music store near you March 13. Well in case you haven’t, I’ll clue you in before her award-winning 2006 album, Back to Black, finally hits the U.S. Back to Black has been in heavy rotation in my CD player ever since a friend put me up on it a few months ago, illegally I might add. I’ve got a love jones for this album, and that doesn’t happen very often in an age where everything sounds the same. Winehouse is kind of a big deal in Britain, and she’s been ruling the charts since her 2003 debut, Frank. Winehouse hype is circulating heavy around the blogosphere, and mainstream music outlets like SPIN and Rolling Stone are taking notice—finally.

Why? Winehouse is everything that popular music today isn’t—crazy/beautiful. I’ve coined this term especially fitting for Ms.Winehouse because initially her lyrics, although strong and witty, can be quite wacky. “What kind of fuckery is this/You made me miss the Slick Rick gig,” she complains in “Me & Mr. Jones (Fuckery). Even wilder, Winehouse prefers weed over sex. “Don’t make no difference if I end up alone/ I’d rather have myself a smoke my homegrown/ It’s got me addicted, does more than any dick did,” she professes in “Addiction.” The lyrics, all her own, are inspired from her experiences, which include forced trips to rehab for substance abuse (“Rehab”) and frustrations with being “the other woman” (“Just Friends”). For the faint of heart, Amy is not. She’s too exciting and unordinary to fit in that box. Her vocals and lyrics compliment one another and jump out in each track. Up-tempo fiery frustrations and mellow affirmations of love and heartache are vocalized, and laced with 60’s Motown inspired soulful tunes, creating arrangements that hint at familiarity, while still carrying a unique element. R&B producers Salaam Remi and Mark Ronson fuse the guitar, piano, trumpet, violin, and even a tambourine with vibrant sound mixing to create stylish melodies with bounce. There are even some slight covers on the album, like “Tears Dry On Their Own,” which mirrors “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”

Winehouse’s softer side comes into focus on several tracks, like “Love Is A Losing Game,” and the title track, “Back to Black,” all which focus on the excruciating pains of love gone wrong. This is where the latter portion of my coined term (crazy/beautiful) for Winehouse shines through. Her crazed lyricism from previous tracks is replaced with astonishingly beautiful poetic verses, like these two verses from “Love Is A Losing Game.”

Though I’m rather blind

Love is a fate resigned

Memories mar my mind

Love is a fate resigned

Over futile odds

And laughed at by the gods

And now the final frame

Love is a losing game

Winehouse pours her heart into these songs vocally and her range is just right. This diva actually can hold a tune.

Summing up the album brings to mind two songs that will indefinitely heat up the singles charts once Winehouse hits the States. The songs, “Rehab” and “You Know I’m No Good,” the latter which features rapper Ghostface Killah in the U.S. version, are musically satisfying. On first listen, these songs are intoxicating due to the stylishly original beats and lyrics, which are sassy and unsullied.

Categorizing Winehouse into just one musical genre is limiting. She’s a little bit of everything. Winehouse is blues, indie-pop, hip-hop, R&B, and funk. At best, however Winehouse is a 60’s girl group member gone solo who just so happens to be trapped in the 21^st century. She’s an eclectic and feisty songbird, or should I say songraven on her way. Look out for her.

Filed under: Music, Reviews , Amy Winehouse, Back to Black, British singer, Music, music review, new albums

Hip Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes

The documentary, Hip Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes aired on PBS this past Tuesday, but unfortunately I missed it. Here’s a clip from it. I’ve always considered the hip hop culture to be laced with some of the notions they examine in the documentary, so the fact that a filmmaker is placing a lense on these issues encourages us to think more about what some artists are perpetuating and the effect it has on our youth.

fyi… like the filmmaker, i’m still conflicted about this because I love hip hop as well, but a lot of the associations and stereotypes are becoming more and more harder for me to accept without turning a critical eye.

Here’s a clip from the documentary.

About Byron Hurt
Filmmaker Byron Hurt, a life-long hip-hop fan, was watching rap music videos on BET when he realized that each video was nearly identical. Guys in fancy cars threw money at the camera while scantily clad women danced in the background. As he discovered how stereotypical rap videos had become, Hurt, a former college quarterback turned activist, decided to make a film about the gender politics of hip-hop, the music and the culture that he grew up with. “The more I grew and the more I learned about sexism and violence and homophobia, the more those lyrics became unacceptable to me,” he says. “And I began to become more conflicted about the music that I loved.” The result is HIP-HOP: Beyond Beats and Rhymes, a riveting documentary that tackles issues of masculinity, sexism, violence and homophobia in today’s hip-hop culture.

Sparking dialogue on hip-hop and its declarations on gender, HIP-HOP: Beyond Beats and Rhymes provides thoughtful insight from intelligent, divergent voices including rap artists, industry executives, rap fans and social critics from inside and outside the hip-hop generation. The film includes interviews with famous rappers such as Mos Def, Fat Joe, Chuck D and Jadakiss and hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons; along with commentary from Michael Eric Dyson, Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Kevin Powell and Sarah Jones and interviews with young women at Spelman College, a historically black school and one of the nation’s leading liberal arts institutions.

The film also explores such pressing issues as women and violence in rap music, representations of manhood in hip-hop culture, what today’s rap lyrics reveal to their listeners and homoeroticism in hip-hop. A “loving critique” from a self-proclaimed “hip-hop head,” HIP-HOP: Beyond Beats and Rhymes discloses the complex intersection of culture, commerce and gender through on-the-street interviews with aspiring rappers and fans at hip-hop events across the  country.

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/hiphop/film.htm

Filed under: Culture & Commentary , Commentary, Culture, documentary, hip hop, hip hop: beyond beats & rhymes, media criticism, Music