Sunday, February 25, 2007

FINAL PREDIX


My final predix is already in my website....

plus winners to my annual racso awards is already posted...

crossing my fingers for
  • The Departed for every category
  • JHud
  • Devil Wears Prada in Costume
  • Children of Men in Cinematography
  • Though i know they won't win but i hope and really wish they do: Ryan Gosling and Meryl Streep for Best Actor and Best Actress respectively...
Hoping it won't happen
  • The Departed losing best picture...
  • Scorsese losing
  • Eastwood winning
  • Arkin winning
  • JHud losing,
  • Pan's leading the pack
  • Cars winning
  • Apocalypto winning
  • CLICK!!!!

http://racsoawards.madur.net

Sunday, February 04, 2007

Site Changes!

RacsO awards and Top 15 films of 2006 are already posted!

http://racsoawards.madur.net

Sunday, January 28, 2007

SAG Predictions

Best Ensemble Cast: Babel
Alternate: Little Miss Sunshine
Should Win: The Departed
*** Though I don't want this to happen, I am predicting that Babel will solidify it's lock status here, and a probable win for best picture in the Oscars. Little Miss Sunshine, if it wins will only make it more hard to predict as to who will win. Dreamgirls, if it wins, then how sad would that be. If The Departed wins, we now have a clear winner in our hands and deservingly so.

Best Actor: Peter O'Toole (Venus)
Alternate: Forest Whitaker (Last King of Scotland)
Should Win: Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson)
*** I think O'Toole will take the legend sympathy vote. But Whitaker is still a lock in this category, O'Toole is an upset. Though Ryan Gosling is a welcome surprise.

Best Actress: Helen Mirren (The Queen)
Alternate: Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal)
Should Win: Meryl Streep (Devil Wears Prada)
*** Only a miracle would stop Mirren from wining this one. And how sweet it would be to see Streep winning!

Best Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine)
Alternate: Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls)
Should Win: Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children)
*** Though I have a weird feelin diCaprio is taking this one, I'm still predicting Arkin, to win this one. Though Eddie Murphy is still hot from his Golden Globe win, he is still a strong contender, but since there is a weak support from Dreamgirls, I'm predicting he won't win here.

Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)
Alternate: Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine)
Should Win: Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)
*** If they are going to award dreamgirls at least one win, here is where they could easily bag it. Though if they went fore cute, they will go for Breslin, since as we all know they have a very soft spot for very young actresses.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Delayed Oscar Reaction

for the most part I think, Oscars was predictable, even the Letters from Iwo Jima Inclusion was kinda predicted also. Though Dreamgirls bagged the guilds and the golden globes, I guess it is not enough to get it nominated. To think that it got 8 nominations but none of which is best picture.

So what did the Oscar nominations tells us. Here are my thoughts:
  • Dreamgirls could go home empty handed. Though unlikely, but still possible, they could lose best song to Etheridge. Hudson could be outrun by Breslin, and Murphy by Arkin.
  • If we use history statistics, then the battle of best picture is between The Departed and Babel. Last year, Brokeback Mountain did not score a film editing nod which is sometime correlated to Best picture race. This year, two of the BP nominees showed up in the Film Editing category, so they go neck to neck here.
  • Babel could win best picture. Say Dreamgirls got only one nod for best song so that trims their noms to 6, means that Babel leads the nominations with 7. plus it scored in the top eight categories. But the subtitle phobia, could indicate otherwise. But then again they nominated two subtitled movie in the best picture race, so that factor may be cancelled out.
  • Academy loves Eastwood. Aren't we all happy that she wasn't in the running for best actress? I think Nathaniel R or FilmExperience is right when he said that Eastwood got nominated for just being Eastwood. He does not need the guilds to support him, nowadays if your film has Eastwood or Haggis attached to it, then you have a contender. I'm not bitter though, I think Letters is a solid film, but I kinda wished that Babel was the one out-seated because it is the weakest of the 6, including Dreamgirls.
  • O'Toole can still upset Whitaker, they might be thinking that we should finally award this gizzard, even though he does not deserve it at all.

5 Good things that came out of a bad night
  • Children of Men receiving multiple nods in technical categories. I just wish that the movie was released on an earlier date. This could be a major contender. ditto Pan's Labyrinth.
  • Devil Wears Prada nominated for Best Costume Design. Finally a contemporary nominee. ditto The Queen. but i wasn't that blown away with the queen's costume.
  • Alexandre Desplat finally got his long awaited super delayed over due nod. But for the wrong film.
  • Ryan Gosling sneaked in! I thought he wasn't going in.
  • Mark Wahlberg! Mark Wahlberg! Mark Wahlberg! Finally! I'm gonna start my own campaign!

5 Crappy Crap Craps
  • Click Best Make-up. Oh! Come On!
  • Djimon Hounsou. Though he was good, but mind you this is a lead performance. And that does include you Cate Blanchett.
  • Volver missing in the Foreign Language film category. I loved Volver, and I am kinda super pissed that it is not in the running. :(
  • Blood Diamond, Blahbel. topical yes. important, maybe. good. uhm. Blahbel is ok though, but Blood Diamond is the ugliest diamond.
  • Clint Eastwood.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

wahahaha

visit oscarwatch.com for the nominees. still a bit stunned with hwo things turned out, semi-predictable, but generally pissing with all the snubs. more angry thoughts tomorrow...

Final predix Part2

Best Cinematography: Dreamgirls, Children of Men, Babel, Apocalypto, Pan's Labyrinth
Alternates: The Illusionist, The Good Shepherd

Best Film Editing: The Departed, Dreamgirls, Babel, The Queen, United 93
Alternates: Little Miss Sunshine, Casino Royale

Best Art Direction: Children of Men, Marie-Antoinette, Curse of the Golden Flower, Dreamgirls, Pan's Labyrinth
Alternates: Superman Returns, Flags of our Fathers


Best Costume Design: The Painted Veil, The Black Dahlia, Marie-Antoinette, Dreamgirls, Curse of the Golden Flower
Alternates: Devil Wears Prada, Pan's Labyrinth

Best Make-Up: Apocalypto, Pirates of the caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Pan's Labyrinth
Alternate: X-Men 3: The Last Stand

Best Original Score: Apocalypto, The Painted Veil, Babel, The Queen, The Da Vinci Code'
Alternates: Notes on a Scandal, The Fountain

Best Visual Effects: Superman Returns, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, X-Men 3: The Last Stand
Alternate: Casino Royale

Best Animated Film: Happy Feet, Cars, Monster House

Best Foreign Film: Water, Volver, Pan's Labyrinth, Days of Glory, The Lives of Others

Best Documentary Feature: An Inconvenient Truth, Shut Up and Sing, Jesus Camp, Deliver us From Evil, Iraq in Fragments
Alternates: My Country My Country, The War Tapes

Best Original Song: "Love You I Do" (Dreamgirls), "Listen" (Dreamgirls), "I Need To Wake Up" (An Inconvenient Truth), "A Father's Way" (Pursuit of Happyness), "The Song of The Heart" (Happy Feet)
Alternates: Bobby, Charlotte's Web

Best Sound Mixing: Babel, Dreamgirls, The Departed, Flags of Our Fathers, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Alternate: Blood Diamond, Children of Men

Best Sound Effects Editing: Cars, Flags of our Fathers, Superman Returns, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Happy Feet
Alternates: The Departed, Casino Royale

Im crossing my fingers, for the Departed and Leonardo diCaprio. Borat is a Welcome suprise, World Trade Center is a bad bad surprise!

Monday, January 22, 2007

Final Predix Part1

Since I can't get my computer to work, I cannot edit my website, so I decided to just post my final predictions here.

(no particular order)

Best Picture: Babel, The Departed, Dreamgirls, Little Miss Sunshine, The Queen
Alternates: Letters From Iwo Jima, United 93

Best Actor: Forest Whitaker (Last King of Scotland), Peter O'Toole (Venus), Will Smith (Pursuit of Happyness), Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat), Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson)
Alternate/s: Leonardo diCaprio (The Departed/Blood Diamond)

Best Actress: Kate Winslet (Little Children), Helen Mirren (The Queen), Meryl Streep (Devil Wears Prada), Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal)
Alternate/s: Maggie Gyllenhaal (Sherrybaby), Toni Collette (Little Miss Sunshine)

Best Supporting Actor: Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls), Jack Nicholson (The Departed), Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond), Jackie Earle Hailey (Little Children), Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine)
Alternate/s: Leonardo diCaprio (The Departed), Mark Wahlberg (The Departed)

Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls), Cate Blanchett (Notes on a Scandal), Adriana Barraza (Babel), Rinko Kikuchi (Babel), Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine)
Alternate/s: Emily Blunt (Devil Wears Prada), Vera Farmiga (The Departed)

Best Director: Martin Scorsese (The Departed), Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu (Babel), Stephen Frears (The Queen), Clint Eastwood (Letters From Iwo Jima)
Alternate/s: Jonathan Davis/Valerie Faris (Little MIss Sunshine), Paul Greengrass (United 93)

Best Adapted Screenplay: The Departed, Children of Men, Devil Wears Prada, Little Children, Thank You For Smoking
Alternates: Notes on a Scandal, Borat

Best Original Screenplay: The Queen, Little Miss Sunshine, Babel, Pan's Labyrinth, Volver
Alternates: Stranger than Fiction, United 93

Technical and Stand Alone Categories, later...

Friday, January 19, 2007

Final Predictions Tomorrow

I'll be posting my final predictions for the Oscars tomorrow, soon after I can get this computer to work properly...

2006: A Year in Music

If you guys haven't guessed it by now, I am a huge music addict, but not a par my movie addiction. I have a band with my friends, nothing serious, for now it is just for fun. now enough with me let's talk about the songs released last year.

There weren't that much good songs released last year. We are still fed with the usual, almost-kinda-sounding-alike R&B hip hop songs, and same noisy rock singles. But thank God for giving us good to great pop and alternative songs last year.

Best Songs of 2006 (not arranged, just popped right out of my head)

"Irreplaceable"
Beyonce Knowles
I know, R&B, but this late release from Beyonce got me singing "to the left, to the left". This is what she is good at, she shouldn't be shouting all the time like what she did in "Ring the Alarm". She has great pipes, and she need not stretch too much. I think that this is one of the best singles she has ever released, from her days as a destiny's child up to her Dreamgirls days.

"Dreaming with a Broken Heart"
John Mayer
John Mayer released a helluva album. It is better than "Room for Squares", which I think was also one of the bests that year, and definitely way better than his previous album, the name i forgot. Dreaming with a Broken heart is one of the best songs in Continuum. It's unique heartfelt and it is the kind of song you want to hear when you are feeling sad.

"Born to Lead"
Hoobastank
Their Every man for himself is not a par their previous albums, though they are my favorite band, this album was a bit of a letdown. but kudos, for trying out something new. Born to lead is best cut of the album. This song makes me wanna be good at playing the guitar and belting it out singing "we are born to lead!".

"Black Horse and the Cherry Tree"
KT Tunstall
One of the catchiest tunes of 2006. Thanks to Katherine McPhee for making this song well-known. Very Weird title though, but very apt for the song. This song makes you want to just jump around and be crazy. This song is also great to listen to if you play the slapbox, I do but I am not very good, I am quite bad.

"When You Were Young"
The Killers
Though the album is not as good as "Hot Fuss", this song is a par "Somebody Told Me" and "Mr. Brightside" for being very catchy. Kinda off putting though to see the song not doing that well in the Billboard charts.

"9 Crimes"
Damien Rice
One of the best songs by Damien Rice. This is heartfelt, poignant, touching and highly memorable. Damien Rice continues to make songs that gets stuck in you head and continues to haunt you in you sleep. I kept on repeating this song in my iPod.

"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"
Jennifer Hudson
One of the best covers ever. Jennifer Hudson, aside from Clarkson, is my favorite American Idol finalists. This Jennifer Holiday cover is the song that will put Jennifer Hudson in the Oscar History books, they better put her there. Who knew she could act too?


"Atoms for Peace"
Thom Yorke
Yorke is one of the best rock singers around. For me he is a legend already. His vocal range was pushed through the limits in this single, and not to mention the tune was highly engrossing and memorable. Not to mention also that this is very very well written.

"My Love"
Justin Timberlake
SexyBack proved that he is a bona fide hitmaker, My Love proved that he can make a good songs, not good, great song. The beat is infectious, it make you want to dance even if you don't know how to.

"Thin Blue Flame"
Josh Ritter
Simply put one of the best singles I have heard in my entire life. Don't care how long this song is, this is mind blowing. You won't even notice that it is long, that's how perfect the song was. The song slowly build its power and unleashed it towards the climactic end. And before you knew it, you have been playing the song ten times already.

"Dress up in You"
Belle & Sebastian
Finally a song about fitting in that is close to perfection. This one is a song for teenagers, something to learn from. The song is the best cut in the Life Pursuit Album. Thanks to Mike for lending me this great record.

And finally all the songs from the "Shortbus" soundtrack. The soundtrack, the movie, is a masterpiece. John Cameron Mitchell has great taste, and great ear, not to mention, Great Eye for directing the movie. Boys of Melody is the best song for me. You should buy this one, and watch the movie afterwards.