MADness—the Blog

This front-page article in today’s L.A. Daily News says, “The future is finally here.”  Sounds like somebody’s watch is running fast.  I think the future is still in the future.  But this is not about time, or time travel.  It’s about video-on-demand, or how we can watch movies and be more lazy than ever before.  Never again will we need to go to the theater, or the video store, or even the mailbox.  Welcome to the world of VOD.

Actually, I like going to to the theater.  Though, I admit, it’s not always convenient, especially with a four-year-old at home.  So I’m all for the idea.  Sort of.  Day-and-date (VOD and theatrical opening the same day) is likely to be only for independent films for some time, not the big Hollywood releases, and I don’t blame the studios.  They don’t want to cannibalize their own business.  And I don’t want the theaters to go out of business, either.  As I said, I like going to them.

Here’s your Oscar trivia question of the day:  What’s the first day-and-date release to be nominated for an Academy Award?

Your Oscar trivia answer here.

Hendrik Hertzberg has this week’s Comment at the New Yorker with an interesting piece on the new voting procedures for Best Picture.

To forestall a victory for some cinematic George Wallace or Ross Perot, the Academy switched to a different system. Members—there are around fifty-eight hundred of them—are being asked to rank their choices from one to ten. In the unlikely event that a picture gets an outright majority of first-choice votes, the counting’s over. If not, the last-place finisher is dropped and its voters’ second choices are distributed among the movies still in the running. If there’s still no majority, the second-to-last-place finisher gets eliminated, and its voters’ second (or third) choices are counted. And so on, until one of the nominees goes over fifty per cent.

What’s it all mean?  It means we need to bring back the Electoral College!  (Oops.  That’s a different sort of voting.)  It means the Academy system now favors a consensus pick for Best Picture and with Avatar a more polarizing film than The Hurt Locker, the Iraq War drama should have at least one edge to counter the many other advantages the sci-fi flick has going for it.  That’s what Hertzberg thinks. 

Me?  I dunno, really, but I’m willing to believe anything that gives the advantage to what I think is the movie of the year.  I don’t get to vote, but because of the mighty clout this website has with thousands of Academy members, I’m throwing my full support behind the Kathryn Bigelow film.  C’mon, folks, vote The Hurt Locker!  Even if you don’t make it your first choice, make it your second.  That ain’t so hard, is it?

Patrick Goldstein:

Both the recording and motion picture organizations are made up of respected industry professionals, presumably eager to reward the best work in their respective fields. Yet the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences almost always opts for seriousness over comedy, artistic heft over youthful innovation.

On the other hand, the Recording Academy has increasingly given itself over to mainstream commercial taste.

[...] the Grammy telecast was a glimpse of the future, not just for the Oscars, but for all awards shows.

God help us if that’s the case.

The Oscars are far from perfect and I’m sure I could come up with a list of things I’d like to see done differently.  But I find it very odd that anyone would suggest the solution for the movie awards is to be more like the music awards.

The awards are supposed to be for artistic merit.  That’s not the way it always works, but it’s at least a pretense worth preserving.  It would be a disaster to abandon quality for commercial considerations.  There was rebellion a year ago when At the Movies tried Ben Lyons as host.  I think that says something.  Movie fans want to hear from people they can trust.  They want awards to go to the best work, not just the most popular.  The movie industry is not the music industry.  Patrick Goldstein, please wake up.

If you missed yesterday’s post, the solutions to the MAD Launch Contest puzzles are now available.  See the answers page for the detailed solutions to the puzzles.  The three Final Answers to the puzzles, along with some comments, are below.

WINNERS

Yes, we have winners!  
     1 — Grand Prize of $50:  Peter J. Saputo
     1 — Pretty Good Prize of $25:  Marcia Rose
     1 — Pretty Good Prize of $25:  Robert Hartford
     10 — Official Minute A Day About Movies Coffee Mugs:
               - P. Abide
               - Garo Sassouni
               - Laura Dove
               - Andrew J. Ries
               - Alene
               - Jerry
               - Mary Ann
               - Bob Fitzpatrick
               - A Braunsdorf*
               - John & Lisa LaFianza*

     * If you see your name and haven’t yet responded, please send an email with your mailing address.

Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to all of you who took time to solve the puzzles and enter the contest. 

CONTEST ANSWERS

MMX Crossword Final Answer:  MOVIE MOVIE

If you’re a regular crossword solver, this was more likely the easier puzzle.  In fact, good crossword solvers could probably crack this one without knowing much about movies.  It was much tougher, though, even if you were a major movie buff but didn’t have a lot of experience with crosswords.  Some notes on the puzzle:

MMX—The title seemed fitting since the launch of this site was concurrent with the launch of 2010.  That led to the theme, ten (X) movie-related names or titles with initials M.M.  From that came the final answer to the puzzle.  A couple of M.M. answers had to be in the grid, I figured:  MARILYN MONROE and MICKEY MOUSE.  With others I had some flexibility.  Since MARCELLO MASTROIANNI and MERCEDES MCCAMBRIDGE were each 19 letters long, that led to the logical size of the grid being 23×23. 

MARILYN MONROE—The clue [About whom Clark Gable said "She makes a man proud to be a man"] may have led you in a different direction if you hadn’t yet caught onto the theme.  As one solver noted, CAROLE LOMBARD is another 13-letter answer that fit in the grid.  Lombard, of course, was Gable’s wife and the love of his life, from whose loss he never quite recovered.  (I hadn’t intended that misdirection with the clue.  It just happened that way.)

[E-cars] and [Scare]—Anagrammed clues, yes, but their answers, EDSELS and AWE (at 94- and 99-Across), were not at all consistent with the ten theme answers.  At least one solver noted the anagrams, but no one mistook them for the final answer.

["Toy Story" or "The Women," e.g.] and ["The Omen," "Toys," "Troy," or "W.," e.g.]—I had the idea early of using anagrammed clues for signaling the meta (i.e., final answer), but I left writing the actual clue till the end.  It was much trickier than I expected.  As I have mentioned, I’ve had dozens of puzzles published in papers.  I’ve written thousands of crossword clues.  For whatever reason, no other clue has ever taken me as long to find as this one.  I was pleased with the mix of movie titles in the end.

MOVIE MOVIE—The duplicated 5-letter answers that crossed in the center should have been a giveaway.  Like the clues, it wasn’t meant to be overly difficult.  I aimed for “satisfying.”  That seemed to be the case from the comments I received.  Even if you weren’t familiar with the movie—a Stanley Donen musical comedy starring George C. Scott—you shouldn’t have had any doubt about the final answer if you were able to solve the grid.

FilmFest 101 Final Answer:  HAPPY NEW YEAR

I wanted to provide a contest option that tested movie knowledge rather than crossword-solving skills.  I wasn’t interested in a simple quiz (there are lots on the internet but I often lose interest after five or ten questions).  I was happy to get the idea for this puzzle, essentially a process of elimination, which, I hope, was novel and more fun for solvers.  Apparently, it was more challenging too—it tripped up a few contestants.

The level of difficulty varied by screening, from easy (the two-M titles) to diabolical (Monty Franklin Pierce Statton), but there were hints for solvers, no restrictions on using external references, and the final acrostic was workable even for solvers who didn’t identify all 100 movie titles.  Overall, I think the puzzle was fair enough.

The final answer was “timely,” especially for anyone solving at the beginning of the month.  One challenge with selecting the twelve films for the Final Screening was coming up with titles that are well-known today.  For those very early decades, few movies are household names.  The film that may have been the least known was the earliest of all.  It was a scene that’s been filmed countless times over the years—two doting parents (Auguste and Marguerite Lumière), one adorable baby (Andrée Lumière), not a lot of action (Louis Lumière was behind the camera).  It was the original home movie.  If you’d read the first Movie Minute at this site, published the same day as the contest, you’d know the Lumière brothers screened ten films for their first paying audience in 1895.  Repas de Bébé was one of them.

You’ve come a long way, bébé.

Favorite Film

Here are the votes of contestants for favorite new film of 2009:

5 — The Hurt Locker**
4 — Inglourious Basterds**
3 — Avatar**
3 — Up**
2 — District 9**
2 — The Hangover
2 — Precious**
2 — A Single Man
2 — Up in the Air**
1 — The Blind Side**
1 — An Education**
1 — Pirate Radio
1 — Public Enemies
1 — The Secret in Their Eyes
1 — A Serious Man**
1 — Skin
1 — Summer Hours
1 — Where the Wild Things Are
0 — All About Steve

** Academy Award nominee for Best Picture.  (Each of the ten nominees got the vote of at least one contestent.)

Every Oscar year offers a few oddities.  This is one of them.

Ryan Bingham is the name of the co-writer, with T Bone Burnett, of the Oscar-nominated song “The Weary Kind (Theme from ‘Crazy Heart’).”

Ryan Bingham is the name of the character played by George Clooney for his Best Actor-nominated performance in Up in the Air.

When’s the last time an Oscar-nominated role shared a name with an Oscar nominee of the same year?  I’d guess that would be 2002, when Nic Cage was nominated for playing Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman in Adaptation, a movie scripted by the Oscar-nominated team of Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman.

(There was no Donald Kaufman, really.  It was the first time the Academy nominated someone who wasn’t real.)

The Oscar nominations were announced this morning.  One thing is certain.  Television rules, which is why they make certain people in Hollywood wake in the middle of the night to bring the news to you.

Best Picture nominees number ten this year (another concession to television).  Here are the movies that made the cut:

Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

Sci-fi historically does not do well in the non-technical categories, but this year may have been an exception with a certain phenomenon that’s setting records at the box office.  With District 9 in the mix, though, sci-fi fans have an alternative.  That should be good news for The Hurt Locker and director Kathryn Bigelow.  That’s good.

Here are all the nominees.  I’d say Jeff Bridges, Sandra Bullock, Christoph Waltz, and Mo’Nique are favorites for the acting categories (the men are virtual locks). 

Sandra Bullock has the rare opportunity to be the best—and worst—actress of the year.  She’s been nominated for a Razzie too.

The Golden Globes were tonight.  The big winner was Avatar, picking up Best Film (Drama) and Best Director honors for James Cameron.  Perhaps a surprise, since the film had not won top honors with any of the big critics’ groups this season.  But the Hollywood Foreign Press typically has a soft spot for what’s popular at the box office more than what’s popular with critics, and the Avatar phenomenon is something no one has seen before.  Through this weekend, Avatar has taken in $1.6 billion worldwide, The Hurt Locker $16 million.  Not really a surprise after all.

I was pleased to see Jeff Bridges win for Crazy Heart, a film I haven’t yet seen (but will soon).  He’s been one of the great actors over the past four decades.  He’s been nominated for Oscars and Golden Globes before, though he hasn’t won till tonight.  If this is his year, and even if there’s some “career achievement” voting involved, who will complain?

Martin Scorsese, center, with his bodyguards.

The highlight of the show, from my perspective, was Martin Scorsese accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award for his ”outstanding contribution to the entertainment field.”  He is our greatest living director, a national treasure.  I hope that in the weeks and months ahead I get to say half as much as he said in his three-and-a-half minute acceptance speech.  (He is hereby the first recipient of the Key to the MAD About Movies website.  Anytime he wants, he’s welcome to drop by, have a drink, and let us in on whatever’s on his mind.)

The round-up of tonight’s awards are below, and in case you’re having trouble (like me) keeping up with all the honors handed out this season, other recent awards are listed also.

The Oscar noms are due in a couple of weeks, and the awards will be presented the first Sunday of March.  Everyone in the running is obliged to say, “Awards don’t really matter,” or “It’s an honor just to be nominated,” but don’t you believe them.  The race is on.

Golden Globes
Best Film (Drama):  Avatar
Best Film (Musical/Comedy):  The Hangover
Best Actor (Drama):  Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
Best Actor (Musical/Comedy):  Robert Downey Jr., Sherlock Holmes
Best Actress (Drama):  Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Best Actress (Musical/Comedy):  Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
Best Supporting Actor:  Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Best Supporting Actress:  Mo’Nique, Precious
Best Director:  James Cameron, Avatar
Best Screenplay:  Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air
Best Foreign Language Film:  The White Ribbon (Das weisse Band – Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte) (Germany/Austria)
Best Animated Film:  Up

Boston Society of Film Critics Awards
Best Film:  The Hurt Locker
Best Actor:  Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
Best Actress:  Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
Best Supporting Actor:  Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Best Supporting Actress:  Mo’Nique, Precious
Best Director:  Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Best Screenplay:  Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, A Serious Man
Best Foreign Language Film:  Summer Hours (L’heure d’été) (France)
Best Animated Film:  Up

Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards (Critics’ Choice Awards)
Best Film:  The Hurt Locker
Best Actor:  Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
Best Actress:  Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia; Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Best Supporting Actor:  Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Best Supporting Actress:  Mo’Nique, Precious
Best Director:  Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Best Screenplay (Original):  Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
Best Screenplay (Adapted):  Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air
Best Foreign Language Film:  Broken Embraces (Los abrazos rotos) (Spain)
Best Animated Feature:  Up
[Best Kiss:  Meryl Streep, Sandra Bullock]

Chicago Film Critics Association Awards
Best Film:  The Hurt Locker
Best Actor:  Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
Best Actress:  Carey Mulligan, An Education
Best Supporting Actor:  Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Best Supporting Actress:  Mo’Nique, Precious
Best Director:  Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Best Screenplay (Original):  Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
Best Screenplay (Adapted):  Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air
Best Foreign Language Film:  The White Ribbon (Das weisse Band – Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte) (Germany/Austria)
Best Animated Feature:  Up

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
Best Film:  The Hurt Locker
Best Actor:  Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
Best Actress:  Yolande Moreau, Séraphine
Best Supporting Actor:  Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Best Supporting Actress:  Mo’Nique, Precious
Best Director:  Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Best Screenplay:  Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air
Best Foreign Language Film:  Summer Hours (L’heure d’été) (France)
Best Animation:  Fantastic Mr. Fox

National Board of Review Awards
Best Film:  Up in the Air
Best Actors:  Morgan Freeman, Invictus; George Clooney, Up in the Air
Best Actress:  Carey Mulligan, An Education
Best Supporting Actor:  Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Best Supporting Actress:  Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Best Director:  Clint Eastwood, Invictus
Best Screenplay (Original):  Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, A Serious Man
Best Screenplay (Adapted):  Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air
Best Foreign Language Film:  A Prophet (Un prophète) (France)
Best Animated Feature:  Up

National Society of Film Critics Awards
Best Film:  The Hurt Locker
Best Actor:  Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
Best Actress:  Yolande Moreau, Séraphine
Best Supporting Actors:  Paul Schneider, Bright Star; Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Best Supporting Actress:  Mo’Nique, Precious
Best Director:  Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Best Screenplay:  Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, A Serious Man
Best Foreign Language Film:  Summer Hours (L’heure d’été) (France)

New York Film Critics Circle Awards
Best Film:  Up in the Air
Best Actor:  George Clooney, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Up in the Air
Best Actress:  Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
Best Supporting Actor:  Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Best Supporting Actress:  Mo’Nique, Precious
Best Director:  Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Best Screenplay:  Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Ian Martin, Tony Roche, In the Loop
Best Foreign Film:  Summer Hours (L’heure d’été) (France)
Best Animated Film:  Fantastic Mr. Fox

The award season continues.  Here’s some of what’s still ahead:

January
21:  BAFTA Nominations
23:  Screen Actor Guild Awards
24:  Producers Guild Awards
30:  Directors Guild Awards

February
02:  Academy Award Nominations
20:  Writers Guild Awards
21:  BAFTA Awards

March
05:  Independent Spirit Awards
07:  Academy Awards