Yeah, EXACTLY:
And that's just attacking the movie based on its "uncanny" similarity to Forrest Gump...that's not even addressing the fact that the movie sucks on its own terms. I blame screenwriter Eric Roth...seriously, dude? I wonder if Roth has seen this...and if his reaction was somewhere in the vicinity of "...huh. Shit."
But despite all of this, I still really like Forrest Gump, though I haven't seen it in years. Oh well.
Usually I don't let work get in the way of my Academy Award-related discussions, but oh well...in any event, on to the technical nominees:
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Changeling (2008): Tom Stern
The Dark Knight (2008): Wally Pfister
The Reader (2008): Roger Deakins, Chris Menges
WHO SHOULD WIN: The Dark Knight
WHO WILL WIN: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
But even with that bit of history aside, The Dark Knight still pushed the limits for cinematography this year with its innovative use of actual IMAX cameras in select scenes. If you missed seeing it in an actual IMAX theater (as I did), see the movie on Blu-ray for the drastic increase in detail and clarity between the standard 35mm footage and the IMAX footage. Hopefully it helps convince Hollywood to stop going the way of digital and start going towards...well, not IMAX for everything, but maybe lighter, faster 70mm cameras and lenses? That would be a dream come true. But the IMAX issue aside, The Dark Knight is still a great achievement in cinematography all around and deserves to win.
And speaking of the baffling push towards digital cinema, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button will clearly win the actual award because it's "the epic." Admittedly, it does look very nice...except that David Fincher is one of the filmmakers who has gone over to digital and Benjamin Button was shot with the VIPER digital camera. It's not awful, but it sure isn't film, and it shows. I watched Zodiac on Blu-ray today (also shot with the VIPER camera), and while it looks good, it also doesn't look right...it's soft, but detailed...cartoony in a way. Blah.
As for the others, I didn't see Changeling or The Reader, and again, the print I saw of Slumdog Millionaire was horrible, so it's hard to determine on that one. This is one category where Dark Knight should be rewarded....
Best Achievement in Editing
The Dark Knight (2008): Lee Smith
Frost/Nixon (2008): Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill
Milk (2008): Elliot Graham
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Chris Dickens
WHO SHOULD WIN: The Dark Knight
WHO WILL WIN: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Achievement in Art Direction
Changeling (2008): James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis
The Dark Knight (2008): Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando
The Duchess (2008): Michael Carlin, Rebecca Alleway
Revolutionary Road (2008): Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt
WHO SHOULD WIN: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
WHO WILL WIN: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Otherwise, Benjamin Button kind of wins by default. Revolutionary Road wasn't extraordinary and I didn't see Changeling or The Duchess. But again, Benjamin Button isn't wholly without merit, and this is an area in which it could/should be rewarded.
Best Achievement in Costume Design
Australia (2008): Catherine Martin
The Duchess (2008): Michael O'Connor
Milk (2008): Danny Glicker
Revolutionary Road (2008): Albert Wolsky
WHO WILL WIN: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Movies like Milk and Revolutionary Road are usually unlucky when it comes to technical awards: I know they actually took an immense amount of work to get right, but on screen, it all looks so easy and natural that the movie gets skipped over. Like Milk: imagine how much effort Danny Glicker went through to figure out what all the characters wore in real life, to find or make those costumes, to make them feel lived-in, to costume all of those extras...it deserves a nomination. But movies like Benjamin Button and Australia will always win out...they're just showier. Again, I didn't see The Duchess, so Benjamin Button wins again (because I apparently also go for "showier"). Plus, although the costumes in Australia were pretty great, that movie doesn't deserve a single achievement.
Best Achievement in Makeup
WHO WILL WIN: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
This is pretty much one category in which Benjamin Button has it in the bag (the other being Visual Effects). And again, I can't say I disagree...I'm just saying that Hellboy II should win to be contrary. I mean, Hellboy II sucked as a movie, but the makeup was spectacular. Still, it can't compete with elderly baby and young Brad Pitt in the eyes of the Academy. And as for Dark Knight...they did a good job, but seeing as how I think the Two Face makeup was digital (I'm actually not a hundred percent sure how they did that) and the Joker's makeup was "neat" at best, it's still going to Benjamin Button.
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
Defiance (2008): James Newton Howard
Milk (2008): Danny Elfman
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman
WALL·E (2008): Thomas Newman
WHO WILL WIN: A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire)
Truth be told, I actually really like the score for Slumdog Millionaire, so when it inevitably wins, I'll be happy with it. But I also really liked Danny Elfman's score for Milk and it would be nice to see him get the award. His action-based work has been severely lacking this decade, but he still deserves a retroactive Academy Award for Beetlejuice/Batman/Edward Scissorhands. Wall-E's score was charming, too, but not hugely memorable...same with Benjamin Button (I honestly don't remember a single second of score from that movie). I didn't see Defiance, so I have no opinion there. Either way, I think anything will be better than that cheesy typewriter-based score from Atonement last year...cripes.
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman, Gulzar("Jai Ho")
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman, Maya Arulpragasam("O Saya")
WALL·E (2008): Peter Gabriel, Thomas Newman("Down to Earth")
WHO WILL WIN: Peter Gabriel, Thomas Newman (Wall-E)
Was this year really that bad for original songs? I didn't stick around to listen to the song from The Wrestler (I was too busy shaking the lingering misery in the movie theater lobby), but people keep saying it was good (and I sort of like Bruce Springsteen). But then, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised by this...this category is dead to me after the lack of a nomination for last year's "Pop Goes My Heart" from Music & Lyrics. And now, no "Boats 'n Hoes" from Step Brothers? Fuck this category. I guess the two Slumdog Millionaire songs will split the vote and Wall-E's so-so song will win. Terrific.
Best Achievement in Sound
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce, Mark Weingarten
The Dark Knight (2008): Ed Novick, Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo
WALL·E (2008): Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, Ben Burtt
Wanted (2008): Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño, Petr Forejt
WHO SHOULD WIN: Wall-E
WHO WILL WIN: Wall-E
Best Achievement in Sound Editing
The Dark Knight (2008): Richard King
Iron Man (2008): Frank E. Eulner, Christopher Boyes
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Tom Sayers
WALL·E (2008): Ben Burtt, Matthew Wood
Wanted (2008): Wylie Stateman
WHO WILL WIN: Wall-E
Best Achievement in Visual Effects
WHO WILL WIN: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
If The Curious Case of Benjamin Button had been mercifully shut out of every other category this year, it still would have deserved a nomination and win in this category. I hated the movie, but the effects were pretty amazing. Iron Man's effects were fine and dandy, but really didn't push the envelope, while the visual effects for The Dark Knight were iffy at best. Actually, why did Dark Knight get this nomination? The best parts of the movie were done practically: the truck flipping, the hospital exploding, the truck chase.... Was this nomination for the lame sonar part? The wire removal? The dodgy-looking helicopter that crashed into the building?
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Bolt (2008): Chris Williams, Byron Howard
Kung Fu Panda (2008): John Stevenson, Mark Osborne
WALL·E (2008): Andrew Stanton
WHO WILL WIN: Wall-E
Bolt was cute and Kung Fu Panda was, again, much better than expected, but seeing as how Wall-E could have gotten away with a Best Picture nomination, it's a lock here.
I guess that's pretty much it...the rest of the nominees are for Foriegn Film (none of which I've seen), Documentary Feature (of which I've only seen Man on Wire), Short Subject Documentary (nope), and the Animated/Live Action Short Films. Actually, I will say that I desperately want to see Presto get the Animated Short award...that's the rabbit/magician short that played before Wall-E. It's quite good.
So that's that...overall, the choices this year are mostly inoffensive. Sure, Benjamin Button is a sticking point, but again, seeing as how it was engineered for awards, it only makes sense that it at least gets nominations. I still have a feeling that the scrappy underdog will win out over the big epic this year, similar to what happened in 1981 between Warren Beatty's odds-on favorite epic Reds and the tiny British running movie that actually won Best Picture that year, Chariots of Fire...though unlike Reds, Benjamin Button is horrible (and actually, I didn't like Chariots of Fire, so Slumdog Millionaire is the better choice there).
A lot of people have been writing that this year's choices are "safe" and "predictable," and that the Academy should have been more daring with its choices. Of course, a lot of those people are also saying that they should have nominated such tiny arthouse darlings as The Dark Knight and Wall-E for Best Picture. I don't know...I think this year's nominees are about as good as can be expected...it was just a weak crop. Like I said before, are there any movies from this year that are sorely missing from the Best Picture list? Outside of Doubt and possibly Wall-E, I can't think of any. There were some other decent movies, but anything that screamed Best Picture? Not really....
Ah, Academy Award nominations...even though I've distanced myself from watching the actual show itself (I won't watch it until I'm there live, preferably as a nominee), I still get all excited about the nominations and the eventual winners. Or at least, for a little bit...honestly, I would have to strain myself to remember who won certain awards last year (though I can name every Best Picture winner from 1958 to the present, with select other years prior to that). But hey, it's mostly all in good fun. I mean, ultimately, I have fundamental issues with the whole concept of the Academy Awards, as I simply don't believe you can say one movie is "better" than the other when it comes to great movies (though yes, I can safely say that Wall-E was better than, say, Disaster Movie). I think it gets even more tenuous to say that one movie or performance is the "best" above all others.
Still, it sure is fun to dissect the nominees...so here goes!
Best Motion Picture of the Year
Frost/Nixon (2008): Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Eric Fellner
Milk (2008): Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks
The Reader (2008): Nominees to be determined
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Christian Colson
WHO SHOULD WIN: Slumdog Millionaire
WHO WILL WIN: Slumdog Millionaire
In the spirit of further dissection, as you can see above, I'm also venturing to guess who will eventually win the award, despite my personal feelings...though I still state my personal choice and will spend a whole paragraph talking about why I feel that way, so it's hardly fair and balanced.
Anyway...was Slumdog Millionaire truly the best film of the year? Yyyyeeesssss...? Again, putting aside my feelings about what movie is the "best," I have to say that I was genuinely won over by the movie. I had no desire to see it until it started getting rapturous reviews and winning every award ever. When I finally did see it, it was also during my time off from work and I had seen five movies in the five days prior, so I was starting to get a little burnt out. Plus, the print itself was in wretched condition, to the point that I wanted to get my money back and leave (seriously, it looked like a VHS dub). So even with all of that baggage, the movie wormed its way into my heart and I was won over. It's a movie that I would absolutely recommend to anyone. But is it the best movie of the year? Hm...it's one of them, but I just can't say that, yes, this movie should win Best Picture (well, except where I said that above).
However, I would put Slumdog Millionaire in the top five movies of the year (in fact, I already did), so I agree that it absolutely deserves a Best Picture nomination. That being said, when putting Slumdog Millionaire up against the other four actual Best Picture nominees, I would gravitate towards it for the big prize. Yes, I also really loved Milk, and wouldn't be upset if it won, either, but here's the thing (which also leads to why I feel Slumdog actually will win): the country is in pretty sad shape at the moment and Slumdog Millionaire is the feel-good hopeful movie of the year. Milk is also a hopeful movie, but it's not the same sort of hope that the Academy will inevitably reward. Slumdog Millionaire will and should win Best Picture because it's a great movie and because it makes people feel good...end of story.
As for the other nominees...like I've also said before, I liked Frost/Nixon, but I just didn't think it brought the "gravitas." It was compelling and well acted and great to watch, but it just wasn't as compelling or as incisive as it should have been. I couldn't help but feel disappointed by it in a way, partially because of my high expectations, but also because the movie just didn't ultimately do it for me. I'm wondering whether or not I should try it again on Blu-ray when it comes out, because maybe if I had more reasonable expectations going in, I would appreciate it more. So yeah, I won't curse this nomination, but I also won't celebrate it.
And The Reader? Ugh...this kinda makes me mad. I spent all that time seeing all those movies this year (I try to see all the Best Picture nominees before the ceremony), and they nominate a movie I skipped. I know it's still in theaters, but...ugh, I just don't care. This nomination just smacks of Weinstein Oscar-grabbing...this is what they used to do with their Miramax movies. Remember Chocolat? The Cider House Rules? Those were so-so movies, right? Both got Best Picture nominations, thanks to Harvey Weinstein's tragic mastery of the nomination game. It was this shameless shoving that got Shakespeare in Love the Best Picture Academy Award over Saving Private Ryan (which many people still point out as one of the classic Best Picture "blunders," but frankly, I disagree...Saving Private Ryan got what it deserved, which was Best Director, but I don't deny that the whole incident was a result of Harvey Weinstein's ceaseless self-promotion). And now, under their new banner (The Weinstein Company), they've angled The Reader into a Best Picture nomination slot. And now I have to see it. Fuck you, Harvey Weinstein.
However, I can't get too upset, in a way...really, what movie would I have put in its place this year? Wall-E? Sure, but it was always going to go to the Animated Feature ghetto...no way around that. The Dark Knight? Again, incredibly fun and awesome summer movie, but not Best Picture. Doubt? Actually, yes...I would have put Doubt in its place. But then, even I, who loved Doubt, can't argue that it should be Best Picture. It got a load of acting nominations and a nod for writing...it got what it deserved. Still, for the sake of shutting out The "GIVE ME AN OSCAR!!!!!!" Reader, I think Doubt would have worked well. Also, note how the producing nominees for The Reader are yet to be determined...who wants to bet that a certain man whose name rhymes with Meinstein wants sole credit?
As for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button...well, I knew this was coming. It's not quite as eye-poppingly stupid as a Best Picture nomination for Juno, but as long as it doesn't win, I suppose I can live with it being there. It's a terrible movie, but it's handsomely made. The movie was made for Academy Award nominations and it got them...no real shock. All in all, a decent list for a so-so year at the movies.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Richard Jenkins for The Visitor (2007/I)
Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon (2008)
Brad Pitt for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler (2008)
WHO SHOULD WIN: Sean Penn (Milk)
WHO WILL WIN: Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)
I just saw The Visitor last week...it was okay. It was one of those "man learns to feel again" stories that independent cinema does so...often. I don't know, it was fine. Still, I agree that Richard Jenkins gave a great performance, and seeing as how he's a solid character actor and appears to be a decent person, it's nice to see him get some time in the sun. Plus, he was in Step Brothers this year, so I'll just imagine he got nominated for that role (no, just kidding, he was great in The Visitor). Frank Langella was fine in Frost/Nixon, no real complaint there. And Brad Pitt...actually, his performance wasn't that great. He's a good actor, but a) I hated the movie, and b) his performance was blank, just like his character. The effects did all of the work for him. Clearly, this nomination could have gone to Josh Brolin for W. (a very flawed movie, but Brolin gave an excellent performance) or even Leonardo DiCaprio for Revolutionary Road (again, a mediocre movie with a solid performance).
So it's really between Sean Penn and Mickey Rourke then. Both are amazing performances and both deserve to win. In fact, seeing as what a douche Mickey Rourke is personally, I'd be happy to see it go to Sean Penn (not that Penn is such a happy guy, but at least he's not a gross womanizing creep...anymore). But much like Slumdog Millionaire, Mickey Rourke is this year's showcase of hope: a down-and-out actor gets one last shot at the big time and wins it all. Hollywood can't resist a good Hollywood ending. Plus, Sean Penn already won Best Actor, so it's really Rourke's award to lose. It's hard to really say who deserves it, at the end of the day (it's that "best" thing again), but I still think the momentum is with Mickey Rourke this year. (Also, as a side note, let me just say that heads are going to roll because a certain actor didn't get nominated in this category....)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married (2008)
Angelina Jolie for Changeling (2008)
Melissa Leo for Frozen River (2008)
Meryl Streep for Doubt (2008/I)
Kate Winslet for The Reader (2008)
WHO SHOULD WIN: Um...Meryl Streep? (Doubt)
WHO WILL WIN: Kate Winslet (The Reader)
Whoops...I guess in that flurry of seeing all the movies I could this year, I missed out on four of the supposedly strongest female performances of the year. Out of the five movies above, I only saw Doubt, so I guess my opinion only extends to Meryl Streep in this category. She was excellent as always, but I don't think she'll win. I really think this is Kate Winslet's year...there are only so many times you can be nominated before the Academy eventually just gives you the damn award already (well, except for Stanley Kubrick...and Alfred Hitchcock...and Richard Burton...and Peter O'Toole...and Cary Grant...and Lauren Bacall...). Really, though, Kate Winslet keeps giving nominated performance after nominated performance, and in this shrinking world of quality actors, Hollywood won't keep ignoring her like they did to that past list of talent. I have no idea how she is in The Reader, but she probably gives that same sort of steely, Winslet-esque performance that she always gives (she is a great actress, but she does kind of repeat her mannerisms...or maybe she just does the same sort of characters again and again).
As for the others...Rachel Getting Married and Frozen River are actually from one of my studio's divisions, so I happen to have Frozen River here to watch...and yet, it just looks so boring. I just don't want to watch it, with or without nominations. I just don't care, sorry. And Rachel Getting Married I'll see when we get the product in, as I'm vaguely interested in it. I was also interested in seeing Changeling, but the movie itself didn't get great reviews, so I skipped it in theaters. It'll be on Blu-ray next month, I think, so I'll see it then.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Josh Brolin for Milk (2008)
Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder (2008)
Philip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt (2008/I)
Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight (2008)
Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road (2008)
WHO SHOULD WIN: Anyone
WHO WILL WIN: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
Now this is an interesting category. Every actor here absolutely deserves their nomination, even surprise nominee Michael Shannon, who was a blunt symbol in the movie, but got over that writing snafu by giving a great performance. Each one of these actors totally deserves to win, honestly...but clearly, this is Heath Ledger's year (professionally, that is...). Seeing as how Entertainment Weekly is still pimping his death a year later and his name seems to bring tears to girls and Bat-fans alike, his win is basically a lock. But frankly, even if he were alive and even if The Dark Knight had bombed at the box office, he would still deserve at least a nomination, if not the win. He really disappeared into The Joker, shedding every bit of his other performances and doing something completely fresh. Still, if there were some freak five-way tie on the night of the ceremony, I'd nod heartily in approval.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
Viola Davis for Doubt (2008/I)
Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler (2008)
WHO SHOULD WIN: Viola Davis (Doubt)
WHO WILL WIN: Amy Adams (Doubt)
I haven't seen Vicky Cristina Barcelona, so I can't speak to Penelope Cruz's performance. Otherwise, all of these performances were also pretty damn strong. Like the Supporting Actor race, if there were some mysterious five-way tie (presuming that Penelope Cruz doesn't suck), I'd be fine with it. Yes, I hated The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but Taraji P. Henson was definitely a bright spot (although some critics have likened her performance to Butterfly McQueen's shrill stereotype performance in Gone With The Wind...I disagree).
Still, when it comes down to it, I think Hollywood has a crush on Amy Adams and she did do a great job in Doubt. Marisa Tomei is still an Academy Award joke for her 1992 win, so although she's been nominated since, I honestly don't feel she'll win again (though she was very good in the movie). I guess out of all of them, I'd choose Viola Davis, if only because she had two scenes and blew them out of the water. Critics have said that that role is a showcase role for an actress for precisely that reason (get in, be super-dramatic, get out), but hey, it worked. Again, not much controversy here. Actually, outside of most of the nominations for Benjamin Button (which were expected), there's not much to get hopping mad about this year....
Best Achievement in Directing
Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Stephen Daldry for The Reader (2008)
David Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Ron Howard for Frost/Nixon (2008)
Gus Van Sant for Milk (2008)
WHO SHOULD WIN: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)
WHO WILL WIN: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)
This race is an accurate reflection of the Best Picture race, so I feel like the same rules apply: Slumdog is the scrappy underdog and will triumph. Gus Van Sant made a great movie, but I feel like the Academy will gravitate towards the flash of Slumdog Millionaire. Ron Howard did his usual workmanlike job with Frost/Nixon, but again, the movie itself doesn't reach its expected heights...a nomination is a solid reward for the movie. Steven Daldry is here thanks to Harvey Weinstein (again, I haven't actually seen The Reader, so maybe it really earned its place). And David Fincher...again, I hate his movie, but generally like him as a filmmaker, so it's fine to see him nominated (though I hope this doesn't lead him to make "prestige pictures" for the rest of his life). Just so long as he doesn't win, I'm okay with the nomination (I'll pretend he got it for Zodiac over Jason fucking Reitman).
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Frozen River (2008): Courtney Hunt
Happy-Go-Lucky (2008): Mike Leigh
In Bruges (2008): Martin McDonagh
Milk (2008): Dustin Lance Black
WALL·E (2008): Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, Jim Reardon
WHO SHOULD WIN: Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, Jim Reardon (Wall-E)
WHO WILL WIN: Dustin Lance Black (Milk)
Dammit...for almost a year now, everyone has been telling me to see In Bruges, and I just don't want to. Fucking hell. And there's Frozen River again...blah. It seems odd that Mike Leigh got a nomination for writing Happy-Go-Lucky...I haven't seen the movie, but doesn't he just write an outline of the characters and do improv workshops with his actors for months? Of the five, I've only actually seen Wall-E and Milk...but even so, I still think the race is really between those two. I feel like this might be the Academy's way of rewarding Milk, as Wall-E will obviously win Best Animated Feature. I don't know...in a way, Wall-E's script was its weakest part (which was still better than most scripts this year), but I just loved the movie so much and feel like Milk is an acting showcase. Eh...either of the two would be fine.
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Doubt (2008/I): John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon (2008): Peter Morgan
The Reader (2008): David Hare
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Simon Beaufoy
WHO SHOULD WIN: John Patrick Shanley (Doubt)
WHO WILL WIN: Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire)
I loved Doubt and felt that its script was one of its strongest parts (once it got going and finished its first act machinations). I don't know how it differs or sticks to its original script, but I don't care: great story, great characters, great drama, great screenplay. It's interesting that Frost/Nixon is here, too, as I feel like Doubt adapted its stage show well while Frost/Nixon faltered in that transition (again, not having seen the show, but...well, I've said how I feel about the movie). I think the screenplay for Frost/Nixon was its Achilles Heel, unfortunately...shame. And The Reader...yeah, no idea.
That leaves Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. This is one category where I feel like Slumdog doesn't deserve to win. Yes, its script was solid and a nomination is lovely, but I still feel like Doubt is superior. And as for Benjamin Button...this is probably the one area wherein I honestly feel angry that it got nominated. The writing for this movie was horrible and is at the heart of all of my complaints. Fincher did fine, the actors were competent (not extraordinary), the effects were great, etc. But the script...fuck you, Eric Roth, for finally dusting off that Forrest Gump 2 script and sodomizing it until it resembled this heap of garbage. Let any other movie win in this category, but not Benjamin Button.
Okay...I have some actual work to do, but I'll be back with the rest of the nominees tonight or tomorrow.
The blind-date girl wrote me back...I haven't opened it yet. I guess she sent it after I went to sleep last night. It's been a week since I wrote to her...honestly, I just can't see this as anything but bad news. I know that sounds pessimistic, but really, I was optimistic immediately following our date and up until she said she was busy with grad school applications and that maybe we could meet up in January. I was patient and waited, even though I pretty much had literally nothing to do during my time off from work, and I wrote her a quick "hey, hope you're doing well, my offer to take you to dinner still stands" e-mail last week. And then nothing for a week...and now, a response. Really, could this be anything but bad?
Sure, she could have been out of town for the last week...sure, she might have been trying to be cool about the whole thing...sure, any number of legitimate reasons may be behind this course of events. But really, if you were presented with this scenario without any context, wouldn't you assume the worst? She wasn't exactly dying to see me again the last time.... So I've been putting off opening her e-mail...even though I'm prepared for rejection, it doesn't make it any easier to take. But anyway...I have to open it sooner or later, so here goes....
Huh...it's not bad! I won't copy and paste, but she said things have been hectic, she asked about CES (I hadn't even mentioned that in our e-mails...I guess she just remembered from our date), and she said that we should definitely get together when she gets back into town in the first week of February (I guess she's on a trip with her family). So...good, yes? Sort of like our date itself, upon first reflection, I'm really pleased and optimistic with the response. I'm trying not to get too excited about it until there's a set date and some plans, but still, it's far more promising than I imagined it would be.
Other than that bit of news, things are generally okay...I do have to burn off some of these holiday pounds before embarking on any follow-up date, though. I'll miss those occassional lowfat cranberry muffins from The Conservatory (so good!), but really, the holidays are over and so are my crazy days of eating everything. All right, that's about all I had to say for today...except that the crotch of my pants have ripped (not due to the aforementioned holiday eating...more due to my hatred of buying pants) and now it's becoming embarrassing to walk around, as I think the hole has spread to visible areas...unfortunate. How will I get out of the building tonight?
There are currently two news stories that have been getting a lot of coverage...coincidentally, there are two news stories that I'm pretty damn tired of hearing about. As I was complaining about one of them at work the other day, Jamie said that it's better to have this kind of constant coverage about sort-of good news than to have constant coverage about really bad news. I certainly don't disagree with that logic, but it's still times like these that really poke a hole in the whole "we need 24/7 news coverage forever and ever" theory.
First of all, US Airways Flight 1549 (which was the "sort-of good news" to which I referred above). I don't know what it is about this news story, but it's kind of bugging the fuck out of me. Okay, the day it happened, that's big news: a plane hits some birds during takeoff and lands semi-safely in the Hudson River...everyone on board lives. Hooray! That's great news! But a week later, it's just scraping the bottom of the barrel.
While I'm not saying that "news needs to go faster!", I am saying that news that is pretty much open and shut should be filed away under "that sure was interesting news that one time". By all means, cover the story for a day or two...but then move on. Don't talk to every single person onboard about what was going through their minds, don't ask every single person who's ever drawn an airplane about how much more catastrophic it could have been...just report the story and move on. If there's some follow-up, then report on that and move on. Stop making it into The News Story Of 2009. I'm thrilled everyone is okay, but calm the hell down, CNN and peers. There's a lot of 2009 left to go...I'm sure a celebrity will do something stupid or die sooner or later, and then your ratings will go back up.
Or you can just pimp the fuck out of the Inauguration from every concievable angle, bringing me to the second news story of the moment. Yes, this is an historical moment. Yes, it's exciting. Yes, I voted for Obama and am thrilled to see Bush leave office. But frankly, I'm kind of hating all of the promotional tie-ins and constant coverage of the event. I'm not saying that the event should be ignored, but freaking "O" handbags and Obama t-shirts and stickers and cups and keychains and every celebrity ever (except Jon Voight) pouring into Washington DC and...just overkill, in my opinion. Actually, the news coverage is okay (though it's quickly reaching excess) and the celebrities are just excited to have a Democrat back in the White House (as are we all, I think). But the promotional tie-ins...ugh.
And quite honestly, as excited as I am to see Obama get sworn in and Bush get kicked out, I can't help but feel anticipation for this whole Inauguration to be over so Obama can actually get to work and start doing things. Who fucking cares that the Jonas Brothers are playing at the ball or that Beyonce is going to sing the first song? Fix the economy! Close Guantanamo! Stop us from being a global punchline! Get to work! Of course the man and his family should have their moment, they've earned it. But come Wednesday morning, I don't want to hear one more thing about "commemorative" this or "inaugural" that. Stop calling Obama a "rock star" and talking about his abs or his Blackberry and just let him do his job.
But hey, people are excited...that's nice. I'm glad Obama is actually inspiring hope in people. But it's time to turn that hope into action, and you'll forgive me if I don't feel like partying.
It's been a pretty bland weekend overall...as suggested in my post from yesterday morning, I basically threw myself a pity party and shut myself off from the world. Now I guess I should get back to business...I have plans to make. My dad and stepmom will be in Vegas for a weekend in February...should I join them there or have I had more than enough of Vegas for the time being? I have to plan out my New York trip and also determine when I want to travel to Florida for a bit. I also just finished the third draft of my screenplay today, so that's something...time to start doing some pimping of my own.
And I guess I should get back on that dating horse...I signed back up for JDate this weekend and even bought into the Premium plan (my profile is highlighted and at the top of pages, etc.). I've e-mailed a bunch of girls and got about ten views of my profile...but no actual responses yet (shocking). I'll try not to let it get me down at the moment, though. And there is always that speed-dating event next week....
As a brief aside: it's been shared many times before (including by Chris), but in the spirit of the upcoming inauguration, it seems appropriate to pass along this classic song about our country's first President:
I guess I'll just make another quick update...though "update" implies that I have follow-up news from something I posted previously. Or maybe it doesn't...or maybe I shouldn't be so pedantic. In any event, I'm currently in day two of my three day Martin Luther King Day weekend, and while I'm thrilled to get away from work, I can't say I have fun (or any) plans for the time off. Sure, I did my laundry and food shopping and caught up on some e-mails and watched my minor backlog of DVDs and Blu-rays, either from Netflix or recently-purchased (Miss Julie [1951]: not bad; The Mark of Zorro [1940]: surprisingly entertaining; Friday Night Lights [2004]: still a great movie and gets better every time I see it). But do I have plans to meet up with friends, go on a second date with that girl, and/or "put myself out there"? No, no, and no.
You know, I think I've underestimated the sacrifice I made to move from New York to Los Angeles after my senior year of college. Since I moved here in 2004, I've heard fellow transplants talk about how difficult it is to meet people again and start a whole new life in a new place, and I've always somewhat pooh-poohed that position. Sure, I've had my difficulties in establishing my place here in Los Angeles, socially-speaking, but I tended to feel that the issue was overstated...starting over somewhere new isn't that hard. I think it's been over the last six months or so that I've really started to realize just how difficult it's been. I think I was deluded for a while, what with my G4 group of friends (including eventual BFF Jennie) and then the friends at my current workplace.
But for a while now, I've realized that I've been missing that true core group of friends. I sort of had that for a bit at G4 with Val, Hollie, Torie and Jennie, but it wasn't that "core" dynamic, and gradually, that group dissolved. And now, with no group to call my own, I've been feeling lonelier than ever before. Sure, I have friends out here, but it's nothing like the days of hanging out with my old friends.
That's not to say that I regret moving to Los Angeles, as I don't at all. Clearly, this is where I need to be to do what I want to do, and I've made inroads and contacts that wouldn't have been possible in New York, but it's all taken a toll on my social life. A few years ago, that didn't matter so much to me, but lately, I guess I've been learning that, really, no man is an island.
Of course, that's also not to say that my core group of friends in New York would have lasted forever...I mean, they all still hang out with one another, but would my occasional isolation have been accepted for much longer? I admit to having periods of time wherein I simply don't want to see or speak to anyone, and that never really went over so well back in the day. Like this weekend...I just don't want to see or speak to anyone. I'm metaphorically boarded up in my apartment, watching episodes of Frasier, trying to forget about the monotony of work, the day-to-day neuroses, the fact that the blind date girl never wrote me back. I think even if I lived in New York amidst all of my old friends right now, I'd probably still be metaphorically hiding under the bed.
I can't blame it all on the blind date girl, but that is pretty upsetting. Clearly, her last e-mail (about how stressed she was with grad school applications and how I should contact her again in January) was actually the brush-off e-mail I had feared it to be. And of course, in a wretched twist of fate, I now can't even check my damn e-mails...we had been communicating via my work e-mail, as I'm able to access it from home, except when my password needs to be changed, as that can only be done from the office...and of course, my password expired this morning, so I can't even check to see if she's responded without going into the office. Fuck you, irony...or if this is some higher being's way of telling me to stop obsessing, fuck you, too.
Speaking of cruel irony, why do the fates continue to mock me at every turn? After pining for Jamie for about a year and a half, we've now settled into being close friends, which in and of itself is quite nice. However, I now have Jamie coaching me on how to get girls and helping me out...which, again, is wonderful, but it does lead to times where she tries to build up my confidence by telling me what a "great catch" I am. Ha. That combined with the bitter fact that "persistence" was the key to her heart with regards to her current boyfriend just makes me want to...well, hide from the world in my apartment.
I guess I'm getting a bit too self-pitying here...so I'll stop (well, I'll stop writing about it and just go back to living it). Meanwhile, it's back to JDate for me...I've been away from it for a month or so, so I hope there's a whole new batch of girls to ignore my messages. My God...I'm even considering JDate-related speed dating. Am I that undateable? Speed dating is for losers in movies or satisfied people who "just want to have a laugh." What the hell is so wrong with me?
I suppose I should blog a bit, as it's been a while since my last entry...and yet, I don't have much to say. It's a vicious circle, in a way: the few people I've talked to about my blog have said that the entries are "too long"...in fact, it would be easier for me to write less, while apparently making it more palatable for my few readers. And yet, I don't write less...my posts just get longer (or stay at that plateau of just being long). I guess it's not a circle so much as it is just...stubbornness? Habit? An inability to get to the point?
Whatever the case may be, I should probably at least attempt to keep my posts at a manageable length...not that I'm so concerned with traffic to my blog (I accepted that my readership wouldn't be terribly high a while ago, probably during the month I was whining about Jamie), but I guess I shouldn't be so long-winded in general. Goodness, if I'm this long-winded at 26, imagine how I'll be when I'm 70 and expected to ramble on. My stories will go on for days! My grandkids will hate me...unless I'm rich and famous, in which case, everyone will listen to my stories so as to remain in my will. Yet another reason to get on with the money-making already....
Speaking of kids and the like, many congratulations have to go out to Jim and Jennie, as Jennie gave birth to a healthy baby boy yesterday (Luca Vincent, if I'm not mistaken). Nice work, Jennie. I hope you're taking a well-deserved nap instead of reading this...you'll need all the sleep you can get.
Beyond that, like I said, I just don't have much to say right now. I e-mailed the blind-date girl, now that it's January (on the last episode of Sad Dating Theatre, I went on a blind date with a girl I really ended up liking, but who told me that she was "too busy with grad school applications" when I asked for a second date and suggested contacting her again in January), but as of yet, I haven't received any response (not too surprising, as it's been less than a day since I e-mailed). I guess we'll see what happens...but like I've said before, it will be nice to just know if she's actually interested in me, one way or another.
I guess that's it for now...short and semi-sweet. There are other things to delve into, I suppose, but nothing terribly interesting. Less than an hour until the end of the work day, though, which is nice...it's been a slightly bumpy transition from being on vacation or in a unique situation like CES into the regular day-to-day grind. But hey, I've got a nice three day weekend coming up...exciting. Plenty of time for laundry and food shopping.
CES is now over. My trip to Las Vegas isn't quite over yet, as I'm currently at the McCarran Airport here in Las Vegas (yay for free wi-fi! LAX could learn something from this place), but by tonight, I'll be home and sleeping in my own bed...I can not wait. Except I have to...for some reason, I scheduled myself on the 8:15 PM flight home, perhaps not taking into account the fact that the show ended at 4 PM today. And so I wait, impatiently. The airport is also extremely crowded, thanks to all of the CES attendees fleeing the city, their debauchery at an end. But whatever, it's good to sit. Sure, I'd much rather be sitting on a plane that's winging its way back to Los Angeles, but any sitting is better than the standing I've done for eight hours every day during this show.
Now that the show itself is over with, I guess I can say that it was relatively successful. Well, our booth was successful, and the people from my department were all very happy with the content and work I did...but the overall show, I must say, was only so-so. First of all, attendance was way down this year...last year, we were swamped pretty much all day, every day. This year, we had a surprising amount of time to stand around (unlike at Comic-Con, there is no sitting on the floor of the booth at CES). That's not to say that the show was empty...it's more like there were only around 110,000 people there instead of the 130,000 or so from last year.
But one thing that everyone was saying was that there wasn't anything amazing that really drew the crowds. From our overall company perspective, we had 3D TVs, more OLED TVs, and a tiny and really neat laptop...those were our most popular destinations. And 3D seemed to be the keyword this year for a lot of the electronics companies, along with "thin" and "wireless." But as someone on the shuttle to the airport said, the show seemed to mostly feature already-existing products that had matured as opposed to a lot of cutting-edge technology.
That was certainly true of our Blu-ray booth, I would say: last year, we were showing off BD-Live (internet connectivity for your Blu-ray player that allows for constantly updatable exclusive content) and Digital Copy as things that were coming in 2009. These demos were supported by some very cutting-edge hardware and software that was specially engineered for demonstration at CES. Blu-ray itself was also still pretty new last year, and with Warner Bros. dropping all HD DVD support three days before the show, we had a lot of questions and were seen as a still-new technology that was busting into the mainstream.
This year, we've done BD-Live on over 50 of our Blu-ray titles (and all studios have done their own version of BD-Live at this point) and Digital Copy is practically becoming a standard application. Last year, we crossed our fingers that BD-Live would work, while this year, we assumed it would. Blu-ray itself also isn't as new anymore...that's good for the format, as it's really making a lot of great strides (The Dark Knight sold 1.7 million units on Blu-ray, which is HUGE), but in terms of something like CES, it's almost old hat. This year, we weren't showing new functionality (except our chat feature), but we were showing how the format had matured and how there's so much you can do with Blu-ray. Interestingly enough, this was basically how a lot of the technology was this year, as I previously mentioned: mature. That's not bad, but it does make for a less thrilling CES all around.
That's not to say that there weren't some moments of intrigue or that there was no fun to be had. The electronics guys who were also working their sections of booth were extremely nice...I had much more time to interact with them this year, and it was surprisingly fun. It's not often that I let down my guard and be a guy: talking about and checking out women, doing strange high-fives with fist explosions at the end, talking about sports (well, I couldn't fake that part...I just listened). Now that it's almost over, I guess I can look back and say that it was fun at times (while grueling overall)....it definitely wasn't as high profile this year in terms of the press or booth visitors (no video interviews this year), but again, I think the higher-ups were happy with my work.
I won't be going in to work tomorrow, though, as my boss thankfully gave me the day off...very kind. I'll probably spend the day doing laundry, food shopping, napping...and probably sitting a lot. And then...well, like I said, CES was that wall. Now that I've scaled it, I guess I should start thinking about what's next overall. Do I try to ask my boss for a raise/promotion in this economy (pros: it's almost been two years and I currently do the work of a person at a higher level...cons: the economy and I'm lucky to have a job at all)? Do I go back on JDate for some more romantic prospects (and disappointments)? And speaking of which, when do I re-contact that second blind date girl? She said January...I was thinking I would contact her while at CES, but Jamie suggested that I should wait as long as possible, even longer than I would have thought...more like February. Crazy! But she's not wrong...I can't seem desperate. Even though I am. I might do something in between, like maybe I'll contact her after Martin Luther King Day weekend.
Okay, now that I've shaken the hands of everyone in existence and been exposed to every germ, I'm ready to go home and take a shower and go to sleep. The water here in Las Vegas just isn't right...if you've ever washed your hair here, you'll know that it just...isn't right. I've heard they chlorinate the hell out of the water. Also, how do hotels make their freshly-dried towels smell like a jelly donut? It's great! Maybe if I could get the donut-smelling towels with some better water, I'd be more amenable to visiting Las Vegas in the future....
So I’m a little tipsy at the moment…apologies for the likely scattered thoughts and whatnot. I’ve just been to dinner with my boss and other executives from our department and the alcohol tends to flow freely. Not that I’m complaining: my trip to New York was supposed to be filled with food and drink, but I didn’t make it to that trip, so I’m making up for it now. It was quite fun, though, and I’m reminded why I like my job: the people and the content. Like I’ve said before, when I’m in the office or hanging out with my friends, no one cares that I know the Blu-ray release schedule for my studio’s titles for all of 2009. But at a convention, that’s like gold, and I admit that I milk it when I can. All these years, I’ve read about DVD and comments from studios about some of my favorite titles: “We’re working on it”; “Look for it in 2002”; “We have no plans at this time”…etc. It’s immensely gratifying to be that person who says “We’re evaluating that title for 2009,” while knowing full well that it’s coming out in June. A little bit petty? Maybe. A power trip? Perhaps…but God it feels good sometimes.
I don’t currently have access to the internet (I’m typing this to be posted later, when I pay for internet access, probably tomorrow) or else I would copy and paste the section from The Digital Bits about our studio. Like I’ve said before, Bill Hunt is the creator of The Digital Bits, which is basically a blog about DVD and now Blu-ray releases…I haven’t told him this, but I’ve actually been reading his site for 10 years now. So it’s always amusing to me to be a part of an interview with him, as my boss and I were on Thursday (we actually did three hours of interviews back to back that day).
Actually, my boss was late to that interview, so I got a chance to give some “pre-interview” notes to Bill (I wouldn’t have presumed to do my boss’s interview, but my boss actually said it would have been okay if I had just done it…my boss is the greatest). During that time, it was fun to actually address some of his prior comments (he did a whole editorial about how our Blu-ray release of La Femme Nikita didn’t have special features and I pointed out that the special features had been created by MGM and there were licensing issues, etc.) and just talk about Blu-ray. When my boss arrived and we did our large block of interviews (I say “our” because my boss had me stand next to him the whole time and interject when relevant), it was neat to do the actual interview with Bill. And in reading the finished write-up on The Digital Bits, it’s funny to see a couple of my comments become “news” that a younger version of myself would have read. I’m probably romanticizing it a lot more than need be, but it was kind of fun.
But CES as a whole has been…interesting this year. Last year, there were a ton of people from our department here, but this year, it’s all been cut way back, so it’s a smaller group of executives. That’s been good, as I’ve gotten some great opportunities to hang out with them, but it’s been different, as there’s no one on my level here, specifically Jamie. I’ve actually been texting and speaking with Jamie every day, which has been nice, but it’s not the same. And as for the overall show, I’ve heard that attendance is down this year, thanks mostly to the economy. Our booth has still been busy, but it’s not comparable to last year. Plus, there’s no “killer gadget” this year, like the OLED TVs were last year or Blu-ray was the year before. That’s not to say that there’s not some neat stuff, but it’s definitely more subdued than last year.
I’m very hesitant to say that my role here has been successful or unsuccessful…after all, I still have a whole day and three quarters left here (show hours are 9-6 tomorrow, 9-4 on Sunday and my flight home is around 8:30 PM). Knock on wood and all, but it seems like my content has been pretty successful…perhaps a bit too much so for some people.
Today I was a victim of crime. At our booth, we have a PSP that’s showing off Digital Copy (bringing a standard definition version of the movie that’s packaged in with your Blu-ray to a portable device for on-the-go usage). The PSP is anchored to the wall with a retractable cable and it’s been safe for the last two days. Today, as I was giving a demo of BD-Live to someone, a fat guy in a brown shirt in his thirties came to the PSP and picked it up. I made eye contact with him to let him know I was watching him and went about my demo. Suddenly, I saw another fat man in a brown shirt (identical twins!) come up to the PSP and my view was blocked…were they stealing it? No, it couldn’t be. And yet, it was. When I looked up, there was only one fat man there and the PSP was gone. I went up to the remaining twin and said, “Excuse me, I think your colleague stole my PSP.” The fat twin said, “You mean me?!”
They were very crafty: if I had called security, they would have searched the fat man and he wouldn’t have had the PSP, because his fat twin made off with it. And being the “stupid” person that I am, the fat twins assumed I would then say to security, “Well, no, I saw him take it!” And yet he wouldn’t have it and security would let him go. Very tricky. And so, I was hoodwinked…it was embarrassing. From that point on, I literally hugged all of our “valuables” to my chest that I could (remotes, Blu-rays, etc.), and when we got a new PSP, I kept it in my pocket. Today, my faith in humanity was destroyed. Actually, it still makes me mad to think about it…it’s not like a PSP is worth a million dollars, but I just felt so used. It sucked. Luckily, my team mostly found it funny and we got that replacement pretty quickly. Apparently, 5 PSPs have been stolen from the show floor during this show and the guys didn’t anchor it correctly, anyway…it’s not really my fault, but I still felt pretty crappy about it for a while.
There have been other minor adventures during my time here at CES so far (like when I walked about ten miles Wednesday night to meet everyone for dinner, only to find that they had already gone back to the hotel when I arrived at the restaurant), but for the most part, I’ve been focusing on getting through the days. It’s grueling to be on the show floor of these things…my feet, legs, knees and back are aching and sore. But happily, I only have another day and three quarters left…and then I go home and I’m taking Monday off from work. Like I said before, CES has been this huge wall that’s been in the way of any plans beyond mid-January, so it’ll be an astonishing relief to get through it (preferably successfully and without any more losses). But I’m trying not to think about how much I want it to be done, as that will only drive me crazy. Instead, I’ll focus on the fact that tomorrow is the last full day of the event (again, 9-6) and that I’m more than halfway through.
And for now, I’ll also take some Tylenol, drink some water and go to sleep. A blessed early evening….
And now it's now 5:48 in the morning. I actually got some good sleep as I passed out soon after finishing the above, but I inexplicably woke up at about 4:45 and couldn't get back to sleep. I tried for a while, but then just started to think about things that are upsetting me, so I got up and decided to kill those thoughts by browsing the internet. How did our forefathers survive without it?
Anyway, here's that mention from The Digital Bits:
Obviously, I came to CES to check out the latest Blu-ray developments, so let's have a quick software update first. I've already covered [studio]'s Ghostbusters announcement, so there's no need for an update there, though I did learn that Ghostbusters 2 is being held for a special release of its own. In talking with the folks at [studio], I learned that titles like Dr. Strangelove, Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia are all still in the works - the studio really wants to get them right, so they're taking their time. Obviously, big new release titles like Angels and Demons are in the works - no surprise there. And the studio tells me that they have plans for about 100 Blu-ray releases total in 2009, including a mix of new release and catalog titles. And the studio is working on ways to evolve and enhance their BD-Live offerings - really trying to explore the features people want and enjoy, to create the best online and advanced interactive experience.
If newspaper were still a viable medium and this were the 1980s, I would clip this out and put it up on my bulletin board. But instead, it's 2009 and I'm sitting in my hotel room wondering if I made a mistake by not trying harder to get back to sleep. Also, are there mailboxes here in Las Vegas, readily available? I want to send my Netflix movies back from here. And should I gamble my one remaining dollar that I have in cash (I'd prefer not to use the ATMs here, as they charge a whopping $4.99 fee)? What else would I do with that dollar, really? Questions, questions....
