Sophie just called from Europe, where she had a threesome with Helen and Judi.

[raybear]

It always surprises me when I notice some speck on my glasses obstructing my vision and I take them off and they are absolutely filthy (in terms of eyeglasses) with an eyelash and dust and dried dots from snow or rain. Its like, how do my eyes not notice this?

I try not to care about the Oscars, and in the grand scheme of things, I truly don't. but watching them, its hard not for me to get caught up in it. I've watched them pretty much every year since I was kid, back when I didn't even know what the hell movies they were talking about. Most of these viewings have been on my own and maybe its just better that way. This year I wasn't completely alone, there were occasional guest appearances from DYA on the couch, and there was ongoing commentary on IM with Angelina. And you can view the pleasure we had, because I'm going to post the entire 4 hour IM conversation behind this cut! Just kidding. We did say some funny isht though. And it reminded me of being a teenager and watching television while being on the phone with my friend, watching the same show. Except we were much dirtier. And snarkier.

I can't believe The Departed won best picture. But the one that really broke my heart is that it won Best Adapted Screenplay. The only category where Children of Men was nominated! But I also would have accepted Notes on a Scandal, since I read that novel last week, and thought they did a great job of adapting that novel to the screen. But instead we get The Departed?? Part of me died inside.

On Saturday night, in the middle of the ice storm, I walked over to the Logan to meet Coco and S-M for a last-minute viewing of Babel. I had some wicked low expectations. Which means I ended up enjoying myself! I mean, sort of. I should say, I didn't think the movie sucked. I think there were some amazing moments -- either in acting, or in plot, or in visuals. But the narrative pacing got all fcked up at the end for me, I lost all my ability to suspend disbelief, which threatened to undo lots of it. I don't think I can see his movies anymore. They are super relentless and tense with some big bummer endings. It is not particularly either a pleasurable or cathartic experience for me. But whatever, I keep looking at von Trier's movies even though they're also like punches in the face and kicks in the gut, so I'm sure I'll be back.

Comments

[trooper6.livejournal.com]

See I quite liked Babel...and I think Jennifer Hudson's win was criminal. She was just not better than Adrianna Barazza or Rinku Kikuchi. I really think one of them should have won. I would have like Children of Men to have gotten adapted screenplay too. I think it was up for...cinematography or editing? It would have been nice to see it take that too.

But I was happy with Babel's nominations...I would have liked it to have won Best Picture...but I'm very glad Marty got director.

SPOILERS IN MY COMMENT!!

[raybear.livejournal.com]

Since the Hudson win was so talked about and expected, it didn't really effect me. And oh yes, Children of Men was up for cinematography and it REALLY should have won that. There was some fcking brilliant camerawork in the movie.

I was totally with Babel, until the story with Amelia and the kids coming back from Mexico got all crazy -- the nephew breaking through the gate, dropping them in the desert and never coming back, wandering around....it just lost me. I was like, this is just TOO much. And then to go even more with the crazy plot twists, she flags down border patrol and they go back for the kids -- and they're mysteriously gone!! Except they're found but we don't really see that! All of that seemed like unnecessary and ridiculous plot to get to the important scene of her at immigration getting deported. It just didn't match the narrative pace for me at all, and pushed it into ridiculous plot territory that lost me.

[fuzzilla.livejournal.com]

I loved "The Departed." Didn't see "Children of Men." Didn't see "Babel" but have heard lots of "eh" things about it.

Last night I said Meryl Streep's necklace was a jellyfish gonna eat her and Nicole Kidman was pickin' apples and that big bow thing was a sack to throw 'em into.

[raybear.livejournal.com]

The people I know who saw The Departed gave reviews ranging from "eh" to "utterly ridiculous parody of cop movies". I suppose I'll watch it on dvd, but really, do I need to see another movie with straight white running around playing cops and robbers? There are ten a year. And sure, Scorsese deserves an Oscar but it just seems so obviously more about correcting a mistake than honoring recent work. That's why I didn't care if he got best director, but ANY of the other ones could have gotten best picture.

Children of Men is number one on my list of the best movies of 2006 and I suspect it would be in my top 10 or 20 best of all time list.

Babel isn't at all "eh" while you're watching. It's totally compelling and gripping. Though using the word 'gripping' to describe a movie makes me sound like Ebert and/or Roeper. But its true. Its just sort of a hot mess at the end.

I thought that Nicole Kidman looked like she should have be reclining on a sports car in a poster in a 16 yo's bedroom.

[fuzzilla.livejournal.com]

I thought "The Departed" had really snappy dialogue. It had expert pacing and tension. But what really sold me was relating to Leo DiCaprio's character, the guy who lost his family, has no one to turn to, everyone thinks he's just trash, but he actually wants to do the right thing and does. And they contrast that with Matt Damon's character, the golden boy with the world on a string who's actually a total shit. It was the biblical good son/bad son dichotomy that really got me. I dunno, I thought it was much more than some disposable cop flick, a genre of which I'm generally not a fan.

I was a bit remiss on seeing the Oscar nominees this year. I only saw a couple. I do remember that very often my favorite film of the year is nominated for Best Screenplay and nothing else (such as "Dirty Pretty Things" from...2004?).

[sharkysmachine.livejournal.com]

HAHAHAHA. Omg, I was all looking for the cut. I am so certain that conversation will be cannibalized for upcoming Paris Review submissions.

IT WAS JUST THAT GOOD.