Just as I’d suspected, In Her Shoes is good film…in spite of the fact that Cameron Diaz is one of the stars.  She wasn’t the best casting choice, especially to hold her own opposite the exceptional Toni Collette. Collette first won me over in 1994 as the ABBA-loving bride in Muriel’s Wedding.  In The Sixth Sense, she delivered a subtle yet powerful performance as Haley Joel Osment’s mom, resulting in her first and only Oscar nomination to date (for Best Supporting Actress). And in 2002, Collette had a small but pivotal and memorable role opposite Julianne Moore in The Hours.

 

My only thought throughout Just Like Heaven? What on earth were Reese and Ruffalo thinking when they signed on to this!? Yikes. It was difficult to watch Reese sleepwalk her way through a painfully predictable and formulaic film after just seeing her win the Best Actress Oscar. Hopefully her next choice will be worth the record-breaking $29 million dollar paycheck she’s now earning per film. Of course, Julia Roberts made $24 million for Mona Lisa Smile, and that was an expensive snoozer…

 

Matthew McConaughey was voted the sexiest man alive in 2005. Really? He is appealing, but is he a good actor? Are people too distracted by his pearly whites to notice or care?  Personally, I am distracted by his hairline (check it out in The Wedding Planner – it’s strange). And although I am drawn to some of his movies, I find myself ambivalent about his actual talent. The first time I saw him on screen was as Drew Barrymore’s boyfriend in Boys on the Side. Shortly after that he was touted as the next big thing when starred in the adaptation of John Grisham’s A Time to Kill. Yes, he has shown us his dramatic chops in quality films like Lone Star, Amistad, and U-571, but I prefer his comedic charm in EdTV.  He just signed on to star in Dear Deliah, playing a female advice columnist with a secret. Oh boy. Sounds a bit like Mrs. Doubtfire meets Little Black Book plus Someone Like You. Run, Forrest!
 

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ABC 

For the Grey’s Anatomy fans out there, here is a great site for afternoon procrastination: http://www.greyswriters.com/. Check every week for additional information and back story from the writers of each episode.

 

Alias has been off the air while Jennifer Garner was on maternity leave. But the final six episodes of the season and series will finally air next month (rumored to start on Wednesday nights, beginning April 19).

 

While I do not love Desperate Housewives these days, I have to admit I’m excited for Carol Burnett to guest star soon.

 

The last episode of Lost was fantastic. Bring on the rest of the new episodes already!

 

BRAVO


The finale of Project Runway was anticlimactic.

 

I’ll give Top Chef one episode to hook me in. It looks like Kitchen Confidential meets Iron Chef.  But will it succeed on this channel, or does it belong on the Food Network?

 

Season three of Blow Out begins soon. I can’t believe I watched the first two.

 

CBS


The Amazing Race and Survivor are the only two reasons my TiVo ever visits CBS.

 

FX


I love Rescue Me. The new season begins in early summer, and I hear that Susan Sarandon has a three episode guest arc!

 

I’m almost done watching the first two seasons of Nip/Tuck on DVD and look forward to the third.

 

FOX


Why did Bones move to Wednesdays at 9pm?!  FOX made the wrong decision, airing it opposite the juggernaut that is Lost.

 

HBO 

While I miss Six Feet Under more than any other series that has ended, I can’t wait for The Sopranos to start again on Sunday night. I’m also pretty enthusiastic about the debut of the new series airing right after it, Big Love. Anyone who knows and appreciates the quality and casting of HBO shows should tune in, just to watch Bill Paxton (Twister) as a polygamist with three wives and seven children. The wives are played by Ginnifer Goodwin (Johnny Cash’s first wife in Walk the Line), Chloë Sevigny (Boys Don’t Cry), and Jeanne Tripplehorn (The Firm).

 

In June, we will be treated to a new season of the brilliant Deadwood and the addictive Entourage should also be returning this summer as well. 

 

NBC


The Office continues to be fantastic. As much as I root for the Jim & Pam connection every week, their awkward tension just makes the show that much better.

 

Medium is a pretty compelling and intriguing show that more people should watch. The realistic family dynamic and interaction is what sets it apart from most other primetime dramas.

 

Scrubs now conflicts with The Amazing Race on Tuesday nights. I will never understand why NBC didn’t move it to Thursday nights, to a prime timeslot where it would be a natural fit and widen their dedicated fan base.

 

SHOWTIME


I continue to watch The L Word but it has lost its allure. Season one was fresh and fun, season two was average and this one induces more eye rolls than laughter or tears. The best thing about the show continues to be Leisha Hailey, who recently had a guest stint on Grey’s Anatomy. 

 

Weeds is pretty good, but I don’t watch it consistently. Mary Louise Parker is amazing, and I need to set my TiVo to catch up with the show.

 

It might seem like I watch an extraordinary amount of television, and that used to be the case. BT (before TiVo).  Now I ‘tape’ many shows and watch them when I please, not scheduling my life around their original air dates like the good old days.

 

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I am fascinated and mildly amused by the amount of grief and backlash directed my way, simply because I am not, nor have I ever been, on the Crash bandwagon. I’m being called bitter, when in fact it is disappointment.  I am entitled to be frustrated and affected by an Oscar win or loss – I invest and devote a good deal of emotion and time to the movies each year. Peruse the numerous post-Oscar articles and analysis by well-respected film critics online; in spite of the many shaking heads of disbelief at my opinion about Crash, I’m certainly not the only person who feels this strongly about the newly crowned Best Picture.

However liberal I might be, my dislike of Crash has nothing to do with the fact that I love Brokeback Mountain. I also really like Capote and Good Night, and Good Luck. In my personal opinion, these other three nominated films are superior to Crash. It disturbs me that some folks are attributing hidden Hollywood homophobia as the reason that Brokeback didn’t win Best Picture. Give me a break.

Let’s be honest, Crash is no less a controversial choice than Brokeback; the film holds up a realistic and sometimes uncomfortable mirror to the world, delving deep into racism from many angles previously unexplored and unexposed on the big screen. The simple truth is that Crash had increasing momentum due to serious word-of-mouth, fantastic marketing/Oscar campaigning and an early DVD release, propelling it to the top of many voter ballots tipped pretty far to the left, and the entertainment industry certainly wasn’t afraid of upsetting red-state.

The passionate response to Crash is widespread and impressive, and I appreciate any film that elicits so much discussion and debate.  In the long run, both films will prove integral to the growing canon of influential films illuminating important social issues.

All in all, it is a matter of personal choice; for different reasons, I share the same enthusiasm for Brokeback that most of my detractors have for Crash.

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Nothing kills a good champagne buzz like a shocking win for Best Picture. I’m too stunned and appalled to analyze how and why Crash won over Brokeback Mountain, so I’ll avoid it for the time being.


Host Jon Stewart was pretty funny, and a definite improvement from the last several years. I need to watch the show again on TiVo because I was at an Oscar party and did not hear some of his gems.


I’ll break down my initial impressions of the winners by category.


ACTOR – LEADING

Won: Philip Seymour Hoffman

Should have won: Heath Ledger


Hoffman altered his voice and dropped a few pounds to play Truman Capote. He is a veteran of independent film, and has played far more challenging roles. I really enjoyed Capote but did not feel that Hoffman was transformative. On the other hand, Ledger was compelling and heartbreaking in laceName w:st=”on”>BrokebacklaceName> laceType w:st=”on”>MountainlaceType>. He clearly reached deeper than he’d ever been before as an actor, traveled far outside of his comfort zone and delivered a career-altering performance.


ACTOR – SUPPORTING
Won: George Clooney


I did not see Syriana, but I will. I’m happy for Clooney. It seems this year the Academy is awarding the men for altering their physical appearance; both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor underwent obvious weight fluctuation for their roles. And yet Felicity Huffman was snubbed for the most daring renovation of all – playing
a man who becomes a woman…

ACTRESS – LEADING

Won: Reese Witherspoon

Should have won: Felicity Huffman


Witherspoon saved Walk the Line. It is a good movie but her spirit and incandescent persona are what make the film. I am a big Reese fan, but this was a safe role, one that didn’t require much reach. She’s a Southern gal playing one of her Southern idols. Yes, she learned how to sing, and sing well, but Witherspoon’s best work was in Election.  Felicity Huffman may be more recognized for her television career, but her role in Transamerica is on par with Charlize Theron’s in Monster and Hilary Swank’s in Boys Don’t Cry.

ACTRESS – SUPPORTING

Won: Rachel Weisz

Should have won: Michelle Williams


To me, the women in this category anchored the films they were nominated for. Without them, the movies would have suffered greatly. I’m glad that Weisz has finally broken away from The Mummy, but I hope winning this category won’t affect her future work (see: Mercedes Ruehl, Marisa Tomei, Mira Sorvino, and Kim Basinger). The good news is that she is next starring in The Fountain, an Ayn Rand adaptation directed by her fiancé Darren Aronofsky. And although Michelle Williams didn’t win, she has officially arrived; Dawson’s Creek is now a distant memory, and Brokeback should open new doors for her.

BEST PICTURE

Won: Crash

Should have won: Brokeback Mountain


The only shocker of the night. I was in denial about the strong word of mouth support and momentum behind the film, as well as the power of a Best Picture released on DVD before Oscar ballots are due.  I need to sleep on it and get back to you, but I’m very surprised and disappointed.

ORIGINAL SONG
Won: Hard Out Here for a Pimp (Hustle & Flow)


Admittedly, it was a poor year for original songs in film. And to be fair, this song is catchy. The music in Hustle & Flow was the only highlight of the entire movie, if you ask me. But the Academy’s requirements for original music in a film are so asinine that Emmylou Harris was denied a nomination for her original song in Brokeback Mountain solely because it didn’t play long enough in a scene to qualify.
 

I don’t have the heart or energy to comment right now about the rest of the categories. Stay tuned for more analysis after I sleep and recover from the Crash upset.
 

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Today is Oscar Sunday, my Super Bowl. I am spending all day in front of the TV, absorbing the ridiculous ‘pre-game’ coverage until show time.   

 

Here are my official predictions for some of the major categories; those who will win, those who deserve to win, those who were snubbed and a few potential spoilers.

 

ACTOR – LEADING

Will win: Philip Seymour Hoffman

Should win: Heath Ledger

Should have been nominated: Jeff Daniels (The Squid and the Whale), Viggo Mortensen (A History of Violence)

 

ACTOR – SUPPORTING (the toughest category by far)

Will win: Paul Giamatti

Should win: George Clooney

Spoiler: Matt Dillon

 

ACTRESS – LEADING

Will win: Reese Witherspoon

Should win: Felicity Huffman

Should have been nominated: Maria Bello (A History of Violence), Laura Linney (The Squid and the Whale)

 

ACTRESS – SUPPORTING

Will win: Rachel Weisz

Should win: Michelle Williams

Spoiler: Amy Adams

 

ANIMATED FEATURE

Will win: Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Should win: Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride

 

ART DIRECTION

Will win: Memoirs of a Geisha

Should win: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

 

BEST PICTURE

Will win: Brokeback Mountain

Should win: Brokeback Mountain

Spoiler: Crash

 

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Will win: Brokeback Mountain

Should win: Brokeback Mountain

Spoiler: Good Night, and Good Luck

 

DIRECTING

Will win: Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee)

Should win: Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee)

Spoilers: Munich (Spielberg), Good Night, and Good Luck (Clooney)

Should have been nominated: David Cronenberg (A History of Violence)
 

FILM EDITING

Will win: Crash

Should win: Walk the Line

 

MAKEUP

Will win: Star Wars: Episode III

Should win: Star Wars: Episode III

 

ORIGINAL SCORE

Will win: Brokeback Mountain

Should win: Brokeback Mountain

 

ORIGINAL SONG

Will win: Travelin’ Thru (Transamerica)

Should win: Travelin’ Thru (Transamerica)

 

SCREENPLAY – ADAPTED

Will win: Brokeback Mountain

Should win: Brokeback Mountain

Spoiler: Capote

 

SCREENPLAY – ORIGINAL

Will win: Crash

Should win: The Squid and the Whale

Spoiler: Match Point

 

SOUND MIXING

Will win: King Kong

Should win: Walk the Line

 

VISUAL EFFECTS

Will win: King Kong

Should win: War of the World

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I am not conservative. But in my opinion, the marketplace for frat boy humor in the movies has become oversaturated. Yes, Old School is funny, as are Anchorman and Dodgeball. But Wedding Crashers is too long and much less entertaining, and the few laugh-out-loud moments were all on the trailer.

 

By the way, is there an unwritten rule that Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, and Owen and/or Luke Wilson must all cameo in each other’s films?

 

Will Vaughn’s supposed relationship with Jennifer Aniston affect his box office success? We’ll see when the aptly named The Breakup comes out later this year. To me, Vaughn is a better actor when he is given the opportunity to shine in scenery-stealing moments without his boy posse (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Be Cool). He is a pretty decent dramatic actor as well; early in his career, he had some quality performances in movies like Clay Pigeons and Return to Paradise. That being said, I found Vaughn to be distracting and seemingly out of place in last year’s Thumbsucker. Is he trying to reestablish the ‘indie cred’ that put him on the map when he starred in 1996’s Swingers?

 

Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers may have paid his bills for life, but when it comes to Ben Stiller, I recommend Keeping the Faith, an undervalued comedy co-starring and directed by an unusually funny Edward Norton. Stiller made six movies in 2004, one too many for the viewing public to ingest – Envy was the only film among the six that did not connect with audiences that year, resulting in one of Stiller’s few big screen financial failures (Duplex bombed badly in 2003).

 

I’m not sure what the appeal is with Owen Wilson. He alternates action movies with comedies and independent films, and has the most diversified canon of work among his frat boy counterparts. But that’s about all I can say for the guy. His brother Luke, on the other hand, has achieved more mainstream success with the Legally Blonde and Charlie’s Angels franchises, and he was great in both Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums. 

 

And then there is Will Ferrell, probably the most popular kid in this clubhouse. He has tried his hand at a thinly veiled Woody Allen impersonation (Melinda and Melinda) and a man-child from the North Pole (Elf), but Ferrell may forever be known as Frank the Tank from Old School. He will probably stay golden with two of his next efforts: Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, a NASCAR comedy helmed by Anchorman director Adam McKay, and Blades of Glory, an Olympic ice skating satire co-starring Will Arnett (Arrested

Development) that is currently in production.

 

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Meg Ryan’s monster success as the Queen of Feel-Good Date Movies is long gone. Outside of Julia Roberts, there are no clear successors to Ryan’s romantic comedy reign, but Kate Hudson (How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Raising Helen) is doing her best. Drew Barrymore is charming but inconsistent (Never Been Kissed, Fever Pitch). I love Diane Lane, but Must Love Dogs felt a tad stale (John Cusack was much better in Serendipity but should stick to films like High Fidelity). And from now on, it would be great if both Amanda Peet and Cameron Diaz would avoid this genre altogether. So when it comes to contemporary romantic comedies, I’ll stick with movies like Love Actually or Hitch.

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