THE OSCAR BEACHHOUSE BLOG

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Elizabeth Taylor has passed away.

CNN has reported that Elizabeth Taylor passed away at the age of 79, from congestive heart failure. A five-time nominee, and three-time Oscar recipient, twice for performing (for Butterfield 8 in 1960, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf in 1966), and once for her humanitarian work. Off-screen, she was as notorious as on, racking up eight total marriages, to seven different men. Her affair with Richard Burton is the stuff of legend. In the 50s and 60s, she and Marilyn Monroe WERE the epitome of the Hollywood sex symbol.

When she accepted her honorary Oscar, she said "I call upon you to draw from the depths of your being -- to prove that we are a human race, to prove that our love outweighs our need to hate, that our compassion is more compelling than our need to blame." But I think this statement, made by her around the time she turned 50, sums her up the best.....

"I don't entirely approve of some of the things I have done, or am, or have been. But I'm me. God knows, I'm me."

She will be remembered as one of the greatest names in Hollywood history, and one of the most beautiful women to ever grace us with her prescence. RIP Liz.

http://http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=636902&GT1=28101

Notable filmography includes:

National Velvet (1944)
Father of the Bride (1950)
A Place in the Sun (1951)
Ivanhoe (1952)
Giant (1956)
Raintree County (1957)
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
Butterfield 8 (1960)
Cleopatra (1963)

Monday, March 14, 2011

Steven Soderbergh is retiring???

Just found this online and thought it was interesting. One of the few men to ever be nominated for Best Director for 2 different films in the same year.

http://http://omg.yahoo.com/news/steven-soderbergh-plans-to-retire-from-filmmaking/58382

Interesting. I wonder if this one is actually for real, or if we have another case of Amanda Bynes "I'm not gonna do it anymore" syndrome going around. Time will tell.

Monday, March 7, 2011

2010 BEACHHOUSE AWARDS WINNERS

In all the craziness of the Oscars, as well as my computer situation, I just realized that I never announced my winners for my own personal awards of the year, the Beachhouse Awards.
So, here are my choices.

BEST SCENE/SEQUENCE
Black Swan -- Nina's Final Transformation

BEST BREAKTHROUGH FILMMAKER
David Michod "Animal Kingdom"

BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Jennifer Lawrence "Winter's Bone"

BEST COMEDY FILM
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Carlos

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Black Sheep" -- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
How To Train Your Dragon

BEST MAKEUP
The Wolfman

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Inception

BEST SOUND EDITING
How To Train Your Dragon

BEST SOUND MIXING
Inception

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Alice In Wonderland

BEST ART DIRECTION
Inception

BEST FILM EDITING
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Inception

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
How To Train Your Dragon

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Social Network

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Inception

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
The Social Network

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Olivia Williams "The Ghost Writer"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale "The Fighter"

BEST ACTRESS
Natalie Portman "Black Swan"

BEST ACTOR
Colin Firth "The King's Speech"

BEST DIRECTOR
Christopher Nolan "Inception"

BEST PICTURE
The Social Network

Winners by #'s

INCEPTION -- 6 Wins
--Best Director (Christopher Nolan)
--Best Original Screenplay
--Best Cinematography
--Best Art Direction
--Best Sound Mixing
--Best Visual Effects

THE SOCIAL NETWORK -- 3 Wins
--Best Picture
--Best Ensemble Cast
--Best Adapted Screenplay

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON -- 3 Wins
--Best Animated Feature
--Best Sound Editing
--Best Original Score

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD -- 3 Wins
--Best Film Editing
--Best Original Song "Black Sheep"
--Best Comedy Film

BLACK SWAN -- 2 Wins
--Best Actress (Natalie Portman)
--Best Scene/Sequence -- Nina's Final Transformation

THE KING'S SPEECH -- 1 Win
--Best Actor (Colin Firth)

THE FIGHTER -- 1 Win
--Best Supporting Actor (Christian Bale)

THE GHOST WRITER -- 1 Win
--Best Supporting Actress (Olivia Williams)

ALICE IN WONDERLAND -- 1 Win
--Best Costume Design

THE WOLFMAN -- 1 Win
--Best Makeup

CARLOS -- 1 Win
--Best Foreign Language Film

WINTER'S BONE -- 1 Win
--Best Breakthrough Performance (Jennifer Lawrence)

ANIMAL KINGDOM -- 1 Win
--Best Breakthrough Filmmaker (David Michod)

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Academy Award Winners 2010

So out of 24 categories, I got 15 correct, with 6 alternates, and missed 3 categories. Unfortunately not great, but not too bad, considering the widespread love they gave out this year. The King's Speech & Inception took home 4 Oscars each, The Social Network with 3. Two awards were given to The Fighter, Toy Story 3 & Alice in Wonderland, and all other films, including Black Swan, The Wolfman, In a Better World, Inside Job, and the short films, each took home 1 Oscar. Here are your official 2010 Academy Award winners, and how I did with my predictions...

Best Picture
THE KING'S SPEECH
[Correct]

Best Director
TOM HOOPER -- "THE KING'S SPEECH"
[Alternate]

Best Actor
COLIN FIRTH -- "THE KING'S SPEECH"
[Correct]

Best Actress
NATALIE PORTMAN -- "BLACK SWAN"
[Correct]

Best Supporting Actor
CHRISTIAN BALE -- "THE FIGHTER"
[Correct]

Best Supporting Actress
MELISSA LEO -- "THE FIGHTER"
[Correct]

Best Original Screenplay
THE KING'S SPEECH
[Correct]

Best Adapted Screenplay
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
[Correct]

Best Animated Feature
TOY STORY 3
[Correct]

Best Cinematography
INCEPTION
[Alternate]

Best Film Editing
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
[Correct]

Best Art Direction
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
[Alternate]

Best Costume Design
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
[Correct]

Best Sound Mixing
INCEPTION
[Correct]

Best Sound Editing
INCEPTION
[Correct]

Best Visual Effects
INCEPTION
[Correct]

Best Makeup
THE WOLFMAN
[Correct]

Best Original Score
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
[Alternate]

Best Original Song
"WE BELONG TOGETHER" -- TOY STORY 3
[Missed]

Best Foreign Language Film
IN A BETTER WORLD
[Alternate]

Best Documentary Feature
INSIDE JOB
[Correct]

Best Documentary Short Subject
STRANGERS NO MORE
[Alternate]

Best Live-Action Short Film
GOD OF LOVE
[Missed]

Best Animated Short Film
THE LOST THING
[Missed]

FINAL OSCAR WINNER PREDICTIONS 2010

Here, at long last, are my final predictions for this year's Oscars. Way too much thought has probably gone into these. Unfortunately since I'm on a friend's computer, I don't have to write up a full commentary/thoughts on each category like last year, but that's ok.

Believe me, there is at least a paragraph worth of thoughts in each category. If you got a chance to read my interview for Paste Magazine, you have quite a few of them already there, at least in the major categories. If not, you can read it here: http://www.pastemagazine.com/ Just scroll down a little, and on the left side, under "features", you see the article "Predicting the Oscars: An Oscar blogger breaks it down".

So here are my choices. Enjoy, and good luck in your Oscar polls everyone!!!

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Should Win: Day & Night
WILL WIN: DAY & NIGHT
Alternate: The Gruffalo

WINNER: THE LOST THING (missed)

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM
Should Win: Na Wewe
WILL WIN: NA WEWE
Alternate: The Confession

WINNER: GOD OF LOVE (missed)

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Should Win: Killing in the Name
WILL WIN: KILLING IN THE NAME
Alternate: Strangers No More

WINNER: STRANGERS NO MORE (alternate)

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Should Win: Exit Through the Gift Shop
WILL WIN: INSIDE JOB
Alternate: Exit Through the Gift Shop

WINNER: INSIDE JOB (correct)

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Should Win: Incendies
WILL WIN: INCENDIES
Alternate: In a Better World

WINNER: IN A BETTER WORLD (alternate)

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Should Win: "I See the Light" -- Tangled
WILL WIN: "IF I RISE" -- 127 HOURS
Alternate: "Coming Home" -- Country Strong

WINNER: "WE BELONG TOGETHER" - TOY STORY 3 (missed)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Should Win: How to Train Your Dragon
WILL WIN: THE KING'S SPEECH
Alternate: The Social Network

WINNER: THE SOCIAL NETWORK (alternate)

BEST MAKEUP
Should Win: The Wolfman
WILL WIN: THE WOLFMAN
Alternate: Barney's Version

WINNER: THE WOLFMAN (correct)

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Should Win: Inception
WILL WIN: INCEPTION
Alternate: Alice in Wonderland

WINNER: INCEPTION (correct)

BEST SOUND EDITING
Should Win: Inception
WILL WIN: INCEPTION
Alternate: True Grit

WINNER: INCEPTION (correct)

BEST SOUND MIXING
Should Win: Inception
WILL WIN: INCEPTION
Alternate: True Grit

WINNER: INCEPTION (correct)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Should Win: True Grit
WILL WIN: ALICE IN WONDERLAND
Alternate: True Grit

WINNER: ALICE IN WONDERLAND (correct)

BEST ART DIRECTION
Should Win: Inception
WILL WIN: INCEPTION
Alternate: Alice in Wonderland

WINNER: ALICE IN WONDERLAND (alternate)

BEST FILM EDITING
Should Win: The Social Network
WILL WIN: THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Alternate: The King's Speech

WINNER: THE SOCIAL NETWORK (correct)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Should Win: Black Swan or Inception
WILL WIN: TRUE GRIT
Alternate: Inception

WINNER: INCEPTION (alternate)

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Should Win: How to Train Your Dragon
WILL WIN: TOY STORY 3
Alternate: How to Train Your Dragon

WINNER: TOY STORY 3 (correct)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Should Win: The Social Network
WILL WIN: THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Alternate: True Grit

WINNER: THE SOCIAL NETWORK (correct)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Should Win: Inception
WILL WIN: THE KING'S SPEECH
Alternate: Inception

WINNER: THE KING'S SPEECH (correct)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Should Win: Hailee Steinfeld or Amy Adams
WILL WIN: MELISSA LEO "THE FIGHTER"
Alternate: Hailee Steinfeld "True Grit"

WINNER: MELISSA LEO "THE FIGHTER" (correct)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Should Win: Christian Bale or John Hawkes
WILL WIN: CHRISTIAN BALE "THE FIGHTER"
Alternate: Geoffrey Rush "The King's Speech"

WINNER: CHRISTIAN BALE "THE FIGHTER" (correct)

BEST ACTRESS
Should Win: Natalie Portman or Michelle Williams
WILL WIN: NATALIE PORTMAN "BLACK SWAN"
Alternate: Annette Bening "The Kids Are All Right"

WINNER: NATALIE PORTMAN "BLACK SWAN" (correct)

BEST ACTOR
Should Win: Colin Firth or Jesse Eisenberg
WILL WIN: COLIN FIRTH "THE KING'S SPEECH"
Alternate: James Franco "127 Hours"

WINNER: COLIN FIRTH "THE KING'S SPEECH" (correct)

BEST DIRECTOR
Should Win: David Fincher or Darren Aronofsky
WILL WIN: DAVID FINCHER "THE SOCIAL NETWORK"
Alternate: Tom Hooper "The King's Speech"

WINNER: TOM HOOPER "THE KING'S SPEECH" (alternate)

BEST PICTURE
Should Win: The Social Network, Black Swan, or Inception
WILL WIN: THE KING'S SPEECH
Alternate: The Social Network

WINNER: THE KING'S SPEECH (correct)

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Still no computer!....

This is KILLING me. Not only can I not do any proper updates to the blog, but I just caught up myself on about a week's worth of online info in 20 minutes. Not having a working computer...officially....SUCKS.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Lack of updates...

Hey followers.

Sorry for the lack of updates for the past week, but my computer unexpected died on me last week, and I have been without one ever since. I already have my eye on a new one, but not the funds to acquire such a machine. Actually, just to keep up, I'm at the library in Kennesaw, GA right now.

On the lighter side, I filmed a tv and online show for the "Daily Film Fix" website last week, and the segment has been edited and posted online. It was all about the Oscar snubs, predictions for winners, and etc...

Click here to see part 1:

http://blip.tv/file/4767137

Part two will be posted either later today or possibly tomorrow morning!

Enjoy!