golden gab

Well, I'm trying not to be too bitter this evening as I slave over scrubbing my toilets while Anne Hathaway's having pecan crusted halibut. Nope, there's no time for what ifs and why nots as it has been an amazing season for Oscar this year, friends! Mama has been in heaven with all the crying and carrying on. May I just say that Melissa Leo was brilliant in Frozen River and should win? Man, oh, man. I will italicize the should part because the voters won't let her have it. Such a shame, too. Oh, well, she got to strut her stuff tonight on the Independent Spirit Awards. I love that show...tables full of artistos, booze, normal looking mugs, dirty language and for the night...small films reign as king! Some guy from Austin won with a budget of 500 grand (on his MasterCard). Ya gotta love it! Anyhoo, Sean Penn simply must pull it off tomorrow and carry the golden man away by his little bald head or the world just isn't right. He was amazing as Harvey Milk. It was my fave picture of the year, folks. I thought Slumdog Millionaire was really terrific but Milk's screenplay (written by a guy that looks about 17) was sharp, perfectly structured and as lean and mean as Rocky used to be before he got into a dead-end marriage with Adrian and turned old and chunky! Gus shot a good one all the way around. The Reader, I thought was very good. It is always a pleasure to see the incomparable Lena Olin...both beautiful as a craftsman and on the outside as well. Her scene with Mr. Fiennes was lovely and the film's story, very moving. Kate's brown contacts distracted me though and the age make-up didn't work. I have a problem with the old-age/actor thing. It is generally not very convincing; the exception being Benjamin Button though...more about that later.

I liked all the flicks this year..except I didn't get a chance to catch Frost/Nixon..but am looking forward to seeing what appears to be Langella's evil twin as the biggest creep in showbiz and politics..ole Dick! He won the Tony for it and I can see why! Oh, yeah..and how lucky does an actor (Michael Sheen) get when he not only happens to look like Tony Blair (he was fab in The Queen, great flick..btw) and David Frost? In not one but two Oscar nom'd flicks! Good grief. Some thespians have all the luck. Danny Boyle's Slumdog was really good but difficult for this mama to watch. The children were lovely and heartbreaking in it and that girl was absolutely gorgeous. My hubby and I agree that she is the only one that rivals ole Angie in the looks department.

Oh...I could just blog on and on for an ice age, people...Benjamin Button was a nice film, I thought..very Gump-ish and the special effects nowadays..Jeesh. Can ya believe it? I was stunned at how seamless it was done. As I said before, I am very picky when it comes to make-up. Don't even get me going on Pitt's 20 year old self. Listen, if I had the dough, I'd find who it was (he, she or p.c.) that can youth-ify a mug like that and I would lay down that green to strut that young me all over this town! It reminded me of what he looked like in Thelma and Louise..his break-out role way back when. But even without the tugs and computer tweeks, in his-off-the-red-carpet, daily life w/ his 12 kids...he still looks mighty good. Yep, he's Mama's age..a contemporary..but what makes the crows feet and lines look good on the mid-forty guys and not so much on the gals? Aw, hell, one of life's great ironies, I guess. Like I said, I could just ramble away about more films but I'll attempt to close my yapper and get busy putting our par-tay together for tomorrow and turning my living room into Trader Vics. (And we all know that no Oscar year would be the same if you didn't have the really scary movies. Not Friday the 13th...Last Chance Harvey. That frightens the bejesus right outta me, kids. And all I saw was the trailer! Whoever thought Emma and Dustin go together, should be fired immediately and sent back to McDonalds to scorch up some fries).

Yep, from Jenkins' introspective beauty to Heath's ferocity..well, this ole drama queen got her money's worth this year! I'm going to be blubbering like a newborn baby when Ledger's peeps go up on that stage to accept. He will win and I'll be damn happy about it. And while I'm pretending to be Siskel....he absolutely, unequivocally, should have won for Brokeback. End of story. His Ennis was a quiet storm that kept me riveted from beginning to end. The Dark Knight performance was also outstanding...giving us a new and improved Joker like never before. It is an ultimate shame to lose all these kids...so talented and with the world by the tail. I just don't get it. But after losing a brother to addiction, I know how insidious it can be. Very sad...he gifted the screen only for a short while and I thank him for that. Sometimes the demons are just too tough to wrangle. Sleep well, Heath...tonight your star will shine.