Tag Archives: best actress

Feb25

Maverick, Goose and Oscar

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It turns out 1986 was a big year for me, and I didn’t even know it. I was 7.

To the best of my recollection, it’s the year that I saw my first-ever movie in the theater.

TOP GUN

"I feel the need ... the need for speed."

I know. You’re probably wondering what in the hell my parents were doing bringing a seven-year-old to see Top Gun when Maverick and Charlie are gettin’ a little, you know. Mmm hmm. BUT, it turns out that it was only rated PG (And duh, it’s not like they showed anything — it was 1986 after all).

I guess my dad liked the movie so much that he and my mom saw it in the theater by themselves, deemed it was appropriate, and then brought me the second time (it’s still undetermined if they brought my three-year-old brother). Honestly, they probably just couldn’t find a babysitter.

My parents also watched the movie numerous times on VHS tape (remember those! weren’t they quaint?).

You guys have to realize something. My parents have been to a movie theater so infrequently over the course of my lifetime, that the last movie they saw in the theater might have been Top Gun. So for them to see the movie multiple times in the theater, followed by 12 viewings on VHS, they must have really, really liked it, right??

When I asked my dad what he liked about the movie so much, he said, “I guess I thought it was a good movie.”

Yes, I think that much is obvious.

Knowing my dad, I’m sure what he loved was the action sequences, the fighter jets, the fact that the job was so intense that pilots like Cougar freaked out and quit, the loyalty between Maverick and Goose, and obviously that they used the word “bogeys.” I mean, that’s just a funny word.

My dad is a huge war movie buff, and you could say he has a need … a need, for speed. So this whole movie is right up his wheelhouse.

Speaking of classic movie lines, Top Gun also has given us the, “It’s classified. I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you,” line, and the, “Take me to bed or lose me forever,” line.

I think I’m going to try to use this line in my daily dialogue: “Son, your ego is writing checks your body can’t cash.”

I think it really gets the point across, don’t you?

And the flybys on the tower bit? That was pretty funny shit.

Of course, there’s the bar scene where Charlie has lost that lovin’ feeling. I actually liked that song and that scene so much that I played the VHS tape and used my first-ever tape recorder to record the song off the TV onto cassette tape. And then I would practice singing that song over, and over, and over again.

Oh, and we mustn’t forget the beach volleyball scene. I’m come to appreciate it more as I’ve aged. And now that I’m aged, I’m 100% convinced this scene was included so that all the girlfriends and wives wouldn’t complain about being dragged along to a movie about fighter jets and MiGs.

Plus there’s Tom Skerritt, whom I absolutely adore, Goosey-goose Anthony Edwards, a very young Meg Ryan and Tom Cruise in his prime Tom Cruise years. When he’s the most Tom Cruisiest.

Mmmm

Dang, this WAS a good movie. I’m going to need to watch it again soon. Good thing I upgraded my own VHS copy to DVD a few years back.

So, what EXACTLY, is my point with all this nostalgic movie nonsense? Um, well, the 83rd Academy Awards happen to be Sunday night on ABC, starting at 7:30 p.m. CST (7:00 if you want to see some red carpet).

And I LOVE MOVIES.

Apparently it all started with Top Gun.

So, since I LOVE movies, I thought I would go ahead and make my 2011 Oscar predictions. Because I’m a dork like that. I’ll be hosting an Oscar viewing party for one, and heck, I may even use this printable ballot to see how I’m doing (cuz like I said, I’m a dork and I like to compete against myself).

For only the second year, the Academy is honoring 10 movies in the Best Picture category instead of the traditional 5. I think this was kind of a dumb move (can you say MONEY??), because really, Toy Story 3 was great and all, but nominating it for a Best Picture Oscar? Give me a break. But anyway, Husband and I managed to see 8 of the 10 Best Picture nominated movies (thank you Marcus Theaters $5 Spotlight movie club). And I have to say, this year’s nominated films, are IN-credible. Probably the best crop of movies in a looong time. Unlike so many other years when the films are stuffy and too art-housy (Gosford Park, anyone?), this year the films are relatable, contemporary, inspiring and gripping. They are flat out phenomenal. If there’s ever a year to see a nominated movie, this is it.

Incidentally, the only movies we didn’t see were 127 Hours, which I’d still like to see but isn’t in theaters anymore or On Demand yet, and Black Swan which I purposely didn’t want to see after hearing from friends that it’s a psychological minefield that haunts you for days afterward. Yuck. I don’t do well with those kinds of movies — I can’t sleep.

Now, on to my predictions! (my choices in bold — I stuck with the major categories)

Best Picture

  • “Black Swan” Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers
  • “The Fighter” David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers
  • “Inception” Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers
  • “The Kids Are All Right” Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers
  • “The King’s Speech” Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers
  • “127 Hours” Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers
  • “The Social Network” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
  • “Toy Story 3” Darla K. Anderson, Producer
  • “True Grit” Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
  • “Winter’s Bone” Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers

As much as I would LOVE to see The Fighter win Best Picture, I think it’s going to go to The King’s Speech. It would be so poetic too — to see a movie about an underdog boxer take on and win over the movie about the ruling King. Alas, I don’t think it will happen. The good news is that both The Fighter and The King’s Speech were just phenomenal movies — as was The Social Network, which is widely considered to be the top contender against The King’s Speech to take home the Oscar for Best Picture.

Directing

  • “Black Swan” Darren Aronofsky
  • “The Fighter” David O. Russell
  • “The King’s Speech” Tom Hooper
  • “The Social Network” David Fincher
  • “True Grit” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Actor in a Leading Role

  • Javier Bardem in “Biutiful”
  • Jeff Bridges in “True Grit”
  • Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network”
  • Colin Firth in “The King’s Speech”
  • James Franco in “127 Hours”

Actress in a Leading Role

  • Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right”
  • Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole”
  • Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter’s Bone”
  • Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”
  • Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine”

Actor in a Supporting Role

  • Christian Bale in “The Fighter”
  • John Hawkes in “Winter’s Bone”
  • Jeremy Renner in “The Town”
  • Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right”
  • Geoffrey Rush in “The King’s Speech”

Actress in a Supporting Role

  • Amy Adams in “The Fighter”
  • Helena Bonham Carter in “The King’s Speech”
  • Melissa Leo in “The Fighter”
  • Hailee Steinfeld in “True Grit”
  • Jacki Weaver in “Animal Kingdom”

Animated Feature Film

  • “How to Train Your Dragon” Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois
  • “The Illusionist” Sylvain Chomet
  • “Toy Story 3” Lee Unkrich

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

  • “127 Hours” Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
  • “The Social Network” Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
  • “Toy Story 3” Screenplay by Michael Arndt; Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
  • “True Grit” Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
  • “Winter’s Bone” Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

Writing (Original Screenplay)

  • “Another Year” Written by Mike Leigh
  • “The Fighter” Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson;
    Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson
  • “Inception” Written by Christopher Nolan
  • “The Kids Are All Right” Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg
  • “The King’s Speech” Screenplay by David Seidler

Art Direction

  • “Alice in Wonderland”
    Production Design: Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Karen O’Hara
  • “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1”
    Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
  • “Inception”
    Production Design: Guy Hendrix Dyas; Set Decoration: Larry Dias and Doug Mowat
  • “The King’s Speech”
    Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Judy Farr
  • “True Grit”
    Production Design: Jess Gonchor; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh

Cinematography

  • “Black Swan” Matthew Libatique
  • “Inception” Wally Pfister
  • “The King’s Speech” Danny Cohen
  • “The Social Network” Jeff Cronenweth
  • “True Grit” Roger Deakins

Costume Design

  • “Alice in Wonderland” Colleen Atwood
  • “I Am Love” Antonella Cannarozzi
  • “The King’s Speech” Jenny Beavan
  • “The Tempest” Sandy Powell
  • “True Grit” Mary Zophres

Film Editing

  • “Black Swan” Andrew Weisblum
  • “The Fighter” Pamela Martin
  • “The King’s Speech” Tariq Anwar
  • “127 Hours” Jon Harris
  • “The Social Network” Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

Music (Original Score)

  • “How to Train Your Dragon” John Powell
  • “Inception” Hans Zimmer
  • “The King’s Speech” Alexandre Desplat
  • “127 Hours” A.R. Rahman
  • “The Social Network” Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Music (Original Song)

  • “Coming Home” from “Country Strong” Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey
  • “I See the Light” from “Tangled” Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater
  • “If I Rise” from “127 Hours” Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong
  • “We Belong Together” from “Toy Story 3″ Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Sound Editing

  • “Inception” Richard King
  • “Toy Story 3” Tom Myers and Michael Silvers
  • “Tron: Legacy” Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague
  • “True Grit” Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey
  • “Unstoppable” Mark P. Stoeckinger

Sound Mixing

  • “Inception” Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick
  • “The King’s Speech” Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley
  • “Salt” Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin
  • “The Social Network” Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten
  • “True Grit” Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland

Happy viewing!

What was the first movie you remember seeing in the movie theater? What movie has had the greatest impact on you? Do you watch the Oscars? Who do you think will win?