Sean Penn is an Ass

Really, that's the only noteworthy thing to say about the Oscars, because everything else went pretty much as expected. Chris Rock was funny, Million Dollar Baby, Foxx, Swank, Freeman, Blanchett all won. I was wrong about Martin Scorsese, but I'm glad Eastwood won. I'm sure Scorsese can get back to the ceremony with a better film than The Aviator.

Now on the Sean Penn thing. Can people just not take a damn joke? It was pretty funny, and Rock even made himself a target. Also, there was a huge contrast with Sean Penn and Tim Robbins. Rock made a joke about Robbins "boring us with politics", and Tim was laughing as he walked out on the stage. Now he's a great actor, but I got the feeling that he has a sense of humor about himself. I'm sure his politics is more important to him than Jude Law is to Sean Penn (or maybe not? gossip?), so there's really no reason for Sean Penn to get an attitude about it.

Walk on Water

So I joined this film club called the Key Sunday Cinema Club. For a seasonal membership, you get to see independent/foreign films ahead of their release date. They often have people involved in the making of the film in attendance, with a Q&A session afterwards. I joined the club for the first time two weeks ago and the first film I saw was the incredibly touching Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill.

Today's film was Walk on Water, from Israeli director Eytan Fox. It's about Eyal, an Israeli intelligence officer who is forced to befriend the grandchildren of a Nazi that is thought to still be alive. Most of the film revolves around the relationship developed between Eyal and Axel, the gay grandson. The film noticeably avoids spending time to develop the relationship between Eyal and Pia, the very straight granddaughter. This causes some major problems for the way the film ends. Also, the film never seems sure about the meaning of the relationship between Eyal and Axel. There is definitely a homoerotic vibe going on in their scenes together, but it's not clear whether Eyal feels this himself or if he is using Axel. The surprisingly saccharine ending does not help matters. I have no problem with ambiguity, but this film takes it so far that it seems to be hopelessly confused about its own characters.

I'll post a link to my full review when I finish it.

It's Called "Television Without Pity", People

For those that haven't visited Television Without Pity, it's a great site that offers detailed, but extremely sarcastic recaps of prime time television shows. There are plenty of recaps of terrible shows like 7th Heaven, but they also recap quality shows such as Gilmore Girls and Lost. The thing is, you have to have a thick skin (or at least a good sense of humor) to read recaps of your favorite shows, because they will turn on the snark for even the best of shows.

I bring all of this up because the recap of the latest Gilmore Girls episode is something to behold. It's a hilariously bitter recap that targets those who can't stand someone making fun of their favorite show. Regular Gilmore Girls recapper Pamie has recently come under attack from some people for the perceived hostility in her writing, and she responds in brutal fashion. Check it out here

I saw the Independent Spirit Awards and was extremely pleased with the winners. Not only did Sideways and Catalino Sandino Moreno win the major awards, but Garden State won for Best First Film. It was one of my favorite films from last year and I'm glad it finally got recognized for something.

Also, if you've noticed, I've made some additions to the sidebar. You can now see the last 10 films I've seen and the last 10 TV episodes I've seen, along with ratings (on a standard letter grade scale) for each.

Can the Duff Sisters Please Go Away Now?

Over the last season and a half, no television show has been more affecting or more thought provoking than Joan of Arcadia. Unfortunately, the show has taken a big stumble in the past few weeks. In an attempt to improve sagging ratings, the last few weeks have featured sisters Hilary and Haylie Duff as guest stars. Now I don't necessarily hate them. I usually go for that corny pop music crap. They might've been fine on something like 7th Heaven or Everwood or maybe even The O.C. (couldnt be much worse than Mischa). However, on Joan of Arcadia they have to share most of their scenes with Amber Tamblyn and it's really embarassing to see her act them off the screen. Plus, their appearance seems to have inspired some contrived writing, which is rare for this series. Tonight's episode was particularly bad, with a poorly written storyline stolen straight from a Kellie Martin tv-movie. I'm hoping this is the last we see of them, and the great Joan of Arcadia that featured well written characters and interesting thoughts on religion will come back.

Please God, Not The Aviator

So the Oscars are coming Sunday. My full commentary can be found here

A short overview of my predictions in the major categories:

Best Picture: Million Dollar Baby (yay!)
Best Director: Martin Scorsese
Best Actor: Jamie Foxx
Best Actress: Hilary Swank (yay!)
Best Supporting Actor: Morgan Freeman (yay!)
Best Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett

The only thing I'm really worried about is The Aviator winning Best Picture. I don't mind Scorsese winning so much, because he's deserved it so many times already. The upset I would like to see is Virginia Madsen in Supporting Actress, but I do love Cate so her victory won't bother me much either.

The O.C. is back!

Oh I guess I should put this here - SPOILER WARNING

Well, I never thought it really left but last night's episode was the best of the season. The Spiderman kiss was contrived but it worked for me because I love Seth and Summer so much. I'm not happy that Shannon Lucio's Lindsay is leaving, since I was hoping she would eventually replace Marissa. Now it looks like Marissa and Ryan might get back together. As Julie Cooper correctly pointed out tonight, the lesbian thing is just a phase. A phase called "sweeps".

Also, ER was pretty good. Nice to see Sharif Atkins back and also a pretty good showcase for Parminder Nagra. Hopefully Sharif will be back to stay.

Finally, The Daily Show was as brilliant as always, but I found out that Christina Ricci is dating Adam Goldberg. When did this happen? Was I supposed to know this? "What the hell", indeed.

What the Hell

I have finally succumbed. Here is my blog. Hopefully I'll come up with a better title soon.

My interests are mainly movies, television, and politics. That's what most of the posts in this blog will be about. Occasionally, I'll get off my ass and do something interesting. If so, then I'll probably write about it.

I have begun writing movie reviews for epinions.com. They can be found here

I am also working on a couple of webpage projects. I will post links to them when they are complete.