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Predicting Oscars 09: who should win and who will

February 21, 2009 in Entertainment

oscarI’m excited.

The ceremony for the 81st Academy Awards is finally about to take place.  I’ve finally managed to see most of the nominated films for the major catgories that are available to me (see reviews here, here and here).  While I initially predicted the winners and losers when the nominations first came out (here and here), the landscape has changed a little and I feel that now, since I’ve seen most of the films, I can also comment on who deserves to win.

So for tomorrow night, here’s who should win and who will (only categories with films I’ve seen).  If there is an asterick (*) next to a nominee it means I have not seen that film (so my views do not include it).

Best Picture

slumdog-millionaire1Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk, The Reader, Slumdog Millionaire

Who should win: All great movies.  Based on my ratings and reviews of the films, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Reader scored the highest marks, but I would give the nod to Button.  I just thought it was such an unusual and memorable film.  Though not quite as good, it had a certain Forrest Gump-feel to it (probably because of the same writer).

Who will win: Slumdog Millionaire has been tipped all along and there won’t be anything standing in its way come Oscar night.  There is a teeny little chance for an improbable upset by Button (which had the most nominations) but I can’t see any of the scandals derailing what should be a glorious night for Slumdog.  Especially now that all the child actors are coming to the ceremony (albeit after the voting).

Best Director

boyleNominees: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire), Stephen Daldry (The Reader), David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon) Gus Van Sant (Milk)

Who should win: A very difficult one to pick because I feel they all did terrific jobs in their respective films.  If I had to pick one I’d have to go with Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire was just that little bit more extraordinary than the others, and the way he pieced it all together was absolutely masterful.

Who will win: Danny Boyle.  No doubt about it.

Best Actor

rourkeNominees: Richard Jenkins (The Visitor)*, Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon), Sean Penn (Milk), Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)

Who should win: A coin-toss between Sean Penn and Mickey Rourke.  I saw The Wrestler first and thought Rourke was a lock based on his emotional, nuanced performance, not to mention his amazing physical resemblance to a real-life wrestler.  You felt his physical pain in the ring, you felt his emotional pain outside of it.  It was the performance of a lifetime.  But then I saw Milk and Sean Penn’s performance just blew me away.  Yes, he was playing a real-life character, but man did he do it well.  You honestly believed he was the inspirational Harvey Milk.  Too hard for me to choose.

Who will win: Mickey Rourke.  He’s the sentimental favourite and Penn has already got one (for Mystic River).  The only way Rourke can lose is if he really pissed off as many people in the industry as he claims (and judging from his BAFTA acceptance speech I can kind of see how it might be possible).

Best Actress

kate-winslet-golden-globes-2009-best-actressNominees: Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married), Angelina Jolie (Changeling), Melissa Leo (Frozen River)*, Meryl Streep (Doubt), Kate Winslet (The Reader)

Who should win: Really tough choice.  I think as far as the performance is concerned, Kate Winslet, Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway are all very deserving (Jolie was very good but not quite there).  But based on the difficulty of the roles they had to play I would give Kate Winslet the edge.  Her character was so important to what The Reader was trying to tell and she played each phase of Hanna Schmitz’s life wonderfully.

Who will win: Kate Winslet.  It’s her time.  Streep is consistently this good so she won’t stand out as much, whereas Hathaway is young and she’ll have plenty of chances (plus her role is less sensational).

Best Supporting Actor

ledgerNominees: Josh Brolin (Milk), Robert Downey Jr (Tropic Thunder), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt), Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight), Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road)

Who should win: Heath Ledger.  As terrific as Hoffman was in Doubt and Shannon was in Revolutionary Road, Ledger’s performance in The Dark Knight will forever be remembered as one of the great ones.  I still remember when he was first cast as the Joker and plenty of people scoffed at the idea that he could pull it off (even after Brokeback Mountain).  No one is denying that he was the right man for the role now.

Who will win: Heath Ledger.  All the major awards leading up to the Oscars indicate he will win.  I honestly believe he deserves it, even if he were still alive today – the performance was that mesmerizing.  The fact that he’s not around anymore just about locks it in.

Best Supporting Actress

cruzNominees: Amy Adams (Doubt), Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Viola Davis (Doubt), Taraji P Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler)

Who should win: The ones that stood out for me were Amy Adams and Taraji P Henson.  Marisa Tomei was wonderful in The Wrestler but I liked the other two more.  Viola Davis was barely in Doubt, though she made great use of her limited screen time.  Penelope Cruz was good but I didn’t think the performance was Oscar-worthy – or maybe I just didn’t like the character.

Who will win: Penelope Cruz.  In this case, I think the least deserving will win.  She’s the most well-known of the group and her role was different and explosive.  Plus all the focus has been on her leading up to the Oscars.  I hope she doesn’t win but I think she will.

Best Original Screenplay

in-brugesNominees: Frozen River*, Happy-Go-Lucky*, In Bruges, Milk, WALL-E

Who should win: Having only seen 3 of the 5 nominees, I don’t feel sufficiently equipped to judge this one.  Out of the 3 films I did see, they were all very good, but probably In Bruges stood out as just being somewhat special.

Who will win: In Bruges has taken a lot of the lead-up awards, but WALL-E is also a favourite because it manages to do so much with so little dialogue.  I’m going with In Bruges but won’t be surprised in WALL-E took it out.  Note I originally picked Milk, but that was before I saw most of the films.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Doubt, Frost/Nixon, The Reader, Slumdog Millionaire

Who should win: “Adapted” screenplay is thrown around a little loosely because some of the scripts I’m sure barely resemble the original source.  Nevertheless, I thought the adaptation of The Reader was sensational, dealing with the majority of the themes and events perfectly in Bernhard Schlink’s novel.

Who will win: Originally picked Doubt but after seeing the film I felt the adaptation could have been better.  I have a feeling this award will be lumped with the bunch of awards that Slumdog Millionaire will win on the night.

Cinematography

Nominees: Changeling, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, The Reader, Slumdog Millionaire

Who should win: Another tough one.  I’m don’t have any technical specialty so this is based purely on what I thought looked best.  And using that criterion, I thought Changeling was particularly memorable, though Slumdog Millionaire’s eye-opening portrayal of Mumbai was also impressive.

Who will win: Slumdog to bag another one.

Editing

Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Frost/Nixon, Milk, Slumdog Millionaire

Who should win: Another technical one, but I liked the work in Button, where editing was particularly important.

Who will win: This might be one of those sympathy awards given to Button, which, despite all its nominations, continues to be beaten by Slumdog.  I hope so because I think in this case it deserves the award.

Art Direction

benjamin-button1Nominees: Changeling, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, The Duchess*, Revoluntionary Road

Who should win: I thought the Art Direction in Changeling was the best, though The Dark Knight was pretty cool too.

Who will win: A category where Slumdog was not nominated?  Chalk this one up to Button because when the two films go head to head, it’s going to lose out most times.

Makeup

Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Who should win: No contest – the make-up in Button was just ridiculous.  Sure, Hellboy II was good, but we had seen it all in the first film.

Who will win: Button.  The make-up had to be seen to be believed – especially the old Cate Blanchett.

Visual Effects

buttonNominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Iron Man

Who should win: Another no contest in favour of Button.  As goods as the effects were in the two superhero films, the effects in Button were the best I’ve ever seen.  Freakishly amazing.

Who will win: See above.  Button all the way.  It cannot not win.

Costume Design

Nominees: Australia*, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Duchess*, Milk, Revoluntionary Road

Who should win: Only seen 3 of the 5 films, so not qualified.  Though from what I’ve seen of the other 2, The Duchess looked great.

Who will win: The Duchess had won the earlier awards so I look for the trend to continue.

Music (Original Score)

Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Defiance*, Milk, Slumdog Millionaire, WALL-E

Who should win: To be honest I can’t really remember much of the music in any of the films – except the Bollywood music in Slumdog.

Who will win: Slumdog, just because it’s the favourite to win.

Music (Original Song)

slumdogNominees: Slumdog Millionaire (twice), WALL-E

Who should win: Slumdog – one of the songs was pretty good.

Who will win: Slumdog – it has a 2 in 3 chance anyway.

Sound

Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Slumdog Millionaire, WALL-E

Who should win: The sound in The Dark Knight stood out for me amongst the nominees.  It was probably the Batcycle.

Who will win: Slumdog.

Sound Editing

the-dark-knightNominees: The Dark Knight, Iron Man, Slumdog Millionaire, WALL-E, Wanted

Who should win: Now this I remember pretty well, and The Dark Knight was phenomenal.

Who will win: The Dark Knight.  I hope it gets this one – and Slumdog can’t just win them all.

Animated Film

walleNominees: Bolt*, Kung Fu Panda, WALL-E

Who should win: Not a big fan of animated films but WALL-E wasn’t too bad.  Kung Fu Panda was pretty ordinary and Bolt (which I haven’t seen) didn’t look too crash hot either.

Who will win: WALL-E – pretty much a lock. 

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Oscars/Golden Globes Film Reviews Part III

February 21, 2009 in Movie Reviews

I’ve done it.  I finally managed to watch all the Oscar/Golden Globe nominated films I could possibly get to before the Oscar ceremony on Sunday!

Here’s the third instalment of my short Flixter film reviews and possibly the best of the lot!  The first instalment can be found here (Slumdog Millionaire, Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler, The Reader, Vicki Cristina Barcelona, In Bruges, Pineapple Express, Burn After Reading, Tropic Thunder, Changeling, Mamma Mia, The Dark Knight and Kung Fu Panda) and the second here (WALL-E and Gran Torino).

Again, ratings are out of 5 stars.

rachel-getting-married1Rachel Getting Married (3.5 stars)

Years of suppressed family emotions explode around a family wedding. Well-written script with some clever dialogue and witty interactions, even though this type of drama would not be everyone’s cup of tea. A remarkable performance by Anne Hathway (I didn’t know she could act this well) and a solid supporting cast. Not all of it worked but enough of it did.

doubt1Doubt (3.5 stars)

Extraordinary performances all round (Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman as always, but Amy Adams really stole the show as the doubting nun), but it was an obvious play adaptation with lots and lots of talking. The characters were extremely well defined, though I couldn’t help but feel there was a certain clunkiness in the way things panned out. Not to take away too much from this film because it tackles many of the themes very cleverly through subtle actions and explosive dialogue.  Doubt is indeed an apt title for this film.

milkMilk (4 stars)

True story about the first openly gay public official in America.  Pretty incredible movie and a ridiculously superb performance by Sean Penn. It was entertaining, informative, frightening and enlightening all at the same time. Hard to believe it was only 30 years ago that this happened in our world. I particularly liked the ending where they showed the real life counterparts of the actors.

revolutionary-roadRevolutionary Road (4 stars)

It’s hard to know where to begin with a movie that explores the essence of life, love, marriage, children, work, dreams, hopes and reality. It is so rare to see such a brutal, honest, emotional portrayal of suburban and married life, no matter what era. Granted, some people won’t get it for one reason or another, but those that do will find a story that will resonate with them for a long time. All performances are outstanding – I know Kate Winslet has gotten all the attention for this role and The Reader, but Leonardo DiCaprio is really her equal in this film, and it’s a shame he didn’t get the same recognition. Michael Shannon was also brilliant and stole every scene he was in.

benjamin-buttonThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button (4.5 stars)

A strange premise but an ultimately rewarding film. The make up and special effects are the best I’ve ever seen, both the ageing and the de-ageing stuff is just phenomenal. The film works not really as a running narrative but rather as a series of moments, like its tagline. I found it very captivating to go through the journey of life with this bizarre character, through his ups and downs, flaws and all. There are some minor problems and it is a tad too long, plus Brad Pitt wasn’t truly able to capture the nuances of the ageing process (he acted like the way he looked rather than the age he was) – however, I think when it’s all said and done this is one of the more memorable movies in recent years.

*     *     *

NB: Just a few words about my rating and review system.  First and foremost, they are taken directly from Flixter, so are always short.  I don’t like to discuss too much plot in my reviews because I think it ruins a movie.  Which is why (even though I can’t help but watch them) I generally dislike previews because they tend to give away too much by revealing the best bits and almost always contain spoilers.  I also hate long reviews that reveal too much plot (this happens a lot these days in reviews I read) – what’s the point of telling everyone what the entire film is about?  With my ratings, they are out of 5 and are entirely subjective, always decided on the spot based on gut instinct after viewing.  I never re-adjust a rating afterward and I don’t compare them to previous ratings – hence two films can have the same rating but I may think one is better than the other.  Also, I tend to find there is a significant difference between 2.5 stars (below average) and 3 stars (good) and 3.5 stars (pretty good) and 4 stars (excellent), more so than other half-star differences.

Lastly, the only 5 star film reviewed in these 3 posts is The Wrestler, which I think is the best film I’ve seen so far this year.  For the Best Picture Oscar nominees, The Reader and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button are tied with 4.5 stars, but I think the latter is the film I prefer.  Though it is a moot point anyway since Slumdog Millionaire is going to win!

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Trade deadline came and went, Tinsley still a Pacer

February 20, 2009 in Basketball, Indiana Pacers, NBA

 

Tinsley is still a Pacer

Tinsley is still a Pacer

Disturbing…so very disturbing – Jamaal Tinsley is still an Indiana Pacer

Yesterday’s trade deadline saw a host of activities between 13 different NBA teams.  Players were going here and there and everywhere (and for some, eg Tyson Chandler, back again), but to be honest, there was nothing really worth noting.  The biggest had to be former Pacer Jermaine O’Neal’s swap with Shawn Marion (Toronto Raptors/Miami Heat), but no one’s expecting that trade to make much of a splash.  You can read about ESPN’s analysis of all trades here.

The team quietly missing from the list of teams that made trades was the Indiana Pacers.  You would think if any team needed a trade it would be them.  Jamaal Tinsley hasn’t played been near Conseco Fieldhouse all season and he’s being paid.  His name’s been removed from the lockers.  And yet for the Pacers, the trade deadline came and went like a fart in the wind.  Nothing.

WTF?

I, like most Pacers fans, expected Jamaal Tinsley to be gone a long time ago.  If not at the start of the season, then at least before the trade deadline.  I started getting nervous when the trade deadline began to approach and there were virtually no rumours surrounding the Pacers.  A couple of lacklustre trade suggestions with the Bobcats for Raymond Felton, and another even worse one involving the Miami Heat.  A tiny murmur when Tyson Chandler got shipped back to New Orleans.  That was it.  I looked everywhere for something, anything that would assure me that the Pacers would get rid of Tinsley (whom the NBA had filed a grievance on his behalf).  The more I looked, the more concerned I became.  Not just the lack of trade possibilities, but how crap those suggested trades were.  But I think all it demonstrated was that no one was interested in Tinsley or that the Pacers were asking too much for him (or unwilling to give up other pieces in order to get rid of him – eg Jeff Foster and Brandon Rush).

According to the official Pacers.com article about the trade deadline, looks were deceiving – the Pacers were trying really, really hard.  Larry Bird said: “We were everywhere.  We were very, very active with a number of teams. We just didn’t get anything done. It’s frustrating.”

Seriously, not good enough anymore.  They’ve had more than half a season to find a new home for Jamaal Tinsley and they’ve come up short.  With the team losing money, injuries mounting, the playoffs almost certainly out of reach, big bad contracts and a lack of talent, where do the Pacers go from here?

By the way, you can tell the Pacers were clearly frustrated when in the same article they took a cheap shot at Jermaine O’Neal:

Upon arrival in Miami, O’Neal called his new team “a perfect fit” and suggested the Heat has “a really good chance to do something special.”   Upon his arrival in Toronto a few months ago, O’Neal said much the same thing, suggesting the Raptors had “a shot at doing some great things.”   The Raptors, who won 41 games last season, have since fired Coach Sam Mitchell and stand 21-35, 14th in the Eastern Conference.

Real classy stuff by the Pacers to kick their former All-Star when he’s down.  Seems they are truly feeling the pain.

Where to now?

Like I said all along, the Pacers have no one else to blame but themselves.  The problem really started when last season ended.  The Pacers, who wanted to get rid of Tinsley back then, should have done all they could to trade him during the offseason, when he still had some value.  Instead, they tarnished his reputation by dwelling on his past indiscretions, his injury history, lack of commitment and leadership – essentially painting him as a team cancer – and saying he’ll never be an Indiana Pacer ever again.  What did the Pacers expect after this?  Teams to jump at Tinsley with their best players and expiring contracts?  It’s frustrating to see just how badly management has handled this situation.

Now that a grievance has been filed and Tinsley will be with the Pacers until at least the end of this season, things could get ugly if they went to an arbitrator.  Imagine if they ordered the Pacers to buy out Tinsley’s contract, something they had been unwilling to do from the beginning (as the contract would continue to count against them in the salary cap).  Then the Pacers would definitely be kicking themselves because they would have essentially lost Tinsley for nothing (except, well, a lot of money) and they could have done this at the start, when this issue hadn’t become such an annoying baggage on the team.

As a fan, things could not be worse.  The team still sucks, they’re hemorrhaging cash, they still have bad contracts, and they still have Jamaal Tinsley.  Even if they did have cap room, no superstar is going to consider coming to a small market place like Indiana.  The only thing they can do is trade, but no one wants to deal with them.  Looks like it will be at least another few years before the Pacers become competitive again.  Did the Detroit Brawl really generate that much bad karma for the Pacers?  Even after more than 4 years, they are still paying for it.

Oh, and Granger’s out for up to 3 weeks

Amidst all the Tinsley crap, I forgot to mention that the Pacers’ leading scorer, Danny Granger, is out for 10 days up to 3 weeks after a partial tendon tear in his right foot – sustained during their previous game against the Charlotte Bobcats.

This could turn out to be a blessing in disguise.  I mean, they’re already missing Dunleavy (probably for season) and Foster – and even when they had those guys they still couldn’t win any games.  Why not take the full three weeks for Granger to heal his troublesome right knee as well, and give the Pacers a chance at a top 5 pick next season – one that can help out immediately or be used as trade bait?  With virtually no chance of making the playoffs, why not start looking forward to next year?

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An Update: On Writing and Other Things in Life

February 19, 2009 in Basketball, Book Reviews, Entertainment, Movie Reviews, Novel, On Writing, Uncategorized

It’s scary how time flies.  My posts have been somewhat sporadic as of late, and are mostly concerned with basketball and movies – but there are good reasons for this.  I’ve still been writing, but I feel like I’m not writing the way I know I can and at the pace I should – is this what writer’s block feels like?

Anyway, here’s a quick update of sorts on what has been happening.

Study

I got a bit of a shock the other day when someone reminded me that I was already halfway through my 9-month masters course, which means the exams are practically just around the corner.  I’ve been studying hard, but the astronomical amount of work means I’m perpetually behind.  Keeping up has been near impossible, let alone catching up.  But I’m confident things will work themselves out.  We have another long break coming up in less than a month and most of the final term is for revision.  So fingers crossed.

It’s just that I have to devote even more time to study, which obviously means the closer it gets to exam time, the less time for other things, such as writing and posting!

Movies/Oscars

Some may recall one of the goals I set ages ago was to watch all the big nominated films for the Golden Globes (back when they were on) and the Oscars (before they happen on the 22nd) and post short reviews for all of them.  Well, I’m pretty close to accomplishing that goal.  Part III of my film reviews should be out in the next few days, as soon as I finish watching Rachel Getting Married.

I also made some Oscar predictions a while back, but given the passage of time and the fact that I’ve seen a lot of the nominated now, I also want to do another post on who should win and who will.  That’ll have to be done before Oscar night.

Reading

After an influx of emails attaching articles about it from a friend, I decided to buy John Grisham’s new novel “The Associate”.  It’s about a young associate in a big law firm and all the perks and horrors that come with it – something I can relate to.  I can’t believe I haven’t done any book reviews yet since I started this blog, but it’s probably because I haven’t finished any books!  Well, I’m more than halfway through this book and I will be posting a review of it as soon as I finish.

Posts

As I said, my posts have been a bit all over the place, and the frequency has dropped from my early fanatical pace.  Part of it is because I’m getting more steady traffic and I don’t feel as though I need to pad up the content anymore.  But the main reason is because of all the other things I’ve mentioned in this post!

Just looking at my past posts, most of them have been about basketball!  Well, you can hardly blame me, considering it was All-Star Weekend.  Now that’s over, I’m going to shift the focus back onto my writings and the upcoming Oscars and readings.  Okay, maybe except any big news regarding the Pacers (especially with the trade deadline being today).

Indiana Pacers

Well, I’m sure All-Star Weekend was a blast for first timer Danny Granger.  But it’s back to business now for the Pacers.  There was all this talk and hype again about them finally making a run for the playoffs, winning six or even games straight (when they haven’t been able to win more than 2 in a row all season).  Well, they just lost to the Charlotte Bobcats after beating the Philadelphia 76ers, so the same old story continues.  Except that apart from Mike Dunleavy Jr’s continued absence, Danny Granger sprained his foot last game – which means even that tiny glimmer of playoff hope could be gone too (have to wait for the MRI).

The main concern is still getting rid of Jamaal Tinsley.  I believe today is the trade deadline.  No one seems to be knocking on the Pacers’ door asking about him.  Again, no one to blame but themselves.  At this rate, actually playing him might be a better idea – but after banning him all season, it’s too late to do that now.

Writing

Last, but not least, the writing.  It’s been a tough week for my fantasy novel.  I’m still writing (almost) everyday, but because of the aforementioned things, I feel as though I’m not getting anywhere.  I’m getting about 400-1,500 words a day these days, but I plan on pushing that up if possible.  Bear in mind this has been busy week – Valentines Day on Saturday, and we went down to London on Sunday (going again tomorrow) – it’s hard to get anything done on these types of days.  Plus it also means I need to spend the remaining free time focusing on studies, leading to even less time for writing.  The constant reading and note-taking are bogging my mind down so much that when I finally sit down to write, I feel nothing good comes out.

Not doing an updated wordcount yet until I feel better about how I’m progressing….grrrr…..

In any case, I’m really starting to develop a deep respect for writers, especially those who manage to pump out novels even when working in full-time jobs.  It involves so much dedication and commitment that it blows my mind just thinking about it.  Here I am, merely studying, and I’m struggling to get the first draft done.  There are so many temptations, so many other activities calling out to you – the excuses to tear yourself away writing are endless.  I can’t imagine doing anything apart from rest when I get home from work after a long day.  And yet, these incredible writers persevere in pursuit of their dreams.  I need to be more like them.  Even those writers that are huge successes continue to dedicate themselves to their craft and write more amazing novels, despite not having to worry financially anymore.

Okay.  Stop being so pessimistic.  Get back to work.

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“Worst Holocaust Film Ever Made” – author blasts The Reader

February 16, 2009 in Entertainment, Movie Reviews

Surely there have been worse films about the Holocaust than The Reader

Surely there have been worse films about the Holocaust than The Reader

Author/Journalist says ‘We don’t need another ‘redemptive’ Holocaust Movie

Ron Rosenbaum, a Jewish-American journalist and author who spent years researching Adolf Hitler, has slammed Stephen Daldry’s The Reader as the “The Worst Holocaust Film Ever Made” just a couple of weeks out from the Academy Awards.

Have a look his rant/article entitled ’Don’t give an Oscar to The Reader’ here.  What do you think?  In it, Rosenbaum says: “This is a film whose essential metaphorical thrust is to exculpate Nazi-era Germans from knowing complicity in the Final Solution. The fact that it was recently nominated for a best picture Oscar offers stunning proof that Hollywood seems to believe that if it’s a “Holocaust film,” it must be worthy of approbation, end of story.”

He then goes on to tear apart the film and its central character, Hanna Schmitz with a lot of exclamation marks, and also takes a few jabs at other Holocaust-related films such as Valkyrie, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and the “disgraceful” Life Is Beautiful.  In short, Rosenbaum doesn’t like The Reader because of the message he perceives it sends.

Who is this guy?

Just where did this dude pop out from?  Does his opinion hold any value?  I was determined to find out, so I looked him up.  According to his Wikipedia entry (and other sources), Rosenbaum is best known for his critically acclaimed book, “Explaining Hitler: The Search for the Origins of His Evil.”

According to Rosenbaum, The Reader somehow attempts to exculpate Germans from the Nazi era and post-Nazi era.  Is he reading too much into this?  Did he simply not get the movie?  Or is he so narrow minded as to think that any movie which even mentions the Holocaust needs to be solely focused on the evil and brutality of those involved and any suggestion that they may have been remotely human equates to exculpating them?  Isn’t understanding the best way to ensure that something like the Holocaust never happens again?

It’s clear from the way he blasted the Holocaust-related films such as Valkyrie, The Boy in Striped Pyjamas (which he hasn’t even seen yet) and Life Is Beautiful suggests that Rosenbaum believes that there is no place in cinema for any fictional films that touch on the Holocaust in any way, and even if there is, all it should do is condemn condemn condemn.  Any film that attempts to understand the actions of those complicit in the Holocaust is unforgivable to him.  For a guy that dedicated years of his life to ‘explaining Hitler’ through researching the origins of evil himself (and wrote a book about it), what he has said strikes me as extraordinarily ironic and moronic. 

Rosenbaum’s biggest problem is that he doesn’t believe viewers of films are capable of making up their own minds.  He’s concerned that films like The Reader will brainwash people into believing that the Holocaust was somehow excusable.  He even links the film to Holocaust revisionism and Holocaust denial.  This has clouded his ability to judge the film properly and without overwhelming bias. 

An example is Rosenbaum’s scathing view that Hanna’s illiteracy is the film’s way of excusing her for the unspeakable crimes she committed.  To him, it’s an obvious metaphor for the Germans who pleaded ignorance during the time Jews were being sent to their deaths.  What he fails to see is that the film actually tackles the issue of German ignorance head on.  The scene in which one of the students has an outburst in class sends a clear message that there was no way people didn’t know about what was going on.  As the student implied: everyone, including his parents and teachers, knew but did nothing.  Just because that particular student appeared clueless was just the method of getting the point across, but Rosenbaum completely misconstrues it as exculpating all Germans who pleaded ignorance.  It actually does the opposite.  Further, there is a subtle but enormous difference between ‘exculpating’ and ‘understanding’ – personally, I think the film walked the line well – allowing viewers to understand Hanna’s story and make up their own minds about her.  It’s unfortunate that Rosenbaum couldn’t pick up the difference and rubbishes the entire film for it.

I’d have no problem if he hated the movie because he thought it just wasn’t very good, but his poor reasoning for calling it “The Worst Holocaust Film Ever Made” simply demonstrates that while he might know a lot about the Holocaust, he doesn’t have a clue when it comes to movies.

How will the comments affect the film’s Oscar chances?

The Reader is nominated for 5 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director for Stephen Daldry and Best Actress for Kate Winslet.  Out of all its nominations, only Kate Winslet’s portrayal of Hanna Schmitz is a favourite to win (thanks to Slumdog Millionaire).  So how are Rosenbaum’s comments likely to affect Kate’s odds of winning her first Oscar statuette after missing out 5 times previously (thrice for Best Actress, twice for Best Supporting Actress)?  Chances are, not very much.

Oscar voting closes tomorrow (17 February 2009), in time for the 22 February ceremony.  Though the critique was published on the 9th of February, it didn’t really gather much press until the last couple of day.   Therefore, despite Rosenbaum’s plea for voters not to cast their vote for the film (and presumably, Kate Winslet), it appears he has left it a little too late.  Even if it did manage to persuade some voters, it’s unlikely that Kate, who has already won most awards on offer thus far, will miss out this year. 

It should be recalled that this is not the first time that the film has been criticised.  When The Reader first came out, the film was condemned by film critic Charlie Finch (unsurprisingly, a friend of Rosenbaum), who complained: “It trivialises the Holocaust. What is repellent is how Daldry uses Kate Winslet’s nubile body to create sympathy for a repellent character. Daldry avoided showing the horror of her crimes – instead we have Holocaust chic which is all about sex, not mass murder.”

This guy was obviously paying too much attention to the sex and Kate’s “nubile body” to have noticed what the film was about.  While the first half of the film does contain a fair amount of nudity and sex, how the attractiveness of one’s body stirs up sympathy remains a strange concept to me.  Finch’s comments caused a little bit of media attention at the time, but they quickly died down and Kate Winslet went on to sweep most of the awards.

I can still recall when negative press about the accuracy of The Hurricane cost Denzel Washington his Oscar and when controversies surrounding Brokeback Mountain‘s subject matter may have prevented Heath Ledger from his.  But in neither of those cases were they as clear cut favourites to win as Kate Winslet is this year.  Most people simple believe it is her time.  I do too.

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