The 83rd Academy Awards have come and gone.  I love the Oscars, so this was a little tough for me.  I rewatched the show again earlier today and it wasn’t very good.  It’s finally time to share some thoughts on what happened on Sunday.

THE PARTY

I did had a fun time having some people over my apartment.  There were 20 people in my cramped apartment.  A little more than I wanted.  Really wanted to have about 15 people over, but had a few unexpected guests.  It happens.  Managed to drink 18 bottles of wine, so I think that is a hell of an accomplishment.

MY OSCAR BALLOT

I went 18 out of 24, which isn’t too bad.  I’ve managed to get at least 18 correct picks in 5 out of the last 7 years.  So I usually consider 18 to be the key number on Oscar night.

Last night was just another reminder of how special it was when I went 22 out of 24 in 2009.  That very well may never be topped by me.

No one beat my Oscar record in the my annual Oscar contest.  Again, just another reminder of how hard it is to get 22 picks.

I had a weird night with my picks as I actually went 0 for 2 to start the night off and 1-3 in the first four categories.  Then, I proceeded to go 17-3 over the next 20 categories to finish with 18 picks.  After my 1-3 start, I actually thought I was going to have a real bad night.  Luckily, I rebounded.

I actually picked Best Documentary - Short Subject right for the first time since 2008.  I usually consider that to be my worst category, so it felt nice.

I’m glad I didn’t change my Supporting Actress pick.  I stuck with Leo and it paid off.  I never fully bought into the idea that Hailee Steinfeld would pull it off.

I’m mad at myself for not changing 3 categories I should have got right (Best Original Score, Best Art Direction, and Best Costume Design).  I really overestimated the Academy’s love for The King’s Speech.  I went with that film in all three of these categories even though I was a little worried.  The worst part is my alternate in all three of these categories was the actual winner.  Part of me just didn’t think Alice in Wonderland would win 2 Oscars.  Still find it hard to believe, but oh well…

The other 3 categories I got wrong, I would have never changed.  I had to stick with True Grit for Best Cinematography.  The other 2 were shorts, which is always a crapshoot anyway.

I’m really happy I stuck with Tom Hooper.  When predicting the Oscars, you can’t play favorites and need to pick the person or film you think has the best shot to win.  The way the race was going, it just felt like Hooper was the best choice.  I was shocked how many people went with Fincher.  Was the guy robbed?  Yes, he was, but let’s be honest, the Oscars make a lot of poor choices.  Just ask Martin Scorsese.

THE SHOW

In the week leading up the Oscars, I had a feeling James Franco and Anne Hathaway would be bad Oscar hosts.  Unfortunately, I was correct.  They just lacked the X factor that makes someone a great Oscar host.  The Oscars are always the hardest hosting gig, so it shouldn’t be too surprising they were going to run into trouble.

The show just lacked a lot in general.  It has been universally panned.  I hope Anne and James rebound as I think they are both really talented.

Franco is taking even more heat than Hathaway.  Some people said he was stoned.  I disagree.  It felt like to me that he just didn’t really care that much.

I still think Hugh Jackman was the best host in the last five years.  In looking for a host or hosts for next year, they need to look for someone in the similar mold.  I actually hope they go back to a single host.  I just think it works better.  Part of the problem with Franco and Hathaway is that they lacked chemistry.  I found it a bit surprising too since I thought they would work well together.  Not sure what happened.

Kirk Douglas is a legend, but watching him was painful.  The guy is 94 years old.  It was funny at first, but soon became just awkward.

The speeches in general I thought were okay.  Nothing really special was said.  Maybe the most memorable part was when Melissa Leo dropped the f bomb.  I thought David Seidler’s speech was great.  It was probably my favorite of the night.

It was funny and awkward when Spielberg talked about all these great films that didn’t win Best Picture.  The statement was true, but it was weird to hear it on the Oscars.  It was almost discrediting the award.

THE RESULTS

Really surprised The King’s Speech only won 4 Oscars.  It even failed to win one technical award.  It was surprising to me.

Inception winning 4 Oscars was also surprising.  Best Cinematography was probably the surprise the night.

Before Best Director was announced, I honestly thought The Social Network may win Best Picture.  The King’s Speech was underperforming, so it left the door open.  Then, Tom Hooper won and it was all over.

Some people have horrible luck with the Academy.  Last night, Fincher, Deakins, and Bening all lost again.  A lot of people thought this would be the year for Fincher and Deakins.  I hope they get their Oscar one day, but it will probably be for not their best work.  Then again, that happens to a lot of people.  As for Bening, she just can’t get a role strong enough to get her over the top.  She’s lost twice to Hilary Swank and now to Natalie Portman.  It’s not like she is losing to horrible actresses.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

Overall the Oscars this year were okay for me.  The party was great.  My ballot was great.  The show sucked.  It happens.  Not every Oscars can be like the 81st Academy Awards, which is still “The Greatest Oscars Ever”.

I am going to post final predictions on Saturday, but I figured I would give everyone an idea of what I’m thinking right now.

Also, please enter my Oscar Contest.  Click Here.

Best Picture: The King’s Speech

This is either going to be King’s Speech or Social Network.  While I would prefer Social Network, I have to go with the British film.  It has won all the relevant precursors and people seem to love it.  Seems like a safe choice right now.

Best Director: Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech

I’m really conflicted with this pick.  I may change it by the weekend.  Hooper won the DGA, but Fincher could pull it off.  The DGA is just such a good precursor.  This could be a year where Picture/Director split.  The last time that has happened was 2005 when Ang Lee took Director and Crash won Picture.  I really think this is a toss up and I don’t think I’ll feel safe about this pick at all on Oscar night.

Best Actor: Colin Firth, The King’s Speech

This is the easiest pick out of all the acting categories.  This is really a lock.  Would be shocked if Firth lost.

Best Actress: Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Poor Annette Bening can’t catch a break.  I still haven’t seen The Kids Are All Right, but she always seems to be in second place when she gets nominated (ex. American Beauty and Being Julia).  Portman is in the driver’s seat and it doesn’t make sense to pick against her.

Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter

Could Rush sneak in and win this?  It’s possible if Oscar night becomes a King’s Speech lovefest.  I just like Bale in this race.  He has the asshole factor working against him, but he’s done really well this awards season.  Especially with his speeches, which I have really enjoyed.  People know he’s hard working and he seems to be enjoying himself.  Plus, Rush already has his Oscar, which I do think will work against him.

Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo, The Fighter

There’s a good chance I will change this pick to Steinfeld by Saturday.  I don’t know if The Fighter can really win two acting awards.  I am also worried about Adams and Leo splitting the vote.  I am also worried about Bonham Carter pulling this out as well.  Basically I’m worried about this race more than any other major category.  Really hard race to predict and I’m really confused.

Best Original Screenplay: The King’s Speech

Feel pretty safe with this pick.  Can’t really go against it here.

Best Adapted Screenplay: The Social Network

Social Network may lose Picture and Director, but it should definitely take this.  Be shocked if it lost.

Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3

Don’t bet against Pixar in this category.  I would have to say this is a lock and one of the safest picks of the night.

Best Art Direction: The King’s Speech

This is a tough call.  I’m going with King’s Speech because I don’t see Alice in Wonderland winning this Oscar and I don’t think Inception has enough support.  Films like The Aviator have won this category and I think King’s Speech will follow.

Best Cinematography: True Grit

I feel like this is a trap pick and I may change it.  Everyone says Roger Deakins’ time has come.  The problem is the voting ballot doesn’t say his name on it.  Is it common knowledge he was the DP?  I’m not convinced.  This could be a situation where there’s a surprise.  I’ll come back to this pick over the weekend.

Best Costume Design: The King’s Speech

I look at The Aviator for my support that films like King’s Speech can win over a film like Alice in Wonderland.  Bad films have won in this category, so it’s definitely possible for an Alice win.  Part of me refuses to put it down on my ballot right now.  That could change.

Best Documentary - Feature: Inside Job

Exit Through the Gift Shop could win, but I don’t know if the Academy will want to acknowledge Banksy.  I haven’t seen Inside Job yet, but it feels like the film to beat.

Best Documentary - Short Subject: Strangers No More

No one really knows anything about this category.  I never get this right, so if you want a piece of advice, don’t pick Strangers No More.

Best Film Editing: The Social Network

Usually Best Picture wins this, but I think the editing in Social Network is so good that it can’t be passed up.  I could be wrong, but I leaning towards this to win over King’s Speech.

Best Foreign Language Film: In a Better World

Better World won the Globe, which means nothing.  I’m going with it right now because I need more time.  I’m just not feeling Biutiful or Incendies for the win.  Though, I think Incendies has a better shot.  I guess I really just don’t think Biutiful will win.

Best Makeup: The Wolfman

Everyone is picking this to win.  I’m just following the leader.  Although, I wouldn’t be shocked if another film wins.  The alternate feels like Barney’s Version.

Best Original Score: The King’s Speech

At first it looked like Social Network would win this, but it’s looking like King’s Speech.  Sounds like more of an Oscar winning score to me.

Best Original Song: “We Belong Together”, Toy Story 3

The other songs don’t stand out as much.  I could see this losing to “If I Rise” from 127 Hours.  I’m just not confident enough to pick it.

Best Short - Animated: Madagascar, a Journey Diary

Contrary to the Animated Feature, don’t bet on a Pixar film.  I’m not going with Day and Night.  I like The Gruffalo and that may win, but I really liked the animation style in Madagascar.  Reminded me of the short animation that won a few years back.  That probably means nothing, but that is what is dictating my thoughts right now.

Best Short - Live Action: Wish 143

I feel like it’s going to be either this or Na Wewe.  I may change it by Saturday.  Considering this is one of the 5 categories that members must attend special screenings, I feel like they will vote for the film that touched them the most.  This very well may be it.

Best Sound Editing: Inception

A lot of people are predicting a little Inception mini sweep for both sound categories and VFX.  This sound category is definitely safer than Mixing.  I can’t see the other nominees winning.

Best Sound Mixing: Inception

This could be like 2008 when Slumdog won Mixing and Dark Knight won Editing.  If the Oscars turn into a King’s Speech lovefest, then that will happen.  I just don’t see it getting to that point.

Best Visual Effects: Inception

This has to win right?  Definitely not a lock, but I feel pretty confident about this pick.

I figured I would finally post my thoughts on the films I saw at Sundance this year.  I saw seven features and two shorts programs.  I’m not going to rank the shorts because it would just take too long to do and I’m at work right now.  Sundance ended over the weekend, so I want to post this before it becomes too late.  Special thanks to Jason Stevens for organizing the whole trip.  Going to Sundance was one of the best times I’ve had in long time.

Celebrity Sightings (that I remember off the top of my head):

Robert Redford (first celeb sighting and the best), Harry Belafonte, Ben Foster, Thomas Dekker, Juno Temple, John Salley, Christopher McDonald, Morgan Spurlock, Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Elizabeth Banks (Not confirmed, but I’m pretty sure it was her.  I recognized her jacket from some Sundance photos.)

Now onto the actual rankings…

7. Pariah

This was one of the two opening night films I saw.  I don’t think this was a bad film, but I had trouble getting into it.  This was a classic example of a film I would have never watched unless I was at Sundance.  I guess that is one of the great things about the festival.

6. The Woman

If Sundance gave out a most disturbed film award, then it would go to this film.  A family decides to capture a woman living in the forest and basically torture her for two hours.  This was the last film I saw at Sundance and probably the reason I got the flu three days later.  While I didn’t hate it as much as some people, I still didn’t really expect to see a film like this at Sundance.  The film has everything from domestic abuse to rape to incest before ending with a bloodbath.  A lot of people have been talking about this film since it premiered.  In a lot of ways, it’s a great horror movie for that reason.  It leaves a mark on you, but it’s so twisted and disturbing that I really didn’t know how to take it all in.  Maybe, I need to watch it again.  On second thought, maybe I’ll just let you watch it for yourself and make up your own mind.

5. Kaboom

This film was really wacky.  The ridiculous thing about this film was that it got crazier and crazier as the film progressed.  There was like no rules in this film.  Definitely made it entertaining to watch as you never knew what was going to happen.  There was sex, drugs, more sex, people running around with animal masks, even more sex, and a cult trying to control the world.  Then, out of nowhere, everything goes KABOOM!

4. HERE

Okay, I’m not going to lie, I was in bad shape when I watched this film.  It was part of my marathon movie watching day of Friday and I was literally exhausted.  Combine that with the fact that this film’s pacing is slow, I struggled to stay awake during portions of this film.  To be fair, I would like to watch this film again and if it ever gets distribution I will go see it because I feel bad I didn’t give it a fair chance.  Anyway, this was a beautifully shot film and probably the best shot film I saw at Sundance.  Some of the landscape shots of Armenia are breathtaking.  The film has a Lost in Translation feel to it and if you’re down for a less conventional love story, then I thought this film was refreshing.

3. The Ledge

I didn’t realize it until after I got out of this film, but the lead in this film was in Undeclared.  Just felt like sharing that.  I wanted this film to be better.  I think my expectations were too high (similar to HERE), but I still enjoyed this film.  Part of the reason I liked this film was that it was not a standoff film about trying to convince a guy to not jump, but rather the film is about the guy’s relationship with his neighbor and her evangelical Christian husband.  Charlie Hunnam’s character is an atheist too, which adds an interesting dynamic to the whole film.  The film is told mostly in flashback as you watch him and Liv Tyler fall in love and eventually realize why he is on the ledge.

2. Sing Your Song

This was the first film I saw at Sundance.  Not a bad first film to see at all.  It was actually my number one film until Sunday.  I knew a little about Harry Belafonte before, but I actually had no idea how important he was.  I actually learned a lot watching this film.  The man lived an incredible life.  This documentary also did a great job using archival footage especially some of the footage of him and Martin Luther King Jr.  I left this documentary wanting to change the world.  It was very inspiring.

1. How to Die in Oregon

I remember reading the synopsis of this film months ago.  I was pulled in immediately when I read that someone literally died on camera within the first few minutes.  I thought to myself, this film is going to be intense and different.  I thought this was one of the most powerful films I’ve ever seen.  I was just emotionally drained after watching it along with everyone else in the theater.  I’m pretty sure that almost everyone in the theater was crying during this film.  The film is about physician assisted suicide or death with dignity in Oregon.  I went into this film not really supporting this, but after watching the film, I think death with dignity should be legal in the United States.  The film primarily followed a woman, Cody Curtis, who was a woman in her 50s with terminal liver cancer.  The film follows her last months as she comes to terms with her own life and really makes you reevaluate your own life.  This film is not really about death as much as about living with dignity and leaving this world on your own terms.  This film was awarded the grand jury prize in the documentary competition.  I believe this documentary will be airing on HBO over the summer.  Everyone should watch it.  Peter Richardson made an extraordinary film that was by far the best film I saw at Sundance.

I’m dedicating this video to Sundance 2011.  This time tomorrow I will hopefully be somewhere in Park City living it up.  It’s going to be a great four days.

It’s finally here.  Tomorrow is Sundance.  I actually wanted to write something about the Patriots, but I’ve been extremely busy with school and work.  Plus, I’m trying to get ready for this trip.  I may revisit the Patriots next week.  I also would like to write a review on my experience of Sundance.  I’ll be there from Thursday through early Monday morning.  Should be a crazy trip.

I still can’t stop laughing at the fact that Ricky Gervais said this on television.  A lot of people are giving him shit for this comment.  There’s nothing wrong with it.  Why can’t people not believe in God?  Atheists are perfectly fine humans, yet we continue to get criticized because we simply don’t believe in the existence of a God.  It’s frustrating at times, so I have to applaud Ricky for having the guts to say it.  It probably should have been said years ago.  No reason religious people and atheists can’t coexist.

I briefly wrote about this video yesterday.  This is how I’m going to live my life in 2011.

Where have you gone 2010?  This is the fourth year I’ve written a retrospect on the year and it has become a tradition to write that sentence.  Why?  It is amazing to think that another year is over.  I swear time goes faster and faster as you get older.  Anyway, looking back on a year right when it is about to end gives me a unique perspective.  I enjoy doing it and honestly, for the most part I’ve enjoyed this year.

I was re-reading my previous three retrospectives and they were filled with a lot of anger and regret.  I feel different about 2010.  There has definitely been some frustrations and disappointments, but let’s be realistic.  That is bound to happen every year.  It’s almost unavoidable.  No one lives in complete harmony for an entire year.  There’s always going to be bumps in the road.  It’s a question of whether you can get back up and keep going.  I would like to think I did that in 2010 more than any previous year since probably 2004.

I made a bold decision in the last few months that I would drop my PPS credential in my master’s program.  Really it’s a career altering decision.  Some people probably think I’m stupid to do it.  I know my advisor at LMU tried to convince me it was a mistake.  I did it for the same reason I quit Industry Entertainment two years ago.  I don’t want to live in a life that I don’t think is right for me.  Why not just cut out the bullshit and focus on your passion in life?  That is one thing I realized this past year.  Every person on this planet needs to ask themselves one question, “What are you passionate about?”  Whatever that answer is should be what you spend as much time as possible trying to do.  Life is too damn short to waste it doing something you don’t care about.

I’ll get back to grad school later, but this quest to find my passion really started to make a lot more sense this year.  It really started in March when I started helping out Venice Arts.  It was a chance meeting at a LMU nonprofit job fair.  Maybe a meeting of fate, but my vision started to become more clear.  I’m not sure what my future holds with that nonprofit in 2011, but in 2010 it was a fun ride.  I mentored for three different semesters.  Each one was unique in its own way.  The most impressive part of mentoring is not being able to teach kids how to make films, but rather the relationships that you develop with them and how they teach you to appreciate the little things in life.  Nothing beats watching their completed films.  They are creative and more talented than you think.  They have inspired me to start seriously thinking about making another film in the near future.

Event 17 was also a big deal for me.  A great opportunity that I really did not expect.  Being asked to do so much after only being a volunteer with an organization for a little over six months was incredible.  It was a great challenge for myself, but one that I welcomed.  That coupled with my nonprofit development certificate program I took at the LMU Extension showed me that maybe this is the right path for me.  I may not make a lot of money, but I have potential to make an impact.  At the end of the day, I think that is really exciting and much more fulfilling.

I saw Paul McCartney for a fifth time in March at the Hollywood Bowl.  I literally can’t believe I have been so fortunate to see him that many times.  Many years from now, I will truly cherish these McCartney concerts even more.  This past year I have actually seen a few concerts that were awesome.  Roger Waters’ The Wall tour was unlike any show I have ever seen.  The production value was unbelievable.  It was also the first concert I even smoked a joint at, so for that reason alone it holds a special place in my heart.  I saw Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band, which was very emotional and I actually enjoyed the show.  To see her bring back a concept that her and John Lennon came up over 40 years ago was unreal.  I don’t always agree with everything Yoko does, but I do respect the hell out of her for being such a strong woman throughout her life.  Also saw Sean Lennon and his new project, The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, a few weeks before Yoko and managed to sit in the front row.  Then, saw an incredible tribute show to John Lennon by my favorite Beatles’ tribute band, The Fab Four.  It was definitely a memorable year for concerts.

It was also a big year for Yoko’s other half, John Lennon.  Yes, he has been gone for 30 years, but this year would have been his 70th birthday.  It was really a special year for Beatle and John fans.    On his birthday, I helped organize the Hollywood celebration and it was a lot of fun.  The chalk art event went over really well.  It was a very positive event and everyone there seemed to have a great time.  We tried to keep that positive theme in December as well.  While remembering his death is never easy, I thought that event also went over well.

It’s funny when three out of four Boston sports team make the playoffs that it would be considered a down year.  It was.  Every team failed to live up to their full potential.  The Bruins blew a 3-0 series lead and 3-0 game 7 lead in the second round of the playoffs.  The Celtics lost in the NBA finals in 7 games against the Lakers after blowing a 3-2 series lead and 3rd quarter lead in game 7.  That one was tough to swallow living in LA.  The Patriots lost in the divisional round of the playoffs in a blowout.  The Red Sox were the only team not to make the playoffs after having an injury plagued season.  The good news is every Boston team looks ready to go in 2011.  The Bruins look like a playoff team again.  The Celtics should be a favorite for the NBA title again.  The Patriots are heading to the playoffs again as the top seed in the AFC.  The Red Sox signed two big free agents, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, which should make an exciting upcoming season.  Optimism is around and it continues to be an exciting time to be a Boston sports fan.

I even showed off some of my athletic skills by playing softball.  Not only did I play, but I also managed the Future Secret Presidents.  Both the summer and fall seasons were full of struggles and tough losses, but it did contain some highs.  Particularly, the last game we played this year.  We rallied from six runs down to win the game in the bottom of the 7th.  I even scored the winning run after drawing a walk with 2 outs.  For a guy that is not much of an athlete, it was a moment I don’t think I’ll forget anytime soon.  Getting mobbed by your teammates at home plate is simply unforgettable.

It could be argued that my days as an Oscar blogger have come and gone, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the Oscars anymore.  I don’t host many parties throughout the year, but my Oscar party in March was surprisingly a lot of fun and exceeded expectations.  It was so much fun that I’m trying to figure out ways to top it in next year.

In my personal life, I had an interesting year.  Some parts will be excluded here, but I did date a girl for a short time who admired Sarah Palin and the tea party movement.  That was a mistake, but it happens.  I can only laugh about it now.  Besides the Palin girl, I can’t really complain.  There’s been highs and lows, but compared to recent years it has been one of the better years.

I tried salvia (it’s legal) earlier this year.  I only bring it up since it really was a mind altering experience.  If used under the right circumstances, I think Timothy Leary was right.  Psychedelics can have a positive influence on your life.  It changed my perspective on life.  I still remember the feeling coming back to reality and being simply blown away at what happened.  It was a total different experience than smoking weed.  It was also one of the main reasons why I became an atheist this past year.  I was never much of a religious person, but I decided enough was enough.  Believing in the existence of God is a waste of time.  He didn’t create the universe.  He doesn’t control our destinies.  It’s perfectly fine if you believe in God, but it’s not for me.

That leads to why I dropped the credential in my master’s program.  I don’t regret going back to school, but I don’t want to waste time doing something I can’t see myself doing.  Why extend my program longer and spend more money in school?  Doesn’t make too much sense.  I have met some incredible people at LMU.  Many who I consider my friends.  My educational philosophy is just different from many of my classmates.  I don’t take my academics as serious as my peers.  I try to stress the big picture rather than worry about the small details.  This resulted in me at times not giving 100 percent, yet I still have managed to maintain a 3.97 GPA.  I have no idea how I have done this, but I find it funny.  I also have no idea how for one of my group projects, we used an article from The Onion and my professor never found it.  Sometimes you got to love LMU professors.

I wrote in my graduate school journal a couple weeks ago that I planted a lot of “seeds” in this past year in all these different areas of my life from academics to career to even my love life.  I’m ready for all these seeds to come out of the ground in 2011.  Part of me has no idea what is going to come out of the ground, but that’s what is exciting.  I’m ready for grad school to end.  I’m ready to start getting even more involved in the nonprofit world.  I’m ready to get my creative juices flowing again.  I’m ready to start the next chapter in my life.  As John Lennon said shortly before his death, “I am going into an unknown future, but I’m still all here, and still while there’s life, there’s hope.”

A couple conversations that stuck in my head I’ve had this past year make me feel ready.  A family friend described life being like a pinball machine.  Life can take you in all these different directions and you have to be ready because you never know where the ball is going to go.  The other is my nonprofit leadership professor giving each person in my class an imperfect map.  Why?  No one’s journey is perfect and we all get to our destination a different way.  The goal is overcoming the obstacles and getting there.

I’m going to end this with a line from Risky Business (1983) that is going to be my motto for 2011.  “Sometimes you gotta say, what the fuck.  Make your move…  Every now and then say, what the fuck.  What the fuck gives you freedom.  Freedom brings opportunity.  Opportunity makes your future.”

What the fuck.

“If you can’t say it.  You can’t do it.”

Happy New Year,

Mikey Filmmaker

12/31/10