After 9 years of disagreement with the Academy's picks, Sam and I have chosen to launch the Sullivan-Gooley Awards the one year we are on the same side as the Academy.
Without further ado, here are our winners:
Visual Effects - The Curious Case Benjamin Button
How on earth did they turn Brad Pitt into a "lawn gnome," as Will Smith so accurately described it?
Sound Effects Editing - The Dark Knight
Inserting unrelated sounds to create a more realistic film-going experience... How else would you describe the sound of a Batmobile?
Sound Mixing - Slumdog Millionaire
Combining the clanks of children sprinting on tin rooftops, the yelling/cheering of their voices, and the adreneline-boosting percussion of A.R. Rahman's "O Saya," the opening sequence alone should merit the Sound Mixing award.
Song - "The Wrestler," by Bruce Springsteen, The Wrestler
The Boss gives us the Cliff's Notes to The Wrestler with this aptly titled parable about self-pity. This is by far the most shocking omission to this year's Oscars.
Score - Slumdog Millionaire
Part of how we get lost in Danny Boyle's masterpiece are the emotions triggered through A.R. Rachman's mesmerizing score. A perfect companion to the adventurous plot, direction, and editing, Slumdog Millionaire's music guides our emotions in near-direct correlation to the feelings of Jamal; this is a feat not easily accomplished considering the roller-coaster of emotions we experience in this 10+ year epic.
Makeup - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
See Visual Effects, then have the Lawn Gnome age backwards 70 years.
Film Editing - Slumdog Millionaire
See "Score," but visually...
Costume Design - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
It looks the most like what people wore from the 1920s until now. Not to say the other nominees were fake, but this represents the votes of 2 straight guys in the 21st century.
Cinematography - Slumdog Millionaire
Anthony Dod Mantle points the camera in better directions than the rest. Dutch angles abound, it's amazing how much emotion, action, and passion can be injected into one frame - over and over and over again.
Art Direction - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The evolution of the Benjamin Button's household is but one example of how Danny Boyle utilizes production design to trace the decades of the title character's lifetime.
Adapted Screenplay - Slumdog Millionaire
Classic storytelling. Period.
Original Screenplay - Milk
The story of Harvey Milk is controversial, vast, and touching. Never has the psyche of the gay community been so confidently broadcasted across this country.
Director - Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
His touch can be felt in every frame, yet executed in such a way that we lose ourselves in what the story - not the director - wants us to see next. Danny Boyle is the liason to Slumdog Millionaire's classic premise, yet it could never be classic without Danny Boyle's guidance.
Supporting Actress - Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Not to put an asterisk on Tomei's recognition, I still must admit that I never got the chance to see Vicky Christina Barcelona. Penelope Cruz was Sam's #1 pick for Best Supporting Actress, yet we had to both see the film to agree on a winner. Tomei's performance, however distant to Rourke's passion, reminds me of Eva Marie Saint's on-screen relationship with Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront. While a stripper, she's innocent and desperately seeking a life outside her own; even if it's a life with an ex-contender-turned-bum.
Supporting Actor - Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Speaking of Brando, we haven't seen a man totally absorbed in a character as Ledger in The Dark Knight. We also haven't seen a character so totally evil. Ledger's death leaves an even bigger aura surrounding the timeless character of the Joker.
Actress - Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road
Although she didn't deliver the most powerful performance in the movie, Kate Winslet's turn as a wife losing confidence in her husband's dream will haunt moviegoers for years ... if they ever went to the movie in the first place. To us, her performance was summed up in a look - a gaze given next to an oak tree in the twighlight of a marriage. Not to mention, her husband directed this performance. Also, on a side note, Sam and I hated The Reader.
Actor - Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Penn may have won the Oscar, but Rourke won immortality. Ten years from now, you may remember the Sean Penn finally took home the golden boy, but Rourke will be remembered.
Picture - Slumdog Millionaire
Knowledge: The ability to regurgitate facts. (This is how most of us were able to pass multiple choice tests in college without ever learning anything.)
Intelligence: The ability to interpret facts for an intended purpose. (It's not knowing; it's understanding.)
Wisdom: The application of intelligence. (Lessons learned only from living life; the discovery of knowledge though experience.)
How has God proven his existance in your life? Chance occurances? Gut feelings? Miracles?Although no life is pre-determined, each of us have a destiny. What's cool is this: God gave us the power to choose how we achieve it. Our eternity will be measured by the decisions we make during this short stint on Earth; and it's when you act on total faith and dedication does your destiny reveal itself.
In the case of Jamal Malik, he's on a journey to find her.
Slumdog Millionaire questions the acquisition of knowledge; emphasizes the power of love; and lets us know that God can put it all into action. Jamal can only answer the questions he's given based on the wisdom he brings to the table. It just so happens that his life's experiences are in direct link to the questions he's given on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Why?
Because that's the only way he can find her. He didn't ask to be on the show; he had to be. He didn't ask to win all that money; he had to answer the questions so that the nation would tune in and she could watch. He didn't ask to stay in touch with Salim; he had to find him to get his phone number. He didn't have to chase Latika; but he chose to fulfill his destiny.
Questions about how we came to these conclusions? Feel free to post a comment and we will both respond.
