Sunday, February 26, 2012

Oscar Sunday

Here are my choices for the big show tonight. I have $2 riding on these picks! Predictions in BOLD. Once again pressed for time so no witty comments...

BEST ACTOR

Demian Bichir
George Clooney
Jean DuJardin
Gary Oldman
Brad Pitt


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Kenneth Branagh
Jonah Hill
Nick Nolte
Christopher Plummer
Max Von Sydow


BEST ACTRESS

Glenn Close
Viola Davis
Rooney Mary
Meryl Streep
Michelle Williams


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Berenice Bejo
Jessica Chastain
Melissa McCarthy
Janet McTeer
Octavia Spencer


BEST ANIMATED FILM

A Cat in Paris
Chico & Rita
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss In Boots
Rango


BEST ART DIRECTION

The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Midnight In Paris
War Horse


BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

The Artist
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
The Tree of Life
War Horse


BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Anonymous
The Artist
Hugo
Jane Eyre
W.E.


BEST DIRECTOR

Michel Hazanavicius
Alexander Payne
Martin Scorsese
Woody Allen
Terrence Malick


BEST DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)

Hell and Back Again
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Pina
Undefeated


BEST DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)

The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement
God is the Bigger Elvis
Incident in New Baghdad
Saving Face
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom


BEST FILM EDITING

The Artist
The Descendants
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball


BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Bullhead, Belgium
Footnote, Israel
In Darkness, Poland
Monsieur Lazhar, Canada
A Separation, Iran


BEST MAKEUP

Albert Nobbs
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
The Iron Lady


BEST MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)

The Adventures of Tintin
The Artist
Hugo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse


BEST MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)

Man or Muppet, THE MUPPETS
Real in Rio, RIO


BEST PICTURE

The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse


BEST SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)

Dimanche/Sunday
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life


BEST SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)

Pentecost
Raju
The Shore
Time Freak
Tuba Atlantic


BEST SOUND EDITING

Drive
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse


BEST SOUND MIXING

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse


BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Real Steel
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Transformers: Dark of the Moon


BEST WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)

The Descendants
Hugo
The Ides of March
Moneyball
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy


BEST WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)

The Artist
Bridesmaids
Margin Call
Midnight In Paris
A Separation

Monday, February 20, 2012

Punch Brothers Punch

The Punch Brothers came out with a new album last week. If you aren't familiar with the Punch Brothers, give them a listen below.

"This Is The Song" from Live from the Lower East Side: It's p-Bingo Night! from Punch Brothers on Vimeo.


You might recognize the gorgeous lead singer and mandolin player, Chris Thile, from Nickel Creek or from the recent Goat Rodeo Sessions with Yo Yo Ma. But all of the members of the group are incredible musicians and their albums are like nothing else out there.

There is a tour to support the new album, Who's Feeling Young Now? and I would highly recommend seeing The Punch Brothers live. I saw them on their last tour and was wowed by the music and charmed by their personalities. It was great to hear their own songs played live, but one of the best things about that show was their rendition of The Strokes, Reptillia, which I've posted below.