Kris Rasmussen: February 2007 Archives

Okay, so it's taken a day to recover from the fact that some of my Oscar predictions for this year didn't quite work out the way I had hoped, but as I reflect on the ups and downs of the long, long, long, Oscar ceremony, one moment still irritates me. Regardless of who hosts, who is nominated, or who performs on the show, one thing Oscar has never done well is political statements. Not when it's Michael Moore. Not when it's Susan Sarandon. And not when it's Al Gore. Though I was thrilled that Al Gore won for his documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," unlike fellow blogger Doug, I cringed at the way Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen DeGeneres, and the rest of the Hollywood elite took a wonderful moment and used it to rub salt in old wounds.

It started with Ellen's joke comparing Gore to Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, reminding people that America didn't vote for the former "American Idol" contestant, but America did vote for Gore, and yet somehow they both ended up at the Academy Awards. Then there was Leonardo DiCaprio fawning all over the former vice-president, trying to convince him to announce that he would run for president. All of these rather lame jokes did nothing but take Americans back to a contentious election that divided the country.

Such ego-driven one-liners on a night intended to celebrate artistic excellence only showed that Hollywood completely missed the other reason Gore's film is worthy of praise. "An Inconvenient Truth" not only documented the damage we are doing to the environment, but also portrayed one man's courage and grace after public failure. It traced how one man learned from defeat, refrained from whining or pointing the blame at others, and is now rising from the ashes to truly lead our nation in a way we desperately need--all without holding political office.

I realize there is no perhaps no punchline in looking forward as opposed to looking back, but it might have been the ever-so-slightly more dignified response.

With "Studio 60's" ratings floundering, NBC has decided to up the premiere date of their mafia drama "The Black Donnellys" from Oscar winner Paul Haggis ("Crash," Million Dollar Baby") to this Monday evening, taking over "Studio 60's" timeslot for the rest of the season. I guess the hope is that good-looking people committing crimes in the name of love and loyalty will interest audiences more than good-looking people talking about their love of working in television and their beliefs about the existence of God.

"The Black Donnellys" refers to four Irish boys growing up in a rough neighborhood where the Italian mafia rules the way things are done. The pilot is told in flashback by a childhood buddy, a wiseguy named "Joey Ice Cream," who is being interrogated by the police about the Donnelly brothers and their involvement in organized crime. Through Joey's anecdotes we learn why Jimmy Donnelly is a cripple and an alcoholic, why Tommy Donnelly is the good kid of the bunch, and why two specific tragedies lead Tommy to make a choice that sucks him into a life of crime.

I realize that "The Black Donnellys" will automatically suffer by comparison to "The Sopranos"--which can get away with far more risqué material on HBO--but still, the pilot episode is not exceptionally edgy or violent. Instead, it contains oddball humor in the character of Joey, and sets up a star-crossed romance between Tommy and the girl-next-door/childhood sweetheart, Jenny Reilly.

I admit I am not a big fan of mafia dramas in general, never buying the idea that criminal underworld provides this amazing canvas to tell stories of redemption and justice. In the case of "The Black Donnellys," it doesn't help that they are replacing a show I have grown fond of. But while I found some of the style and dialogue of the first half of the show a little contrived, where the show shines is in the performance of Jonathon Tucker as Tommy, and in the love story between Tommy and Jenny. Jenny is the moral compass for the Donnelly family but she is fighting a battle for Tommy's soul that she is unlikely to win. The connection these two characters have remind me of epic lovers in the vein of Romeo and Juliet and was enough to suck me in to watching a few more episodes.

Then again, that's what I said about Matt and Harriet, and NBC took them away from me, too.

Feeling a little puffed up over my successful predictions of the winners of last year's Oscars, I am going to set myself up for possible ridicule again by putting myself on the line once more here at Idol Chatter, and share my thoughts and predictions for Sunday night's Oscars. With no overwhelming favorite coming out of this season's race for the coveted golden statue, I am feeling a little less confident about my Oscar expertise this season, but I still like my chances of having bragging rights again come Monday morning.

If my predictions help you win your office betting pool, just remember to send me a portion of your winnings, and if you want something fun to do while waiting for Sunday night's ceremony, be sure to check out the Beliefnet Film Awards page to see who won our own movie awards.

So, without further ado, my predictions

Performance by an actor in a leading role:
The nominees are: Leonardo DiCaprio ("Blood Diamond"); Ryan Gosling ( "Half Nelson"); Peter O'Toole ( "Venus"); Will Smith ("The Pursuit of Happyness"); Forest Whitaker ("The Last King of Scotland")

My analysis: Even though Forest Whitaker won the SAG award , I think it is a two-horse race between two other actors--Leonardo DiCaprio and Peter O'Toole. Some critics feel that Oscar has to give it to O'Toole because he has never won an Oscar (well, he received an honorary one years ago, but he didn't win for "Lawrence of Arabia" or any other movie). I think not enough voters will take time to watch the tiny film "Venus" that O'Toole was in, leaving DiCaprio as the favorite.

Who will win: Leonardo DiCaprio, because he is a star on the rise who has given several great performances lately.

Who should win: In spite of my distaste for "The Notebook," I am a Ryan Gosling fan and "Half Nelson" was definitely Oscar-worthy.

Performance by an actor in a supporting role:
The nominees are: Alan Arkin ( "Little Miss Sunshine"); Jackie Earle Haley ("Little Children"); Djimon Hounsou ("Blood Diamond"); Eddie Murphy ( "Dreamgirils"); Mark Wahlberg ("The Departed")

My analysis: While there is some sentimental support for veteran actors Alan Arkin and Jackie Earle Haley, this may be the one and only time Oscar voters will have a chance to recognize Eddie Murphy for his body of work.

Who will win: Eddie Murphy will squeak out a win over Alan Arkin.

Who should win: Djimon Hounsou, who has given several amazing performances in the last few years and is always overlooked for his work.

Performance by an actress in a leading role:
The nominees are: Penélope Cruz ("Volver"); Judi Dench ("Notes on a Scandal"); Helen Mirren ("The Queen"); Meryl Streep ( "The Devil Wears Prada"); Kate Winslet ( "Little Children")

My analysis: The Eurpoeans dominate this category, with Streep being the only American in the bunch, but it is the British actress Helen Mirren who has won every award there is this season.

Who will win: Helen Mirren will win in the only slam-dunk of the evening.

Who should win: Helen Mirren deserves a gold statue for playing one gutsy broad in some really hideous outfits.

Performance by an actress in a supporting role:
The nominees are: Adriana Barraza ( "Babel"); Cate Blanchett ("Notes on A Scandal"); Abigail Breslin ("Little Miss Sunshine"); Jennifer Hudson ("Dreamgirls"); Rinko Kikuchi ("Babel")

Who will win: Jennifer Hudson

Who should win: Anyone but Abigail Breslin. Now that I have that little rant out of my system, I think it is almost impossible to root against Jennifer Hudson.

Best motion picture of the year:
The nominees are: "Babel"; "The Departed"; "Letters from Iwo Jima"; "Little Miss Sunshine"; "The Queen"

My analysis: There is some support for "Little Miss Sunshine" to be the feel-good, underdog upset, but I still believe that this is the year Oscar will finally get around to honoring Martin Scorsese with a best director award and best picture award.

Who will win: "The Departed"

Who should win: Any movie but "Little Miss Sunshine." Oops, I ranted again. Of all of the Oscar choices, my curtsey would go to "The Queen" for its fresh, creative, and insightful storytelling.

Even though Ryan Gosling ( "The Notebook") is up for an Academy Award for his performance in the indie film "Half Nelson," the film played in such limited release last summer that it's hard to imagine many outside of Hollywood caught it in theaters. Fortunately, Gosling's performance as a drug-addicted teacher at an urban middle school was released on DVD this week. "Half Nelson" flips every stereotype found in other inspirational teacher movies on its head and is not so much a movie about redemption, but a story about offering grace to those around us, regardless of whether or not their lives are ever redeemed.

Dan Dunne (Gosling) is an unorthodox history teacher who despises the school-approved curriculum and uses a more thought-provoking style of teaching. He teaches his students that every major historical event can be explained by dialectics--the idea that conflict is created by two opposing forces. Dialectics could also describe Dunne's life. While he desires to be the kind of teacher who changes the world one student at a time, his ideals are at odds with his love of crack. His secret drug habit is dscovered by one of his students, a 13-year-old girl named Drey, who finds him getting high in a locker room after school. It is a moment of total humiliation for Dunne, but it is also the beginning of an unusual friendship.

In this story, it is Drey (brilliantly played by Shareeka Epps) who becomes something of a mentor to Dunne, instead of the other way around. She has a brother in jail because of drugs, an absentee father, and a mother who works all of the time. But even without any socioeconomic advantages, Drey is determined to get an education and make something of her life. When the adults around her fail her again and again, she refuses to let that define her view of herself.

On the other hand, it seems as if Dunne can only define himself by the failures in his personal life. His connection with Drey is one of the few bright spots in his life, but even as he sees the need for Drey to have a father figure in her life, it is still not enough to make him stop using drugs. Everty time he takes a step forward to sobriety, he slides two steps back. Still, Drey stays by his side because she understands his frustration with a bleak world.

"Half Nelson" is powerful storytelling, not only because of what happens to these two characters, but also because of what doesn't happen to them. There is not an uplifitng, inspiring transformation to Dunne. Just as the audience is never give much of an explanation as to why Dunne is so messed up to begin with, the movie offers little in the way of answers. Dunne does not seem to have a huge impact on the lives of his students in spite of his methods in class, as we might expect. Dunne doesn't kick his drug habit--yet--though there is a glimmer of possibility that he will. The only certainty is that Drey will continue to love him and forgive him for his shortcomings. As an audience we are left with the hope that this will be enough to help Dunne change, but, just like in real life, there are no guarantees.

For its uneasy but natural look at the struggle to accept grace when other, opposing forces pull at the soul, "Half Nelson" should have been a stronger contender in this year's Oscar race, and is now officially added to my Top Ten list for 2006.

The current issue of Newsweek features an interesting follow-up to the potential pseudo-controversy surrounding the movie "Save Me," which recently made an appearance at the Sundance Film Festival. The Newsweek article features a surprisingly in-depth interview with actor Chad Allen, who received an onslaught of publicity last year for being an outspoken homosexual who was cast as a Christian missionary in a movie made by Christians, "End of the Spear." The film "Save Me" centers around the journey of a gay man who is sent to be "degayified," if you will, at a Christian treatment facility--and it seems that Allen's choice to be in the movie is a conscious effort to continue the dialogue about homosexuality and Christianity.

Allen reveals in the interview that the movie portrays evangelicals in a more positive light in part because of the way he was treated with respect and love on the "End of the Spear" set when he was expecting to be treated with bigotry. He also states that he believes "in the importance of having this conversation about God and gay. I think that 'End of the Spear' opened up that conversation, and 'Save Me' is the perfect follow-up to it."

Perhaps the most unsettling part of the interview for many Christians who might read the article is the part where Allen very articulately discusses the whopping seven passages in the Bible that address homosexual behavior specifically and how he feels they are misinterpreted. At the least , his comments are a reminder to me that Christians need to at least acknoweldge there is some gray area in dealing with this topic. At the most, his comments, along with the comments of more and more in the gay community, are a thoughtful inquiry into whether or not evangelical Christianity theology has completely missed the mark on this issue.

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