Here I am, after 5 hours sleep. Here I am, after such an exciting night spent with Oscars ceremony. I could watch it online after all and it felt like I was 14 again, the age when I first watched the Oscars. 

The enormous exciting made me stay up all night and I was literally glued to the screen and played Oscar Live challenge and Oscars.com. Basically I put the predictions there in advance, but changed them along the way before the name was about to be said. 

Finally, out of almost 15000 people I ended up having the rank of 700 and it would be even better if I didn’t miss to fill Best supporting actor category that I was sure it would be Heath Ledger. 

So to continue my bragging, I didn’t miss any major pick, except my loving Penelope Cruz. As much as I love her and would even sinned for her cuz she’s damn hot I bet on Taraji P. Henson in the Curious Case of benjamin Button. I loved Penelope in Vicki Christina Barcelona, the film that speaks to me more than any other, but I jut thought this was a small role to get the Oscar for. She did and I’m so glad. Her speech was ne of the few memorable this year. 

“I grew up in a place called Alcobendas, where this was not a very realistic dream. And I, always on the night of the Academy Awards, I stay up to watch the show and I always felt that this was, this ceremony was a moment of unity for the world because art, in any form, is and has been and will always be our universal language and we should do everything we can, everything we can, to protect its survival.” Penelop Cruz

Such moments totally made me cry. I am so happy for Slumdogs who got 8 awards out of 10 nomination (they had two songs, so they could win only 9). It’s more than deserved. If I think of 2008 as far as films, I will think of Slumdog Millionaire film that shocked me, moved me, made me cry and happy. The cast and crew did an amazing job and I am glad that they won it all. 

Man on Wire might be the best documentary I’ve ever seen. The message that it passed me these days has been crucial and fell into place with other significant events that happened in my life. Phillippe Petit, the man on wire, is an incredible person. After watching the movie, I realized the world and especially me have found a new hero. Congrats!

Kate Winslet. Oh I have to mention her again. She was not only stunning at the Oscars but also kept her mind focused on what she was saying during the speech. It’s not like I would ever get the Oscar but if I did, I guess I would be too overwhelmed by the situation. Kate was perfect. Well deserved Oscar for the role of Hana alone. But also for her past achievements in Little Children (which is one of my most fav films), Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind and Titanic. I expected bit more from the speech but again, when she said 

“Okay, that fainting thing, Penelope. I’d be lying if I hadn’t made a version of this speech before, I think I was probably eight years old and staring into the bathroom mirror. And this (holding up her statuette) would’ve been a shampoo bottle. Well, it’s not a shampoo bottle now!” 

it just made me burst out with tears again. 

And Sean Penn. I will always remember his entire speech of 2004 when he received the Oscar statue for Mystic River. Making Oscars political is sometimes silly but Sean always knows what to say. I am glad he mentioned gay rights because it’s ridiculous that the world preaches equality but they haven’t been given the same rights yet. I am looking forward to a day when I wake up in the morning and a gay boy will be able to raise a child with his gay partner without judgement. There’s no evidence that women are capable of better upbringing. 

“And finally, for those, two last finallies, for those who saw the signs of hatred as our cars drove in tonight, I think that it is a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect and anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren’s eyes if they continue that way of support. We’ve got to have equal rights for everyone. And there are, and there are, these last two things. I’m very, very proud to live in a country that is willing to elect an elegant man president and a country who, for all its toughness, creates courageous artists.” Sean Penn

Amazing moments of 81st Annual academy awards. I am glad I could watch it. It was a dream to watch it yesterday at this time, it feels natural today. It was a dream to see majority of nominated films 2 months ago, it’s natural today. It *is* a dream to be in Hollywood to watch the Oscar, participate and I am not even saying about being nominated. But who knows what’s coming for me, maybe that will once be perfectly natural too! :) 

I’ll be back in a few to post all the movies I’ve seen past 2009 with little comments.

The world smells of movies today. It’s the Oscar night, the biggest movie event of the year. I get obsessed every year and very excited to the extent that I would leave Slovakia right away and just fly over to the US to fulfill the American Dream of mine. I’ve been having an actual dream for past couple of days about writing a script and promoting it. Well, you just can tell that I am very excited and with this post, I will make my predictions for tonight since this is the first year when I saw majority of nominated movies. 

I won’t be able to watch it live, but I am staying up all night checking the backstage cameras at oscars.com along with updates and pictures of winners. It’s a shame that we no longer have the programme on TV which would have it live. I am very disappointed cuz I am a huge Oscar fan since 2004 when I first saw it live. 

So here’s my comments about movies and predicitions. 

Slumdog Millionaire 
Best picture of the year. I was totally overwhelmed… It literally took my breath away. It should get the best picture as well as the Oscar for best director and cinematography. The screenplay is wonderful, too but I am betting on The reader in this case. Music (Score) and Music (Song) for Jai Ho also should get the Oscar. I am not totally fan of the song but there is nothing better this year compared with last years Once songs performed by Marketa Irglova and Glen Hansard.
Slumdog Millionaire is maybe a strongest story I’ve ever seen with an option D – it was written. You’d say such situation is improbable but in fact as you watching it you’ve got a feeling it’s all real. I’m not a fan of of Asian culture at all but this just got me. The movie leaves me speechless. 

The Reader
Second best this year for me. I totally love Kate Winslet, she’s definitely the best actress of present time. She’s been nominated 8 times if I remember well and never took the Oscar statue home. This year it’s her chance. I’ve seen many of her films since I am a huge fan and this role was the most difficult to create and she did more than well. To find humanity in such person as Hana must have been difficult. I loved the movie thoroughly and I love Kate.
So I am betting on her as the best actress, I also like the screenplay because it isn’t easy to write and isn’t easy to pick what is crucial to the movie and can’t be erased from the script.  

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
This was the first Oscar nominated movie I’ve seen from all of nominated ones. After it ended, I was totally overwhelmed. It is a great film but because I watched The reader and Slumdog afterwards, this one is left behind. Brad and Cate were amazing but I don’t think Brad will take the award. But Taraji P. Henson should definitely take the award for best supporting actress. (even though I haven’t seen Doubt yet).  Also I think makeup artists and costume designers did a terrific job and should get the statue. And one Oscar for Art Direction, too. 
Even though that makes 4 Academy awards according to me out of 13 nominations, Benjamin Button will either be the biggest disappointment or the other way around. I guess these 4 Oscars would be appropriate and that’s it. But I won’t be mad if any other will conjure up.

 Milk
Great movie. I didn’t know anything about Harvey Milk prior to watching the movie. I think Sean Penn performed him in a brilliant way and therefore I hope he will get the Oscar tonight. He got his first Oscar when I first watched the show in 2004 and his speech was wonderful. I bet he will say something meaningful again if he’s there. And that’s what speeches should be about except the “thanks” part. I also think it should get the statue for best original screenplay. 

Man on Wire
Best documentary feature. The best quote that best express what the film is about “It’s impossible. Impossible. So let’s keep working on it”. It inspired me greatly and reminded me that dreams can come true with bravery and ridiculous amount of work. Thumbs up! 

So I guess I will rather write about all films I’ve seen since 2009 began tomorrow and now I’ll leave you with predictions. I am staying up all night so I might get back to writing. :) 

Best Picture – Slumdog Millionaire
Directing – Slumdog Millionaire
Actor in a leading role – Sean Penn
Actress in a leading role – Kate Winslet
Actor in a supporting role – Heath Ledger
Actress in a supporting role – Taraji P. Henson
Writing (Adapted screenplay) –  The Reader
Writing (Original screenplay) – Milk
Animated feature film – Wall-e
Short Film (Animated) – Lavatory-Lovestory (I haven’t seen)
Short Film (Live action)  - New Boy (I haven’t seen)
Foreign Language Film – Waltz with Bashir (Haven’t seen yet)
Documentary Feature – Man on Wire
Documentary short – The Witness – from the Balcony of Room 306 (haven’t seen)
Music (Score) - Slumdog Millionaire
Music (Song) - Slumdog Millionaire – Jai Ho
Art Direction – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Cinematography - Slumdog Millionaire
Costume design –  The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Film editing – Milk
Makeup - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Sound Editing – Wall-e
Sound Mixing – Slumdog Millionaire
Visual Effects – The Dark Knight

Enjoy the night if you’re gonna watch it! :))

So again tonight, I watched another piece of art. The Oscar nominated movie “The Reader”. I am not going to retell a single thing from a movie. I’ll just say that Kate Winslet was amazing. She definitely keeps her title of my most favorite actress of all times (Yeah, sorry Diane Keaton). 

I’ve seen a dozen of interesting movies since 2009 started. They all moved me greatly, but not quite like this one. The art, the life itself in its art form can only inspire me in this way. And possibly heal the wounds that are being created or re-opened. 

Hanna Schmitz, the main character from the movie, made wrong choices in her life. Whatever reason had led her to those paths, she after all remains being a horrible person she was, for what she let to be done, yet there is undeniably some part of her that is so human, that after all you feel her guilt too and most of all you would like things to be better for her. 

Well, I know I am not making much sense, especially if you haven’t seen the film. But I would very much like to recommend it to you. Along with many others I will soon comment on. 

I just want to say that we’re all making wrong choices sometimes for which we feel guilty. We also make right choices for which we eventually feel guilty. It wouldn’t make any sense, right?  Only if there was some pre-defined rule about what is right or wrong. But when it comes to that… It’s all about our morals, our needs and feelings. 

Today has been a very weird day, I am telling you. Up to the point of watching the movie it was about adversity me and my friend Kristina have in life. I feel guilty, though. I feel guilty that I even complain sometimes. I have no reasons. I am not a stupid kiddo, I not a desperate person, I actually don’t want my enemies to suffer even if they ask for it, I am compassionate, I am almost getting to the point when I can proudly say that I can drive a car, I am getting better at practicing to stay balanced, and most of all, I am really lucky to be whoever I am even if I carry some guilt and will do for the rest of my life. 

After all, everyone’s guilty of something if you look hard enough.