Worthy Oscar

The 81st Academy Awards presentation was quite possibly one of the best awards shows I've ever seen, and I've seen over 20+ years of Academy Awards shows. Usually the popularity of the awards show, viewing wise, is directly related to how successful the nominated movies were in the box office so it will be interesting to see what the numbers were for this years show considering the mega blockbuster, The Dark Knight, was nominated in several categories namely for best supporting actor, which I imagine a lot of fans were rooting for.

I don't know how many other people watched the show but I do know the show had a special appeal and gusto unlike any other before it. One of the many notable touches was the multi award winning presentation for this years best actor/actress and supporting actor/actress nominees. These portions of the program were so tastefully done and the testimonials the winners gave the nominees although most likely were read from a teleprompter truly seemed heartfelt and extremely touching.

When I heard Hugh Jackman was hosting the show, I was skeptical to say the least. So OK, he was voted People's sexiest man of the year, does that really qualify him to host a show? But dare I say it, he not only graced the stage like a gentleman, but an extremely talented gentleman who could sing and dance like a modern day Gene Kelly. And Beyonce was just icing on the song-and-dance-number cake. Although I really felt his opening number was more creative and dynamic showing more of Hugh's vocal and comedic talents.

Hugh wasn't the only one doing the song and dance as John Legend showed a very pleasantly surprising appearance in the best song category appearing with A.R. Rahman who sang the songs he wrote on the Slumdog soundtrack. Their medley together was something that should definitely be reproduced in future shows.

Usually the speeches are what draws people away from the Oscars but this year the speeches were actually somewhat tolerable if not even enjoyable. The most touching speech without a doubt goes to Heath Ledger's family who accepted the best supporting actor award on his behalf. Kudo's goes to Jerry Lewis for keeping his speech short and simple but at the same time humble and more about his cause then for himself. The only thing I found a little redundant about the speeches was how it seemed everyone was mentioning how they grew up so far away from Hollywood and now here they were at the podium accepting the award. Was this transfixed on the teleprompter and someone forgot to take it off? Aside from that, there was not much more to complain about.

And from a biased standpoint there really weren't many disappointments or surprises. All the nominees who won, truly deserved to win this year and I applaud Hollywood for recognizing what an amazing film Slumdog was, especially in all the departments where it garnered those specific awards.

My hope for next year is that with the current president of the Academy stepping down, someone with as much love for film and presentations will step into his shoes and give hollywood the awards show it truly deserves.

Taken by Taken

We live in a new time, a new era. And no I'm not talking about Obama's presidency, I'm talking about action movies. More specifically an era where action films can take you by surprise and completely leg sweep you to the floor. That film is by Pierre Morel and it's called Taken. Taken has ventured into this new style or realm of action movie filmmaking joining the likes of movies such as, MI3, Casino Royale and The Bourne Ultimatum. Honestly I don't even remember the first two Mission Impossibles or the first two Bourne films being this gritty and in your face with the action. I vividly remember turning to my friends after a screening of the Bourne Ultimatum and pondering out loud, "when did Matt Damon become such a badass?". Long gone are the witty quips and one-liners when the good guy dispatches a bad guy. You won't hear a single, "Yippee-Kye-Yay!" or, "I'll be back!" in Taken but let me tell you, this is a very good thing.

Taken revolves around a very simple premise, a former American spy/agent who has "a very particular set of skills" is out to track down and find his kidnapped daughter and will do anything within his disposal to find her. It's thrilling because it seems as though suddenly overnight, every major celebrity in Hollywood has become just as fast as Jet Li and just as lethal as OJ Simpson. Or at least the editors and DP's have managed to use just the right angles and quick cuts to make you believe so. The action is so fast and frenetic and the editing is done so hastily, sometimes it's almost hard to keep up.

Liam Neeson stars as the former spy and Maggie Grace (of LOST fame) plays his daughter. Famke Janssen also has a supporting role as the divorced wife of Liam Neeson's character. I never really thought Liam Neeson could carry the lead action role of a film but he does so in Taken and he does so very well. Although I've always seen Liam as hardly threatening or intimidating, he utterly convinces you otherwise here. Like a timebomb you are just waiting for him to explode and with each second that passes in the film, the talented directing and acting makes you realize he is just getting more vicious and desperate every step of the way.

Yes the action film has hit a new benchmark and it seems each film in this new style of the action genre is trying their best to outdo the last one. Taken has definitely met this new benchmark and I look forward to the next outing from director Pierre Morel.