How 'Madea' Brings Us Together

Tyler Perry embodies his famous creation in Madea Goes to Jail.

In the era of Barack Obama--much as I shudder to think Obama will be remembered as his own "era"--the idea of unity seems to be the trendy tagline on all politicians' P.R.-handouts. Implementing those cornball "White, black, Asian, or Latino / gay or straight" campaign kum-bay-yah moments to appeal to the superficial acceptor in us all, the Obama campaign (and Administration) would certainly like us to think they were/are unifiers.

Most of us on the Right side of the aisle reject that notion.

But there is a man--an Obama supporter, no less--who is unifying people in droves. His name is Tyler Perry.

Perry's methods are not political in nature. His method is merely to do what he has done for the last several years: make popular movies.

But before this weekend's release of his hotly anticipated Madea Goes to Jail, Perry was still described by many (including myself) as a filmmaker who made movies almost exclusively for Southern, Christian, African-American audiences.

While Madea Goes to Jail may indeed be a movie made for that demographic, it's playing to a broader range of folks. Perry made opening-day appearances on "The View" and "Dr. Phil" (in which he mentioned that Mrs. Phil's praises for Diary of a Mad Black Woman were what led Phil to appear in Jail), which are evidence that he's now pitching his pictures to a larger crowd.

It's clear that people are responding. Over the weekend, Madea Goes to Jail racked in $41 million, over 30 percent more than Madea's Family Reunion and double Diary of a Mad Black Woman. Perry couldn't get those numbers by his original target demo alone.

What is the resulting phenomenon? You have real diversity--not the kind Obama has coined--coming together to watch a movie. The number of blacks attending Perry films may still be disproportionately high, but this works perfectly. New Perry viewers can walk into the auditorium and feel welcome amongst his longtime audience, who they may have never seen at a movie before.

What's so special about different types of people sitting in a dark room together? If you have to ask this question, then you should go see Madea Goes to Jail today. Not knowing how the movie woud do, I intentionally went to a neighborhood I thought would have a strong Perry following to see it. I found myself in a long line, then in a near sold-out auditorium, laughing the whole time with strangers next to me, commenting on each part of the movie. In a Perry film, it's pretty much acceptabe to make comments at the screen.

But as I said before, you may not even have to go to certain theatres to find a big audience for Madea Goes to Jail. I believe my days of sitting in an empty auditorium in white, suburban North County San Diego may be over. It must've been the "Dr. Phil" plug that did it for the housewives.

Even if you don't like Perry's movies--they are essentially well-acted soap-operas--you can appreciate that they are restoring a sense of community to the otherwise-sterile multiplexes of America. Rarely does the idea of a shared-experience still permeate beyond word-of-mouth-supported art-house fare and soulless mega-blockbusters (which don't need it anyway). But Perry's latest film, another credit to his brand, is bringing people together in the way that all good art should.

Oscars 2009 Picks & Predictions

It's that time again. In less than five hours, the Academy will begin to hand out those golden statuettes. As I did with this year's Golden Globes, I'll live-'blog with the winners. For now, here are my picks and predictions:

Final Prediction Accuracy Count: 17/24 (71%)
Final Prediction Accuracy Count (Not Including Short Films): 16/21 (76%)

Best Picture - Winner: Slumdog Millionaire
Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk, The Reader, Slumdog Millionaire.
My Prediction: Slumdog Millionaire.
I Would Vote for: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Best Director - Winner: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Nominees: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire), Stephen Daldry (The Reader), David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon), Gus Van Sant (Milk).
My Prediction: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire).
I Would Vote for: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire).

Best Actor - Winner: Sean Penn, Milk. Boooooooooo -- I guess Mickey will just have to give another once-in-a-lifetime performance.
Nominees: Richard Jenkins (The Visitor), Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon), Sean Penn (Milk), Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler).
My Prediction: Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler).
I Would Vote for: Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler).

Best Actress - Winner: Kate Winslet, The Reader
Nominees: Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married), Angelina Jolie (Changeling), Melissa Leo (Frozen River), Meryl Streep (Doubt), Kate Winslet (The Reader).
My Prediction: Kate Winslet (The Reader).
I Would Vote for: Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married).

Best Supporting Actor - Winner: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Nominees: Josh Brolin (Milk), Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt), Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight), Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road).
My Prediction: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight).
I Would Vote for: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight).

Best Supporting Actress - Winner: Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
Nominees: Amy Adams (Doubt), Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Viola Davis (Doubt), Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler).
My Prediction: Viola Davis (Doubt).
I Would Vote for: Viola Davis (Doubt).

Best Screenplay- Adapted - Winner: Slumdog Millionaire
Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Doubt, Frost/Nixon, The Reader, Slumdog Millionaire.
My Prediction: Slumdog Millionaire.
I Would Vote for: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Best Screenplay- Original - Winner: Milk
Nominees: Frozen River, Happy-Go-Lucky, In Bruges, Milk, WALL-E.
My Prediction: Milk.
I Would Vote for: Happy-Go-Lucky.

Best Animated Feature - Winner: WALL-E
Nominees: Bolt, Kung-Fu Panda, WALL-E.
My Prediction: WALL-E.
I Would Vote for: WALL-E.

Best Art Direction - Winner: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Nominees: Changeling, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, The Duchess, Revolutionary Road.
My Prediction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
I Would Vote for: Revolutionary Road.

Best Cinematography - Winner: Slumdog Millionaire
Nominees: Changeling, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, The Reader, Slumdog Millionaire.
My Prediction: Slumdog Millionaire.
I Would Vote for: Slumdog Millionaire.

Best Costume Design - Winner: The Duchess
Nominees: Australia, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Duchess, Milk, Revolutionary Road.
My Prediction: The Duchess.
I Would Vote for: The Duchess.

Best Documentary - Winner: Man on Wire
Nominees: The Betrayal, Encounters at the End of the World, The Garden, Man on Wire, Trouble the Water.
My Prediction: Man on Wire.
I Would Vote for: Man on Wire. (Note: I haven't seen The Garden.)

Best Film Editing - Winner: Slumdog Millionaire.
Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Frost/Nixon, Milk, Slumdog Millionaire.
My Prediction: Slumdog Millionaire.
I Would Vote for: The Dark Knight.

Best Foreign Language Film - Winner: Departures (whoaaa... now I'm officially psyched to see this on Friday.)
Nominees: The Baader Meinhof Complex, The Class, Departures, Revanche, Waltz with Bashir.
My Prediction: Waltz with Bashir.
I Would Vote for: The Class. (Note: I haven't seen The Baader Meinhof Complex, Departures, or Revanche.)

Best Makeup - Winner: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Hellboy II: The Golden Army.
My Prediction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
I Would Vote for: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Best Original Score - Winner: Slumdog Millionaire
Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Defiance, Milk, Slumdog Millionaire, WALL-E.
My Prediction: Slumdog Millionaire.
I Would Vote for: Slumdog Millionaire.

Best Original Song - Winner: "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire
Nominees: "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire, "O Saya" from Slumdog Millionaire, "Down to Earth" from WALL-E.
My Prediction: "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire.
I Would Vote for: "O Saya" from Slumdog Millionaire.

Best Sound Editing - Winner: The Dark Knight
Nominees: The Dark Knight, Iron Man, Slumdog Millionaire, WALL-E, Wanted.
My Prediction: WALL-E.
I Would Vote for: The Dark Knight.

Best Sound Mixing - Winner: Slumdog Millionaire
Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Slumdog Millionaire, WALL-E, Wanted.
My Prediction: The Dark Knight.
I Would Vote for: The Dark Knight.

Best Visual Effects - Winner: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Iron Man.
My Prediction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
I Would Vote for: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Best Short Film, Animated - Winner: "La Maison en Petits Cubes"
Nominees: "La Maison en Petits Cubes", "Lavatory - Lovestory", "Oktapodi", "Presto", "This Way Up".
My Prediction: "Presto" -- never doubt the power of Pixar.
I Would Vote for: Of the bunch, I've only seen "Presto". With the shorts available on iTunes and playing at a theatre near me, I have no excuse that I haven't seen them by now.

Best Short Film, Live Action - Winner: "Toyland"
Nominees: "On the Line", "Manon on the Asphault", "New Boy", "The Pig", "Toyland"
My Prediction: "Toyland" -- defaulting to Edward Havens over at FilmJerk.com.
I Would Vote for: With the shorts available on iTunes and playing at a theatre near me, I have no excuse that I haven't seen them by now.

Best Documentary Short - Winner: "Smile Pinki"
Nominees: "The Conscience of Nhem En", "The Final Inch", "Smile Pinki", "The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306"
My Prediction: "The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306", based on the sole criteria that it has the most intriguing title.
I Would Vote for: N/A -- to my knowledge, these aren't available for public viewing.

3rd Annual Muriel Awards Begin

I'm a bit ashamed that I haven't yet done my due diligence in promoting the 3rd Annual Muriel Awards (Oscar's greatest rival), hosted by Paul Clark over at Silly Hats Only.

The awards are handed out based on the tabulated votes of 37 Internet film luminaries, including yours truly (the only not-so-luminous member of the pack).

Categories range from the standard Best Picture and Best Director to Best Film-Related Website. As the above logo indicates, they're handed out over 17 days.

If your math was correct, you're right in realizing that 7 awards have already been handed out: "50th Anniversary for Best Film, 1958", "25th Anniversary for Best Film: 1983", "10th Anniversary for Best Film: 1998", "Best Film-Related Website, 2008", "Best Cinematic Breakthrough, 2008", and "Best Cinematography, 2008", to be exact.

But the Muriels are just heating up, with all the "major" categories left to be announced!

Last year, the Muriels were helped out big time by the plug of RogerEbert.com editor and new voter Jim Emerson. Let's work to make this year's awards even more widely circulated!

So what are you waiting for? Hop on over to Silly Hats Only now and get caught up on the winners so far!

Oscar Nomination Reactions

How dare you underestimate my Oscar potential when I get naked!

It's Saturday. Two days after the Oscar nominations were announced. I've waited until now to 'blog about my reactions. Why?

Put simply: I'm totally unenthusiastic about the nominees. I like virtually all the movies, but most of them fall under the category of "good, not great."

And then there's the issue of the Dark Knight snubs, but I'd be lying if I said I was angry about them. Fact is: The Reader took the 5th Picture and Director slots, which is ultimately a good thing because the Holocaust drama needs the publicity far more than The Dark Knight does. Given that nobody remembers the nominees two weeks after the show anyway, it seems a nobler cause to provide a small movie some pre-show buzz than to recognize a fully-exposed movie with a worthless nomination.

Without further adieu, I'll provide the obligatory responses to each category:

Best Picture
The Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk, The Reader, Slumdog Millionaire.
Thoughts: I guess I should be happy I like them all, which isn't usually the case. I think Button is the best movie on the list, but it's hard not to root for Slumdog because it's the little-movie-that-could. As is the case in most of the other categories, the Academy picked the safest choices... I wish there had been a true surprise like The Wrestler, Gran Torino, or Revolutionary Road.

Best Director
The Nominees: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire), Stephen Daldry (The Reader), David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon), Gus Van Sant (Milk).
Thoughts: Same as on Best Picture.

Best Actor
The Nominees: Richard Jenkins (The Visitor), Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon), Sean Penn (Milk), Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler).
Thoughts: A totally predictable category. While I'm a little bit bugged by the Eastwood diss, I realize that nominating Clint would've meant excluding Richard Jenkins, which would've been unfortunate. Like The Reader, The Visitor needs promotion. Like The Dark Knight, Gran Torino does not.

Best Actress
The Nominees: Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married), Angelina Jolie (Changeling), Melissa Leo (Frozen River), Meryl Streep (Doubt), Kate Winslet (The Reader).
Thoughts: Now here's a category I can get truly angry about. Angelina Jolie was good in Changeling, but I sense she made it on the list only because she's Angelina Jolie. Melissa Leo did fine in Frozen River, but I really don't get all the love for the movie. That Sally Hawkins and Kristen Scott Thomas (and my personal choice Kate Beckinsale) got snubbed is a damn shame. And WHY OH WHY did they have to nominate Winslet for The Reader instead of Revolutionary Road? Her work in the latter is the best acting of the year... while her work is good in the former, it isn't as good as Anne Hathaway's in Rachel Getting Married. So I'm left not rooting for the actress that gave my favorite performance of the year because of film selection. Drats.

Best Supporting Actor
The Nominees: Josh Brolin (Milk), Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt), Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight), Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road).
Thoughts: While I thought Michael Shannon was the weakest part of Revolutionary Road, it's nice to see an under-appreciated movie get some love. But Ledger's got this one sewn up -- and rightfully so.

Best Supporting Actress
The Nominees: Amy Adams (Doubt), Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Viola Davis (Doubt), Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler).
Thoughts: Well, my dark horse pick, Evan Rachel Wood, got shut out -- no surprise there. I really don't get all the Cruz and Henson love, so hopefully Adams, Davis, or Tomei takes home the golden statue.

Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
The Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Doubt, Frost/Nixon, The Reader, Slumdog Millionaire.
Thoughts: I wish Oscar would've broken some barriers by nominating The Dark Knight here, but it's all well and good.

Best Writing (Original Screenplay)
The Nominees: Frozen River, Happy-Go-Lucky, In Bruges, Milk, WALL-E.
Thoughts: Interesting that all of the Oscar front-runners (and most of the year's true best films) came from adapted screenplays. This is a fun category in that three of them (Happy-Go-Lucky, In Bruges, and the undeserving Frozen River) are pretty atypical picks due to the lack of clear choices. I hope Happy-Go-Lucky wins, especially with the Hawkins snub. Worst case scenario would be a Milk victory based solely on the Academy's left-leaning political views.

Best Animated Film
The Nominees: Bolt, Kung Fu Panda, WALL-E.
Thoughts: It's a shame Waltz with Bashir didn't make it here, but I'm sure it will win in the Best Foreign Film category. I also would've liked to have seen The Tale of Despereaux in Bolt's slot, but all the nominees are deserving nonetheless.

Best Art Direction
The Nominees: Changeling, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, The Duchess, Revolutionary Road.
Thoughts: No complaints here, although Slumdog Millionaire is a notable exclusion.

Best Cinematography
The Nominees: Changeling, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, The Reader, Slumdog Millionaire.
Thoughts: Revolutionary Road and Milk and The Wrestler, the three best shot movies of the year, were snubbed! Snubbed, I tell you!

Best Costume Design
The Nominees: Australia, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Duchess, Milk, Revolutionary Road.
Thoughts: No complaints.

Best Documentary
The Nominees: The Betrayal, Encounters at the End of the World, the Garden, Man on Wire, Trouble the Water.
Thoughts: Man on Wire is a shoe-in, and rightfully so. Herzog made it on because he's Herzog, but I still contend that Encounters was the most overrated movie of 2008. I was surprised to see The Garden make it on, if only because it was one of the "Free Movies" at LAFF (I guess this means I should see it).

Best Documentary Short
The Nominees: The Conscience of Nhem En, The Final Inch, Smile Pinki, The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306.
Thoughts: Ask me when I see the program later this month.

Best Film Editing
The Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Frost/Nixon, Milk, Slumdog Millionaire.
Thoughts: I'm not trying to knock Button or Dark Knight--two of the best-edited movies of the year--but I can't help but comment on the irony that they were nominated in this category given their massive running-lengths. Milk doesn't really deserve to be here--it's about 15 minutes too long--and should have been replaced y Gran Torino, a meanly-edited film.

Best Foreign Language Film
The Nominees: The Baader Meinhof Complex, The Class, Departures, Revanche, Waltz with Bashir.
Thoughts: I've only seen The Class and Waltz with Bashir, and both are excellent. I'm now kicking myself for not seeing Revanche at AFI Fest. And where the heck has this Baader Meinhof Complex movie come from? It's getting tons of Foreign Film nominations and I had never heard of it before the Globes.

Best Makeup
The Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Hellboy 2.
Thoughts: Button's the deserving shoe-in.

Best Music (Score)
The Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Defiance, Milk, Slumdog Millionaire, WALL-E.
Thoughts: I can only remember the music in Slumdog and Button out of these five. It's no coincidence that they're the front-runners. Slumdog's A.R. Rahman has taken all the big precursors, but I wouldn't be surprised if Button's Alexandre Desplat comes from behind and wins.

Music (Song)
The Nominees: "Down to Earth" (WALL-E), "Jai Ho" (Slumdog Millionaire), "O Saya" (Slumdog Millionaire).
Thoughts: I fear a split vote for the Slumdog nominees. That said, where the heck is the true best song: Springsteen's "The Wrestler"?

Best Short Film (Animated)
The Nominees: La Maison en Petits Cubes, Lavatory - Lovestory, Oktapodi, Presto, This Way Up.
Thoughts: Talk to me after I see the program in February.

Best Short Film (Live)
The Nominees: Auf Der Streke (On the Line), Manon on the Asphalt, New Boy, Spielzeugland (Toyland).
Thoughts: Talk to me after I see the program in February.

Best Sound Editing
The Nominees: The Dark Knight, Iron Man, Slumdog Millionaire, WALL-E, Wanted.
Thoughts: Fine by me.

Best Sound Mixing
The Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Slumdog Millionaire, WALL-E, Wanted.
Thoughts: What's up with all the Wanted love?

Best Visual Effects
The Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Iron Man.
Thoughts: I love 'em all, but Button FTW!

Stay tuned to see my official "Picks and Predictions" on Oscar weekend!

My Pleas on Nominations Eve

While it's an accepted fact that people rarely remember which movies and performances won Academy Awards years down the line, we movie-lovers can't help but drool over the most prestigious award show in Hollywood.

In less than six hours, this year's nominees will be announced. (To stick with tradition, I'll set my alarm for 5:00 a.m., watch, and then go back to bed -- a practice that was a lot easier when I was in high school and had to be up by 6:30 anyway.)

My hope that The Dark Knight is nominated notwithstanding--I think it'll snag a Best Picture nom without issue, so I won't include it below--here are the three dark horses in the nominations race I hope to hear called bright and early tomorrow morning:

Kate Beckinsale, Nothing But the Truth (Best Actress) -- A great performance in a great movie (condemnable political subtext aside) that was seen by less than 1,000 people when it opened unadvertised in three theatres in December. Nothing but the Truth's fate is uncertain due to distributor Yari's ongoing bankruptsy, and Oscar recognition may be the only thing that can save it from a direct-to-DVD release. Beckinsale brings heartwrenching humanity and moral complexity to a character that all too easily could've come off as a cold embodiment of textbook themes about good journalism. If all Academy members watched their screener-copies, then a Beckinsale nom should be a lock. Sadly, I bet they didn't.

Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino (Best Actor/Best Director) -- The chances of an Eastwood nomination are becoming better and better now that the film has become a commercial success and an audience favorite. But part of me still worries that the hard-left Academy won't be able to bring itself to highlight Gran Torino's sympathetic portrayal of a character who could be conveniently and ignorantly written off as a "racist old man." His chances aside, Eastwood is deserving in two categories: not only is his last performance one of his best, his job behind the camera is also a great example of Hollywood Style done right.

Evan Rachel Wood, The Wrestler (Best Supporting Actress) -- Mickey Rourke is deserving of all the accolades he's receiving for the year's biggest comeback, as is Marisa Tomei for her vulnerable turn as a confused stripper. But the performance that yanked at my heartstrings the most in my #2 pick for 2008 was that of Evan Rachel Wood. She's only in three scenes, but her interaction with Rourke's estranged father brings more depth to his character than anything else in the film. Wood made headlines for her bigtime debut in Thirteen, but this performance is in another league. When Rourke touts her as one of his favorite actresses, he's not just promoting the movie.

OK--prayers said, it's time to get some shut-eye before I have to slap myself awake and turn on the tube. Watch this page for my reaction to the nominees... possibly right after the announcement, probably after I wake up a second time.