They Came to Play (1:31) 2010

 For the last five years pianists arrive in Forth Worth, Texas to compete in the International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs. This competition is hosted by the Van Cliburn Foundation. Seventy-five pianists have met the criteria of being at least thirty-five years old, are considered to be amateurs, and have submitted a recording. The group is diverse in age, training, profession, culture, and location. The documentary interviews roughly a dozen of the competitors at home, during the three day first round, the semi-finals, and then the finals where the field has been narrowed to six pianists.. Even though I'm not a big fan of classical music, I enjoyed listening to parts of each performance as much as I enjoyed the interviews. It was interesting to see the results of each round, I felt bad for some of the people who were "kicked off the island" so to speak, and was happy for some who continue on to the finals. This is a must see for classical music lovers.

Congratulations to The King's Speech

The King's Speech took home the big prizes:  Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Original Screenplay. These are well deserved honors - it was a regal effort by all. I just read last night that The King's Speech was originally written as a play, primarily a two man play. Is anyone else wondering as to why Geoffrey Rush was overlooked for Best Supporting Actor nomination? I'll never understand that snub.
As everyone expected, Natalie Portman won Best Actress for her role in The Black Swan.
I highly recommend The King's Speech to everyone, it is a movie that you can take your daughter, sister, mother and grandmother for a royal treat. The Black Swan is also a good movie but it is a psycho sexual thriller - think long and hard as to whom you will be taking to see it. It isn't exactly everyone's cup of tea.

Congratulations to Melissa Leo & Christian Bale

As expected, Melissa Leo and Christian Bale walk away with Oscars tonight. They portrayed mother and son in The Fighter a dramatization of a real life  Lowell, MA dysfunctional Irish Catholic family. As I was walking out of the theater after watching The Fighter I turned to my friend Judy and said "Christian Bale will be nominated and will win an Oscar for his performance."

The Lost Thing Won an Oscar

Unbelievable, The Lost Thing was my least favorite animated short. Toy Story3 is taking an Oscar home for Best Animated Feature. It was a shoe-in for the start. Congratulations to both animations.

Ben X (1:33) 2007

My movie buddy recommended Ben X today and fortunately I was able to stream it. Ben X was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film as an entry from Belgium. Ben is a high school student who spends much of his free time playing online games and is currently at level 80 in his favorite fantasy game. His school life is not successful, he is target of two bullies who are unrelenting in making fun of him in front of his classmates.
There is a sickening scene where Ben is lifted onto a student desk and then is depantsed while everyone is filming him and calling him a loser. After this event, Ben is at the breaking point, he can't take it anymore. He is at the crossroads, will he commit suicide or will he fight back? This is a riveting story, it captured my attention that entire time. It also did a great job showing how Ben, a student with Asperger's Syndrome, is not the cause of  problems in school. It is the others' insensitive and mean spirited reactions to him that are the problem. This is a must see for all those who work in education. The dialogue is Flemish with English subtitles.

The Cow Who Wanted to be a Hamburger (0:10) 2010

This short film animation was given a "highly commended" and not a nomination for an Oscar. A calf sees an advertisement for Happy Hamburger and wants to go with the other cows as they are loaded onto the truck. The calf is too little so he begins to "bulking up by exercising, eating tremendous amounts of food. Eventually, the calf weighs enough to go with the other cows. He exits the truck and walks up the ramp and to his terror he is in line for the slaughter house. Will he save himself or will he be saved? I wasn't crazy about the animation style but did enjoy the story especially the scene when the calf is working hard to put on weight. Actually, he could have had some of mine.

Urs (0:10) Germany

Urs was not nominated for an Oscar for Short Films - Animation but did receive a "highly commended". Urs is a man with an elderly mother living an isolated life in the mountains. He decides that they should have a better life and carries his mother on an arduous journey to village on the other side of the mountain. The problem - his mother does not wish to leave her home. The story is told effectively without using dialogue.