Great Discovery: Peter & Vandy

Pictured: Jason Ritter and Jess Wiexler

While browsing through Netflix: Instant Play today, I stumbled upon the independent romance flick Peter & Vandy, starring Teeth actress Jess Wiexler and Jason Ritter, who is making quite a name for himself in the indie circuit with films like this and the recent Good Dick. I had seen the trailer several months ago and was vaguely interested, but I do confess I went into it today simply because I had nothing better to do and felt content watching a little throw-away romantic indie. Little did I know, I was viewing what I now consider an instant favorite.

Based on the 2002 play written by director Jay DiPietro, Peter & Vandy tells the story of a young couple living in Manhattan who must face the day to day challenges of any two people looking to find love in a partner. The film is told in a series of snapshots that are presented in a skewed order, leading one to make assumptions about the chronology of particular moments that are not entirely accurate. I know what you’re thinking, “(500) Days of Summer, anyone?” and it’s true, the structure and basic plot are very similar, however, Peter & Vandy contains not a trace of the visual gimmickry that ultimately bogs down 500 Days. It is a simple story well-told, and it is the simplicity of the stylization that allows the audience to embrace that truly unique feeling that they are a collective voyeur, observing the human condition in its most fragile state.

Not only would this feeling not be possible without the careful direction of DiPietro, but also without the tender, honest acting of Wiexler and Ritter. It is incredibly difficult not to root for them, everything about their chemistry seems flawed in exactly the right way, the way that allows you to believe they are meant for each other. They’re the kind of pair that one would see in a restaurant and wonder what she was doing with a guy like him, but after a few minutes it would start to make inexplicable sense.

It's a shame the film did not see more life after it splashed during the 2009 festival circuit. Despite winning a Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, its rival (500) Days, ended up getting the distribution deals. That and its largely mixed reviews aside, if your idea of an indie romance film boils down to two people just trying to figure it out, then Peter & Vandy was made for you.

If I chose the nominees

Given my frustration with the nominations this year, I'm just going to go ahead and give my picks for the major awards

BEST ACTRESS

Abbie Cornish - Bright Star
Gabourey Sidibe - Precious
Charlotte Gainsbourg - Antichrist
Penelope Cruz - Broken Embraces
Carey Mulligan - An Education

BEST ACTOR

Ben Whishaw - Bright Star
Sharlto Copley - District 9
Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker
Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds
Willem Defoe - Antichrist

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Mo'Nique - Precious
Blanca Portillo - Broken Embraces
Olivia Williams - An Education
Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air
Melanie Laurent - Inglourious Basterds

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Michael Fassbender - Inglourious Basterds
Alfred Molina - An Education
Daniel Bruhl - Inglourious Basterds
Paul Schneider - Bright Star
Jackie Earle Hayley - Watchmen

BEST DIRECTOR

Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker
Jane Campion - Bright Star
Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds
Neill Blomkamp - District 9
Pedro Almodovar - Broken Embraces

BEST PICTURE

Inglourious Basterds
Broken Embraces
Bright Star
The Hurt Locker
An Education

Oscar Predictions

++ = will win
+ = could win
* = dark horse


-Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role-
Penelope Cruz – Nine
Vera Farmiga – Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal – Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick – Up in the Air +*
Mo’Nique – Precious ++

Honestly there really is no doubt whatsoever that Mo'Nique is going to win this, but Anna Kendrick is a close and admirable second.

-Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role-
Matt Damon – Invictus
Woody Harrelson – The Messenger *
Christopher Plummer – The Last Station
Stanley Tucci – The Lovely Bones +
Cristoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds ++

Again, no question it's going to be Christoph Waltz, but the other two actors have garnered a lot of praise for their work in those films.

-Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role-
Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side ++
Helen Mirren – The Last Station
Carey Mulligan – An Education *
Gabourey Sidibe – Precious
Meryl Streep – Julie & Julia +

I do believe Sandra Bullock will win, but this is one category where an upset would not be that surprising. Even though she hasn't won any major awards, people are still talking very seriously about Carey Mulligan in An Education.

-Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role-
Jeff Bridges – Crazy Heart ++
George Clooney – Up in the Air +
Colin Firth – A Single Man *
Morgan Freeman – Invictus
Jeremy Renner – The Hurt Locker *

Frankly I'm just pleased to see that Jeremy Renner got the nomination. I definitely think it will be Jeff Bridges, but there's a lot of buzz about all of these actors (Except Freeman who's there just because he's Morgan Freeman)

-Best Original Screenplay-
The Hurt Locker by Mark Boal +
Inglourious Basterds by Quentin Tarantino ++
The Messenger by Alessandro Camon, Oren Moverman
A Serious Man by Joel and Ethan Coen
Up by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Thomas McCarthy *

I'll be pissed if Basterds doesn't win this. As someone who is not a huge Tarantino person, I have never encountered film writing like this before. It will be kind of a travesty if it loses.

-Best Adapted Screenplay-
District 9 by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
An Education by Nick Hornby *
In the Loop by (a whole bunch of people I don’t feel like listing)
Precious by Geoffrey Fletcher +
Up in the Air by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner ++

It pains me to say it but it's totally going to be Jason Reitman. The other two have some buzz but it'll take a miracle for them to pull an upset.

-Best Cinematography-
Avatar ++
The White Ribbon +
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds *

It really depends on how the Academy wants to define cinematography. Considering the entire world of Pandora is CGI, I can see why it might not win, but still, that whole movie is based on its visuals so it'd be sort of a kick in the balls for it not to win (not that I wouldn't like to see James Cameron get kicked in the balls)

-Best Editing-
Avatar
District 9 *
The Hurt Locker ++
Inglourious Basterds +
Precious

I really don't think Avatar will win for editing, all the special effects and other technical stuff, yes, but the tension created in Hurt Locker, Basterds, and District 9 is all about the editing, which was superb on all counts.

-Best Art Direction-
Avatar ++
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus *
Nine +
Sherlock Holmes
The Young Victoria

Definitely going to be Avatar, but Parnassus and Nine are a bit more old school type of art direction so it's conceivable they'll head in that direction like they have in the past.

-Best Costume Design-
Bright Star *
Coco before Chanel
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus +
Nine
The Young Victoria ++

I suppose if Bright Star is only going to get one effing nomination, it may as well be for costume design. Even though it deserved so much more. Young Victoria is the kind of period piece they lose their shit over so that will probably win, but who knows.

-Best Animated Film-
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox *
The Princess and the Frog +
The Secret of Kells
Up ++

It's interesting that this is the first year that the other animation studios have really stepped up their game, perhaps to end Pixar's long reign over this category. I would not be at all surprised if Princess or Fox pulls an upset here.

-Best Foreign Film-
Ajami (Israel)
The White Ribbon (Germany) ++
The Secret in Their Eyes (Argentina)
A Prophet (France) +*
The Milk of Sorrow (Peru)

I honestly do not understand at all how the submission guidelines work for Foreign Films. If they had any type of sense, Broken Embraces would be on this list, but tragically it is not. That is some bullshit. But I do really want to see The White Ribbon.

-Best Director-
Kathryn Bigelow ++
James Cameron +
Lee Daniels
Jason Reitman
Quentin Tarantino *

Let me first say that I am not predicting a Bigelow win just because I want that to happen with every last fiber of my being, I genuinely think it will happen. She's already won the CCA and the DGA, both very big deals, and let's face it the GG kind of suck at predicting the Oscars lately. I really think she can do it. Not to mention, if James Cameron wins I might vomit.

-Best Picture-
Avatar +
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker ++
Inglourious Basterds *
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

This one I'm not 100% sure about. I do think The Hurt Locker has the best chance of winning, simply given the trend of winners over the last few years (gritty reality-based dramas). If Avatar wins it will be a HUGE shift in Academy tastes and I frankly don't know if I see that happening just yet. That said, it is totally conceivable that Inglourious Basterds could win given that it won the SAG award, which has predicted some pretty incredible upsets over the last 15 years.


So yeah...I think those are the only awards anyone really cares about.

New Obsession: True Blood

Pictured (left to right): Sam Trammell, Ryan Kwanten, Rutina Wesley, Nelsan Ellis, Stephen Moyer, Anna Paquin.


Ever since its inception, I have not been a big believer in the recent vampire fad. I do not find anything terribly appealing about the Twilight series or any of its other broody-teen-vampire offshoots such as the CW’s The Vampire Diaries. And I confess, I coupled the HBO series True Blood along with that trend, and I now own up to this severe error in judgment having watched the entirety of the first season and second season.

In all honesty I should have known this would happen as HBO is well known for its quality dramatic program,s and yet I resisted True Blood as I feel compelled to resist all vampire-related media (the lone exception being the wonderful Swedish film Let the Right One In, which is currently in the midst of an American remake). Set in a small Louisiana town, Bon Temps, True Blood (for the maybe two people in the world who don’t know) is about local girl-next-door waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) who meets and falls in love with a vampire named Bill (Stephen Moyer). Obviously this causes controversy as vampires have only recently “come out of the coffin” and fierce political battle is being played over whether or not America should grant them civil rights (allegory, anyone?). However, Sookie is unashamed of her relationship with Bill and soon gets enveloped in his world of the living dead.

In terms of writing and storyline, I have to separate the show from the series of novels upon which it is based as I have not read any of them and from what I hear, the show has (not unexpectedly) taken several liberties. Whatever these liberties may be, the way vampire lore is dealt with here is truly unique, which is a real achievement given the recent craze. There is the established set of “rules” for vampires, and to see it get revamped (pun completely intended) is exciting and makes the show all the more enjoyable. I was particularly fascinated by how the selling and buying vampire blood is similar to that of narcotic drugs, as are its effects. Also, synthetic blood is bottled and sold as a kind of taboo drink (a la Absinthe) called True Blood, where the show gets its title. It is in ways like these that True Blood takes an already tired bit of mythology that is currently seeing its most brutal beating –to- death and makes it fresh and downright cool. The characters are likable and completely relatable, and the views they have toward the presence of vampires in their lives is extremely realistic and was clearly made to mirror the ongoing debates over homosexual civil rights.

The aesthetic look of the show mirrors the seductive quality inherent in all the vampires, and contrary to what I initially feared upon hearing legends of the True Blood sex scenes, the nudity is not lewd or unnecessary and frankly the few sex scenes that do occur do not even go as far as HBO’s censorship limits permit. That aside, True Blood is just genuinely a well-constructed piece of television. The writing is witty and not overly melodramatic (a major pitfall for most vampire stories) and even in a world of all manner of supernatural being, you can find the humanity in any character, be they living or the living dead.