The 80th Academy Award Winners

The 80th Annual Academy Awards

Here are the winners from this year's Oscars. I am sad to say that I have not seen any of these movies. The Oscars, though, are more of an artsy set of awards, not a popular set of awards. I am sure that each of these movies, and each of these performances, were great in their own right, but they were not on my radar at the time. I would like to eventually see most of these, though. I have heard good things about No Country for Old Men, Michael Clayton, Juno, Rataouille, and The Golden Compass. What do you think, movie fans?

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Best Picture: No Country for Old Men

Best Actor in a Leading Role: Daniel-Day Lewis - There Will be Blood

Best Actress in a Leading Role: Marion Cotillard - La Vie en Rose

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men

Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton

Best Animated Film: Ratatouille

Best Cinematography: Robert Elswit - There Will be Blood

Best Costume Design: Alexandra Byrne - Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Best Direction: Joel Coen & Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men

Best Documentary Feature: Taxi to the Dark Side

Best Live Action Short Film: Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)

Best Screenplay: Juno

Best Visual Effects: The Golden Compass

Roy Scheider, Dead at 75

On Sunday, February 10th, 2008, Roy Scheider died at the University or Arkansas Medical Sciences Hospital from possible complications of a staph infection. He was 75.

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Roy Scheider has always been one of my favorite actors. I was first exposed to him thanks to the blockbuster classic, Jaws, but the first movie I ever saw him in was The French Connection. And then, thanks to the Movie Loft (with Dana Hersey), I watched Roy Scheider reprise his French Connection role in the spin off, The Seven-Ups. Two great movies (with two fantastic car chases).

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I think loved Roy Scheider so much because I saw him as me thirty and forty years from that point. He was the common man and the backbone in those films, just like he was in Jaws, and Blue Thunder, and 2010. He had some edgier stuff later on, films like 52 Pick-Up, Cohen and Tate, and The Fourth War, but he handled those roles with all the grace of a veteran actor. Of the over eighty works to his credit, the one I wish I had seen, and the one I will be adding to my 2008 Resolutions list, is All That Jazz.

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Roy Scheider, may you rest in peace.

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Roy Scheider (November 10, 1932 - February 10, 2008)

31 Days of Oscar

From February 1st to March 2nd, Turner Classic Movies is showing only movies that have won an Oscar, or that have been nominated for an oscar. All day. All night. And the movies chosen will span the history of the Oscars, from the 1920's to the 2000's. (http://www.tcm.com/ for more details.)

TCM plans on having certain eras represented during certain nights of the week ...

• Mondays will feature Oscar movies from the 1920's and the 1930's


• Tuesdays will feature Oscar movies from the 1940's


• Wednesdays will feature Oscar movies from the 1950's


• Thursdays will feature Oscar movies from the 1960's


• Fridays will feature Oscar movies from the 1970's


• Saturdays will feature Oscar movies from the 1980's


• And Sundays will feature Oscar movies from the 1990's and the 2000's

Daytimes will feature different themes, for example, today's theme was sci-fi and tomorrow's theme will be journalism.

I encourage all movie fans to turn away from the garbage that is Deal or No Deal, Moment of Truth, the Biggest Loser, and every crappy thing that passes for entertainment on VH1 and MTV. Grab the remote. Turn the channel. Watch Turner Classic Movies for the rest of this month. You will not be disappointed.