Last year I heard a small buzz around The Cove, but it was drowned out by the roars surrounding big titles such as The September Issue, The Nine Lives of Marion Barry, and No Impact Man. However it happened, I found a free time slot and watched with mixed horror and fascination the secrets of The Cove unveiled. It begins with one man’s directive to show the world what is going on in Taiji, Japan. Behind the “Do Not Pass” signs and heavily guarded sea cove are mysterious sounds and sights always kept hidden by what he believes to be the capture and murder of hundreds of wild dolphins. One man isn’t enough to fully investigate the scene, and this film documents his journey to uncover the truth in “a provocative mix of investigative journalism, eco-adventure and arresting imagery, adding up to an unforgettable story that has inspired audiences worldwide to action.”

By the halfway point of my screening, the plight of murdered dophins were pulling at my heart, and I was eager to cheer on the team gathered to pull off a secret mission to expose the slaugher. Selected like the team of Oceans 11, the film introduces the special operations team:

The team is described as an “elite team of activists, filmmakers and freedivers… [who embarked] on a covert mission to penetrate a remote and hidden cove in Taiji, Japan, shining a light on a dark and deadly secret. Utilizing state-of-the-art techniques, including hidden microphones and cameras in fake rocks, the team uncovers how this small seaside village serves as a horrifying microcosm of massive ecological crimes happening worldwide.” Really, I couldn’t have said it better myself. After seeing this film and others at SILVERDOCS, I’m convinced that a well-edited documentary keeps it’s story at the center and pushes that story forward with every scene – whether action or interview. What makes The Cove a double-whammy of a doc, is the combination of fascinating characters and the unfolding of a secret mission only matched by fiction thrillers like Mission Impossible. If you’d like to see how it all ends or if you’re wondering if you should fulfill your childhood dream of swimming with the dolphis, go to the official website, download it on Amazon.com or iTunes, buy a hard copy at your local DVD shop, or you can rent it from Netflix.

This year, SILVERDOCS’10 will be June 21-27 located in Silver Spring, Maryland in and around the AFI-Silver Theater.
I’ve already screened a dozen documentaries – good and bad – out of our 2,000+ submissions. We’ve got our work cut out for us and less than 8 weeks to bring you some amazing movies!

So, what is YOUR favorite documentary?

Highlighting next week:
If you haven’t seen an episode there’s no doubt you’ve at least heard of the Tina Fey break-out comedy from NBC, 30 Rock. In the vein of The Office and Saturday Night Live comedy, 30 Rock captures the hilarity of Tina Fey & Alec Baldwin along with Jack McBrayer, Jane Krakowski, Tracy Morgan and Judah Friedlander in my new favorite Thursday night comedy! Physical comedy, political jesting, self-deprecation and guest appearances that rival E.R. – you can find it all HERE next week! Thanks for reading!

Best Leading Actor:
*Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart” (Fox Searchlight)

Best Supporting Actor:
*Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company)

Best Leading Actress:
Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side” (Warner Bros.)

Best Supporting Actress:
*Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate)

Best Animated Feature Film:
*“Up” (Walt Disney) Pete Docter

Art Direction:
*“Avatar” (20th Century Fox) Art Direction: Rick Carter & Robert Stromberg & Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair

Best Cinematography:
*“Avatar” (20th Century Fox) Mauro Fiore

Costume Design:
*“The Young Victoria” (Apparition) Sandy Powell

Best Directing: Academy Award History Maker!
*“The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) Kathryn Bigelow

Best Documentary Feature:
*“The Cove” (Roadside Attractions) An Oceanic Preservation Society Production

Best Documentary Short Subject:
“Music by Prudence” – An iThemba Production Dir. Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett

Film Editing:
“The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) Bob Murawski and Chris Innis

Best Foreign Language Film:
“El Secreto de Sus Ojos” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Haddock Films Production- Argentina

Makeup:
*“Star Trek” (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow

Best Original Film Score:
**”Up” (Walt Disney) Michael Giacchino

Best Original Song:
*“The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart” (Fox Searchlight) Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Best Motion Picture:
**”The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) A Voltage Pictures

Best Animated Short Film:
**”Logorama” (Autour de Minuit) An Autour de Minuit Production-Nicolas Schmerkin

Best Live Action Short Film:
*“The New Tenants” A Park Pictures and M & M Production Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

Best Sound Editing:
“The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) Paul N.J. Ottosson

Best Sound Mixing:
**“The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett

Best Visual Effects:
*“Avatar” (20th Century Fox) Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones

Best Adapted Screenplay:
**“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate) Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher

Best Original Screenplay:
**”The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) Written by Mark Boal

13/24 predicted; 19/24 overall.

Best moments of the night:
- Mo’Nique acceptance speech
- Oprah giving Gabby her “toast”
- Up Director’s wife’s reaction to his win
- Jeff Bridge’s acceptance speech (calling everyone “man”)
- Sandra Bullock’s acceptance speech (thanking unrecognized mothers)
- Kathryn Bigalow making history & acceptance speech (thanking men & women in service… including fire-fighters)

In lieu of staying relevant, I am posting my 2010 Oscar Predictions!

I’ll follow a pattern set out by many. It is a three tier prediction system which allows three educated guesses.

This may make me sound more successful when the winners are announced and I am correct in any one of these categories. Brilliant!

I’m gonna keep it simple & bold the nominee I believe will win, italicize my faves – who I want to win & add a *star next to the “dark horse.”
My reasons & opinions will be saved for after Oscar night.

[Note: I am also excited to say that Alec Baldwin & Steve Martin will be co-hosting & making us laugh! I do believe they will succeed!]

PREDICTIONS:

Best Leading Actor:
Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart” (Fox Searchlight)
George Clooney in “Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
Colin Firth in “A Single Man” (The Weinstein Company)
Morgan Freeman in “Invictus” (Warner Bros.)
*Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment)

Best Supporting Actor:
Matt Damon in “Invictus” (Warner Bros.)
Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger” (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Christopher Plummer in “The Last Station” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones” (DreamWorks in association with Film4, Distributed by Paramount)
*Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company)

Best Leading Actress:
Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side” (Warner Bros.)
Helen Mirren in “The Last Station” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Carey Mulligan in “An Education” (Sony Pictures Classics)
*Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate)
Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia” (Sony Pictures Releasing)

Best Supporting Actress:
Penélope Cruz in “Nine” (The Weinstein Company)
Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart” (Fox Searchlight)
*Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate)

Best Animated Feature Film:
“Coraline” (Focus Features) Henry Selick
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” (20th Century Fox) Wes Anderson
*”The Princess and the Frog” (Walt Disney) John Musker and Ron Clements
“The Secret of Kells” (GKIDS) Tomm Moore
“Up” (Walt Disney) Pete Docter

Art Direction:
“Avatar” (20th Century Fox) Art Direction: Rick Carter & Robert Stromberg & Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” (Sony Pictures Classics) Art Direction: Dave Warren & Anastasia Masaro & Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
*”Nine” (The Weinstein Company) Art Direction: John Myhre & Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
“Sherlock Holmes” (Warner Bros.) Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood & Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
“The Young Victoria” (Apparition) Art Direction: Patrice Vermette & Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

Best Cinematography:
“Avatar” (20th Century Fox) Mauro Fiore
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (Warner Bros.) Bruno Delbonnel
*“The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) Barry Ackroyd
“Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company) Robert Richardson
“The White Ribbon” (Sony Pictures Classics) Christian Berger

Costume Design:
“Bright Star” (Apparition) Janet Patterson
“Coco before Chanel” (Sony Pictures Classics) Catherine Leterrier
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” (Sony Pictures Classics) Monique Prudhomme
*”Nine” (The Weinstein Company) Colleen Atwood
“The Young Victoria” (Apparition) Sandy Powell

Best Directing: (my gamble & the potential Academy Award History Maker)
*”Avatar” (20th Century Fox) James Cameron

“The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) Kathryn Bigelow
*”Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company) Quentin Tarantino
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate) Lee Daniels
“Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) Jason Reitman

Best Documentary Feature:
*”Burma VJ” (Oscilloscope Laboratories) A Magic Hour Films Production with Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
“The Cove” (Roadside Attractions) An Oceanic Preservation Society Production
“Food, Inc.” (Magnolia Pictures) A Robert Kenner Films Production with Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
“The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers” A Kovno Communications Production with Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
“Which Way Home” A Mr. Mudd Production with Rebecca Cammisa

Best Documentary Short Subject:
“China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province” – A Downtown Community Television Center Production Dir. Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill
“The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner” – A Just Media Production Dir. Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
“The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant” – A Community Media Production Dir. Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
“Music by Prudence” – An iThemba Production Dir. Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
“Rabbit à la Berlin” (Deckert Distribution) – An MS Films Production Dir. Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra

Film Editing:
“Avatar” (20th Century Fox) Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
“District 9″ (Sony Pictures Releasing) Julian Clarke
“The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
“Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company) Sally Menke
*”Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate) Joe Klotz

Best Foreign Language Film:
“Ajami” (Kino International) An Inosan Production – Israel
“El Secreto de Sus Ojos” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Haddock Films Production- Argentina
“The Milk of Sorrow” A Wanda Visión/Oberon Cinematogràfica/Vela Production- Peru
“Un Prophète” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Why Not/Page 114/Chic Films Production – France
“The White Ribbon” (Sony Pictures Classics) An X Filme Creative Pool/Wega Film/Les Films du Losange/Lucky Red Production – Germany

Makeup:
“Il Divo” (MPI Media Group through Music Box) Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
“Star Trek” (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
*”The Young Victoria” (Apparition) Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

Best Original Film Score:
“Avatar” (20th Century Fox) James Horner
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” (20th Century Fox) Alexandre Desplat
“The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
“Sherlock Holmes” (Warner Bros.) Hans Zimmer
*”Up” (Walt Disney) Michael Giacchino

Best Original Song:
*”Almost There” from “The Princess and the Frog” (Walt Disney) Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
“Down in New Orleans” from “The Princess and the Frog” (Walt Disney) Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
“Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36″ (Sony Pictures Classics) Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas
“Take It All” from “Nine” (The Weinstein Company) Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
“The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart” (Fox Searchlight) Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Best Motion Picture:
“Avatar” (20th Century Fox) A Lightstorm Entertainment Production -James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
“The Blind Side” (Warner Bros.) An Alcon Entertainment Production -Nominees to be determined
“District 9″ (Sony Pictures Releasing) A Block/Hanson Production -Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
“An Education” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Finola Dwyer/Wildgaze Films Production -Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
*”The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) A Voltage Pictures Production -Nominees to be determined
“Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company) A Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures/A Band Apart/Zehnte Babelsberg Production -Lawrence Bender, Producer
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate) A Lee Daniels Entertainment/Smokewood Entertainment Production -Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers
“A Serious Man” (Focus Features) A Working Title Films Production -Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
“Up” (Walt Disney) A Pixar Production -Jonas Rivera, Producer
“Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) A Montecito Picture Company Production -Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

Best Animated Short Film:
“French Roast” A Pumpkin Factory/Bibo Films Production -Fabrice O. Joubert
“Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty” (Brown Bag Films) A Brown Bag Films Production -Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell
“The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)” A Kandor Graphics and Green Moon Production -Javier Recio Gracia
*”Logorama” (Autour de Minuit) An Autour de Minuit Production-Nicolas Schmerkin
“A Matter of Loaf and Death” (Aardman Animations) An Aardman Animations Production -Nick Park

Best Live Action Short Film:
“The Door” (Network Ireland Television) An Octagon Films Production Juanita Wilson and James Flynn
*“Instead of Abracadabra” (The Swedish Film Institute) A Directörn & Fabrikörn Production Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström
“Kavi” A Gregg Helvey Production Gregg Helvey
“Miracle Fish” (Premium Films) A Druid Films Production -Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey
“The New Tenants” A Park Pictures and M & M Production Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

Best Sound Editing:
“Avatar” (20th Century Fox) Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
“The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) Paul N.J. Ottosson
*”Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company) Wylie Stateman
“Star Trek” (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
“Up” (Walt Disney) Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

Best Sound Mixing:
“Avatar” (20th Century Fox) Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
*“The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
“Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company) Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
“Star Trek” (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro, Distributed by Paramount) Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

Best Visual Effects:
“Avatar” (20th Century Fox) Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
*”District 9″ (Sony Pictures Releasing) Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
“Star Trek” (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

Best Adapted Screenplay:
“District 9″ (Sony Pictures Releasing) Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
*”An Education” (Sony Pictures Classics) Screenplay by Nick Hornby
“In the Loop” (IFC Films) Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate) Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
“Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

Best Original Screenplay:
*”The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) Written by Mark Boal
“Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company) Written by Quentin Tarantino
“The Messenger” (Oscilloscope Laboratories) Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
“A Serious Man” (Focus Features) Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
“Up” (Walt Disney) Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter -Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy

At the end of the night I believe it will be an interesting head to head of directors (formerly married couple) James Cameron & Kathryn Bigelow. Hollywood couldn’t write a better drama!

Tune in on Sunday – I’d love to know what you think!

This specific resolution also refers to the fact that this blog is dusty. No. Worse than just dusty – it is so sparsely used that it’s at the risk of foreclosure in a bottomed-out economy of unread blogs. It’s time for a cleaning, a polishing, and to keep with the house analogy – time for a blog flip…. oh yeah, I’m gonna sell it… to you!

My blog-refurb starts with a new goal for my writing. Instead of giving you all the details of my ever-exciting-post-student phase of life, I want to do some reviews and commentary on the media that is impacting my life and hopefully the lives of those who will be reading. The three big media types that impact my life and give me cause to interact with my culture are films, music, and TV programs. For each of these three categories, I partake using several venues including movie theaters, the local Library, Concert Venues, magazines, my fave television stations, iTunes, and of course the all-knowing, all-inclusive World Wide Web.

Instead of overwhelming myself with a daily post of quick info, I’m going to aim for a bit more in-depth research and then offer a weekly post. If I find myself with more time/words, I may up it twice a week…

For now, I’m going to follow the year-end trends and give you my top 10 in each category that I mentioned. If I had a billion years, I’d link each one to myspace or something… just use the ‘ole highlight, right-click “search for in google“…

Top 10 Songs I listened to in 2008
10. “Why Did You Let Me Stay Here?”- She & Him
9. “Why Can’t It Be Christmastime All Year” – Rosie Thomas
8. “Hologram” – Katie Herzig
7. “Lose You” – Sandra McCracken
6. “Good Night Girl” – Nadas
5. “Honey Will You Sing Me a Song” – Matt Hires
4. “Bleeding Love” – Leona Lewis
3. “When Water Comes to Life” – Cloud Cult
2. “Mercy”- Duffy
1. “Buildings & Mountains” – The Republic Tigers

Top 10 Artists I listened to in 2008 (with a little help from last.fm)
10. The Weepies
9. Anberlin
8. Andrew Bird
7. Sufjan Stevens
6. Jennifer Knapp
5. Hem
4. Over the Rhine
3. Sara Groves
2. Rosie Thomas
1. Sandra McCracken & Derek Webb (counting them as 1)

Top 10 Movies of 2008
10. High School Musical 3 (October)
9. Kung Fu Panda (June)
8. Be Kind, Rewind (February)
7. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (May)
6. Taxi to the Dark Side (January)
5. Synecdoche, NY (October)
4. Burn After Reading (September)
3. Man on Wire (July)
2. The Dark Knight (July)
1. Slumdog Millionaire (December)

Top Concerts/Live Performances of 2008
10. Shane & Shane with Bethany Dillon (St. Louis, MO)
9. Derek Webb & Sandra McCracken (St. Louis, MO)
8. Katie Myers (Lookout Mountain, GA)
7. Michael Rhodes (Lookout Mountain, GA)
6. Ingrid Michaelson (Alexandria, VA)
5. Over the Rhine & Garrison Star (Birmingham, AL)
4. Rosie Thomas (Vienna, VA)
3. So You Think You Can Dance (Norfolk, VA)
2. Iron & Wine (St. Louis, MO)
1. Art. Music. Justice. With Sara Groves, Brandon Heath, Derek Webb, Sandra McCracken, & Charlie Peacock (Messiah College, PA)

Top 10 TV Programs of 2008
10. L.A. Ink (TLC)
9. Soup (E!)
8. John & Kate + 8 (TLC)
7. What Not To Wear (TLC)
6. American Idol (FOX)
5. 30 Rock (NBC)
4. True Hollywood Story (E!)
3. So You Think You Can Dance (FOX)
2. Pushing Daisies (ABC)
1. The Office (NBC)

Please feel free to comment on my top 10 lists! I am not holding myself to standards besides honesty about what I was able to “consume” this year. I admit I left out several movies that I should have seen/will see and several artists/songs that I should have listened to/will listen to in the coming year! Thanks for reading!

Peace_Sarah_