It has been an exciting February. Time for a quick summary of this memorable month.

The shortest month of the year is coming to an end as tomorrow is already the last day of February. I realize that I have to work for only 10 days in this month as I have used a huge amount of my annual leave during the Chinese New Year break early this month. Worked for 10 days and I got a full month’s salary. What’s better than that?

It’s been a very intense and exciting month certainly. The month started with my trip to eastern Europe that took 10 days 8 nights and it covered 6 countries in one go. When I came back with all the great memories (and over a thousand pictures), Chinese New Year celebration was almost over and yet I still got to receive some angpow (good extra cash after multiple huge spending recently).

Despite having returned to Singapore to resume the usual daily work life, I have to get back to KL every weekend to complete my root canal treatment for my tooth. This is very exhausting but what can I do as having this dental treatment back in Malaysia is much more cheaper than in Singapore (still costly). Now, I just hope to get it done as quickly as possible.

Last weekend, I went to Genting Highlands with my parents and stayed for a night (have not stayed a night up there for 2 years already although I have been there quite frequently every year). Went to the casino in both days and lost some money there (always not having any luck). The only good thing is that I was able to upgrade my membership to silver immediately after collected enough points from that merely two days of visit to the casino.

(Image source: Resorts World Genting blog)

Then, comes the biggest awards show on Earth, the Oscars, or formally known as the Academy Awards on its 91st edition on last Sunday. I have been following very closely with the Hollywood awards season this year (just like the same in the past couple of years). I have posted all my thoughts to the winners and losers in my previous post. My final thought; I’m still feeling bad for Glenn Close for not being able to win her first Oscar after 7 nominations. I wonder what Academy is doing?! Even the eventual best actress winner, Olivia Colman felt bad for her as mentioned in her acceptance speech. Close is such a legendary actress that should have gotten multiple Oscars for her past film roles. And yet, she remains Oscar-less to this day. This is so unbelievable. Let’s hope that she gets another impressive role very soon, get nominated again and wins it finally.

(This is seriously the most shocking moment of the 91st Academy Awards ceremony when Olivia Colman is announced as best actress winner over heavy favourite Glenn Close. Image source: Gold Derby)

Last but not least, I have managed to finish watching a Hong Kong drama titled ‘I Bet Your Pardon’, starring Kent Cheng, Kent Tong, Selena Lee, Babyjohn, Dominic Ho, James Ng, Connie Man, Ada Wong, etc. It’s a 30-episodes period drama about a kind-hearted con artist who transitioned into being a film producer and is being framed and tormented by a powerful corrupt detective. The romance part of the story is boring and isn’t making any sense. Other than that, the series is generally quite enjoyable and not as lousy as previously predicted (as it is a Wong Jing’s production). The series gets exciting near its end after draggy story development in the earlier parts. Out of 10 points, I would rate the drama a total of 7.0. It’s opening song is quite catchy. This is my first TVB drama of the year that I have fully watched. Now, I’m beginning to watch this new drama called ‘The Ghetto-Fabulous Lady’. It’s another period drama and it looks good so far.

(Image source: Starhub)

That’s it for my wrapping up of the month.

91st Oscars: ‘Green Book’ took Best Picture. Rami Malek is the best actor while Olivia Colman prevailed with best actress win over heavy favourite Glenn Close.

Finally, the Oscars is here. The 91st Academy Awards took place just a moment ago with some surprising wins. This year’s ceremony runs half hour longer than the anticipated 3-hours period. The ceremony also comes with no host. Here’s below is the full winners list along with my comments:

Best Picture
“BlacKkKlansman”
“Black Panther”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“The Favourite”
“Green Book”
“Roma”
“A Star Is Born”
“Vice”

 

Opinion: I haven’t watch ‘Green Book’ (now I think I should). My first choice is ‘Roma’. I have a feeling many would be fine with ‘Roma’ winning since it is not as divisive as ‘Green Book’ (this film has some controversy). I’m surprised. I have to admit that ‘Roma’ is more of a technical masterpiece while the Academy just wanted to go away from that since they had done so last year (as many viewed ‘The Shape of Water’ more of a technical masterpiece too).

Best Director
Alfonso Cuarón, “Roma”
Spike Lee, “BlacKkKlansman”
Adam McKay, “Vice”
Pawel Pawlikowski, “Cold War”
Yorgos Lanthimos, “The Favourite”

Opinion: Expected. It’s so nice to see Guillermo del Toro (last year winner) to present this to Alfonso Cuaron. Both are great friends and are from Mexico. Very well deserved win to Cuaron. It’s his second directing win! So many Mexicans rule in this category for the last couple of years.

Best Actress
Yalitza Aparicio, “Roma”
Glenn Close, “The Wife”
Olivia Colman, “The Favourite”
Lady Gaga, “A Star Is Born”
Melissa McCarthy, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”

Opinion: Oh my god! I was so shocked when I heard ‘Olivia Colman’. Poor Glenn…she is amazing in ‘The Wife’ and everyone thinks she is going to get it this time due to the huge overdue factor (me included). But she isn’t. That is shocking. I was really hoping she will win after 7 nominations. And yet, not again. She is a a wonderful actress and has been unfortunately overlooked by the Academy once again. Felt really bad for Glenn Close. Congratz, Olivia Colman; win in first nomination! I love her acceptance speech (she is a very likable and fun person). She is excellent in ‘The Favourite’ too but I still wanted Close to win her first Oscar in her long amazing career.

Best Actor
Christian Bale, “Vice”
Bradley Cooper, “A Star Is Born”
Willem Dafoe, “At Eternity’s Gate”
Rami Malek, “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Viggo Mortensen, “Green Book”

Opinion: Happy for Rami Malek. He is phenomenal in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. Some people criticized that he just impersonates Freddie Mercury and lip-sync throughout the entire movie. To these people, have you watched the entire movie? His performance in it is much more than that and I’m glad that the Academy recognizes that.

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, “Vice”
Marina de Tavira, “Roma”
Regina King, “If Beale Street Could Talk”
Emma Stone, “The Favourite”
Rachel Weisz, “The Favourite”

Opinion: Haven’t watch ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ but have heard a lot of good reviews particularly for Regina King’s performance in it. She is snubbed at the SAG and BAFTA surprisingly. I would have prefer Emma Stone from ‘The Favourite’ to win this one but I knew she won’t. The 5 ladies here are all very deserving.

Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali, “Green Book”
Adam Driver, “BlacKkKlansman”
Sam Elliott, “A Star Is Born”
Richard E. Grant, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Sam Rockwell, “Vice”

Opinion: No. Although I knew Mahershala Ali is going to win as he sweeps all the major precursor awards, but I prefer Richard E. Grant. My judgement is a bit biased here as I have not watched ‘Green Book’. Ali has already won the same award just few years ago and I think it’s too quick for him to win another one.

Best Adapted Screenplay
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” (Joel Coen , Ethan Coen)
“BlacKkKlansman” (Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, Spike Lee)
“Can You Ever Forgive Me?” (Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty)
“If Beale Street Could Talk” (Barry Jenkins)
“A Star Is Born” (Eric Roth, Bradley Cooper, Will Fetters)

Opinion: Haven’t watch ‘Blackkklansman’. My choice is ‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?’.

Best Original Screenplay
“The Favourite” (Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara)
“First Reformed” (Paul Schrader)
“Green Book” (Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly)
“Roma” (Alfonso Cuarón)
“Vice” (Adam McKay)

Opinion: Haven’t watch ‘Green Book’ and I would prefer ‘The Favourite’ to win this. Its script is brilliant. It just doesn’t feel right when ‘The Favourite’ is not winning anything at all.

Best Cinematography
“Cold War” (Lukasz Zal)
“The Favourite” (Robbie Ryan)
“Never Look Away” (Caleb Deschanel)
“Roma” (Alfonso Cuaron)
“A Star Is Born” (Matty Libatique)

Opinion: Expected. The camerawork and lighting in ‘Roma’ are brilliant. The black-and-white style further expresses the cinematography of the film.

Best Costume Design
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” (Mary Zophres)
“Black Panther”(Ruth E. Carter)
“The Favourite” (Sandy Powell)
“Mary Poppins Returns” (Sandy Powell)
“Mary Queen of Scots” (Alexandra Byrne)

Opinion: Good for ‘Black Panther’. The only fascinating thing from the film is its unique costumes.

Best Film Editing
“BlacKkKlansman” (Barry Alexander Brown)
“Bohemian Rhapsody” (John Ottman)
“The Favourite” (Yorgos Mavropsaridis)
“Green Book”(Patrick J. Don Vito)
“Vice” (Hank Corwin)

Opinion: I predicted ‘Vice’ while ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is my second choice. I was wrong. I find that the editing in ‘Vice’ is much more obvious but Academy is very in love with the editing for ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ (mostly due to the amazing Live Aid scene).

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
“Border”
“Mary Queen of Scots”
“Vice”

Opinion: Expected. The same formula last year; do a huge transformation to a leading man in a movie (particularly turning one into a fat politician – Winston Churchill last year and Dick Cheney this year) and you got this.

Best Original Score
“Black Panther” (Ludwig Goransson)
“BlacKkKlansman” (Terence Blanchard)
“If Beale Street Could Talk” (Nicholas Britell)
“Isle of Dogs” (Alexandre Desplat)
“Mary Poppins Returns” (Marc Shaiman)

Opinion: ‘Black Panther’ has best score?! This is a joke. ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ or even ‘Isle of Dogs’ are much more worthy. I have a feeling that Academy wanted to give a lot of awards to ‘Black Panther’ just to show that they are very serious in celebrating diversity. This is not right. Quality should be the priority.

Best Original Song
“All The Stars” from “Black Panther” by Kendrick Lamar, SZA

“I’ll Fight” from “RBG” by Diane Warren, Jennifer Hudson

“The Place Where Lost Things Go” from “Mary Poppins Returns” by Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman

“Shallow” from “A Star Is Born” by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, Andrew Wyatt and Benjamin Rice

“When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings” from “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” by Willie Watson, Tim Blake Nelson

Opinion: Definitely ‘Shallow’. Very deserving as the song is simply amazing! The only win for ‘A Star Is Born’ which has been predicted to be a strong contender in the early award season but fails.

Best Production Design
“Black Panther” (Hannah Beachler)
“First Man” (Nathan Crowley, Kathy Lucas)
“The Favourite” (Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton)
“Mary Poppins Returns” (John Myhre, Gordon Sim)
“Roma” (Eugenio Caballero, Bárbara Enrı́quez)

Opinion: Not hugely disappointed but would have prefer ‘The Favourite’ to take this. Looks like the love for ‘Black Panther’ is strong. There’s a lot of reliance on green screen for most setting in ‘Black Panther’ and less on practical set-up and that’s why I don’t really agree with it winning production design.

Best Sound Editing
“Black Panther”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“First Man”
“A Quiet Place”
“Roma”

Opinion: ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is my third pick and it ends up prevailing even in this category. ‘A Quiet Place’ and ‘First Man’ have better sound editing in my opinion.

Best Sound Mixing
“Black Panther”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“First Man”
“Roma”
“A Star Is Born”

Opinion: Expected. The sound mixing for ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is amazing. Music-themed film usually win here. Sorry ‘A Star Is Born’. ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ has much more obvious sound work and in much larger quantity and volume.

Best Visual Effects
“Avengers: Infinity War”
“Christopher Robin”
“First Man”
“Ready Player One”
“Solo: A Star Wars Story”

Opinion: Wow. This is so surprising. Academy tends to favour low-key supporting visual effects (same like when ‘Ex Machina’ won some years ago). I disagree totally. ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ is robbed. The CGI on Thanos alone is enough to win. ‘First Man’ is like my 4th pick (at the bottom).

Best Foreign Language Film
“Capernaum” (Lebanon)
“Cold War” (Poland)
“Never Look Away” (Germany)
“Roma” (Mexico)
“Shoplifters” (Japan)

Opinion: Expected again. ‘Roma’ is even in best picture contention.

Best Animated Feature
“Incredibles 2,” Brad Bird
“Isle of Dogs,” Wes Anderson
“Mirai,” Mamoru Hosoda
“Ralph Breaks the Internet,” Rich Moore, Phil Johnston
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman

Opinion: No competition. ‘Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse’ is certainly at the top this year. ‘Incredibles 2’ is fun but ordinary. I have high expectation for ‘Isle of Dogs’ but it came out being fine although it has unique animation. ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’ is here just to fill in the slot.

– No comments for the last 4 categories below as I’m not interested in them and have not watched any of them too.-

Best Animated Short
“Animal Behavior”
“Bao”
“Late Afternoon”
“One Small Step”
“Weekends”

Best Documentary Feature
“Free Solo,” Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
“Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” RaMell Ross
“Minding the Gap,” Bing Liu
“Of Fathers and Sons,” Talal Derki
“RBG,” Betsy West, Julie Cohen

Best Documentary Short
“Black Sheep,” Ed Perkins
“End Game,” Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman
“Lifeboat,” Skye Fitzgerald
“A Night at the Garden,” Marshall Curry
“Period. End of Sentence.,” Rayka Zehtabchi

Best Live Action Short
“Detainment,” Vincent Lambe
“Fauve,” Jeremy Comte
“Marguerite,” Marianne Farley
“Mother,” Rodrigo Sorogoyen
“Skin,” Guy Nattiv

I got 11 correct and 9 incorrect for my prediction (can check out my final prediction in my previous blog post). That is not good. I got almost half of my prediction wrong. The 91st Academy Awards gave us a lot of surprise in a year where a lot of races are wide open.

‘Green Book’ took the top honor (winning best picture), defeating ‘Roma’ which is thought to be the frontrunner (‘Roma’ has most nominations and has won quite a lot of major precursor prizes). ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ has the most wins at the night with 4 (lead actor, film editing, sound mixing, sound editing). ‘Green Book’, ‘Black Panther’ and ‘Roma’ ties with 3 wins each. Each of the best picture nominees won at least an award this year which is quite rare.

So now, that’s the official end of the 2018 Hollywood film awards season.

(Images in this post are from various online sources)

My final prediction for the 2019 Oscars.

The 91st Academy Awards is finally happening this weekend. All the 13 guilds have handed out their prizes and major precursor awards (Golden Globes, Critics Choice, SAG, BAFTA) have announced their winners in the past several weeks.

‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ topped at the guild wins with 4 but these wins are mostly at the lesser important technical categories. The movie also won best motion picture – drama at the Golden Globes. ‘Green Book’ won at the Producers Guild Awards (PGA) and also won best motion picture – musical or comedy at the Golden Globes. ‘Roma’ won at the Directors Guild Awards (DGA) and also won Best Picture at the Critics Choice and the BAFTA. ‘Black Panther’ won Best Cast in Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG). So which film is going to win best picture this Sunday at the Oscars? Predicting the winner this year is super challenging as there is no clear frontrunner even after all the precursors. Now, this is really an exciting year.

I have previously published the full nomination list for the 2019 Oscars some time ago with my prediction but that wasn’t quite updated. Here, I will publish it again with my latest and final prediction of who will win and who should win.

Best Picture
“BlacKkKlansman”
“Black Panther”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“The Favourite”
“Green Book”
“Roma”
“A Star Is Born”
“Vice”

Should win: Roma

Will win: Roma

Opinion: In term of statistic, ‘Roma’ is at a very slight upper edge over the other nominees in terms of winning in the precursor awards. This movie is beautiful, intimate and is a technical masterpiece. Since preferential system is applied for this category, ‘Roma’ has the advantage for being a movie that is not divisive or heavily hated by anyone (unlike Bohemian Rhapsody, Black Panther, Vice and Green Book) and is expected to take up a lot of 1st, and also crucial 2nd and 3rd pick by the voters. Out of the 8 nominees, I enjoyed ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ the most because it is highly entertaining. But other than that, I don’t think that it is best picture material. ‘Roma’ has my pick. ‘The Favourite’ or ‘Blackkklansman’ may upset but I think their chances are quite far behind.

Best Director
Alfonso Cuarón, “Roma”
Spike Lee, “BlacKkKlansman”
Adam McKay, “Vice”
Pawel Pawlikowski, “Cold War”
Yorgos Lanthimos, “The Favourite”

Should win: Alfonso Cuaron (Roma)

Will win: Alfonso Cuaron (Roma)

Opinion: There is no doubt that Alfonso Cuaron is getting his second directing Oscars. The dark horse here would be Spike Lee but I don’t think he has that momentum to take down Cuaron at this point since the latter has been sweeping all the precursor awards already.

Best Actress
Yalitza Aparicio, “Roma”
Glenn Close, “The Wife”
Olivia Colman, “The Favourite”
Lady Gaga, “A Star Is Born”
Melissa McCarthy, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”

Should win: Glenn Close (The Wife)

Will win: Glenn Close (The Wife)

Opinion: Only losing the best actress to Olivia Colman in the BAFTA (due to Colman being a British and has the home advantage), Glenn Close is certainly the frontrunner (she won at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice and SAG) and my pick to win the best actress. This would be her first ever win in her 7th nomination. That is crazy and unbelievable that such an amazing actress has never won an Oscar before. She is winning this not because of the overdue factor but because she delivered an excellent performance in ‘The Wife’. I have to admit that the overdue factor is also giving her an advantage over the other nominees. I will scream if she doesn’t get to go up on stage to take that Oscar this Sunday. Looking forward to a standing ovation for her. She is a phenomenal actress. This shall be her year!

Best Actor
Christian Bale, “Vice”
Bradley Cooper, “A Star Is Born”
Willem Dafoe, “At Eternity’s Gate”
Rami Malek, “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Viggo Mortensen, “Green Book”

Should win: Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)

Will win: Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)

Opinion: Rami Malek is the frontrunner after winning Golden Globes, BAFTA and SAG. He only lost the Critics Choice (to Christian Bale). Forget about Critics Choice. The critics have been seriously panning ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ but the film industry people have shown the opposite reaction to the movie instead (by giving it multiple major awards). I am with the industry people this time. The critics are wrong. Rami Malek didn’t just imitate Freddie Mercury but he brought the character to life with fantastic acting. His performance there is beyond imitation or lip-syncing. He made us believe that Freddie Mercury himself was in that movie.

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, “Vice”
Marina de Tavira, “Roma”
Regina King, “If Beale Street Could Talk”
Emma Stone, “The Favourite”
Rachel Weisz, “The Favourite”

Should win: Emma Stone (The Favourite)

Will win: Rachel Weisz (The Favourite)

Opinion: Regina King may still win this but I think Rachel Weisz will prevail especially after her recent BAFTA win. It gave her a lot of momentum. Between her and Emma Stone (both from the same film;The Favourite), I would slightly prefer the latter more because her role is slightly more complex and her performance slightly more engaging. But I don’t think she can win as she has just won best actress not long ago. The other nominees can pull off upset here too as this race is wide open till now.

Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali, “Green Book”
Adam Driver, “BlacKkKlansman”
Sam Elliott, “A Star Is Born”
Richard E. Grant, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Sam Rockwell, “Vice”

Should win: Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)

Will win: Mahershala Ali (Green Book)

Opinion: Mahershala Ali has been taking all the supporting actor prizes, making him the clear frontrunner in this category. He is certainly going to win (this will be his second supporting actor Oscar) but I would prefer Richard E. Grant to prevail. He is superb in ‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?’ alongside Mellisa McCarthy.

Best Adapted Screenplay
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” (Joel Coen , Ethan Coen)
“BlacKkKlansman” (Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, Spike Lee)
“Can You Ever Forgive Me?” (Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty)
“If Beale Street Could Talk” (Barry Jenkins)
“A Star Is Born” (Eric Roth, Bradley Cooper, Will Fetters)

Should win: Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Will win: Blackkklansman.

Opinion: Can You Ever Forgive Me? won at the Writers Guild Awards (WGA) and that’s my choice too. However, I think the Academy wouldn’t want ‘Blackkklansman’ to go home empty-handed since it is also a best picture nominee (Can You Ever Forgive Me? is not a best picture nominee).

Best Original Screenplay
“The Favourite” (Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara)
“First Reformed” (Paul Schrader)
“Green Book” (Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly)
“Roma” (Alfonso Cuarón)
“Vice” (Adam McKay)

Should win: The Favourite

Will win: The Favourite

Opinion: ‘The Favourite’ is the frontrunner here but ‘Green Book’ or even ‘Roma’ can pull off a surprise win here too. ‘The Favourite’ is a quirky, unconventional period film and its screenplay helps a lot for its success. If the love for ‘Roma’ is super strong, then it may also possible to take this one too.

Best Cinematography
“Cold War” (Lukasz Zal)
“The Favourite” (Robbie Ryan)
“Never Look Away” (Caleb Deschanel)
“Roma” (Alfonso Cuaron)
“A Star Is Born” (Matty Libatique)

Should win: Roma

Will win: Roma

Opinion: No debate. It’s going to be ‘Roma’. Another foreign film ‘Cold War’ is the dark horse here. English film has no chance for this category this year. Opps.

Best Costume Design
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” (Mary Zophres)
“Black Panther”(Ruth E. Carter)
“The Favourite” (Sandy Powell)
“Mary Poppins Returns” (Sandy Powell)
“Mary Queen of Scots” (Alexandra Byrne)

Should win: Black Panther

Will win: Black Panther

Opinion: This is going to be battle between ‘Black Panther’ and ‘The Favourite’. Academy will certainly find a way to reward ‘Black Panther’ which is the first superhero film nominated for best picture ever (but unlikely to win best picture) and this is the category for it (also possible on the ‘best production design’ category). I’m giving the edge for ‘Black Panther’ due to their creative and futuristic looking costumes and I’m bored of seeing period movies keep on winning this from their typical massive traditional dresses.

Best Film Editing
“BlacKkKlansman” (Barry Alexander Brown)
“Bohemian Rhapsody” (John Ottman)
“The Favourite” (Yorgos Mavropsaridis)
“Green Book”(Patrick J. Don Vito)
“Vice” (Hank Corwin)

Should win: Vice

Will win: Vice

Opinion: It’s between ‘Vice’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. It’s too close to call but I’m picking ‘Vice’ in the end for its more obvious editing effort throughout the entire movie while ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ has splendid and spectacular editing only particularly at its end during the Live Aid segment.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
“Border”
“Mary Queen of Scots”
“Vice”

Should win: Vice

Will win: Vice

Opinion: Same scenario as ‘Darkest Hour’ last year. Huge makeup to turn an actor unrecognizable and particularly into a fat politician and you are winning this.

Best Original Score
“Black Panther” (Ludwig Goransson)
“BlacKkKlansman” (Terence Blanchard)
“If Beale Street Could Talk” (Nicholas Britell)
“Isle of Dogs” (Alexandre Desplat)
“Mary Poppins Returns” (Marc Shaiman)

Should win: Isle Of Dogs

Will win: If Beale Street Could Talk

Opinion: It is absurd that ‘First Man’ is not nominated here. I would have pick that to win here easily. This is the category where ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ has the higher chance of winning (besides than the very tight race in the supporting actress category).

Best Original Song
“All The Stars” from “Black Panther” by Kendrick Lamar, SZA

“I’ll Fight” from “RBG” by Diane Warren, Jennifer Hudson

“The Place Where Lost Things Go” from “Mary Poppins Returns” by Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman

“Shallow” from “A Star Is Born” by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, Andrew Wyatt and Benjamin Rice

“When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings” from “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” by Willie Watson, Tim Blake Nelson

Should win: Shallow (A Star Is Born)

Will win: Shallow (A Star Is Born)

Opinion: 100% sure that Lady Gaga (and Bradley Cooper) will still have their moment on stage to receive an award (rather than just performing the song live during the ceremony). They won’t have chance to win for the acting categories. ‘Shallow’ is a beautiful and powerful song (I love this song too) and it will secure the only win for the overrated ‘A Star Is Born’.

Best Production Design
“Black Panther” (Hannah Beachler)
“First Man” (Nathan Crowley, Kathy Lucas)
“The Favourite” (Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton)
“Mary Poppins Returns” (John Myhre, Gordon Sim)
“Roma” (Eugenio Caballero, Bárbara Enrı́quez)

Should win: The Favourite

Will win: The Favourite

Opinion: Similar to the ‘best costume design’ category, this is the battle between ‘Black Panther’ and ‘The Favourite’. The other nominees wouldn’t stand a chance at all. I’m fine with any of these two winning. If ‘The Favourite’ won here, I prefer ‘Black Panther’ to win for costume design. Hence, that’s my prediction right now.

Best Sound Editing
“Black Panther”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“First Man”
“A Quiet Place”
“Roma”

Should win: A Quiet Place

Will win: A Quiet Place

Opinion: The only nomination for ‘A Quiet Place’ and I have a feeling that many voters will put a tick for it. The movie has great sound editing despite its content being mostly quiet due to its plot. Now, that is what makes the sound work from the movie so awesome and noticeable. ‘First Man’ or ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ may stun us with a win here too.

Best Sound Mixing
“Black Panther”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“First Man”
“Roma”
“A Star Is Born”

Should win: Bohemian Rhapsody

Will win: Bohemian Rhapsody

Opinion: All the way for ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. The sound mixing work in this movie is brilliant! Period.

Best Visual Effects
“Avengers: Infinity War”
“Christopher Robin”
“First Man”
“Ready Player One”
“Solo: A Star Wars Story”

Should win: Avengers: Infinity War

Will win: Avengers: Infinity War

Opinion: The visual effect on Thanos alone is enough for ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ to win. I must say that I’m also impressed by the visual effects from ‘Ready Player One’. But hey, this mega blockbuster (Infinity War) has to be rewarded!

Best Foreign Language Film
“Capernaum” (Lebanon)
“Cold War” (Poland)
“Never Look Away” (Germany)
“Roma” (Mexico)
“Shoplifters” (Japan)

Should win: Roma

Will win: Roma

Opinion: Definitely ‘Roma’. This film is even in contention at best picture category and is even projected to win there. So, it should take this one easily without any competition.

Best Animated Feature
“Incredibles 2,” Brad Bird
“Isle of Dogs,” Wes Anderson
“Mirai,” Mamoru Hosoda
“Ralph Breaks the Internet,” Rich Moore, Phil Johnston
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman

Should win: Spider-Man: Into The Spider- Verse.

Will win: Spider-Man: Into The Spider- Verse.

Opinion: No competition. ‘Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse’ is going to win due to its brilliant story and unique animation. The other nominees are pretty ordinary.

– No comments or predictions for the last 4 categories below as I’m not interested in them and have not watched any of them too.-

Best Animated Short
“Animal Behavior”
“Bao”
“Late Afternoon”
“One Small Step”
“Weekends”

Best Documentary Feature
“Free Solo,” Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
“Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” RaMell Ross
“Minding the Gap,” Bing Liu
“Of Fathers and Sons,” Talal Derki
“RBG,” Betsy West, Julie Cohen

Best Documentary Short
“Black Sheep,” Ed Perkins
“End Game,” Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman
“Lifeboat,” Skye Fitzgerald
“A Night at the Garden,” Marshall Curry
“Period. End of Sentence.,” Rayka Zehtabchi

Best Live Action Short
“Detainment,” Vincent Lambe
“Fauve,” Jeremy Comte
“Marguerite,” Marianne Farley
“Mother,” Rodrigo Sorogoyen
“Skin,” Guy Nattiv

So, it looks like each of the 8 best picture nominee is going to win at least one award. That is good. No one is going home empty handed. Everyone will be happy at the end of the ceremony (except for the non best picture contender which lost in the categories they are contending). ‘Roma’ is projected to be the biggest winner with 4 wins (picture, director, foreign language film and cinematography). ‘The Favourite’ is expected to win 3 awards (production design, original screenplay and supporting actress). ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is to win 2 (lead actor, sound mixing) and ‘Vice’ is predicted to do the same (makeup & hairstyling, film editing).

So now, I have made my final prediction for the 91st Academy Awards (2019 Oscars) in 20 out of the 24 categories. Let see how many out of 20 that I got it right. The awards ceremony is happening this Sunday, 24th February 2019 at 8pm (will be the next day morning at local time). I will be watching it live. This year’s competition is intense and many categories are still wide open. It makes the awards to be more exciting than previous years.

(Images in this post are from various online sources)

Post CNY dilemma…

Today is the 15th day of the lunar new year and that means it’s the last day of Chinese New Year celebration! Today is also known as Chap Goh Meh or Chinese Valentine Day. I spent most of the CNY period this year at Europe for my long vacation. I didn’t really get to celebrate CNY (like visiting relatives, gamble (a must for CNY…haha), don’t have chance to eat various CNY cookies, didn’t get to watch a single CNY movie and didn’t get enough angpow).

Now, the CNY festival is over. My Europe vacation ended last week. I have returned to Singapore and get back to work since last Thursday. Now, I’m feeling moody that all my favourite events were now history, and all the working months ahead. I’m officially in a post CNY dilemma. I am also feeling very exhausted recently as I need to travel back to Malaysia every weekend now to get my tooth canal and crowning treatment. It’s super expensive to do all these in Singapore. Hence, it’s better to settle that in KL. It saves me a huge sum of money although it took a toll on my energy. It’s all because of my wisdom tooth that got my tooth besides it affected.

After a quick browsing through the calendar, I have to wait till 19th April for the next public holiday here in Singapore. That’s exactly two months from now. That’s so far away. Singapore really has very few public holidays compared to Malaysia. For comparison, Malaysia (particularly KL) has over 16 days of public holiday per year while Singapore only has 11. 5 days! That’s a huge difference.

Alright. That’s it for my update to the blog. I’m basically here just to release my frustration.

Yes, I have over 70 emails to read on last Thursday (my first working day after my long CNY break). However, reading emails is the least of my concern. There’s so much more other major tasks waiting for me to complete. Wishing myself all the best to get this through.

And finally, it’s the last time for me to wish everyone a great lunar new year on this very last day of the festival and may you go through this new year of pig with abundance of wealth and great health!

(Images in this post are from various online sources)

 

Awesome 10 days 8 nights Eastern Europe trip during CNY 2019 break.

Good times pass by so quickly. There goes the conclusion of my long 10 days 8 nights trip to Eastern Europe. The trip took place from 2nd to 11th February 2019 during the Chinese New Year break and covers 6 countries; Germany, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and Czech Republic.

Day 1 (02/02/2019 – Saturday)

First light from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Muscat International Airport (at Oman) and then second flight to Munich International Airport (Germany). Basically spending whole day in various airports.

Day 2 (03/02/2019 – Sunday)

Heavy snowfall greeted our official first day of trip. Snowfall made it hard for us to walk in the city for the city tour. Wet environment, no sun, freezing temperature and snow-covered walkways made photographing a challenging task.

Had a quick city tour at Munich (Germany) and visited Marienplatz, the central square of the city.

Then, we proceed to Salzburg, the place famous for being the home of the popular late music composer, Mozart. We then visited the Mirabelle Garden (not picturesque during winter unfortunately). Then, we moved on to Vienna in the late afternoon.

Day 3 (04/02/2019 – Monday)

Commenced the day at Vienna (Austria) with city tour (photo stop) at The Ring Road, Opera House, Parliament House, Johann Strauss Statue, St. Stephen’s Cathedral and Town Hall.

Next, we proceed to visit Schonbrunn Palace, a huge baroque-styled palace that contains 1441 rooms and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Ended the day at Pandorf Outlet for quick shopping. Brought my first ever luxury branded wallet here. Then, we moved on to Budapest.

Day 4 (05/02/2019 – Tuesday)

It’s the first day of Chinese New Year! Had a city tour at Budapest (Hungary) to view the Hero’s Square, Parliament House, Chain Bridge, St. Matthias Church, Central Market Hall, Citadel Hill and Fisherman’s Bastion.

Spent the afternoon on a 1-hour cruise ride along the scenic Danube River. The view is spectacular and I took a lot of pictures here. Then, we proceed to another city; Bratislava.

Day 5 (06/02/2019 – Wednesday)

Quick city tour at Bratislava (Slovakia) with visit to Bratislava Castle, Presidential Palace, Michael’s Gate and Old Town area.

Spent the whole afternoon on long journey to Krakow.

Day 6 (07/02/2019 – Thursday)

Began the day with a city tour of Krakow (Poland). Visit to Jagiellonian University, Wavel Hill, Royal Castle, Old Town area, Cloth Market Hall and St. Mary’s Church. The main square of Krakow is breathtaking.

Then, we had an awesome visit to Wielicka Salt Mine. This is my first time visited a tourist attraction so deep below the ground (over 130m underground at one section).

Day 7 (08/02/2019 – Friday)

Only one tourist destination for today before continuing the journey to Brno. Today, we visited the infamous Auschwitz Concentration Camp. It is the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp and is now a museum for us to learn more of the World War II history, particularly the suffering of the Jewish in Nazi German era.

Day 8 (09/02/2019 – Saturday)

We moved on from Brno to Prague (Czech Republic) for a city tour. Visited the Prague Castle Complex, Saint Vitus Cathedral, Golden Lane, Charles Bridge, Parizska Street (street for luxury brands shopping), Old Town and the Square. The Old Town Square is another fantastic spot for photographs.

Day 9 (10/02/2019 – Sunday)

Time flies. It’s already our last day of trip. We head to a brewery tour at Pilsner Urquell Brewery at Plzen (don’t like the bitter taste of this local beer). Then, we moved on to our last tourist attraction, the BMW Welt in Munich, a multi-functional exhibition facility of BMW. It’s the spot for car lovers.

Finally, we head back to the Munich International Airport for flight back home.

Day 10 (11/02/2019 – Monday)

Whole day spent at the airports just like on the first day of the trip (but now is on the other way round). Reached home in the evening. There goes the end of the trip.

Had an awesome time joining this trip (a guided tour with a group of 42 people). I took about 500 photographs! The good thing for this guided tour is that daily lunch is on our own which allow us to try local food at our preference. Certainly enjoyed this trip (except for that one or two days in the middle when I was not feeling well – vomiting, and also except for the lengthy and uncomfortable flights). This is my third time visiting Europe and it’s another unforgettable experience.

 

 

 

‘The Favourite’ won big at the BAFTA while ‘Roma’ widen the lead to be the Oscar frontrunner for best picture.

The 72nd British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) was held last evening with the movie ‘The Favourite’ emerged as the biggest winner with 7 wins. This is very much expected due to home advantage. Will it be able to win that many awards in the Academy Awards end of this month? I don’t think so.

Here’s the full list of winners for the 72nd British Academy Film Awards along with my opinions for several categories as usual:

BEST PICTURE
“BlacKkKlansman”
“The Favourite”
“Green Book”
“Roma” – WINNER
“A Star is Born”

Opinion: With this win, ‘Roma’ now is the frontrunner for the Oscar’s best picture race. The best picture competition is very exciting this year as each of the nominated films has their fair share of awards with no clear frontrunner like last year when it is very obvious that only ‘The Shape of Water’ and ‘Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri’ are fighting for the best picture title.

BEST DIRECTOR
Spike Lee, “BlacKkKlansman”
Pawel Pawlikowski, “Cold War”
Yorgos Lanthimos, “The Favourite”
Alfonso Cuaron, “Roma” – WINNER
Bradley Cooper, “A Star is Born”

Opinion: Anyone besides than Alfonso Cuaron winning will be the most shocking news. Cuaron is going to win his second directing Oscars end of this month for sure. He is an excellent craftsman.

BEST ACTOR
Bradley Cooper, “A Star is Born”
Christian Bale, “Vice”
Rami Malek, “Bohemian Rhapsody” – WINNER
Steve Coogan, “Stan & Ollie”
Viggo Mortensen, “Green Book”

Opinion: I don’t see any more competition from other nominees at this point. Christian Bale is no longer a threat anymore to Rami Malek. Malek should get his Oscar acceptance speech ready after winning the same gong at Golden Globes, SAG, and BAFTA.

BEST ACTRESS
Glenn Close, “The Wife”
Lady Gaga, “A Star is Born”
Melissa McCarthy, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Olivia Colman, “The Favourite” – WINNER
Viola Davis, “Widows”

Opinion: I’m not surprised that Olivia Colman won and not Glenn Close. Colman has a huge home advantage and she also did a great job in ‘The Favourite’. However, Glenn Close is still the one to beat for best actress in the Oscar end of this month due to the huge overdue factor and she has won more important precursor awards (Golden Globes, SAG, Critics Choice) than Colman. It’s a pity that Close couldn’t make a clean sweep after this loss.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Adam Driver, “BlacKkKlansman”
Mahershala Ali, “Green Book” – WINNER
Richard E. Grant, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Sam Rockwell, “Vice”
Timothee Chalamet, “Beautiful Boy”

Opinion: I would have prefer Richard E. Grant or Timothee Chalamet to win. Now, it is a lock for Mahershala Ali to claim his second Oscar.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, “Vice”
Claire Foy, “First Man”
Emma Stone, “The Favourite”
Margot Robbie, “Mary Queen of Scots”
Rachel Weisz, “The Favourite” – WINNER

Opinion: With Regina King and Emily Blunt missing in the nominees here, many are saying that Amy Adams may have a chance. But then, she lost again. Vote splitting isn’t enough to take out Rachel Weisz (as she share same film with Emma Stone who is also nominated here). It’s now Regina King vs. Rachel Weisz for the Oscar.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Janusz Glowacki, Pawel Pawlikowski, “Cold War”
Deborah Davis, Tony Mcnamara, “The Favourite” – WINNER
Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly, Nick Vallelonga, “Green Book”
Alfonso Cuaron, “Roma”
Adam McKay, “Vice”

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Spike Lee, David Rabinowitz, Charlie Wachtel, Kevin Wilmott, “BlacKkKlansman” – WINNER
Nicole Holofcener, Jeff Whitty, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Josh Singer, “First Man”
Barry Jenkins, “If Beale Street Could Talk”
Bradley Cooper, Will Fetters, Eric Roth, “A Star is Born”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Newton Thomas Sigel, “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Lukasz Zal, “Cold War”
Robbie Ryan, “The Favourite”
Linus Sandgren, “First Man”
Alfonso Cuaron, “Roma” – WINNER

Opinion: Deserving win for ‘Roma’ as the movie is really excellent especially in its technical aspects including cinematography.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“The Favourite” – WINNER
“Mary Poppins Returns”
“Mary Queen of Scots”

Opinion: No surprise here. Actually, no surprise to all the categories of which ‘The Favourite’ is winning. Home advantage it is. I don’t really get the critical love to this movie. I like it but I don’t see it being a spectacular film.

BEST FILM EDITING
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“The Favourite”
“First Man”
“Roma”
“Vice” – WINNER

Opinion: I like the editing in ‘Vice’ but I still see huge competition in this category from ‘First Man’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.

BEST MAKE UP & HAIR
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“The Favourite” – WINNER
“Mary Queen of Scots”
“Stan & Ollie”
“Vice”

Opinion: Another obvious win due to home advantage. ‘Vice’ is definitely better in make up and hair. ‘Vice’ will still win in the Oscar for this category.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”
“The Favourite” – WINNER
“First Man”
“Mary Poppins Returns”
“Roma”

BEST SCORE
“BlacKkKlansman”
“If Beale Street Could Talk”
“Isle of Dogs”
“Mary Poppins Returns”
“A Star is Born” – WINNER

Opinion: Now this is a joke. While I enjoyed and is very fascinated by the songs in ‘A Star Is Born’, its score doesn’t stood out at all. Poor choice from the voters.

BEST SOUND
“Bohemian Rhapsody” – WINNER
“First Man”
“Mission: Impossible – Fallout”
“A Quiet Place”
“A Star is Born”

Opinion: Great to see ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ getting win on other category other than just the lead actor. The movie certainly has great sound work in it. Deserving win.

BEST SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
“Avengers: Infinity War”
“Black Panther” – WINNER
“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”
“First Man”
“Ready Player One”

Opinion: Another joke! Visual effects in ‘Black Panther’ is just average. ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ or ‘Ready Player One’ has much better VFX.

BEST ANIMATED FILM
“Incredibles 2”
“Isle of Dogs”
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” – WINNER

Opinion: The clear frontrunner for best animated feature. No more competition. ‘Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse’ stood out easily among the rest of the animated films last year.

BEST DOCUMENTARY
“Free Solo” – WINNER
“McQueen”
“RBG”
“They Shall Not Grow Old”
“Three Identical Strangers”

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“Capernaum”
“Cold War”
“Dogman”
“Roma” – WINNER
“Shoplifters”

BEST BRITISH FILM
“Beast”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“The Favourite” – WINNER
“McQueen”
“Stan & Ollie”
“You Were Never Really Here”

Opinion: Expected although I prefer ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ to win.

BEST DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
Daniel Kokotajlo (writer/director), “Apostasy”
Michael Pearce (writer/director), “Beast” – WINNER
Chris Kelly (writer/director/producer), “A Cambodian Spring”
Leanne Welham (writer/director), Sophie Harman (producer), “Pili”
Richard Billingham (writer/director), Jacquie Davies (producer), “Ray & Liz”

BEST BRITISH ANIMATED SHORT
“I’m OK”
“Marfa”
“Roughhouse” – WINNER

BEST BRITISH LIVE-ACTION SHORT
“73 Cows” – WINNER
“Bachelor”
“The Blue Door”
“The Field”
“Wale”

RISING STAR AWARD
Barry Keoghan
Cynthia Erivo
Jessie Buckley
Lakeith Stanfield
Letitia Wright – WINNER

So now, we are all waiting for the final moment, the final and most important report card for 2018 films; the 91st Academy Awards on 24th February 2019.

(Images in this post are from various online sources)

February comes and it’s all about the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration!

First month of 2019 is over and now we welcomes not only the arrival of the second month of the year but also the wonderful Chinese New Year celebration! This lunar new year festival doesn’t comes until next Tuesday, 5th February but everyone is already in the celebration and holiday mood by now. Time to fill the month with plenty of red colour (deemed as auspicious colour for the Chinese) starting with this post!

I will be taking my flight to Europe tomorrow to kickstart my 10 days trip during this long holiday. I am very excited to visit all the amazing places in Eastern Europe soon (but not excited for the two long-hour flights to reach Europe which would definitely caused me huge discomfort). Hence, my next blog post will be somewhere on mid February when I returned from the trip to note down all the wonderful experience I had from it and share some amazing photographs I have taken.

For now, I would like to take this opportunity to wish to my family, relative, Chinese friends and colleagues a wonderful and prosperous lunar new year! Gong Xi Fa Cai! May this new lunar year of pig brings you abundance of great health, wealth and happiness! Yeah, it’s the year of the pig. The last animal zodiac sign in the 12-year cycle.

(Images in this post are from various online sources)