Don't Take Me Seriously - Book - Page 140
ESCAPE Weekly
Feb. 25 - March 3, 2011 – 16
and often simply vote for the most makeup.
Best Sound Editing
Awards
That would indicate Rick Baker and Dave
“Inception,” for its skill in negotiating
Continued from page 12
Elsey for “The Wolfman.” But I have an
dreamscapes and levels of reality. Not nomi-
the year he will win, for the magnificent
instinct not many voters saw it, and here I
nated was “The Social Network,” which
look and feel of “True Grit.”
predict Adrien Morot, for the way he aged
juggled all those rapid-fie conversations.
Paul Giamatti in “Barney’s Version.” Warn-
Best Editing
ing: Baker has a good track record.
“The Social Network” was all but
brought to life through the skills of Angus
Wall and Kirk Baxter, who took a complex
Best Original Score
The most effective score in foreground
Best Sound Mixing
Also known as “Sound Design,” this
is the category that creates the space our
ears sense around characters. I expect the
group of interlocking plots, events and
terms was by Trent Reznor and Atticus
winner to be “The Social Network,” which
times, assembled them at breakneck speed,
Ross, for “The Social Network.” But I be-
created intricate conversations in challeng-
and made the sucker play.
lieve a “King’s Speech” year will also sweep
ing locations like a Silicon Valley club.
up this Oscar, for Alexandre Desplat.
Best Art Direction
Sometimes the art direction of a film just
reaches out and rubs you by the chinny-
Best Original Song
I would vote for “Coming Home,” from
Best Animated Short
Teddy Newton’s “Day and Night” played
before “Toy Story 3,” was original and
chin-chin. Tim Burton is famous for the
“Country Strong.” But in recent years
look of his films, and the work by Robert
this category has tended to be dominated
Stromberg and Karen O’Hara was magical
by animation, and Disney/Pixar will take
in his “Alice in Wonderland.”
home the Oscar for “We Belong Together,”
“Killing in the Name,” about a Muslim
the heartfelt dirge of forgotten playthings
who visits and questions the sources of the
in “Toy Story 3.”
terrorist ideology that inspired a suicide
Best Costume Design
Any good “Alice” starts with the
costumes. Colleen Atwood dressed
Best Visual Effects
inventive in the battle suggested by its title.
Best Documentary Short
bomber to kill 27 people at his wedding.
Continuing to apply my theory that in
Best Live Action Short Film
the “lesser” categories the winners tend to
I haven’t seen these. But I’ve looked at
be the most visible in the most-seen films,
their trailers at http://bit.ly/hJ4OPo, and
Academy voters do not, I suspect, spend
I think this is where the sensational film
on that basis I expect “Na Wewe” to win.
a lot of time thinking about this category,
“Inception” wins. It rolled up an entire city.
Walker
Waiting for a loan modification
Waiting for your teenagers to
finally mature
Counting on the better side of
human nature
Counting on alien intervention
Counting on Social Security
Riding with General Custer
Riding with the Light Brigade
Riding with Mel Gibson
Wonderland.
Makeup
Continued from page 13
Expecting hair to grow back
darker after shaving it
Expecting your savings account
to earn interest
Expecting that girl you met at
the bar to return your car
Rooting for Thomas E. Dewey
Rooting for the Spanish Armada
Rooting for New Coke
Waiting for Mr. or Ms. Right
Now, the list could go on and
on, emphasizing the consequences
of wishful thinking. But, getting
© 2011 THE EBERT CO.
back to stones, it is important to
remember that the meditation of
stacking them, whether real stones
or those of desire, can be a very
good thing. But you can’t expect
your crafty creations to last very
long in either case. You need some
reality cement, my friends.
And, just so you don’t think the
rocks are out to get you when they
fall, I’ll sign off with an excerpt
from a poem by Kenn Nesbitt, which
has to do with rocks as pets. (Does
anyone remember Pet Rocks?):
And maybe it doesn’t roll over,
and isn’t excited to play,
but rocks always sit when you
tell them,
and rocks really know how to stay.
Speaking of stacking stones,
I won’t be doing that in Escape
anymore. Starting next week my
Don’t Take Me Seriously columns
will only appear in the main news
section of The Signal — every
Friday — at least until my arch falls.
jwalker@the-signal.com
