And The Academy Awhaaaaat?! Award Goes To....

Hey wonderful peoples. As we get closer to the fall season and Academy Award talk slowly starts to make itself heard in film conversations had by ourselves and those smarter than I, it's time to bring back the series where I choose a movie or performance that I believe should have rightfully won the Academy Award(s) yet walked away empty handed on that special Oscar evening. After years of standing on the red carpet sideline I've taken matters into my own hands and I’ve given them my own award. The Academy Awhaaaaaat!? Award. I have just been handled the envelope and after opening it I'm happy to say that the Academy Awhaaaaaat!? Award is being given to Denzel Washington for Malcolm X in the Spike Lee joint Malcolm X.

Now I know Denzel has an Academy Award already. Two of them actually. One for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Trip in Glory and one for Best Lead Actor for his role as Alonzo Harris in Training Day. I believe his award for Glory is well deserved but you could just as easily give an Academy Awhaaaaat!? award to Danny Aiello for his role as Sal in Do The Right Thing a film that received the very first Academy Awhaaaat?! award.

The Training Day award is the one that bothers me. Denzel’s best performance as a lead actor was in Training Day? Really? Alonzo Harris? That's your boy? Okay. Well allow me to retort. The Academy Awards are notorious for giving make up awards. Example, Al Pacino was nominated for Best Actor for his roles in Godfather Part II, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, and .....And Justice For All. What did he win the Oscar for? Scent Of A Woman. Academy could you explain yourself please? I'd respect you more if you gave it to him for Cruising (I will put this clip in anytime I can):



Training Day is an overrated movie. Overrated. I'm not down playing Denzel's role in it. Denzel doesn't give a bad performance. He's very good in it. You can tell he's really enjoying playing the over the top bad guy. It’s exciting to see him playing such a bad ass because up to that point in his career we hadn’t seen him play a villian quite like Alonzo Harris. But is there anything really memorable from the movie? Years from now when we look back at Denzel's career will Training Day be the movie that we all point to as the definitive Denzel Washington performance? Other than Denzel's intro to Ethan Hawke at breakfast and his final scene where he lets us know how he feels about King Kong, is there a scene in the movie that can stand above any other performance he has given? I don't think so.



That's part of the problem with Training Day, it's staying power or lack thereof. It's not a film that I revisit on DVD (I can't afford a Blu-ray player yet) or am willing to devote an afternoon to it if I catch it on TV. It definately doesn't have any performances that I feel the need to see again and again. It’s a movie that I look back on and think that’s when Denzel ate up all the scenery he could chew and it was fun to watch him do it. Once.

Malcolm X is another story. It's a powerful performance that's going to go down as one of the greatest ever captured on film. I would argue that Denzel's voice is more powerful during the opening credits of Malcolm X than a majority of his screen time in Training Day and it only takes off from there.



Over the course of almost 3 hours we see Malcolm Little become Detroit Red who in turn becomes Malcolm X who travels and returns from Mecca transformed yet again as a new man who was willing to accept that not all of his decisions in the past may have been in the best interest of what he believed. Denzel shows each of those periods in Malcolm's life and the transition from one to the next is always that feels natural and believable.



It's not a biopic highlights reel (like this article) but there are some iconic moments that really stand out. The above mentioned pilgramage to Mecca is one of the best. Spike Lee discusses on the bonus materials of the dvd how the studio originally suggested that they should have a New York coastline or maybe a west coast desert to fill in as Mecca. You know, for budgetary reasons. Unbelievable.



Malcolm's first meeting with The Honorable Elijah Mohammed is also a great moment that deserves to be mentioned. Malcolm is finally introduced to the leader who has helped him put his past life behind but will eventually betray him. The way Denzel enters the room slightly cowering, unable to speak, and fighting back tears is amazing.



All of which brings you to the last act of the film, the death of Malcolm X. This is quite possibly the best part of the film, absolutely Denzel's strongest in the film, and the hardest to watch because of the tragedy that happens. Kudo's to Spike Lee's use of "A Change Is Gonna Come" here. Spike Lee and Martin Scorcese are the kings of music put to film and this choice by Spike is no exception.



On a side note, I was in love with the promotion for Malcolm X. Viral marketing is becoming so common now that I almost miss the days of simple straight forward movie advertising. I loved the posters in movie theaters that simply showed the X. I put that right up there with the poster for Tim Burton's Batman where all they showed you to promote the movie was the Bat symbol. Look at that poster. That is classy and nerdy at the same time.

I can't say enough about Denzel in Malcolm X. In the future when they open the books and point to Denzel Washington this is the role they need to mention. This is the one that proves he's one of our greatest actors (I forgive you for Virtuosity Denzel). If you haven't seen it yet, this is the next Denzel Washington movie you need to see. Denzel Washington in Malcolm X.




Check out:
Total Film's 150 Greatest Movie Performances Of All Time
Spike Lee discussing Denzel's role as Malcolm X
Siskel & Ebert review Malcolm X
Malcolm X on DVD

Get Edumucated!

"We Don't Need Know Stinkin' Edumucation!" continues in its second week as part of the Hecho En Chicago Series this Wednesday, September 30th at 7:30pm at The Chicago Center For The Performing Arts located at 777 N. Green Street. Tickets are $8 and are available at the theater box office.

Class is in session so meet your new maestros. The malcreados of middle school present to you a show will that re-educate you in new ways of funny. Play hookie with the class clowns… it’s recess con risas para los adultos. ESL, English as a Second language, Laughter as a first… Azucar!!!

You know what else you should do? You should become a fan of The ESL Players right here.

Hey Have You Seen The New This Is It Trailer?

What's up peoples! Here is the new trailer for This Is It. This Is It is the new documentary that was to be about Michael Jackson's latest tour before he...uh...you know...well he gone! He didn't make it.
After watching the trailer I had the same reaction as to when I first heard they were turning Michael's rehearsal footage into a movie. Is this necessary? I don't think so. I don't feel like I'll be learning anything new about Michael from this documentary. What I would have liked to have seen was if they held off on this for at least a year. Gather as much footage of Michael's tours from the past including the Triumph tour with the Jacksons and then hit us with that documentary. That would feel like much more of an event than what I think we're getting here. Music documentaries, when handled correctly like Gimme Shelter, Woodstock, or the musical performances of When We Were Kings can be such an exciting experience to watch because those movies really feel like they transport you to the concert/event. Unfortunately this doesn't have or build the level of excitement that Michael deserves. I'm disappointed. This Is It arrives in theaters on October 28th, 2009.

Kanye West....Is That Your Boy?

Oh Yeezy. This morning I got a call on my cell phone that was right out of the movie Seven. A male non descript voice that still sounded not quite right, out of breath, unapologetic, superfreak creepy, came through my reciever and said, "I've gone and done it again." Then the line went dead but no worries because I already knew who it was. I have caller ID. It was Kanye again, admitting that he jumped onstage at the VMA'S, again, and ruined Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the VMA's. I hung up the phone and I thought what a lot of people were thinking, "Who's Taylor Swift?"



Honestly I don't know why Kanye West does this type of thing. Does he know it's the VMA'S and not the Nobel Peace Prize? I haven't been interested in watching the VMA'S since Arsenio hosted back in the day and even Arsenio admitted that he was only hosting the show because they booked Prince as the closing act of the night. Then Prince came out and tore the house down by showing his ass and not acting like one.
If Kanye wants to really impress me and stop an awards show do it right. Do it in the ways of The One. Do it like our boy for life Ol Dirty Bastard did it at the 1998 Grammy's. Wu Tang for life. Cause they for the children.

Hecho En Chicago Arts Festival Opens In One Week!

The Hecho En Chicago Arts Festival kicks off next Wednesday, September 16th at 7:30pm at The Chicago Center For The Performing Arts. At the opening night of the festival you will be treated to a medley of performances of the entire series including The ESL Players performing new material from their sketch revue "We Don't Need Know Stinkin' Edumacation!". Come out and support a celebration of Chicago's Latino arts.

Hey Have You Seen The New The Men Who Stare At Goats Trailer?

What's up beautiful peoples? Here's the trailer to George Clooney's latest "The Men Who Stare At Goats". Wow. How do you get a title like that approved by a movie studio? Well you probably get George Clooney in your movie and he's a guy who can make things happen. I dig me some George Clooney. I watched ER for a minute then I just phased it out of my sssshhhedule. Then Clooney decided to go from telelvision to movies and me being the genius I was back in my 20's I was like "Good luck with that Clooney. Ask Tom Selleck how that worked out for him." Then he went on to make From Dusk Till Dawn, Out Of Sight, and Three Kings which are some of my favorite movies. If you haven't hollered at Three Kings yet? Shame on you.
It's good to see Ewan Mcgregor back in business here as well. We haven't seen him in a minute-wait damn is that Kevin Spacey? Where you been Verbal? You don't wanna make movies no more? Actually Kevin Spacey has been knocking it out on the live stage cause that's what he do. And who do we have last? Mr. Jeff Bridges. Bridges plays can play a stoner so well next time I see him I'm gonna let him know I got the Duke. To me though Jeff Bridges will forever be remembered not as The Dude, or Tucker, he will be STARMAN. Don't knock Bridges or his performance in STARMAN. Take that hate out'cha heart. Jeff Bridges was nominated for an Academy Award in that classic.
I like seeing Clooney, Spacey, and Bridges playing this kind of contemporary Three Stooges here. The whole trailer almost has a Coen Brothers feel to it which isn't a bad thing. It doesn't feel like director Grant Heslov is ripping the Coens style of comedy off but it definately feels like there is a little bit of their influence here. You know what does feel like its being ripped off? The credit sequence to Inglorious Basterds. Give them the once-over and tell me what you think.
The Men Who Stare At Goats opens on November 6, 2009. Stare at it right here Jedi.

Guess Who's Back?

My boys Beavis and Butthead! They're back and they're right here. Too bad it's only for a miiiiinute. Check out what I would call a non-trailer trailer to Mike Judge's new comedy Extract which opens this weekend. You can see the actual trailer to Extract featuring my boy and Chicago's very own TJ Miller right here.