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Sit your asses down! Was comedian Chris Rock’s opening line as the presenter, which not only changed the tone of the Oscars but also began the show in a very boxing ring kind of way.
   If a year ago someone had said that a film featuring a woman boxer would win an Oscar then people would have possibly laughed it out of court. After all, films on boxing have had their fair share of spotlight. But, at the Oscars, predictions often backfire, leaving the so called movie-gurus wondering what had gone wrong.
   Prior to yesterday's Oscar extravaganza, the bet was heavily on The Aviator, but it seems that Clint and his film Million Dollar Baby did manage to punch hard. Winning four awards including best director and best film Million Dollar Baby testifies to the fact that plots that have been attempted before with success can still come back and grab the statue.
   Million Dollar Baby was originally slated to open next year but at the last minute Warner Bros. decided to release it in time to qualify for Oscars. The movie took only 37 days to make and was based on the original draft of the screenplay.
    But, The Aviator, a film on the eccentric life of American billionaire Howard Hughes took the award for best supporting actress including four others for editing, costume, cinematography and art direction.
   But if one prediction came true then that was in the case of Jamie Foxx for his compelling portrayal of Ray Charles, the singer in the film Ray. The pre-Oscar votes were for Foxx and those who saw the film knew that if this didn't deserve a statue then no other character did. With Morgan Freeman winning the best supporting actor as the ageing gym manager in Million Dollar Baby, this is the second time in 77 years when two top awards were given to black actors in one year. Halle Berry and Denzel Washington won best actor and actress in 2002.
   So, now that hype is over and the tensions released how would the winners influence the movie making industry in the future. Well, for starters the lesson taught was that, films that take up themes like sports do have a chance. Though pre-Oscar speculation brought Million Dollar Baby into the limelight, critics in the end were sceptical about its success. Now that it has won, others will try to use similar themes, maybe from a different human angle.
   Relevant to mention that pre-Oscar assumption also stated that not too many people would watch the show. Another thing to note is that this year the show was markedly low in dramatics.
   Come to the The Aviator and this movie teaches us quite a lot and first lesson is: people are always interested in the private lives of people who lived their lives drenched in eccentricity. Madness sells perhaps that is why People vs Larry Flynt is such a popular film. In this line leaving the iconoclastic bits aside, Ray looks at the life of a man who was more than just a soul singer. The lesson? Viewers are more interested to look at real people, not fictitious characters. Maybe, the idea of making a film on Elvis or John Lennon is taking shape somewhere.
   Come back to the matter of Eastwood, one has to say that he has splattered mud all over his critics. Who would have thought that the guy who was known only for cool dialogues like, 'Go ahead make my day' would be able to shoot not with the Magnum but with the camera.
   Now, with a blazing success of Eastwood in the film Unforgiven very few thought that statues would end up in his hands again, but then one should not predict anything about Dirty Harry.
   Eastwood, 74, thanked his wife and his mother, who were in the audience. 'At 96, I'm thanking her for her genes,' he said. Well, he was spot on point.
   Photos: Reuters & AFP

Professor Mustafa Nurul Islam inaugurated the Bangla section of the web site on the novels of Bangladesh www.bangladeshinovles.com by Subrata Kumar Das on February 25 in the premises of Bangla Academy book fair. Al Mahmud, Mohammad Nurul Huda, Imdadul Huq Milon, Nasreen Zahan and other writers attended the launching session.
   The main two links of the site are: ‘Ouponyashik’ and ‘Bibidho Probondho’. The novelists who have been discussed elaborately and analytically are: Syed Waliullah, Shamsuddin Abul Kalam, Abu Ishaque, Shahidulla Kaisar, Syed Shamsul Huq, Rabeya Khatun, Al Mahmud, Hasnat Abdul Hye, Ahmed Sofa, Humayun Azad, Selina Hossain, Humayun Ahmed, Mohammad Nurul Huda, Shahidul Zahir, Imdadul Huq Milon, Nasreen Zahan and Anisul Hoque. ‘Bibidho Probondho’ includes Bangladesher Sahityo and Opar Bangla Sahityo. In Bangladesher Sahityo essays on the different features of the fiction of Bangladesh have been included. On the other hand Opar Bangla Sahityo focuses on eight novelists of West Bengal.
   The other links of the site are: ‘Bohulbikrito Uponyash’ and ‘Boimelai Prokashito Uponyash’.

Based on the true story of the near-disastrous Apollo 13 mission. On April 11, 1970, gung-ho astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and last-minute, less experienced replacement Jack Swigert blast-off towards the moon.
   But while in space, an oxygen tank explodes, putting the trio in peril: they quickly lose oxygen, run out of power, and get exposed to dangerously high amounts of carbon dioxide. Unbeknownst to them, there are more problems to come, including emotional friction when Jack is (wrongly) blamed for the explosion. Intensifying the situation is the fact that these mishaps catch the scientists and technicians at Mission Control by surprise, and they’re not sure how to remedy the situation.
   Everyone must work together to come up with the right answer — if the astronauts are to survive. . With 8 Oscar® nominations, won 2 awards including Best Sound and Best Film Editing.
   Apollo-13
   star movies
   7:00pm
   Starring
   Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise and Ed Harris