Oscars 2015 - Summary and Picks!

You guys, I love doing this! Even when I get sick of crafting my life around screening times and worn down by the films I never really wanted to see in the first place, I am a complete movie addict and screening all of these movies has only made me hungry for more, albeit different, film experiences.

I saw 53 of 59 overall nominees this year.  Four of the films I missed were just not released anywhere, and two of them, I just couldn't get to the screenings.

I was late to pick up my children at school twice due to movie screenings, but don't worry, no reprimands were issued.

My gem, or the movie I am most glad I discovered, was The Tale of Princess Kaguya. The film that most exceeded my expectations was Inherent Vice. The film I am most eager to watch again is Whiplash. The movie that people are in the most disagreement with me over is Maleficient. My favorite film of the year that got no love at all was The Drop. The next movie I plan to see is Hot Tub Time Machine 2, because I am ready for something completely different.

My prosecco is chilling, steaks are marinating and my daughters and I have about 45 Barbies to get dressed fro the Oscar Party they will be attending. So with no further adieu...

(Drumroll)

Here are my picks for the 2015 Oscars:

Best Picture -
My Favorite - Birdman (beating Whiplash by only a hair)
My Prediction - Boyhood

Actor - 
My Favorite - Michael Keaton, Birdman (Benedict Cumberbatch was so close!)
My Prediction - Michael Keaton

Actress -
My Favorite & Prediction - Julianne Moore

Supporting Actor-
My Favorite & Prediction - J.K. Simmons

Supporting Actress - 
My Favorite - Meryl Streep
My Prediction - Patricia Arquette

Animated Feature Film - 
My Favorite & Prediction - The Tale of Princess Kaguya

Cinematography -
My Favorite - Mr. Turner
My Prediction - The Grand Budapest Hotel

Costume Design -
My Favorite - Mr. Turner
My Prediction - The Grand Budapest Hotel

Directing - 
My Favorite - Alejandro Inarritu
My Prediction - Richard Linklater

Documentary Feature - 
My Favorite - Finding Vivian Maier
My Prediction - Citizen Four

Documentary Short Subject - 
My Favorite - The Reaper
My Prediction - Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1

Film Editing - 
My Favorite - Whiplash
My Prediction - Boyhood

Foreign Language Film -
My Favorite and Prediction - Timbuktu

Makeup & Hairstyling - 
My Favorite - Guardians of the Galaxy
My Prediction - Foxcatcher

Music, Original Score - 
My Favorite - The Imitation Game
My Prediction - The Theory of Everything

Music, Original Song - 
My Favorite - Everything Is Awesome
My Prediction - Glory

Production Design -
My Favorite - Mr. Turner
My Prediction - The Grand Budapest Hotel

Short, Animated - 
My Favorite & Prediction - A Single Life

Short, Live -
My Favorite - Boogaloo and Graham
My Prediction - Butter Lamp

Sound Editing -
My Favorite - Birdman
My Prediction - American Sniper

Sound Mixing -
My Favorite- Birdman
My Prediction - American Sniper

Visual Effects -
My Favorite and Prediction - Guardians of the Galaxy

Writing, Adapted - 
My Favorite and Prediction - The Imitation Game

Writing, Original -
My Favorite - Birdman
My Prediction - Boyhood

Thank you so much, dear readers, for commenting, disagreeing, laughing along and letting me know that I will have company in my manic obsession of film! Enjoy your Oscar day, however you spend it!

With Love,

Th Oscar Glutton

The Judge - Best Supporting Actor

The Judge looked like a really unimpressive movie from the trailer. Wise-cracking son from small town faces crotchety dad in a time of crisis, everyone learns something. Formulaic movie making at its most mediocre.

I'll say that the trailer did it a slight injustice. It was at times, deeper and more thoughtful than I had feared, but even when the themes of the movie tried to break away from the pack, it continued to fall back on its stereotypes too much for my comfort. Robert Downey Jr. tried to carry this movie on the back of his charisma, which works better for the Ironman franchise than it does here.

And I'm guessing the academy just decided that it was time for Robert Duvall to be nominated again? He was by no stretch bad in this role, but it certainly did not strike me as a stand out performance either. It's an ok drama to catch on cable one day when you are feeling lazy, but it's not going to change your life.

Animated Nominees

First, I apologize to everyone who works in Animation, because I'm going to lump all five nominees in one review, as if they are lesser forms of art, or just kids' stuff or something. In truth, I'm just running out of time.

Animated Features

Big Hero 6 - This one was my early favorite. Unique story, fun characters, good messages. We don't have to talk about Angelina climbing onto my lap for comfort when things got scary and me sobbing into her hair, do we? Ok, good. We are still doing the Baymax fist bump in our house and I love when a movie sticks with you like that.

Boxtrolls - So weird and wonderful. So British and gross. Seriously, how is lactose intolerance in the form of pustules a choice for a kid's movie? Whatever, I'm just glad the kids get to see art that isn't always "Princess clean", if you know I what I mean. The girls seemed to enjoy it!

How to Train Your Dragon 2 - I remember liking this one, but really don't remember too much about it, other than the mom was a complete badass who had made pretty questionable decisions and forgiving her came pretty easily to everyone. I don't really know if that's a good message about forgiveness, or just very unbelievable. This has won some things already, so I guess it was good?

Song of the Sea - This movie is soft and beautiful, very much like a lullaby. Ok, I don't know how to get around the fact that I fell asleep twice during this film and missed a good portion of it. The animation was gorgeous; folk-art inspired intricacy in every frame. I'd like to just hang this movie on my wall and call it art. But lilting, aspirated Irish voices at 11 pm on a Tuesday? Nope. I just couldn't stay awake.

The Tale of Princess Kaguya - I was unexpectedly swept away by this movie. This movie is a lovely parable that symbolizes the cycle of human life, what it means to grow up, ideas of reincarnation and pagan creation myths all in one really thoughtful and beautifully animated story. I was touched to the core by the Princess's assertion to her adopted parents, "This happiness you wished for me has been hard to bear." Wow! What a beautiful expression that sums up a whole lot of human tragedy! It is a long film that requires a bit of patience, but to me it definitely paid off.


Animated Shorts

The Bigger Picture - Dark and strange. My daughter let out a derisive laugh when one of the characters said they were looking at death, so that was fun!

The Dam Keeper - Another dark story featuring a cute pig that is perhaps harboring a dangerous form of mental illness and is having trouble making friends.

Feast - The Disney option and my daughter's favorite features a Boston Terrier that likes to eat.

Me & My Moulton - This was a really cute little short about growing up and dealing with your parents being different. The parents are modernist architects so their dining room chairs always fall down.

A Single Life - My favorite of the bunch, this one features a woman who receives a song on vinyl that controls where she is in her life depending on where you place the needle on the record. It is short, sweet, funny and witty.

Begin Again - Best Original Song

I was dreading watching any of the Original Song nominees, basically because I hadn't heard of them. Begin Again was a really great surprise. Starring Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo, I wasn't sure why I hadn't heard of this movie but it was a totally great mid day viewing. It's about struggling with love and the music business and even though that sounds dreadful, it wasn't.

I think I really appreciated that it wasn't your typical "Oscar nominated film" and I have had it up to here with those movies right now. This wasn't important. It wasn't overly arty. It wasn't pushing its actors to any grotesques extremes. It was just a little story with interesting characters and some music thrown in and to add to my enjoyment, it managed to avoid being overly cheesy or predictable. Perfect for my needs on a Wednesday!

Still Alice - Best Actress

Still Alice is the scariest gods damned movie I've seen all year. It's no secret that I like horror films. I'll sit through jump scares, gore and all kinds of traditional terror. But the debilitating fear of watching someone slowly lose themselves to early onset Alzheimer's is almost more than I could stomach.

Julianne Moore was amazing in this film. It was a tender, complete and in depth look at what it feels like to go through this unwanted transformation, both for the Alzheimer's sufferer and for their loved ones. It is impossible to watch the film and not say to yourself, "this could be me, or my mom, or my best friend." It was impossible to watch it unemotionally.

The beauty offered through the pain was the idea that there is more to love and connection with another person than what language can contain and the idea that perhaps a person who appears to be getting lost in this transition can still be reached and supported, if we can let go of our rigid ideas about how that love and connection needs to be expressed. It wasn't a large hope, mind you, but in a film this rough, I'll cling to whatever I can find.

Movies with long titles that contain colons.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Ugh. Do I really have to review this one?

It's not that I didn't like The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, but the whole Hobbit franchise just makes me feel weighted down. Remember The Lord of the Rings Trilogy? Remember when we saw these same movies done better and with higher stakes? Those were good times.

The main reason this film was worthwhile for me was the chance to see Galadriel go all bad-ass and fight evil while looking like some sort of zombie witch. That was amazing! She wields her powers exactly how I wish I could wield mine. Well, I mean, if I had powers, of course. Because no part of me believes I am actually an ancient Elfin Wizard Witch with beautiful golden hair or in any way related to one. Just to be clear.

The rest of the film was spent just trying to comfort my nine year old daughter who had read the book and loves the story but reacted to every part of the film as if her very own life was in danger and I know will suffer some sort of PTSD from the experience. Geez! Why do I have a kid who gets so wrapped up in movies and absorbs herself completely into the story? I guess there's no way to know for sure.

Um, what is nominated for? Sound? Yeah, the sound was pretty good, actually.


 X-Men: Days of Future Past

UUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHH!

Guess who's not a fan of the X-Men?

Here is my positive feedback.

I tolerated watching this film. Michael Fassbender was in it. It looked cool when the skinny kid went so fast that everyone else was in suspended animation, so I guess I know why it was nominated for Visual Effects.

Next!

Nightcrawler - Writing

Nightcrawler was an intriguing little film that didn't seem to get much notice. Well, other than an Oscar nomination for writing, that is. Many people feel Jake Gyllenhaal should have been nominated for his outstandingly creepy performance. Maybe they should have expanded that category this year to include both him and David Oyelwo from Selma. I heard a rumor that Jake never blinks in this film. That's not true but he does keep his eyes unnaturally wide and somehow manages to change the shape of his face to look like some sort of bizarro-Jake. He is almost as handsome as a regular Jake, but maybe also not human?

Gyllenhaal is the "nightcrawler", an entrepreneurial freelance news shooter who trolls for the darkest of footage he can capture on the night shift in order to make a buck and satisfy ratings. This film seems to defy categorizing. The psychopathy of the main character is almost enough to push it right into horror. The dude goes from creepy and off, to sinister, to downright evil as the tale unfolds. Descriptions of the film label it as neo-noir, which I won't argue with, but it misses the surprise factor that this film held for me.

I remember watching it and being about halfway through and thinking to myself, "This is a movie about this guy being a monster." Then he continues to be sort of nefarious and there was a music cue that suddenly called to mind Carly Simon singing as Melanie Griffith gets off the ferry with her hair done right (don't ask me how I make these associations) and I thought, "Holy crap! It's NOT about him being a monster. It's a straight up success story!" So I guess that is what Netflix should call it when they try really hard to invent new sub-genres in order to get my interest; Nightcrawler, a Despicable Success Story. A sort of how-to film for those psycho- and sociopaths out there looking to get ahead in the news business.

Whatever you call it, I loved the surprise and the unique perspective from this film, as well as the performances. I'm glad it got some recognition this year.

Two More Docs - Virunga and Last Days in Vietnam

Virunga is about the ongoing war in the Congo that threatens Virunga National Park and the gorilla sanctuary contained therein. This park and its wildlife are protected by Park Rangers who face the cruelty of poachers, unstable political conditions, constant civil war and most recently a British company that seeks to explore for oil rights inside the Park. These "rangers" don't seem to be military trained any more than the camp hosts who take care of fees when I camp every summer, but they are out there fighting to preserve the environment and the animals that they care so much about. Dammit, Africa! You have so many problems that are so hard for me to grasp from my couch here in Southern California. Your people have it hard! This story was compelling and disturbing.

Last Days of Vietnam detailed the evacuation of Americans and South Vietnamese from Saigon as the Communist army took control of the country. I didn't realize that Nixon's exit from office essentially gave the Northern Vietnamese army the go ahead to break its agreements with America and invade Southern Vietnam. Add to that an Ambassador who refused to allow the planning and implementation of a large scale evacuation and you've got a real mess. This is a well supported documentary, not only with photos but with tons of archival movie footage from the era to back up the stories that the interviewees tell. Time and again the subjects recount the heartbreak of leaving people behind to uncertain or certainly dire fates. And time and again you find out that so many people followed their hearts and did what they felt was right, not what they were ordered to do or what was considered legal. In the midst of war, it is at least gratifying to see so many people driven to do good.

The Theory of Everything - Best Picture and Five More

I'm going to go ahead and say it. The Theory of Everything looked schmaltzy to me. It looked like a ploy. "Let's make a needlessly sentimental love story about the man who is widely considered the greatest genius of our time and win an Oscar doing it."

In reality, the movie was more than that, but just barely. The whole beginning is gauzy and over-romanticized. This may seem cold or superficial of me, but they didn't convincingly sell the attraction between Steven and his wife. You have Eddie Redmayne playing an utterly goofy, uncoordinated kitten (I couldn't see him as anything other than a clumsy kitten for some reason) and this gorgeous woman spots him across a crowded room and wants to know more about him? Then you think that he will win her over with his intelligence but instead of clicking right away they have awkward conversation and disagree about religion, which seems fairly important to her. So why are they a fated pair, exactly? I know it's a real story, but somehow they didn't make me feel it.

Once the film digs into the realities of his disease and the full scope of her level of commitment, the story becomes more than just sentimental. I enjoyed the way they explored the balance between commitment and burden in their relationship and celebrated the strength of character required of these two people to build an amazing life together (and apart) despite impossible odds.

The acting is great throughout (kitten Eddie, notwithstanding), the film making choices are solid and even though the music seemed heavy handed in the early part of the film, I grew to like the score. I was impressed by a solid ending, something that seems so difficult to achieve in a biopic. Maybe it was easier to end, because it didn't have to handle his death. It is a fine film, but not the best picture, for me.

Boyhood - Best Picture, Editing, Etc.

Boyhood: The gimic, the legend, the movie!

First of all, I liked Boyhood just fine. I didn't love it. I respect the insane and heinous experimental undertaking of trying to develop a story over the course of twelve years of film making. I was charmed by the experience of watching Ellar Coltrane and the rest of the cast age for real instead of through the magic of movie make up, but I wasn't blown away by it. After all, I am quite accustomed to seeing people age over the course of time as I am a living human. I felt almost satisfied at the end by the notions of the true challenges of surviving boyhood and the struggle of transitioning into what comes next. But for me, this wasn't the best picture of the year.

Boyhood meandered, at times wandering vaguely through its own themes, at times ignoring them altogether. It was inconsistent in its performances. It eschewed plot in favor of a more realistic approach to some deeper experience. I didn't get drawn in too deeply; I just really missed having more plot.

I don't want to minimize what Richard Linklater did here. It was a big-hearted, film-loving, wacky as hell experiment that required bravery, faith and deep dedication and we need more of those to push us forward and open our minds and break formulas. I am glad he made this film and I am glad that I saw it and I don't think I will even be mad when it wins the Oscar for Best Picture as I believe it will do. It just wasn't my favorite.

However, Oscar loves a gimic (silent film in black and white, anyone?) and it has found it in Boyhood.

I do believe Sandra Adair deserves an Oscar for her role in pulling together an insane accumulation of footage over such a stretch of time and making something real out of it all. That woman must have warrior blood in her veins, long may she edit!

Whiplash - Best Picture and 4 More

Whiplash is a movie that felt like it took me somewhere. It seems ironic to me that Wild, a movie about a journey, left me feeling like I went nowhere and Whiplash, a film mostly set in band rehearsal rooms, really made me feel like I got a wider view of the world. Such is the magic of film making!

The performances in this film are completely amazing. The direction is taken on with such care and attention to detail. The editing is rhythmic and poetic and evocative. The story is small, but somehow feels like an epic battle, digging deeply into a world that most of us viewers probably know very little about. Oh my gosh, I really enjoyed this movie! I enjoyed it in the way I enjoy delicious salted caramel; I just wanted to roll around in it for a while.

This leads me to a huge revelation that I must announce to you now: Drumline is no longer my favorite movie about drumming.

It's ok. Just take a minute.

Whew. Thanks for sticking with me.

I can't wait to watch this movie again. It seems too small of a topic for Oscar to ever vote for it, but I guess I am grateful for the new policy of nominating more than five movies, so that a gem of a film like this one can get it's time in the sun. Go see it!

Interstellar - Music, Production Design, Sound, VFX

Interstellar was one of those big films. Leave it to Christopher Nolan to tell a story that stretches my brain in new ways, leaves me contemplating large scale philosophical ideas, paranormal phenomenon or principles of physics. A lot was taken on in this film and I admired a lot of it.

The macro story here is how will we solve the dying of the Earth. Will we give in and accept our time has come or will we begin again as pioneers with the nearly impossible and thankless task of furthering the species, whatever the cost. It seems a worthwhile question to ponder given the widely held belief that we are hastening our planet's death with every choice we humans make.

What was brilliant in this film was shackling this macro theme to the micro theme of the promise between a father and his daughter. Now the filmmakers have taken the ultimate human problem which can become dry and logical and linked it to the true essence of our day to day connection to our own humanity. Which resulted, for me, in a science fiction film that I found both intellectually stimulating and deeply moving.

Interstellar featured great work in all of its nominated areas, even though I did question the walking blocks that formed the AI characters of the film. What was up with those things anyway? They looked like unifix cubes and it made no sense how they moved.

The film didn't nail every moment, or satisfactorily answer every question it set out to ask, but nonetheless, I appreciated what it did right and enjoyed the experience.

Documentary Shorts

Now we are talking Oscar bang for your buck!  I got to see five nominees in one sitting today. I feel so productive!

Last year I loved all five of the nominees for Documentary Short so I was really looking forward to this screening. Of course that means I had my expectations set a little too high. So here are your five nominees:

Crisis Hotline - I'm guessing this one is the winner. It's about the Veteran's crisis hotline operators and the work they do helping, counseling and saving the lives of depressed and troubled vets. It was very moving and does a great job of shedding light on a big problem. Since 2001, more vets have died from suicide than in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. Yikes.

Joanna - I really hate stories about moms dying and leaving their young children motherless, but that's what this is. It is a very loving and peaceful look at the memories created between a mother and her son as she battle cancer and gets the worst news.

Our Curse - This is another deeply personal movie made by two young parents facing the reality of raising a son with a condition that makes him unable to breathe while he is sleeping, so that he must always have a ventilator when he falls asleep. This movie faces their hopes, fears and challenges as they bring him home and adjust to the new life they face.

The Reaper - If you are a fan of artsy gore (like me) this one is for you! This is a horror film made for cows. The story of a bull killer at a Mexican slaughterhouse, The Reaper opens with a long sequence of beautiful grotesquery. Hooks with goo dangling from them, brightly colored walls smeared with blood, slow motion, out of focus cows running right into a trap. The images are shot so beautifully it is hard to remember that they are real. We hear a bit about the title character's ideas about death and his job, see him looking extremely unhappy at home with his wife and six kids and then return for more cow murder.

White Earth - In my opinion, the weakest of the bunch. It's sort of about how oil drilling operations have changed the town of White Earth, North Dakota.  A lot of oil workers come and live in pretty rough conditions in RVs. Some of their kids go to school and one doesn't and it's cold there but everyone is trying their best and why was I watching this again?

Foxcatcher - Actor, Supporting Actor, Make Up and Writing

Foxcatcher is one weird little movie. A super rich guy who loves wrestling decides to train Olympic wrestlers on his family estate to the disapproval of his elderly mother. His recruitment of two brothers to train with him and help in this endeavor leads to rifts and conflict between all of them.

Everything about this film is slow and quiet and sort of passive aggressive. Even the wrestling. Plot details are revealed without pomp and circumstance, decisions are made with very little to do. It kind of lulled me into the feeling that nothing much was happening. And then shocked me significantly when something really did happen. I wasn't as I drawn in to the film as I might have liked, but I do appreciate the style choice.

This film was nominated for Directing without being nominated for Best Picture. What, now? There are five nominees for Directing and eight for Best Picture, so the Academy is saying that the directing of Foxcatcher is better than four of the best films of the year. I don't quite see how they justify that. And for my money, the directing in Whiplash and Selma was far superior.

Steve Carell and Mark Ruffalo are both nominated for their portrayal of really strange individuals. They were so strange that they probably would have come off as comedic if the film hadn't been so subdued in its delivery of them. I enjoyed this one (whew!) but didn't love it.

The Lego Movie - Original Song

'Everything is Awesome' is awesome.

So was The Lego Movie. Why didn't this film get nominated? Does anyone know?

That film was such a unique experience. It tackled an OCD parent's nightmare view of Legos, which incidentally, I know NOTHING about (stop looking at me!) and melded it to a stream of conscious mish-mash of totally amazing play time. It was funny, absurd, fast-paced, kid-like, sarcastic and different. What's wrong with you Academy? What's wrong with us all?

Timbuktu - Foreign Film

First of all, I wasn't really sure if Timbuktu was a real place, or a figurative one like Xanadu. It turns out, it's real and it's in Mali, Africa in the Sahara desert.

Now that we know that, this movie was about the native people of Timbuktu falling under the rule of militant jihadists. The jihad leaders are swiftly imposing more and more draconian rules and punishments and the villagers are trying to learn how to adjust, how to fight and what they will be left with as this war is waged with them.

The movie is beautiful and depressing. Depressing because you are watching a diverse and spirited group of people slowly destroyed by their extremist captors. The new rulers have jeeps and guns. There is no hope that shepherds and fisherman can match their might and overthrow them. The movie is beautiful because of moments like the balletic, choreographed sequence of a large group of men joyfully playing soccer with an imaginary soccer ball (soccer has been outlawed).

The desert is shot beautifully, the acting is wonderful and overall, they manage to impart the sad plight of these people while still showing their beauty and strength rather than depicting them as pitiable victims, which I appreciated.

Wild - Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress

Wild is the story of Cheryl Strayed who, like The Proclaimers, would walk 1000 miles. I really appreciate the grand gesture as a life style choice. As someone who assigned herself the task of watching every Oscar nomination in every category just because, I definitely think if I had to climb back from a huge fall from grace walking 1000 miles would work for me.

What also worked for me was the editing. Wild featured some of my favorite editing of the year, but isn't nominated in that category. The often dreamlike transitions between past and present were lovely and intuitive. The performances were just fine; Reese was solid but maybe didn't cover quite the range I would have expected. Also, Laura Dern had a character with no range. She is great and she did imbue what she had with some tender honesty, but it didn't feel quite like an Oscar performance.

But what really didn't work for me was the lack of stakes built into the story. I mean that when I got to the end of the film, I suddenly felt like I had never really understand why this journey had to be taken. If throughout the film I had felt some urgency, or tension or understood everything she stood to lose (or gain) on the trip, I would have had a far greater connection to the journey and the eventual outcome. Instead, Reese took a walk, I went with her and at the end we stopped walking. An interesting walk, but no more.

Unbroken - Cinematography, Sound

Dear Friends at home,

I am sad to report I am stuck in Oscar doldrums and don't know when I may see daylight again. I am tired and starting to feel mean. When will I love a movie again? Everything makes me feel "meh" in my bones.

It is hard on the front lines. The movie theatre today smelled like collard greens. Who brings greens to the theatre? And the guy behind me couldn't stay in his seat because he was obviously going to the bathroom to smoke out. This task is not as glamorous as I once had hoped.

The movie was Unbroken. It was predictable and then boring and then predictable again. And the whole time, the music was screaming at me how I should feel. There were a couple of beautiful shots but it wasn't worth the olfactory assault. I wanted to like it more! I truly did. I shall try again tonight. If you don't hear from me tomorrow, perhaps I have succumbed to this Academy malaise. I love you all! Go see Birdman! or Selma!

With Regret,

The Oscar Glutton

American Sniper - Best Picture and Five Others

I deliberately avoided reading anything about the controversy surrounding American Sniper because I didn't want it to effect my viewing of the film. The film was good, but not great. Some scenes soared with drama, tension and emotional impact, other aspects of the film fell completely flat for me.

The acting was really great throughout, from the big names to the small players. The only exception to this was one obviously plastic doll standing in for a real baby. Did anyone else notice this? That doll could not act its way out of a paper bag! Poor Bradley Cooper was gently shaking it for all he was worth and could not get it to look real. I guess the infant actor had colic that day.

The sound was really well done from the very beginning of the film. Sometimes it was gritty, realistic, "put you in the middle of war" sound and sometimes it was the hyper real sound of the breaths and heart beats of the sniper himself, but it was all effective. I'm not surprised that this film was nominated in both sound categories.

The film tracked two arcs of its title character, also known as Chris Kyle. On the one hand we watched how the perfect soldier is bred and created; what scars him, what motivates him and how he sees the world. He is a very successful soldier and we get a good idea of why. On the other hand, we follow his progression deeper into PTSD and see the tension building in a home life that might have started out a little shaky to begin with. Unfortunately, in tackling both of these, I felt that neither arc was very successfully resolved. In reading about the controversy after I saw it, I can see why the writers had a tough time resolving the PTSD part of his life. I guess I would argue that they shouldn't have weighted so much of their story toward an arc that didn't resolve in a satisfactory way. It felt like they split the movie down the middle and lost some of its potential power.

Similarly, the movie was sometimes realistic, sometimes stylized but mostly felt like it spent too much time hovering in the middle. If it would have committed more wholly to one or the other, maybe I would have been swept up in it more. As it was, I liked it just fine, but it wasn't anywhere near the best picture of the year.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - Visual Effects

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes! Oh, my! So many apes! Too many for my human-loving self. How can I make myself care about them? I really just can"t. I feel bad for not being able to buy into this fantasy world, but I guess it's just not my cup of tea.

I was really tired for the screening of this film. In order to stay awake I did jumping jacks, somersaults and an old timey prospector dance (I viewed it at home, in case you are wondering.) It helped me stay awake but sadly, did not increase my interest in the plot.

I would like to say that they mastered the main ape, Caesar. He is awesome. They really are onto something special with his facial expressions, mannerisms and obvious intelligence. It is subtle and striking. But after ten minutes I am done feeling awe for that particular aspect and left with a blur of other apes and a smattering of trouble making humans.

If apes riding horses with machine guns is your very favorite thing, this one is a must see!

Inherent Vice - Costume Design

I heard Inherent Vice was light on plot so I prepared myself for the worst. Sometimes preparing yourself for the worst is the best move. I was definitely able to enjoy this hippie noir fever dream.

I was fortunate enough to catch a 70mm screening of this at Arclight and it was beautiful!  The characters were quirky, raw and strange enough to be fun. Joaquin Phoenix's performance is subtle and rich and satisfying. The crazy, rambling story with a lot of humor and wit does manage to come around to some sort of resolution. I wasn't necessarily blown away by the costumes, but I guess any period piece has a shot at that nomination. Probably not a winner, but a decent night out!

Maleficent - Costume Design

Maleficent is so dumb and nonsensical that I am reviewing it now as we are watching it. The costumes are not so great that this film deserved any sort of nomination. Luckily I'm watching with a hilarious group of friends who are mercilessly tearing it to shreds.

My favorite part of the film is Maleficent's ability to blow in someone's face and make them sleep. I would like this ability next time someone is looking for a volunteer at school.

It has just been revealed to us that my friend Mindy wrote this movie as a joke. She apologizes for it accidentally being made.

Guardians of the Galaxy - Visual Effects

Guardians of the Galaxy was one of my favorite movies of the year. I don't really need to review this one because I'm pretty sure everyone has seen it. But in a nut shell, I like it because it's funny and it has heart at the same time, the characters are interesting and Chris Pratt dances.

This film is nominated for Visual Effects. Some of my closer friends can tell you that I have grappled with some very serious issues of raccoon attraction this year. I am working every day to find them less irresistible, all because of the genius effects work done in this movie. Perhaps, in some small part, the voice of Bradley Cooper may have enhanced this fervor in me, but I'll just go ahead and throw my vote to the Visual Effects Team on this one.

Three In One! Two Days, One Night; Captain America:Winter Soldier and Finding Vivian Maier

Well, folks! I outdid myself yesterday, seeing three nominations in one day.

I started the morning at the movie theatre watching Marion Cotillard's nominated performance in Two Days, One Night. She plays a young woman with depression who is doing her best to save her job. She has to convince her coworkers to vote for her job and creates a lot of chaos along the way. It's a small film, that lags at times. I think truths about clinical depression were stretched if not broken in order to tidy up the plot line and that was bothersome. She was very good, but it doesn't seem like "the one" to me.

After the kids went to bed, we watched Captain America: Winter Soldier. The Captain America movies are not my favorite Marvel products. It took effort for me to stay interested through large parts of the film. I like the new character of the Falcon though, so he helped. I have to admit, as I watched the film I thought it was nominated for all of its big vibrational, feedback-y sound effects. It turns out it's up for Visual Effects, which makes sense, I guess. I just can't get myself to care that much about visual effects when the story isn't rocking my world. That is probably not fair to Visual Effects artists who don't always get their choice of material, I'm guessing.

But after all that action I was ready for a late night documentary so we watched Finding Vivian Maier, about a prolific and talented photographer whose work was discovered posthumously at an auction of her old stuff. Solving the ensuing mystery of who this artist was and how she lived is an intriguing and pleasing mystery to watch unravel. This is one of those rare Oscar Nominated documentaries that doesn't tear you apart emotionally! Sadly, those ones almost never win.

Birdman - Best Picture and Eight More

I saw Birdman last night and I liked a lot of it. I was also perplexed by a lot of it. My husband often asks me as the credits roll how I liked a film and I often tell him I don't have the complete answer yet. (Unless I hate a movie, that I usually know right away!)

So we came home and paid the babysitter and went to bed and I woke up and took a shower, where so much of my best thinking occurs, and by the time I was clean and smelling good and ready to begin my day I knew that I loved the movie Birdman with an intense kind of passion! It is an absolute amazing creation on so many levels.

The movie is about ego and risk and commitment. It's about soaring high and crashing and burning and finding a balance, it's about finding yourself and losing yourself. It is so layered and symbolic and truthful and funny!

Let me take a moment to talk about the theme of ego, because my own ego played a big factor in my initial reaction to the film. My first big hurdle was that Inarritu* essentially took editing out of the equation in Birdman. If you hadn't heard, the bulk of that movie is made to look like one long continuous shot. By blending long takes and hiding the cuts you appear to follow the action non-stop as it unfolds. As a film editor, I was initially a little ruffled by this. I like cuts. The language of a film is communicated to me through the cuts. I subscribe to the philosophy that cuts are where you blink and I swear to you my eyes were hurting because Inarritu would NOT let me blink! It was really frustrating for me and at the same time a completely brilliant choice to make.

On the other side of that equation, I have also worked as a Director in the Theatre. Sometimes it bugs me when film directors hide behind the post production process too much. I've always felt that if you are going to direct a movie you should make a genuine effort to get it right when you shoot it. Just capture what you want on the film (or data card, whatever, you get my point)! Let the editor worry about pace, build and performance, not covering all of your mistakes! Well, Inarritu has got me there. Because of this style of storytelling he really had to nail every aspect of the film as he shot it. Can you imagine that? He had to get the pacing of every shot right on set! He couldn't lose a scene that just wasn't working when he got to post production. He just had to get it right. What a beautiful challenge to set for yourself! An argument can be made that he should win best director for that feat alone.

So now I have answered my husband. I loved Birdman. I imagine the more symbolic aspects of the film are going to be a challenge for some viewers, but I figured it all out to my satisfaction in the shower. If any of you sees it and wants to talk about how the heck you decide to interpret some of it, I'd be happy to chat with you and hear what you have to say!

[*I fully understand that there are two accent marks on his name but I'm too lazy to figure out how to type them in and my breakfast is getting cold.]

Gone Girl - Best Actress

Fincher is one of my favorite directors, so it was no surprise to me that I enjoyed Gone Girl. The story is delightfully twisty, the performances are solid, and it looks great.

Marriage is run through the ringer in this film.  We are given a very extreme, highly dramatic look at how married couples get lost in their relationships and the lengths they are willing to go to to break the monotony of monogamy. I'm all for melodrama, so why not hatch a super complex scheme to leave a marriage and exact revenge? Toward the end of the film, the symbolic versions of the characters' actions seem to take precedence and steer the story in ways that don't always hold up as logical choices for real people, but I felt I was able to make allowances for that.

Rosamund Pike is nominated. She played broken and psychotic (but outwardly functioning) incredibly well, at times even winning me over to the thought that she is really a sort of feminist hero doing her best to come out on top despite society's challenges for her. But of course that's wrong, 'cuz she crazy.

There is a scene in this film that involves a lot of blood and it holds in my mind as one of the most hauntingly beautiful things I've seen on the screen this year. I realize this demonstrates a certain amount of depravity on my part, but I'm willing to own that. The color of that blood was stunning!

The Grand Budapest Hotel - Best Picture, Production Design, Writing

The Grand Budapest Hotel is a Wes Anderson movie. If you've ever seen one you know what I mean and what to expect.

For some reason, his brand of story telling just doesn't speak to me, but I think this iteration of his brand is one of his best products yet.

Many people enjoy his work, please go see it and judge for yourself.

The Imitation Game - Best Picture and Seven More

From the first voice over dialog in The Imitation Game, the whole tone of the movie is set. There is urgency, intrigue and a very unique main character. The urgency is maintained throughout with really great pacing and tight story-telling. The intrigue is satisfying as you settle in to watch the protagonist overcome his own limitations in order to do his very large part in defeating the Nazis. And the unique main character is played by Benedict Cumberbatch whose performance is absolutely top notch.

This movie is so clever, filled with beautiful lines of dialog, wonderful story structure and scenes that succinctly reveal character. I was a big fan of the writing by Graham Moore, whose picture on imdb suggests he is about 17 years old. What is up with that?

The directing here was more traditional and straightforward than in some of the other Best Picture nominees. But for all that, it was expertly carried out. I'm not one to fault a film maker for failing to be flashy.

Of course for those of you already familiar with the story, you know there is tragedy awaiting poor Alan Turing. I actually left this film more depressed than Selma, which surprised me.  This was a really great film and I would like to formally apologize to it for the reaction I had to the trailer, which was, "Another Bletchley Park drama? I already saw Enigma, I don't need to see this." I was wrong. I did need to see The Imitation Game. And perhaps you do, too.

Selma - Best Picture

Ava DuVerney delivered some cinematic gut punches in Selma. What a beautiful thing to experience. You can put me firmly in the "Selma got robbed" camp. The acting was strong throughout, the story was well crafted, the shots were well composed, the pacing kept me riveted for the whole time despite the more than two hour running time. Consider me a fan. You can certainly argue that her subject matter was an automatic home run, but at least she didn't squander it.

I learned things watching this film, and I love learning things. I learned facts, I learned perspectives and I learned emotional truths. I was ministered to about the glory and the gravity of self sacrifice and came away questioning the role of faith in my own life. Holy crap!  This was a GOOD movie.

Selma managed to lead me through all of these feelings and musings without taking cheap shots at my emotions. The material was handled with the right amount of respect and restraint for my taste. And it even managed to end on enough of a high note that I was able to walk out of the theatre, rather than lay across the seats and sob for twenty minutes, for which I am grateful. I am sad that this film didn't receive more nominations, but I am certainly happy that it got put on my viewing list this year.

Into The Woods - Supporting Actress, Production Design

Every time Meryl Streep gets nominated I think she can't be great ALL the time. But she is. She is great ALL of the time and she blew me away in Into the Woods, even though it was "just" a musical and I thought it might be silly.

I thought the fairy tale aspects of the film were visualized well and all the acting was strong. Especially fun was Chris Pine as the tortured, charming and vapid prince. I believe the stage version of this story clearly benefits from the intermission that clearly sets apart the two act structure. The movie version suffers form having to simply plow forward from the sort of "false ending" that comes at the end of Act 1, and the film appears to drag or meander for a bit, before refocusing on its final goal.

All in all, it was a fun way to spend a day off school with my kids.


Angelina, guest reviewer, age 6, had this to say:

I liked it because, um, it turned out all right. I didn't like the sad parts. My favorite part was when the good characters won.


Viviana, guest reviewer, age 9, had this to say:

I thought Into the Woods was a really good movie because there were a lot of parts that were really funny, especially the Big Bad Wolf.  I thought parts of the movie were a bit too gruesome.

Leviathon - Foreign Film

Leviathan was difficult to get through. Way. Too. Long. I'm going to go ahead and spoil the heck out of it here, so if you have more patience for dreary Russian drama than I, please stop reading and go check out this film.

So it started with an hour of frustrating Russian bureaucracy. "We're claiming your land through Russian imminent domain, Kolya." "No, I will fill out forms!" "Haha! You are powerless and impotent in the eyes of the state!" "Oh, yes, you've got me there!"

Then Kolya gets his attorney friend to help and he seems totally cool except he is also powerless in the eyes of the state. He is, however, not impotent as he sleeps with his friend Kolya's wife (oops, not cool) who then kills herself and that gets pinned on Kolya who remains ever powerless and impotent.

The visuals are sometimes beautiful, often gloomy with one shabby chic farmhouse kitchen as your only relief from all that drab Russian utilitarian minimalism. The acting was fine and the amount of vodka consumed was un-fricking-believable! Is it possible they actually drink vodka the way we drink bottled water in California? The pacing of the film was unforgivable. I would gladly cut 40 minutes from it in one afternoon, just ask me.

So what is the title about? Is the Leviathan the corrupt town mayor who is running the charge to steal Kolya's land? No. He has his own demons to serve. Is it the whale skeleton out at the beach that Kolya's son cries near? Nope. That's too on the nose. The final scene reveals the new purpose intended for Kolya's land. It is a monstrous new place of worship for the Russian Orthodox Church, the true beast who serves no master; the real Leviathan! Well, that's sort of clever, right? NO! It stops being clever if it takes you all damn day to get there.

Mr. Turner - Cinematography

Most of the time when I watch the films nominated for Cinematography I feel like I mustn't understand the first thing about the art. It is often hard for me to see a remarkable difference between a film that gets the honors and one that doesn't. But not this time. Mr. Turner opened with an absolutely breathtaking shot that established scene, tone and character beautifully and I knew I was in for a treat. For the most part, I was right.

The film is about J. M. W. Turner, an English Romantic painter. What I can tell you about him from my viewing of the film is that he put his art above absolutely everything and that in shape, manner and vocalization he was much like Danny Devito's penguin character from Batman Returns. That is not to say that Timothy Spall wasn't great as Turner, I think the homage was quite tasteful, intended or not.

Humanity and its temporary nature were boldly expressed in this film. Characters were grubby, unkempt, flawed, imperfect and often ailing. It was a welcome respite from the brand of period drama that depicts everyone as glowing and exemplary in their fancy costuming. Mr. Turner felt more honest than that, even more creepy at times. (Seriously, what is happening to the maid's face? Are there no doctors at all?)

But visuals! Let's get back to visuals! That's where Mr. Turner excels. Establishing shots here are also inspirational, artistic and at times utterly bewitching. At least once, they cut to an exterior shot that I thought was a painting by a master, so kudos to Dick Pope. My only complaint with Mr. Turner as a whole is that it did what biopics, and life, often do. They fizzle at the end and leave you with a vague feeling of disappointment rather than a great sense of magnificently earned closure.

The New Nominations Are Here!

I just leaped from bed at 6:00am and ran to the computer to read the news! It is Oscar Nomination Day!

Ok, in fairness, it wasn't a leap, but it sure felt youthful and exuberant, nonetheless.

What matters here is that I'm really excited to have a new batch of films to obsess over. And my  fans are too!  They have been clamoring for my vital info on all the "top" movies of the year!

Ok, it was really just Vanessa, this way cool artist mom, that was nice enough to ask me a polite question about The Oscar Glutton Blog. But who knew that anyone even remembered that I have a blog? I didn't know that!

So here is a link of the film nominations for this year. I have already seen nine of the nominated films out of a total of 59. This should be a piece of cake! Also, they look like a fairly decent batch of movies. My biggest dread right now is Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, so that's not too bad. And I've already seen Boyhood, so I've got the winning movie covered! Oops, SPOILER ALERT! (Just kidding, no one could know that. But we all know that already, right?)

What a joyous time! Join me as I retreat from the warmth of loved ones, in favor of the cold glow of a screen, big or small. The scent of stale popcorn will fill the air! I may even get a stale popcorn candle for my home. (They sell that, right?) I will waste life's most precious resources; time, money and brain space in the earnest endeavor to see every nominated movie! All for what? For fun, that's what! (Also for Vanessa. For fun, and for Vanessa!)

Happy Oscar Season, everyone!