Listen up film buffs, fans, snobs and hopeless escapists! Oscar nominations are announced at 4am tomorrow morning! I've got my Netflix cue hanging by the fire in anxious anticipation of jolly old St. Oscar stuffing it to the brim with cinematic delights!
I've even set my alarm so I can be the first to hear the good news...Just kidding! Did you really think I would get up early for that? Nah, the same nominee information will be available to me whether I deprive myself of sleep or not, so why bother? But I am excited...super-excited!
I've been thinking about my favorite movie moments from 2013. They are kind of scattered and sparse. My kids aren't quite ready to accompany me to such family fare as Blue is the Warmest Color, so for now, movies remain catch-as-catch-can. Which is pretty much why I partake in yearly Oscar gluttony of heroically obsessive proportions. I will attempt to watch all of the films nominated for Oscars. In ANY category. I got pretty close last year. There are always a few foreign films that are completely unattainable (without Academy screeners, that is) but I will not be deterred.
So while I wait for the Oscar gods to determine my fate, here are my top three (or so) movie moments of 2013.
1. Sound Design in World War Z. I read the internet from time to time, so I am aware that everyone hates this movie. It was too much, too little and too different from the book. I didn't know anything about it going in and I thoroughly enjoyed myself at this film. What notched it up from a good time at the movies to a great time at the movies was sound design. Sound was used as a plot device, good use was made of all the speakers in the theatre, and silence was used to perfection.
2. Acting in The Heat. Nope. I'm not joking. We all know that Melissa McCarthy is awesome because she commits to her comedy. In The Heat, she committed to her character and the plot as much if not more so. The choices she made in that film were so magical I didn't even know what to do with myself. It's completely true that I was at least a little inebriated when I saw the film, but I'll stand by it! She is an amazing talent!
3. Visual Effects in Gravity. Well, at least on this one the Academy is likely to agree with me. I must have thought three times during the film, "This movie wasn't even possible five years ago." And then the Visual Effects did my favorite thing ever - they disappeared beneath the plot.
4. Honorable Mention to Frozen. Disney's new take on True Love made me cry like John Boehner. I seriously need to go into a sensory deprivation tank and sing Let it Go over and over again until I can hear it without weeping. Or future jaunts to Disneyland with my kids are going to get really embarrassing, really quickly.
Now get some sleep! The madness begins tomorrow!
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Saturday, February 23, 2013
The Final Screening!
I caught three of the five short Documentary Nominees this morning.
Kings Pointe - This one is about one of those quintessential retirement communities in Florida. Some couples go and live out the last thirty years of their lives in what seems, to most of the inhabitants, a sort of sad and empty existence. They play bridge or mah jongg, visit the malls, learn a social dance or two and sit by a pool. It feels more like a waiting room to the afterlife than a life of any substance. The film itself meandered a bit. It was hard to care about subjects who appeared so numb themselves.
Mondays at Racine - Two sisters on Long Island open their beauty salon one Monday a month to cancer patients. They help women reclaim their bodies, pamper themselves, embrace their journey and feel beautiful again. Several of their clients are followed through portions of their treatment. At one point this was so painful to watch, I was kicking the back of the seat in front of me to try and distract myself from the agony. Sometimes I find myself thinking, "I hope I get a really curable cancer," instead of "I hope I never get cancer." It just feels inevitable sometimes. A very powerful documentary about amazing women.
Inocente - Inocente is a fifteen year old homeless girl with an unbelievably tragic past, difficult life and irrepressible spirit. She is a bright and talented artist who leans heavily on her dreams to carry her forward, from a bleak past to an uncertain future filled with precarious potential. We watch her first art show and hope beyond hope she finds her ticket out. This was a unique story with a dynamic subject and a topical political issue. This appears to be the front runner.
The other two nominees are screening tomorrow but I will miss them, as I will be at a bowling alley birthday party with seven and eight year-olds. Jealous?
Kings Pointe - This one is about one of those quintessential retirement communities in Florida. Some couples go and live out the last thirty years of their lives in what seems, to most of the inhabitants, a sort of sad and empty existence. They play bridge or mah jongg, visit the malls, learn a social dance or two and sit by a pool. It feels more like a waiting room to the afterlife than a life of any substance. The film itself meandered a bit. It was hard to care about subjects who appeared so numb themselves.
Mondays at Racine - Two sisters on Long Island open their beauty salon one Monday a month to cancer patients. They help women reclaim their bodies, pamper themselves, embrace their journey and feel beautiful again. Several of their clients are followed through portions of their treatment. At one point this was so painful to watch, I was kicking the back of the seat in front of me to try and distract myself from the agony. Sometimes I find myself thinking, "I hope I get a really curable cancer," instead of "I hope I never get cancer." It just feels inevitable sometimes. A very powerful documentary about amazing women.
Inocente - Inocente is a fifteen year old homeless girl with an unbelievably tragic past, difficult life and irrepressible spirit. She is a bright and talented artist who leans heavily on her dreams to carry her forward, from a bleak past to an uncertain future filled with precarious potential. We watch her first art show and hope beyond hope she finds her ticket out. This was a unique story with a dynamic subject and a topical political issue. This appears to be the front runner.
The other two nominees are screening tomorrow but I will miss them, as I will be at a bowling alley birthday party with seven and eight year-olds. Jealous?
Friday, February 22, 2013
A Word about the Editing Category
I would like to take a moment to express how much I hate it every year when I hear someone suggest that "those technical awards like editing" should be taken out of the Oscar broadcast because the show runs too long. Nope. Technical awards are given out on a separate night and include things like "the development of
the Spydercam 3D volumetric suspended cable camera technologies." Lumping editing in here is like suggesting that putting words on the page to form a script can be done by a computer.
In fact, I like to think of editing as the final rewrite of the movie. The previous revisions were made in words and the last version of the script is stitched together with pictures. It is half artistry and half logic. Editing plays with your emotions by making subconscious connections and omissions while insuring that you know how the characters get cleanly from A to Z. It is a top notch category, folks, so just take a bathroom break if you don't understand it.
I understand why this job is misunderstood. I am an editor and I generally do not see the editing in a movie the first time I view it. The editing work that stands out is either when it is incredibly flashy and stylized, or when the movie is really failing and you start to notice all the ways you hate the film you are watching. It takes a few more viewings for me to start to see the subtle kinds of genius at work in most good movies. But there is as much beauty and talent in fast-paced jump-cut laced action sequences as there are in powerful emotional moments where the editor is playing the actors performances like a finely tuned stradivarius.
I don't expect an average movie-goer to fully appreciate the editor's job. They don't need that knowledge to enjoy a movie. Just, please stop suggesting that William Goldenberg, Tim Squyres. Michael Kahn, Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers and Dylan Tichenor don't belomg there on Sunday night.
Thank you.
In fact, I like to think of editing as the final rewrite of the movie. The previous revisions were made in words and the last version of the script is stitched together with pictures. It is half artistry and half logic. Editing plays with your emotions by making subconscious connections and omissions while insuring that you know how the characters get cleanly from A to Z. It is a top notch category, folks, so just take a bathroom break if you don't understand it.
I understand why this job is misunderstood. I am an editor and I generally do not see the editing in a movie the first time I view it. The editing work that stands out is either when it is incredibly flashy and stylized, or when the movie is really failing and you start to notice all the ways you hate the film you are watching. It takes a few more viewings for me to start to see the subtle kinds of genius at work in most good movies. But there is as much beauty and talent in fast-paced jump-cut laced action sequences as there are in powerful emotional moments where the editor is playing the actors performances like a finely tuned stradivarius.
I don't expect an average movie-goer to fully appreciate the editor's job. They don't need that knowledge to enjoy a movie. Just, please stop suggesting that William Goldenberg, Tim Squyres. Michael Kahn, Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers and Dylan Tichenor don't belomg there on Sunday night.
Thank you.
The Avengers
I saw The Avengers a long time ago. What I remember is the Hulk having a life changing epiphany while falling to earth and two "normal" humans with awesome skill sets being able to hold their own against individuals with super powers.
Other than that I found it enjoyable enough. I don't think it will win.
Other than that I found it enjoyable enough. I don't think it will win.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Shorts!
Animated Shorts:
Adam and Dog - Painterly, pretty and sweet. The story was a little thin.
Fresh Guacamole - Play dough with dice in it. Seems like an interesting exercise in perspectives but it's essentially empty.
Head Over Heels - The most conceptual piece, and it may have a shot because of that fact. It was an interesting depiction of a problem and a solution.
Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare" - Maybe this was my favorite but only because I like the Simpsons. I don't know if that is enough to make it Oscar worthy. We'll see, I guess.
Paperman - This feels like the frontrunner because it's Pixar but I found it lacking. The "logic" of the piece seemed off and their shorts are usually spot on.
Live Action Shorts:
Asad - A seemingly pretty serious piece that ends on a joke. Weird.
Buzkashi Boys - I have a tendency to tune out when I see "children" and "Afghanistan" (or "Africa" for that matter) in the same film, because I assume it is going to be tragic and I don't want to get too involved. A feature length film has time to bring me around but this piece did not.
Curfew - My personal favorite. I love the opening of this short film...what an attention getting opening premise! I also enjoyed the overall tone of this piece, but the Academy may not because it reeks of youth.
Death of a Shadow - This one has a story idea that is original and inventive while also providing some stunning visuals. It has a Twilight Zone vibe, which I love, but which also led me to expect more of a twist to the plot. All in all, a really good short.
Henry - I think this one was supposed to be more of a mystery than it was. It was sad and seemed to drag a bit. I wonder if the old white guys will be touched by it.
Adam and Dog - Painterly, pretty and sweet. The story was a little thin.
Fresh Guacamole - Play dough with dice in it. Seems like an interesting exercise in perspectives but it's essentially empty.
Head Over Heels - The most conceptual piece, and it may have a shot because of that fact. It was an interesting depiction of a problem and a solution.
Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare" - Maybe this was my favorite but only because I like the Simpsons. I don't know if that is enough to make it Oscar worthy. We'll see, I guess.
Paperman - This feels like the frontrunner because it's Pixar but I found it lacking. The "logic" of the piece seemed off and their shorts are usually spot on.
Live Action Shorts:
Asad - A seemingly pretty serious piece that ends on a joke. Weird.
Buzkashi Boys - I have a tendency to tune out when I see "children" and "Afghanistan" (or "Africa" for that matter) in the same film, because I assume it is going to be tragic and I don't want to get too involved. A feature length film has time to bring me around but this piece did not.
Curfew - My personal favorite. I love the opening of this short film...what an attention getting opening premise! I also enjoyed the overall tone of this piece, but the Academy may not because it reeks of youth.
Death of a Shadow - This one has a story idea that is original and inventive while also providing some stunning visuals. It has a Twilight Zone vibe, which I love, but which also led me to expect more of a twist to the plot. All in all, a really good short.
Henry - I think this one was supposed to be more of a mystery than it was. It was sad and seemed to drag a bit. I wonder if the old white guys will be touched by it.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Anna Karenina
Anna Karenina was nominated for four awards; costumes, cinematography, production design and music.
I was immediately a fan of the production design as most of the movie was set in and around a theatre, with elaborate scenery changes taking place around the actors as they "moved" from place to place in the story. This effect was strong and stunning early on in the film and gradually fell by the wayside as some of the plot began to take place in the country. This made it feel less like a commentary and more like a device that grew boring for the filmmakers.
The costumes seemed to comment on the characters very strongly, with Anna's clothing often reflecting her inner state.
The cinematography was fine but Skyfall was better. And the music was pretty great.
As for the rest of the film, Keira Knightly seemed to struggle with balancing a calm, respectable Anna at the start with a bipolar mess at the end. Some scenes were so conceptual is was Baz Luhrmann-esque and others were terrifically straightforward. There were many strong elements but what the film lacked was cohesion. It wasn't a bother to watch it but I grew impatient for a resolution.
I was immediately a fan of the production design as most of the movie was set in and around a theatre, with elaborate scenery changes taking place around the actors as they "moved" from place to place in the story. This effect was strong and stunning early on in the film and gradually fell by the wayside as some of the plot began to take place in the country. This made it feel less like a commentary and more like a device that grew boring for the filmmakers.
The costumes seemed to comment on the characters very strongly, with Anna's clothing often reflecting her inner state.
The cinematography was fine but Skyfall was better. And the music was pretty great.
As for the rest of the film, Keira Knightly seemed to struggle with balancing a calm, respectable Anna at the start with a bipolar mess at the end. Some scenes were so conceptual is was Baz Luhrmann-esque and others were terrifically straightforward. There were many strong elements but what the film lacked was cohesion. It wasn't a bother to watch it but I grew impatient for a resolution.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Get out of your Iron Lung...and into some Helen Hunt!
Just a little marketing idea I came up with. You're welcome, Hollywood.
The Sessions was poignant and moving with some lovely messages; don't give up on yourself and don't underestimate the power of love. The acting was strong from Helen Hunt, William H. Macy and John Hawkes, as well as the minor characters, such as Moon Bloodgood and Annika Marks.
I enjoyed the story very much and oddly it was the priest I felt sorry for as he was the only one not getting any physical love. This one kind of throws me for a loop, as far as a nomination. Helen Hunt was great but I think there were a lot of great performances over the course of a year in film. Usually Oscar is looking for astoundingly good bits of work, or at the very least, an actor who made a complete physical transformation. I'm guessing she is getting extra points for the full frontal, but I don't know. Maybe as I come to the end of all of these Oscar-worthy performances I am getting numb to really exceptional work. Perhaps I need to palette cleanse with Houseguest before my final push.
The Sessions was poignant and moving with some lovely messages; don't give up on yourself and don't underestimate the power of love. The acting was strong from Helen Hunt, William H. Macy and John Hawkes, as well as the minor characters, such as Moon Bloodgood and Annika Marks.
I enjoyed the story very much and oddly it was the priest I felt sorry for as he was the only one not getting any physical love. This one kind of throws me for a loop, as far as a nomination. Helen Hunt was great but I think there were a lot of great performances over the course of a year in film. Usually Oscar is looking for astoundingly good bits of work, or at the very least, an actor who made a complete physical transformation. I'm guessing she is getting extra points for the full frontal, but I don't know. Maybe as I come to the end of all of these Oscar-worthy performances I am getting numb to really exceptional work. Perhaps I need to palette cleanse with Houseguest before my final push.
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