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Another Year, Another Fucking Mess By the Academy

20 Tuesday Jan 2015

Posted by harmonov in Awards, Rants

≈ 2 Comments

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a most violent year, academy awards, academy of motion picture arts and sciences, american hustle, american sniper, amy adams, atticus finch, ava duvernay, bennett miller, big eyes, bill corso, bradley cooper, brendan gleeson, cake, calvary, clint eastwood, dan futterman, dardenne brothers, david fincher, dennis liddiard, e. max frye, edith piaf, foxcatcher, gone girl, grand budapest hotel, how to train your dragon 2, inherent vice, jean-luc godard goodbye to language, jennifer aniston, jennifer lawrence, jenny slate, jessica chastain, john boorman, kathryn bigelow, la vie en rose, laura dern, lego movie, life is beautiful, male, marion cotillard, mark ruffalo, martin cahill, obvious child, paul thomas anderson, roberto benigni, selma, social network, steve carell, the general, the help, trent reznor, two days one night, white, zero dark thirty

81st Academy Awards¨ Press Kit ImagesLast week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences blessed us with their annual masturbatory list of what their (old and white) membership thought were the best films, performances, and technical achievements of the year. In typical form,  they got it wrong and in many cases VERY wrong. Of course, they got it right in some places, too. But, as usual, the missteps fair outweighed what they got right.

So let’s get into it…

Screw Jobs

selma_ava_duvernayAva Duvernay getting screwed a la Katrhyn Bigelow for Best Director for Selma. Now, I’m in the same position as I was with Zero Dark Thirty not having access to the film yet. I will be getting a screener soon as I’m voting in the Independent Spirit Awards, so I will be able to pass full judgment then on the merits of the film. However, this is a film that has been so universally praised that it is hard to figure how Ms. Duvernay was passed over except that she is an African-American woman, one of whom has never been nominated in this category. That the membership of the academy is overwhelmingly white (93%) and male (76%) makes this hard to dismiss.

lego movie posterThe Lego Movie not getting any nominations except for that annoying ass song is really sad. This is a film that appeared on a lot of Best of 2014 lists…for the whole year, not just for animation. That is was passed over is incredibly curious. It, like Selma, above has been universally praised as well. Perhaps the Golden Globes actually predicted this when How to Train Your Dragon 2 stole the award away on Sunday night. I’m frankly baffled by all of it.

obvious child - jenny slate

Jenny Slate being passed over for a Best Actress nom in Obvious Child might perhaps be the biggest error of all. She brought such life to her character, Donna Stern, and was able to tackle one of the most polarizing topics in America today (abortion) with grace and wit. So, it’s no wonder that the largely male population of the Academy dismissed the film and her performance. Shame on you, Academy.

gone girl posterGone Girl getting NO love. I was surprised at how much I liked this one. I didn’t read the book, because why do that when you can see the movie, right? The script by Gillian Flynn, who wrote the novel, was solid and David Fincher is always on point (unless he does an Alien film). Trent Reznor and Atticus Finch‘s score was just as good as the one they won for for The Social Network. So what missed here? HUGELY popular novel, great cast, great performance, a director at the top of his game…I don’t understand. After seeing American Sniper, I honestly can’t understand how it having such a terribly sentimental and hokey script, one that literally made me laugh out loud several times because of its ridiculousness, was able to secure a nomination over Gone Girl.

The Moet & Chandon Lounge at The Santa Barbara International Film Festival - Day 8Paul Thomas Anderson not getting a nom for his direction in the wildly awesome Inherent Vice. Arguably the finest director working today (he has had ZERO misses in his oeuvre), it’s hard to process this one. While not the most easy film to connect with, Anderson’s abilities are on full display and from a technical sense, this should be all one needs in a film. I guess if this is that case, perhaps Jean-Luc Godard should have also gotten a nomination for his 3D masterpiece (from what I’ve heard) Goodbye to Language.

calvary - gleeson

And lastly, I would like to point out that once again, Brendan Gleeson delivered one of the finest performances of the year in Calvary and was overlooked. Smaller and foreign films are so often passed over for these awards, and I understand in a way – Hollywood hosts these “look-at-us” awards every year to perpetuate their own machine, so if foreign stars take home the prizes, the lights grow a little dimmer in Hollywood. I get that. But fuck – get this man a nomination! He deserved the award for his amazing portrayal of Martin Cahill in John Boorman‘s The General. Funny enough the award that year went to Roberto Benigni, an Italian, for his super sappy performance in Life Is Beautiful. SIGH. I fucking give up. If you haven’t seen Calvary, get there. It is my #1 film of 2014. It will blow you away.

I could go into great detail about the films they passed over, and will do so closer to the awards in February when I release my list of who and what I thought the nominees and winners should be.

Surprises

two days on night -mc

Marion Cotillard‘s nomination for the Dardenne Brothers‘ latest opus Two Days, One Night was a bit of a surprise as most people were expecting Jennifer Aniston to grab one for her lauded performance in Cake. We all know that Cotillard has the chops as she has already won an Oscar for her role as Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose. But as I stated before, it’s rare we see actors from foreign countries get the nods. While this film is still rolling out here in the US, I can’t wait to see it. Both the Dardennes and Cotillard make great choices and the premise of this film – a woman has to convince her coworkers over two days and one night to vote to keep her job rather than firing her and splitting her salary as a bonus between them all – is one of the more intriguing of the year. I do wonder why it missed the Best Foreign film cut.

most violent year - jc

Jessica Chastain, like Amy Adams (who could have easily gotten a nod herself for Big Eyes), is somewhat of an Academy darling nominated twice already for her roles in Zero Dark Thirty and The Help. I thought she was a shoo-in for A Most Violent Year, playing a role similar to Jennifer Lawrence‘s in American Hustle.

wild - laura dern

But alas, Laura Dern took home the nod for her role in Wild. Honestly, I didn’t even know she was in the film. So, yeah, I was a little surprised.

foxcatcher poster

In the “How the fuck did this not happen” category – Foxcatcher gets nominations for Best Director (Bennett Miller), Best Actor (Steve Carell), Best Supporting Actor (Mark Ruffalo), Best Original Screenplay (E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman) and Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling (Bill Corso and Dennis Liddiard). How the fuck does it not garner a Best Picture nomination? I have yet to see the film, but this simply doesn’t add up.

american sniper

And lastly, I’ll end with American Sniper‘s 6 nominations. I saw the film last night and I just can’t believe the Academy is as ridiculous as this. 6 nominations? Are you serious? Get out your pom-poms and let’s kiss Eastwood‘s ass some more…except not enough to give him a Best Director nod. Does this mean that the film was good enough to make the Best Pic cut in spite of Eastwood‘s direction? They did nominate him in that fucking mess that was Mystic River and he won for the awful Million Dollar Baby.

Sigh.

That does it for the 2015 edition of Hey! The Academy Fucked It Up Again.

Check out the poll below and vote for which film you think should win Best Picture:

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If I had chosen the Academy Award Nominees and Winners…

04 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by harmonov in Awards

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

academy awards, ai weiwei, alan arkin, amour, amy adams, andrew dominik, ang lee, ann dowd, argo, beasts of the southern wild, ben richardson, benh zeitlin, bill murray, brad pitt, bronson, bruce willis, caroline champetier, chan wook park, chasing ice, chris terrio, christoph waltz, coen brothers, complaince, cormac mccarthy, cosmopolis, cracks, crouching tiger, dances with wolves, daniel day-lewis, david cronenberg, david france, dean moriarty, django unchained, don delillo, donald rumsfeld, dwight henry, edith scob, edward norton, enchanted, errol morris, frances mcdormand, garrett hedlund, Gökhan Tiryaki, goodfellas, harvey weinstein, hidden dragon, holy motors, how to survive a plague, i heart huckabees, i'm still here, inglourious basterds, inside llewyn davis, jack kerouac, jared gilman, jeff orlowski, jennifer lawrence, jim jarmusch, jiro dreams of sushi, joaquin phoenix, john august, jonathan glazer, joseph gordon-levitt, juno temple, kaboom, kara heyward, kathryn bigelow, killer joe, killing them softly, lawless, leos carax, les miserables, life of pi, lincoln, looper, lucy alibar, lynn redgrave, lynne ramsey, mark boal, meryl streep, mihai malamaire, moonrise kingdom, morvern callar, nicolas winding refn, one the road, only god forgives, only lovers left alive, Oscars, philip seymour hoffman, quentin tarantino, rachel weisz, rian johnson, ridley scott, robert de niro, roman coppola, ryan gosling, safe men, sam rockwell, searching for sugar man, seven psychopaths, sexy beast, silver linings playbook, spanking the monkey, stephen frears, steven spielberg, stoker, terrence malick, the assassination of jesse james by the coward robert ford, the brothers bloom, the counselor, the dark knight rises, the deep blue sea, the fighter, the grandmaster, the help, the hit, the master, the muppets, tilda swinton, to the wonder, tom hardy, tommy lee jones, tony kushner, twilight, we need to talk about kevin, wes anderson, wong kar-wai, zero dark thirty

We are three weeks (well, 20 days) away from the thing that each year, no matter what I do, I can’t take my attention away from – The Academy Awards. Each year in early January (used to be February), I hoot and howl about how the Academy has gotten it wrong with who they’ve chosen for the nominees for the best film has to offer for the previous year. “How can this happen year-in and and year-out?”, I ask myself. Well, I sometimes need a gentle reminder that Hollywood is a self-perpetuating machine whose vanity knows no bounds and that the studios need to raise the profile of their films in order to make even more money so the whole their whole operations stays afloat to offset the 987,368 teenagers, college students and tech savvy webheads who just illegally pirated versions of all of the Oscar fare as I wrote this.  Also, what would all of those MBAs with no idea what creativity and art are do without being responsible for and ruining some of the major pieces of our culture, right? Puh-leese.

I am routinely reamed by those in my circle of friends and family for passing judgement on movies I haven’t seen or books I haven’t read. However, I don’t think it takes Sherlock Holmes to figure out that the Twilight series of books are pure shit and that the film adaptations are just a condensed, distilled version of the same shit. So convict me in the highest court of that crime. That many of the Academy voters have expressed themselves that they rarely see most of the movies nominated for the awards each year, how are we to take what their votes say as anything other than biased or even bought (Harvey Weinstein, what say you?). I recall watching the Oscars in 2001 when Lynn Redgrave was interviewed going into the ceremony and she said that the only film she had seen of those nominated for that year was Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the fabulous Ang Lee martial-arts epic, so she voted for it. Great taste, as it was undoubtedly my favorite film of the year next to Jonathan Glazer’s insane Sexy Beast; however, it pretty much sums up the Academy Awards in a nutshell. They are mostly a vanity project and by no means an accurate representation of what is the best in filmmaking. If that were the case, Dances with Wolves would never have beaten Goodfellas for anything at the 1991 Awards.

I could go on and on and on about this, so I will spare anyone reading this that diatribe. Now, mind you – I did not see every film released this year and as of yet, I still have not seen three films nominated for Best Picture (Amour, Life of Pi and Les Misérables), so this list will only cover the films that I HAVE seen. So, after careful review, here are what I think the major category nominees should have been this year with whom I perceive should be the winners:

Best Picture

masterBeasts of the Southern Wild
Cosmopolis
Holy Motors
How to Survive a Plague
Looper
Moonrise Kingdom
Searching for Sugar Man
The Master* (winner)
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Zero Dark Thirty

In all, 2012 had some very interesting films. I think it continued the rise of the documentary, which as a storytelling platform gets stronger in content and creativity each year. Two, How to Survive a Plague and Searching for Sugar Man, even made it into my top ten films of the year and there could have easily been one or two more sneak in. Unfortunately, I have not been able to see Amour. Something tells me it would have made this list as well. Beasts of the Southern Wild was simply amazing. With this as a first effort, I expect to see great things from director Benh Zeitlin in the future. His collaboration with cinematographer Ben Richardson is one I hope continues on for years. Without a doubt this was the best photographed film I saw all year. David Cronenberg‘s adaptation of Don DeLillo‘s novel Cosmopolis was perhaps the most pleasant surprise of the year. DeLillo is my favorite novelist and his works seemdifficult to translate to the big screen, so I was very skeptical. Cronenberg‘s script captured the DeLillian dialogue very well and dare I say this, Robert Pattinson was adequate in delivering the cadences of DeLillo’s words. I need a shower after that. Holy Motors is the year’s most insane trip and you can read my synopsis of it here. Director Rian Johnson brought Looper (his first film since 2008’s The Brothers Bloom), a futuristic time-travel noir, to the big screen and didn’t disappoint. Joseph Gordon-Levitt‘s prosthetic nose and smirk made him a dead ringer for a younger Bruce Willis. I finally got to see Zero Dark Thirty and was mesmerized. Jessica Chastain is exceedingly good and ZDT proves to be another fabulous Kathryn Bigelow/Mark Boal collaboration. As always, Wes Anderson packs on the quirk in the tale of young love in his Moonrise Kingdom. Never disappointing, Anderson delivers another fun romp with the help of his ensemble cast of Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Jared Gilman, Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and Kara Heyward. The Master is the film I believe is the best of the year. Its portrayal of the tumultuous (let the cliches roll…) relationship between eternal fuck-up Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) and religious (cult) leader Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is grand in scale and chronicled exquisitely by writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson. Performances from the three major players – Phoenix, Hoffman and Amy Adams – are as good as any you’ll see.

Best Director

PTA master on setPaul Thomas Anderson –  The Master * (winner)
Kathryn Bigelow – Zero Dark Thirty
Leos Carax – Holy Motors
Lynne Ramsey – We Need to Talk About Kevin
Benh Zeitlin – Beasts of the Southern Wild

This category is always difficult for me to say who’s best. One thing I can say for sure is that Steven Spielberg is wholly undeserving of this award and I firmly believe he will take home his third Oscar for Lincoln, one of the most overblown films in recent memory. Anderson gets better with every movie and The Master is no exception. His ability to frame the relationship between the film’s two main characters in such a compelling way earns him this award. He probably deserved the Oscar for There Will Be Blood and he certainly deserved it for Magnolia, which I think was the best film of the first decade of the 2000s. The other four directors in this category are all deserving and created amazing films. Lynne Ramsey has made three of the most dark, original, and incredibly visceral films I’ve ever seen. Morvern Callar may be my favorite of them, but this year’s We Need To Talk About Kevin is one to be reckoned with, and is especially pertinent since the Newtown shootings this past December and the onging talk of gun control since Columbine.

Best Actor

denis lavant - hmDenis Levant – Holy Motors* (winner)
Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln
Tom Hardy – Lawless
Joaquin Phoenix – The Master
Brad Pitt – Killing Them Softly

As much as I love Daniel Day-Lewis and his performance in the uneven at best Lincoln, Denis Lavant‘s virtuosic performance in Holy Motors moved me the most this year. In what covers nine different scenarios in the film, Lavant literally transforms himself from beggar to deviant troll, from a dying man to a motion-capture artist among other roles. Rare is a performance that sticks with me for days after watching it. This one did. I doubt you’ll ever see anything else like it. Tom Hardy continues to amaze me in each new role in which I see him. His performance in Nicolas Winding Refn‘s Bronson is one to study for all you up-and-coming actors. His most notable role of the year as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises was certainly enjoyable as well. Brad Pitt reunited with The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford director Andrew Dominik for a talky hitman pic reminiscent of Stephen Frears‘ The Hit delivering a gritty performace as Jackie Cogan. Phoenix returns to the form of his pre-I’m Still Here days matching Philip Seymour Hoffman scene-for-scene in The Master.

Best Actress

qw - beasts-southern-wildJessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook
Tilda Swinton –
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Quvenzhané Wallis –
Beasts of the Southern Wild* (winner)
Rachel Weisz – The Deep Blue Sea

This may have been the most difficult choice of all of them. Swinton and Weisz both deliver haunting performances in their respective roles. Chastain is amazing as well. I think she is the most watchable actress working today because she can even make her role in something as bad as The Help enjoyable. Jennifer Lawrence has a quality that makes me always want to see more of what she can do. I really liked her in this role. But, for my money, Quvenzhané Wallis was undoubtedly the best of the bunch. Not even 9-years old when Beasts of the Southern Wild was filmed, she explodes on the screen from the outset of the film. Her portrayal of Hushpuppy is nuanced and has a depth one might never imagine an 8-year is capable of displaying. I was completely entranced by her. I sincerely hope that if she continues acting that she is able to maintain the power that she put into this film. If so – watch out, Meryl Streep. Without a doubt, the best performance by a child that I’ve ever seen.

Best Supporting Actor

7p_09436_rGarrett Hedlund – On the Road
Dwight Henry – Beasts of the Southern Wild
Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Master
Christoph Waltz – Django Unchained
Sam Rockwell – Seven Psychopaths* (winner)

I think this was the strongest category in terms of great performances for the year. Obviously, only two of mine match up with the Academy’s choices, the three excluded – Alan Arkin in Argo, Tommy Lee Jones in Lincoln, and Robert De Niro in Silver Linings Playbook – were relatively safe choices for the actors who had similar performances in prior roles that I just don’t think stood out. Garrett Hedlund delivered the most surprising performance as Dean Moriarty in the screen version of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. A firecracker, he really captured the energy of Dean from the novel. I was very impressed. Christoph Waltz was great again for Quentin Tarantino in Django Unchained. They obviously work well together as Waltz took home the Oscar for their last collaboration in Inglourious Basterds. Dwight Henry was just phenomenal as the sick father to Hushpuppy in Beasts of the Southern Wild. I’m curious to see if he’ll get any more juicy roles like this one in the future. Hoffman is steady and measured in The Master, the perfect counterpoint to Phoenix‘s forceful mood swings. However, I think Sam Rockwell, one of the most underrated actors working, stole the show in Seven Psychopaths. He’s funny, frustrating, and crazy all while driving the action of the film. Just top-notch. Rockwell‘s been doing it this way ever since 1998’s Safe Men. He might be the most fun actor to watch.

Best Supporting Actress

adams-masterAmy Adams – The Master* (winner)
Kara Hayward – Moonrise Kingdom
Ann Dowd – Compliance
Edith Scob – Holy Motors
Juno Temple – Killer Joe

These performances really run the gamut of roles and are no less interesting than many of the lead actress roles. Kara Heyward is so delightfully rebellious in Moonrise Kingdom, making me wish I was as cool as Suzy Bishop at any part of my life. Ann Dowd brings in the most frustrating performance of the year in Compliance as the fast food manager who allowed a female employee to be strip- and body-cavity searched as well as sexually assaulted by her fiancee because of someone prank calling acting a police officer. Edith Scob‘s angelic counterpart to Denis Lavant‘s many incarnations in Holy Motors was a true pleasure to watch. Juno Temple‘s turn as Dottie in the deliciously perverse Killer Joe nearly won me over. I have loved her in everything I’ve seen her in, from Kaboom to Cracks. But, alas, Amy Adams‘ performance as the hard-as-nails wife of Lancaster Dodd in The Master won out. No matter what the role, Ms. Adams brings a fire that is unparalleled. Her exchanges with Freddie throughout the film are extremely tense and delivered flawlessly. You might not think the woman who played the lead in The Muppets and Enchanted would be capable of such ferocity…unless you saw The Fighter.

Best Documentary Feature

ht surviveAi Weiwei: Never Sorry
Chasing Ice
How to Survive a Plague* (winner)
Jiro Dreams of Sushi
Searching for Sugar Man
The Imposter

As I said above, documentaries just keep getting better and more interesting. There were so many good ones this year, I couldn’t narrow it to five, and had trouble limiting it to six. Those listed above explore the following subjects: a Chinese dissident artist at odds with the Communist government (see review here), a nature photographer chronicling the effects of climate change/global warming on the glaciers of Greenland, Iceland and the US, the fight for AIDS activists to get access to proper medication to stave off the epidemic that rages so rampant in the 80s and 90s, the tale of Japan’s finest sushi chef, two South Africans’ search for a lost American musician who despite being a star of Elvis proportion in their home country was never known here in the US and the story of a young French man who assumed the identity of a missing Texas 13-year old.  Whew! Each of these films have far reaching cultural or social implications, but none of them in their scope, importance or depth measured what David France‘s How to Survive a Plague captured. Chronicling one of the most important chapters in the US’s recent history, France shows us the group of courageous activists who fought for AIDS rights, especially to essential medical care, and saved thousands, perhaps millions, of lives. I can’t speak highly enough of this film.

Best Original Screenplay

THE-MASTER-POSTERHoly Motors – Leos Carax
Looper – Rian Johnson
The Master – Paul Thomas Anderson* (winner)
Moonrise Kingdom – Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola
Zero Dark Thirty– Mark Boal

What’s original? What makes a script good? This is an argument movie execs and filmgoers squabble over all the time. Who’s right? Eye of the beholder, I guess. These five films represent the best of what little that’s original that gets made in Hollywood. As I’ve said, The Master, in my eyes is the best film from top to bottom. I could hardly not say it has the best script and I believe it does. PT Anderson has written the scripts to all of his films and he has gotten better with each one. Subjects and characters vary widely in his films and that’s why I think he’s so successful – he concentrates in no one particular area and he fleshes out beautiful characters (even if their beauty lies in their evil) and places those characters in scenarios that fit them. He is at the top of his form in all disciplines of the game. That’s not to say the other scripts are any less good. I connected well with The Master and it stuck with me ever since. I think Holy Motors is just as challenging of a film as The Master, but it didn’t hit me on the same level. I’m such a fan of Rian Johnson‘s work and Looper is a worthy addition to his oeuvre. Brick remains one of my favorite films. Johnson just brings extra to the table when he writes. He should have a long, interesting career ahead of him.

Best Adapted Screenplay

botsw - posterArgo – Chris Terrio
Beasts of the Southern Wild – Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin* (winner)
Cosmopolis – David Cronenberg
Frankenweenie – John August
Silver Linings Playbook – David O. Russell

One thing most people might notice here is that Tony Kushner is absent from this list for his script for Lincoln. Two reasons why that is, even though it is an evocative, colorful script – first, the pontificating speeches made by every character in the film no matter what the situation bored me. Was everything that folks said at that time really worthy of being in the speech Hall of Fame? Secondly, if you write an ending that bad, you are disqualified. If Spielberg or a studio exec are responsible for either, let me know and I will gladly add you to the list. Even though I know the Oscar will go to Kushner or Terrio, I just don’t see how anyone could watch Beasts of the Southern Wild (see my review here) and not shout out in amazement at what they had just seen when compared to any of the other films nominated by Oscar or even by me. The arc of Hushpuppy, her father and the residents of the Bathtub is crisp with pertinent deviations that add layers to the story. It is an amazing film worthy of any award. David O. Russell continues to surprise me as he makes more and more conventional films as he gets older. His last two, The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook are a far cry from his earlier fare like the subversive Spanking the Monkey and the existential I Heart Huckabees.

Best Cinematography

botswCaroline Champetier – Holy Motors
Mihai Malamaire, Jr. – The Master
Jeff Orlowski – Chasing Ice
Ben Richardson – Beasts of the Southern Wild* (winner)
Gökhan Tiryaki – Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

There were some really gorgeous films this year and each of the above had cinematography that didn’t just capture what was happening on camera, but played a vital role in the story being told. None did so more than Ben Richardson‘s work on Beasts of the Southern Wild, although Gökhan Tiryaki‘s work on Once Upon a Time in Anatolia was mesmerizing and haunting. I was blown away by both. I know documentary films never get a nod in this category, but how can one watch Chasing Ice and not applaud the effort by Jeff Orlowski? What Caroline Champetier was able to achieve in the shifting tones and scenes of Holy Motors was nothing short of Herculean. PT Anderson‘s films are such visual feasts, full of camera moves and interesting angle, Mihai Malamaire‘s efforts on The Master are as commendable as any above. I will say this: never in a million years did I think two of my top ten films of the year would have Bruce Willis in them. That’s why I love film – you never expect what you’re going to get.

As I said before, 2012 was a great year for film, especially if you stepped outside the wide releases each week and poked around for something a little different. It’s out there people. Challenge yourself. You might just enjoy it.

2013 looks to be an amazing year as we have the following new films coming: Errol Morris’ documentary on Donald Rumsfeld, the Coen Brothers’ folk rock film Inside Llewyn Davis, Wong Kar-Wai’s The Grandmaster, Chan Wook Park‘s english-language debut Stoker, Ridley Scott‘s The Counselor – a realization of a Cormac McCarthy original script, Jim Jarmusch‘s vampire flick Only Lovers Left Alive, the new Ryan Gosling/Nicolas Winding Refn collaboration Only God Forgives and Terrence Malick’s To the Wonder among many others. 

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2013 Oscar Nominations – The Academy Likes Amour and Silver Linings Playbook, Right Now They Really Like Them

10 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by harmonov in Awards, Rants, Raves

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

academy award nominees, academy awards, alexandre desplat, anna paquin, beasts of the southern wild, ben richardson, benh zeitlin, bradley cooper, christopher nolan, daniel day-lewis, dark knight, dark knight rises, edith head, emma stone, emmanuel lubezki, howard shore, jacki weaver, joaquin phoenix, john williams, johnny greenwood, kathryn bigelow, lincoln, lord of the rings, michael haneke, mihai malamaire, Oscars, paul thomas anderson, quvenzhane wallis, return of the king, seth mcfarlane, tatum o'neal, the hurt locker, the master, the tree of life, there will be blood, thomas newman, tom hooper, youngest nominee, zero dark thirty

81st Academy Awards¨ Press Kit Images

(click image above for the total list of nominees)

The annual orgy of whining and complaining about who the Academy (hahahahahaha) of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences have nominated for their annual awards ceremony commenced this morning shortly after (and likely even during) the announcements by hosts Seth McFarlane and Emma Stone (who looked kind of dumpy – I know it was 5:30 a.m. in LA, but you’re a professional, Emma). Here are my quick thoughts on how things shook out…because that’s precisely what you need in your life, more pontificating by me about what’s right and wrong, good and bad.

Here we go!

Screw Jobs

Kathryn Bigelow pointing out Academy members who passed her over in today's nominations.

Kathryn Bigelow pointing out Academy members who passed her over in today’s nominations.

That Kathryn Bigelow was not nominated for Best Director for Zero Dark Thirty seems absolutely criminal to me. Without a doubt, this has been one of the most highly anticipated films of the last year and even since the announcement it was going into production. Bigelow is the only woman to ever win an Oscar for Best Director (for The Hurt Locker in 2008). Hollywood has long been viewed as misogynistic (which it is) and this doesn’t help. While I haven’t seen the film yet (it opens here tomorrow), I can’t help but to think she was deserving. I may well change my mind after seeing the film. In the same category, I just can’t believe that Paul Thomas Anderson was passed over for The Master. I think it’s the best film of the year and is deserving of any and all accolades. PTA is the most interesting director working. When he makes a film, you can be guaranteed it’s one worth watching. I know that The Master isn’t typical Academy fare (meaning it’s really good), but I have to think the members of the Academy who voted on this simply didn’t see it, which is pretty typical. Oh well. They missed out. The thing is, when people talk about the movies from this year 10 years from now, they will be talking about The Master, not the completely overrated Lincoln. They will be talking about Daniel Day-Lewis’ performance, but that’s it with regards to Lincoln.

the_master_turkish_poster_color

Johnny Greenwood‘s score for The Master being overlooked is unreal. The same thing happened to him with his score for There Will Be Blood. Do we really have to have the same 5-7 composers nominated every fucking year? Is there a rule that John Williams, Thomas Newman, Howard Shore and Alexandre Desplat have to be nominated every damn year? Who are they, Edith Head? Boo.

I think the most egregious error on the part of the Academy was passing over Ben Richardson‘s cinematography in Beasts of the Southern Wild. They were very kind to that film in most regards, but its cinematography was its most valuable asset. In my mind, it was the finest shot film of the year. Like last year when Emmanuel Lubezki was passed over for the award for his work on The Tree of Life, but at least he got a nomination. What a joke. I also think that Mihai Malamaire‘s work on The Master should have been recognized. As a non-white participant, I guess this should be expected. SIGH.

Surprises

ben-affleck-argo

I made an entire movie with this haircut and you can’t even get me one nomination?

Micahel Haneke and his film Amour getting five nominations is big, but Les Miserables director Tom Hooper and Argo director Ben Affleck getting passed over might bigger. Completely shocked by both, but not as much as Bigelow‘s snub. Jacki Weaver and Bradley Cooper (come on – really?) getting nominations and Silver Linings Playbook getting eight nominations in total was pretty surprising for a relatively conventional film with a terrible pat Hollywood ending. Editing? Why the hell would it get nominated for editing? Benh Zeitlin‘s nomination for director, Quvenzhané Wallis’ nomination for Best Actress (the youngest nominee ever at age 9 and gives a much stronger performance than former child winners Tatum O’Neal and Anna Paquin) and Beasts of the Southern Wild‘s Best Picture nomination were very pleasant surprises. One of my top 5 films of the year and deserving of all accolades. Bravo to the Academy for recognizing a smaller film. I think most people are/will be surprised by Joaquin Phoenix‘s nomination for Best Actor in The Master. This slot (or Cooper‘s) seemed destined for Ben Affleck in Argo. Good on Phoenix. He was pretty damn solid.

I will mention this – Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King won 11 Oscars when that trilogy was completed, but Christopher Nolan‘s epic Dark Knight trilogy’s final film gets zero. Interesting. Not that I think Dark Knight Rises was some incredible film, but as it goes, the trilogy is some of the best filmmaking in its genre ever produced. Just saying.

I’m sure I’ll have more to bitch about after I digest this more. Initial reactions are always fun to hold onto.

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