Amiresque

Thespians: 2011's Best Performances

2012-03-06T15:30:00.006-05:00

Honourable Mentions

Tom Cullen and Chris New (Weekend), who gave us the year’s most believably romantic pas de deux, and Michael Fassbender (Shame), whose raw emotional turn marked yet another intriguing collaboration with Steve McQueen, came really close to making the final list. Similarly, Ryan Gosling (Drive) and Stephanie Sigman (Miss Bala) as two semi-silent anti-heroes gave perhaps the most iconic performances of the year that deserve to show up on every such list. On a related note, Juliette Binoche (Certified Copy) would have been on this list (all the way at number 2) had she not been mentioned on the list last year. I got around to the film on the festival circuit so I count it as a 2010 film.

12. Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin)

For conveying terror, helplessness, misery and confusion, all without words; for her thoughtful and balanced examination of a flawed character; and for continuing her streak of challenging performances in auteur pieces

11. Matthias Schoenaerts (Bullhead)

For his commitment; for gradually opening up years of pent up tension, inferiority and vengeance; and for an uncompromising portrayal of bruised virility and pride

10. Jean Dujardin (The Artist)

For his physicality; for the most expressive face in recent memory; for bringing together dance, comedy and tragedy; and for successfully carrying a film through its thin premise

9. Olivia Colman (Tyrannosaur)

For wearing her heart on her sleeve; for her eyes full of fear and sorrow; for her gut-wrenching breakdown scene; and for her brutal honesty

8. Jeremy Irons (Margin Call)

For standing out as the one unwavering monster in a film that tries hard to humanize all its monsters; for his stone-faced ruthlessness; and for delivering the line “It wasn’t brains that got me here” with such masterful irony

7. Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids)

For her sheer knack for comedy; for her poignant portrayal of depression; and for confirming that her talent can carry an entire film with as much ease as it can a short SNL sketch

6. Jessica Chastain (The Help)

For a standout turn in a film with an abundance of great performances; for her over-the-top pizzazz that never becomes cartoonish; for her heart-warming southern demeanour; and for the wide range of performances she covered in her breakthrough year

5. Charlize Theron (Young Adult)

For her adamant bitchiness; for embracing the ocean of flaws in her character; for her deft delivery of every line; and for surprising us with her comic finesse (really, who knew she could she be so funny?)

4. The Ensemble Cast of A Separation

For subtly implying the small idiosyncrasies of different tiers of Iranian society; for Hatami’s steely look, Moaadi’s stubbornness, Farhadi’s tearful eyes, Bayat’s vulnerability and Hosseini’s shattered ego; and for not missing a beat as an ensemble

3. Anders Danielsen Lie (Oslo, August 31^st)

For his staggering portrayal of a man’s struggle with addiction, communication and self-esteem; for treating suicidal tendencies with maturity and sincerity; and for the heartbreaking detachment in his eyes

2. Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene)

For mirroring every small charge of emotion with subtle physicality; for allowing us to paint our understanding of her inner turmoil on her canvas-like face; for effortlessly bringing together paranoia and innocence; and for promising the beginning of a genuine star’s career

1. Brad Pitt (Tree of Life)

For beautifully capturing this stern father’s inability to emotionally communicate despite utmost love for his family; for walking the tremendously narrow line between control and abuse; for balancing loss with egotism, underachievement with narcissism and inept parenting with idealized masculinity; for surrendering to the director’s vision but avoiding archetypal characterization; and for giving the best performance of his illustrious career

Previously on Best of 2011

Craftsmen: 2011's Best Technical Achievements

2012-03-02T10:55:00.004-05:00

Just when you thought the Oscars are the last set of awards given out and you can put 2011 behind you, here come the prestigious Amiresque Awards^TM. I know I’m late to the party with these, but nobody sends me screeners and I wanted to watch everything so it took a while.

I’ll be back with my favourite actors, actresses, directors, writers and films throughout next week. For now, here are my favourite technical achievements in 2011 (I've limited myself to one mention per film to spread the wealth):

Honourable Mentions

Costume Design and Visual Effects of Immortals, Cinematography of Jane Eyre, Production Design of Pa Negre, Editing of Martha Marcy May Marlene, and Production Design of Hugo

12. The effects team behind the Visual Effect of Attack the Block

For compensating for the tight budget with creativity, for creating memorable monsters, and for serving the story without being gimmicky

11. Jacqueline Durran for the Costume Design of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

(also noteworthy: Production Design)

For understanding the intricacy of men’s clothing, for building character from the threads, for conveying the different classes of MI6 agents, and for working beautifully in tandem with the production design team

10. Dana Glauberman for the Editing of Young Adult

For the impeccable comic timing, and for perfectly balancing the laughs with the drama

9. Udo Kramer and Bernhard Henrich for the Production Design of Chicken with Plums

(also noteworthy: Costume Design)

For nailing every aspect of the period in Iran without losing the directors’ playful vision, for using colours and shadows to perfection, and for the broken violin

8. Alberto Iglesias for the Original Score of The Skin I Live In

(also noteworthy: Production Design)

For the thrill in every pulsating moment, for working within the atmosphere to create mood, for the range, and for continuing his collaboration with one of the world’s most exciting directors

7. Robbie Ryan for the Cinematography of Wuthering Heights

For capturing the beauty of a butterfly on the ledge of a window and the mane of a horse in the field, for the intimacy, and for shaping the story with image

6. Hayedeh Safiyari for the Editing of A Separation

For creating a maze without getting lost, for taking the audience right to the edge of discovery and pulling back, and for shaping the narrative and visual structure of the film through her cuts

5. Emmanuel Lubezki for the Cinematography of Tree of Life

(also noteworthy: Visual Effects)

For the picturesque imagery, for capturing the intimacy of a mother’s affection for his son with as much mastery as he does the grandiosity of genesis, and for giving us thousands of postcard perfect images

4. Matthew Newman for the Editing of Drive

(also noteworthy: Costume Design)

For heightening our tension, for releasing that tension with explosive bursts of violence, and for allowing the subtleties of the performances and Gosling’s cool charisma to sink in

3. Gokhan Tiryaki for the Cinematography of Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

For endlessly broadening his range with a limited palette, for continuing to intrigue in the most monotonous locale, and for crafting a beautiful film out of an excruciating lighting exercise

2. Chris King and Gregers Sall for the Editing of Senna

For producing a coherent narrative entirely from existing footage, for transitioning between family videos and racing footage with ease, and for controlling our heartbeats and tear glands at once

1. Manuel Alberto Claro for the Cinematography of Melancholia

(also noteworthy: Visual Effects and Production Design)

For the complexity of the relationship established between scenes, for the thematic significance of every shot, and for the striking beauty of every frame

Previously on Best of 2011

The Good, The Bad, and A Separation

2012-02-28T12:24:00.000-05:00

Asghar Farhadi accepting his Oscar on stage

First things first, it really wouldn’t be fair to the academy if I filed A Separation’s win under “good.” It deserves a category of its own. This is the first time in 22 years that the winner of the best foreign film award is actually the best film of the year. (Yes, I might as well just come out. I love every sappy minute of Cinema Paradiso that much.) And I think everybody agrees that this is the most widely acclaimed winner of the award in more than a decade, so they deserve massive kudos. Personally speaking, of course, I couldn’t be happier as an Iranian to see Farhadi up there on that stage. It was a moment of immense pleasure that came at the perfect moment, politically and culturally. And I can’t think of a more deserving Iranian filmmaker than Farhadi. He’s worked his way up from creating a couple of socially conscious TV series back in the late 90s and he’s one of the few directors – in fact, the only other one I can think of is Dariush Mehrjuyi – who have bridged the gap between the artistically challenging films of the likes of Abbas Kiarostami and popular Iranian cinema.

Beyond that, last night’s ceremony was one of more disappointments than treats. Nevertheless, I thought I’d share my thoughts on what made me happy and what didn’t:

The Good

1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’s best editing award

For the first since 1968, a film won this award without winning anything else. Editing usually goes hand in hand with best picture and given The Artist and Hugo’s strong showings, we can assume it was a close race. In the end, I’m happy Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter’s smooth work was recognized for the second year in a row. Alongside Christopher Tellefsen (Moneyball), they were the most deserving among the nominees and I’d assumed the least likely to win. I’m glad I was wrong.

Emma Stone rocked her presentation

2. Emma Stone’s presentation

Stone is my biggest crush of the moment and just when I thought she couldn’t be more awesome than she already is, she had to come and rock the show with her hilarious banter about presenting for the first time. It was a moment of genuine charm and freshness, and a promise that Easy A was no fluke. She IS the next biggest comedienne.

3. Angelina Jolie’s Leg

I loves me a phenomenon, and phenomenon is what I call a twitter account with almost 30,000 followers for a celebrity’s leg. Seriously though, whatever the fuck was she doing standing like that?

The Bad

Viola Davis

1. Viola Davis losing the best actress award

I love Meryl Streep. I adore her. She’s a legendary actress. And she should have won her third Oscar back in 2006. But between rewarding an actress who has amassed all the honours in the world and one who’s probably getting her last chance at a lead actress Oscar, I’d have gone with the latter. Sadly, the academy didn’t. I think this is an award that history will not look kindly on, not just because Viola gave the better performance but because Streep has given far superior performances previously and winning for this one feels kind of like a career honour, which is what honorary Oscars are for. I never understood the whole ordeal about giving her the coveted third one. People forget that nominations are rewards in their own right and that having 17 of them means she is very well rewarded. The internet is full of chatter about this one category and people from both “camps” have spoken up. There’s no point in continuing it. All I can say is that I really, really, from the bottom of my heart, hope that this result has no impact on the trajectory of Davis’ career. That’s really the only reason I care.

2. The Descendants’ win for best adapted screenplay was predicted by everyone (including yours truly) but it still stung. All the problems with this awful film start at the screenplay. But what really hurts is not just the fact that Moneyball and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy were both readily available to the voters, but that they both left the party empty-handed and The Descendants didn’t.

Emmanuel Lubezki on the set of The Tree of Life

2. Remember a couple of days ago when I wrote in my predictions column about Emmanuel Lubezki? That I was worried he’d lose again? Well, it happened. And I honestly can’t shake it off. His work on The Tree of Life was truly a landmark of this year’s cinema and a major talking point among cinephiles. This was the easiest way for the academy to recognize Malick’s grand opus but in the end the film proved too esoteric for them. Curiously, my biggest pet peeve about last year’s Oscars was also about a master cinematographer not getting his due. Well, at least they have each other’s company.

4. The Shore won best live action short. It was their worst possible option in the category and they fell for the cheap sentimentality. For shame! Tuba Atlantic was robbed, I think.

5. This is not so much about the show as it is about me and I have no one to blame but myself, but I did a horrendous 15/24 on my predictions. That might be my worst record since I started following the Oscars in 2003. The categories that I got wrong were best actress, best foreign film (though I somewhat forced myself into getting this one wrong), best documentary, best live action short, best sound editing, best cinematography, best costume design (so happy I got this wrong. I love Mark Bridges), best visual effects and best editing.

Final Oscar Predictions

2012-02-25T13:04:00.001-05:00

It’s been interesting looking back at my older predictions and seeing how far we’ve come along. When I wrote my first set of predictions, I had not even heard of The Artist, the film that’s poised the take the top prize on Sunday. It entered my predictions in June after the Cannes Film Festival gave it such exposure. From the aforementioned first set, Tree of Life, War Horse, The Descendants and Hugo survived as best picture nominees. Not bad for such uneducated guesses and certainly not bad considering the fact that Tree of Life wasn’t even a certain possibility up until the moment it was announced. Sometimes it’s irritating how predictable this academy can be. Way back in May, in my first post-Cannes predictions, I guessed the academy’s final set of nominees in cinematography 4/5, only missing The Artist for Harry Potter.

War Horse, one of my early predictions that came to pass.

This could have been an interesting season, one that didn’t have clear frontrunners but scattered support for several films. Somewhere along the road, however, The Artist became the dominant force and all too quickly it was over. There are tight races to be found for sure, but none in the top categories and certainly not in best picture. And frankly, I’m not even sure I care that much anymore. I cared last year when several of the Academy’s nominees overlapped with my favourites and one of them, The Social Network, had a long shot at winning the top category. However respectable Oscar’s line-up is this year – and it is quite respectable I must say – it just lacks a certain je ne sais quoi.

All of the gentlemen nominated for best directing have done stellar work but I wanted Nicolas Winding Refn in there. I’d love to see Viola Davis win a well-deserved Oscar, but where are Tilda Swinton and Charlize Theron and Elizabeth Olsen when they should be leading the pack? It’s nice to see a veteran of Plummer’s stature get his due but shouldn’t this award be a lock for Brad Pitt in The Tree of Life? What I’ve seen of these documentaries is commendable but where is Senna? And on and on and on. This year’s real treasures fall outside the Academy’s radar, and I’m okay with that. Not every year is 2007.

We Need to Talk About Kevin, one of the films that was completely shut out.

There are only three races I genuinely care about at this point. The first one is best actor, where Jean Dujardin (The Artist) is clearly the favourite but there is faint hope for an upset by Brad Pitt. Of course, it could be George Clooney who steals Dujardin’s thunder but that would be a surprise that upsets me, more than it does Dujardin. Brad Pitt, having given two of his career-best performances, should have been running the table all season long. It didn’t happen that way but who knows. We might be in for a pleasant surprise.

The second category is best foreign language film, which I wrote about in detail just the other day. I have a clear favourite in A Separation. The film is comfortably in my top five of the year (which I’ll finally get around to next week) and it is also Iranian, and like any other Iranian in the world, I can’t hide my excitement about the prospect of Asghar Farhadi walking up those stairs.

The third category is best cinematography where Emmanuel Lubezki is nominated for The Tree of Life. His picturesque work on the film can stand on its own merit, but if anyone needs a reminder why this man needs to finally get his moment in the sun, a quick look at his CV should serve as such: Children of Men, The New World, Y tu mamá también, Ali, Burn After Reading, Sleepy Hollow,...

Honestly, who’s he gotta sleep with to win one of these things?

Beyond that, I don’t have much else to say except to wish for a fun show. After the jump, you can see a list of my final predictions in all categories. Good luck to you on whatever Oscar pool you’re participating in!

The Artist, curshing its competition.

Best Picture

Will Win: The Artist

Could Win: The Descendants

Best Director

Will Win: Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)

Could Win: Terrence Malick (Tree of Life)

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Will Win: Jean Dujardin (The Artist)

Could Win: George Clooney (The Descendants)

Viola Davis in The Help

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Will Win: Viola Davis (The Help)

Could Win: Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Will Win: Christopher Plummer (Beginners)

Could Win: Max Von Sydow (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Will Win: Octavia Spencer (The Help)

Could Win: Bérénice Bejo (The Artist)

Midnight in Paris

Best Original Screenplay

Will Win: Midnight in Paris

Could Win: The Artist

Best Adapted Screenplay

Will Win: The Descendants

Could Win: Moneyball

Best Animated Feature

Will Win: Rango

Could Win: Puss in Boots

Canada's Monsieur Lazhar

Best Foreign Language Film

(My thoughts in detail)
Will Win: In Darkness (Poland)

Could Win: Monsieur Lazahar (Canada)

Best Documentary Feature

Will Win: Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory

Could Win: Undefeated

Best Documentary Short

Will Win: Saving Face

Could Win: The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

Time Freak

Best Live Action Short

(My thoughts in detail)
Will Win: Tuba Atlantic

Could Win: Raju

Best Animated Short

(My thoughts in detail)
Will Win: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

Could Win: La Luna

Best Original Score

Will Win: The Artist

Could Win: Hugo

The Muppets

Best Original Song

Will Win: Man or Muppet

Could Win: Real in Rio

Best Sound Editing

Will Win: War Horse

Could Win: Drive

Best Sound Mixing

Will Win: Hugo

Could Win: War Horse

Hugo

Best Art Direction

Will Win: Hugo

Could Win: The Artist

Best Cinematography

Will Win: The Artist

Could Win: Tree of Life

Best Makeup

Will Win: The Iron Lady

Could Win: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II

Can Jane Eyre upset the best picture nominees in the costume category?

Best Costume Design

Will Win: Hugo

Could Win: The Artist

Best Film Editing

Will Win: The Artist

Could Win: Hugo

Best Visual Effects

Will Win: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Could Win: Hugo

Motifs in Cinema, 2011: The Dichotomy Between Fantasy and Reality

2012-02-24T14:52:00.003-05:00

Perhaps because it’s one of the youngest artistic forms, cinema is often assessed in much different manner that literature, or the visual arts. We discuss it in terms of genre, not in terms of thematic offering. Comparing, for example, Corpse Bride and Up because they’re both animated leads to some dubious discussion especially when – like any art form – thematic elements examined in cinema and the way different filmmaker address them make for some stimulating discussion. Motifs in Cinema is a discourse, across nine film blogs, assessing the way in which various thematic elements have been used in the 2011 cinematic landscape. How does a common theme vary in use from a comedy to a drama? Are filmmakers working from a similar canvas when they assess the issue of the artist or the family dynamic? Like everything else, a film begins with an idea - Motifs in Cinema assesses how the use of a single idea changes when utilised by varying artists.

- Andrew K.

Hugo

Accidentally or otherwise, every year we get several films that deal with the same themes. Often, similarities between these films are so many and so clear that a narrative starts to build around one of these themes. Everyone spoke about the omnipresence of nostalgia in 2011’s films, for instance. Most of these motifs give way to different ones once everybody stops talking about one year and moves on to the next. One theme that never really disappears from the conversation is the dichotomy between fantasy and reality, which is why I chose to write about it as soon as Andrew introduced his Motifs in Cinema mini-blogathon to me.

Fantasy, in the strictest sense of the word, is inseparable from the cinema. What are fictional films if not the fantasy of those who imagine them, write them and act them? What is fantasy if not the imaginary world we immerse ourselves in for a few hours in the dark? Here, I want to write about filmmakers who, aware of the power they hold over their audience and making the most of their psychological advantage, presented an image of fantasy that changed the way we think of reality. Needless to say, different directors had different approaches, they worked in different genres and affected us in distinct ways.

Midnight in Paris

Woody Allen, for example, chose romantic comedy. His preferred genre is hardly a surprise to anyone and it really shouldn’t be a surprise that he succeeded in bringing fantasy elements to it either. He’d directed The Purple Rose of Cairo after all. In Midnight in Paris, Allen filters reality twice – once through his own eyes and once through the eyes of the hopelessly romantic writer at the centre of his story – to take us to a re-imagining of Paris in the 1920s. Allen specifically delves into the dichotomy that we create between reality and fantasy. Did Paris really look like that in the golden age or is that simply Gil’s imagination? How far removed is the boisterous arrogance of Corey Stoll's Hemignway from the real man? Who among us hasn’t imagined Dali randomly shout “Rhinoceros” mid-speech? These possible lapses in reality are funny wrapped under Allen’s cheeky tone but they got me thinking about how I view my past. Gil hasn’t lived in the Golden Age before seeing it, but would it change anything if he had? How much of my perception of the golden days of my childhood is really what happened and how much have I made up in the years since in my fantasies to make it appear better than it really was?

Martin Scorsese’s Hugo was similarly infatuated with a fantasy version of Paris, if not so much with personal nostalgia. Scorsese used film preservation as a tool for celebrating magic and took us into the world of cinema’s greatest magician, Georges Méliès. Hugo’s approach was radically different from the rest of my selections because it relied on spectacle. It’s awe-inspiring because of the cacophony of colour and costume and detail. In a sense, Scorsese’s method is a more direct confrontation with fantasy. There are no questions asked. The magic and the magician are separated. We know what is real and what is not and we appreciate the fantasy nonetheless.

Martha Marcy May Marlene

There were also film that created a fantasy world without special effects and flashy sets and costumes. Two of my favourite films of the year, Martha Marcy May Marlene (my review) and ALPS (my review) dragged me into their worlds and frankly, have not yet let me out. It’s been difficult to shake them off since. In Martha... the protagonist herself is wandering in the limbo between fantasy and reality. With Elizabeth Olsen’s astonishing performance, this dichotomy, which is very small and blurred in this particular film, is given a fragile and horrifying quality. We are not told if the cult members are really after Martha and it doesn’t seem like she knows for certain either. Her paranoia becomes ours and all sense of reality is lost. ALPS takes the reverse approach. We know exactly what is real and what is acted by the members of the ALPS group, but it seems like they gradually lose touch with reality. As they act out the fantasy version of the lives of the deceased, they become so engrossed that their own lives are completely taken over. We almost want to stop the protagonist from taking further steps but she is lost in that gap between reality and fantasy.

This is not a Film

Yet, when it comes to explaining this gap, no film can hold a candle to Jafar Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb’s This is not a Film (my review). As Panahi acts out a small scale version of his new script on the carpet in his living room, he lays out the creative process behind his films and becomes disillusioned, almost disappointed, in their artificiality. His “film” doesn’t have a narrative, but it’s a thought-provoking analysis of how we watch and understand films. Panahi talks about presenting his story to the audience in a way that they believe it, but is ultimately torn between the realism with which his films have portrayed their cultural bedrock and the inevitable element of fantasy that is embedded within his stories because, well, they're products of his imagination. This is not a Film might be shot on an iPhone but it doesn't fail to remind us of the power of cinema, and above that, the power of fantasy. Even though we know Panahi is shooting the film inside his apartment, we doubt ourselves about our perception of his story time and time again. And after all, isn't that why we love the movies? To walk the fine line between reality and fantasy and get lost in a magical world?

The Foreign Language Film Dilemma (And My Final Prediction)

2012-02-23T18:41:00.008-05:00

The foreign film category is usually the last thing I care about when it comes to the Oscars. The voters in that category are so far behind the curve of contemporary cinema that their choices always seem irrelevant. But talking about what films they’ve missed and how their voting system is archaic is beating a dead horse. If anything, one can’t blame them for not trying in recent years. The addition of the executive committee, which does nothing to help the politics behind the selection process by the submitting countries, at least served to save some of the deserving films that would otherwise have no shot at getting nominated.

With the exception of The Lives of Others, one can argue that none of their winners in the past decade would have had any room in the critical conversation had they not won an Oscar. And that’s definitely not praising the academy for shining a light on overlooked gems as much as it is condemning them for missing great opportunities for recognizing masterpieces of foreign language cinema.

Tahar Rahim in A Prophet

This year, they are given the chance to hand their prize to the year’s most critically acclaimed foreign film, Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation. They blew it when they failed to reward The White Ribbon or A Prophet in 2009, or when they failed to even nominate 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days in 2007. Most people are predicting that there will be no such mishap this time. For some reason, I still remain sceptical.

We’ve seen, time and time again, how this branch favours soft, sappy, melodramatic works that are barely more memorable than your given episode of a soap opera. And in a year where many of the winners across all categories seem locked up, foreign film looks ripe for a surprise. A surprise that will outrage the legions of A Separation’s fans – perhaps more than any other year, given the instant crossover success of the film – but at the end of the day, won’t leave anyone that surprised.

This is not to say that A Separation has no chance to win the award; it’s just to say that I don’t think it as much a lock as people are expecting. Looking at the list of the nominees, I’d say Belgium’s masculine – and muscular - film Bullhead, as great as it is, is the only film that can kick back, have a drink and enjoy the show without being nervous. I love the film and its central performance but I admit that it’s a tough sit – certainly too tough to win enough votes. Among the other four, I can see the Oscar going in any direction.

Footnote, the Israeli entry, may be the blandest film of this bunch but it’s already won plaudits on both sides of the pond. I think it is actually an incredibly boring and unfunny dramedy that has no place being among the top five of anything but sadly, I don’t have voting rights. Joseph Cedar’s made it this far before with Beaufort and voters may feel Israel deserves to finally win after so many nominations. If you believe politics plays any role in the voters’ decision-making process – as I know many people on the internet do – you may think that Israel might win this just because the alternative is an Iranian film. While I can totally imagine that some academy members might be biased against Iran, it’s hard to believe Israel is automatically their alternative. For my money, Israel should have at least one Oscar by now for the brilliant Waltz with Bashir but I promised to stop talking about their blunders.

In Darkness

And speaking of countries with no statue from several nominations, we have In Darkness, Poland’s holocaust drama directed by the previously Oscar-endorsed Agnieska Holland. The key of course, is in the magical words “holocaust drama.” If it was up to me, this repetitive, uninventive, and all together flat film would have given its place to Miss Bala or Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, but Holland’s film is right in the academy’s wheelhouse. Holocaust, children and families, and a storyline we’ve heard a hundred times before. What could possibly stop this film? Nothing, I believe.

Then there’s Canada’s Monsieur Lazhar, an admirable effort, if not an entirely satisfying one. Philippe Falardeau’s film is like a less intelligent, less intimate, more staged and far less dynamic version of its French predecessor - and obvious thematic inspiration - The Class. So while a win for Monsieur Lazhar wouldn’t be an embarrassment by any means, it would be a compromise on two levels: first, because it is not as good as A Separation; second, because it is not as good as The Class, which they failed to reward beyond a nomination in favour of the worst winner of the past decade, the ghastly Japanese film, Departures.

The final nominee is of course, A Separation. Asghar Farhadi’s multi-layered and reflexive study of two families from two different tiers of the Iranian society who cross paths by accident – a film that is at once so universal that anybody with a family can relate to and so deeply rooted in the fabric of Iranian culture, hardly any socio-ethnic study of contemporary Iran can surpass it in depth and integrity; at once so intimate to bring us to tears several times and so thrilling in presenting its legal mystery to make Hitchcock proud. It’s a film that gets better and better with every viewing; it’s among the greatest films that Iranian cinema has ever produced, and most importantly, its win will reflect really well on the academy. For the first time in a really long time – maybe since 2000 – they will have rewarded the year’s most acclaimed foreign film, which is what this category is intended to do.

Peiman Moaadi in A Separation

When I started typing I was thinking of the politics behind the selections in this category. Precisely, I wanted to find whether politics plays a role in the final decision of the voters. I digressed. But to go back to that point, I’m not even sure if politics will work against A Separation. What if there are voters who want to reward Iranian filmmakers for producing great works despite the hardships? Whatever the final outcome, however, I’ve come to the conclusion that politics is probably not a factor. After all, when the voters are so out of touch with world cinema, how can we expect them to be up to the minute with world politics? If A Separation fails to win the Oscar, it won’t be because of some anti-Iranian statement – as I’m sure my fellow countrymen would like to believe, and yell about all over the internet. It will be because the voters in this branch have mediocre taste. If it is more accessible than The White Ribbon, less disturbing than 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, and more mainstream than A Prophet, A Separation is still too challenging and complicated for them to ride to an easy win. Again, I’m not saying it has no chance. What I’m saying is: hold your horses.

In any case, I’d much rather rejoice than be disappointed in the fact that my prediction came out wrong, which is why I’m going with In Darkness as my final prediction with Monsieur Lazhar as the alternative. If A Separation, which I think stands third in the order of likeliness for a win, pulls it off, all the better; if it doesn’t, I’m prepared to hear all my film buddies whine about how unintelligent these voters are and all my Iranian buddies about how “they were never going to give it to an Iranian film.”

A Look at Oscar's Live Action Short Nominees

2012-02-21T23:26:00.000-05:00

In the same vein as the animated short nominees, which I reviewed here, I'm back at The Film Experience with a look at the year's best live action short nominees. Reviews and predictions for all five films await you! Have a read and chime in with your thoughts!

Ciaran Hinds in The Shore

A Look at Oscar's Animated Short Nominees

2012-02-17T15:42:00.000-05:00

Over at The Film Experience, I've written my short reviews and final predictions on the Animated Short Film category at the Oscars. They're an interesting bunch, if a little on the underwhelming side. But there are at least three films in there completely worth your time. So head over and have a read, and if you have the chance to catch them in theatres, please do!

Pixar's La Luna

Highlights: 2011’s Most Depressing Truth...

2012-02-14T15:28:00.005-05:00

...is the year’s Box Office!

Taylor Lautner in Twilight: genuine mediocrity earning gazillions in theatres

30 years ago, On Golden Pond - a drama that won three Oscars and was nominated for another seven, and more importantly, was adapted from a play entirely revolving around an old couple – came second on the year’s list of best selling films. Further down the top twenty, films like Chariots of Fire and Reds appeared.

20 years ago, Silence of the Lambs, the film that won best picture at the Oscars, came fourth on the list. Immediately above it was Beauty and the Beast, Disney’s original take on an old tale (and an all-time favourite of mine) and the only animated film to ever be nominated for best picture in a field of five. Also among the top twenty were films like Cape Fear and JFK.

10 Years ago, Monsters, Inc., Shrek (the original), Ocean’s Eleven (the first one), A Beautiful Mind (best picture winner at the Oscars) and Black Hawk Down made enough money to make the top twenty.


The glorious Monsters, Inc. Even Pixar produced a cash-grab this year in the shape of Cars 2.

If those years seem like a long while ago, let’s look at 2009, when Avatar, Up, The Hangover and The Blind Side – all originals – made the top TEN list. Heck, even one year ago, just one freakin’ year ago, Inception, Despicable Me, How to Train Your Dragon and The King’s Speech (best picture winner at the Oscars) were all in the top twenty.

In 2011, the top 9 films are all sequels. In fact, among the top twenty films at the box office, only two are not based on some sort of previously existing commodity: Bridesmaids and a mediocre animated film called Rio. The Help, a film that a lot of people have deemed a box office success story, is based on a book of equal popularity. This is the state of cinema today. When are the days when people used to watch foreign films? Where did they days go when originality was a virtue? What are the chances that next year’s list isn’t occupied by The Dark Knight Rises, Spiderman, Avengers, and another disposable Twilight sequel?

I’m not expecting the public to rush to the theatres for A Separation or Senna (though I wish they would) but couldn’t we at least get a star vehicle like Drive up there? A quality comedy like Win Win? A star-driven sports film like Moneyball? Even a teen-targeted effects-driven piece like Attack the Block?

Is it time to give up all hope?

*This concludes my 11 highlights of '11 series. Next week, we'll get the ball rolling with traditional awards categories and final Oscar predictions!

Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year

Most Underracted Actor of the Year

Dog of the Year

Best Andy Serkis of the Year

Most Overrated Film of the Year

Alpha Male of the Year

City of the Year

Sexiest Actress of the Year

Best Scene of the Year

Best Physical Work of the Year

Highlights: 2011’s Best Body/Physical Work...

2012-02-11T11:48:00.001-05:00

...is the choreography of ALPS.

(This is awarded to the team behind the best stunt work or choreography or motion-capture, based on the suggestion of my amazing fellow bloggers, Craig and Andrew)

Anyone who’s seen Yorgos Lanthimos’ Dogtooth surely remembers the iconic dance sequence. If you think that was absurd, wait till you get a chance to see ALPS. The choreography in this film is much more diverse and pivotal since one of the leading characters is a ballerina. You’ll get to see her improve through her practice routines, but you’ll also see plenty of mad people flailing their arms around aimlessly and octogenarians slow-dancing. Whoever is in charge of designing these sequences is a bona fide genius.

Personal story: During the Q&A session after the screening of the film at TIFF, I moved up to sit in the first row and asked Aggeliki Papoulia, the lead actress, a question about these dances. “Does Mr. Lanthimos make you dance like that, or are the dances so absurd because you can’t dance better?” I was trying to be cheeky of course, and the theatre obviously got the idea and laughed out loud. She responded, laughingly, with “Are you calling me a bad dancer?” and the director jokingly said that I’d insulted them. Though they obviously knew I was joking, I had an uneasy feeling that something might have gotten lost in translation and that I might have actually offended them. Luckily, as I was telling my friend about this suspicion outside the theatre, they came out the building. So I tapped Aggeliki on the shoulder and told her that I loved the dances and I was obviously kidding about their being bad. She, and her co-star Ariane Labed, were good sports and I felt a fool for doubting their English skills. And then, this happened.

One of my fondest memories from TIFF.

Anyway, once I start dishing out my awards, you’ll see that the film features on the lists prominently, so if you get a chance to check it out, do not pass it up.

Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year

Most Underracted Actor of the Year

Dog of the Year

Best Andy Serkis of the Year

Most Overrated Film of the Year

Alpha Male of the Year

City of the Year

Sexiest Actress of the Year

Best Scene of the Year

Highlights: 2011's Best Scene...

2012-02-09T17:57:00.000-05:00

...is “New York, New York” from Shame.

Steve McQueen can sustain a static frame like no other director. But such scenes also depend heavily on the consistency and focus of his actors. Like Liam Cunningham and Michael Fassbender’s astonishing conversation in Hunger, Carey Mulligan brings on her A-Game here. With melancholy eyes and a rich, searing voice, she sings a pitch-perfect rendition of this classic tune, and makes it impossible for us to take our gaze away from the screen. What makes the scene so powerful is the way Fassbender and Mulligan communicate their mutual emotions without words. Though never seen together in the frame as she sings, their chemistry is as intense as any shot they share. Their eyes really speak a thousand words.

Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year

Most Underracted Actor of the Year

Dog of the Year

Best Andy Serkis of the Year

Most Overrated Film of the Year

Alpha Male of the Year

City of the Year

Sexiest Actress of the Year

Highlights: 2011's Sexiest Actress...

2012-02-08T17:43:00.003-05:00

...is Paula Patton (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol)

Unlike many men I know, “kicking ass” is not a quality that particularly attracts me to women. Yet, from the moment she steps on the screen, there’s a striking quality to her presence that makes kicking and shooting sexy. “What if I still don’t find action sexy?” I hear you ask. That question only goes unanswered until the party scene. As soon as she steps out of the car in that green dress, everyone’s bound to think “Halle...who?” Paula Patton’s where it’s at.

Now, can we get this woman a leading role please?

Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year

Most Underracted Actor of the Year

Dog of the Year

Best Andy Serkis of the Year

Most Overrated Film of the Year

Alpha Male of the Year

City of the Year

Highlights: 2011's City of the Year...

2012-02-07T18:39:00.000-05:00

...is Paris.

The city of light has always been prominent in cinema. In fact, New York is probably the only city that rivals it in terms of the number of memorable portrayals on the silver screen. This year, though, Paris was exceptionally ubiquitous. Midnight in Paris is of course the first film that comes to mind. Woody Allen carved a character from the city and examined it at a specific time period with specific residents. The film’s opening sequence, with Darius Khondji’s postcard-ready cinematography is as explicit a love letter to a city as I’ve ever seen on film. Then there’s Hugo. Like Allen, Martin Scorsese’s also renowned for his depictions of New York, but he, too, packed his stuff and picnicked with the French. Hugo also looked at Paris in an earlier period and centred its story on the city and one of its famous residents. There’s also the Oscar nominated French animation A Cat in Paris, which is a children’s adventure that, as the title suggests, happens in Paris (and involves a cat!)

If all that is not enough, the year’s biggest awards behemoth, The Artist, despite being set in Hollywood, adds even more Gallic flavour. Having seen these four films a total of seven times, it almost feels like I’ve taken a week-long vacation in Paris this year. The magic of the movies, people... the magic of the movies...

Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year

Most Underracted Actor of the Year

Dog of the Year

Best Andy Serkis of the Year

Most Overrated Film of the Year

Alpha Male of the Year

Highlights: 2011's Alpha Male of the Year...

2012-02-06T17:55:00.001-05:00

...is Ryan Gosling.

From his perfect chemistry with three of Hollywood’s most attractive young actresses (Stone, Mulligan and Wood) to swinging his “equipment” in Steve Carrel’s face with utmost confidence, from the ladies' man of Crazy, Stupid Love to the dapper politician of Ides of March, from the Scorpion Jacket and the leather gloves to the toothpick and shades of the mystery man in Drive, Gosling has covered a whole lotta range to deserve this award.

Stardom always seemed only a step away from this promising actor. Not anymore.

Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year

Most Underracted Actor of the Year

Dog of the Year

Best Andy Serkis of the Year

Most Overrated Film of the Year

Highlights: 2011's Most Overrated Film...

2012-02-05T18:12:00.003-05:00

...is The Descendants.

Generally, I don't use the "overrated" distinction. Just because I don't like a film doesn't mean others shouldn't. I've talked about who and what I think is underrated often enough, but not the opposite. This time around, I'm allowing for an exception. Because for my money, except for brief moments in Shailene Woodley’s performance, and even briefer ones in George Clooney’s, The Descendants doesn’t really get anything right.
I’m not really sure what critics found between the redundant character of douchebag par excellence Sid, the implausible character arc of Woodley whose entire adolescent crisis is reduced to an about face after she jumps and cries in the pool, the obnoxious treatment of the film's defenceless antagonist, Judy Greer’s over-the-top anti-climactic visit to the hospital, the on and off narration, and worst of all, the ineffective incongruous Hawaiian melodies that reflect not mood (or atmosphere) but merely location. Whatever it was, I never found it. But the film’s success, sadly, did not end after the critics’ awards. The academy saw fit to nominate the film for five major awards (including freakin’ editing!) and will likely get George Clooney to the podium ahead of the infinitely more deserving Brad Pitt.

I’ve already forgotten about this film. I’ll re-watch Election whenever I need a Payne fix.

Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year

Most Underracted Actor of the Year

Dog of the Year

Best Andy Serkis of the Year

Highlights: 2011's Andy Serkis Award for Best Andy Serkis...

2012-02-04T19:12:00.001-05:00

...goes to Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes).

No one can do mo-cap acting as well as he does. It becomes evident every time we watch any film that uses the technology without him. So, here's to more of his awesomeness in The Hobbit.

Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year

Most Underracted Actor of the Year

Dog of the Year

Highlights: 2011’s Dog of the Year...

2012-02-03T19:33:00.002-05:00

...is Snowy in The Adventures of Tintin.

This award, you understand, is not an annual citation* but 2011 was unusually fruitful for the canine community. The puppies in Bridesmaids were the cutest of the bunch and contributed to one of the funniest scenes in the film. Arthur (played by Cosmo) was as significant in the emotional arc of Ewan McGregor’s character in Beginners as his human co-stars. Jack (played by Uggie in The Artist) was life-saving, both for the film’s leading character and the film itself when that third act was falling completely apart. And Blackie, whose character isn’t really integral to the narrative, was quite marvellous in Hugo. Yet, none of these dogs can win the top award. The puppies’ work is too much of an ensemble for any of them to shine through. Cosmo’s screen time is his biggest constraint. Uggie is too cute for his own good off-screen so my affection for him has gone considerably down since I watched the film. And Blackie is too vicious and freaks me out a little bit.

Snowy, however, is just my type of dog. He’s loyal till his last breath. He’s adventurous enough to follow Tintin anywhere. He’s powerful and smart enough to save Tintin’s life. And most importantly, he looks cute as hell all the while. A better companion than Captain Haddock even? Definitely!

*This is the first and last time I’m rewarding non-humans on this blog, so Snowy should be incredibly proud of this one and only Golden Bone.

Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year

Most Underracted Actor of the Year

Highlights: 2011's Most Underrated Actor...

2012-02-02T18:00:00.003-05:00

...is Ewan McGregor in Beginners.

But isn’t he always? I mean, how does anyone manage to win no awards for performances as strong as the ones he gave in Trainspotting, Moulin Rouge!, The Ghost Writer, and I Love You, Phillip Morris?

McGregor’s charming presence and genial face has been taken for granted long before 2011, but this year it particularly stings because his film is in the thick of the conversation. Beginners’ case is like Moulin Rouge! all over again. Like Nicole Kidman, Christopher Plummer’s performance has gained so much attention – deservedly so, I must add – but few people seem to attribute their seamless chemistry to McGregor’s subtle work. That is also true of Melanie Laurent and many other actors who have shared scenes with him in the past.

McGregor might just be the most generous actor working today. Will he ever get his due?

Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year

Highlights: 2011’s Hottest Sex Scene...

2012-02-01T16:29:00.004-05:00

... (SPOILER ALERT)

is Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig’s intimate moment in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

By the time this scene rolls around – at least for those of us who are unfamiliar with the story – the film is in dire need of any human contact that does not end in rape, murder, or some other type of disgusting circumstance. This encounter, so wonderfully performed by Craig and Mara, is both expected and totally out of the blue, but it's bound to get your heart racing. It also forms the bedrock for the film’s emotional finale.

I’m not the biggest fan of this icy thriller,* but every time I think about it in retrospect, this is the scene that first pops up in my head. And I assure you, I don’t mean that in a creepy way!

Does Oscar think women are better supporting performers?

2012-01-27T13:10:00.001-05:00

While you may think that Steve Carell (Little Miss Sunshine), Tommy Lee Jones (No Country for Old Men) or James Franco (Milk) gave performances as strong as their Oscar-nominated co-stars, the academy looked the other way. Women, as it turns out, don't have to worry too much about their co-stars. For the fourth year in a row, two women from the same film (The Help) were nominated for best supporting actress.
Head over to The Film Experience, where I've looked at some statistics and pondered why this may be. And Nathaniel's added pie charts! Yayy!

Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer in The Help

(Final) Oscar Predictions: January

2012-01-22T17:18:00.003-05:00

After I finally screen Hugo this week, I will get the ball rolling with my own awards, but for now, all that’s on my mind is the nominations announcement on Tuesday morning. I’ve added a few categories for this final instalment, though I still haven’t bothered with the sound and music ones that are always my weakest links.

Nominees?

Best Picture

1- The Artist

2- Hugo

3- The Descendants

4- Midnight in Paris

5- The Help

6- Moneyball

7- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Potential Additions

8- The Tree of Life

9- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

10- War Horse

Alternative

Bridesmaids

The biggest question about the category is of course not about which films but about how many films. I’m going with seven for now. As for the films, well, Dragon Tattoo peaked at the right time (just before voting closed) and scored very well with the guilds. Tinker Tailor finally managed some guild mentions. The Tree of Life, on the other hand, had a terrible showing, missing everything but the cinematographers’ guild. I have a feeling passion voters might still help the film through with their number one votes, but no one knows how many people in the academy will actually put such an esoteric film at the top of their ballots. Bridesmaids, meanwhile, has done well with the guilds and might have enough popular appeal to get a nomination. Could it get ahead of the underperforming War Horse?

Best Director

1- Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)

2- Martin Scorsese (Hugo)

3- Alexander Payne (The Descendants)

4- Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)

5- Terrence Malick (Tree of Life)

Alternative

David Fincher (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)

It was certainly terrible news for The Tree of Life that Malick couldn’t get nominated with the DGA. Then again, the academy’s directors’ branch is more elitist than the guild members as their history suggests. The other question is whether Fincher rides on residual love from The Social Network?

Charlize Theron in Young Adult, one of the best performances of the year

Best Leading Actress

1- Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)

2- Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)

3- Viola Davis (The Help)

4- Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk about Kevin)

5- Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)

Alternative

Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs)

I have a feeling I will be proven wrong about Glenn Close, but without Rooney Mara, the line-up will be unusually older than Oscar’s average actress nominees. Is the academy eager to welcome Close back despite the lukewarm response to the film? Is Rooney Mara’s genre film a hurdle? Where the heck is Charlize Theron, anyway? She’s better than any of my projected six.

Best Leading Actor

1- George Clooney (The Descendants)

2- Jean Dujardin (The Artist)

3- Brad Pitt (Moneyball)

4- Michael Fassbender (Shame)

5- Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar)

Alternative

Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)

Including Oldman, even as the alternative, might be a bit too hopeful. Even if DiCaprio’s performance in the much derided Clint Eastwood film drops, it might be Michael Shannon who scores his second surprise Oscar nomination. Fassbender’s nomination is also not yet a given, but I see the nudity as his only obstacle.

Best Supporting Actress

1- Octavia Spencer (The Help)

2- Berenice Bejo (The Artist)

3- Jessica Chastain (The Help)

4- Shailene Woodley (The Descendants)

5- Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)

Alternative

Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs)

Again, Spencer is the only sure-fire nominee, but the competition is only between six women. I certainly wish Carey Mulligan’s performance in Shame was in the race though.

"Academy Award Nominee" Jonah Hill in Moneyball?

Best Supporting Actor

1- Christopher Plummer (Beginners)

2- Albert Brooks (Drive)

3- Nick Nolte (Warrior)

4- Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn)

5- Jonah Hill (Moneyball)

Alternative

Patton Oswalt (Young Adult)

This is the most volatile acting category. I’m predicting a 5/5 matchup with SAG’s line-up but in reality, nothing outside of a Christopher Plummer snub will surprise me. Corey Stoll (on the account of his film’s favourability) and Viggo Mortensen (on the account of a terrific biopic performance) can show up instead of any of these six men. There’s also Philip Seymour Hoffman in Ides of March.

Best Original Screenplay

1- Midnight in Paris

2- The Artist

3- Bridesmaids

4- Young Adult

5- Win Win

Alternative

A Separation

Despite the few screenplay wins for A Separation, it doesn’t feel like the film caught on with the general voting body. This is the one surprise nomination I’d most like to see, but realistically, even 50/50 has a better chance at getting a nod than Asghar Farhadi’s brilliantly layered film.

Rooney Mara in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Best Adapted Screenplay

1- The Descendants

2- Moneyball

3- The Help

4- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

5- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Alternative

Drive

The writers’ branch has made some really good calls in the past decade, but predicting both A Separation and Drive, even as alternatives, may be a step too far. Hugo may get a nomination since the film is a best picture nominee for sure, but from what I’ve heard the film is more of a director’s piece. Maybe the writers won’t warm up to it?

Best Foreign Language Film

1- A Separation (Iran)

2- In Darkness (Poland)

3- Footnote (Israel)

4- SuperClasico (Denmark)

5- Monsieur Lazhar (Canada)

Alternative

Pina (Germany)

If A Separation misses out here, all hell is going to break loose with this branch. Beyond that, there’s really nothing unimaginable.

Rango

Best Animated Feature

1- Rango

2- The Adventures of Tintin

3- Puss in Boots

4- Kung Fu Panda 2

5- Arthur Christmas

Alternative

Winnie the Pooh

Rio is the only other likely nominee but my gut feeling tells me that Winnie the Pooh’s traditional animation will be higher up their list.

Best Cinematography

1- Tree of Life

2- The Artist

3- Hugo

4- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

5- War Horse

Alternative

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

War Horse remains the biggest question here because the cinematography was really divisive but we’re still talking about Kaminski on a Spielberg film so one never knows. I sure do hope Hoyte van Hoytema gets in for Tinker Tailor though. The film might have left me cold but boy doesn’t it look great.

George Clooney in The Descendants. If the film underperforms, editing is one category where it might fall.

Best Editing

1- The Artist

2- Hugo

3- The Descendants

4- Moneyball

5- War Horse

Alternative

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

For a long time I assumed Mission Impossible or another action film would get in but that spot is only likely to go to Dragon Tattoo now. We’ll see how the academy responds to War Horse.

Best Art Direction

1- Hugo

2- The Artist

3- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

4- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

5- Jane Eyre

Alternative

The Help

Tinker Tailor got a guild nod and hopefully the academy will follow suit. This could be one of the very few below-the-line categories where The Help scores well.

Character-defining costumes in Drive

Best Costume Design

1- Hugo

2- The Artist

3- Jane Eyre

4- The Help

5- Bridesmaids

Alternative

Drive

Yes, yes, I know there’s no way Bridesmaids and Drive can be this high up on the list. This category always likes period pieces, but allow me room for wishful thinking.

Best Visual Effects

1- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

2- Rise of the Planet of the Apes

3- Tree of Life

4- Hugo

5- Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Alternative

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

Maybe I’m underestimating Superheroes? Or Pirates? Is Tree of Life really going to be nominated for that one sequence? I sure hope it does though.

Best Makeup

1- The Iron Lady

2- Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life

3- Hugo
Altenative
The Artist

You can always count on the makeup branch to throw a curveball. No one had thought of this French film as a threat but there it was on the shortlist and I think we can count it in. The makeup definitely looks impressive.

Most Anticipated Films of 2012

2012-01-02T16:00:00.002-05:00

It feels appropriate to start 2012 by writing about the films I’m most looking forward to in this new year. I should have probably waited until I was finished watching everything from 2011 but such is my enthusiasm for these titles, I couldn’t wait to get them out.

Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone in Gangster Squad

There are a few films I’ve had to leave off this list that nevertheless sound very intriguing. Pedro Almodovar who returned to top form with The Skin I Live In will be back with Mina, a biopic about an Italian singer and we all know a biopic in his hands won’t just be any biopic. Michael Haneke’s new film called Amour will most likely screen at Cannes and though early word – that I don’t remember where I’ve first heard – has not been especially positive, we’re still talking about Haneke and every one of his films is an event. Ruben Fleischer’s Gangster Squad looks intriguing and his Zombieland was tons of fun, plus, Hollywood’s new ‘it’ boy Ryan Gosling stars so it’s a must-see.

Park Chan Wook’s Stoker will bring the crazy in Oldboy together with Nicole Kidman; the only reason it missed out on the list is the current cultural vampire overload but I know I’ll be first in line when it comes out anyway. Pixar’s new film Brave is likely to be a return to their better days after the disaster that was the financially motivated, conceptually inept Cars 2. Finally, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises is a film I’ll surely watch on opening night for obvious reasons but I’d be lying if I said the hype has gotten me that excited about it.

With that out of the way, here’s a list of my top dozen most anticipated films of 2011:

Julianne Moore on the set of What Maisie Knew

12. What Maisie Knew

David Siegel and Scott McGehee, the co-directors of this film, have made astonishing art films like Suture and The Deep End in the past so we know we can trust them behind the camera. If you haven’t seen those films or are not particularly keen on watching them, you probably want to that Maisie features Julianne Moore as an aging rock star who plays the mother of the titular character in the process of a messy divorce from her husband. Any Julianne Moore film has a spot on a list like this for me. Maisie is no exception.

11. Moonrise Kingdom

After his seminal film The Royal Tenenbaums in 2001, Wes Anderson’s works always underwhelmed me until he finally won me over again with the richly designed, charming and hilarious Fantastic Mr. Fox. Moonrise Kingdom brings together an eclectic mix of terrific thespians like Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray and Frances McDormand along with stars like Bruce Willis (he’s still a star, right?), Edward Norton, Jason Schwartzman and Harvey Keitel. IMDB describes the story as such: “A pair of lovers flees their New England town, which causes a local search party to fan out and find them.” The Material sounds right up Anderson’s alley.

10. Silver Linings Playbook

When one thinks about a former mental patient who’s trying to reconnect with his family, comedy is not the first word that comes to mind, but then David O. Russell is at the helm. Could this be the role that proves Bradley Cooper has more in him that just beautiful hair? How much screen time are the legendary De Niro and recent Oscar nominee Jacki Weaver given, and can this be De Niro’s time to shine again? I haven’t read the original material the film is based on but I’ll heartily watch anything Russell directs.

9. John Carter

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’s reception was far better than I’d expected, proving that the Pixar team can direct flesh and blood actors just as comfortably as animated ones. Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, WALL-E) is probably the best of their bunch. I’m unfamiliar with the original comics but the trailer looks promising and the film will hopefully bend some of the conventions of the genre. Nobody expects John Carter to be the biggest hit of the summer with the release of the new Batman film but we might just find ourselves a pleasant surprise.

8. Twelve Years a Slave

Few directors can stir as much conversation with their debut feature as Steve McQueen did with Hunger, one of the very best films of the past decade. His second film Shame is currently playing in theatres and has all the buzz in the world around its leading star Michael Fassbender. McQueen will work with Fassbender for a third time here, though the lead is given to Chiwetel Ejiofor in this period piece about slavery in New York in the 1800s. Brad Pitt, one of my favourite working actors, has joined the cast following his prolific 2011. I’m really not sure why this one is only on the 8^th spot. It must be a mistake.

Bromance: Ryan Gosling and Nicolas Winding Refn

7. Only God Forgives

Nicolas Winding Refn’s fandom has grown exponentially following his instant cult classic Drive. If you think reuniting with Ryan Gosling for a Bangkok-set action thriller isn’t exciting enough, wait till you get a hold of his co-star: Kristin Scott Thomas! I can’t even imagine what these guys are cooking up but I’m already at the table waiting for them to serve it.

6. The End

Abbas Kiarostami’s films, despite being universal in their themes, were deeply rooted in Iranian culture so there was plenty of cause for concern when he announced his first film outside his native country. Not anymore of course. Certified Copy is one of the strongest films of his resume and it only gets better and better with every viewing. This time he’s moved from Europe to Japan. The story is unknown to me at the moment but given how layered his (non-)narratives tend to be, I’d rather go in without any prior knowledge. Kiarostami’s name is enough to draw me to the theatre.

5. Gravity

I can’t believe it’s already been six years since Alfonso Cuaron directed his last film, the expansive dystopian epic Children of Men. There are rumours that Gravity, which is almost entirely set in a station in outer space, is going to be an impressive visual spectacle and the fact that Emmanuel Lubezki comes back for another collaboration with the director is sure to make everyone’s mouths water.

4. Django Unchained

Quentin Freakin’ Tarantino! Enough said! Though admittedly, I’ve read this script and it’s not exactly his best work - which is why this film is only at number four – but Tarantino always adds so much to the text on screen. With an ensemble cast that includes Christoph Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson who have shown their best in Tarantino’s films before, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jamie Foxx, Django’s going to be one hell of a Christmas treat.

(On a side note, I had previously expressed concern over Tarantino’s future films after Sally Menke’s unfortunate death given her considerable impact on shaping his films. Fred Raskin who was Menke’s assistant on the Kill Bill films has been given the task of cutting Django Unchained.)

Brad Pitt in Cogan's Trade

3. Killing Them Softly (Formely known as Cogan’s Trade)

Andrew Dominik directed one of my favourite films of the past decade in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. He’s back for another male-dominated story led by Brad Pitt and featuring actors like Ben Mendelsohn, Richard Jenkins, Sam Shepard, Ray Liotta and James Gandolfini. Master cinematographer Roger Deakins is gone but he’s replaced with Greig Fraser whose promising career includes credits like Let Me In and Bright Star. I’m curious to see how a heist story works out within Dominik’s austere, patient and visually poetic storytelling scheme.

2. The Master

Yet another auteur who is coming back after a long hiatus, Paul Thomas Anderson doesn’t really need any introduction. Boogie Nights is among my favourite films of all time and his last work, There Will Be Blood, is one of the most critically acclaimed films of the aughts. The Master hasn’t had the easiest road to screen so far, but there’s no reason to panic when the man behind the camera is as capable as Anderson. The film concerns a man (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) who starts his own religion in the 1950s and has already piqued everyone’s interest for its close similarities to Scientology. The only thing that disappoints me a little is the departure of Anderson’s long time cinematographer Robert Elswit.

1. Seven Psychopaths

In Bruges, Martin McDonagh’s debut feature, was at once poignant, hilarious, thrilling and completely bonkers. His new film is about a screenwriter who is entangled in his friend’s dog-kidnapping plan; and if the title and this synopsis don’t promise even more crazy fun, take a look at the cast: Colin Farrell (who, in my opinion, gave the best performance of his career in McDonagh’s last film), Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson, Gabourey Sidibe, Sam Rockwell, Tom Waits and Abbie Cornish. Show me something that can top that!

Colin Farrell on the set of Seven Psychopaths

Oscar Predictions: December

2011-12-28T16:00:00.001-05:00

With a majority of the precursor nominations now behind us, we have a clearer image of how the Oscar race will pan out. There are some potential nominees whom I’d assumed had faded but are back in the race. Then there are films and individuals who just cemented their status. And, of course, there are some who just failed to make any impact.

Nominees?

Best Picture

1. The Artist

2. Hugo

3. The Descendants

4. The Help

5. War Horse

6. Midnight in Paris

7. Moneyball

8. Tree of Life

Potential Additions

9. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

10. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Alternate

Drive

I’ve predicted eight nominees though Tree of Life missed on both Globe and SAG nominations. I have a hunch that the film’s fervent supporters will help it slide in probably even ahead of Midnight in Paris or Moneyball but I don’t know how many of them there is in the academy. Furthermore, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close has received an extremely quiet and incredibly tepid reaction response from the critics. That didn’t stop The Reader from getting a nomination but holocaust and 9/11 are incomparable properties when it comes to the Oscar race. Finally, Drive has done well with the critics, which makes me wonder if more people will put it at their number one spot ahead of the likes Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Best Director

1. Martin Scorsese (Hugo)

2. Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)

3. Alexander Payne (The Descendants)

4. Terrence Malick (Tree of Life)

5. Steven Spielberg (War Horse)

Alternate

Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)

The top three are set. The directors’ branch will get behind Malick’s grand vision, leading me to think that the fifth spot will a battle between the other two veteran American masters. Refn has been embraced by the critics but I don’t think academy members will put him on their ballots ahead of his more well-known competitors. Daldry, who has been nominated for a 100% of his films so far, will probably have to suffer a blow to his perfect record this year.

Acting, technical and foreign categories after the jump:

Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn. She won the lion's share of the critics' awards.

Best Actress

1. Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)

2. Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)

3. Viola Davis (The Help)

4. Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk about Kevin)

5. Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs)

Alternate

Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)

Tilda Swinton has managed quite a few awards and nominations this year but I’m still not sure if she’ll be in. Glenn Close missed out on the critics’ prizes but the industry welcomed her. The film’s lukewarm reception is her only obstacle. Sadly, Elizabeth Olsen doesn’t look like a nominee anymore which really upsets me. The academy welcomes a new starlet almost every year and very few of them give performances as strong as Olsen’s.

Best Actor

1. George Clooney (The Descendants)

2. Brad Pitt (Moneyball)

3. Jean DuJardin (The Artist)

4. Michael Fassbender (Shame)

5. Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar)

Alternate

Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)

I’m still hoping BAFTA can fuel Oldman’s vehicle. His terrific performance doesn’t make my personal top five but I sure hope he gets his overdue first nomination. Demian Bichir’s SAG nomination might be a hint at his potential but my theory is that if any unknown actor can break through the wall of major stars this year, his film has to be as popular as The Artist. Bichir’s is not. Meanwhile, DiCaprio, who I had written off after the J. Edgar was met with derision, has seemingly never left the race. He was nominated for all the industry awards proving what we all should have known after Invictus: Never mind the quality of the film, just show up on the set of any Eastwood biopic and you can still get yourself an Oscar nomination.

Best Supporting Actress

1. Berenic Bejo (The Artist)

2. Octavia Spencer (The Help)

3. Jessica Chastain (The Help)

4. Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs)

5. Shailene Woodley (The Descendants)

Alternate

Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus)

I didn’t predict Chastain in any of the previous months’ editions, thinking that votes would be spread too thin over all her films and she’ll miss out altogether. The industry seems to have rallied behind The Help (the right choice!) and she’s probably in for a nomination. In a just world, she would get another nod for Take Shelter as well but I’m sure she’ll be happy with just one in her debut year. Meanwhile, Vanessa Redgrave couldn’t get on the shortlist anywhere so she’ll need everyone to watch their screeners of Coriolanus before it’s too late. I really hope her nomination doesn't come at the expense of Woodley though since I think she's the only thing in The Descendants worth watching.

Shailene Woodley in The Descendants

Best Supporting Actor

1. Christopher Plummer (Beginners)

2. Albert Brooks (Drive)

3. Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn)

4. Nick Nolte (Warrior)

5. Jonah Hill (Moneyball)

Alternate

Max von Sydow (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)

Perhaps the most volatile of the acting categories and at the same time, the only one with a clear front-runner. It will come down to the top two men for the win, so the other three should probably be happy with a nomination. Armie Hammer (J. Edgar) and Patton Oswalt (Young Adult) still look like possible contenders too.

Best Original Screenplay

1. Midnight in Paris

2. The Artist

3. 50/50

4. Margin Call

5. Win Win

Alternate

Young Adult

I’m still hoping that the LAFCA screenplay win for A Separation is repeated at the Oscars. The writers’ branch has done stranger things that nominating the year’s most acclaimed foreign film but aside from LAFCA and another organization across the pond, Farhadi’s film has been demoted to the ghetto foreign category.

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. The Descendants

2. Moneyball

3. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

4. Hugo

5. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Alternate

War Horse

The dullest of all races. The Descendants will win this easily and it will be an awfully uninspired win. I’ll continue to hope there’s an upset a la Up in the Air.

Le Havre, one of the best foreign films of the year

Best Foreign Language Film

1. In Darkness (Poland)

2. A Separation (Iran)

3. Le Havre (Finland)

4. Footnote (Israel)

5. Declaration of War (France)

Alternate

Where do we go now? (Lebanon)

Rumours are A Separation’s screening didn’t go that well with the voting body but I think the executive committee will come to the film’s help. It will be a real shame if it fails to get a nod and I suspect if that happens, it will be upsetting enough to cause another rule change in the voting process.

Not much has changed in the technical categories. I’m sticking to my gut feeling that Mission: Impossible might be rewarded with a nod in editing. Meanwhile, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy did feel a little too chilly but its design work (both for art direction and costume design) is wholly deserving of nominations.

Best Cinematography

1. The Artist

2. Tree of Life

3. Hugo

4. War Horse

5. Moneyball

Alternate

Melancholia

Best Art Direction

1. Hugo

2. The Artist

3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

4. Tinker Tailor Soldier spy

5. Tree of Life

Alternate

War Horse

Best Film Editing

1. The Artist

2. Hugo

3. War Horse

4. Moneyball

5. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Alternate

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Jessica Chastain: The New Julianne Moore?

2011-12-24T14:59:00.000-05:00

This week, I finally got around to watching The Help. All the talk about the film taking "the populist spot on the best picture list" reminded me too much of films I don't like so I didn't give it a shot when it was released. Having seen the film now, I'm ready to say I'd made a mistake. Yes, its politics is, to put it mildly, simplified and reductive; the dialogue is at times really corny and the look of the film is too glossy and always ersatz. If you go in thinking this is gonna be a high-minded piece on racial issues, you'll be disappointed but I assume not many people go in thinking that. It's really heartwarming and funny, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me tear up a couple of times. But the real story of the film is the cast.

Top to bottom: The Tree of Life, The Help, Take Shelter

That SAG nomination for best ensemble is so well-deserved. All these actresses are brilliant individually and have chemistry in their scenes together. Viola Davis has perfected the art of finding the right balance between strength and vulnerability. Octavia Spencer is fiery but subtle at all the right moments. Bryce Dallas Howard understands the caricature that her character is but brings a human, though unsympathetic, side to her. Then there's Jessica Chastain. Her character is so broadly written that her presence could have become an irritating joke, yet Chastain's sassy, naive and kind-hearted Celia is the ensemble's greatest player. She's so at ease with the accent and those high heels, one wonders if she is really the same actress who played the mother in The Tree of Life.

In my review of that film I wrote "Jessica Chastain completely immerses herself in Mrs. O’Brien and ... avoids the pitfalls of the “supportive mother” role while capturing the angelic beauty of her character." The range she's covered between these two performances is unbelievable. Both characters manage to transcend the screen but one does it with an ethereal other-worldly presence and the other with open-hearted emotional expressivity. And then there's her outstanding performance in Take Shelter, where she escapes archetypal conventions of the wife's role yet again and builds a character entirely her own.

This has been a fantastic year for an actress who was virtually unknown twelve months ago. At 30, she's a little older than Hollywood's typical new 'it' girls, which reminds me of another redhead beauty who started her career a little late, only to become one of cinema's legendary actresses. Julianne Moore was 33 when Short Cuts came out but she followed it immediately with Vanya on the 42nd Street and Safe. Moore is one of my favourite thespians of all time and not that many people, before or after her, have been as good, but for some reason I feel like there's more in common between the two than red hair and a late start.

Julianne Moore in Boogie Nights

I'm curious to see what Chastain has up her sleeve next but it looks like we're in for a fruitful and exciting career. Her next release will be Coriolanus (February in Toronto) and she's also working on Wettest Country with John Hilcoat (The Road) and another film with Terrence Malick.

Tinker Tailor Tomboy: Two Short Takes

2011-12-22T18:13:00.000-05:00

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

My Grade: B-

Tomas Alfredson’s adaptation of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was one of my most anticipated (and dreaded) films of the year. I’m a big fan of the John le Carré novel but I’d always wondered whether it would be possible to transfer the density of its narrative to the big screen. Though this film is by no means a failure, for the most part it left me cold. Some might believe that the original text was condensed by the screenwriters but I’d say “diluted” better describes this adaptation.

The film takes George Smiley and company from point A to B to C and so on mechanically without really developing their characters enough for us to make any connection. The bigger problem is that there is no sense of significance to the main storyline, making it really difficult to care much about where these characters end up and what consequences their actions bring.

That said, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a showcase for strong performances all around. Gray Oldman’s nuanced and understated work as Smiley is one of the year’s best performances. He blends in with the chilly atmosphere of the film but leaves a distinguished mark of genuine emotion at the right moments. If you’re wondering why none of the actors have managed to enter the awards conversation, it is because of the embarrassment of riches in the ensemble. Mark Strong, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hardy all give performances that equal their greatest work. The below the line elements of the film, particularly the costume and production design works, are equally top notch and meticulous in their reimagining of the early 1970s.

Ultimately, Alfredson’s adaptation, however expertly executed it is, feels more pragmatic and less engaging than the book it’s based on but it’s nevertheless a worthy and measured cinematic experience.


Tomboy

My Grade: A-

One of the biggest surprises of the year is this small French film about a ten-year old girl (Laure, played by Zoe Heran) who disguises herself as a boy in her new neighbourhood. It’s a surprise because despite winning an award at the Berlin Film Festival back in February, Tomboy slipped under the radar and was released with very little publicity. For shame! Celine Sciamma’s loosely structured study of a child’s identity confusion is an exquisite, complex and extremely specific film. Sciamma’s show-don’t-tell approach pays off handsomely as the kids, particularly the two sisters at the centre, take us to moments in childhood we’ve all experienced: the friendships, the games, the fights, the unjustified rivalries and premature romances. One of the strongest elements of Sciamma’s work is that she doesn’t treat the titular character as an outsider but gives Heran room to convey her uneasiness through her expressive performance. The other kids are not portrayed as villains out to bully Laure, but as children with problems of different magnitudes in their own worlds. This, combined with the golden-hued summer setting of the French country-side gives the film an intimate feel that is at once touching and funny.

Tomboy is one of those rare films about children that enters their world without looking at them through the eyes of an adult. For the short duration of this film, the audience becomes one with the kids and lives alongside them. That Sciamma manages to tell such a thought-provoking story with this youthful spirit is a miracle.

Trailer Time: The Five-Year Engagement

2011-12-10T13:11:00.000-05:00

This episode of Trailer Time is in the Yes, No, Maybe So format of The Film Experience. I've looked at the new film written by Jason Segel, starring himself and Emily Blunt. Have a read and chime in with your thoughts.

Oscar Predictions: November

2011-11-28T17:33:00.001-05:00

There aren’t many things left to say before NYFCC gets the ball rolling with the first critics’ award of the season tomorrow. Some changes have been applied here and there since last month following the release of a few films (J. Edgar has left my predictions in almost all categories). I don’t have the time to watch that many films these days. In the past month, I’ve really only seen The Descendants and I didn’t really like it much. I’m surprised that a film with such dull humour and ersatz emotional drama is so firmly in the conversation as the frontrunner. No matter what the critics say, however, I very much doubt Payne’s film can win the top prize. In any case, we’re still predicting nominations, not wins and the film will surely get nominations in the top categories.

Nominees?

Best Picture

1- The Artist

2- The Descendants

3- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

4- War Horse

5- The Help

6- Midnight in Paris

7- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Potential Additions

8- Hugo

9- Moneyball

10- Tree of Life

Alternative

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Moneyball finally enters my top ten. I initially thought the film wouldn’t have the legs to survive through the long season but it doesn’t seem to be leaving the conversation. Plus, there are bound to be baseball fanatics and Brad Pitt fans in the academy, a combined group that probably surpasses the required amount of number one votes.

Best Director

1- Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)

2- Steven Spielberg (War Horse)

3- Alexander Payne (The Descendants)

4- Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)

5- Terrence Malick (Tree of Life)

Alternative

Martin Scorsese (Hugo)

If Daldry’s film makes it in the line-up for best picture, he will most likely make it here too, which means my predictions are probably wrong. But I couldn’t keep myself from imagining legends like Allen, Malick and Scorsese all in there together.

Best Original Screenplay

1- Midnight in Paris

2- Young Adult

3- The Artist

4- Martha Marcy May Marlene

5- Bridesmaids

Alternative

A Separation

I realize that including A Separation, even as the alternate, is only wishful thinking but seriously, this category is still wide open and Sony Pictures Classics must have had some campaign in mind when they picked its release date. Just the other day, during The Hollywood Reporter’s directors’ round-up, Alexander Payne himself wastalking about how much he loves this Iranian gem. If critics rally behind it and enough people see it, it’s TOTALLY possible.

Best Adapted Screenplay

1- The Descendants

2- Moneyball

3- War Horse

4- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

5- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Alternative

The Help

As usual, this category is packed with best picture possibilities and it’s a crowded bunch this year, too. Just think about the names I’ve left out: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Drive, Hugo, We Need to Talk about Kevin...

Acting and tech categories after the jump....

Michael Fassbender in Shame

Best Actor

1- George Clooney (The Descendants)

2- Jean DuJardin (The Artist)

3- Brad Pitt (Moneyball)

4- Michael Fassbender (Shame)

5- Woody Harrelson (Rampart)

Alternative

Gary Oldman (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)

DiCaprio’s been left out on the basis of the lukewarm reaction to J. Edgar, though it’s still entirely possible for him to get in. Fassbender still has to overcome the hurdle of that NC-17 rating and the overt sexuality of his film which shouldn’t be a problem in a just world, but oh well.

Best Actress

1- Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)

2- Viola Davis (The Help)

3- Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)

4- Charlize Theron (Young Adult)

5- Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)

Alternative

Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene)

I think these six names will be the ones battling it out for nominations here during the entire season. If anyone can pose a threat, it will be Glenn Close. There are long shots like Swinton, Colman and Jones, but they will need HUGE campaign pushed and I just don’t see it happening.

Best Supporting Actor

1- Christopher Plummer (Beginners)

2- Albert Brooks (Drive)

3- Ben Kingsley (Hugo)

4- Patton Oswalt (Young Adult)

5- Max von Sydow (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)

Alternative

Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn)

Unlike the lead categories, both supporting categories seem wide open, and frankly, there have not been that many strong performances that I can recall. I’m not really a fan of Plummer’s work in Beginners, but I don’t anyone will complain if the man finally gets his due.

Best Supporting Actress

1- Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus)

2- Berenice Bejo (The Artist)

3- Octavia Spencer (The Help)

4- Shailene Woodley (The Descendants)

5- Sandra Bullock (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)

Alternative

Carey Mulligan (Shame)

Shailene Woodley was the only thing I liked about The Descendants. She was the only one escaped the pitfalls of the script and created a genuine character. (Just for the record, I think Clooney’s performance is great, but how he’s character’s written on paper totally brings him down). I have yet to see The Artist or Coriolanus or The Help, but I’ll be really for both Woodley and Mulligan if they can make it.

Hugo

Hugo seems to be in the running for several tech nominations (and maybe wins). Even the art direction Oscar which I thought would finally go to Harry Potter as a reward for the whole series now seems to be Ferretti’s to lose. Meanwhile, I’m still looking forward to see how the guilds will respond to Tree of Life and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. In particular, I think I’ve made a mistake by leaving Tinker out of my editing nominations. I might have to change that in a month’s time.

Best Cinematography

1- Tree of Life

2- The Artist

3- War Horse

4- Hugo

5- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Alternative

Moneyball

Best Art Direction

1- Hugo

2- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

3- The Artist

4- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy

5- War Horse

Alternative

The Skin I Live in

Best Editing

1- War Horse

2- The Artist

3- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

4- Hugo

5- Moneyball

Alternative

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Best Foreign Language Film

1- In Darkness (Poland)

2- A Separation (Iran)

3- Le Havre (Finland)

4- Where do we go now? (Lebanon)

5- Superclasico (Denmark)

Alternative

Monsieur Lazhar (Canada)

Rumour has it, A Separation’s reception at the Academy screening was mixed. I’m not surprised given the make-up of voters in that branch but the executive committee will probably usher the film in. I can’t help but think the default holocaust nominee (Poland) will be in the line-up. Le Havre is both heartfelt and critically approved. The last two are still up for grabs.

APSA winners announced, one more award for A Separation

2011-11-24T14:25:00.004-05:00

I’d talked about the Asia Pacific Screen Awards previously when the nominations were announced. It’s one my favourite awards of the season because it’s the main international stage where Iranian films are consistently featured.

Leila Hatami and Peiman Moaadi in A Separation

The prizes were handed out today and lo and behold, an Iranian film claimed the top prize for the first time in the five year history of the awards. It’s yet another honour for Asghar Farhadi’s brilliant film A Separation. The result was predicted by almost everybody except yours truly. I thought the jury wouldn’t ignore A Separation’s screenplay and lead actor and also wouldn’t be willing to reward a single film with three prizes, hence why I predicted Once Upon a Time in Anatolia would prevail. I was wrong on all accounts.

The jury was in fact totally okay with handing three prizes to one film, that being the aforementioned Turkish film which took the Grand Jury Prize, Best Director for Nuri Bilge Ceylan (it’s his second win after 2008’s Three Monkeys) and an incredibly well deserved Best Cinematography award for Gokhan Tiryaki (I've already written about how much I love his work here.)

A Separation’s prize in the top category is the film’s lone award of the night. What I think is most surprising is that A Separation missed the Best Screenplay award since I think everybody would agree that that’s the film’s strongest suit. Maybe the jury didn’t want to over-reward Farhadi after what happened in Berlin? Or maybe the acclaimed Russian winner Silent Souls, which I haven’t seen yet, is actually a more deserving winner. (Iran’s second prize of the night was the High Commendation Best Children’s Feature Film given to Wind and Fog. I hadn’t heard of this film before the nominations were announced but it looks really intriguing.)

Aside from the cinematography prize, another category I did predict correctly was Best Actress which went to the second Russian winner of the night Nadezhda Markina for her role in Elena. I missed the film at TIFF but everyone who's seen it is doing cartwheels for her so it’s surely something to look forward to.

On a final note, Iran and Turkey have submitted A Separation and Anatolia for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, as you probably know. Both films are stellar feats and the academy would be wise to nominate them, though I think A Separation stands a much better chance.

Anyway, take a look at the full list of winners after the jump:

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

Best Feature Film

A Separation (Asghar Farhadi)

Best Achievement in Directing

Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Once Upon a Time in Anatolia)

Best Screenplay

Denis Osokin (Silent Souls)

Best Cinematography

Gokhan Tiryaki (Once Upon a Time in Anatolia)

Best Performance by an Actor

Wang Baoqiang (Mr. Tree)

Best Performance by an Actress

Nadezhda Markina (Elena)

Best Documentary Feature Film

I Was Worth 50 Sheep

Best Children’s Feature Film

Buta

The Documentary Dilemma

2011-11-17T12:52:00.000-05:00

Ever since I saw Jose and Pilar, the Portuguese documentary film submitted for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, I've been wondering whether the voters in that branch have it in them to go there and nominate a documentary. The question's also been on my mind about the editing of Senna - which you might remember is one of my favourite films of the year - and Chris King's chances at getting a nomination in that category.

I imagine the answer is a no in both cases, but anyway, over at The Film Experience, I've given the academy four suggestions to nominate docuementaries in non-documentary categories, because the more we talk about it, the likelier it is for voters to hear us! Have a read and join the conversation!

Scene from Pina, Germany's submission for best foreign film

In Case You Missed It...

2011-11-13T18:35:00.001-05:00

...these are some awesome reads from this past week:

My favourite article was Robert Hamer's Top Ten People in Need of Biopics on Awards Circuit in honour of Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar. I haven't this film yet since virtually all the critics I trust have, to put it mildly, disliked it. But Robert's list is quite an intriguing one. All ten potential biopics are films I would welcome with open arms if they were well-executed like say McQueen's Hunger was (instead of a greatest hits type life story like I hear J. Edgar is.) My favourite story of the ten is Genie's but I'm not sure if anyone can pull that film off without ruining the mystique. My personal list would probably be different but I can't argue with his number one choice.

David Fincher by Annie Leibovitz

Nathaniel at The Film Experience directed me to this piece by Aaron Sorkin which is essentially a love letter to his The Social Network partner David Fincher. The letter's worth a read (duh! It's Sorkin!) and there are a few shots from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo that make me wanna have sex with the film.

The Young Turks discussed the recently released anti-meth commercials directed by Darren Aronofsky. If you think Requiem for a Dream scared you away from doing drugs, wait to you get a hold of these. They're powerful, terrifying and yet another example of Aronofsky's great talent as a director.
Besides, as Ana Kasparian puts it, this is a much more effective way of preventing drug use than having the government shake their fingers at kids and telling them it's illegal.

Finally, another J. Edgar related item in the form of Funny or Die's spoof of the film's trailer trailer. I'm actually quite a big fan of DiCaprio but he seems to be getting stuck in the same type of roles over and over again. I'm really happy he decided to take on Django Unchained. Given Tarantino's past with actors, I'm sure it will be a major addition to DiCaprio's resume. Anyway, here's the trailer/FYC ad for L. DiCaprio. It's hilarious.

My Top 7 Choices for Hosting the Oscars

2011-11-10T08:00:00.002-05:00

The shenanigans about this year’s Oscar ceremony happened way too quickly for me to get to comment on. The gist of it is: Brett Ratner, the producer said some stupid things; he apologized and later resigned; Eddie Murphy, the host, also pulled out; Brian Grazer was announced as the new producer.

By the time I finish typing this Grazer might have brought in a new host. Anyway, I’m kinda bummed that Murphy left. I don’t remember his glory days as a stand-up but the clips I've seen here and there still make me laugh out of context. And the writing team seemed inventive and funny. In any case, it’s all over now and Grazer is hard at work – I assume – trying to get a new host.

I’m not opposed to most of the names being thrown around the blogosphere: The Wiig/McCarthy duo, Billy Crystal, Jim Carrey, Hugh Jackman, or even the hilarious but admittedly far-fetched idea of The Muppets. I can see myself enjoying a show hosted by any of them. Ben Stiller isn’t up there for me since I don’t really like the bits he’s done on stage in the past couple of years but he’s talented in several different areas, so what do I know?

With that in mind, here’s a list of my top seven choices for hosting the Oscars. From my mouth to Brian Grazer’s ears:

Neil Patrick Harris opening the 82nd Academy Awards

7- Neil Patrick Harris

The obvious choice. He’ll get to host the show at some point I’m sure, so why not now? He’s charming; he’s funny; he can put on a show; he can sing and dance; plus, he’s been there before with a few musical numbers and he’s successfully hosted the Tony’s and the Emmy’s. I can’t see a single person objecting to him.

6- Stephen Colbert

His humour might be a little too edgy and political for Oscar’s taste but he’s arguably the funniest man on TV. Sometimes outsiders are better suited for this job than showbiz folks and if the producers want to get a non-actor, who better than Colbert?

5- Tina Fey and Steve Carell

Every time they went on the stage together, they knocked it out of the park. They’ve got such great chemistry together. Unlike a duo like Black and Ferrell who are only funny in small dozes but not enough to sustain a whole show, they’ve already proven that they can elevate any material and hold it together for a couple of hours. Seriously, think of another couple who could shine in a contrived, bloated and otherwise dull comedy like Date Night! Couldn't find one? I thought so.

4- Meryl Streep (with Tracey Ullman or Lily Tomlin)

Probably the most popular actress in the industry. We already know she can be hilarious and she’s always a lively presence at awards shows. Both Ullman and Tomlin have great chemistry with her and would be amazing co-hosts, but I would go with Ullman because she might just show us her tits!

3- Louis CK

He’s not exactly the type that the Academy would go for and I’m not sure he’s the type to accept the gig if they offered it to him. That said, I think he’s the funniest stand-up comedian currently working and if that can’t be enough to put on a good show, I don’t know what can.

Craig Ferguson with his robot Geoff Peterson

2- Craig Ferguson (with Geoff Peterson)

Ferguson’s consistently hilarious. Every damn night! He also has the experience of hosting the White House Correspondent’s Dinner which houses a much, much tougher crowd than the Oscars. If he gets to host the show, it will undoubtedly be the funniest show in years. The robot sidekick is just icing on the cake.

1- Kevin Spacey

A natural and genuine showman. Charming, charismatic and dapper. He knows everyone in the industry, is well liked all around and he can easily run the show. He’s a real movie star and the experience of Hugh Jackman at this job proves that getting a real star is the way to go. Spacey’s the perfect combination of all the things that the biggest award show of the year needs.

What My Favourite Bloggers Are Up To...

2011-11-05T16:31:00.002-04:00

School's really getting the better of me these days and blogging is kinda on the bottom of the list of priorities. I do keep up with my usual reading though so I thought I'd highlight a few of the interesting things that came around on the web last week, in case you missed them:

Over at dark eye socket, Craig Bloomfield had an interesting list for Halloween. Instead of writing up another one of those generic best horror films of all time lists, he went for the Top Five Scary Masks in Non-Scary Films. His choices are top-notch. I'm so bad at remembering specifics from films (unless I obsessively rewatch them) that I can't even think of anything that would possibly extend his list to a top ten.
Anyway, I've been a fan of Craig's Take Three series, so it's shameful that I only recently visited his own blog, but he's become my new favourite blogger.

At PopMatters, Jose's looking back at the short but powerful filmography of Jean Vigo, calling it history's most perfect filmography. I commented on his own blog that Luis Bunuel is my go-to guy when somebody asks me for a perfect filmography, only to realize that I'm actually missing a couple of titles. Could they be so bad to change my perception of Bunuel? I hardly think so. Then there are more recent filmmakers whose filmographies we're readily familiar with. Tarantino, Farhadi and to an extent, Paul Thomas Anderson all have good records for me, though not close to perfection. Have a read and chime in with your thoughts.

At Grantland, Bill Simmons has an interesting take on the career trajectory of this year's Oscar host and one of the greatest comedians of all time, Eddie Murphy. He thinks Murphy doesn't get quite enough praise for his genius and ends his piece with this:

"I don't know why we stopped caring about Eddie, why we never give him the benefit of the doubt, why we never consider him a pioneer, why we were in such a hurry to marginalize him. I just know that we don't, and we don't, and we don't. And we did."

At Antagony and Ecstasy, Tim Brayton gives another one of his monthly previews, this time for November's films. He's as funny and cynical as ever. Reading his previews are very often more enjoyable than watching the actual films.

"Immortals is going to be awful, and it really causes me pain that Immortals is going to be awful, because it's the third film by Tarsem Singh, after The Cell and The Fall both of which I pretty much love all the way down to my toes. Setting aside the fact that it's a 300 knock-off, I pray that it will be easy on the eyes, at least. Something that will not be true of Jack and Jill, in which Adam Sandler plays both of the title characters. Yes, it's the Adam Sandler drag movie we've all been waiting for."

Finally, in non-film related news, The Cat with Binoculars, who's always great at highlighting amusing things (and art pieces) had this video to share from Conan O'Brien's interview with Louis C.K. No one can make me laugh as much as he does. Hilarious, his stand-up from last year, was the most aptly titled film of the year.

Oscar Predictions: October

2011-10-31T19:52:00.001-04:00

As we progress further into the season, more potential players are released for the public and the buzz keeps changing. Although, to be honest, I think the season is off to a slow start, but I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. It’s more interesting when things are not super predictable 5 months in advance.

Before the next set of predictions, J. Edgar, Margin Call, Melancholia, The Descendants, Hugo and My Week with Marilyn will open and make things more clear. For now, let’s get to this month’s updated predictions.

Nominees?

Best Picture

1- The Artist

2- War Horse

3- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

4- The Descendants

5- The Help

6- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Potential Additions

7- Ides of March

8- Midnight in Paris

9- Tree of Life

10- Hugo

Alternate

J. Edgar

I’ve taken Young Adult out of the top ten despite Reitman’s good track record. He took up the “smart adult comedy” spot with Juno and Up in the Air but that spot will almost certainly go to The Artist and potentially Midnight in Paris this year, so his film will have to be really terrific to stay in contention.

Best Director

1- Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)

2- Steven Spielberg (War Horse)

3- Stephen Daldry (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)

4- Alexander Payne (The Descendants)

5- Terrence Malick (Tree of Life)

Alternate

Tomas Alfredson (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)

Minor shuffling aside, I’m sticking with my gut feeling that these six men will be the ones contesting this category and that Malick, even if his film misses out in the top category, will be rewarded with a nomination here by his peers.

Best Actor

1- George Clooney (The Descendants)

2- Jean DuJardin (The Artist)

3- Gary Oldman (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)

4- Brad Pitt (Moneyball)

5- Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar)

Alternate

Woody Harrelson (Rampart)

I’ve noticed DiCaprio falling lower and lower every month as my faith in the film is not as strong as it used to be before the trailer came out. With the film’s release we’ll know if it does have what it takes to be a contender or not. I’m including Harrelson here for the first time. He gives a powerhouse performance in the film (I reviewed it during TIFF here) and if enough people see it, he’ll be a shoo-in. But that’s a big hurdle.

How good is this performance going to be? If it's not good, will he cruise to a nomination on the account of polished biopic and such?

Best Actress

1- Viola Davis (The Help)

2- Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)

3- Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)

4- Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)

5- Charlize Theron (Young Adult)

Alternate

Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene)

Olsen’s performance in Martha deserves a nomination (although it’s the only one of the six that I’ve seen so far). I’ve taken Glenn Close out because I think the lukewarm reception of her film may hurt her chances at the peak of the season.

Best Supporting Actor

1- Christopher Plummer (Beginners)

2- Max von Sydow (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)

3- Albert Brooks (Drive)

4- Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn)

5- Christoph Waltz (Carnage)

Alternate

Patton Oswalt (Young Adult)

With the announcement that the Carnage cast is going all supporting and virtually all the reports of the film pointing to Waltz as the standout among the cast, I think he has a good chance now that the category seems fluid. Kenneth Branagh’s hype didn’t translate to real buzz after NYFF with Williams getting most of the attention but again, the category seems wide open.

Best Supporting Actress

1- Octavia Spencer (The Help)

2- Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus)

3- Shailene Woodley (The Descendants)

4- Sandra Bullock (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)

5- Berenic Bejo (The Artist)

Alternate

Judi Dench (J. Edgar)

Bejo finally enters my predictions as The Artist keeps racking up more festival awards. It might just be the movie they go all out for and if they do, she could easily be in the running. The one I feel least confident about is Bullock but nothing about her film is clear at the moment.

Berenice Bejo in The Artist

Best Original Screenplay

1- Midnight in Paris

2- The Artist

3- Young Adult

4- J. Edgar

5- Martha Marcy May Marlene

Alternate

A Separation

We already know that Sony is releasing A Separation in 2011 so it’s only logical to assume they’re going for a Talk to Her style screenplay nomination. I still believe an earlier release date would have helped significantly (the current date is December 30^th!) but we’ll see what happens.

Best Adapted Screenplay

1- The Descendants

2- War Horse

3- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

4- Moneyball

5- Ides of March

Alternate

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Nothing important to talk about here. This category might be the consolation if Ides of March fails to register anywhere else.

Best Cinematography

1- War Horse

2- Tree of Life

3- The Artist

4- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

5- Hugo

Alternate

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Scorsese’s Hugo opened to enthusiastic response at the NYFF. If the film fails to score nods in the top categories, it should still be a major player in the technical categories. Robert Richardson’s presence behind the camera doesn’t hurt of course.

Hugo

Best Editing

1- The Artist

2- War Horse

3- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

4- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

5- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy

Alternate

Moneyball

The category is usually filled with best picture nominees. In the past two years (the ten nominee era) no film has been able to get a nomination here without one in the top category. This might be an indication that I’m wrong on Dragon Tattoo, but I can’t resist including last year’s winners.

Best Art Direction

1- The Artist

2- Hugo

3- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

4- War Horse

5- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Alternate

J. Edgar

This looks like a good mix of best picture nominations, fantasy and period films. Don’t underestimate The Sherlock Holmes team though. They showed up two years ago and only lost to a tiny little film called Avatar.

Best Foreign Language Film

1- In Darkness (Poland)

2- Where do we go now? (Lebanon)

3- A Separation (Iran)

4- Le Havre (Finland)

5- Declaration of War (France)

Alternate

Monsieur Lazhar (Canada)

Buzzy festival titles like Miss Bala, The Turin Horse, Attenberg and Once Upon a Time in Anatolia might prove too outré for the academy. And of course, there are a couple of films that slide in out of nowhere every year. I feel confident about the top four films though.

Oscar Horrors Continue!

2011-10-29T15:49:00.002-04:00

Nathaniel and Team Experience are still going strong with the Oscar Horrors series. I wrote up my second (and final) contribution a couple of days ago on a film that scared me to no bounds when I first watched it. Have a read and join in the conversation!

Thoughts on Martha Marcy May Marlene

2011-10-26T13:34:00.001-04:00

My Grade: A-

- This film certainly has the most interesting title of anything in 2011. Having now seen the film and understanding the reasoning behind this selection, I’m all the more impressed. They really could have settled for any generic horror flick title but they chose Martha Marcy May Marlene. Whether this works for the film in terms of advertising and box office, I don’t know, but they’ll definitely pique everyone’s curiosity.

- This is one of those films that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. From the opening frame to the final cut, there’s an eeriness about the atmosphere that creeps under our skin and a repressed tension that totally hooks us. Though this tension keeps building up and is never quite relieved, the film surprisingly never buckles under its own pressure. It remains intense throughout and keeps a steady tone. Also, with almost no depiction of violence, gore or really, anything gross at all, Martha Marcy May Marlene scared the crap out of me.

- Elizabeth Olsen is going to be a major film star. There have been quite a few “it” girls in recent years, boasting a combination of acting chops and beauty, and vying for attention on the account of their newcomer status. None of them have proved quite as talented as Olsen (at least on their first try) and surely not as beautiful either. I mean, this girl’s physique is made for the big screen. This face can really belong to any character and it’ll me feel like to one else can take on that role. In Martha Marcy May Marlene, she’s the mirrored image of her troubled soul, her wide and bright face masking her anxiety but her eyes letting out her haunted innocence.

As the younger sister of the noisy twins, it was always going to be difficult for Elizabeth to make a name for herself, but with this nuanced and mesmerizing performance, and all the buzz she’s been making, I have a feeling we might refer to those two as Elizabeth's older sisters in a little while.

- And while I’m on the subject of newcomers, how about that Sean Durkin? How does anyone keep so much control over their audience in their first film?

Durkin has a grip over every element of this movie. With careful framings, seamless transitions between the past and the present, and lots of mileage from the architecture (and the juxtaposition of the confined spaces of the cult house and the open spaces of Lucy’s) he shows that he understands compositions and the formal development of the medium. But equally important are the subtleties that make the film truly outstanding. A touch here, a glance there, just how a floor creaks, or how the characters utter a certain word; it all comes together perfectly.

- We’ve come to expect John Hawkes to be regularly amazing in everything he does and because of his consistent quality, it's easy to take him for granted. He finally got noticed last year with an Oscar nomination for Winter’s Bone. As the cult leader in Martha Marcy May Marlene, he’s every bit as impressive and even more frightening as he was there. I’m definitely curious to see what he’s got in the bag next. Also, the man's a terrific singer.