So here is the one everyone is waiting for....my picks for the Oscars!
Please keep in mind this is a subjective viewpoint based on movies I have seen. No, I haven't been able to see every movie nominated, although we did manage to see 7 of the 9 nominations for Best Picture (we missed out on "War Horse" and "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.") Also, I will not comment on every category. I have not seen any of the nominated documentaries, have little knowledge of the films up for best visual effects and make-up, and still have a hard time figuring out the difference between sound effects and sound mixing.
I want to emphasize that these are not who I think will win the Oscar; it's the nominees that I would vote for were I a member of the Academy.
So without further comments, the "CinaJimOscar" goes to....
Live Short: Pentecost
Animated Short: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
I won't go into detail on these since you can read my previous blogs on these categories.
Film Editing: Moneyball
Although I wasn't a big fan of this movie, I did admire the technical perfection of the editing in this film.
Art Direction: Hugo
Cinematography: Hugo
Without a doubt the most stunningly beautiful movie I've seen in 2011. The set design is elaborate and impeccably perfect, and the creators did a fantastic job of recreating the milieu of Georges Melies.
Animated Feature:
The biggest outrage of this years nominations. Kung Fu Panda 2 is nominated? Really?!
My pick goes to the movie I went to see twice and and which was the most fun I had at the movies all year: The Adventures of TinTin:The Secret of the Unicorn.
Best Song:
The second biggest outrage of the year. For a song that was the essence of the film it appeared in, I would have nominated and picked Mary J. Blige's The Living Proof from The Help.
Best Score: The Adventures of TinTin
Yes, I'm biased, but I would still give John Williams the award for this one. This was not his usual bombastic charging themes. Yes, it had exciting themes through most of the action sequences, but what really struck me was the opening and main motif which was jazzy and similar in tone to the Pink Panther theme.
Adapted Screenplay: Hugo
I've seen the book this was adapted from, and the creators of the film nailed it!
Original Screenplay: Midnight in Paris
I'll say it again...Woody Allen's best movie in years.
Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer
The seasoned actor was the best part of Beginners. And he was a delight!
Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer
The heart of The Help. Sassy, funny, and yet touching. Just don't eat her chocolate pie...
Actress: Viola Davis
The soul of The Help. Heart-breaking, vulnerable, and eventually strong. She completely dissolved into the character and gave the performance of her career (so far.)
Actor: Jean Dujardin
This was a tough call. I loved George Clooney in The Descendants. However, I have to give the award to Dujardin for embodying the perfect silent film star. He had the swagger of Douglas Fairbanks, the pathos of Charlie Chaplin, and the charm of John Gilbert.
Director: Michel Hazanavicius
Who would have thought that a French director would come up with a black and white silent film in 2011 and turn The Artist into such a crowd pleaser!
Picture: The Artist
There were several movies that I truly loved this year, but this one stands above the rest. Charming and touching, technically brilliant on all accounts, and performed by an incredible cast....this is what going to the movies is all about!
So now you have my picks. Feel free to agree or disagree. Just remember, you know where I'll be Sunday night (and yes, I took off from work on Monday!)
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
Moneyball
Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) is the General Manager of the Oakland A's and is constrained by a low budget which doesn't allow him much option to improve a losing team. He encounters Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), a Yale Economics graduate working for another team. Billy brings him to the Oakland A's to try and come up with recruits via statistics, much to the chagrin of coach Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman.) Can Billy change the face of baseball and lead his team to victory?
I had read that this is a baseball movie even for people who know little about the game. Wrong! Throughout the movie my husband and I kept looking at each other to see if either one of us knew what was going on! Nothing is explained in black and white; it took me at least half an hour to realize that Billy was the General Manager and Art was the coach. And I only found out after discussing the movie with guys at work that the table of guys discussing the players were actually the talent scouts who search for new recruits. (Although this did lead to the one funny line in the movie. A possible recruit is mentioned, and one scout says they can't hire him because his girlfriend is ugly: "A guy with a girl like that obviously has low self-esteem.")
With that out of the way, let's get to the merits of the film. The acting is good, albeit not Oscar-worthy; Brad brings his "A" game to the role, and Jonah Hill gives a subtle performance as the guy who is afraid to speak until his boss tells him to. Even though he has few lines in the film, you do get to see him grow and gain more confidence as the film progresses. Hoffman was almost unrecognizeable in his role.
The best part of the film is the editing. The movie intercuts between the story at hand, flashbacks to Billy's own recruitment (where he decides to give up a college scholarship to play professional ball and then disappoints when he turns out not to be the star they expected,) and lots of cuts to computer screens, statistical charts, and actual game footage.
Nominated for Best Actor, Supporting Actor, Editing, Sound Mixing, Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture.
CinaJim's take: Did not live up to the hype.
Coming up next: CinJim's picks for the Oscars
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Oscar Special-Animated Short Films
So here is part two of my review of films that are nominated but most people don't get to see:
the nominations for best animated short.
Sunday/Dimanche
A young boy in Canada spends his Sundays putting coins on the railroad track, going to church, and going to Grandma's house to visit with the relatives.
Yes, that's the plot. This is a very primitive animated short with little color; the entire pastel is black, white, grey, and beige. I believe the creators were trying to depict the ennui and boredom of a typical Sunday in a town that the train passes by. Sorry, didn't get it.
A Morning Stroll
A young man is walking down the street and bumps into a fat guy. He continues on down the street and sees a chicken come around the corner. The chicken then goes up a staircase, pecks on a door, and enters the house when the door is opened. This scenario goes on three times over the course of 100 years.
The three segments in this film were done in three different ways. The first segment is black and white and drawn in a very linear fashion with a simple storyline. The second section is in color. The guy walking down the street is now playing a zombie game on an Iphone, and when he bumps into the fat guy, he spills his milkshake on him. The third section is CGI, and the guy walking down the street is a zombie. Now when he bumps into the fat guy he literally knocks the guys head off. And when the chicken arrives, it turns into a bit of a bloodbath. Then comes the "funny" coda.
Once again, didn't get it. I admired the three different techniques of the segments, but the story was lame. And my husband Ken fell asleep during this one.
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
A young man, surrounded by books, is reading on his balcony in Louisiana. Suddenly there is a hurricane which wisks him to another place, a place that is dreary and grey. As he is walking down the road he notices a woman flying by hanging onto strings of flying books. He follows her to a building made of books, and discovers that the library inside is a colorful room filled with flying and living books. He communicates with a book on Humpty Dumpty, helps save an old book, and winds up staying in the town as the book custodian, handing out books to the grey children and bringing color into their lives.
Another great homage to film! The lead character is patterned after Buster Keaton and the tornado scenes are reminiscent of "The Wizard of Oz." This film utilizes a variety of techniques, from CGI to old fashioned animation (as in flipping the pages of a book to make the drawings move) to actual claymation sets. Absolutely charming with an "Up" wistfullness.
Wild Life
A young privileged man leaves England to find his way in the Canadian wilderness. Although his letters home are optimistic, they do not detail the travails he is experiencing. His story is interspersed with title cards describing the life and death of a comet.
An interesting Canadian (again) film. This was another film with old school animation (i.e. no CGI that I could tell.) The story was intriguing and sad, but what I really liked was the artwork. At times I thought to myself that if Van Gogh made an animated film, this is what it would look like.
La Luna
A little boy is taken out on a boat with his father and grandfather to learn the family business. After he drops the anchor and a ladder is raised, he realizes that the family business is taking care of the moon.
A very charming short, with a cute ending. However, it's a Pixar film so we expect it to be breath-taking. And it is.
So, just when we thought it was over, the film continued with four "highly commended" shorts. In other words, those that weren't nominated:
Nullarbor
Two men engage in road rage traveling the longest road in Australia.
Another CGI film with a great story and characterization. Warning....definitely not a child's cartoon.
Skylight
A very humorous story depicting penquins dealing with the depleting ozone layer.
Hybrid Union
Three robots trying to out-run an ominous cloud. A CGI film from the Ukraine. Not exceptional.
Amazonia
A young frog tries to get a meal. An older frog befriends him and the two of them try to eat while not being eaten. Very engaging with colorful CGI animation.
So, CinaJim's views:
Thanks to the MidTown Cinema we were able to see this year's nominations for short films. I preferred the live action shorts over the animated ones. There were a few that should not have been nominated ("Sunday," "A Morning Stroll") while some of the "commended" ("Skylight," "Amazonia," "Nullarbor") should have made the cut.
However, without a doubt in my mind, the best animated short was "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore." What a wonderful homage to "old school" film and a valentine to bibliophiles everywhere. I hope this one will be available on dvd because I absolutely loved it!
the nominations for best animated short.
Sunday/Dimanche
A young boy in Canada spends his Sundays putting coins on the railroad track, going to church, and going to Grandma's house to visit with the relatives.
Yes, that's the plot. This is a very primitive animated short with little color; the entire pastel is black, white, grey, and beige. I believe the creators were trying to depict the ennui and boredom of a typical Sunday in a town that the train passes by. Sorry, didn't get it.
A Morning Stroll
A young man is walking down the street and bumps into a fat guy. He continues on down the street and sees a chicken come around the corner. The chicken then goes up a staircase, pecks on a door, and enters the house when the door is opened. This scenario goes on three times over the course of 100 years.
The three segments in this film were done in three different ways. The first segment is black and white and drawn in a very linear fashion with a simple storyline. The second section is in color. The guy walking down the street is now playing a zombie game on an Iphone, and when he bumps into the fat guy, he spills his milkshake on him. The third section is CGI, and the guy walking down the street is a zombie. Now when he bumps into the fat guy he literally knocks the guys head off. And when the chicken arrives, it turns into a bit of a bloodbath. Then comes the "funny" coda.
Once again, didn't get it. I admired the three different techniques of the segments, but the story was lame. And my husband Ken fell asleep during this one.
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
A young man, surrounded by books, is reading on his balcony in Louisiana. Suddenly there is a hurricane which wisks him to another place, a place that is dreary and grey. As he is walking down the road he notices a woman flying by hanging onto strings of flying books. He follows her to a building made of books, and discovers that the library inside is a colorful room filled with flying and living books. He communicates with a book on Humpty Dumpty, helps save an old book, and winds up staying in the town as the book custodian, handing out books to the grey children and bringing color into their lives.
Another great homage to film! The lead character is patterned after Buster Keaton and the tornado scenes are reminiscent of "The Wizard of Oz." This film utilizes a variety of techniques, from CGI to old fashioned animation (as in flipping the pages of a book to make the drawings move) to actual claymation sets. Absolutely charming with an "Up" wistfullness.
Wild Life
A young privileged man leaves England to find his way in the Canadian wilderness. Although his letters home are optimistic, they do not detail the travails he is experiencing. His story is interspersed with title cards describing the life and death of a comet.
An interesting Canadian (again) film. This was another film with old school animation (i.e. no CGI that I could tell.) The story was intriguing and sad, but what I really liked was the artwork. At times I thought to myself that if Van Gogh made an animated film, this is what it would look like.
La Luna
A little boy is taken out on a boat with his father and grandfather to learn the family business. After he drops the anchor and a ladder is raised, he realizes that the family business is taking care of the moon.
A very charming short, with a cute ending. However, it's a Pixar film so we expect it to be breath-taking. And it is.
So, just when we thought it was over, the film continued with four "highly commended" shorts. In other words, those that weren't nominated:
Nullarbor
Two men engage in road rage traveling the longest road in Australia.
Another CGI film with a great story and characterization. Warning....definitely not a child's cartoon.
Skylight
A very humorous story depicting penquins dealing with the depleting ozone layer.
Hybrid Union
Three robots trying to out-run an ominous cloud. A CGI film from the Ukraine. Not exceptional.
Amazonia
A young frog tries to get a meal. An older frog befriends him and the two of them try to eat while not being eaten. Very engaging with colorful CGI animation.
So, CinaJim's views:
Thanks to the MidTown Cinema we were able to see this year's nominations for short films. I preferred the live action shorts over the animated ones. There were a few that should not have been nominated ("Sunday," "A Morning Stroll") while some of the "commended" ("Skylight," "Amazonia," "Nullarbor") should have made the cut.
However, without a doubt in my mind, the best animated short was "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore." What a wonderful homage to "old school" film and a valentine to bibliophiles everywhere. I hope this one will be available on dvd because I absolutely loved it!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Oscar Special-Live Short films
Since we haven't been able to watch "Moneyball" yet, I'm going to jump ahead and do a two part review of films that few people get to see. Thanks to the Midtown Cinema, we were able to watch "Reach for the Stars," a two part series of the 2011 nominations for Best Live Short and Best Animated Short. Today, the five chosen for Best Live Short.
Pentecost
A young Irish boy commits a gaffe with the incense during church services. His appalled father prohibits the boy from watching his favorite football team and rips his football posters off the wall in anger. Several weeks later, the Archbishop is coming to the church, and the church is one altar boy short. The boy is given a second chance, and if he can conduct himself without error, he may watch the big game later in the week.
This is the cutest entry in the series, succinctly told in 11 minutes. The highlight is when the priest is giving the five altar boys their instructions and it turns into a coaching session, as if they were playing in the "big game." Very charming.
Raju
A German couple is in India to adopt a young orphan boy, Raju. While the father and the son are shopping in the local market, the boy vanishes. What happens as the parents try to search for the son opens up an unforseen conspiracy and poses a moral dilemma for the couple.
This is the most somber entry of the series. The editing and camera work add to the heightened tension and suspense as the father tries everything in his power to find Raju. Heart breaking.
The Shore
Paddy, a middle-aged Irishman on the dole eeks out a living gathering mussels after the tide goes out. Meanwhile, his old friend Jim and Jim's 25 year old daughter return to Ireland after decades of being in America. Jim is hesitant to reconnect with his old friend because of a past misunderstanding regarding Mary, the woman they both loved.
The most beautiful entry of the series. Beautiful cinematography of Ireland combined with good acting and a wistful plot.
Time Freak
The funniest entry in the series. A guy goes to a warehouse to find out where his roommate has been for three days. He finds that his friend has invented a time machine. However, instead of using the device to go back in history (especially Ancient Rome,) the inventor keeps going back to the previous day to try and correct his awkward conversations dealing with his parents, a girl he fancies, and the dry cleaner.
Another very short tale that manages to fit a funny story into a scant eleven minutes. The highlight is the scene where he meets the girl in the park and continues to go back to that moment to correct his awkward conversations with her. The ending has a great twist involving the friend.
Tuba Atlantic
The quirkiest movie of the bunch. An old Norwegian is told he has six days to live. He wants to reconnect with his estranged brother by communicating with him by a giant tuba they constructed as youths. In the midst of his efforts, he has to deal with bothersome seagulls, a westerly wind, and a young girl claiming to be his Angel of Death who must stay with him until the end in order for her to become a real angel.
This movie is very reminiscent of Monty Python and Terry Gilliam movies. Slightly odd but very funny in parts (his various methods of eliminating the seagulls are hysterical!)
So now the dilemma; which is my pick for the Oscar. I enjoyed all five, each in their own way. "Raju" and "The Shore" could have been extended into feature films by expanding on the stories, while the other three are compact and precise. However, for me the one that really fits the bill with a good cast, simple story line, and that manages to do it all in a scant eleven minutes..my pick would be "Pentecost."
Coming next: Part Two, Animated Short Film nominations
Pentecost
A young Irish boy commits a gaffe with the incense during church services. His appalled father prohibits the boy from watching his favorite football team and rips his football posters off the wall in anger. Several weeks later, the Archbishop is coming to the church, and the church is one altar boy short. The boy is given a second chance, and if he can conduct himself without error, he may watch the big game later in the week.
This is the cutest entry in the series, succinctly told in 11 minutes. The highlight is when the priest is giving the five altar boys their instructions and it turns into a coaching session, as if they were playing in the "big game." Very charming.
Raju
A German couple is in India to adopt a young orphan boy, Raju. While the father and the son are shopping in the local market, the boy vanishes. What happens as the parents try to search for the son opens up an unforseen conspiracy and poses a moral dilemma for the couple.
This is the most somber entry of the series. The editing and camera work add to the heightened tension and suspense as the father tries everything in his power to find Raju. Heart breaking.
The Shore
Paddy, a middle-aged Irishman on the dole eeks out a living gathering mussels after the tide goes out. Meanwhile, his old friend Jim and Jim's 25 year old daughter return to Ireland after decades of being in America. Jim is hesitant to reconnect with his old friend because of a past misunderstanding regarding Mary, the woman they both loved.
The most beautiful entry of the series. Beautiful cinematography of Ireland combined with good acting and a wistful plot.
Time Freak
The funniest entry in the series. A guy goes to a warehouse to find out where his roommate has been for three days. He finds that his friend has invented a time machine. However, instead of using the device to go back in history (especially Ancient Rome,) the inventor keeps going back to the previous day to try and correct his awkward conversations dealing with his parents, a girl he fancies, and the dry cleaner.
Another very short tale that manages to fit a funny story into a scant eleven minutes. The highlight is the scene where he meets the girl in the park and continues to go back to that moment to correct his awkward conversations with her. The ending has a great twist involving the friend.
Tuba Atlantic
The quirkiest movie of the bunch. An old Norwegian is told he has six days to live. He wants to reconnect with his estranged brother by communicating with him by a giant tuba they constructed as youths. In the midst of his efforts, he has to deal with bothersome seagulls, a westerly wind, and a young girl claiming to be his Angel of Death who must stay with him until the end in order for her to become a real angel.
This movie is very reminiscent of Monty Python and Terry Gilliam movies. Slightly odd but very funny in parts (his various methods of eliminating the seagulls are hysterical!)
So now the dilemma; which is my pick for the Oscar. I enjoyed all five, each in their own way. "Raju" and "The Shore" could have been extended into feature films by expanding on the stories, while the other three are compact and precise. However, for me the one that really fits the bill with a good cast, simple story line, and that manages to do it all in a scant eleven minutes..my pick would be "Pentecost."
Coming next: Part Two, Animated Short Film nominations
Friday, February 3, 2012
Midnight in Paris
Gil (Owen Wilson,) his fiance (Rachel McAdams) and her parents are visiting Paris. Gil is seeking inspiration in the city of his literary idols; he wants to write a serious novel instead of the superfluous screenplays that have made him wealthy. His fiance and her parents, on the other hand, are your typical "Ugly Americans." They look in scorn at everything around them, and only want to shop and see American movies. One night, after dinner, Gil decides he needs to get some air and sends everyone back to the hotel. While strolling the streets, he becomes lost and falls asleep on some stairs. A clock stroke at midnight awakens him, and the next moment an antique car pulls up, with the occupants urging Gil to join them for a party. When they arrive, he is stunned to find that the occupants of the car are F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. At the party, and in several encounters throught the movie he meets Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Pablo Picasso, Salvadore Dali, and Cole Porter, among others. Will they give him the inspiration he seeks, or will he remain stuck in an unhappy modern reality?
I am on the fence regarding Woody Allen. Some of his movies I love ("Manhattan," "Sleeper," "Zelig") while others I loathe ("Deconstructing Harry," "Vicki Christina Barcelona.") "Midnight in Paris" is without a doubt one of his best movies in years.
Everything works in this film: the art direction, costumes, camerawork, and lighting. Paris of the 1920's is gorgeously recreated, as is a scene where he goes back farther to the Belle Epoque age. The cinematography lends an amber glow to daylight scenes and an enchanting sparkle to the night scenes. It really made me want to return to Europe, with it's rain soaked cobblestone streets, street cafes, and joie de vivre.
The acting is top-notch. This is Owen Wilson's best performance to date. Watching his face, at first disoriented, then stunned, and finally giddy at the thought that he is mingling with his idols is wonderful to behold, and yet his looks of sadness, doubt, and resignation when he is with his "actual" life during the day are heartbreaking. Rachel McAdams is also great at being the bitch of the film (not a spoiler...you hate her the minute she opens her mouth.) The guest stars, who bring the "Lost Generation" to life are perfect: Kathy Bates as Gertrude Stein, Adrian Brody as Dali, Yves Heck as Fitzgerald, and especially Corey Stoll as Hemingway.
And then there is Woody. Long known as a director who allows his actors to act with minimal interference, he brings out their best. And his screenplay is funny, wistful, sad, and intelligent (it will take me a few more viewings to catch all the references and people he incorporates into the plot.)
Nominated for Art Direction, Original Screenplay, Director, and Picture.
CinaJim's review: Absolutely wonderful!
Our next featured presentation: Moneyball
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
A CinaJim Pic - The Fall
Roy Walker (Lee Pace,) is a silent film stunt man recovering in a hospital after breaking his back from a horse stunt gone wrong. Besides his infirmity he is also despondent that his girlfriend has left him for the leading man. He befriends a young immigrant girl, Alexandria (Catinca Untaru,) who is recovering from a broken arm caused by falling from a tree while helping her parents harvest oranges. To keep her interest, he begins to tell her the story of a bandit and his team of men who are on a mission to kill the evil Governor Odious. Alexandria begins to incorporate things she sees in real life into the stories and Roy becomes determined to use this to his advantage to get her to do something for him.
I had seen things on-line about this film and was determined to check it out. Tarsem, the director, had one music video (REM: Losing My Religion) and one film under his belt (The Cell.) The Fall was filmed in 26 locations over 18 countries, and the clips I saw on the internet enhanced my curiosity. It finally showed up at the MidTown Cinema (our local Art House cinema) for only 3 days, and I am so glad we went to see it.
This is without a doubt one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. The cinematography is superb, with equally superb editing. There are several scenes of natural formations that blend into something else, and the dissolve between the real world and Roy's story is technically impeccable. Almost every scene of this movie could be framed as art, including an incredible stair scene reminiscent of an M.C. Escher drawing. The costumes, also, are simply stunning and almost surreal (wait until you see the wildest wedding gown ever!)
The story is engaging because we see Alexandria recreate Roy's tale into her own views. For example, when Roy states that one of his team is an Indian, he is picturing a Native American Indian, while she pictures an East Indian. The evil Governor Odious becomes the actor who stole Roy's girlfriend. The bandit becomes Roy himself, while his band of outlaws are patterned after people Alexandria sees on the hospital grounds.
What sets this movie apart from being just a beautiful travelogue is the acting. Lee Pace, who was in the TV show "Pushing Daisies," ad-libs quite a bit of his dialogue with Catinca, a young actress with limited English skills. The movie was filmed chronologically to show the growth of Alexandria and her growing command of English. Yes, in the beginning it is difficult to understand what she is saying, but that's the point. Here are two people with different languages learning to communicate with each other. And Catinca Untaru gives the most unadulterated, natural performance I have ever seen. Rumor has it that she thought Lee was paralyzed in real life, and the director ran with that idea.
CinaJim's review: An underated movie that should be seen. I stated in my first blog that I would have blogs entitled "CinaJim's Pics." These will be about my favorite movies, and this is my first one. This movie is not in my top ten list....it is in my top three. Absolutely beautiful!
Our next Featured Attraction: Midnight in Paris
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