Zoetropia

Film Journal: 6.3.13 - 6.16.13

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:27:19 -0400

FRANCES HA (Noah Baumbach, 2013): 8.5

Wonderfully humane portrait of a young person’s frustrating attempts to come to terms with growing up and its disappointments. It’s also incredibly funny, and the film just sings when Frances is in New York City, so it’s kind of a bummer that she leaves so often. The superb editing also plays a part in building some of the jokes, as the film barely lets its lines land at first, and then lets the camera linger awkwardly long on the jokes that (purposefully) don’t land.

ONLY THE YOUNG (Jason Tippet & Elizabeth Mims, 2012): 7.6

Speaking of the young coming to terms with disappointment, this surprisingly sweet and refreshingly aimless documentary is all about young peoples’ first, possibly unknowing, brush with that disappointment. Gorgeously filmed as well, giving these kids’ lives a sort of cinematic force that fits the widescreen emotions of teenagers.

SUPERCOP (Stanley Tong, 1992): 6.1

Absolutely stupefying stunts. None of what occurs in this movie is a good idea. And he somehow ropes Michelle Yeoh into this insanity (the outtakes of her motorcycle jump are a wonder at how she avoided death that many times). No way you guys got paid enough for this. Also, for a fun blackout, drink every time someone says “supercop” in this movie.

SLAP SHOT (George Roy Hill, 1977): 6.4

A moment of appreciation, please, for the Hanson Brothers, one of the greatest comedic creations in sports comedy history. And Paul Newman as the wonderfully unsympathetic con-man/player/coach. A hilarious, anti-sentimental counter-statement to the 100s of redemptive sports stories out there.

AFTER EARTH (M. Night Shyamalan, 2013): 5.1

Perfectly functional, if entirely personality-free, adventure romp which pretty much has nothing else on its mind. From what I can tell, Will Smith refused to do anything to take away from his son’s showcase, and poor Jaden isn’t exactly a font of charisma at this point. Shyamalan has moments of direction that signify personality, but he ultimately resorts to getting the job done. Sad fate for a promising director (if not writer).

FAST & FURIOUS 6 (Justin Lin, 2013): 5.5

Patently ridiculous, but not without its crude charms. The new formula has already become a formula though, and hopefully the intro of a new antagonist will provide a reason for this series to continue to exist besides being a cash cow. Lin directs his over-the-top action scenes well, and the set pieces are laughably awesome in their audacity. He’ll probably be missed.

STORIES WE TELL (Sarah Polley, 2013): 8.1

Less interesting as an exploration of peoples’ remembrance of events and the stories they construct of their own lives and experiences than as a feature length coping mechanism. As someone who discovered a family secret involving me pretty late in life and struggled to come to terms with it, this was extremely affecting. Polley is a gifted artist, and we should be so lucky that she has the ability (and courage) to tell her story in this way, perhaps, for the rest of us.

Film Journal: 5.27.13 - 6.2.13

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 13:23:40 -0400

THE GREAT GATSBY (Baz Luhrmann, 2013): 3.5

Starts off outright dreadful but eventually makes a valiant attempt to rise to its station, mostly through everyone acting the heck out of their roles in an attempt to bring some humanity to this loud, garish, awful bauble. Luhrmann never met a symbol he couldn’t drive into the ground yet somehow he manages to miss the point entirely. I can’t imagine how bad this would be without the performances.

FAST FIVE (Justin Lin, 2011): 5.9

Okay, okay, this I can get behind. Kinetic, bordering on cartoonish, action, cleanly shot with a very fun turn from The Rock as a no-nonsense, crime busting, badass. In fact, everyone is fun besides the main trio (Walker, Diesel, Brewster), but it doesn’t really matter because these are glorified action figures that are being played with. This is action spectacle that actually lets us see the spectacle and marvel at how it is arranged and choreographed without (hopefully) getting anyone killed. So few action movies these days allow that to happen even when they use copious amounts of CGI.

MUD (Jeff Nichols, 2013): 7.9

A great coming-of-age yarn with lots of flavor around the edges and deep trust in its characters thats all too rare in dramas like this. The film never once betrays its characters. Everyone’s intentions are clear (not a single character intentionally lies or hides the truth in this movie) which is just unbelievably refreshing when so many films derive drama from convenient misunderstandings. No, this movie understands that enough tension comes from two people being straightforward with each other because they can still be at odds. Nichols provides a great voice and affection for the two main boys, but what might be the most exciting thing about Nichols is he seems to actually care about his audience, never betraying the viewer’s trust or baldly manipulating them. He lets his strong storytelling do the work. No gimmicks necessary.

Film Journal: 5.20.13 - 5.26.13

Sat, 25 May 2013 23:45:00 -0400

SOMETHING IN THE AIR (Oliver Assayas, 2013): 5.9

Assayas’ directorial hand is strong, as ever, and there is warmth to this depiction of student unrest in the late 60s, but this suffers some of the same problems that NOT FADE AWAY did. It felt too hagiographic but also not enough. It felt detached and impersonal, but adapted a perspective of deep intimacy. Again, its a movie with a heartfelt affection for idealistic youth and energy, but it tries not to go too far in giving its approval. Assayas could’ve used more pathos in this, instead it feels like a shrug. But the dude can still direct the heck out of any sequence he feels like, though.

THE IMPOSTER (Bart Layton, 2012): 7.7

An absolutely unbelievable true story told so incredibly deftly. It’s one of those movies that so blatantly tips its hand so that you don’t see what’s going on in the background until it turns on you. And the fact that this was constructed from real events makes it all the more stunning. A deft exploration of the human capacity to make themselves believe whatever they want that proves its own thesis by getting the audience to believe something outlandish. And showing that smart, professional people fall victim to it, too. After all, when a truth can’t be known, one is usually constructed.

Film Journal: 5.12.13 - 5.18.13

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:41:20 -0400

FROM UP ON POPPY HILL (Goro Miyazaki, 2013): 6.0

Slight, but charming. It’s nice to see that an animated movie, with all the work and time it takes to make one, can be almost entirely eventless, gliding by on the charm of character alone. This seems to be the movie that Hayao wishes his son started out with, and it’s not lost on me that its themes include honoring the past while preparing for the future and the legacy great men leave with their children.

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (J.J. Abrams, 2013): 5.5

Much like the last one, it whizzes, it bangs, it makes cutesy references to the original series and movies, it puts a weird opposite world kind of spin on WRATH OF KHAN, and then the lights go up and we go home. J. J. Abrams is a man who knows how to make spectacle, of that there is no doubt, but he seems increasingly unaware of what makes the Star Trek universe so appealing and special. He just might do wonders for STAR WARS VII, but he may do it in all the wrong ways.

Film Journal: 5.6.13 - 5.12.13

Mon, 13 May 2013 12:10:16 -0400

IRON MAN 3 (Shane Black, 2013): 5.9

Shane Black does his very best KISS KISS BANG BANG but with a superhero and it’s really good fun until he thinks he has to make a superhero movie like everyone else did since time immemorial. And while I like Ben Kingsley’s performance, the turn nullifies some terrific and terrifying set up (despite the inherent ridiculousness of The Mandarin). Somehow, this was even more silly. But thematically, it all comes together quite well, and Black knows how to pen a quip that doesn’t completely remove the audience from a moment. And don’t miss Mark Ruffalo! Someone get that man his own harried, shaggy dog Hulk movie.

Film Journal: 4.22.13 - 4.28.13

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 23:47:00 -0400

42 (Brian Helgeland, 2013): 4.1

Heavy-handed doesn’t even begin to cut it with this movie. Blunt as a baseball bat to the head, maybe. THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST did more to humanize Jesus than this movie does for Jackie Robinson and his trials and tribulations. I kid, but only slightly. Competently made, but let me give you an example. There’s a scene where a dad takes his son to a game Robinson is playing in. Son innocently hopes that he will see a future legend play, like Dad did when pops saw Honus Wagner play when pops was a wee tyke. Dad rubs son on the head, says “Maybe!” and immediately starts to yell the n-word at Jackie. Son hesitantly joins in. My eyes roll to the back of the theater.

UPSTREAM COLOR (Shane Carruth, 2013): 8.6

No one is making movies like Shane Carruth. A stunning sythesis of the unabashedly cerebral mixed with the nakedly emotional in a film that has such a profound trust in the audience to take moving images cut together in specific ways to mean something, to say something, to infer a deep feeling. And that’s what make COLOR so singular. It tells an inventive story in such a way that attention is required to make sense of it, and when that focus is given, the audience is more open to be swayed by the unique sense of feeling and rhythm that stirs deep emotions. Sure it’s possible that one may get lost in solving the puzzle, and maybe the metaphors are too rigorous, but Carruth is tackling human stories in a way that breaks down any prejudices of, for example, love, relationships, and personal failure, etc., and allows us to see them and feel them in a wholly new context.

Zoetropia's Best Music of 2012

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:54:00 -0400

This has been a weird year in music for me. I listened to a lot of records. 117, to be exact. But I don’t think there was a single one that was an immediate lock for my top 10. The great, challenging, boundary pushing album just didn’t exist for me. Don’t get me wrong, it was a solid year of music in my mind, a lot of great bands put out really solid releases. All of this is to say… this top 10 list took way too much work. But here it is.

10. Lower Dens - Nootropics: I love bands that can build a mood in an album and maintain it carefully so that the atmosphere builds without becoming too dull. Lower Dens does exactly that with Nootropics, a rich and hazy bit of drone pop that sounds like a long walk down an empty city street at night. The addition of synths to their instrumentation is sheer genius, too, allowing for the band to build more melody into their songs.

9. Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory: A love letter/screed to being a loser and having no direction in life played loud and fast with all the required rage and introspection. Dylan Baldi still knows his way around a hook and songs like Fall In and Stay Useless are great pieces of catchy guitar rock. He also lets himself breathe a little bit, not letting the full band and a big ol’ studio with Steve Albini behind the glass get to his head. Instead, he uses them to build a sound that he seems to have always wanted.

8. Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel…: Well, she’s back, and she’s the songwriting genius/weirdo she’s always been, but with more freedom now that the memory of her one hit prodigy has faded and she’s no longer beholden to putting out more of said hits. The spare production brings her lyrics to the forefront, and her songs are all the more strong for that. This lady feels a lot of things, and has a lot of things to say about them, and this record is her distilling it into song form. Powerful stuff.

7. Metz - Metz: As great as all the Ty Segall albums were this year, this was the piece of garage anarchy that made the biggest impact on me. And I do mean impact. This band is like a sledgehammer being taken to your eardrums, and the effect is exhilarating.

6. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - ‘Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!: They’re back to show us what we’ve all been missing in a wild gale-force wind of pummeling, swirling instrumentals like an apocalyptic storm of fire sweeping across the plain. And how I’ve been missing it, indeed. This is Godspeed at the top of their game, doing what they do best, and excelling massively. May it not be another 10 years before their next one.

5. Spiritualized - Sweet Heart Sweet Light: This one really blindsided me because I thought Jason Pierce had pretty much said everything he had to say from the brink of death on his last album, “Songs in A&E”. But it seems it has only extended his appreciation for life, and this record balances uplifting pieces about love and living with the knowledge that it’s all going to end one day. It’s a bittersweet ode to joy with gorgeously lush instrumentation, and it finds Jason Pierce finding a true high without the help of certain mood-altering substances.

4. Hot Chip - In Our Heads: Easily the best production of any album I listened to this year. The bass thumps, the snare pops, the electronics sizzle, and the vocals are crisp. This is dance music with heart, and these are music snobs who take their sounds seriously. They don’t want you to miss a single layer. It’s a rewarding listen, and it really sounds great from beginning to end.

3. Fang Island - Major: Guitars, and more guitars, and awesomeness, and anthemic vocals, and sweet solos, and more awesomeness. This is the perfect TGIF album, a record that makes you want to go out and high five everyone you see. Just listen to this and have all your cynicism blasted away by sheer positive energy (and lots of guitars). Their live show is face-meltingly awesome, too.

2. Beach House - Bloom: So if you listened to Teen Dream and were like, “Gee, I wish they made an entire album that was like “10 Mile Stereo”,” you were super in luck because that’s pretty much exactly what they did. The basic drum machine loops and simple slide guitar in there, but they layer so much reverb, organ, live drums and more onto it until every song becomes a gigantic swirling crescendo. This is dream pop for the arena.

1. Faded Paper Figures - The Matter: I’m not doing this purely to be contrarian. Only partially. But this is in fact the record I listened to most this year. Faded Paper Figures has turned their lowkey electro-pop into something just as hooky, but even more epic, boosting their instrumentation and production. These guys know how to write a pop hook, their boy-girl vocals are sweet without being too cloying, their lyrics are reference heavy and unapologetically intellectual, and they do just enough to make us forget that The Postal Service is probably not coming back (edit: I guess The Postal Service has decided to do something this year!). They also deserve much bigger recognition (I don’t think they’ve even toured outside of the west coast), so I’m happy to do my part to spread the word to all 5 of you.

Film Journal: 4.15.13 - 4.21.13

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:15:00 -0400

GIMME THE LOOT (Adam Leon, 2013): 7.2

I’ll admit, I was utterly won over by this utterly charming, foul-mouthed, good natured, low key comedy of the joyful, bittersweet, purposeful aimlessness of youth. Is that too much to put on this film? Probably. But what this movie gets so right is that air of friendship, of ill-fated crushes, of wasted summer days, of adventures that never had a chance of actually coming to fruition, but actually, you never know so… why not give it a shot? Although this film doesn’t resemble my teenage years in the least bit, the film is so powerful in evoking the mood of being young (while still being incredibly specific to the setting) that it felt like it could’ve been me on that screen; that in fact, it was me. I miss those days filled with nothing but possibility (that leaned heavily toward the “nothing”). Where the day took you where it took you, and if it was a strange house with a pretty girl, then, why yes, I’ll think I’ll stick around. The power of the movie is not that it could only happen in New York, but actually, that it’s happening everywhere, all the time.

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES (Derek Cianfrance, 2013): 5.6

Unfortunately gets weaker as it goes on, which defeats the entire purpose as the third segment of the film seems to be the reason this movie exists. This small scale yet multi-generational epic actually falters by being so meticulous, leaving very little room for ambiguity in the actions and influences of its characters. A solid melodrama at times, it fortunately never tilts into complete ridiculousness. Cianfrance’s directing hand is solid, but if you ever wanted to watch CACHE and have everything painstakingly spelled out for you, I guess this is the movie for you.

OBLIVION (Joseph Kosinski, 2012): 5.9

Unabashedly stands on the shoulders of other, better sci-fi giants, but it puts such a pretty sheen on it that I can’t say I was disappointed by the experience. Gorgeous cinematography and solid direction can’t bring down this story, which while derivative, is very well told. A nice, solid piece of undemanding entertainment.

Film Journal: 4.8.13 - 4.14.13

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:45:07 -0400

NO (Pablo Larrain, 2012): 6.4

A brilliantly wry portrait of how the empty (but powerful) language of advertising can be used for important, substantive ends. Bravo to Larrain for turning a painful time and era into an absurdist sketch that finds room to laugh at the ridiculousness that hindsight brings while being completely aware that very little separates pain from laughter. A very solid film that never quite breaks into the territory of greatness because it feels like it rests on simply being wry. It toes a certain line that I kept hoping it would cross.

EVIL DEAD (Fede Alvarez, 2013): 5.9

Gets by on solid camerawork and a stern commitment to ever-escalating grimy violence and unflinching bloody gore and viscera, though over-the-top enough to not enter into the realm of so-called “torture porn”. Otherwise, a pretty typical dumb decisions out in the woods horror movie until the last 15 minutes, when the movie makes good on its doomsday prophesying and finally, a chainsaw appears. That last sequence is pretty darn fantastic, both for how it goes where most horror movies don’t dare (save CABIN IN THE WOODS) and how it gamely contradicts all the cliches the movie was dutifully ticking off thus far. Enough references and call backs to the original series that it felt like I was watching more of an alternate universe version than a remake (“if this is a remake, what’s that Oldsmobile doing there?”). Call this EVIL DEAD INFINITE (“there’s always a chainsaw, there’s always a wo/man”).

Film Journal: 4.1.13 - 4.6.13

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 11:32:00 -0400

TO THE WONDER (Terrence Malick, 2013): 7.9

Starts slow and seems as if Malick is parodying himself what with the swirling images of people running and “wonder”ing while increasingly elliptical voiceover narration plays (and I’m not entirely a fan of how Malick seems to be moving toward completely eschewing dialogue in favor of oblique, multiple perspective voiceover). But it eventually coalesces into something like cinema, and I’m once again swayed by his rhythms and associations. Again, this one seems like another autobiographical work, one that strives to apologize to the women he’s failed, and tries to incorporate that into his struggles to find God’s presence (in the form of love and forgiveness) in the mundane. A slight problem with the film is that Malick attempts to see the proceedings from everyone’s point of view BUT the central male and the central character just comes across as unknowable and unfeeling, and these women fall for him for no reason, only to be rejected by him in his inability to return strong affection. But the beauty of this film is in the struggle, the struggle to see and know God, the struggle to adopt other people’s perspective, the struggle to embrace love, the struggle to forgive. It’s a not a perfect film, and it may not even be in the top tier of Malick films, but there is a lot to see and feel in the attempt to understand that which may never be understood.

BEYOND THE HILLS (Cristian Mungiu, 2013): 7.8

Absolutely grueling and intense. Mungiu has few rivals when it comes to formally rigorous potboilers and this one is no exception as it erupts over and over again into scenes of extreme emotion discomfort. Mungiu is kinder to the religious establishment than I thought he would be, but his anger is still pretty apparent (as apparent as it will ever be, given his directorial style). Not quite as strong as 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS (which operates on subtler level, and slowly puts a stranglehold on the audience, while this one feels like so many sucker punches), but still a scathing indictment of broken institutions in a country that’s still trying to fit itself back together despite all the damage that’s been done.

SILENT LIGHT (Carlos Reygadas, 2007): 9.1

A brilliantly meticulous film filled wall-to-wall with absolutely stunning shots, mindful camera placements, and an attention to quiet detail. A true film, one that impacts emotions through images and editing, as much as through story and dialogue. It’s cinematic in scope, as well, capturing nature, the presence of God and the Devil, forgiveness, grace, peace, resurrection (both figurative and literal) in a community and culture that most people don’t even know exists. I mean, this is just an excellent film that, despite its pace, doesn’t waste a single moment.

Film Journal: 3.25.13 - 3.31.13

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 10:38:53 -0400

STOKER (Park Chan-Wook, 2013): 7.0

Gloriously operatic direction with fantastic attention to detail and camerawork that is never less than a pleasure to look at. Too bad it’s at the service of a pretty hokey plot that borders strongly on ridiculous. Park’s stylistic wizardry and fantastic editing do a great job of masking where the film is going which is properly thrilling but the script eventually fizzles out, even though Park’s focus never does. A grand effort at a story and script that didn’t really deserve all the care and hard work. But if it gets Park more work in America, it’s all gravy.

BATTLE ROYALE (Kinji Fukasaku, 2001): 8.4

As fun as watching a bunch of teenagers kill each other could be. Fast forward through typical teenage plotlines (with the help of guns), and you’ve got a riproaring good time. The film smartly glides over the stuff it doesn’t do well (building up the world and setting up a plausible premise, but you know what, who cares why the kids are killing each other, we only care that they do), and cuts to the disturbing, darkly funny chase. Even with such a huge list of characters, Fukasaku does his darndest to give as many as he can their due. And while the storytelling is economical, it doesn’t tend to fragment things to the point where action on the island is hard to follow. Love the high school satire, amping up all the hormones, rivalries, and misunderstandings with a bit of the ol’ ultraviolence. Love how pretty much every possible reaction to being thrown into the game is covered (a blessing of having a 40-person class to work with). As absurd as the scenario is, I feel like if you give high schoolers some guns and set them on each other, this is about what would happen (if not worse).

BADLANDS (Terrence Malick, 1973): 9.8

A singular achievement that’s baffling in the way all the elements come together just so. It walks the tightrope of tone and performance so perfectly (indeed, the film would have failed if it fell off). Because, you know, how else would you make a movie about two young lovers who happen to kill a lot of people. I’m not entirely sure how a person made this movie. I’m not entirely sure how a person made this as their first movie. It is major and minor, small and large, and to write about it is almost a disservice. Just watch it (and/or watch it again).

Film Journal: 3.18.13 - 3.24.13

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 20:06:00 -0400

SPRING BREAKERS (Harmony Korine, 2013): 5.5

My love/hate relationship with Korine’s movies continues as he is such an idiosyncratic filmmaker, but just can’t seem to translate any of his ideas into a real knockout. This is another film that wants to revel in depravity while simultaneous waggle its finger at it, and I wish Korine would just commit. Various stylistic ticks are either great (the many offputting sounds of guns cocking) or baffling (constantly repeated dialogue), and it’s languid pace didn’t seem to fit, especially in so short a run time. However, this thing is going to be fascinating 20-30 years down the road, merely as a time capsule.

LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE (Abbas Kiarostami, 2012): 6.9

Hits all of the usual Kiarostami obsession points (cars, the cinema, ambiguous identities, patriarchy, etc) and combines them all into a movie that feels so very slight, it borders on purposeless. This one is a puzzler, not because its so oblique, but because it doesn’t really feel like Kiarostami has anything in particular to say about it. The filmmaking itself is across the board excellent, as expected from one of the greatest living directors. There are standout moments. But I couldn’t figure out why this was a film he felt like he had to make. Just… “these are the things I like thinking about… but in a different country.” Well… okay…

Film Journal: 3.3.12 - 3.17.12

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 11:28:30 -0400

UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: DAY OF RECKONING (John Hyams, 2012): 7.1

It’s as if Cannon Films got Gaspar Noe and David Lynch to direct an adaptation of APOCALYPSE NOW and John Carpenter scored it. Nothing about this film makes sense, from the deliberate abstraction to excellently shot action scenes that are as thrilling as they are bleakly wearying. This is an action film meant to disturb and disorient, and its brutality is matched by its off-kilter madness. I love that something like this can happen. That someone can make a franchise movie with the lowest of expectations from pretty much everyone and go for something crazy and wildly ambitious. And this one definitely hits it.

OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (Sam Raimi, 2013): 5.6

Creaks under its own weight and the plot machinations, but there are enough enjoyable moments and visual wonder to keep it moving along. Flashes of Raimi are wonderfully welcome but far too few. More canted angles, please! More wild camera moves! Please make a whole movie in Academy Ratio! (Maybe I’m alone on that last one.)

Film Journal: 2.18.13 - 3.3.13

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 10:24:08 -0500

THE DEEP BLUE SEA (Terence Davies, 2012): 8.4

Pretty stunning filmmaking that does its very best to keep the impressionistic whirlwind of emotions at its core. It’s mostly successful at that due to impeccable writing/structure and fantastic cinematography. I mean this is a gorgeous, sad film. One that seems fully aware that it’s not telling us anything new but still is deeply committed in illustrating this one particular story with care and art and grace. And that, in the end, is what makes this worthwhile.

A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD (John Moore, 2013): 2.4

Big, dumb, and not at all fun. This is a bad DIE HARD film, this is a bad action film, this is a bad film. Gets pretty much everything wrong it could get wrong. Beyond disappointing.

L’ATALANTE (Jean Vigo, 1934): 9.7

One of those movies that’s so far ahead of its time that it now seems old fashioned, simply because 100+ films have imitated its playful and whimsical style. Even then, there’s something here that’s inimitable, a certain spirit and joie de vivre that seems to go beyond the technical, beyond what’s on the screen. I just can’t imagine the type of filmmaker Vigo would’ve become, and unfortunately, we’ll never know. But at least there’s this.

Zoetropia's 2013 Oscar Picks

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 19:06:05 -0500

OH GOD, I AM DOING THIS AGAIN. Here are my picks (and what I think will actually win) for this year’s Oscars. I am confining my picks to categories I care and/or know enough about.

COSTUME DESIGN

In it for Eiko Ishioka. She deserves to win, especially now, and this ought to be more of a lifetime achievement award. If she doesn’t win, I don’t know or care who else should/would.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

I want Deakins to win because he hasn’t won yet and he has deserved to win many times. SKYFALL is shot really well but it has quality competition out of ANNA KARENINA and LIFE OF PI. Deakins still better win though.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

AMOUR is not going to win Best Picture (though it should) and it will most likely not win Original Screenplay, so it’ll have to settle for this one. Like A SEPARATION did last year. Ah well.

ANIMATED FEATURE

I have no idea what will win this category, but my pick is easily PARANORMAN. It’s a strong field this year and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they just went the boring route and went with BRAVE.

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

My pick for this is ARGO but people just looooove Tony Kushner. If SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK has picked up enough momentum, it has a shot, but I think this is going to LINCOLN.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

AMOUR should win, and if not that, then MOONRISE KINGDOM. But I a have a sneaking suspicion that ZERO DARK THIRTY is going to storm the house (ha) on this one.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Anne Hathaway is going to win, and I really can’t begrudge her of that in this field. She was better in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES though.

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Philip Seymour Hoffman should win. If Tommy Lee Jones wins, though, ugh, but… won’t be surprising.

ACTRESS

A pretty damn strong field here and I could see any one of them winning. My personal pick is Emmanuelle Riva, although, let’s be real, Jean-Louis Trintignant had the tougher role. Quvenzhane Wallis has a real shot at this one, as well as Jessica Chastain. I’ll go with Chastain actually winning it. (Edit: Wait, so Jennifer Lawrence is apparently the front runner on this one? Uh… well, sure she was fine and I quite liked SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK but she was hardly revelatory in any way. Whatever.)

ACTOR

Joaquin Phoenix should win this handily. Daniel Day-Lewis will win because the Academy just can’t get enough of him.

DIRECTOR

Seriously, these are the five directors that picked? In a perfect and just world, Haneke would win. The only other one who I wouldn’t mind winning is David O. Russell. The rest would just be disappointment. For the sake of the game, I’ll take Spielberg.

PICTURE

Of the field, AMOUR should win and by a mile. It’s not gonna. Damn it, LINCOLN is going to win and I’m going to go to bed disappointed by the celebration of the mediocre and the middlebrow that is the Academy Awards and dream of that one time when NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN won. ARGO was a fine film but hardly outstanding and it winning Best Picture will be just that… fine. But still better than the shrug giving it to LINCOLN would be.

Film Journal: 2.4.13 - 2.17.13

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 21:11:37 -0500

AMOUR (Michael Haneke, 2012): 8.8

Absolutely unflinching because this is Haneke we’re talking about, but not entirely without feeling. He just never lets that feeling get in the way of the honesty of the situation. Haneke’s formal classicism works the material well, dissecting not just the situation, but the relationship of this couple as everything turns bad. All the more heartbreaking as we see how well they work together, how comfortable their twilight years have been, and then, as the film says, things get slowly worse until they’re finally over. Both central performances are absolutely incredible. Only demerit to this film (and it’s an incredibly small one) is that it basically amounts to, “It sucks getting old.” Yeah, but not many films have the guts to say that.

WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER (David Wain, 2001): 6.5

Not much critical to say about this one as I dearly love this movie, but I’ll acknowledge it sags at points, and unless you are a fan of summer camp comedies, it can possibly be puzzling. Still, like almost all the material of the creative team involved, it’s a hit or miss, slapdash comedy, but this one mostly hits. They had just enough inspired silliness to pack into it, and when they ran out of that, enough summer camp comedies to pay loving homage to.

SIDE EFFECTS (Steven Soderbergh, 2013): 6.8

Fun, twisty, adult thriller, like something De Palma would make. Except Soderbergh is as far away, stylistically, from De Palma as a director could get. Where De Palma would make it immediately apparent where this film is going, Soderbergh’s procedural style lets the film wind through all sorts of things it could be about (pharmaceutical company expose, criticism of psychotherapists, the negative effects of obsession), before it finally settles on its final femme fatale thread, which is the least rich but plenty entertaining. Rooney Mara carries some possibly ridiculous material with plenty of aplomb and Soderbergh spins the tale deftly without letting it fall off the cliff into absurdity, something that even De Palma has problems with at times. I wish Soderbergh could put out something like this or HAYWIRE every January-February. I hope he’s not gone long.

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY (Tomas Alfredson, 2011): 5.2

Curiously dry and minimal, especially a movie with such a full cast (and apparently, some very rich source material). Alfredson directs with functional style, and everyone is pretty much game, but my biggest concern here is that there’s no feeling of stakes whatsoever. Oldman is pretty much strictly wavering somewhere between old and weary, and faces down the problem with classic British grim determination. There’s very little sense of danger, or even a chance of failure. People talk and then a plan is formed and then the plan is executed. So it goes.

MAMA (Andres Muschietti, 2013): 5.5

Pretty decent creepfest that actually fleshes out its short film premise with backstory (however perfunctory) and character arcs instead of padding out the scares. Concerns about what Mama does/can do don’t really bother me because, you know, she’s a ghost thing and doesn’t really follow rules or whatever. Still, there are some pretty poor cliches (librarian who knows more than she should, meddling relative) and of course, the eye-rolling jump scares. But it’s a pretty nice thrill ride with better than usual acting and an actual concern for story.

Film Journal: 1.28.13 - 2.3.13

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 14:52:48 -0500

RUST AND BONE (Jacques Audiard, 2012): 6.7

Refreshingly anti-sentimental and just innovative enough not to be eye-rollingly obvious. That this film is about a handicapped person learning to live and be a whole person is not surprising. It’s just not the person that lost her legs. Is that enough to make this a solid film? Surprisingly, yes. Audiard directs with assured verve and the central performances are emotional without being sensational. It’s a humanist movie that doesn’t go out of its way to be heartwarming. Quite appreciated from this guy.

CACHE (Michael Haneke, 2005): 9.5

What can I say, Haneke usually hits me where it hurts. There’s so much working, thematically, in this one that it takes a virtuosic hand to keep it compelling. And that it is. While Haneke’s moral world may be a bit too black and white, I’m too busy chewing my fingernails off to care. This is a modern nightmare, reflected and magnified by history, class conflict, generational differences, buried pasts, lies, and unexpected violence. Final shot may have been one rug too many pulled but it doesn’t diminish the magnitude of what came before. (And when I first saw this in a theater back in ‘05, I’ve never felt the air suck out of the room so viscerally as when The Moment happens.)

go see Searching for Sugar Man !!!

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 15:38:29 -0500

It’s in my Netflix queue. May be awhile before I get to it though.

Film Journal: 1.21.13 - 1.27.13

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 17:35:16 -0500

THE LAST STAND (Kim Ji-Woon, 2013): 5.1

Cleanly shot, violent action that’s a fine vehicle for Arnold. Car chases, shootouts, fist fights, nothing too high concept here, which is just fine. Includes at least one very smart sequence (car chase in the cornfield) that wouldn’t work without Kim’s solid directing hand. I had fun, at least.

ZERO DARK THIRTY (Kathryn Bigelow, 2012): 6.8

Works better as a cautionary revenge tale for an entire nation than as the character study it half tries to be. Does Maya have friends? I don’t really care. Where will she go after this? This is not a concern of mine. Procedural elements are super strong though, and strangely enough, the film is more effective both as a piece of entertainment and a Statement when Maya is just a cog in the Agency machine. Raid sequence is great, but yeah, the whole women and children thing is far too blunt. All the parts are there for a truly great film, but it needed to be leaner than this.

I 100% disagree with your review of 'The Impossible'.

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 20:19:33 -0500

Ooh, my first Anon! In what way? Did you really like the film, or really dislike it?