5 Broken Cameras (2012) 5/5

Healing is a challenge in life. It's a victim sole obligation. By healing, you resist oppression. But when I'm hurt over and over again, I forget the wounds that rule my life. Forgotten wounds can't be healed. So I film to heal. I know they may knock at my door at any moment. But I'll just keep filming. It helps me confront life. And survive.

One of the biggest lies that has been spoon-fed to the "first world" over the past fifty years or so is that Muslims/Arabs/Palestinians/Terrorists/etc. hate Americans/Jews/Europeans/etc. just because.  The presented "fact" that their hate is senseless, unchangeable, and rooted in their celestial faith allows for a completely unacceptable moral detachment to the plight of these people (that is made all the more easy by the geographic detachment of Americans).  Adding fuel to the fire is that fact that the "Arab nation" has one of the worst collective PR departments in civilized history.

This film takes a baby step towards solving this very real and very big problem.  By telling the story of one man's family in one small village along the "new settlement" area of Israel's West Bank the movie is very effective at putting a human face on the struggle that should have many of us "first-worlders" rethinking our stance.  As the media continues to paint Palestinians as violent rock-throwing hate mongers, while watching this film it is simply amazing that they could be as peaceful as they are under the circumstances.

If you have ever asked the question, "Why do they hate us so much?" and you aren't happy with the answer "They simply hate us for our way of life", I strongly urge you to watch this movie immediately.

Take this Waltz (2012) 4/5

-I'd like to make a date to kiss you.
-Well.... my schedule's fairly flexible.

 Many times throughout a year a film simply slips through the cracks of our theater-going collective consciousness. Most of the time this is because the movie is bad, unoriginal, or simply forgettable (and this is a good thing), but every once in a while it's because of an unfortunate release date, poor advertisement, or originality that the average box-office patron may not be quite ready for yet. "Take this Waltz" suffered from all three of the latter disadvantages. Given a December release date, the right amount of "awards-season" buzz, and solid hipster word-of-mouth this movie could have been huge. It is a romantic comedy that breaks every rule, using elements of mystery to keep the viewer guessing, but at the same time keeping the perfect touch of whimsy to maintain the magic that a romance needs. The unpredictability borders on the absurd at a few points, but amazing performances by Michelle Williams and Seth Rogen and delicate direction from Sarah Polley never let the disbelief take over the artistry.

2012 Top Ten Part 2: 5-1

Check out 10-6 here.

5. Lincoln


Spielberg is quite a conundrum of a director.  If he chooses his script poorly, he can make pretty mediocre films (Munich, Crystal Skull, War of the Worlds, etc.).  He is at his best when he has an amazing script to work with (A.I., E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, etc.).  Luckily, Tony Kushner delivered what was probably the best dialogue-driven screenplay of 2012.  The attention to detail, from Day-Lewis' performance to the use of natural lighting, created the feeling of a true peek into one of the most interesting times in our nations history.  The cherry on the top of this masterpiece was the performance of Tommy Lee Jones and the spotlight on his character, Thaddeus Stevens.  Stevens' personal story provided the heart to a film that teetered on the edge of becoming disconnected and procedural.

4. The Sessions



Yet another quirky romantic comedy that quite a bit like "Silver Linings Playbook" finds its quirkiness in reality rather than fantasy.  What puts this one over the top though is that it is actually based on a true story.  A jaw-dropping performance by John Hawkes (that would be Oscar-worthy in any year that didn't have Daniel Day-Lewis and Hugh Jackman turn in the best performances of the new millenium) makes this adorable story grab onto both your heart and your head as it mixes equal parts intellectualism and romantic innocence.

3. Ruby Sparks



Hyper-nerd-sexy Zoe Kazan wrote a screenplay for her and her boyfriend (Paul Dano) about a writer who makes up a love interest who just so happens to manifest herself in reality.  That sentence gives me chills.  I love this movie.

2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower



A wonderfully personal look into a small group of teenagers discovering the beauty of the world only by simultaneously experiencing its splendor and ugliness.  This movie makes yearn for my high school days and in the same moment be proud of how I lived them.  "We accept the love we think we deserve."

1. Beasts of the Southern Wild

The best movie of 2012.  Nothing else really came close for me.  If you haven't found your inner Hushpuppy already, I envy the magnificent journey you still have before you.  Read my original review here.

2012 Top Ten Part 1: 10-6

At long last, I have finally seen enough films from 2012 that I feel comfortable making my annual top ten list.  There are a handful of films that I missed that could conceivably break into the illustrious group, but most of the biggies have been viewed.  As I am getting older, responsibilities seem to be compounding and so my time for movies certainly has contracted.  Still, I am becoming quite adept at attempting to only watch the "good" movies.  I have seen 61 movies that were released in theaters during 2012.  Of those, I only truly hated one (Piranha 3DD), and I only disliked 7 more.  I saw a whopping 29 movies that I either loved or really liked.  Only ten of those can make this list so here are my nineteen honorable mentions in no specific order:

Cabin in the Woods
Pitch Perfect
Skyfall
Flight
The Invisible War
Chronicle
Les Miserables
Magic Mike
Prometheus
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Avengers
Maria Abramovic: The Artist is Present
The Secret World of Arrietty
The Sound of My Voice
To Rome with Love
Wreck-It Ralph
Django Unchained
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Hope Springs

On with the show:
10. Silver Linings Playbook


I have a thing for quirky love stories.  What can I say?  Whereas most of my favorite movies are love stories with their quirkiness based in fantasy, Silver Linings finds its own quirkiness in a very real place, mental illness.  That may seem like a pretty strange statement, but I think that by embracing his characters struggles with their mental state, director David O. Russell actually tells a very interesting, touching, and powerful story.

9. Cloud Atlas

When I first heard three of my favorite directors (Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, and Lana Wachowski) were teaming up to make an epic science fiction movie that spanned six stories and hundreds of years, I was so excited I read the book.  That may not sound like much, but I have a pretty poor literary history, reading scant few books that were not Star Wars or required school reading.  This was the most challenging novel I have ever attempted.  Six stories told from different perspectives and written in six very different ways with very little to connect them on the surface certainly did not provide for an effortless read.  I finished the book just before the film left theaters and was lucky enough to catch one of the final showings.  The movie carried many of the challenging themes over from the book and had to shorten some of the stories, but the heart of the novel was intact, and I can guarantee you that it provides the viewer with an absolutely unique experience that may not be duplicated again in our lifetime.

8. Moonrise Kingdom

The most beautiful film of the year.  Wes Anderson has such an eye for detail it seams that he makes sure the blades of grass are lined up just so before he yells action.  Read my review here.


7. Bernie

Just saw a completely different Jack Black perform in Raleigh with Kyle Gass as Tenacious D.  I love the actor and the rocker, but most of all I love Richard Linklater, by far my favorite director of all time.  Read my review here.

6. Argo

Completely deserving of Best Picture (although two more nominees appear in my top 5).  This was easily the best non-quirky, old-school, just-plain-awesome film of the year.  A taught historical thriller with loads of heart.  Read my review here.

Top 5 coming soon....

Countdown to Oscar Night: Best Picture

Nominees:
Amour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

I'll have more to say about most of these when I make my top ten list for 2012 sometime over the next week or so.  As for now, I'll just say, for me, none of these come close to the greatness of "Beasts of the Southern Wild".  Argo will most likely win, but I wouldn't be too surprised to see a last second upset from Lincoln or even Silver Linings Playbook.

My Ballot:
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Argo
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Les Miserables
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Zero Dark Thirty

My Pick to Win:
Argo

Shoulda Been Here:
The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Countdown to Oscar Night: Best Actor

Nominees:
Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln
Hugh Jackman - Les Miserables
Joaquin Phoenix - The Master
Denzel Washington - Flight

This is actually a really close decision for me.  Daniel Day-Lewis gives one of the top ten method acting performances in history, and Hugh Jackman gives one of the top ten musical performances in history.  The Academy will not have it quite as close though, as Day-Lewis' flight into Oscar history (first man to win three best actor trophies) is pretty much a foregone conclusion.

My Ballot:
Hugh Jackman -Les Miserables
Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln
Denzel Washington - Flight
Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook

My Pick to Win:
Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln

Shoulda Been Here:
Jack Black - Bernie

Countdown to Oscar Night: Best Actress

Nominees:
Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva - Amour
Quvenzhane Wallis - Beasts of the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts - The Impossible

Quvenzhane Wallis was 6 years old when she filmed Beasts. Six. Years. Old.  And she owned it.  She was the best part about the best movie of 2012.  Jennifer Lawrence or Emmanuelle Riva will win, but little Miss Wallis deserves all of the prace.

My Ballot:
Quvenzhane Wallis - Beasts of the Southern Wild
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook
Jessica Chaistain - Zero Dark Thirty

My Pick to Win:
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook

Shoulda Been Here:
Zoe Kazan - Ruby Sparks

Countdown to Oscar Night: Best Director

Nominees:
Michael Haneke - Amour
Benh Zeitlin - Beasts of the Southern Wild
Ang Lee - Life of Pi
Steven Spielberg - Lincoln
David O. Russell - Silver Linings Playbook

It's been almost twenty-five years since a movie won Best Picture at the Academy Awards without having its director at least nominated.  I'm pretty sure it's gonna happen this year though, which means that this is yet another toss-up category.  I don't think Zeitlin and Haneke have much of a chance because they were seen as the "spoiler" nominees for the more famous Ben Affleck and Kathryn Bigelow.  With all of the acting love, David O. Russell isn't getting much of the love for Silver Linings, which leaves the two directing titans: Ang Lee and Steven Spielberg.  I'm pretty sure the Academy will lean toward Spielberg because of Lincoln's former "front-runner" status, but that's just a hunch.

My Ballot:
Steven Spielberg - Lincoln
Benh Zeitlin - Beasts of the Southern Wild
David O. Russell - Silver Linings Playbook
Ang Lee - Life of Pi

My Pick to Win:
Steven Spielberg - Lincoln

Should Been Here:
Ben Affleck - Argo.....  obviously........

Countdown to Oscar Night: Best Supporting Actor

Nominees:
Alan Arkin - Argo
Robert De Niro - Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Master
Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln
Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained

From a "picking the winner" viewpoint, I think this is the most wide open I have EVER seen a major category at the Academy Awards.  I truly would not be surprised to hear any of the five actors called tomorrow night.  As for me, though, I don't think it should really be this close.  Tommy Lee Jones gives a performance that not only caps an amazing career, but also manages to get noticed in a film that has arguably the best lead acting job in a decade.  His Thaddeus Stevens may not compare to the ultimate transformation that is Day-Lewis' Lincoln, but the supporting role is what drives the heart of the film.

My Ballot:
Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln
Alan Arkin - Argo
Robert De Niro - Silver Linings Playbook
Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained

My Pick to Win:
Robert De Niro - Silver Linings Playbook

Shoulda Been Here:
Sam Rockwell - Seven Psychopaths

Countdown to Oscar Night: Best Supporting Actress

Nominees:
Amy Adams - The Master
Sally Field - Lincoln
Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables
Helen Hunt - The Sessions
Jacki Weaver - Silver Linings Playbook

It completely breaks my heart that I have yet to see The Master or The Sessions.  I adore Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia, Boogie Nights, etc.) so I'm really looking forward to The Master, and from what I've read Helen Hunt and John Hawkes put on an acting clinic with a super-interesting story in The Sessions.  From what I have seen, though, nothing comes close to the three minute scene pictured above.  So much passion, pain, and raw beauty in one simple, no-frills camera shot.  I don't see how Ms. Hathaway loses.

My Ballot:
Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables
Sally Field - Lincoln
Jacki Weaver - Silver Linings Playbook

My Pick to Win:
Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables

Shoulda Been Here:
Emma Watson - The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Spirit Awards Ballot

The Independent Spirit Awards are presented tonight at 10pm on IFC.  Even though the Oscars are quite a bit more prestigious, the Spirits usually are the ones that actually "get it right".  I haven't seen quite as many of the nominated films this year, but here are my rankings of those I have seen (from best to worst obviously).

Best Feature
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Bernie
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook
Keep the Lights On

Best Female Lead
Quvenzhane' Wallis - Beasts of the Southern Wild
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook
Linda Cardellini - Return

Best Male Lead
Jack Black - Bernie
Matthew McConaughey - Killer Joe
Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook
Thure Lindhart - Keep the Lights On

Best Supporting Female
Brit Marling - BeSound of My Voice
Rosemarie Dewitt - Your Sister's Sister

Best Supporting Male
Sam Rockwell - Seven Psychopaths
Matthew McConaughey - Magic Mike
Bruce Willis - Moonrise Kingdom

Best Director
Benh Zeitlin - Beasts of the Southern Wild
Wes Anderson - Moonrise Kingdom
David O. Russell - Silver Linings Playbook
Ira Sachs - Keep the Lights On

Best Screenplay
Ruby Sparks
Moonrise Kingdom
Seven Psychopaths
Silver Linings Playbook
Keep the Lights On

Best First Screenplay
Gayby
Robot & Frank

Best Cinematography
Moonrise Kingdom
Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best First Feature
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Sound of My Voice

Best Documentary
Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present
The Invisible War

Countdown to Oscar Night: Best Adapted Screenplay

Nominees:
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Lincoln
Life of Pi
Silver Linings Playbook

All the experts are calling this for Argo (as part of its best picture sweep), but I simply cannot believe they could ignore Tony Kushner's masterpiece of a script.  Most people's complaints about Lincoln is that it is just talking.  That was the reason I loved it.  The dialogue is absolutely captivating.  It successfully immerses the viewer in the political drama while never ceasing to entertain with witticisms and powerful diatribes.  It's still a shame the voters ignored Cloud Atlas here once again.  The simple act of turning that behemoth of a book into a film is award-worthy.

My Ballot:
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Life of Pi

My Pick to Win:
Lincoln

Shoulda Been Here:
Cloud Atlas

Countdown to Oscar Night: Best Original Screenplay

Nominees:
Amour
Django Unchained
Flight
Moonrise Kingdom
Zero Dark Thirty

I know, I really need to see Amour.  It's totally sitting on my computers hard drive.  It doesn't get much more diverse than this category.  As much as I would love to see Moonrise Kingdom take home an Oscar, I think this is a two horse race between Academy-darling Tarantino and Amour.  I think this will be the best non-Foreign language place to award Amour.  As long as Zero Dark Thirty wins nothing I'm happy.

My Ballot:
Moonrise Kingdom
Django Unchained
Flight
Zero Dark Thirty

My Pick to Win:
Amour

Shoulda Been Here:
Ruby Sparks

Countdown to Oscar Night: Best Cinematography

Nominees:
Anna Karenina
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall

1984, Sid and Nancy, The Shawshank Redemption, Dead Man Walking, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, The Hurricane, O Brother Where Art Thou?, The Man Who Wasn't There, A Beautiful Mind, Jarhead, No Country for Old Men, Doubt, The Reader, Revolutionary Road, True Grit, Skyfall.  All of these movies have one thing in common: Master Cinematographer Roger Deakins.  They also happen to be the most beautiful movies of the turn of the millennium.  Roger Deakins has never won an Academy Award.  Let me repeat: Roger. Deakins. has. never. won. an. Academy. Award.  That is inexcusable.  Please fix this.  Now.

My Ballot:
Skyfall
Django Unchained
Lincoln
Life of Pi

My Pick to Win:
Skyfall

Shoulda been here:
Moonrise Kingdom

Countdown to Oscar Night: Best Costume Design

Nominees:
Anna Karenina
Les Miserables
Lincoln
Mirror Mirror
Snow White and the Huntsman

Yet again, I really want to see Anna Karenina.  Redbox and Netflix getting this movie (and The Sessions for that matter) a month after the DVD is released is garbage.  Really makes me miss good ol' East Coast Music & Video.  Anyway, I certainly hop this is a 3-way race, because if the words "Oscar-winning" ever find their way in front of those abysmal Snow White remakes I will lose all hope in the critical community.

My Ballot:
Lincoln
Les Miserables
Mirror Mirror
Snow White and the Huntsman

My Pick to Win:
Anna Karenina

Shoulda Been Here:
Argo

Countdown to Oscar Night: Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Nominees:
Hitchcock
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Miserables

One of the few changes for this year, the Academy decided to add "Hairstyling" to the title of this category.  This is always a hard category to predict.  Do they go for the over-the-top hobbits and dwarves in The Hobbit, the digital makeup removal of the microphones in Les Mis, or the transformation of Anthony Hopkins into the title character of Hitchcock?  Who knows?

My Ballot:
Les Miserables
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

My Pick to Win:
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Shoulda Been Here:
Lincoln

Countdown to Oscar Night: Best Original Score

Nominees
Anna Karenina
Argo
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall

The winner here is usually not the best score, but the most memorable score.  The one that the viewer is humming on the way home.  The only one of the above movies I can say that about is "Life of Pi".  I simply cannot believe "Cloud Atlas" got snubbed here though.  Its score is beautiful, memorable, and a key part of the story line.  I understand that the movie is divisive, but the score was BY FAR the best of 2012.

My Ballot:
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall
Argo

My Pick to Win:
Life of Pi

REALLY REALLY SHOULDA BEEN HERE!!!:
Cloud Atlas

Countdown to Oscar Night: Best Production Design

Nominees:
Anna Karenina
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln

This is always a pretty tough race to call.  Do the voters go for the prettiest film, the one with the best props, the one that is most historically accurate, the one with the most color, etc., etc.?  The VERY different design and source of the films included don't make it any easier.  I could easily make a case for any of these films winning.  Still, I think the Academy will want to honor Les Miserables somewhere, and the non-special effect visual categories may be that place.  This also marks the first category that I'm breaking down where I haven't seen all of the films.  I just don't think I'll get around to seeing Anna Karenina by the big night...  :(

My Ballot:
Lincoln
Les Miserables
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Life of Pi

My Pick to Win:
Les Miserables

Shoulda Been Here:
Cloud Atlas

Countdown to Oscar Night: Best Film Editing

Nominees:
Argo
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

History shows that this category has been the "technical" category pretty much reserved for the Best Pic front runners.  Argo and Lincoln really set themselves apart in my opinion for taking stories that could easily become mundane and creating tight, ultra-entertaining masterpieces.  I know the picture above doesn't really show "editing".  I just feel that anything I can do to bring attention to the greatness of Ben Affleck's direction is much deserved to make up for one of the worst snubs in recent Oscar history.

My Ballot:
Argo
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Life of Pi
Zero Dark Thirty

My Pick:
Argo

Shoulda Been Here:
Beasts of the Southern Wild

Countdown to Oscar Night: Best Animated Feature Film

Nominees:
Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Wreck-It Ralph

For the past fifteen years or so this has been a pretty easy category to predict.  Most of the time, you just go with the Pixar movie, and while Brave is a beautiful fable, it was certainly not up to the standards set by the best animation studio in history.  Still, as Pixar had a small decline in quality, the other studios are most certainly catching up.  Save for the Ice Age and Madagascar franchises, animation studios have gotten rid of the idea that they can churn out these movies without regard to quality because kids will eat up anything.  Frankenweenie and ParaNorman are certainly more adult/teen oriented films, but something about both of the films seemed to lack the heart necessary to tell their stories.  Pirates was a fun little story with more inside jokes than an evolutionary biologist or Victorian historian can handle.  It's a close call between the last two, but Ralph just barely avoids becoming a direct Iron Giant clone, and maintains enough of its wonder to be the best of the year.

My Ballot:
Wreck-It Ralph
Brave
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
ParaNorman
Frankenweenie

My Pick to Win:
Wreck-It Ralph

Shoulda Been Here:
The Secret World of Arrietty

Countdown to Oscar Night: Best Original Song

Nominees:
"Before My Time" - Chasing Ice
"Suddenly" - Les Miserables
"Pi's Lullaby" - Life of Pi
"Skyfall" - Skyfall
"Everybody Needs a Best Friend" - Ted

This one's pretty easy to predict.  A big star with a big voice performing one of the best Bond songs ever.  Add to that the complete obscurity of the rest of the nominated songs (especially Chasing Ice - I had never even heard of the movie, let alone the song).  I usually only vote for movies I have seen, but I did watch the youtube video for the Chasing Ice song.  It's pretty, but it's no Adele.

My Ballot:
"Skyfall" - Skyfall
"Before My Time" - Chasing Ice
"Suddenly" - Les Miserables
"Pi's Lullaby" - Life of Pi
"Everybody Needs a Best Friend" - Ted

My Pick to win:
"Skyfall" - Skyfall

Shoulda been here:
"Arrietty's Song" - The Secret World of Arrietty

Countdown to Oscar: Best Sound Editing

Nominees:
Argo
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Skyfall
Zero Dark Thirty

Here we have the other sound category: Sound Editing.  Unlike mixing, the editing award is more of a sound "effects" award.  It follows that it usually goes to the more special effects driven movies.  For this reason, I don't really see any film but Life of Pi having a shot here.  Nearly all of the sounds in the film were created from scratch anyway, and (save for Argo) it is probably the voters favorite film listed.

My ballot:
Django Unchained
Skyfall
Argo
Life of Pi
Zero Dark Thirty

My pick to win:
Life of Pi

Shoulda been here:
The Avengers

Countdown to Oscar: Best Sound Mixing

Nominees:
Argo
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall

And here we have the two seemingly most out of place Oscar categories:  the sound awards.  Nobody knows the nominees by name, Robin Williams infamously joked that no one cares about the prizes, and most people don't even understand the difference between the Oscar for sound mixing and the one for editing.  Let's start with mixing.  It is the sound mixing technician's job to combine all of the raw sound that was either recorded or added in post production (by special effects or foley artists) into a free flowing, natural, and well balancing final cut.  Not really much more to say about that to break down the nominees, but I don't really see how Les Mis loses this one.  They broke the rules of how sound could be captured for a movie musical and did so in a way that was not distracting and, at the same time, breathtakingly beautiful.

My ballot:
Les Miserables
Skyfall
Argo
Lincoln
Life of Pi

My pick to win:
Les Miserables

Shoulda been here:
Magic Mike

Countdown to Oscar Night: Best Visual Effects

Every day until February 24th, I'm going to break down the Academy Awards. For each category, I will list the nominees, my ballot (the ranked nominees from best to worst in my opinion), my pick to win on the awards night, and a movie that I feel got left out and "shoulda" been nominated.

Nominees:
The Avengers
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Life of Pi
Prometheus
Snow White and the Huntsman

My first impression was: "Ugh..... I have to watch Snow White...." My instincts were right, the Charlize Theron/Thor/Twilight Chick movie was super forgettable and bland. Even the visual effects were nothing that was out-of-this-world. Not really sure who sold their soul to get this nominated. Prometheus is a fine movie, but, again, I can think of a single visual effects shot that was innovative or overly impressive. On the flipside of that, Life of Pi has beautiful and original effects, but the film suffered for the fact that every shot is obviously full of visual effects. By definition if you are able to say to yourself "Wow that's an awesome special effect!" while watching a movie then that isn't a very good visual effect.  Compare that feeling to the totally immersive experience that was provided by The Avengers and The Hobbit.  Not once did I think about the visual effects in these movies because they made a fantasy world completely real.

Still, I feel that the Academy will want to award Life of Pi, and it'll probably have to come in the technical categories.

My Ballot:
The Avengers
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Life of Pi
Prometheus
Snow White and the Huntsman

My pick to win:
Life of Pi

Shoulda been here:
Cloud Atlas

Best of '12: Beasts of the Southern Wild

In a million years, when kids go to school, they gonna know: Once there was a Hushpuppy, and she lived with her daddy in The Bathtub. 

Every once in a while a movie comes along that bravely throws out all of the rules for what a movie should be. Gone are the Hollywood actors. You'll find no catchy pop song in the trailer. There is no sign of a retelling (or remaking) of a classic book/film/comic/fairy tale. Even the idea of what CG can add to a film is completely flipped on its ear.

 Benh Zeitlin is a little more than a year younger than me. Sigh. With his beautiful script in hand he traveled to the Mississippi delta and scouted both his locations and his performers from the native area. This combination of a rookie filmmaker, rookie actors, and an area of the country that is already steeped in mystery, beauty, and pain provides for the perfect imagery for a modern day fable. Zeitlin's role certainly ensured that "Beasts" would be a well accepted art-house treat, but there was one more element that has pushed the movie into conversation for best picture of the year: Miss Quvenzhane' Wallis. At 6 years old, this young lady completely owns the film. There are no long monologues, and most of her speaking is done through narration, but her command of the role of a poor, semi-abandoned girl named Hushpuppy does exactly what every great actress in history has done. Most important, it is impossible for the viewer to avoid Hushpuppy's love, sadness, fear, and utter joy from the movie's opening rejoicing to its closing reflection.

 I still have a handful of 2012 movies to watch, but I find it hard to believe I will see a better movie than this.

Zero Dark Thirty (2012) 3/5

I want targets. Do your #&%$ing jobs. Bring me people to kill.

 I usually agree with "the critics" on most movies. The Rotten Tomatoes "tomatometer" has been my guide as to whether or not I should check out a movie for more than a decade. Still, about once a year a movie comes along to unanimous critical acclaim that I find to be simply mediocre. Rarely is this movie a bad movie (see: A History of Violence). On the other hand, it's usually pretty good, but it just doesn't deserve the "best of the year" tag (see: The Artist, A Beautiful Mind, Crash, etc.). I mention all of this because this is how I have felt about both of Kathryn Bigelow's war films. The Hurt Locker was solid, but nowhere near the level of Avatar, Inglourious Basterds, Up, or Up in the Air, and Zero Dark Thirty is sitting at 93% on the tomatometer and is a mildly impressive retelling of a truly exceptional story.

 Zero Dark Thirty is billed (both in print and in its trailer) as the story of Seal Team 6 and the killing of Osama Bin Laden in May of 2011. This is only true if you happen to show up two hours late for the movie. Sure, the last half-hour are a Blackhawk Down-style tag-along with the Seals, but the viewer has no investment in any of the individual members of the team. They are anonymous with their night vision and uniforms during the operation, and whatever meaningful dialogue they do share falls flat because they are nameless, well-trained men with guns. The other two hours of the movie follows Jessica Chastain's CIA operative Maya (again, no last name, no background, and no family) as she goes on a decade long quest to locate Bin Laden. This sounds more interesting than it is.  It mostly involves torturing detainees, staring at computer screens, and following dead leads.

 In all fairness, a big chunk of my feelings about this movie probably come from my feelings about the "War on Terror" in general. The movie does not take a solid political stand instead attempts to bridge the gap by not shying away from the horrors of the process, but also showing the horrors brought upon innocents by the groups led by Bin Laden. One could say that since May of 2011, there have been no major terror attacks, so the job was successful. My retort would be how many future terrorists have we birthed by torturing and killing not just men, but fathers, uncles, grandfathers, and brothers?

 Bottom line: This is a pretty good movie about a subject that is easy to stay disconnected from on the other side of the world. That being said, I really wish I had remained disconnected.

Golden Globe Thoughts

Predictions in bold.  Looking forward to an awesome show tomorrow night, too bad I have to sit through all of those boring TV awards.

Best Motion Picture - Drama

"Argo"
"Django Unchained"
"Life of Pi"
"Lincoln"
"Zero Dark Thirty"

I've seen all of these except for Life of Pi.  I think it's a two horse race between Argo and Lincoln.  Lincoln has all the Oscar momentum, but Globes votes have been in for quite a while.

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
"The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel"
"Les Miserables"
"Moonrise Kingdom"
"Salmon Fishing in the Yemen"
"Silver Linings Playbook"

Seen them all except Silver Linings Playbook.  It's the only one I think has a bit of a chance.  Still, I'd love to see a Moonrise Kingdom upset here!

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
Daniel Day-Lewis - "Lincoln"
Richard Gere - "Arbitrage"
John Hawkes - "The Sessions"
Joaquin Phoenix - "The Master"
Denzel Washington - "Flight"

No contest here, although it is worth noting that Gere's performance in the little-seen Arbitrage is simply astounding.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Jessica Chastain - "Zero Dark Thirty"
Marion Cotillard - "Rust and Bone"
Helen Mirren - "Hitchcock"
Naomi Watts - "The Impossible"
Rachel Weisz - "The Deep Blue Sea"

Again Zero Dark Thirty is the only one I've seen, and Chastain is also the only one with ANY buzz.  Too bad she is gonna win for her worst performance to date.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Jack Black - "Bernie"
Bradley Cooper - "Silver Linings Playbook"
Hugh Jackman - "Les Miserables"
Ewan McGregor - "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen"
Bill Murray - "Hyde Park on Hudson"

Yet another lock here methinks.  Love this category though for mentioning two amazing and completely underseen movies from '12 - Bernie and, the unfortunately named, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.  Jack Black and Ewan McGregor both do some of the best acting of their spectacular careers.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Emily Blunt - "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen"
Judi Dench - "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel"
Jennifer Lawrence - "Silver Linings Playbook"
Maggie Smith - "Quartert"
Meryl Streep - "Hope Springs"

The Globes splitting up their acting categories certainly makes for some pretty obvious winners.  Anyone other than Katniss would be a major upset.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Alan Arkin - "Argo"

Leonardo DiCaprio - "Django Unchained"

Philip Seymour Hoffman - "The Master"

Tommy Lee Jones - "Lincoln"

Christoph Waltz - "Django Unchained"

DiCaprio probably deserves it for his first turn as a completely intriguing villain  but I can't see the voters ignoring Tommy Lee Jones scene-stealing performance that is quite a bit more lovable than Leo's slave torturer.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Amy Adams - "The Master"
Sally Field - "Lincoln"
Anne Hathaway - "Les Miserables"
Helen Hunt - "The Sessions"
Nicole Kidman - "The Paperboy"

I'd love to see Helen Hunt or Amy Adams steal this one away (I'd also love to see their respective movies :'( ), but have you seen Hathaway's "I Dreamed a Dream"???  She has this category sewn up.

Best Director - Motion Picture
Ben Affleck - "Argo"
Kathryn Bigelow - "Zero Dark Thirty"
Ang Lee - "Life of Pi"
Steven Spielberg - "Lincoln"
Quentin Tarantino - "Django Unchained"

I have no idea why Ben Affleck got snubbed by the Oscars.  I hope the Hollywood Foreign Press soothes the sting from Thursday by awarding him for what is, simply put, the best directing job of the year.

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Mark Boal - "Zero Dark Thirty"
Tony Kushner - "Lincoln"
David O. Russell - "Silver Linings Playbook"
Quentin Tarantino - "Django Unchained"
Chris Terrio - "Argo"

No real idea here.  Going with the film that had the most talking.  ;)

Best Original Song - Motion Picture
"For You" - "Act of Valor"
"Not Running Anymore" - "Stand Up Guys"
"Safe and Sound" - "The Hunger Games"
"Skyfall" - "Skyfall"
"Suddenly" - "Les Miserables"

I'm pretty sure everybody likes Adele.

Best Original Score - Motion Picture
"Life of Pi"
"Argo"
"Anna Karenina"
"Cloud Atlas"
"Lincoln"

Cloud Atlas' score is astonishing, but I don't think many people (other than me) really loved that movie.  The Globes are going to want to honor Pi somewhere.  Why not here?

Best Animated Film
"Brave"
"Frankenweenie"
"Hotel Transylvania"
"Rise of Guardians"
"Wreck-It Ralph"

I've seen all except for Frankenweenie.  None of the 4 I saw were overly exceptional, so I think I'll go with the unknown.

Once again, I am seriously looking forward to what Tina Fey and Amy Poehler have in store for us tomorrow night!

Best of '12: Bernie

Well, I know the Bible says Jesus turned water into wine, but it didn't say liquor store wine. It had to have been non-alcoholic wine, because it didn't have time to ferment. 

An effeminate 30-something bachelor assistant funeral director befriends a very wealthy elderly widow in the small town of Carthage, Texas, kills her, hides the body, and convinces the town that nothing is wrong for nearly nine months. What an amazing true crime story! Let's get Jack Black to play the guy, Shirley MacLaine to play the old lady, and the real life townspeople to play themselves in a big screen adaptation of this story! Better yet, since Kay McConaughey is from Carthage, let's interview her as well. Maybe she can talk her son, Matthew into being in our little film too (I hear he's a pretty good actor).

I know the above paragraph sounds pretty ridiculous, but I assure you it is completely true. I also assure you that only my favorite director, Mr. Richard Linklater could pull this off. And he does. In astonishing fashion.

2013 Oscar Ballot

Oscar nominations will be announced tomorrow morning.  As usual, I don't have a vote, but if I could nominate here are my picks for the esteemed categories.  Still have between 15-20 possible nominees to see, but I've seen most of the biggies.

Best Picture
Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best Director
Ben Affleck - Argo

Best Actor
Hugh Jackman - Les Miserables

Best Actress
Quvenzhane' Wallis - Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best Supporting Actor
Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln

Best Supporting Actress
Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables

Best Adapted Screenplay
Bernie

Best Original Screenplay
Ruby Sparks

Best Cinematography
Moonrise Kingdom

Best Costume Design
Moonrise Kingdom

Best Film Editing
Argo

Best Makeup
Lincoln

Best Original Score
Cloud Atlas

Best Original Song
Brave

Best Production Design
Moonrise Kingdom

Best Sound Editing
Django Unchained

Best Sound Mixing
Les Miserables

Best Visual Effects
The Avengers

Best Animated Film
The Secret World of Arrietty

I honestly haven't seen enough of the 2012 Documentaries or Foreign films yet to make a comment about those.  I'll be rooting hard for most of these tomorrow, but especially hope that "Beasts of the Southern Wild" and the amazing young Ms. Quvenzhane' Wallis get their deserved spots.

Best of '12: Argo

-

-The saying goes, "What starts in farce ends in tragedy." 
 -No, it's the other way around. 
 -Who said that exactly? 
 -Marx. 
 -Groucho said that?

 This is true-story drama-thriller for the Star Wars generation in a very literal sense. There have always been quite a few of Affleck doubters. When he and Matt Damon burst on the scene with "Good Will Hunting", I clearly remember the conspiracy theorists who attributed the development of the movie to someone else. There was a quite popular (and equally silly) hypothesis that Kevin Smith wrote the film and attributed it to the handsome young men to make it a better human interest story. After 3 movies in the directors chair, I think Mr. Affleck has certainly done enough to silence any of his doubters.

 This movie stretched the limits of our definitions of the true-story-spy-drama. It was at the same time thrilling, moving, and supremely intriguing. Many of my favorite movies or off-putting to some, slow to others, and downright boring to many. Rest assured this is not one of those. Even though there are enough references to a galaxy far, far away to make this film quite personal, I simply cannot understand an American movie-goer leaving this film with anything but a spring in their step, pride in their hearts, and maybe even a little extra love for their loved ones.

Best of '12: Moonrise Kingdom

Triumphant return to the movie blog!!! Over the next couple of weeks I will profile my favorite films of 2012 (in no particular order, mind you). I will also through out my Oscar/Golden Globes/Independent Spirit picks, and culminate my movie watching season sometime in February with my Top 10 list of 2012. Stay tuned!

 

We're in love. We just want to be together. What's wrong with that? 

Not my favorite Wes Anderson film (that would still be "The Royal Tenenbaums"), but I truly believe this is Anderson's masterpiece. It is everything about what makes his films great reduced to the simplest context of boy meets girl/girl meets boy innocence. All of the the unique filmmakers elements are there from the pitch perfect soundtrack, to the quirky, but sweet dialogue and performances, to the sets and scenery sculpted with a "doll-house" level attention to detail.

 Every performance is brilliant; where else can you see Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Jason Schwartzman and Tilda Swinton all at the top of their comedic game? Still, the film belongs to the magical performances of the two young stars Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward as they take the fragile and sweet script and make us believe in the purity of their true love.

 PS: My list of movies to watch before I make my 2012 top ten list: Flight, The Master, Life of Pi, Looper, The Dark Knight Rises, Amour, Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty, The Sessions, Rust and Bone, The Paperboy, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Hope Springs, The Deep Blue Sea, Arbitrage, and probably a handful more...