Well, the dust has settled from what turned out to be a surprisingly decent showing. Chris Rock hosted and did a much better job this time, mostly by playing to his strengths. The Academy overcompensated for not having any black nominees by inviting pretty much every famous black person to be a presenter, a variation on the old standby defense of "I'm not racist, I have a black friend."
The idea of having a thank-you crawler at the bottom of the screen was interesting. I don't necessarily like it as a trend because it seems like a push to just get the winners off-stage faster, but seeing as the ceremony ran half an hour long, I understand it. They also had little pop-ups about the presenters, listing upcoming or recent projects, which reminded me of the Westminster Kennel Club dog show for some reason.
Only the three commercially popular songs rated a musical number. Sam Smith was uncharacteristically awful. The staging for "Earned It" was sexier than the entirety of the movie in which it was featured. I'm pretty sure the only one people will be talking about is Lady Gaga's emotional performance of "Till It Happens to You", which brought tears to the eyes of the assembled.
I was wrong on nearly every single prediction I made, which is why I am not a gambler. Winners are below.
Best Picture: Spotlight (I know, right? Came outta nowhere.)
Best Director: Alejandro Inarritu (Guessed this correctly.)
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio (I was hoping for Matt Damon but I figured it would have been Eddie Redmayne again.)
Best Actress: Brie Larson (This one I actually got right.)
Best Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance (I really wanted it to be Tom Hardy.)
Best Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander (I'm happy about this but I thought they were going to give it to Kate Winslet again.)
Best Original Screenplay: Spotlight
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short
Best Animated Feature: Inside Out (Really, this was a gimme.)
Best Foreign Film: Son of Saul (I only saw one in this category but I knew the Academy wouldn't pass up a chance to praise yet another movie about fighting the Nazis.)
Best Documentary Feature: Amy (I was really hoping for Winter on Fire.)
Best Cinematography: The Revenant (I thought for sure Mad Max.)
Best Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road (And for this I thought The Revenant.)
Best Production Design: Mad Max: Fury Road (I said The Martian, which didn't end up winning anything.)
Best Visual Effects: Ex Machina (This one I guessed right. It was damned impressive effects.)
Best Costume Design: Mad Max: Fury Road (I said Cinderella.)
Best Hair and Makeup: Mad Max: Fury Road (I said The 100-Year-Old Man.)
Best Original Score: The Hateful Eight (I said Star Wars Episode 7.)
Best Original Song: "The Writing's on the Wall" from Spectre (This one I knew.)
Best Sound Mixing: Mad Max: Fury Road (I said Star Wars.)
Best Sound Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road (Again with Star Wars.)
Best Documentary Short: A Girl in the River (I didn't see any of these so I abstained. Louis C.K. was the best presenter because of this category, however.)
Best Animated Short: Bear Story (I said World of Tomorrow but this was Chile's first win ever so I can't be mad at it.)
Best Live Action Short: Stutterer (I thought it would go to Ave Maria but I'm pleasantly surprised because I liked Stutterer more.)
So I got 6 out of 24. That's 25% accuracy. I suck at this game.
Monday, February 29, 2016
Theeb (2014)
Nominated for Best Foreign Film 
Well, at least I got one of the foreign films in before the ceremony.
A young Bedouin boy named Theeb (Jacir Eid Al-Hwietat) and his brother (Hussein Salameh Al-Sweilhiyeen) lead an Englishman (Jack Fox) and his interpreter across the Hejaz Province. They are ambushed near a well with Theeb and one of the bandits (Hassan Mutlag Al-Maraiyeh) the only survivors. Theeb must decide whether or not to trust this man in order to get back home.
This is set during World War I and it's not a perspective I have often seen. The boy and his tribe are so removed from the actual fighting much less the politics behind all of it that you can really feel their isolation, even though the events would go to drastically change their world. I suppose you could say it was a metaphor for the modern Arab states being shaped by foreign powers and struggling to come into their own, if you wanted to go all film school on it. Otherwise, it's a beautifully shot coming-of-age film.
I didn't really feel one way or another about this but if it interests you, feel free to wrangle up a copy.
Well, at least I got one of the foreign films in before the ceremony. A young Bedouin boy named Theeb (Jacir Eid Al-Hwietat) and his brother (Hussein Salameh Al-Sweilhiyeen) lead an Englishman (Jack Fox) and his interpreter across the Hejaz Province. They are ambushed near a well with Theeb and one of the bandits (Hassan Mutlag Al-Maraiyeh) the only survivors. Theeb must decide whether or not to trust this man in order to get back home.
This is set during World War I and it's not a perspective I have often seen. The boy and his tribe are so removed from the actual fighting much less the politics behind all of it that you can really feel their isolation, even though the events would go to drastically change their world. I suppose you could say it was a metaphor for the modern Arab states being shaped by foreign powers and struggling to come into their own, if you wanted to go all film school on it. Otherwise, it's a beautifully shot coming-of-age film.
I didn't really feel one way or another about this but if it interests you, feel free to wrangle up a copy.
Sunday, February 28, 2016
OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006)
After the horrible experience of Youth, I needed a palate cleanser. Fortunately, this movie was hilarious. French Secret Service agent Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath, codenamed OSS 117, is the nation's most suave, debonair spy. He's also a total idiot. Sent to Cairo to investigate the disappearance of another agent (Philippe Lefebvre), OSS 117 blunders into multiple nefarious plots including the disappearance of a Russian arms ship, the rise of fanatical religious insurgents, tensions between the locals and foreign interests, and a very angry deposed Egyptian princess (Aure Atika).
When you hear the phrase "French film" you don't necessarily jump to comedy but this was one of the best spy parodies I have ever seen. Imagine if Inspector Clouseau took over James Bond's job for the day. That is Agent OSS 117. This was exactly what I needed to see after all those pretentious dramas.
Youth (2015)
Nominated for Best Original Song 
Yet another horribly boring movie from the same guy who directed and wrote The Great Beauty a couple of years ago. Based on the subject matter, I would have figured him to be 108-years-old but he's only 45. That mid-life crisis must be kicking in like a motherfucker.
A retired composer (Michael Caine) and his best friend, a screenwriter (Harvey Keitel), go on vacation to a spa in the Swiss Alps. The composer is bored and jaded with life, avoiding engagements and coasting on his retirement but soon becomes interested in the lives of the people around him at the hotel.
Shoot me in the head. There was no point to this movie whatsoever. Just boring rumination on the meaning of life, legacies, what it means to be an artist, prostate troubles, and letting go. Also, a nude Miss Universe and an old couple fucking in the woods. Awful.
Thankfully, this is the last entry in the Best Original Song category. I hated the song as much as I hated the movie. I'm pretty sure "Writing's on the Wall" is a lock for the statuette. This year I'm going to put together an actual guess sheet and see how many I get right. I'll post the results when I do my wrap-up of the ceremony tonight.
Yet another horribly boring movie from the same guy who directed and wrote The Great Beauty a couple of years ago. Based on the subject matter, I would have figured him to be 108-years-old but he's only 45. That mid-life crisis must be kicking in like a motherfucker.A retired composer (Michael Caine) and his best friend, a screenwriter (Harvey Keitel), go on vacation to a spa in the Swiss Alps. The composer is bored and jaded with life, avoiding engagements and coasting on his retirement but soon becomes interested in the lives of the people around him at the hotel.
Shoot me in the head. There was no point to this movie whatsoever. Just boring rumination on the meaning of life, legacies, what it means to be an artist, prostate troubles, and letting go. Also, a nude Miss Universe and an old couple fucking in the woods. Awful.
Thankfully, this is the last entry in the Best Original Song category. I hated the song as much as I hated the movie. I'm pretty sure "Writing's on the Wall" is a lock for the statuette. This year I'm going to put together an actual guess sheet and see how many I get right. I'll post the results when I do my wrap-up of the ceremony tonight.
Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci (1982)
I really enjoy opera but I don't get the chance to go see one as often as I'd like. Fortunately, there's Netflix.Cavalleria Rusticana stars Placido Domingo as Turridu, an Italian peasant having an affair with Lola (Axelle Gall) who is married to Alfio (Renato Bruson), a wealthy carter. Alfio finds out about his wife's infidelity on Easter Sunday from Santuzza (Yelena Obraztsova), a woman in love with Turridu. He calls Turridu to a duel.
Pagliacci is a play within a play about a clown named Canio (Placido Domingo) who flies into a jealous rage when his wife (Teresa Stratas) has an affair. In the comic play, Pagliaccio catches Columbine with her lover Harlequin and offers a humorous sermon. In the production, Canio stabs his wife and her lover (Alberto Rinaldi) to death.
All the more reason you should never trust clowns.
These are both short operas, only an hour each and directed by Franco Zeffirelli, who is most famous for his Shakespeare adaptations. Obviously, opera is intended to be experienced live but the next best thing is a video adaptation in the hands of a master director.
Room (2015)
Nominated for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay 
This movie was utterly fascinating to watch. With this, I have now seen all the nominees for Best Director. It's either going to George Miller or Alejandro Inarritu and I just don't know which.
A woman (Brie Larson) and her five-year-old son (Jacob Tremblay) have been held captive inside a tiny room for his entire life and two years of her's before that. It is all the boy has ever known but he is willing to help his mother formulate a plan to escape from their kidnapper. Once free, they both struggle to adapt to a world that has no limits.
Did I enjoy watching this? In parts. Would I watch it again? No. Almost certainly not. But I was totally riveted by what was happening. I felt this movie on a deep, visceral level. And that's about the highest praise I can give anything. Honestly, I would be hard pressed to call any other film this year better than this one and I hope it pulls an upset and takes home Best Picture. I enjoyed The Martian, Bridge of Spies, and Fury Road. I felt Room.
This movie was utterly fascinating to watch. With this, I have now seen all the nominees for Best Director. It's either going to George Miller or Alejandro Inarritu and I just don't know which. A woman (Brie Larson) and her five-year-old son (Jacob Tremblay) have been held captive inside a tiny room for his entire life and two years of her's before that. It is all the boy has ever known but he is willing to help his mother formulate a plan to escape from their kidnapper. Once free, they both struggle to adapt to a world that has no limits.
Did I enjoy watching this? In parts. Would I watch it again? No. Almost certainly not. But I was totally riveted by what was happening. I felt this movie on a deep, visceral level. And that's about the highest praise I can give anything. Honestly, I would be hard pressed to call any other film this year better than this one and I hope it pulls an upset and takes home Best Picture. I enjoyed The Martian, Bridge of Spies, and Fury Road. I felt Room.
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Steve Jobs (2015)
Nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress 
I really didn't want to see this movie. It looked like it was going to be boring and I didn't care about the subject matter. But I watched it anyway and it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought.
The movie follows Steve Jobs (Michael Fassbender) through three product launches in 1984, 1988, and 1998 and his interactions with various people in his life, from his long-suffering marketing executive Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet), his former CEO/mentor John Scully (Jeff Bridges), and founding partner Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogan) to his estranged former lover Chrisann Brennan (Katherine Waterston) and daughter, Lisa (Mackenzie Moss, Ripley Sobo, and Perla Haney-Jardine).
I can't really explain why this movie was good. It was a bunch of people standing and talking. There was a magic to it, though, that kept me from looking at my phone for the entire running time. I think I was afraid this was going to be another Social Network but I didn't hate this, even though it too showed a public figure sacrificing personal relationships at the altar of genius. I'm beginning to think that says more about Aaron Sorkin than it does about either Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs.
Also, can I take a moment to really appreciate Michael Stuhlbarg? This man is in two of the Oscar nominated films for Best Actor and has standout performances in both. I really hope his star is on the rise because he is excellent.
I really didn't want to see this movie. It looked like it was going to be boring and I didn't care about the subject matter. But I watched it anyway and it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. The movie follows Steve Jobs (Michael Fassbender) through three product launches in 1984, 1988, and 1998 and his interactions with various people in his life, from his long-suffering marketing executive Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet), his former CEO/mentor John Scully (Jeff Bridges), and founding partner Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogan) to his estranged former lover Chrisann Brennan (Katherine Waterston) and daughter, Lisa (Mackenzie Moss, Ripley Sobo, and Perla Haney-Jardine).
I can't really explain why this movie was good. It was a bunch of people standing and talking. There was a magic to it, though, that kept me from looking at my phone for the entire running time. I think I was afraid this was going to be another Social Network but I didn't hate this, even though it too showed a public figure sacrificing personal relationships at the altar of genius. I'm beginning to think that says more about Aaron Sorkin than it does about either Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs.
Also, can I take a moment to really appreciate Michael Stuhlbarg? This man is in two of the Oscar nominated films for Best Actor and has standout performances in both. I really hope his star is on the rise because he is excellent.
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