Oscars 2014 — Best Animated Short

Classic Disney resurfaces with Get a Horse!, the short film before Frozen including original Mickey Mouse voiced by Walt Disney. Despite the incredible beauty of Feral, there’s a slim chance anything will beat Disney’s 3D entry.

1. Get a Horse! – A look back at classic Disney. Mickey, Minnie, Horace Horsecollar, and Clarabelle Cow venture together until Peg-Leg Pete gets in their way. In one of the best uses of 3D, this is a sure bet to win.
2. Feral – One of the most uniquely beautiful animated shorts of the year, a wild boy found in the woods is brought into civilization where he is alienated due to his coping strategies.
3. Mr. Hublot – This withdrawn man must deal with having to share his home with the intrusion of Robot Pet.
4. Room on the Broom – A witch allows multiple animals on her broom when a dragon attacks.
5. Possessions – Dazzling Miyazaki-like imagery triumphs as a man comes across a small shrine where things come to life due to spirits in the area.

Oscars 2014 – Best Documentary Feature

As always, some people’s favourite documentaries were snubbed such as Stories We Tell, but with the popular 20 Feet From Stardom and remarkable The Act of Killing we’ll still have a good race. All trailers are linked on the titles, and all but 20 Feet From Stardom can be found on Netflix.

1. The Act of Killing – A powerful look at the Indonesian genocide by getting the death squad leaders to recreate their mass killings. By using any genre they wanted to create these scenes, we witness an interesting insight into “how human beings commit atrocities and how we build normality around these atrocities” (Joshua Oppenheimer, director). The bold stylistic choices used in this film could easily give it the Oscar.
2. 20 Feet From Stardom – A musician’s underdog story about backup singers for some of the most popular bands that shows passion in art, something that the Academy voters may relate to.
3. Cutie and the Boxer – The “unusual love story” between a boxing painter, Ushio Shinohara, and his wife Noriko as she tries to find her own identity outside of being Ushio’s assistant (Zachary Heinerling, director).
4. The Square – Netflix’s first ever Oscar nomination comes by way of the Egyptian revolutionaries as governments are toppled.
5. Dirty Wars – America’s covert wars is the focus as journalist Jeremy Scahill chases down the truth.

Oscars 2014 — Best Documentary Short

The Documentary Short category can be a difficult one to predict as most people don’t have the opportunity to see the nominees and we don’t get many other award shows as predictors. Each of the nominees focus on transformation this year. Both CaveDigger and Prison Terminal are strong contenders, but that isn’t to discount the powerful, emotional turns in Lady in Number 6 or Facing Fear. Karama seems to be a good companion piece to feature length documentary nomination The Square that focuses on the Egyptian revolution.

For all trailers, click the title of the documentary.

1. The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life
2. CaveDigger
3. Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall
4. Facing Fear
5. Karama Has No Walls

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture

Best Picture is the most revered categories in the Oscars. In recent years the Academy has decided to change the number of nominees from five to ten but this year, interestingly, they only selected nine movies to be nominated. Interesting because I expected Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom to be nominated but it wasn’t. I haven’t watched Amour so it’s at the bottom of the list with the trailer.

1. Argo is based on the recently declassified mission to get six hostages out of Iran in the 70s. This movie, directed by Ben Affleck, is a great ‘rah rah America’ movie without being over the top. There were tense, nail-biting moments along the way which is great because we do all know how it ends. The use of TV footage from the 70s is a great touch to making it seem much more accurate and real. I don’t know what to say about this movie because it was just all so great and I want it to win the Oscar over Lincoln. Please? I can’t describe how upset I am that Ben Affleck isn’t nominated for the Best Director award.
2. Les Misérables is the musical nominated in this year’s Oscars. This was a wonderful version of Les Miserables, and I’m happy to say it was one of my favourite movies of the year. Everyones acting and singing was incredible, but I just don’t think it seems like something that will win the Best Picture Oscar. Maybe it just seemed too fun? I don’t know. Either way, it was absolutely incredible and emotional and I want to watch it again already.
3. Silver Linings Playbook has a strong cast and emotional story. Pat comes out of a mental institution trying to reconcile with his wife but instead he meets a mysterious girl, Tiffany, who has problems of her own. Bradley Cooper never falters as Pat as he gets pulled in multiple directions. Jennifer Lawrence was stunning (as always) in her role as Tiffany and the entire supporting cast seemed so real in their performances. A moving story inside a comical backdrop, this film was a lot of fun to watch. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj5_FhLaaQQ
4. Life of Piis adapted from Yann Martel’s novel of the same name about an Indian boy who explores spirituality from an early age. The special effects were beautiful with the tiger looking positively realistic. Full disclosure: I haven’t read the book, but from what I hear the writers did a good job translating the story to the screen. I never found myself confused or needing explanation, so I’d say they did a good job. Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZEZ35Fhvuc
5. Lincoln has the most nominations in the Oscars this year, coming in at 12. If you know American history at all, this movie was predictable but that wasn’t the point of it. The journey to get the Thirteenth Amendment passed is what matters, and it was an interesting political drama. Spreading this movie over two and a half hours was a bit much. Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWpMt2-Z-fc
6. Django Unchained is a classic Tarantino film. Violent, bloody, with lots of swearing and a great script. Christoph Waltz finds himself in a good guy role in a Tarantino film? What? As always, Tarantino puts together a wonderful cast with Jamie Fox, Kerry Washington, Leo Dicaprio, Samuel L Jackson, and Christoph Waltz. The soundtrack mixes in remarkably well. The story of a slave turned bounty hunter looking for his wife that has been bought by one of the worst plantation owners. Although tackling difficult subjects, this movie has restarted dialogue about slavery and related topics which seems to be exactly what Tarantino always goes for in his films. With all Tarantino films, this was really enjoyable if you don’t mind blood and violence. Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8CZKbDzP1E
7. Beasts of the Southern Wild is a unique interpretation of Hurricane Katrina and its effects in southern Louisiana. Quvenzhané Wallis gives a powerful performance for someone of only nine years old. This was a very interesting, artsy narrative piece but I’m not sure I can wrap my head around all the little intricacies. The score for this movies is one of my favourites for all of the 2012. Hell, for even longer than that probably! I don’t know if it was my favourite of the nominees, but it definitely deserves to be on the list! Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZF7i2n5NXLo
8. Zero Dark Thirty is about the decade long manhunt on al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Ladin. This movie was OK, nothing that I would rave about like so many are doing, but also not bad. A character piece about Maya, the woman who tracked bin Ladin down, but we don’t see much development. A CIA bureaucratic film with torture and Navy SEALs. There’s no surprises in this film because we all know the story of bin Ladin’s death in May 2011. This film could have done so much more, delving into controversy or asking moral questions, but instead they played it safe. I expected more from Bigelow, because I enjoyed The Hurt Locker so much. Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAtWcvCxPhc
9. Amour is a French foreign language film.

Oscar Nominations: Best Director

This category is a curious one. Neither Ben Affleck (Argo), Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty), nor Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained) were nominated in this category, cutting out three of the front runners which have been noted in the other award shows. This year will be an interesting one. Although I don’t think Bigelow should have been nominated, I do think Affleck and Tarantino have been majorly snubbed. If those two were nominated like I wish they would have been I would immediately put Affleck as the winner with Tarantino next.

As Affleck is not nominated, Spielberg seems to be the obvious choice for winner. Spielberg has not won in fifteen years so the Academy has had enough time to give him another award and it’s a movie about President Lincoln which will be a big pull. Although I would love to see first time nominee Benh Zeitlin win for his incredible Beasts of the Southern Wild, it is not likely. The two nominees with the best chance of beating Spielberg are probably David O Russell (Silver Linings Playbook) and Ang Lee (Life of Pi) but their biggest problem is that Spielberg is nominated against them.

1. Steven Spielberg (Lincoln) provides his usual flare without overdoing it, and he’s always a front runner when he’s nominated. He hasn’t won in fifteen years, so there is a good chance he’ll win again. He has won two of the six Best Director Oscar’s he has been nominated for, most recently Saving Private Ryan in 1998.
2. Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild) created such an interesting, melancholic world dealing with disaster. The Academy definitely seems willing to honor the new directors and I would love to see him win. This is Zeitlin’s first nomination.
3. Ang Lee (Life of Pi) made a movie I didn’t expect to like but discovered that I loved. The way everything was put to screen was magnificent. I had been very concerned that the emotion wouldn’t come across to audiences in this format but with Lee undertaking this project it was in good hands. This is Lee’s third nomination which he has won once before in 2005 for Brokeback Mountain.
4. David O Russell (Silver Linings Playbook) is a wonderful, honest story. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie but it is a comedy (no matter how much I’d like to disagree with that) and comedy hasn’t won in decades. This is Russell’s second nomination.
5. Michael Haneke (Amour) is the story of a couple in their eighties and the problems they face. It is also nominated for Best Foreign Film and Best Picture. This is Haneke’s first nomination for Best Director and his second film in the Oscars.

Oscar Nominations: Animated Picture

One of my favourite categories at the Oscars is Best Animated Picture. It’s easily the most fun category because it’s all about which kids movie was best. This year there are five good nominees and I definitely enjoyed myself immensely getting to sit and watch these. I don’t have full reviews for all of these, so the explanations here for ranking will have to do! Trailers are linked for your viewing pleasure.

1. Brave has Pixar’s first female lead and she’s a marvelous one. Princess Merida is brave and she’s a great archer. After breaking tradition and bringing chaos to the kingdom she has to use everything she can to fix a beastly curse. A story about changing your fate and accepting family, this movie was so amazing. I was laughing and crying along with all the characters. I felt so full of emotion by the end. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEHWDA_6e3M
2. Pirates! Band of Misfits is a marvelous tale of the Pirate Captain trying to obtain the Pirate of the Year award and having the “most unexpectedly heartwarming adventure ever!” A great voice cast, wonderfully funny script, and predictable but very enjoyable fun this movie was lovely. Just what I needed for the night, I’m sure I’ll watch this again. It seems quite underrated, and the plot was a bit too predictable, so I’m not expecting a win for this one. I’ll be sure to keep this in my collection. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tqtcj20Z778
3. Frankenweenie is Tim Burton’s latest movie. This movie was really cute. Vincent has a pet dog, Sparky who is tragically killed. While in science class one day he gets an idea to revive Sparky Frankenstein-style which has certain dangerous ramifications. There was lots about this movie that I recognized from previous Burtin films, specifically the windmill finale reminiscent of Sleepy Hollow. Burton’s last stop-motion The Corpse Bride had let me down, as had his latest attempt with Disney, Alice in Wonderland, so I was a little nervous about this one but I really enjoyed it. It felt like Burton and Disney had come together really cohesively. The most loving character of the movie is Sparky himself, he really brings out the emotions in this one! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cqI6hPra7c
4. ParaNorman is the tale of eleven year old Norman who is labeled a freak by his town because he can speak to the dead. Although an unpopular opinion, I wasn’t too fond of this movie. If I had gone in with much expectation I would have been disappointed. My favourite moment of the movie was the offhanded comment about being gay. A gay character in a kids animated movie is so rare! I can’t remember a single time when that has happened up until now. The trailers consisted of most of the funny bits of the entire movie. Although it was probably more meaningful than Pirates! it definitely wasn’t as fun. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NbtltCSpcU
5. Wreck It Ralph was something I expected to really enjoy but didn’t. It was a cool idea but executed poorly. Wreck it Ralph is a bad guy in his arcade game who no longer wants to be a bad guy but his quest starts to ruin the whole arcade. I think I laughed three times in this movie. There were a lot of cheesy kids jokes (did I really need five jokes about heroes ‘duty’) and no jokes catering to adults (saying ‘fun’ instead of ‘f*ck’ is not a joke catering to adults). I guess my dislike of Sarah Silverman wouldn’t help, especially with an even more annoying voice than usual. On the plus side, John C Reilly and Jane Lynch were much more fun to listen to and they brought charm if not humour to their characters.

These are in order of my personal preferences. Although I would love it if Pirates were to win, I expect Frankenweenie to win.

Beasts of the Southern Wild

“There once was a Hushpuppy who lived with her daddy in the Bathtub.” Faced with her severely ill father and a natural disaster, Hushpuppy goes in search of her absent mother and makes discoveries about herself along the way.

This was such a unique and spirited interpretation of Hurricane Katrina and how it effected the people in southern Louisiana. I really enjoyed getting a story so closely related to what we know, but with parts where you have to dig a little further. This isn’t the normal retelling of Katrina, it’s a character based story of one girls experiences during the destruction of her world.

Quvenzhané Wallis gives a powerful performance of her character Hushpuppy, the young girl who must venture out on her own. She’s a stubborn, emotional and brave girl with a narrative voice equally as wise beyond her years as it is young, fresh, and naive. She’s a bright light throughout the film that grounds the events and gives focus to the audience. It isn’t always easy to portray such a sense of wonder to an adult audience but this film certainly tried and was aided by the honesty behind Wallis’ performance. Because of this, Wallis finds herself the youngest Best Actress nominee at the Oscars ever, at age nine. 

Love It and Hate It:

My favourite thing was definitely the score. As mentioned above, we see Hushpuppy’s sense of wonder at certain things and this wouldn’t be possible without the wonderful work of Benh Zeitlin (also director/co-writer) and Dan Romer who created this piece of art.  Check some of it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFFiaTOAWIc Soft and delicate yet also powerful, it’s the perfect accompaniment for Wallis’ character, Hushpuppy.

My hate it is more of a dislike for this movie. I found the cinematography frustrating in places. At points I really enjoyed it, such as showing certain character perspective, but I found myself getting annoyed at times when things went (albeit, intentionally) out of focus. I felt there was no reason for the changes in focus but they were there nonetheless. Perhaps because somebody decided the film needed more style.

What do you think? Do you think Quvenzhané Wallis and this movie deserved nominations in the Oscars?

Oscar Nominations: Live-Action Shorts

Another category that I don’t normally get to see the nominations for is live-action shorts. As I did the animated ones, I figured what better way to get more in depth with the Oscars than by checking these out as well. Unfortunately I found it impossible to get anything more than the trailer for these, so although I’m more educated this year (I know what they’re about!) it’s not as though I’ve actually seen them.

1. Buzkashi Boys focusses on Afghanistan’s national sport of Buzkashi, a violent form of horse polo involving a dead goat. Another coming of age story, this time for two friends trying to discover their dreams. With emotion comes power, and this short film looks to have so much emotion packed into it. I would not be surprised if this were to win. Check out the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHdG1b1y89M
2. Curfew is the story of Richie. While at his darkest point he looks after his estranged sister’s daughter, Sophia who begins to make quite the impact. I really wish I could see all of this. There is so much I feel I could connect to in this and I’m so curious what sort of an impact Sophia makes on Richard. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLAVg17luqc
3. Dood van een Schaduw (Death of a Shadow)is an intriguing tale of a soldier in WWI, Nathan, who died but has been given a second chance through a collector taking his shadow. As he tries to find Sarah, his love, jealousy pulls him under. Although interesting it also seems very bizarre. It might be overreaching to have such a seemingly complex story in a short film like this but then again, it might be best to only let it have this short moment. Because of the strangeness of this one I wouldn’t be surprised if it pulled out a win but I won’t be voting for it on my fake-ballot. Trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEt1e-g1vLs
4. Asad is the coming of age story of a young boy struggling to survive his war-torn country, Somalia.  Here’s the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrLKldkxywQ
5. Henry is an aging concert pianist goes in search of his wife Maria after she goes missing. I haven barely been able to find any information about this film unfortunately.

What do you think about the trailers? Which is your favourite?

My Thoughts on the Oscar Winners

As I’m not going to be able to watch the Oscars this year, I’ve decided to just comment on the winners for each category. Admittedly I saw almost none of the nominees.
bolded is what I predicted would win
*starred* is what I had seen
italics is what won
underlined is my comments 

Best Picture:

• The Artist
• The Descendants
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
• The Help
• Hugo
• *Midnight in Paris*
• Moneyball
• The Tree of Life
• War Horse

I’m pleased this won, but partially because it means I won too. I haven’t seen this movie but it sweeped all the awards shows, so why not. score: 1/1

Actor in a Leading Role:

• Demián Bichir “A Better Life”
• George Clooney “The Descendants”
• Jean Dujardin “The Artist”
• Gary Oldman “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”
• Brad Pitt “Moneyball”

 score: 2/2

Actor in a Supporting Role:

• Kenneth Branagh “My Week with Marilyn”
• Jonah Hill “Moneyball”
• Nick Nolte “Warrior”
• Christopher Plummer “Beginners”
• Max von Sydow “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”

I actually want to find his acceptance speech, because apparently it was incredibly beautiful. And he’s Canadian like me! score: 3/3

Actress in a Leading Role:

• Glenn Close “Albert Nobbs”
• Viola Davis “The Help”
• Rooney Mara “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
• Meryl Streep “The Iron Lady”
• Michelle Williams “My Week with Marilyn”

 score: 4/4

Actress in a Supporting Role:

• Bérénice Bejo “The Artist”
• Jessica Chastain “The Help”
• Melissa McCarthy “Bridesmaids”
• Janet McTeer “Albert Nobbs”
• Octavia Spencer “The Help”

 score: 5/5

Animated Feature Film:

• A Cat in Paris
• Chico & Rita
• Kung Fu Panda 2
• Puss in Boots
• *Rango*

 score: 6/6

Art Direction:

• The Artist
• *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2*
• Hugo
• *Midnight in Paris*
• War Horse

 score: 6/7

Cinematography:

• The Artist
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Hugo
• The Tree of Life
• War Horse

 score: 6/8

Costume Design:

• Anonymous
• The Artist
• Hugo
• Jane Eyre
• W.E

 score: 6/9

Directing:

• The Artist
• The Descendants
• Hugo
• *Midnight in Paris*
• The Tree of Life

 score: 6/10

Documentary (Feature):

• Hell and Back Again
• If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
• Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
• Pina
• Undefeated

 score: 6/11

Documentary (Short Subject):

• The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement
• God is the Bigger Elvis
• Incident in New Baghdad
• Saving Face
• The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

 score: 6/12

Film Editing:

• The Artist
• The Descendants
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Hugo
• Moneyball

Finally another winner! I got all of the big categories minus director right though! score: 7/13

Foreign Language Film:

• Bullhead
• Footnote
• In Darkness
• Monsieur Lazhar
• A Separation

 score: 8/14

Makeup:

• Albert Nobbs
• *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2*
• The Iron Lady

 score: 8/15

Music (Original Score):

• The Adventures of Tintin
• The Artist
• Hugo
• Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
• War Horse

 score: 9/15

Music (Original Song):

• Man or Muppet “The Muppets”
• Real in Rio “Rio”

9/16

Short Film (Animated):

• Dimanche/Sunday
• The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
• La Luna
• A Morning Stroll
• Wild Life

What a fantastic flying guess! score: 10/17

Short Film (Live Action):

• Pentecost
• Raju
• The Shore
• Time Freak
• Tuba Atlantic

 score: 10/18

Sound Editing:

• Drive
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Hugo
• *Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon*
• War Horse

 score: 10/19

 Sound Mixing:

• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Hugo
• Moneyball
• *Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon*
• War Horse

 score: 10/20

Visual Effects:

• *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2*
• Hugo
• Real Steel
• Rise of the Planet of the Apes
• *Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon*

Now I’m finally below half right :( but how the fuck did Harry Potter not win anything? MAD score: 10/21

Writing (Adapted Screenplay):

• The Descendants
• Hugo
• The Ides of March
• Moneyball
• Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

 score: 10/22

Writing (Original Screenplay):

• The Artist
• Bridesmaids
• Margin Call
• *Midnight in Paris*
• A Separation

Final score: 10/23

So although my final score wasn’t the worst I’ve ever done it’s definitely not the best either. Although if it were weighted based on which categories one got right I’d definitely not be doing too badly. Anyway, how’d everyone else do?

127 Hours -Movie Review

127 Hours is the true story of Aron Ralston, a climber who trapped his arm under a boulder when he fell while canyoneering.

This movie is nominated for six Academy Awards and it is deserving of each nomination. James Franco is nominated for Leading Actor and his performance was fantastic. He easily convinced you he was trapped and trying not to panic, or crazy while cutting his nerve. Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara were fine in their roles early on in the movie but only noteworthy in the scheme of the movie. I really enjoyed the title sequence at the beginning of the movie and towards the end where they used the split screen to great effect. At the beginning it was to show his personality quickly while also getting to the main event of him getting trapped. The way they filmed and edited this movie was enjoyable. They had many different camera angles in each scene of him being trapped so you understood how small the space was but you were never overly claustrophobic. This movie kept the entertainment level high, the way this movie was written you never got bored even though the setting rarely changes. Within this movie you see him have flashbacks of a woman he once had and lost, and things he should have done which would have helped him in the situation he finds himself in now. The way they did some of these flashbacks and scenes were great because it meshed so well into his surroundings and sometimes you had to ask yourself if it were happening right there or not. The song “If I Rise” by Dido (vocals) and AH Rahman (score & vocals) was spectacular, as was the whole score. This song is the pivotal moment when he decides to cut his arm off because he desperately wants to live. It is a beautiful song, and I find it very inspiring.

This movie is also nominated for Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture. This was a great movie and I would give it 3 1/2 stars out of 4 but I don’t think it will win Best Picture, with the competition it has.

Lauren, sending reviews your way.