The Good, The Bad, and A Separation

Asghar Farhadi accepting his Oscar on stage

First things first, it really wouldn’t be fair to the academy if I filed A Separation’s win under “good.” It deserves a category of its own. This is the first time in 22 years that the winner of the best foreign film award is actually the best film of the year. (Yes, I might as well just come out. I love every sappy minute of Cinema Paradiso that much.) And I think everybody agrees that this is the most widely acclaimed winner of the award in more than a decade, so they deserve massive kudos. Personally speaking, of course, I couldn’t be happier as an Iranian to see Farhadi up there on that stage. It was a moment of immense pleasure that came at the perfect moment, politically and culturally. And I can’t think of a more deserving Iranian filmmaker than Farhadi. He’s worked his way up from creating a couple of socially conscious TV series back in the late 90s and he’s one of the few directors – in fact, the only other one I can think of is Dariush Mehrjuyi – who have bridged the gap between the artistically challenging films of the likes of Abbas Kiarostami and popular Iranian cinema.

Beyond that, last night’s ceremony was one of more disappointments than treats. Nevertheless, I thought I’d share my thoughts on what made me happy and what didn’t:

The Good

1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’s best editing award

For the first since 1968, a film won this award without winning anything else. Editing usually goes hand in hand with best picture and given The Artist and Hugo’s strong showings, we can assume it was a close race. In the end, I’m happy Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter’s smooth work was recognized for the second year in a row. Alongside Christopher Tellefsen (Moneyball), they were the most deserving among the nominees and I’d assumed the least likely to win. I’m glad I was wrong.

Emma Stone rocked her presentation

2. Emma Stone’s presentation

Stone is my biggest crush of the moment and just when I thought she couldn’t be more awesome than she already is, she had to come and rock the show with her hilarious banter about presenting for the first time. It was a moment of genuine charm and freshness, and a promise that Easy A was no fluke. She IS the next biggest comedienne.

3. Angelina Jolie’s Leg

I loves me a phenomenon, and phenomenon is what I call a twitter account with almost 30,000 followers for a celebrity’s leg. Seriously though, whatever the fuck was she doing standing like that?

The Bad

Viola Davis

1. Viola Davis losing the best actress award

I love Meryl Streep. I adore her. She’s a legendary actress. And she should have won her third Oscar back in 2006. But between rewarding an actress who has amassed all the honours in the world and one who’s probably getting her last chance at a lead actress Oscar, I’d have gone with the latter. Sadly, the academy didn’t. I think this is an award that history will not look kindly on, not just because Viola gave the better performance but because Streep has given far superior performances previously and winning for this one feels kind of like a career honour, which is what honorary Oscars are for. I never understood the whole ordeal about giving her the coveted third one. People forget that nominations are rewards in their own right and that having 17 of them means she is very well rewarded. The internet is full of chatter about this one category and people from both “camps” have spoken up. There’s no point in continuing it. All I can say is that I really, really, from the bottom of my heart, hope that this result has no impact on the trajectory of Davis’ career. That’s really the only reason I care. 

2. The Descendants’ win for best adapted screenplay was predicted by everyone (including yours truly) but it still stung. All the problems with this awful film start at the screenplay. But what really hurts is not just the fact that Moneyball and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy were both readily available to the voters, but that they both left the party empty-handed and The Descendants didn’t. 

Emmanuel Lubezki on the set of The Tree of Life

2. Remember a couple of days ago when I wrote in my predictions column about Emmanuel Lubezki? That I was worried he’d lose again? Well, it happened. And I honestly can’t shake it off. His work on The Tree of Life was truly a landmark of this year’s cinema and a major talking point among cinephiles. This was the easiest way for the academy to recognize Malick’s grand opus but in the end the film proved too esoteric for them. Curiously, my biggest pet peeve about last year’s Oscars was also about a master cinematographer not getting his due. Well, at least they have each other’s company.

4. The Shore won best live action short. It was their worst possible option in the category and they fell for the cheap sentimentality. For shame! Tuba Atlantic was robbed, I think.

5. This is not so much about the show as it is about me and I have no one to blame but myself, but I did a horrendous 15/24 on my predictions. That might be my worst record since I started following the Oscars in 2003. The categories that I got wrong were best actress, best foreign film (though I somewhat forced myself into getting this one wrong), best documentary, best live action short, best sound editing, best cinematography, best costume design (so happy I got this wrong. I love Mark Bridges), best visual effects and best editing.  

Final Oscar Predictions

It’s been interesting looking back at my older predictions and seeing how far we’ve come along. When I wrote my first set of predictions, I had not even heard of The Artist, the film that’s poised the take the top prize on Sunday. It entered my predictions in June after the Cannes Film Festival gave it such exposure. From the aforementioned first set, Tree of Life, War Horse, The Descendants and Hugo survived as best picture nominees. Not bad for such uneducated guesses and certainly not bad considering the fact that Tree of Life wasn’t even a certain possibility up until the moment it was announced. Sometimes it’s irritating how predictable this academy can be. Way back in May, in my first post-Cannes predictions, I guessed the academy’s final set of nominees in cinematography 4/5, only missing The Artist for Harry Potter.

War Horse, one of my early predictions that came to pass.

This could have been an interesting season, one that didn’t have clear frontrunners but scattered support for several films. Somewhere along the road, however, The Artist became the dominant force and all too quickly it was over. There are tight races to be found for sure, but none in the top categories and certainly not in best picture. And frankly, I’m not even sure I care that much anymore. I cared last year when several of the Academy’s nominees overlapped with my favourites and one of them, The Social Network, had a long shot at winning the top category. However respectable Oscar’s line-up is this year – and it is quite respectable I must say – it just lacks a certain je ne sais quoi.

All of the gentlemen nominated for best directing have done stellar work but I wanted Nicolas Winding Refn in there. I’d love to see Viola Davis win a well-deserved Oscar, but where are Tilda Swinton and Charlize Theron and Elizabeth Olsen when they should be leading the pack? It’s nice to see a veteran of Plummer’s stature get his due but shouldn’t this award be a lock for Brad Pitt in The Tree of Life? What I’ve seen of these documentaries is commendable but where is Senna? And on and on and on. This year’s real treasures fall outside the Academy’s radar, and I’m okay with that. Not every year is 2007.

We Need to Talk About Kevin, one of the films that was completely shut out.

There are only three races I genuinely care about at this point. The first one is best actor, where Jean Dujardin (The Artist) is clearly the favourite but there is faint hope for an upset by Brad Pitt. Of course, it could be George Clooney who steals Dujardin’s thunder but that would be a surprise that upsets me, more than it does Dujardin. Brad Pitt, having given two of his career-best performances, should have been running the table all season long. It didn’t happen that way but who knows. We might be in for a pleasant surprise.

The second category is best foreign language film, which I wrote about in detail just the other day. I have a clear favourite in A Separation. The film is comfortably in my top five of the year (which I’ll finally get around to next week) and it is also Iranian, and like any other Iranian in the world, I can’t hide my excitement about the prospect of Asghar Farhadi walking up those stairs.

The third category is best cinematography where Emmanuel Lubezki is nominated for The Tree of Life. His picturesque work on the film can stand on its own merit, but if anyone needs a reminder why this man needs to finally get his moment in the sun, a quick look at his CV should serve as such: Children of Men, The New World, Y tu mamá también, Ali, Burn After Reading, Sleepy Hollow,...

Honestly, who’s he gotta sleep with to win one of these things?

Beyond that, I don’t have much else to say except to wish for a fun show. After the jump, you can see a list of my final predictions in all categories. Good luck to you on whatever Oscar pool you’re participating in!

The Artist, curshing its competition.

Motifs in Cinema, 2011: The Dichotomy Between Fantasy and Reality

Perhaps because it’s one of the youngest artistic forms, cinema is often assessed in much different manner that literature, or the visual arts. We discuss it in terms of genre, not in terms of thematic offering. Comparing, for example, Corpse Bride and Up because they’re both animated leads to some dubious discussion especially when – like any art form – thematic elements examined in cinema and the way different filmmaker address them make for some stimulating discussion. Motifs in Cinema is a discourse, across nine film blogs, assessing the way in which various thematic elements have been used in the 2011 cinematic landscape. How does a common theme vary in use from a comedy to a drama? Are filmmakers working from a similar canvas when they assess the issue of the artist or the family dynamic? Like everything else, a film begins with an idea - Motifs in Cinema assesses how the use of a single idea changes when utilised by varying artists.

- Andrew K.

Hugo

Accidentally or otherwise, every year we get several films that deal with the same themes. Often, similarities between these films are so many and so clear that a narrative starts to build around one of these themes. Everyone spoke about the omnipresence of nostalgia in 2011’s films, for instance. Most of these motifs give way to different ones once everybody stops talking about one year and moves on to the next. One theme that never really disappears from the conversation is the dichotomy between fantasy and reality, which is why I chose to write about it as soon as Andrew introduced his Motifs in Cinema mini-blogathon to me.

  

Fantasy, in the strictest sense of the word, is inseparable from the cinema. What are fictional films if not the fantasy of those who imagine them, write them and act them? What is fantasy if not the imaginary world we immerse ourselves in for a few hours in the dark? Here, I want to write about filmmakers who, aware of the power they hold over their audience and making the most of their psychological advantage, presented an image of fantasy that changed the way we think of reality. Needless to say, different directors had different approaches, they worked in different genres and affected us in distinct ways.

Midnight in Paris

The Foreign Language Film Dilemma (And My Final Prediction)

The foreign film category is usually the last thing I care about when it comes to the Oscars. The voters in that category are so far behind the curve of contemporary cinema that their choices always seem irrelevant. But talking about what films they’ve missed and how their voting system is archaic is beating a dead horse. If anything, one can’t blame them for not trying in recent years. The addition of the executive committee, which does nothing to help the politics behind the selection process by the submitting countries, at least served to save some of the deserving films that would otherwise have no shot at getting nominated. 

With the exception of The Lives of Others, one can argue that none of their winners in the past decade would have had any room in the critical conversation had they not won an Oscar. And that’s definitely not praising the academy for shining a light on overlooked gems as much as it is condemning them for missing great opportunities for recognizing masterpieces of foreign language cinema.  

Tahar Rahim in A Prophet

This year, they are given the chance to hand their prize to the year’s most critically acclaimed foreign film, Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation. They blew it when they failed to reward The White Ribbon or A Prophet in 2009, or when they failed to even nominate 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days in 2007. Most people are predicting that there will be no such mishap this time. For some reason, I still remain sceptical. 

A Look at Oscar's Live Action Short Nominees

In the same vein as the animated short nominees, which I reviewed here, I'm back at The Film Experience with a look at the year's best live action short nominees. Reviews and predictions for all five films await you! Have a read and chime in with your thoughts!

Ciaran Hinds in The Shore

A Look at Oscar's Animated Short Nominees

Over at The Film Experience, I've written my short reviews and final predictions on the Animated Short Film category at the Oscars. They're an interesting bunch, if a little on the underwhelming side. But there are at least three films in there completely worth your time. So head over and have a read, and if you have the chance to catch them in theatres, please do!

Pixar's La Luna

Highlights: 2011’s Most Depressing Truth...

...is the year’s Box Office!

Taylor Lautner in Twilight: genuine mediocrity earning gazillions in theatres

30 years ago, On Golden Pond - a drama that won three Oscars and was nominated for another seven, and more importantly, was adapted from  a play entirely revolving around an old couple – came second on the year’s list of best selling films. Further down the top twenty, films like Chariots of Fire and Reds appeared.

20 years ago, Silence of the Lambs, the film that won best picture at the Oscars, came fourth on the list. Immediately above it was Beauty and the Beast, Disney’s original take on an old tale (and an all-time favourite of mine) and the only animated film to ever be nominated for best picture in a field of five. Also among the top twenty were films like Cape Fear and JFK.

10 Years ago, Monsters, Inc., Shrek (the original), Ocean’s Eleven (the first one), A Beautiful Mind (best picture winner at the Oscars) and Black Hawk Down made enough money to make the top twenty. 

The glorious Monsters, Inc. Even Pixar produced a cash-grab this year in the shape of Cars 2.

If those years seem like a long while ago, let’s look at 2009, when Avatar, Up, The Hangover and The Blind Side – all originals – made the top TEN list. Heck, even one year ago, just one freakin’ year ago, Inception, Despicable Me, How to Train Your Dragon and The King’s Speech (best picture winner at the Oscars) were all in the top twenty.

In 2011, the top 9 films are all sequels. In fact, among the top twenty films at the box office, only two are not based on some sort of previously existing commodity: Bridesmaids and a mediocre animated film called Rio. The Help, a film that a lot of people have deemed a box office success story, is based on a book of equal popularity. This is the state of cinema today. When are the days when people used to watch foreign films? Where did they days go when originality was a virtue? What are the chances that next year’s list isn’t occupied by The Dark Knight Rises, Spiderman, Avengers, and another disposable Twilight sequel? 

I’m not expecting the public to rush to the theatres for A Separation or Senna (though I wish they would) but couldn’t we at least get a star vehicle like Drive up there? A quality comedy like Win Win? A star-driven sports film like Moneyball? Even a teen-targeted effects-driven piece like Attack the Block?

Is it time to give up all hope?

*This concludes my 11 highlights of '11 series. Next week, we'll get the ball rolling with traditional awards categories and final Oscar predictions!

Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year

Most Underracted Actor of the Year 

Dog of the Year 

Best Andy Serkis of the Year 

Most Overrated Film of the Year

Alpha Male of the Year 

City of the Year 

Sexiest Actress of the Year

Best Scene of the Year

Best Physical Work of the Year

Highlights: 2011’s Best Body/Physical Work...

...is the choreography of ALPS.

(This is awarded to the team behind the best stunt work or choreography or motion-capture, based on the suggestion of my amazing fellow bloggers, Craig and Andrew)

Anyone who’s seen Yorgos Lanthimos’ Dogtooth surely remembers the iconic dance sequence. If you think that was absurd, wait till you get a chance to see ALPS. The choreography in this film is much more diverse and pivotal since one of the leading characters is a ballerina. You’ll get to see her improve through her practice routines, but you’ll also see plenty of mad people flailing their arms around aimlessly and octogenarians slow-dancing. Whoever is in charge of designing these sequences is a bona fide genius.

Personal story: During the Q&A session after the screening of the film at TIFF, I moved up to sit in the first row and asked Aggeliki Papoulia, the lead actress, a question about these dances. “Does Mr. Lanthimos make you dance like that, or are the dances so absurd because you can’t dance better?” I was trying to be cheeky of course, and the theatre obviously got the idea and laughed out loud. She responded, laughingly, with “Are you calling me a bad dancer?” and the director jokingly said that I’d insulted them. Though they obviously knew I was joking, I had an uneasy feeling that something might have gotten lost in translation and that I might have actually offended them. Luckily, as I was telling my friend about this suspicion outside the theatre, they came out the building. So I tapped Aggeliki on the shoulder and told her that I loved the dances and I was obviously kidding about their being bad. She, and her co-star Ariane Labed, were good sports and I felt a fool for doubting their English skills. And then, this happened.

One of my fondest memories from TIFF.

Anyway, once I start dishing out my awards, you’ll see that the film features on the lists prominently, so if you get a chance to check it out, do not pass it up. 

Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year

Most Underracted Actor of the Year 

Dog of the Year 

Best Andy Serkis of the Year 

Most Overrated Film of the Year

Alpha Male of the Year 

City of the Year 

Sexiest Actress of the Year

Best Scene of the Year

Highlights: 2011's Best Scene...

...is “New York, New York” from Shame.

Steve McQueen can sustain a static frame like no other director. But such scenes also depend heavily on the consistency and focus of his actors. Like Liam Cunningham and Michael Fassbender’s astonishing conversation in Hunger, Carey Mulligan brings on her A-Game here. With melancholy eyes and a rich, searing voice, she sings a pitch-perfect rendition of this classic tune, and makes it impossible for us to take our gaze away from the screen. What makes the scene so powerful is the way Fassbender and Mulligan communicate their mutual emotions without words. Though never seen together in the frame as she sings, their chemistry is as intense as any shot they share. Their eyes really speak a thousand words. 

Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year

Most Underracted Actor of the Year 

Dog of the Year 

Best Andy Serkis of the Year 

Most Overrated Film of the Year

Alpha Male of the Year 

City of the Year 

Sexiest Actress of the Year

Highlights: 2011's Sexiest Actress...

...is Paula Patton (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol)

Unlike many men I know, “kicking ass” is not a quality that particularly attracts me to women. Yet, from the moment she steps on the screen, there’s a striking quality to her presence that makes kicking and shooting sexy. “What if I still don’t find action sexy?” I hear you ask. That question only goes unanswered until the party scene. As soon as she steps out of the car in that green dress, everyone’s bound to think “Halle...who?” Paula Patton’s where it’s at.

Now, can we get this woman a leading role please? 

Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year

Most Underracted Actor of the Year 

Dog of the Year 

Best Andy Serkis of the Year 

Most Overrated Film of the Year

Alpha Male of the Year 

City of the Year

Highlights: 2011's City of the Year...

...is Paris. 

The city of light has always been prominent in cinema. In fact, New York is probably the only city that rivals it in terms of the number of memorable portrayals on the silver screen. This year, though, Paris was exceptionally ubiquitous. Midnight in Paris is of course the first film that comes to mind. Woody Allen carved a character from the city and examined it at a specific time period with specific residents. The film’s opening sequence, with Darius Khondji’s postcard-ready cinematography is as explicit a love letter to a city as I’ve ever seen on film. Then there’s Hugo. Like Allen, Martin Scorsese’s also renowned for his depictions of New York, but he, too, packed his stuff and picnicked with the French. Hugo also looked at Paris in an earlier period and centred its story on the city and one of its famous residents. There’s also the Oscar nominated French animation A Cat in Paris, which is a children’s adventure that, as the title suggests, happens in Paris (and involves a cat!)

If all that is not enough, the year’s biggest awards behemoth, The Artist, despite being set in Hollywood, adds even more Gallic flavour. Having seen these four films a total of seven times, it almost feels like I’ve taken a week-long vacation in Paris this year. The magic of the movies, people... the magic of the movies...

Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year

Most Underracted Actor of the Year 

Dog of the Year 

Best Andy Serkis of the Year 

Most Overrated Film of the Year

Alpha Male of the Year

Highlights: 2011's Alpha Male of the Year...

...is Ryan Gosling. 

From his perfect chemistry with three of Hollywood’s most attractive young actresses (Stone, Mulligan and Wood) to swinging his “equipment” in Steve Carrel’s face with utmost confidence, from the ladies' man of Crazy, Stupid Love to the dapper politician of Ides of March, from the Scorpion Jacket and the leather gloves to the toothpick and shades of the mystery man in Drive, Gosling has covered a whole lotta range to deserve this award. 

Stardom always seemed only a step away from this promising actor. Not anymore. 

Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year

Most Underracted Actor of the Year 

Dog of the Year 

Best Andy Serkis of the Year 

Most Overrated Film of the Year

Highlights: 2011's Most Overrated Film...

...is The Descendants. 

Generally, I don't use the "overrated" distinction. Just because I don't like a film doesn't mean others shouldn't. I've talked about who and what I think is underrated often enough, but not the opposite. This time around, I'm allowing for an exception. Because for my money, except for brief moments in Shailene Woodley’s performance, and even briefer ones in George Clooney’s, The Descendants doesn’t really get anything right. 
I’m not really sure what critics found between the redundant character of douchebag par excellence Sid, the implausible character arc of Woodley whose entire adolescent crisis is reduced to an about face after she jumps and cries in the pool, the obnoxious treatment of the film's defenceless antagonist, Judy Greer’s over-the-top anti-climactic visit to the hospital, the on and off narration, and worst of all, the ineffective incongruous Hawaiian melodies that reflect not mood (or atmosphere) but merely location. Whatever it was, I never found it. But the film’s success, sadly, did not end after the critics’ awards. The academy saw fit to nominate the film for five major awards (including freakin’ editing!) and will likely get George Clooney to the podium ahead of the infinitely more deserving Brad Pitt.

I’ve already forgotten about this film. I’ll re-watch Election whenever I need a Payne fix. 

Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year

Most Underracted Actor of the Year 

Dog of the Year 

Best Andy Serkis of the Year

Highlights: 2011's Andy Serkis Award for Best Andy Serkis...

...goes to Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes).

No one can do mo-cap acting as well as he does. It becomes evident every time we watch any film that uses the technology without him. So, here's to more of his awesomeness in The Hobbit.


Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year

Most Underracted Actor of the Year 

Dog of the Year

Highlights: 2011’s Dog of the Year...

...is Snowy in The Adventures of Tintin. 

This award, you understand, is not an annual citation* but 2011 was unusually fruitful for the canine community. The puppies in Bridesmaids were the cutest of the bunch and contributed to one of the funniest scenes in the film. Arthur (played by Cosmo) was as significant in the emotional arc of Ewan McGregor’s character in Beginners as his human co-stars. Jack (played by Uggie in The Artist) was life-saving, both for the film’s leading character and the film itself when that third act was falling completely apart. And Blackie, whose character isn’t really integral to the narrative, was quite marvellous in Hugo. Yet, none of these dogs can win the top award. The puppies’ work is too much of an ensemble for any of them to shine through. Cosmo’s screen time is his biggest constraint. Uggie is too cute for his own good off-screen so my affection for him has gone considerably down since I watched the film. And Blackie is too vicious and freaks me out a little bit.

Snowy, however, is just my type of dog. He’s loyal till his last breath. He’s adventurous enough to follow Tintin anywhere. He’s powerful and smart enough to save Tintin’s life. And most importantly, he looks cute as hell all the while. A better companion than Captain Haddock even? Definitely!

*This is the first and last time I’m rewarding non-humans on this blog, so Snowy should be incredibly proud of this one and only Golden Bone. 

 
Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year

Most Underracted Actor of the Year

Highlights: 2011's Most Underrated Actor...

...is Ewan McGregor in Beginners. 

But isn’t he always? I mean, how does anyone manage to win no awards for performances as strong as the ones he gave in Trainspotting, Moulin Rouge!, The Ghost Writer, and I Love You, Phillip Morris?

McGregor’s charming presence and genial face has been taken for granted long before 2011, but this year it particularly stings because his film is in the thick of the conversation. Beginners’ case is like Moulin Rouge! all over again. Like Nicole Kidman, Christopher Plummer’s performance has gained so much attention – deservedly so, I must add – but few people seem to attribute their seamless chemistry to McGregor’s subtle work. That is also true of Melanie Laurent and many other actors who have shared scenes with him in the past.

McGregor might just be the most generous actor working today. Will he ever get his due?

Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year

Highlights: 2011’s Hottest Sex Scene...

... (SPOILER ALERT)

is Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig’s intimate moment in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. 

By the time this scene rolls around – at least for those of us who are unfamiliar with the story – the film is in dire need of any human contact that does not end in rape, murder, or some other type of disgusting circumstance. This encounter, so wonderfully performed by Craig and Mara, is both expected and totally out of the blue, but it's bound to get your heart racing. It also forms the bedrock for the film’s emotional finale. 

I’m not the biggest fan of this icy thriller,* but every time I think about it in retrospect, this is the scene that first pops up in my head. And I assure you, I don’t mean that in a creepy way!