Blockbuster Love Fest

I had just updated my Oscar predictions in the crafts categories the other day and now Academy went and released the ten film shortlist for the Visual Effects category. So I have to shake things up a little bit, because two of my predictions, Flight and The Impossible, didn't even make the cut. The top four films - Life of Pi, The Avengers, Cloud Atlas, The Hobbit - all made it, and I'm still quite confident they'll show up on the final nominees list. The final film will be chosen from any of the following: The Amazing Spider Man, The Dark Knight Rises, John Carter, Prometheus, Skyfall and Snow White and the Huntsman.

I have yet to catch up with Spider Man and Snow White, but of the four I've seen, believe it or not, John Carter is my pick for the worthiest nominee. What will the Academy choose though? I can't really see them going for Spider Man because it doesn't have the profile of the other two superhero films in contention. John Carter was too big a failure critically and commercially to entice them and Prometheus and Dark Knight both underwhelmed. My money is on Skyfall, even though there aren't any significant effects sequences and much of the look of the film comes down to Roger Deakins' lensing. At the end of the day, the new Bond entry seems like the blockbuster the Academy can get behind the way they did for, say, Inception. Yes, it's still a Bond film, but there is an exception to every Oscar rule and Skyfall has the potential to be that exception to the No Bond rule. 

Updated Oscar predictions here.

Recent Screening Update

I don't know if you've ever noticed the Recent Screenings icon sidebar to the right, but that's where you can keep track of everything I've watched recently and see my ratings and tweet-length (or slightly longer) reviews. 

Here's a little taste of the updates in the past couple of weeks. 'Tis the season of Oscar films and updates are made frequently, so check back often!

Queen of Versailles (dir. Greenfield)
Sharply edited to maximize the bitter comedy, Queen of Versailles is a treatise on everything that is wrong with our society today, shot through the lens of reality television. (A-)

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (dir. Chbosky)
Dodging many high-school drama clichés, but not all; heartfelt at its best moments and a bit cheesy at its worst; Benefits greatly from the director’s familiarity with his own source material and Logan Lerman’s star-making turn. (B)

Brave (dir. Chapman & Andrews)
Pixar lite, sure, but it’s still Pixar lite, which is to say a gorgeously rendered, arresting tale from start to finish. It’s a princess story like you’ve never seen before, as fiery as Merida’s locks. (B)

Smashed (dir. Ponsoldt)
It leaves the supporting characters underexplored but in the process, becomes a showcase for one of the year’s best performances in Winstead’s intimate and vulnerable portrayal of alcoholism. (B+)

Life of Pi (dir. Lee)
Absolutely resplendent painting of the ocean, with all its grace and horror, but otherwise muddled with blatant spirituality and intercut with a distractingly mushy framing device. (C+)

Skyfall (dir. Mendes) (thoughts)
One of the best in the long-standing franchise. Craig charms, Bardem repulses and Dench breaks the heart; the action is tense and the girls are fine but the true star of the show is Roger Deakins’s visionary cinematography. (B+)

Monday's Words of Wisdom

"In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. 

We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. 

But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so."

 - Anton Ego from Ratatouille

Oscar Predictions: Crafts Categories

You can see a list of all predicted categories here. 

Since I last updated these categories, a few films have been released that could be potential crafts nominees across the board; namely Lincoln, Skyfall and Life of Pi. Moreover, Les Misérables was screened to guild voters and they reportedly went wild for it and it's the film I'm suspecting will win the race for most nominations.

Lincoln is Steven Spielberg's best work in at least a decade and it's locked for three nominations, at the very least , in the top categories. I'm expecting it to be a prominent presence in the crafts as well with so many respected names involved. Life of Pi did not sit well with me at all with its blatant spirituality and mushy framing device but I was undeniably impressed by the below-the-line elements, particularly Visual Effects. The Academy loves it when they can hand that award to a Best Picture contender instead of an action or superhero film, so expect it to show up there for sure. Skyfall was outstanding across the board and should definitely land Roger Deakins another unsuccessful nomination in Cinematography.

You'll probably notice that The Master has gone down the pecking order in all categories, even where names as big as Jack Fisk are involved. That film just seems to be running out of steam, and as I've mentioned before, it now entirely depends on critical support. In the Costume Design category, I've left it off entirely, favouring the Danish critical hit and Berlinale winner, A Royal Affair, as my alternative. The costume category has embraced foreign fare in the past few years with nominations for the likes of Coco Before Chanel and I Am Love. Whether the Mads Mikkelsen-starrer has a big enough profile to be noticed like those is anyone's guess but having now seen the film, I know that it has a better shot than The Master if it is seen by the voters.

In the Makeup and Hairstyling category, I've included Holy Motors because I think even viewers who are left cold by the film - as I was; my review is forthcoming - will be wowed by the makeup. This branch has gone for foreign films and indies that were ignored by the rest of the Academy in recent years (Il Divo, The Way Back, Barney's Version, La Vie en Rose) so it's safe to assume they seek good work out. 

The Hurt Locker had a sweep in the sound categories, so I'm expecting Katherine Bigelow's new film, which is set in a similar setting as the promotional material suggests, to show up in these two categories too. With all the hype about the live singing technique used on Les Mis érables, it will be foolish to bet against it here as well. 

Best Cinematography

1. Claudio Miranda (Life of Pi)

2. Mihai Malaimare Jr. (The Master)

3. Janusz Kaminski (Lincoln)

4. Roger Deakins (Skyfall)

5. Danny Cohen (Les Misérables) 

Alternative: Robert Richardson (Django Unchained)

Thoughts on Skyfall

*Potential SPOILERS ahead*

Things I liked about Skyfall

- Silva. Sure, it's not new to get the hottest foreign actor of the moment to play the villain in a blockbuster - how long before Matthias Schoenaarts is chasing down the hero in an action film? - but obvious as it is, Bardem is an inspired choice. He was Anton Chigurh for god's sake! His slimey, slithering, bleached blond Silva is more a damaged man holding a bitter grudge than a caricature of a monster like so many previous Bond villains. And Bardem, while maintaining the camp factor, gives Silva depth and personality.
- That scene where Silva shows his deformed face.
- Séverine. I mean, wow that woman is attractive.
- Roger Deakins's cinematography. The master of lighting does one of his best works yet, and anyone who's familiar with his filmography knows just what a standard he's set for himself, so that's quite high praise. He gets to show off in sequences light the neon-lit Shanghai tower or the Macau casino surrounded with dragon lanterns, but it's the subtler moments where his true genius is on display; just look at the colour palette when Bond and M get out of the Aston Martin in the Scottish highlands.
- The character driven screenplay: In theory, world domination sounds like a mightier order than getting revenge from your old boss. In practice, personal revenge keeps Skyfall grounded and makes the characters more relateable. The story feels so fresh that the usual clichés can be forgiven.

Things I didn't like about Skyfall

- Eve. She definitely won't go down in history books as one of Bond's most memorable girls. That's not to take anything away from Naomie Harris who actually shines whenever she's on the screen but it's the script that undermines her character. There's really just not enough to her, even though there's obviously potential. I guess a Bond film can't have two female characters pulling the focus and this one chose to put M front and centre. 
- The title sequence, which is one of the most exciting trademarks of the franchise, was too fake (in the computer animated sense of the word) and aimless to live up to the song that was attuned to it. 

Review: Hitchcock

Grade: B-

My first thought upon hearing that there was a double bill of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and Sacha Gervasi's Hitchcock going on in Toronto last night was that it was a disastrous idea. Psycho is in the highest echelon of cinema's greatest and very few films can live up to its level of quality. Sight unseen, a biopic by a first time director at the helm doesn't promise to be one of those films. And having now seen Hitchcock, it is clear that it does not, indeed, come anywhere close to Psycho's cinematic mastery. But the organizers' decision to show the films back to back has to be commended. In retrospect, the double bill might be reason I enjoyed Hitchcock so much. It isn't a perfect film by any means - or even a great film, for that matter - but it works as a sort of unclenching of the fists and letting out a sigh of relief after two suspenseful hours spent in Bates Motel. 

Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) is just coming off the successful release of North by Northwest when Gervasi's eponymous film opens, but he doesn't get to revel in the spotlight for long. As a reporter reminds him that he's in the twilight of his career despite his recent success, Hitchcock becomes determined to tackle a project that gets his creative juices flowing, something fresh and different. Countless number of projects are on offer but he rejects all of them in favour of adapting Psycho, a gory slasher book by Robert Bloch based on the true story of murders by Ed Gein. Initially, the idea sounds ludicrous to everyone around him but this reaction coupled with Paramount's decision to reject financing the film only urges him further to get the project off the ground. His ever supportive wife, Alma Reville (Helen Mirren), is right by his side as they decide to finance the film out of pocket and risk losing their home. 

Oscar Predictions: Directors and Screenwriters

You can see a full list of predictions in all categories here. 

Best Director

1. Ben Affleck (Argo)

2. Steven Spielberg (Lincoln)

3. Tom Hooper (Les Misérables) 

4. Michael Haneke (Amour)

5. Ang Lee (Life of Pi)

Alternative: David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)

The Master seems to have lost steam. That's understandable because the last three months of the year see more contenders released than the first nine months and the conversation naturally veers in their direction. That wouldn't be damaging to The Master's chances if it was certain that the critics would lend it a hand and save the day. I'm just not quite sure critics are in love with it that much. On the other hand, if not P.T. Anderson's film, then who will they try to help? Amour? Beasts of the Southern Wild? Moonrise Kingdom? Zero Dark Thirty? There is no film at this point that looks like the one and only critical favourite. Or maybe this is one of those years when the support will be completely scattered.

Interview: Steve James

Last week, I had the pleasure of interviewing one of my favourite directors, documentary filmmaker Steve James. He's been a staple of America's documentary scene since his breakout 90s masterpiece Hoop Dreams and I've been a fan of his work as long as I can remember.

I chatted with him about his newest film, Head Games, which is about the prevalence of concussion in contact sports. The premise doesn't suggest as much, but it was incredibly moving and almost frightening in some of its revelations. We also talked a little bit about the new voting structure of the documentary branch of the Academy and his future film, Life Itself, which will be based on Roger Ebert's biography.

The interview is posted here at The Film Exprience and my latest Oscar predictions in the Documentary category are here.

Oscar Predictions Round 3: Foreigners, Documentarians and Animators

Best Documentary Film 

1. The Central Park Five

2. The Invisible War

3. Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God

4. West of Memphis

5. How to Survive a Plague

Alternative: The Gatekeepers or Head Games

There haven’t been a lot of developments in this category and there won’t be until the shortlist is announced. Although international documentary awards nominations have been released but they usually don’t serve as a great indicator for the Oscars. I’m sticking with my nominations from last time, though I have seen a couple of new films that may well end up in the race. Head Games, for instance, might benefit from the recognisability of its director and if enough voters watch it, it will be a threat. It’s a moving piece.

I wonder if my currently predicted lineup is too grim though, even for the standards of this branch. Could there be a Searching for Sugar Man, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, or something outré like The Imposter?

Review: Stories We Tell

Grade: A-

There’s a moment late in Stories We Tell, Sarah Polley’s newest film and her first documentary, where Michael, her father, is confronted with the film’s big reveal. He gazes absent-mindedly at her daughter behind the camera, then at the window by his side, and then goes on to say in voiceover narration that he froze upon hearing the news “as he imagines Sarah had when she first heard it.” He’s unaware that the audience has already seen Sarah’s reaction to the same reveal a few scenes earlier. Sarah is anything but frozen. Surprised, sure, but not frozen at all. She is, or at least looks to be, genuinely relieved and happy about it. And she confirms our intuition about her feelings when she later admits that she was filled with joy that she had finally uncovered that secret. That, in essence, is why I’ve fallen so madly in love with her new film. It’s been a few days since I watched it and my mind keeps racing back to it at every chance, remembering every precious little moment. 

Stories We Tell is centred on Diane, Sarah’s late mother, who was a theatre and television personality in Canada back in her day. Though “centering” is probably not the correct term. She is the focal point of the titular stories, but there’s nothing cyclical or circular about the way the narrative unfolds. As the title suggests, the structure is formed through interviews with family members and acquaintances who share their recollections of Diane. Polley’s more or less aware of the full scope of her story when she embarks on the adventure to make this film, but instead of telling us her story, she asks everyone involved – her two sisters, two brothers, father Michael (who also narrates the film through a piece he has written about his life with his wife), her mother’s friends and co-stars in a Montreal theatre production – to tell her everything about Diane as if she never knew her at all. From the resulting interviews, she peels back layers of information in ways so surprising that we’re kept guessing till the very last frame.

More Please...

Pedro Almodovar and Blanca Suarez on the set of Los Amantes Pasajeros (I'm So Excited)

Oscar Predictions Round 3: Acting Categories

You can see a full list of predictions in all categories here.

Best Actress

1. Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)

2. Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)

3. Quvenzhane Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild)

4. Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)

5. Helen Mirren (Hitchcock)

Alternative: Marion Cotillard (Rust & Bone)

I’m still holding out hope for Wallis because I think the Academy won’t be able to resist a narrative as good as hers, but the truth is that the SAG ineligibility will definitely hurt her chances. Critics need to champion her non-stop and as much as I’m sure they’ll like the film, I’m not confident they’ll see her performance as her achievement rather than her directors.

Outside the six actressess that I’ve predicted and despite the fact that everyone – myself included – has been calling this a wide open field, I think there are only three other realistic possibilities: Mary Elizabeth Winstead from Smashed, whose film was released to enthusiastic if not exceptionally prominent response; Naomi Watts from The Impossible, whose film no one seems to take too seriously as an awards player but has nevertheless gained generally positive reactions; and Keira Knightley from Anna Karenina, who is, as always, very divisive. 

Oscar Horrors: Aliens

Oscar Horrors, Nathaniel Rogers's amazing series on horror films nominated by the Academy, wrapped up yesterday as October ended. I contributed to the series twice, the first of which I already linked to. (Dogtooth, nominated for Best Foreign Language Film)

My second column was about the Oscar-winning Visual Effects of James Cameron's Aliens. It's a prime example of nuts and bolts effects, mostly achieved through mechanics and in-camera editing techniques. Have a read and chime in with your thoughts!