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Blinds Spots: Modern Romance

*I'm participating for the first time in Ryan McNeil's monthly series Blind Spots, wherein all participants watch a film they're supposed to have already seen as a true cinephile, but never have. Expect these posts from me on a monthly basis from now on!

To be completely honest, Modern Romance, in and of itself, probably isn't considered a must-watch masterpiece. Though I know of certain critics who think it ranks with the best of all time, it hardly comes up outside the context of great comedies in modern American cinema; but I have a reason for choosing it as my first entry in this series: the man behind the camera is Albert Brooks, a respected and influential figure in American comedy and I shamefully admit to having not seen a single film directed by him. No, not Real Life, not Lost in America, none of them. And I had to start somewhere.

-You've heard of a no win situation, haven't you?

-No.

-Really? You've never heard of one? Vietnam? This? 

Modern Romance is about Robert (Brooks), a film editor whose obsessive, controlling, inherently jealous personality has wreaked havoc on his relationship with his girlfriend and is, in turn, messing with his professional life. Though the relationship is clearly not in its early stages, Robert is uncertain whether Mary is the partner he wants to spend the rest of his life with but he's unwilling, or rather, unable to live without her for even a single day. His girlfriend, Mary (Kathryn Harrold), is an executive at a bank whose seemingly successful professional life is undermined by her attachment to her neurotic partner. Though her dependence doesn't quite reach the extremity of Robert's to her, she's quick to fall for a small gift or gesture and willing to get back together at every turn.

Fragmented Thoughts on an Incoherent Show

Predictions

I tweeted last night that I guessed 20 of the 24 categories correctly but a recount proves I'd overestimated myself. It's actually 19, which is two less than my all-time high of 2007 but still respectable, I think. The five categories I got wrong were supporting actor and original screenplay (I'd assumed Django would leave the ceremony empty-handed but voters clearly had other ideas), best short documentary, best production design, and the unbelievably unforeseeable sound editing category. I'm still surprised that they awarded two films and none of those were Life of Pi. I thought it was a shoo-in. But I'm always in for ties. They're so very rare and it's a beautiful moment to see two different groups of artists getting their dues on the stage.

Ceremony
I don't know if I'm starting to get too picky with these things but I thought the show was woefully directed. Quite often the camera would just linger on the speaker as they mentioned several names, and it would never cut to the audience members they were name-checking. The scheduling didn't really work either. Bits and pieces of it felt stitched together incoherently and that song at the end really just did not fit. Why not sing it before handing out the best picture prize, when the lyrics are going to point out individual nominees and mention all the best picture contenders?

The Host
Seth MacFarlane did a relatively good job. Haters gon' hate, but it was a massive improvement on every show since the Jackman one and I think I'll take that. The online media is acting like THIS HAS BEEN THE WORST THING SINCE EVERRRR and that's really not true. MacFarlane knew this was coming all along and he poked fun at it during the ceremony too. Certain bits felt self-centric or forced or both, but overall it was pretty funny, especially as the show went on and we saw him in smaller doses. People will accuse him of being sexist and racist and homophobic and anything else that's terrible but I think there's an immense difference between making a joke about race and being racist. 

The 'We Saw Your Boobs' bit has everyone screaming sexism. I do think it goes a bit too far, but to be honest, I only wish he'd ended it with a we saw your dick dig at Fassbender both for comedy effect and dodging these accusations. There was nothing inherently racist about Ted's jokes about being Jewish in Hollywood either. A lot of the reaction comes from presupposed feelings about Seth MacFarlane. If he'd made the Hitler memorabilia joke that Steve Martin made a couple of years ago, all hell would break loose, but a much tamer gag like Theodore Shapiro offends everyone. Gawker made a big fuss over MacFarlane's jokes about abuse and rape, where in reality, the only joke he made to that effect was one about Chris Brown and Rihanna, two rich, popular celebrities who are in a consensual, abusive relationship. Big Fuckin' Deal. Cry them a river. I'm sure they're so heartbroken over it.

Still, it'd be nice to have the Fey/Poehler team on stage next year.

Awards
I love Jennifer Lawrence and I'm very fond of her performance in Silver Linings Playbook - it made my own top ten - but the only possible reason for her win is that not enough people have watched Amour. How could they have not voted for Emmanuelle Riva otherwise? She was head and shoulders above the competition. For sentimental reasons, too, that would have been a bigger Oscar moment: an 86-year-old French actress, a stalwart of the nouvelle vague, an enduring figure in world cinema who's guaranteed to never have this opportunity in her life again, winning an Oscar on her birthday. The Academy screwed up on this one and a few years down the line, when Lawrence has come back to the party a few times more and given a slew of other great performances, this year's award will look worse and worse in retrospect. That being said, she's proven herself a capable actress and a terrific star so far, anchoring both low-key dramas and huge blockbusters with ease, and she nailed the zany comedy in Silver Linings Playbook. Also, I have an enormous crush on her and I can't deny the fact that I'm incredibly excited to see how she handles the rest of her career. 

My favorite award of the night came in the unlikely form of the aforementioned sound editing. It was one of the toughest categories to predict all along and it ended in a tie, which I inexplicably find really cool. Christoph Waltz's win in the supporting actor category wasn't a surprise and though I thought he was incredible in Django Unchained, I'm still miffed that the best performance of the year failed to gain traction in the most volatile category of the year. But I'm sure Hoffman will be back with another stellar performance sometime soon and get his due. 

I've already detailed out my thoughts on the year's best picture winner here and it won exactly the same three awards I'd predicted: the top prize (ahead of five superior nominees), best adapted screenplay (ahead of the infinitely superior Lincoln) and best editing (ahead of William Goldenberg's stronger work in 2012, Zero Dark Thirty). Meanwhile, in the night's single most YES-worthy moment, Michael Haneke took the stage to accept the best foreign language film award for Amour. Coming on the back of A Separation, this is proof that the executive summary is doing something right. Long may it continue. 

Final Oscar Predictions

I have very little to say about these predictions at this point. I'm burnt out to be honest. Of course, I still have lingering doubts about many of the categories. The screenplay categories are far from settled. The actress category is pretty darn close. The animated category can really swing in any direction. Most surprisingly of all, best director, which usually rides along with best picture, is now all up in the air. But at this very late point in the season, all thinking and analysis and logic can be thrown out the window. I'll just watch the show and enjoy whatever it throws at me. In the meantime, here's my guesswork just for kicks: 

Best Picture

Argo

Alternate: Silver Linings Playbook

Best Actress

Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)
Alternate: Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)

Best Actor

Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)

Alternate: Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)

Getting Around to Argo... Again

With Ben Affleck's Argo poised to take the best picture Oscar home, I decided to give it another go. If you've read this blog during the past year, you know that this film was on my radar long before it came out and I was very anxious about it because of the Iranian connection and the event it covers. I even reviewed the trailer!

I also reviewed the film after its release, when I was disappointed by its lack of cogent politics but impressed by its seamless production values. Today, in my piece at The Film Experience, I've discussed the reasons, merited and unmerited, for the film's success on the awards circuit and my feelings about it. Be sure to check it out here.
Also, if you look to the sidebar on the right, you'll see a new addition under 'The Film Experience by Nathaniel Rogers' that takes you directly to my posts on his website. 

Pictures: Top 20 Films of 2012

Honorable Mention: The Grey

20. Rust & Bone (dir. Audiard) (review)

"Did you hear what happened to me?"

19. Anna Karenina (dir. Wright) (review)

"Romantic love will be the last illusion of the old world order."

18. The Gatekeepers (dir. Moreh) (review)

"You can't make peace using military means."

17. Moonrise Kingdom (dir. Anderson)

"What kind of bird are you?"

16. Queen of Versailles (dir. Greenfield)

"Do you get strength from your marriage?"

Visionaries: 2012's Best in Writing and Directing

Screenwriters
Runners-up: Michael Haneke (Amour), Alex Ross Perry (The Color Wheel), Paul Thomas Anderson (The Master)

5. Reid Carolin (Magic Mike)

Incredibly layered and attentive to even the smallest characters, Carolin's script digs beneath the surface to transform the specificities of this particular group of men into a universal story about love, ambition and the 'American dream.' 

4. Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig (Frances Ha)

Comparisons with the quirky humor and incisive look at young, middle-class New Yorkers in HBO's Girls will be inevitable, but the similarly tailored Frances ups that show's game with whip-smart banter and a personality all Gerwig's own. 

3. Mark Boal (Zero Dark Thirty)

Mark Boal's screenplay is an astounding achievement of journalism on screen. Structured to maximize the intensity in a mundane affair, Boal builds momentum toward the final climax but allows the film to breathe. It's a comprehensive text, as a character study and a propulsive action film.

2. Miguel Gomes (Tabu)

In lesser hands, the major tonal shift would create an imbalance between the comic absurdity of the first half and the swoony romanticism of the second, but Gomes makes them work beautifully in tandem. Its richness is in the simplicity. 

1. Tony Kushner (Lincoln)

Erudite and exhaustively researched, the respected playwright's new cinematic work is an engaging and layered work; one that portrays Lincoln as an accessible everyman while maintaining his larger than life character, an antihero clothed in immense power.

Motifs in Cinema: The Dichotomy Between Fantasy And Reality

"Motifs in Cinema is a discourse across several film blogs, assessing the way in which various thematic elements have been used in the 2012 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 death or the dynamics of revenge? Like most things, a film begins with an idea - Motifs in Cinema assesses how the use of a common theme across various films changes when utilized by different artists." 

- Andrew K.

Andrew has a knack for providing us with great motifs to explore for this series, but for the second year running, nothing piqued my interest as much as the dichotomy between fantasy and reality. At the risk of coming off as incredibly conceited, let me quote myself from last year's article to illustrate why I remain so interested in this topic: "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?"

All cinema can essentially be boiled down to that word: fantasy. It's all unreal and imagined. Take a film like Argo, for example, that tells the true story of a landmark political event, and yet, remains so infused with the glorification of the proceedings that it becomes difficult to suspend disbelief when the Iranian forces are chasing the airplane on the airport tarmac. On the other end of the spectrum is Holy Motors, so unhinged from reality that all presumptions about the real world are destabilized and fantasy becomes the default mode of thought. Monsieur Oscar permanently lives in purgatory between fantasy and an alternate reality.

Magicians: 2012's Best in Crafts

In my review of the year's best in acting I mentioned how difficult it was to narrow the performances down to a list of 20. In a foolish attempt to put myself through even more struggle, I've decided to limit my choices in the crafts categories to just ten. Most people seem to think that the below-the-line elements are apples and oranges. How can one compare the work of the sound engineer who mixed the final tape of Les Misérables with the costume designer who designed the hats in Moonrise Kingdom? Where is the common ground between the artistry of Alexandre Desplat and the wizardry of the team who worked tirelessly to create Richard Parker?

The reality is that the work they do shares little but their purpose is the same. They all want the film to succeed. For me, the quality of crafts work in a film comes down to the answer to one question: how does it serve the whole picture? The below-the-line elements have to be at the film's service. They should all gel. They should enhance each other and the performances. And often times, it's a sign of their strength if they don't call attention to themselves individually. With that in mind, I decided to group them all together here and try to judge them on that basis. Naturally, a list this short doesn't allow me to include everything I like. The sound design and music in Tabu, the cinematography in Amour, the sound design and cinematography in Killing Them Softly, the editing in Zero Dark Thirty, the sound work in Looper, and the musical score in Beasts of the Southern Wild were the biggest among the exclusions. In the end, here are the ten I simply could not do without:
 

10. Production Design and Costume Design in Moonrise Kingdom

Filled to the brim with memorable individual frames, but also coherent as a fully realized universe of its own and a visualization of the youthful energy of the film's leads, the design team bring to the screen Wes Anderson's unique vision with remarkable artistry and colorful pizzazz. 

9. Production Design in Beasts of the Southern Wild

The bayou-set world of Beasts is so integral to the narrative that it becomes difficult to distinguish the design as a separate entity a few minutes into the film, but that's the greatest triumph of the designers. The low-key, knots-and-bolts quality of the production enhances the authenticity of The Bathtub.  

8. Production Design and Costume Design in Anna Karenina

The costumes and settings in Joe Wright's visionary adaptation not only evoke mood and emotions, but very often they become the storyteller. That Wright manages to conceal the financial limitations of his film with such creative energy is in large part thanks to the contributions of his design team. 

7. Cinematography in Skyfall

Roger Deakins relishes the opportunity to flex his muscles in several showy sequences - the neon-lit tower in Shanghai, the lantern-clad casino - but his true mastery of lighting and his painterly instincts are also evident in Skyfall's more understated moments. 

6. Musical Score in The Master

Building on the same platform that shaped his indelible score for There Will Be Blood, Jonny Greenwood's string arrangements are appropriately dissonant. The compositions are fragile and haunting, like a window into Freddie's soul. 

Thespians: Top 20 Performances of 2012

Narrowing an entire year's worth of great performances down to just a small shortlist is never easy. If you've come across my lists from previous years, you already know that I don't limit my selections by screen time (leading/supporting categorizations) or gender. Great works of art are not bound by arbitrary setups like those. Despite being lenient with such classifications, I still couldn't find room for all the works I loved. I can't quite believe that I left out Rachel Weisz's aching performance as the adulterous wife in The Deep Blue Sea. Ditto Simon Russell Beale's tender turn as her husband. Paul Rudd was at his very best in Wanderlust and Julianne Moore would have certainly been included if Game Change had been released theatrically. Finally, Tessa Ia (After Lucia) and Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild) both had to carry the weight of their films and gave astonishing debut performances. Alas, I had to cut the list at some point. 

20. Liam Neeson (The Grey)

Neeson portrays a character whose resolve is as steely as his imposing physique, but he gives him a human side that reveals itself in different forms throughout. It's a layered creation and fascinating in the way it enriches the screen persona Neeson has shaped for himself in the past few years. 

19. Yilmaz Erdogan (Rhino Season)

Erdogan's villain is as vulnerable as he is menacing, which makes this portrayal of a sexually repressed, morally indecipherable character all the more terrifying. He perfectly captures the psyche of religious fundamentalist men in post-revolutionary Iran, those whose rise to power was catalyzed by the very norms that impeded them in the pre-Islamic era. 

18. Nicole Kidman (The Paperboy)

Yet another adventurous, challenging undertaking by American cinema's most audacious actress. And yet another successful turn. Kidman brings subtlety to a character whose every trait is unsubtle and makes an inaccessible woman incredibly sympathetic. She's in command of Charlotte; it's Charlotte who's absolutely unhinged. 

17. Amy Adams (The Master)

It's a reflective performance, one that slyly changes tonal course over the film. But despite the space she leaves for the audience to interpret her character, the subtext remains the same for me throughout: she's The Master to all. Peggy blends into the background but her controlling presence is always felt. 

16. Nina Hoss (Barbara)

Who knew there could be so many facets to the poker face? Nina Hoss's ice-cold titular anti-hero is anchoring one of the most challenging films of the year, but she does so with grace and gravitas. Hoss shapes an imposing persona for a character who's treading on thin ice on the inside. The performance is mesmerizing from start to finish. 

Mama, Don't Call My Name

Grade: D+

*Contains mild spoilers 

In his indispensable book, Making Movies, Sidney Lumet states that the most important decision he has to make before starting the production of a film is to determine what the film is about in the first place; not the plot of the film, but what its themes are, what it means, to him and to the audience. He goes on to say that certain films are only about the plot and that's okay if they can make you feel scared or emotional or whatever else. Lumet's words were ringing in my ears as I watched Mama, the ubiquitous Jessica Chastain's latest effort in dominating all cinema, because the harder I tried to figure what Mama was about, the more confused I got.

The plot of the film goes something like this: a man kills his wife and drives his daughters away from home. An accident steers his car off a snowy path and he finds himself in a haunted cabin. His intention is to kill his daughters before committing suicide, but he's snatched away and killed by a mysterious creature who then feeds the daughters cherries out of the dark to keep them alive. Five years later the girls are found by their uncle who never gave up his relentless pursuit. They've developed bestial characteristics and after a brief transition period under supervision, they're left with their uncle and his girlfriend (Chastain) on the condition that they remain subjects of a psychological study. Mama being a horror film, things predictably go awry as the girls continuously interact with the unknown titular character.

Perfection

Oscar's Best Short Film Nominees

At The Film Experience, I've discussed the ten films that are nominated for best live action short and best animated short at the Oscars this year. Both categories have their fair share of duds, but they also include a couple of films that are truly Oscar-worthy. You can read about the animated ones here, and the live action ones here; Join in the conversation with your favorites and predictions. 

Monday's Words of Wisdom

I didn't post anything last week, so one of the two articles I want to discuss is two weeks old, but it's a goodie.

Fellow Torontonian, Corey Atad, who writes at Movie Mezzanine has discussed the responsibility of documentarians to stick to facts in their films in a piece titled 'Honesty in Documentary'. The discussion is prompted by his experience with Searching For Sugar Man after he found a number of details were omitted from the film. I'm writing about it because no piece this year has changed my opinion of a film as much Corey's has. I simply cannot look at Sugar Man the same way anymore. 

In essence, there is nothing wrong with being innovative in documentary cinema. It is appreciated, in fact. John Grierson, one of the earliest pioneers of the form, referred to his own aesthetics as the "creative treatment of actuality." Corey mentions examples of other films that present their story creatively, bringing up Waltz With Bashir as a great example, but he's asking whether that type of creative control over the material is allowed extend to the facts therein.

"Anytime we walk into a film we are making an implicit agreement. If I go see a fictional film I expect that it will be a fiction. I suspend my disbelief and allow the story to do what it wants. When I walk into a documentary, that agreement is different. There is an implicit expectation that no matter how much slant or bias or editorial influence is being had on the subject, at the very least the film is presenting factual information as accurately as possible. Sometimes accuracy is difficult to achieve, but distorting facts is a no-no."

When I watched the film myself, I was quite taken with it. I find it heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measure, but I was quite surprised at how Rodriguez remained completely unfazed by his new found success. Though the omissions aren't huge, the fact that Rodriguez had been aware of his success in places like Australia explains why he wasn't at all shocked by the warm reception he received in South Africa.In Corey's words: "The fact is, Rodriguez was not as obscure as the film claims, nor was he as difficult to find as the documentary implies. It’s not an outright lie, but it is a lie by omission, and the information was clearly left out in order to juice the drama in Rodriguez’ story. It’s still an incredible story, just not as incredible as the filmmakers would have you believe going on their account alone."

I can't help but feel cheated a bit, having realized that my emotional reaction to the film wasn't entirely merited, and I've slowly and quietly slipped Sugar Man out of my top 20 films. You can read Corey's piece here. I couldn't recommend it enough. 

Next up is perennial favourite, Nick Prigge of Cinema Romantico, who has summed up the narratives overtaking this year's Oscar race in a 100% accurate, 137% hilarious piece titled 'Emerging Oscar Storylines.' I don't agree with his predictions entirely: I refuse to believe Argo can win best picture until I see Affleck jumping up and down on the Oscar stage with a little golden man in his hands and I don't think Tommy Lee Jones is a lock. Then again, I've predicted both of those categories exactly like him, so what the hell is up with my disingenuous disagreement? I am, however, entirely consumed by the idea that Michael Haneke may have an agenda of snuff films. 

"The story of Best Actor is that there is NO story. Daniel Day Lewis will win. He will win because he floats in the regal ether above the pedantic stories of the Academy. Hype rolls off of him. Backlash is frightened to death of him. Twitter is powerless to stop him. Daniel Day Lewis is Daniel Fucking Day Lewis and that is why he will win."

You can read his piece here, and if you don't, you deserve the same twitter hate attack as Anne Hathaway.

Highlights: 2012's Best Film Ending...

... is After Lucia (directed by Michel Franco). 

Words can't quite describe how shocking this terrifyingly prolonged long take is, and of course, I'm not willing to explain it at all because the less you know about this marvelous film, the more you'll enjoy its many twists and surprises. After Lucia is not short on disturbing or thought-provoking images, but this bone-chilling finale puts the audience in an inescapable turmoil that lasts long after the curtains have closed.

All 'Best of 2012' Entries...

Highlights: 2012's Best Scene...

...is the abortion sequence from Prometheus.

In an otherwise entirely forgettable film, this sequence shines like a bright star. Revisiting the film many months after my first encounter, I realized that I'd perfectly stored this moment of rapidly escalating tension and unsettling, edge-of-the-seat pressure in my memory; and it's really impossible not to. Performed superbly by Noomi Rapace, whose edgy intensity is a perfect fit for the role, these few short minutes were a reminder of what a capable director Ridley Scott is at his peak. If only the rest of the film could measure up to this...

Runners-up: 
Consoling the dying man in The Grey.
The house burning down in Something in the Air.

All 'Best of 2012' Entries...

Highlights: 2012's Most Underrated Film...

...is Brave. 

Pixar has got a lot of flak for choosing a "princess" story for their first film with a female protagonist, but that criticism misses the point. Brave wasn't just any other princess story. It had grander ideas and twisted our expectations of the subgenre on its head. I would love to elaborate on the idea, but nothing I say can be as eloquent and all-encompassing as this brilliant piece by Lili Loofbourow of The New Inquiry. I urge you to read it and give Brave another shot if it didn't work for you the first time around.

All 'Best of 2012' Entries...