Oscars in Black and White

How the 85th Annual Academy Awards went down:

They said = The Academy

We said = The mood of the Oscars in Black and White

I said = How it should have been….

Best Picture:

• They said: “Argo” – Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck and George Clooney, Producers
• We said: “Argo” – Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck and George Clooney, Producers
• I said: “Amour”

Seriously, if you haven’t seen Amour, please go see it. It is one of the three movies-of-the-year.

Best Supporting Actor:

• They said: Christoph Waltz, “Django Unchained”
• We said: Alan Arkin, “Argo”
• I said: Jean-Louis Trintignant (write-in candidate) for Amour

Best Supporting Actress:

• They said: Anne Hathaway, “Les Miserables”
• We said:Anne Hathaway, “Les Miserables”
• I said: Anne Hathaway, “Les Miserables”

Best Director:

• They said: Ang Lee, “Life of Pi”
• We said: David O. Russell, “Silver Linings Playbook”
• I said: Michael Haneke, “Amour”

Best Actor:

• They said: Daniel Day Lewis, “Lincoln”
• We said: Daniel Day Lewis, “Lincoln”
• I said: Daniel Day Lewis, “Lincoln”

Best Actress:

• They said: Jennifer Lawrence, “Silver Linings Playbook”
• We said: Jessica Chastain, “Zero Dark Thirty”
• I said: Emmanuelle Riva, “Amour”

Best Original Screenplay:

• They said: “Django Unchained” – Written by Quentin Tarantino
• We said (tied): “Moonrise Kingdom” – Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola and “Zero Dark Thirty” -Written by Mark Boal
• I said: “Amour” – Written by Michael Haneke

Best Adapted Screenplay:

• They said: “Argo” – Written by Chris Terrio
• We said: “Beasts of the Southern Wild” – Screenplay by Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin
• I said: “Life of Pi” – Written by David Magee

Best Animated Feature:

• They said: “Brave” – Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman
• We said: “Brave” – Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman
• I said: “Brave” – Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman although my heart truly yearns for Paranorman” – Sam Fell and Chris Butler. It is one of the other three movies-of-the-year.

Best Foreign Feature:

• They said: “Amour” – Austria
• We said: “Amour” – Austria
• I said: “Amour” – Austria

Best Visual Effects:

• They said: “Life of Pi” – Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott
• We said: “Life of Pi” – Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott
• I said: “Life of Pi” – Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott although my heart goes to “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” – Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and R. Christopher White

Best Cinematography:

• They said: “Life of Pi” – Claudio Miranda
• We said: “Anna Karenina” – Seamus McGarvey
• I said: “Life of Pi” – Claudio Miranda

Best Costume Design:

• They said: “Anna Karenina” – Jacqueline Durran
• We said: “Les Miserables” – Paco Delgado
• I said: “Les Miserables” – Paco Delgado

Best Documentary Feature:

• They said: “Searching for Sugar Man”
• We said: “Searching for Sugar Man”
• I said: “Searching for Sugar Man”

Changing a nation and not even knowing it. See this story.

Best Documentary Short:

• They said: “Inocente” – Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine
• We said: “Mondays at Racine” – Cynthia Wade and Robin Honan
• I said:

Best Film Editing:

• They said: “Argo” – William Goldenberg
• We said: “Argo” – William Goldenberg
• I said: “Zero Dark Thirty” – Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:

• They said: “Les Miserables” – Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell
• We said: “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” – Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater and Tami Lane
• I said: “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” – Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater and Tami Lane

Best Music (Original Score):

• They said: “Life of Pi” – Mychael Danna
• We said (tied): “Lincoln” – John Williams and “Skyfall” – Thomas Newman
• I said:

Best Music (Original Song):

• They said: “Skyfall” from “Skyfall” – Music and Lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth
• We said: “Skyfall” from “Skyfall” – Music and Lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth
• I said: “Skyfall” from “Skyfall” – Music and Lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth

Best Production Design:

• They said: “Lincoln” – Rick Carter (Production Design); Jim Erickson (Set Decoration)
• We said: “Les Misérables” – Eve Stewart (Production Design); Anna Lynch-Robinson (Set Decoration)
• I said: “Les Misérables” – Eve Stewart (Production Design); Anna Lynch-Robinson (Set Decoration)

Best Short Film, Animated:

• They said: “Paperman” – John Kahrs
• We said: “Adam and Dog” – Minkyu Lee
• I said: “Head over Heels” – Timothy Reckart and Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly” . See this film. One of the other three films-of-the-year.

Best Short Film, Live Action:

• They said: “Curfew” – Shawn Christensen
• We said: “Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)” – Tom Van Avermaet and Ellen De Waele
• I said:

Best Sound Editing:

• They said: “Skyfall” – Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers
• We said: “Zero Dark Thirty” – Paul N.J. Ottosson
• I said: “Zero Dark Thirty” – Paul N.J. Ottosson

Best Sound Mixing:

• They said: “Les Misérables” – Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes
• We said: “Les Misérables” – Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes
• I said: “Les Misérables” – Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes

As my awards season began, so it ends with my last review before the Academy Awards: The Hobbit .

I was introduced to the book in 8th grade. It was assigned reading in my English class and so I read it. I suppose everyone has moments in their life that seem innocuous, but in retrospect are moments that change everything, whether for the better or worse.

Reading The Hobbit was such a moment for me.

I loved the book. In fact, I devoured it. Long already, even at that young age, I had been an avid reader. If memory serves, and my parents’ stories are true, I had mastered the alphabet by age three and was reading by age four fairly proficiently. In first grade, I was immediately bumped to the second grade split class as I was reading (and doing math or whatever it is that one does in first grade) at a level advanced for that time.

I say this to set a scene: I was a reader. I read a book every day or so. I read everything I could find. I read fiction, non-fiction, newspapers, anything. And yet, reading The Hobbit was a transformative experience – for the first time in my tender life, I read a story, and had a dream, that everything around me, and myself in particular, could be far, far more than what I had imagined. I knew, for the first time, that I could be more than what I ever thought I was, and that I could do something far more meaningful than anything I had ever imagined.

A dream began with that book.

And so for your consideration, my review.

New review: Les Miserables. Best moment in film this year with Anne Hathaway’s memorable performance as Fantine and her one-shot delivery of “I Dreamed a Dream.” An epoch performance also from Hugh Jackman, one of the most talented and versatile actors of our generation. Bravo.

A new review of Argo:

The film occupies a difficult genre – it is not fiction nor is it historical fiction. It is fiction that is  derived from events that happened in history. It does not need to be faithful to actual facts, and yet against the historical facts it will be judged.

This is a difficult path to walk.

I’ll admit that I struggle to know what to say about such movies. In some ways, they are a cheat. They have a story pre-made that resonates with us all; after all the story is based on events that happened in history and, for one reason or another, captivated us all.

On the other hand, these movies, invariably criticized for historical inaccuracies, are stories of fiction. They are not documentaries, nor historical re-enactments. They are supposed to be a fictional tale, and yet they feel like they are not.

I am not sure this sort of movie should be judged among the other fictional stories that are nominated for Best Picture. Like Animated Feature, they are a different sort of tale, with different expectations and different advantages. Having said that, I do not know how one would separate out this sort of tale from the rest…

However, this is the landscape in which we live.

And so Argo.

A new review of Lincoln.

Disclaimers: I loved the performances in this film, but I am not sure beyond Daniel Day Lewis that this film will live with me through the years. The story will – it is an apocryphal retelling of a pivotal moment in American history.

I watched the film twice, and I remain a humbled fan of Spiellberg. Since The Duel, he has amazed and awed me.

Here is a preview of Lincoln:

For Spielberg at his genesis, see if you can:

A new review of the film Paranorman

I love this film. It is a story that is not at all about the story you think you are watching. It is a story that fools you, teases you and transports you. Watch it.

In the category of Animated Feature, my vote goes to Brave, but I admit I may be pre-biased, and see also my review of The Pirates. In the categories of animated films (feature or short) some wonder is happening this year…

Joining the modern age, sort of, Pixar finally gives us a movie with a female heroine. I held my breath when the film came out, because if it failed, would they try again or would we be stuck with more boy movies, year after year?

Thankfully this movie soared and was enjoyed. It has my … divided … vote for Animated Feature, among a very competitive category. Paranorman or The Pirates would well deserve a win in this category as well.

In any case, for your consideration, my review.

The films in the category of Animated Feature are wonderful, and I have struggled to find my favorite. My first review in this category, for The Pirates! Band of Misfits, is submitted for your consideration.