Oscars! Pre-game Analysis & Fink's Picks!

Let the punditry begin! The Oscars are the kind of bellwether I love to hate, and spectacle I plan on live tweeting throughout. They are imperfect as are year end top 10 lists because as the New York Times points out (a system I argue is driven by too many screens in the West Village) 900 films open theatrically every year in New York. Consider the best movie made last year is probably some movie that may have been hidden away, a masterpiece made in a backyard in Ohio that will never see the light of day because it doesn’t fit X-film festival mold. Haunting, yes – the digital revolution, baby.

So the Oscars are what they are – still problematic in how film qualify (short films have to win a festival award, which seems like a reasonable filter but this year garnered not one nominee from the good ol’ US of A). But let’s get right down to it – my top pic picks this year.

Best Picture – Nebraska

A strong group of nominees, but my pic is Nebraska, a film I’ve now seen twice and each time I turned to my screening companion during the show and said “I love this movie”. It’s simply remarkable and simple, striking a tone that only Alexander Payne can. Nebraska ranks as my second favorite film of last year, behind Fredrick Wiseman’s sweeping At Berkley (which failed to garner a nom in Best Documentary – a travesty).

Best Actor – Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)

This category is rather a rough one to choose – a close call between Matthew McConaughey and Christian Bale. Ejiofor pulls off something remarkably psychological here, including his breaking of the 3^rd wall in one sequence. This is a performance of true psychological weight and Ejiofor nails it perfectly.

Best Actress – Sandra Bullock (Gravity)

Gravity despite being a large-scale action film is really an intimate psychological film, it survived by Bullock who gives essentially a solo performance and so very effectively. Runner up: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine).

Best Supporting Actor – Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)

Really any doubt here? I called this once while watching the buzz unfold on the TIFF twitter feed aggregator while in line at the Bell Lightbox. Homeboy delivers, despite the obvious question Indiewire is asking – why wasn’t a transgendered actor cast here?

Best Supporting Actress – June Squibb (Nebraska)

Squibb is hilarious here as a feisty old women, hardly the sane one (in contrast to Will Forte in his second dramatic performance of the year). This is a great performance, although, again this category is a tough call with Lupita Nyong’o’s stunning performance in 12 Years a Slave and Sally Hawkins’ excellent turn in Blue Jasmine.

Best Animated Feature - ** no vote **

I haven’t seen two – Ernest & Celine and The Wind Rises (which is finally getting a US release this weekend). I’ll get back to you on this (but probably The Wind Rises!)

Best Cinematography – Roger A. Deakins (Prisoners)

Prisoners is a stunning film that does so much right – it deserves more nominations (but hey, they did release the movie a few months early for that!). Deakins’ cinematography is the real star of the show, haunting, simple and powerful.

Best Costume Design – Catherine Martin (The Great Gatsby)

Another close call, I’m no expert here but it The Great Gatsby delivers all the sensory overload spectacle you expect from Baz.

Best Directing – Martin Scorsese (Wolf of Wall Street)

Another close call between Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity), Alexander Payne and Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave), but Scorsese orchestrates the madness masterfully, he hasn’t slowed down delivering his most frantic and hilarious film yet – it’s one of his best with lots of moving parts that masterfully snapped together.

Best Documentary – The Act of Killing 

The Act of Killing is one of the most important films of recent years (although I admit I missed Cutie and the Boxer and The Square). Co-director Joshua Oppenheimer risked his life, exploring an Indonesia in desperate need of a truth and reconciliation moment. See it. See it!

Best Documentary Short – **on vote**

(I missed this program – sadly they aren’t as easy to see as the live action and animated shorts)

Best Film Editing – Christopher Rouse (Captain Phillips)

Rouse and director Paul Greengrass keep the action flowing and keep us oriented masterfully in Captain Phillips. It is strange that Wolf of Wall Street wasn’t nominated in this category.

Best Foreign Language Film – The Broken Circle Breakdown

Lots of strong work here, including Omar (my review), The Hunt, and The Great Beauty. (Although, The Missing Picture from Cambodia was just that - I have yet to see it!). But….The Broken Circle Breakdown is a masterpiece, a film that would have been on my top ten had I seen it in 2013 (it’s currently playing at the Quad Cinema in New York, where I caught it in January). A powerful non-linear story, this bluegrass infused drama from Belgium is truly special, a riveting and brilliant film with strong performances and an amazing soundtrack. (My interview with thefilmmakers)

Best Makeup and Hairstyling – The Dallas Buyers Club

Sure – why not. Although Jackass presents: Bad Grandpa is also nominated in this category.

Best Original Score – William Butler and Owen Pallett (Her)

A beautiful film highlighted by a stunning music score including The Moon Song (see below).

Best Original Song – The Moon Song (Her)

Soulful and haunting – much like the movie.

Best Production Design – K.K. Barrett & Gene Serdena (Her)

The minimal look of the future, representing some thoughtful attention to detail (filmed in both Los Angeles and Shanghai) creates a realistic, yet undefined world. The production design team went above and beyond creating a beautiful sense of space through minimal architecture: every detail feels accurate creating a believable emotional complexity as Theodore Twombly’s every emotion is curiated by technology and architecture.

Best Short Animated Film – Possessions

Directed by Shuhei Morita, this was a highlight amongst a rather blah year (strangely Pixar’s The Blue Umbrella didn’t make the cut). Possessions is full of light and dark, reminiscent of Miyazaki.

Best Live Action Short Film – Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me)

Directed by Esteban Crespo, this Spanish production is a brutal, powerful and uncompromising short set in an anonymous African country. Two doctors representing an NGO entering a contested region run by a Joseph Kony-type figure. A disturbing and violent story ending in redemption this one left an impression.

Best Sound Editing – All is Lost

All is Lost is a gripping and stunning film requiring an excellent sound system for full emersion. Sound becomes another dimension as we share the struggles of our hero – Robert Redford named only the script as Our Man. This movie worked for me (it apparently didn’t for the couple in front of me – following a near empty screening at an 18-plex in the Buffalo suburbs the man turned to me to confirm his feelings, needless to say I diplomatically dissented while thinking to myself there was probably a dumb action movie playing in another auditorium he would have liked).

Best Sound Mixing – Gravity

I should default to Michael Bouquard, my sound mixer, on this one. This is a technical category that relies on just how good your theater is. In fact, I’d like to pre-nominated Stalingrad for next year’s award.

Best Visual Effects – Gravity

It’s simply the best film in the bunch – it worked for me. But again, this is a category celebrating a lot of great professional work – good job, ya’ll.

Best Adapted Screenplay – Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope (Philomena)

Philomena and I share a strange relationship – for very uninteresting reasons (mostly to satisfy a lady friend and then my mom) I saw this movie three times in theaters. It’s not the best film of the year, but Coogan and Pope have constructed a truly brilliant script, funny, angry and sad – often within the same scene. A light and entertainment treatment of truly dark material, Philomena is a movie I didn’t mind seeing three times for sure.

Best Original Screenplay – Bob Nelson (Nebraska)

I’m not sure what exactly was 100% on the page and what Alexander Payne brought to Bob Nelson’s original screenplay, but tonally this is a wonderful, complex and truly moving film. Hilarious and reflexive, filled with wonderful moments of reflection, Nelson’s screenplay (and Payne’s film) balance and handle many tones like no other film this year. I simply love this movie.

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And now for an additional rant, every year there are always movies that don’t make the cut – my top 50 list is littered with them! Some missed out due to the rules of qualifying – some are still without distribution which is ultimately a travesty. VOD, it should be noted complicates matters even more – some very good films go right to VOD or have minor runs (that apparently piss off the New York Times). I say bring it on, content will still be produced – just look at the ecosystems of micro budget non-union movies that are produced regionally. Somewhere a masterpiece is being made and released completely under the radar. I’m sure the best mumblecore kind of film made was one that never even came to the attention of a programmer at SXSW – now that’s something to keep you up at night!

First, the movie I called “the one that got away” – the beautiful and masterfully told The Broken Circle Breakdown, why it wasn’t nominated for Best Picture is beyond me, likely politics. Tribeca Film gave the film a modest push in the important cities, but if you’re sitting say in Buffalo, NY – you’ve gotta wait for VOD.

I’d rather not rehash my top 50 list – my #1 film of last year evaded the Oscars as expected (Fredrick Wiseman’s 4-hour At Berkley, a fascinating and entertaining 4-hours about an awful lot, even if it offers a hauntingly limited look at UC Berkley. A complete picture would require 1800+ hours of film, and at 2-hours a piece that equals about as many films opened in New York City last year).

Missing from the documentary list is Jason Osder’s Let theFire Burn, a film I found to be very important and underrated as well as Medora. Sure, Blackfish might be timely – it’s a very good film, but one I had expected to contain a little more psychoanalysis than it did. For what its worth, it was just scratching the surface. It may win in an overall popularity contest (that is if my Facebook friends were voting – they all continually recommend it), but that would be a shame – Act of Killing is far better.

Also missing from the screenplay category strangely is Nicole Holofcener’s wonderful Enough Said – which was my favorite romantic comedy of last year. Other pics, including a few film festival films that have yet to come out will hopefully appear next year – including one of the best Nicholas Cage films of all time, David Gordon Green’s Joe and Nils Tavernier’s The Finishers (a French film still without a US Distributor).

Joe will open soon from Roadside Attractions (In fact I saw the trailer for it before Robocop the other day) while The Finishers should be the kind of movie Harvey Weinstein or Sony Classics should pick up and turn into a family hit. I saw it at the Toronto International Film Festival in the largest theatre at the Bell Lightbox and there was not a dry eye in the house when it was over, the audience also applauded throughout. The film, about a father-son team (the son is a quadriplegic) that completes the Ironman France marathon was an inspiring drama that deserves to be absorbed with a captive audience. VOD has proven to be a threat to this experience especially in smaller markets like Buffalo, NY where the commercial art screens are dominated by good films from Sony Classics and Fox Searchlight. IFC, for instance has given up which is really a shame. The cost of disturbing films has dropped tremendously – alternative content has yet to come into its own.

It is the best and worst of times to be a film fan: Netflix had thankfully replaced the limited selection of Blockbuster, while VOD has diminished the impact of a film’s ability to play theatrically outside of a contractual obligation at the IFC Center, Quad Cinema or Cinema Village. This type of thinking is fine for some films, but for others it is a travesty. Exhibitors and distributors ought to step up and – shall we say – grow a pair. This could include limited sneak previews in the form of events like Alternative Content along with Oscar qualifying runs for deserving films.

While the rules of certain categories have been reformed (including Documentary) in recent years, I still believe the Best Live Action Short category to be a little problematic. The category requires films to qualify via a film festival award process (certain festivals are considered and advertise themselves as “qualifying” festivals) – this year not a single American film made it to the top 5. While many were excellent it underscores the need for – and I know this will anger many – more state funding for emerging filmmakers in the USA to make powerful shorts that can compete with other state-funded film enterprises. Monetizing a short in the US also difficult (perhaps IFC and other networks can assist in this capacity) – but it is what it is.

One has to believe the best do float to the top – the Independent Spirit Award system is perhaps even worse than the Academy Awards as whole IFP voting chapters will have little to no access to many of the smaller titles in time for voting. New York IFP members and LA Film Independent members have access to screenings, but when movie that played widely in commercial multiplexes (known as “smart houses”) like The Dallas Buyers Club or (the big winner) 12 Years a Slave sweep the awards, you know why.

OMAR *** 1/2

Omar, produced independent of state financing is more ambitious and angry, a love story that simply cannot exist within a binary.

Omar, 93 minutes, director: Hany Abu-Assad, *** 1/2 of 4 stars

A superb thriller Omar is an entertaining and disturbing look at life in the occupied West Bank from the perspective of Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad (Paradise Now). Adam Bakri stars at the film’s title character, a Palestinian baker who sneaks across the established barriers to visit with Nadia (Leem Lubany, in her first role). Nadia is a high school student, brother of Tarek (Eyad Hourani), a powerful force in the neighborhood. Omar, using Parkuor skills has become adept at evading the Israeli-divisions that serve as a constant reminder of the occupation. (Although less intrusive, I imagine a great story could be told about the DHS checkpoints that run some 70-miles north of the US-Mexico border…not to get all libertarian here).

Abu-Assad is a skilled storyteller, here presenting some beautifully shot visuals it evolves towards a kind of action movie as the cat has created a mouse by way of the occupation, complicating peace. Omar himself embodies that contradiction: a potentially peaceful man who is forced into violence and betrayal ultimately in the name of freedom. Social realism doesn’t get much more exciting – Omar is either a freedom fighter or a terrorist, although I propose he’s a victim of circumstance. Adam Bakri gives a first rate performance as a young man born into a system beyond the binary good and evil.

He’s captured and imprisoned by the Israeli military for a successful attack on a soldier. While in prison his handler –a family man whom is frustrated he’s been dispatched to the West Bank, Agent Rami (Waleed F. Zuaiter) promises him freedom in exchange for Tarek’s head. Rami although may or may not have the evidence to keep Omar locked up. Instead he’s set free on the condition he can deliver, leading to a double cross and a return to the detention. Omar, the freedom fighter plays both sides, ultimately though he remains – from one perspective anyways – unchanged. The ending like many films from this region is rather abrupt, reflecting a powerful reality. A straightforward comedy, romance, or drama from Israel or Palestine seems impossible, even those that try to remove politics revert back to the reality of danger. These include Dover Kosashvili’s Late Marriage, a comedy rooted in social issues ending in violence and Eytan Fox’s politically confused comedy The Bubble, told from the perspective of Tel Aviv’s hipsters.

Israel cinema, sometimes state sponsored allows for reflection and even criticism, which is rather remarkable and brave. Omar, produced independently is even more ambitious and angry, a love story that simply cannot exist within a binary.

THE LEGO MOVIE *** 1/2

A Wickedly subversive statement on contemporary childhood, the film is a joy to watch with an awful lot of craft, both in the visual aesthetics and in the storytelling. 

The Lego Movie, 100 minutes, directors: Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, *** 1/2 of 4 stars

How strange it is for The Lego Movie to come out on a weekend eyeballs all over the globe are focused to Sochi, a pop-up city built by an oppressive regime. It, along with the modernizing China is a bit like Bricksburg, the city at the center of this visually exhilarating movie. Told in a pseudo-style stop-motion-animation look, co-directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have made a hilarious, engaging, witty and allegorical film that deserves to ranked amongst Pixar’s best work.

The style is reminiscent of 8-bit graphics of the original Nintendo Entertainment System, limiting its physical pallet (light does streak in for reasons we later learn). What is remarkable is just how grounded the story is – set in a sort of reality, even the water (save for a potential cheat) is made of those versatile Lego blocks. Allegedly inspired (according to producer Dan Lin – talking to KCRW’s The Business) by stop motion Lego fan fictions on YouTube, the film’s photorealistic look shows tremendous small details up-close including nominal wear and tare.

Revolutionary this sure is – a film with an awful lot of product placement including the use of vintage characters – or shall we call them collectables - that appear interchangeably within the narrative. They join forces to save the world against Lord Business – aka President Business – leader of the Octan. Of course this one just one story that can be told here – maybe not even the best story – producer Dan Lin has an interesting point; the universe is endless.

Still, this is one lovable flick. Our Man is Emmet (voiced by Chris Pratt), an anonymous construction worker who follows the directions at all times, a textbook for the design of a happy, productive life. That is until he finds a valuable piece wanted by Lord Business (Will Ferrell) and a secret underground resistance of master-builders led by Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman) as a kind of voice of God. Emmett teams with Lego cyber-punk Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) and her boyfriend Batman (Will Arnett) for the adventure. What follows is delightful as they travel to various realms and play sets. They include the Wild West and a cloud where anything goes – before they’re summonsed back to the Octan controlled Bricksburg in a call to action.

(Potential Spoiler Alert)

The story contains a complexity providing an unexpected political analysis of a contemporary childhood that I have not quite seen before on screen - at least not recently. Once the clues snap together we see what exactly is occurring – the events in Bricksburg reflect a patchwork of news stories overheard. The narrative is created by a kid developing his system of values and social norms, growing up without the proper context to understand news stories of twitter uprisings and growing economic inequality. The film is insightful as a commentary on the experience of growing up, middle class, in the suburbs - and in this respect it's frame story is apolitical while its core contains a political narrative that functions as a mash-up of current global events.

Who knows if in tightly regulated film markets the film will be a perceived threat (worth noting per IMDB is it currently does not have a Chinese release date - although that may have less to do with content than quota laws and a culture context). Typical tent pole films contain a non-political external threat - consider other toy-inspired films Battleship and Transformers, pro-US military films that contained non-political extraterrestrial threats. Lord Business is presented first as a communist dictator, CEO and President of Octan - a conglomerate producing culture (including the catchy tune "Everything is Awesome" and the hit TV show "Where's My Paints"), premium coffee, infrastructure, and voting machines! Octan is GE, Comcast, Starbucks, and Halliburton all rolled up in central government. Conspiracy theorists may have a blast here, in fact I look forward to the criticisms the film will no doubt receive from Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and Alex Jones.

But they would be missing the point - the universe is political as a result of the cultural mash-up experiences through the lens of a boy making sense of a media reporting he's likely overhearing. This story is the real one with an effective emotional resonance in its resolution, edging towards (although not quite reaching) the very best of Pixar including films like Up and Toy Story 3. Wickedly subversive as a statement on contemporary childhood, the film is a joy to watch in the moment with an awful lot of craft both in the visual aesthetics and in the storytelling, developing (and reinventing itself) in unexpected ways.