Oscar-nomics: NYFCC Awards Recipients 2011

Best First Feature: "Margin Call"

Thoughts: Kind of felt “Martha Marcy May Marlene” would be the one to take this in the awards circuit, but oh well my thoughts overall are limited to what I’ve heard and read.

Best Non-Fiction Film: "Cave of Forgotten Dreams"

Thoughts: Any win for the great Werner Herzog is a win in my book, glad to see him win, especially for him being snubbed from the Oscar Documentary shortlist a couple of weeks back.

Best Supporting Actress: Jessica Chastain, "The Help," "Take Shelter" and "The Tree of Life"

Thoughts: She is my pick to win in the long run, glad to see her start off strong. I’m sure hoping she will choose soon which film she will submit for Oscar consideration. I will keep drumming the “Tree of Life” drum as long as I damn well have to, “The Help,” was fine but she doesn’t really stand out in that film as she does in “Tree of Life.” Still, great to see her off to a strong start.

Best Actress: Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady"

Thoughts: Not a big surprise, considering its Streep we are talking about here. Word on the street is its Streep vs. Davis (rightfully so for the latter lady), but since “Iron Lady” hasn’t opened yet, I will stick with the simple idea that Streep is simply the best.

Best Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks, "Drive"

Thoughts: This might be my favorite win of the day. Mnay have pegged Plummer as the one to beat, and that is still rather plausible, but I am really glad Brooks get his due for a strong performance. Side note, upon hearing he won, he tweeted "Was just told about N.Y.F.C.C. and Spirit Awards! THANK YOU. I feel like Herman Cain at a Dallas Cheerleader convention." Albert “Hank Scorpio” Brooks for the win!!!

 

Best Actor: Brad Pitt, "Moneyball" and "The Tree of Life"

Thoughts: Glad to see Pitt getting his due for a strong year. Though many, myself included, consider his “Tree of Life” performance as more of a supporting turn, to see Mr. Pitt get some awards attention means Best Actor is going to be a fun competition to watch this year, especially with Clooney not off to as such a strong start that many thought he would when “Descendants” came out a week or so ago.

Best Foreign Language Film: "A Separation"

Thoughts: Heard good things, will check it out when I can, but for now, congratulations on the win.

Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"

Thoughts: Not my first choice, what with Malick, Refn and perhaps even Bennett Miller, but I won’t rag on the choice, but I probably still don’t see this as truly being the best with all the choices I have previously mentioned, particularly Malick (I would also like to mention Soderbergh, but I don’t really feel as though Contagion has much of a chance to get nominated, let alone win).

Best Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian, "Moneyball"

Thoughts: This is a huge win for the film. Sorkin and Zaillian are arguably the best of the best in terms of writers, so seeing them get their due (even though each have received Oscar gold in the past) is always welcome, congrats!!!

Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, "The Tree of Life"

Thoughts: I've said it before, and I will say it again, if this man doesn't dominate the awards season, then I'm giving up on movie awards/reviewing all together. Emmanuel Lubezki deserves Oscar gold!!!!

Special Award: Filmmaker Raoul Ruiz (posthumously)

Thoughts: Not terribly familiar with his work, so I'll stick with congrats on this one...

Best Picture: "The Artist"

Thoughts: Again, haven't seen it so my view on this is limited. It looks like the kind of film that has the right fluff to win over audiences and critics, much like how King's Speech did the previous year. However, by only receiving one other win for directing, its not terribly safe to assume that this automatically makes it the frontrunner. Still, congratulations are in order, and I have little to go on to hate the film, so congratulations and best of luck on the circuit.

Overall Thoughts: Surprised "The Descendants" was completely shut out really. Clooney's acting was considered to be the best of the best, though I am not complaining that he was defeated by Pitt. I think that even though "The Artist" won Best Picture, "Moneyball" was the real victor. Few films get released as far back as September and maintain such awards love, so to see it nab both best actor and screenplay is definitely huge. I am rather happy with both supporting picks, particularly Brooks since his hasn't been as touted, but I think we will be seeing him, most certainly Chastain, as well as Pitt and Streep come February.  

Well, thats it for now, Thursday will be the announcement of the National Board of Review awards.These are the tricky ones cause they were 2 for 2 in picking best picture in 07 and 08, but struck out in 09 and 10 (to their credit, they did pick Social Network last year). Will they be able to get back on track? Only time will tell. Check back for more on the awards seasons as well as my commentary and possible predictions, will this award ceremony shape whats to come or are we in store for something completely out of left field (pun not intended.... at first)?

Oscar-nomics: Indie Awards

I decided to begin a new segment for my movie blog. Now, I will be giving you updates on the awards circles as well as some statistics I will discuss throughout the rest of the awards season. I shall start with the Indie Spirit Awards (The pictures were kind of a pain uploading this time around, so sorry for such front-loaded pictures on this blog):

Hey all, its that’s time of year again. We are now delving into the awards season and today come the nominations of the Independent Spirit Awards as well as the Winners of the New York Film Critics Circle awards. Now, I will discuss the NYFCC awards a little later, as they are slowly coming out, I will say I’m rather content with what I am seeing. For now, let us take a look at the nominations for the Spirit Awards:

Best Feature 
(Award given to the Producer)
"50/50"
"Beginners"
"Drive"
"Take Shelter"
"The Artist"
"The Descendants"

Best Director
Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Mike Mills, "Beginners"

  Jeff Nichols, "Take Shelter"
Alexander Payne, "The Descendants"
Nicolas Winding Refn, "Drive"

Best First Feature 
(Award given to the director and producer)
"Another Earth"
"In The Family"
"Margin Call"
"Martha Marcy May Marlene"
"Natural Selection"

Best Screenplay
"Beginners"
"The Descendants"
"Footnote"
"The Artist"
"Win Win"

Best First Screenplay
"Another Earth"
"Terri"
"Cedar Rapids"
"50/50"
"Margin Call"

Best Female Lead
Elizabeth Olsen, "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
Michelle Williams, "My Week with Marilyn"
Rachael Harris, "Natural Selection"
Adepero Oduye, "Pariah"
Lauren Ambrose, "Think of Me"

Best Male Lead
Michael Shannon, "Take Shelter"
Woody Harrelson, "Rampart"
Ryan Golsing, "Drive"
Jean Dujardin, "The Artist"
Demian Bichir, "A Better Life"

Best Supporting Female
Jessica Chastain, "Take Shelter"
Anjelica Huston, "50/50"
Janet McTeer, "Albert Nobbs"
Harmony Santana, "Gone Hill Road"
Shailene Woodley, "The Descendants"

Best Supporting Male
Albert Brooks, "Drive"
John Hawkes, "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"
Corey Stahl, "Midnight in Paris"
John C. Reilly, "Cedar Rapids"

Best Cinematography
"Bellflower"
"Midnight in Paris"
"The Artist"
"The Off-Hours"
"The Dynamiter"

Best Documentary 
(Award given to the director)
"An African Election"
"Bill Cunningham New York"
"The Interrupters"
"We Were Here"
"The Redemption of General Butt Naked"

Best Foreign Film 
(Award given to the director)
"A Separation"
"Melancholia"
"Shame"
"The Kid With a Bike"
"Tyrannosaur"

Piaget Producers Award
Chad Burris ("Mosquito y Mari")
Sophia Lynn ("Take Shelter")
Josh Bond ("Martha Marcy May Marlene")

Now, there are a couple of other awards worth noting, but I thought I would keep it slightly more narrow so as to not to make this too lengthy. Critical Darling “The Artist” tied with “Take Shelter” with 5 nominations. The big surprises came with the snub of festival favorite “Like Crazy” is all categories and Clooney’s supposed (I haven’t seen it yet) superb performance in “The Descendants.” I am particularly surprised Win Win didn’t get much love (only for its superb screenplay). Also, such little love for Midnight in Paris, at least Christopher Stahl got a nomination in what appears to be a stacked Supporting Actor category (I'm happy with any of them winning).  Drive got 4 nominations, my gut is telling me it will have a big night (look out for Al Brooks in supporting), and even directing (in my opinion). Awards contender Jessica Chastain had only one film she could contend with here (all of her other films were budgeted over 25 mil.), so her chances may not be as hot (I would pick “Tree of Life” for her awards run), her performance in the film has gotten steam, but again I haven’t had the chance to catch it so I can’t place a for sure win in her corner just yet. Beginners is getting a lot of love after the surprise win at the Gotham Awards, so it may continue into this Indie Awards, time will tell. I think as much as “The Artist” and “The Descendants,” are being touted for Oscars, I think “Drive” and “Beginners” will give them a run for there money. Still, its early, and we will just have to wait and see how the awards season plays out. For now, we will just have to keep our fingers crossed. Now, on to the NYFCC!!!

Review: The Muppets

It’s time to play the music, its time to light the lights, its time to meet the muppets, only this time on the big screen. Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo and the others are back thanks to the collaborative minds of Jason Segal, Nicholas Stoller, and “Flight of the Conchords” co-creator James Bobin. Now after having both read my facebook newsfeed and seen my family this past weekend, I can tell most of you have already seen the Muppets. But I’m getting back into the swing of things in terms of movie watching so here are my thoughts on the Muppets Movie.

            Now, the plot is run of the mill, but its suppose to be. Life long fan Walter, himself a muppet but treated like a human, and his brother Gary (Segal) go with George’s girlfriend (the always welcome Amy Adams) to L.A. to go see the Muppets studio. When they get there, however, its not what it once was. In fact, a man, hilariously named Tex Richman (Chris Cooper, also always welcome and perfectly cast), plans to take over the Muppet studio for the oil, I guess the Muppets neglected to notice that oh so many years ago, but lets not worry too much about this story shall we. For we then get the Muppets reuniting in a way only Hollywood would, through montages, songs, and flashback tales of old. After they are all reunited, they start a telethon to try and save the theater. Will they succeed? Will Tex see the error in his ways? Will we just stop caring about the story and just love the fact that Jim Henson’s beloved creations are back on the big screen?

            Yes, its true that the story is cookie cutter, run of the mill, but that is the writers (Segal and Stoller) intention, with a wink at the camera every now and again (such as traveling by map or the whole opening sequence really, which by the way was flawless and had a cameo appearance that almost had me on the floor, you can probably guess who it is if you’ve seen it). The songs are what really make most of the story so endearing, if you aren’t singing the theme song when you leave (like all of my family was) then check your pulse. The muppets are the true stars of the film, and with some rather clever cameo work from everyone involved, this is truly a great film. Again, its not something that would be considered “greatest movie ever” by Hollywood standards. However, through the genuine nature of the script, the songs that deserve some Oscar attention (Bret Mckenzie and Christopher Beck do some rather fine work), the cast and cameos are pitch-perfect, and the loving serenity that is the Muppets, I am sure that Jim Henson would be proud of this film, even Segal himself puts a tiny nod to the man in the Muppet studio, one I think perfectly thanks a man who gave us characters every generation aught to know, and through films like this, will for many more generations to come, Ladies and Gentlemen, It’s the Muppet Show!!!
Rating: ****/****

Review: Contagion

When was the last time that you can remember, when you sneezed? When was the last time you washed your hands? When was the last time you touched your face with your hands? These might be trivial questions at first, but it’s the major element to Contagion, the new film by master craftsman Steven Soderbergh. When a new virus befalls us, what will be the effects beyond simply the symptoms of the virus?

            We start the film with a woman (Gwenyth Paltrow), coming home to Minneapolis after a work trip to Hong Kong and isn’t feeling well. As soon as she gets home, she succumbs to a virus (I would’ve taken this as a spoiler, but its in the trailer). The husband (Matt Damon) learns that he is, in fact, immune to the disease. While this is a blessing in that his fear is lessened by his immunity, he has a greater fear of the fall of society to the disease and fear, especially when his daughter isn’t guaranteed immune.

            Throughout the film, we also see the many sides of the research of the disease. We have the CDC working around the clock, its leader (Laurence Fishburne), doing what he can to help those around him, including a researcher (Kate Winslet), who goes into the disease ground zero in an attempt to quicken the research. This also includes a researcher (Marion Cotillard), who goes to Hong Kong who studies the path of the virus from patient 1 as well as becoming a captive under those who fear the disease as society further collapses in fear. All around the CDC, we have a blogger (Jude Law), who stops at nothing to tell the world everything going on behind closed doors, further adding fuel the “fear fire.”  Will this virus halt? Is there anyway to calm those who fear the mystery of the virus? Can survive events like these?

            Steven Soderbergh is a genius behind the camera; I have enjoyed all of his work I have seen so far. Where is masterpiece Traffic was a strong film exploring drug trafficking, Contagion shows us the problems of the unknown virus, but this is beyond what Traffic even dared try to show about drugs. We get a look at the virus close up, seeing its effects on society, and not just to those who are infected. Soderbergh crafts a strong film about illnesses as well as fear, and does fine work here.

            A great thing about Soderbergh is his ability to find strong cast and technical workers. Everyone in the film is fantastic, we truly feel the emotions they are going through in this film, Jude Law in particular was rather effective as that annoying man who does whatever he can to make himself famous, whether or not it causes society itself to collapse. The script by Scott Z. Burns, who worked on Soderbergh's The Informant and the amazing Bourne Ultimatum, doesn't play it safe and balances the stories rather well and efeectively at that, with Soderbergh's direction as strong as it ever was. The music fits the film like a glove; it really helps add to the severity of each scene and helps the flow of the film stay intact. The film editing done by Stephen Mirrione, who also worked on Traffic (go figure), in my opinion, deserves some serious Oscar attention. I can get rather critical about a film’s editing, but this film is top notch, it kept the film moving along nicely and made sure that we got everything we needed in each scene, it was really spectacular.

            Indeed, I would relate this film to Soderbergh’s masterpiece Traffic (one of my favorite films), but Contagion takes it’s subject matter beyond simply giving us a glimpse of the horror. You feel as though we have gone through the entire epidemic first hand, which can disturb some. There were moments where I was cringing a bit, but that isn’t enough to not recommend this strong film. Now, to go wash my hands, who knows what’s been on my computer.

My Rating: ****/****

If you want to look for more information about the film, follow the link here for trailers, information about all those involved and much more, enjoy...

Review: Drive

Ok, I have to mention that I actually saw this last week, meant to post this last Monday, but a case of the laziness got the better of me. That being said, here is my review of Drive (gee, I wonder what it is about)...

It's nighttime in L.A., the games about over, everyone's ready to turn in, time to do the heist. The thing is, though, we are not interested in the heist, we are here for the escape, which in its own merit is half the thrill of it all too (whether or not you complete your job is one thing, how your getting out of there is another). It is through this, and a previous conversation over the phone, that we meet our Driver (Ryan Gosling). Apart from being called kid by others, we never truly get his name. Already we are thinking "The Man with No Name," he's cool, slick, and knows what he's doing. He's the man who gets you to where you need to be, or better yet, how you want to get away. It is through this finely directed/edited first section of the film that we get the gist of the kind of person Ryan Gosling's character is like.

This isn't the only job he has, he actually has three when you mention it. He works as a stunt driver as well as a mechanic working for Shannon (Bryan Cranston, whose character has much more depth than one would think). Shannon is the kind of man who tries his best for the kid, even if it doesn't work out, and he definitely has a past of his own where mistakes have riddled it time and time again. It is through Shannon that the driver meets Bernie Rose (Albert "Hank Scorpio" Brooks, in quite a departure for his sort of film/tv background). They start a deal that could be huge for everyone involved.

We are also introduced to a young mother, Irene (Carey Mulligan), who lives in the same apartment as the driver. We definitely see a connection between the two, but things get a little complicated. Her husband is getting released early, so we already believe something will come of the relationship between the driver and Irene, like it always does. The shocker, however, is that they are actually cool with each other. In fact, the man asks for the driver's assistance in a job that seems simple, but through some double crossing, the stories of all those involved will become connected in ways nobody wanted to, and no one is safe.

Drive isn't the independent film I was expecting, its rather graphic. There are scenes where I was a little shaken even, for surprise reasons and because its quite intense. For an independent film to achieve this is no small feet, so its got that going for it. The acting, however, carries the film in a way that its hard not to reccomend this film. Everyone brings there A-game, particularly Bryan Cranston and Albert Brooks (I have my fingers crossed for an Oscar nomination for the latter). The story is simple enough for anyone to follow, giving the actors room to bring their A-game to the material, which they do in spades. Director Nicholas Winding Refn has gained acclaim in his native Denmark for the acclaimed Pusher trilogy (I haven't seen them yet, but they are on my list), and this film brings him to the international spotlight and I think he is a name we won't soon forget. Drive isn't quite the awards film many, including myself, should be, mostly due to the graphic violence. Needless to say, this is quite an accomplishment for an independent film, so I am not complaining.

(Note: I have slowly grown tired of the letter rating, cause I've come to think of it as a bad medium of rating between those I like and those I don't, so I am going to follow in the footsteps of the great Roger Ebert and do the four star meter)

Rating: *** 1/2

Happy Birthday Sam Neill!!!

Today is a very special day, at least for me and my blog. Today is the birthday of arguably my favorite actor, Sam Neill. A New Zealand native, you can find him in great films such as The Piano, Merlin, and in a great episode of the Simpsons (Homer the Vigilante season 5). Oh yea, and he was in my favorite movie of all time, Jurassic Park (and in the less than perfect but still entertaining third installment). You can check out other films he has been in at his IMDB site linked here. So, I wanted to have a video to dedicate to him, so I decided what could honestly be the most perfect scene in the film, which is Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill), notices his first dinosaur, its really quite spectacular (you can look at more snippets or his work linked here). HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAM NEILL!!!!

Meet the Brachiosaur Scene - Jurassic Park Movie (1993)

Review: The Debt

It's 1966, and tensions are high. Germany is divided, and both sides are still filled with former nazis hiding in secrecy. They live their lives out hoping each day they can return home and can be forgotten over time. But somethings can never be forgotten, especially if what you have done is beyond gruesome. It is then the government's decision, international or simply American. To capture and obtain a former Nazi criminal and have him stand trial for his actions were prevelant during this time, long after the trial of Nuremburg we were slowly hunting down the little fractions of former police and medical teams behind the Nazi regime who had previously escaped. In "The Debt," it is up to three Mossad agents, Rachel Singer (Jessica Chastain), David Peretz (Sam Worthington) and Stefan Gold (Marton Csokas). 
Their mission is to capture  Dieter Vogel (Jesper Christensen), infamously known as "The Surgeon of Birkenau," and have him stand trial in Israel for his crimes during the war. They must infiltrate East Berlin, find the target and bring him to Israel. The plan goes well until one screw up leads to the domino effect that lands them trapped in East Berlin with their target with no sure exit out. They are left to hide and hope that soon something will come for them or help them get out and bring the man to justice. Then, when tensions reach there boiling point, an event happens that wasn't planned and they are forced to deal with the situation. It is not until 1997, when our heroes (now played by Helen Mirren Ciarán Hinds and Tom Wilkinson), are forced to deal with the event after they are threatened by the skeletons in the closet. Will they be able to do it? Will it be too much for them? Have I avoided the spoilers for you?
Now, I am a huge fan of espionage/noir films (Bourne Ultimatum was my favorite of 2007), but this one was really straightforward, you could almost tell how it was going to roll out. Now, that can be the case for a lot of espionage classics, so I let that slide. However, a form of criticism I have that may be a common problem for you all is the casting of the older and younger agents. Now, its not that they are bad, far from it. Jessica Chastain is showing tremendous range after her turns in the delightful The Help and the brilliant Tree of Life, and here she gets her first lead performance, of sorts (they really push for Hellen Mirren's character, but honestly I preferred Chastain over Mirren). It was the male cast that got a little confusing, you could have really swapped the older two male leads for each other and I wouldn't have known. Now, if you're on top of everything while watching, then it shouldn't be that much of a problem, my dad and I just had that problem when we talked about it afterwards. Still, everyone is good here, Worthington I think isn't given enough, I really liked his character but he isn't given enough time to flesh out his character enough, I think. We never really get to know the other guy well enough to care about him. Its Jessica Chastain that commands the film, not because Mirren is ok by comparison, but having seen her in two other films I am just really impressed by her range. She is going to be a star, I think she can very well be the next Meryl Streep or Cate Blanchett if she can get the right roles in the future. Director John Madden, of Shakespeare in Love fame, kind of has a screwy way of balancing the stories of past and present, which makes the story straightforward, but the editing a little all over the place. However, faults aside, I reccomend this film on Chastains performance and, through it all, its a worthy DVD rental, which is more than I can say of some other films I've seen this year.
Rating: B-