cinematic eloquence

Walking into The Kings Speech I quite honestly expected your typical Oscar-fair: the biopic, littered with character drama in one civilized and tidy affair. Frankly, I thought I was walking into The Queen Part 2: The Prequel. And while this film holds dear to the markers of Oscar-bound cinema, it cannot simply be put away in a dusty category with the royal biopics of film history.

Now I'd like to keep my comments terse and to the point, like the film itself. Though this film may ultimately end up filed away with the rest in the near future, I'd like to comment on the modernity of this particular piece. For The Kings Speech embraces cinematic language to correct the spoken stutter of a former leader. The most striking use of cinematography I've seen this year, the film's odd framing and gentle, rich color palette creates a psychological experience beyond the simple narrative. Voice is brought to life through the camera, which freely moves about, fragmenting the body in attempts to understand the origins of voice both physical and metaphorical. And though understanding may never be met, it is through the camera, matched with careful dialogue, that creates a brief look into the powers of speech and audience.

Finally, Colin Firth's performance cannot go without mention. For all the film-trickery in the world cannot create the film's depth of insight when we are fundamentally centered around an individual's tale. The piece is ultimately a biopic, and Firth's masterful performance brings voice and frustration alive. The brutal close-up keeps us both distanced and connected with "Bertie's" boundless frustrations, and it is Firth's painful stutter that continues to draw us in, creating the never-ending tension that surrounds the film. It is going to be an extremely close Oscar race for Best Actor this year, but I'll reserve my predictions for another day.

3 reasons why I didn't hate Tron Legacy

I've had a lot of time on my hands lately. Typically I'd be spending my break catching up on the various award contenders for the coming season. However this years' sorry batch of nominees has been proving dull and few and far between. So I had some time to see Disney's rehash of the 1980's cult classic aptly titled Tron Legacy. This film was sort of setting itself up for loathing; it had the classic trifecta of cinematic sin: 3D, patented Disney family melodrama, and car chase action. And it may have been my heavy dose of decongestant and the delusional sick stupor I was in upon viewing, but I actually found myself enjoying this movie. It was by no means a "must see," something I will remember beyond this week, or a particularly unusual movie, but something allowed me to just sort of experience the whole thing for what it was: a sensorial dip into cyberspace. So after much contemplating and careful reading of the side effects of my over-the-counter medicine, I've come up with a few choice praises (along with some complaints, as usual) for the kid-friendly techno-romp:

1. 3D done right for once. Everyone should know by now that I'm refusing to give into this 1950's 3D revamp. And up until now, I have yet to see a film (Avatar included) that truly benefited from the excessive visual trickery. However, Tron's cyber world, lit in neon lines and ghostly trails, manages to create a world of contrast entirely defined by our three-dimensional visual relationship to space. Here, lines and light extend space beyond our often-flat 3d viewing experience to create an infinite city perfectly crafted for the twenty-first century technology driven world only imagined by the original's creators. It overtly contrasts this world to that of our own, shot entirely in 2D, which ultimately restricts the methodological uses of 3D to the world of technology, expertly extending this digression to the movie industry's obsessive dimensional extension for any action/horror/comedy/children's movie out there. Here 3D is reserved for the other worldly; the complex and indiscernible cyberspace only real to the extension of Jeff Bridges' mind.

2. Daft Punk as composers. Enough said. Why hadn't anyone thought of this earlier? (Though I will say they often encroached on Inception- like reverberating booms.)

3. Not a lot of acting. So often, the downfall of many Disney family pics is the assumption that their half-bit new face actor can actually manage to hold the screen and the drama for an hour and a half. Tron, which was make no mistake, heavy on father-son melodrama and monumental life speeches, managed to keep it contained to relatively short interludes. Even as we retreat from "the grid" to Jeff Bridges' dojo, 2001: A Space Odyssey-esque sanctuary, we keep the family drama to a minimum. The whole motion of the plot is really more dependent upon the classic phrase: "actions speak louder than words." So it becomes one grand gesture after another, feats for young Sam to prove himself, and ultimately set up a nice and tidy little end open to future franchises.

These three points are not to say that the movie was without faults. My third point really extends itself to the core problem of the movie: the dialogue. The cyber mumbo-jumbo justification and explanation of this world were half-baked (literally. we have Jeff Bridges circa The Big Lebowski) attempts at giving deeper meaning to the experiential action fluff that the movie really is. Acting fell short, with Disney's typical casting of a boy band look alike, forced to carry the weight of the movie on his shoulders. But, like I said, they seemed to steer clear of too much work for the young talent. Instead they let the fantasy of this space take over, allowed for the technology to showcase itself, rather than the other way around. I'd in the end say give it try if you're looking for a holiday escape. It's certainly short (thank god) than last years' head-ache producing reproduction of Pocahontas, and doesn't involve any awkward tail-connecting tree sex scenes between animated creatures. However, do be warned that this is something to been seen in the theaters only. It is not a movie that will translate onto the small screen or any attempt at reproducing the 3d experience in your own home. So if it strikes your fancy, get the hell up and get out there.

golden garbage

The 2011 Golden Globes have already proven to sink lower than ever before. After handing out the Best Picture Drama statue to Avatar last year, it looks like they're looking for a repeat starring all the Hollywood garbage that has littered the screens in the last 12 months. From Burlesque's confusions nomination to True Grit's obvious snub, it looks like all we'll be looking forward to is Aronofsky's pervy homage to girl on girl sex and violence and the flash of Johnny Depp and Angelia Jolie's star power.

matrix meets speed meets terrorist paranoia? meet source code.

genre-mash-up-to-the-max

wait. what?

childhood.

I sucame to the epic sweeping camera with a fancy wide angle lens. For years I have resented the fancy footwork that is aligned with a gratuitous Michael Bay pic, but as the fiery cars exploded in IMAX highdef as Hagrid swooped Sirius' flying motorbike into a busy London tunnel I could not help but return to those naive sensations associated with one's first action film or classic car chase.

I am so fucking jaded most of the time. Honestly, it takes a lot to make me cringe, gasp, jump or even stir nowadays. But this film, bringing an end to an era that has defined the last fifteen years of my life, literally caused me to digress as a filmic viewer. The Harry Potter film franchise took little liberty with Rowling's original tale. Allowing the most indulgent first-part finish to the seven part series. For two and a half hours we relish in the intricacies of the seventh book, leaving behind those without prior knowledge or careful attention to the elegant development of the narrative. And at this point, if you don't know what's going on, get the hell out my theater. Harry, Ron and Hermione venture off into the wild (or incredible landscapes of the United Kingdom countryside) as full-on adult wizard, without a trace, without Dumbledore, and frankly without a clue of what to do. Relishing in Nazi imagery and heavy-handed visual reference to the Holocaust, this is a dark and dangerous world; and frankly full-on PG-13. But what all the Hollywood and Hogwarts magic added up to was a pretty clean film. It was polished in the most mainstream of sense, carefully interweaving the expensive sweeping helicopter shots with the constructed handheld camera work when the going got tough. Sure the narrative, to the unknowing viewer, may leave some explanation to be desired, but for the fan, for the child who never received their Hogwarts letter, it was as close to narrative justice and we're going to get. We can't go back and fix the mistakes of the past 6 films (cough, Goblet of Fire cough) but we can have this one.

So as I began to point to at the beginning of my eulogy to the last twelve years of my life. the cinematic polish and flash of the film combined with loyal narrative adaption allowed me for just a few flickering moment to return to a naive viewing position. One where the mesmerized child took hold to derive pleasure from the Hollywood glitz and glam that now makes my stomach churn and have even come to resent. I was ten years old again. Watching a film I'm not quite old enough to see. And completely absorbed, nostalgic and sad at the same time. It was almost too much. Shit. We'll see what the final part brings...

Blair Witch 2

The internet and fan phenomenon that was Paranormal Activity has cloned itself. I was witness to a similar scene last night, nearly deja vu, as I sat in a crowded movie theater full of loud and excited college students. We had all "demanded" this. However the spirit that was internet buzz, which had previously spurred the release of the first film, was all together lack luster on this Wednesday evening. The over-baring "security" that prevented us from "texting or twittering" about anything in this "secret" horror pic, only added to obnoxious energy of the room. It was your typical young horror film viewing experience: boys who think it's funny to scream out at the audience and chatter throughout the film. And this probably would have bothered me if I actually cared about what was going on.

Boy was it slow. The shaking hand held camera work of the first, which had so uncomfortably left me out of control of the image, was replaced with 5 stagnant security images. The second actually serves as a prequel to the first, revealing the logic behind the demon hauntings of the first. We get the story of Katie's sister and the birth of her first born son as the demon attempts to take what his rightfully his at a glacial pace. And of course, as we moved from night to night, the film attempted to build the unpleasant tension of the first film. And it took 11 nights before a damn thing happened. It was so slow that the midnight screening time in conjunction my sitting position was begging me to close my eyes and doze as the audience (right-on-cue) stirred and buzzed with each nightfall. Once the action finally started, it was an over-the-top version of the first film. We were allowed to linger on action for far too long, as our own logic of reality was allowed to overtake any fear we might have. It then took a turn towards Quarantine as the night vision was switched on and the hand held kicked in. Whatever. Been there, done that twice now.

Here's the problem: I don't give a shit why Katie was possessed. Nor do I particularly care about her sister, her nephew or her brother in law. So when they all meet their inevitable death (don't even try to accuse me of spoiler alert), we just don't care, and we're so tired from the popcorn digesting in our stomachs and amount of time we've spent in the dark, that we just want the whole thing to be done and over with. Stop trying to recreate a distinct moment in internet/movie history. It's neither going to happen, nor ever be the same. This ain't no Transformer's 3.

Paranormal Activity 2 learned absolutely nothing.

I'd like to think my post-grad life will be different. Probably not:
Tiny Furniture

seriously? michael bay and Speed had a movie-baby.

godard. godard. godard. godard. casavetes. godard. guy and madeline on a park bench.

Secret Cinema

The internet has undoubtably reshaped our relationship to the viewing experience. Could this be an attempt to reinstate the communal viewing? Or is another fad that is reserved for a select group of people who attempt to engage in film on another level?

Secret Cinema and Immersion Experiences

True Grit. It's like the 2008 Oscars had a baby: meet ThereWillBeNoCountry.

2012 Eastwood Style

Looks like Clint Eastwood has jumped on the Disaster Movie band wagon:
Hereafter

classic.

romantic comedy makeover sequence?

So I feel like there has been a lot of whining over the lack of decent romantic comedies out there. Could we be in for a change?

How Do You Know
Love and Other Drugs

Both these new movies seem to promise a alternative approach to the romantic comedy. Interestingly, they seem to embrace the down-and-outs of life in favor of a tale for older audiences, ripe with dry humor and life changes. Though Love and Other Drugs just appears to be this years' Up in the Air, the pattern seems to indicate a melancholy turn for cinematic romance. We'll see if it's enough to please the masses...

moral of the story:

don't listen to Stephen Hawking...?

statistical data to nip 3D in the bud.

I'm reluctant to jump up and down too soon, but I'm liking where these numbers are headed:

down, down down.

I was unaware that it was okay to openly talk about a catholic school girl fetish.... Sucker Punch.

succesception in 4 "easy" steps.

Christopher Nolan knows exactly what to do with success.

And he knows how to perform inception.

Step 1: Make a complex, mind-blowing (literally), indi-success, utilizing all that is grand about low-budget filmmaking (i.e. the handheld camera and jump cuts [cut to New Wave reference]) and grab the attention of the indi-scene public (both industry and hipster crowd) and Hollywood's biggest and most money-hungry producers through the film festival circuit.

Dream: Struggle through the first stage of dream world where you can get shot and it will hurt real bad.

Step 2: Get hired to make a massive blockbuster (preferably an adaptation with substantial wiggle-room and a diverse public).

Dream-within-a-dream: Now I've been made aware that I am in fact in dream world, but must fight my way to the next level to defeat my subconscious projections.

Step 3: BE HUGELY SUCCESSFUL. Get the Academy to notice and have the entire system for "Best Picture" change in your favor of nomination ::cough:: 2010 Academy Awards ::cough::

Dream-within-a-dream-within-a-dream: Fully delved into an illusion, attempting to fight at my subconscious defences to unlock my true potential. Shit. What's even real anymore?!

(Step 3.5: Do your thang on the side- i.e. make whatever the hell you want (within reason) and build your cred with the best in the business)

Dream-within-a-dream-within-a-dream where I accidentally die: I could fall into internal limbo...

Step 4: Now actually do whatever the hell you want. Make whatever movie you want, with whomever you want, and throw whatever you've got at the drooling masses.

Limbo: All hell breaks loose to the point where you've actually unlocked your element buried deep within your subconscious. Now just gotta fight to get out... or stay in this eternal bliss...

Just follow these four "easy" steps to perform inception on your public and watch your dream become reality. Bazam. Brains. Blown.

and the ego only grows...

wow. really?

http://www.imdb.com/news/ni3172638/

shit. I really want to hate it: (but can't seem to!)

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/paramount/paranormalactivity2/

true dat: http://www.avclub.com/articles/are-we-really-in-a-cultural-golden-age,42451/

SIFF Wrap Up

Well clearly I got a little too carried away with viewing films this year to actually report back. But after spending a solid three weeks inside the overly-air-conditioned biosphere of a movie theater, I can come back with with my picks to look for in the coming months (fingers crossed for distribution!)

My Pick for the Golden Space Needle: Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo

Now I saw The Hedgehog and it aint got nothin' on Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo. Probably one of the greatest trailers I've seen, this film's catchy and bizarre marketing scheme had me hooked from the beginning. A quasi-documentary/ethnographic (or I should say "entomographic") look at the art of insect hunting in modern-day Japan. Somehow straddling the line between avant garde and nature film, Beetle Queen beautifully mashes the poetic language of Japanese naturalism with creepy-crawlies. The film interweaves bizarre segments showcasing the Japanese obsession with bug collecting and how it's penetrated popular culture across the country. You'll delve into the beetle-fighting video games of the local Pochinko parlor and indulge in a real life beetle battle as eager kids watch on. Don't expect a plot, structure or even to understand what's going on. Just sit back, relax and let the calming tone of the film's narrator take you away. It is stunningly soothing and hilariously absurd, and I whole heartily suggest even the bug-haters out there to take a look.

Runner Up: Utopia in Four Movements

Now I'm not sure I can even call this a film or acknowledge it as truly eligible for this placement. But the academic (and often Marxist) part of me has to place this "viewing experience" near the top of my list. An interactive and live presentation, Utopia in Four Movements attempts to raise questions regarding the existence of Utopia in the present day and age. Crafted in these "four movements," the presentation calls upon historical events to reflect on conceptions of Utopia and efforts to preserve the hope of Utopia. Blatantly Marxist (bordering on Maoist) this project, if anything, raised a number of issues surrounding contemporary hopelessness, starkly contrasted with the spirit of 20th century revolutions. In the end it is not whether or not I agree with arguments made- and this is why I think this project is particularly important for all audiences- it asked me to consider hope and the strive for Utopia despite its inherently contradictory origins. Past the jargon of anti-capitalism, this project embodies a perspective wearily fading in our recession state. Utopia is not a impossible dream, but a spirit of forwardness and boundless efforts, all grounded in the everyday, ultimately accessible to all.

2nd Runner Up: Farewell

What can I say? I'm a sucker for a French Cold War film starring Guillaume Canet. So that's why I saw it, but that's not why I liked it. The film, painted in muted grays, tells the story of 2 men aiming to quietly bring down the crumbling Soviet Union. Gracefully captured by director Christian Carion (Joyeux Noel), Farewell brings the epic push and pull between the 2 world super powers down to the streets. France, notably placed in the center of the conflict, reveals a historical retrospective on the role of the individual and Europe stuck in between the dueling countries. Though this film does not aim to say much about all things past (like a typical French film), it attempts to break down boarders between the overarching event and the individual (unlike a typical French film). This is one of the masses. It has distribution, so I suggest people get out there and actually enjoy a commercial French drama.

SIFF Weekend 1

Thanks to some serious paper-writing I only was able to make it to two films this weekend. Unfortunately I was completely absent from Shortsfest (the worst failure ever in my opinion), but managed to truly enjoy one of the two films I actually made it to (a very high ratio for all you who have experienced the sheer grab bag of 300+ films that SIFF houses annually).

On Saturday I saw the Japanese comedy The Chef of the South Polar. A delightful dry comedy about a crew of men stationed in the Antarctic for about a year and half, the film centers on their odd-ball chef. Honestly, not much happened within the film's two hour runtime, but the infinite slew of delicious looking food kept be salivating and cinematically satiated (wish I could say the same about my stomach). In a timid way the film explores the effects of isolation and the troubles for relationships with the unthinkable distance between Japan and the South Pole. But more importantly, this film embraced the subtly soulful effects of a great meal. It was utterly heartwarming as our chef, Mr. Nishimura, a character of expert facial gesture and quiet kindness, attempts to unite and please the crew through a plethora of mouth-watering meals. With his cuisine constantly compromised at the palate of the rugged cast of men, his cooking methodology manages to bring people together through gentle humor and good-cookin'. I would recommend this film to just about any audience. With food at its heart, the film is utterly approachable across cultural boarders and age groups.

Now I had very high hopes for the second film, Prince of Tears. Honestly, as the Hong Kong submission for the Academy Awards Best Foreign Language Film category, I figured this film would have an easily approachable narrative, so I might delight in its cinematographic beauty. And it's not that I was wrong, but quite frankly the film lost me. A story of a family in Taiwan in 1954, during the rise of the communist party on mainland China, the tells of the turmoils of living during a period of extreme politicization and militarization of the Taiwanese territory. The tragic tale separates the two daughters from their parents who are arrested on suspicion of treason, oddly stratifying the narrative into segments as the two daughters continue their day to day life. A flat narration attempts to ground the sporatic events, but ultimately confuses the converging plot lines. Quite frankly, it plateaus pretty quickly and continues on for about an hour and a half. Oddly enough, its not as if I was bored. And its not as if the film was particularly bad, but its not as if it was good. The film failed in the end to climax or accurately pull it all together. Instead I left feeling almost nothing... something that doesn't happen very often...

Well with that all said, I intend to make up for lost time in the coming days. I'll be hitting the Centerpiece film Farewell, taking a stab at some of the delightful Spanish films showcased this year and hopefully happening upon some unexpected gems on a volunteer shift. We'll if this 1/2 success ratio continues!

the lull is nearly over

Clearly I've been on hiatus for a bit due to the pathetic assortment of movies being released in the past few weeks post award season. But the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) schedule has been released, Cannes opens in just a week now, and the summer movie season is about to begin. Hopefully this coming slew of films can inspire a bit more cinephilia in me. I'm in the preliminary stages of my SIFF schedule, but it's beginning to take shape. Look for my picks in the coming days.

Phone Booth to the max:

Buried

I'm seriously trying to understand why they've made the same movie twice:

A Team

The Losers

and the Razzi goes to...

Transformers has rightfully taken the only award it deserves. Congrats Mr. Bay.

We have seen Oscar like this.

Suck on it James Cameron. For the first time we have woman director taking home the Oscar. Katherine Biglow rightfully took down her raging ass hole ex husband and made Academy Award history. Though the award show failed to surprise anyone, it made important award history and leaves me with hope for the integrity of future shows to come.

Honestly, the only surprising moment of the show for me was Best Foreign Language film. What has been a season of The White Ribbon vs. A Prophet, reenacting the show off of the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. However, an unknown film, The Secret in their Eyes. The Argentinian film crept up on the typical European big wigs to shock the hell out of me (and none of my viewing companions). It's inevitable that I'm upset with Avatar's win in any category outside of Visual Effects, but I suppose I can accept their meager three wins. It is a shame that the Academy failed to recognize the elegant and eerie cinematography of The White Ribbon, or the highly stylized and raw work of Bruno Delbonnel for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

Well it's all over now and I can only hope that in the future we see the return to five Best Feature Films (because I believe that this year was enough proof to show the lack of talent out there) and for expansive recognition of technical categories (which we saw hope for in their attempts to distinguish the differences between sound mixing and editing). It was moderately comedic when we spent three hours ragging on Avatar and pleasant when we paid homage to Best Score over the typical fan fair of Best Song. But overall, it wasn't one for memory. Let's hope its just an off year.

Adieu 2009, you were mediocre.

take that U.S. government.

"you saw nothing at shutter island..."

Martin Scorsese's long over due Shutter Island masks murder mystery through the complexity of the human mind. Elegantly photographed, the film sets finite spatial definitions contrasted with the illusive expanse of the psyche. From the preview, one would anticipate a "psychological thriller," constantly awaiting twists and turns, jumps and bumps around every creepy corner. And to a certain aesthetic sense, the film delivers just that. Audiences will get their surprises and "ah hah" moments, accompanied by the stylistic violence of any Scorsese film. But I'd like to offer a different take on what could be considered a film on par with say, Se7en or Silence of the Lambs. I would argue that this is Scorsese's Hiroshima, Mon Amour.

A film that is well know by the director who so often attributes his love of film to rise of Modernist European Cinema, like that of Italian Neorealism and the New Wave, it is an easy connection to be made between the director and his product. For at the very core of Shutter Island is the deeper issues of trauma, memory and the deconstruction of the lucid image. Like Resnais' Hiroshima, Scorsese seems to playing with question of the "truth of the image" and our own retrospective perception of events. The film centers on Teddy (Leonardo DeCaprio), a marshall, sent to Shutter Island to investigate the escape of a patient. Naturally, being confined to the psychologically traumatic space of the confined mental institution, we see a paranoid downward spiral of our protagonist. Since I don't want to ruin the film for all those who haven't seen the film, I won't go too into detail. But this deconstruction of the notion of defined spaces, memory and a parallel image of trauma (which we receive through repeated parallel editing sequences between events on the island and Teddy's experience as a U.S. soldier liberating a Nazi concentration camp) are akin to the experience of Emmanuel Riva's character in Hiroshima (the drop of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, paralleled through her experience in Nevers). The two images in present and past blend to create a doubled representation of memory, especially collective memory. For as we continue on with Shutter Island we are asked to constantly rethink the just-passed. Images, and verbal cues serve to dislodge our conception of memory and time, and subsequently those events of a further past. And like Hiroshima, the film utilizes a collective memory (WWII) to deconstruct our seemingly lucid images of the past in the present, just-passed. For if one cannot cognitively reconstruct even the present moment, one must question all images of memory itself.

Scorsese seems to be referencing this issue of traumatic memory through the poetic gaze of the camera, whose point of view is unclear. We as the viewer are not in a privileged position, the action is neither determined by our gaze nor dependent upon it. Instead the psychology of the character takes over the frame, to construct an image of memory that extends beyond the flash back sequences. By the end of the film, the soft focus and elegant photography become an entirely mental phenomena. Like Hiroshima, Mon Amour the fragmentation of the narrative through parallel editing sequences, flash backs and disconnected point of view shots, Shutter Island's image is one conceived of through the reconstruction of memory through another. And ultimately our temporality becomes entirely dismantled through the course of the film. It becomes unclear what is collective and what is subjective. Instead, like Hiroshima, we are left with the deconstruction of present reflective bearings to bring about a reconstruction of the cinematic image and suggestive "reality."

Now, without having proper comparisons between the two films, I by no means suggest that Scorsese's film copies Resnais' Hiroshima, Mon Amour. I would rather call it a homage to an effect, as he reflected in his acceptance speech of the Cecil B. DeMille Award at this years' Golden Globes: "the past is never dead, it is never even past."

ego much?

Today, James Cameron announced plans to write an Avatar novel. I just have to wonder what happens when he gets to the end of his VHS of Fern Gully 2. What happens after Pocahontas dies of small pox? Does James Cameron have the answer? Lets hope so.

Valentine's Day...budump-bump-chhh

pun me once, shame on you. pun me eight-bazillion times, shame on me.

growing anticipation

"...the two movies in question are a scrappy indie war drama and the most expensive movie of all time...'Does it feel like a David and Goliath story?'"- EW, 12/19 February 2010

So, the match is finally set. On one side we have the highest grossing movie of all time, blasting forth with undying spectacle. On the other, we have what could be, the lowest grossing best picture winner of all time; a gritty composition of raw talent. Honestly, who are you rooting for?

Oscar Noms

So this morning I rose in my typical annual excitement for the release of the 2010 Oscar nominations. Somewhat disheartened by the Academy's announcement to expand the Best Picture category and the incredibly lack-luster award season thus far, I was looking for something to really throw me for a loop. But in their ultimately more conservative fashion, they failed to provide not one shock or surprise. I will not say that I had guessed the nominees verbatum, but the 2010 list is full of the expected, shaped by the last few weeks of the award season and the box office returns of one single, undeserving film (which I will leave unnamed for the very purpose of limiting its already over-saturated exposure).

Best Picture:
I think just about everyone had guessed their core five films: The Hurt Locker, An Education, Up in the Air, Precious, and Avatar. But the other five remaining spots opened the category up for some mediocre contenders. So now we have what I would like to think of as the most over-hyped film of the year, Inglorious Basterds, and the inevitable addition of the most critically acclaimed picture of the year, Up. These were not surprising choices for me based on the repetitive tone of the season, but I was enthused by a single film that made it into the bunch: Niel Blomkamp's District 9.

Blomcamp Boom:
I am undoubtably biased in this subject, but the aknowledgement of Blomkamp's brilliant directorial debut is my glimmer of hope this season. With nominations in Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Editing, and Visual Effects, this low budget cinematic wonder is a true representation of award recognition at its finest. Now, I anticipate that it will likely be aligned with Avatar and continually compared within the scifi genre. Everyone will say that Avatarreigns superior within the list of generic conventions. However, I would like to argue in opposition to this gross assumption. District 9 poses a break from the genre in support of a greater message at hand. Though the film ultimately emphasizes a weaponry and space craft world of aliens and invasion, the metaphorical allegory for the state of South Africa is one that takes it beyond the space-spectacle. Now, Avatar on the other hand vomits genre convention and spits Disney plots in our face (I will not continue to rant in order to spare everyone the grief.) But Blomkamp's vision of a neo-contemporary world is one that promises his genius in years to come.

Bye-Bye Boys Club
My hat does go off to this years' set of nominees for ignoring the ever-present influence of the Hollywood "Boys Club." The small set of acclaimed directors tends to dominate the Best Picture and Director categories year after year. Names like Scorsese, Howard, Spielberg, and Eastwood, have repeatedly made it onto the nominations list out pure "tradition" with little question to the merit of the work. But this year, despite the typical inspirational drama by Eastwood, Invictus is missing from the Best Picture category and Clint from Best Director. And frankly, though I believe the film to be painfully formulaic, it certainly had more merit than some of the other nominees at hand (which shall remain unspoken). But recognizing cinematic merit in this case, over the name , shows progress. We have, for the first time in my lifetime, the real chance for a woman to take home the Best Director prize. Let's make it happen, rather than allow James Cameron's ego to get any larger.

Hopeful Surprises
Well as much as the nominations fail to impress me, I hope that as voting for these categories ensues, the Academy chooses to think beyond box office numbers and traditional award winners. Spice this thing up a bit, I need a little excitement, for without award season, all I have is terrible chick flicks and b wolf movies to entertain me...

snoozing through award season

Typically, I'm a total sucker for award season. I love nothing more than to attempt to guess winners based on the judging community and public hype. The thrill of the perfect guess, catered specifically to the award and cultural atmosphere is what gets me through the grey and wet Seattle winter. But this year, despite Oscar's wider pool of applicants, I'm pretty bored by the whole thing. I would argue that we haven't seen a season more predicable since Peter Jackson's epic (and rightfully won) sweep of the winter 2003 string of awards. However, unlike Return of the King's trilogy build up and scale of cinematic grandeur, we've been handed mediocre epic spectacle and a handful of film that possess individually appealing qualities.

We've got an actor here or there who did a pretty good job (i.e. Invictus, Precious and Crazy Heart). A handful of well written adaptations (i.e. Up in the Air, An Education). And a single film that seems to warrant the merit of the film community: The Hurt Locker. Frankly, this film has been taking up nearly every major award its been nominated for (save for the Golden Globes and their obsession with box office numbers), and rightfully so. But does it make for an entertaining season? No. Snooze. But honestly, I would rather The Hurt Locker snatch up every effing award it's nominated for, than allow Avatar to steal any other non-technical category. So as much as I'm pretty apathetic about this batch of films, I'll take what I can get. As long as Avatar fails, award season is a win.

But please, Oscar's, when you announce the nominees this coming Tuesday, spice it up a bit. Throw me some shocking results. Just get the ball rolling.

The Golden (dollar) Globes

Thanks, Golden Globes, for reminding me which films made the most money this year.

Sometimes, just for a second, I forget that awards can mean money over merit. But thanks, Hollywood Foreign Press, for reminding me to have no faith in the American film industry. In a world where Avatar can take home the best picture for pure box office gross makes me sick. Just when I think that hope can be restored in Hollywood, we see award season begin with a disgusting nod to the most gratuitous and overly spectacular movies of the year. This was nothing but numbers dominating talent. I'm not sure I want to be a part of a community where true films like Bigelow's The Hurt Locker fall because it didn't make a billion dollars in a matter of weeks. Awards are for recognizing cinematic talent, not for how much James Cameron can whip out his dick and wave it around in 3D.

fuck you, James Cameron.

and award season is off

So tonight "officially" began award season and the "countdown to the Oscars" (as VH1's lack luster red carpet hosts reminded as every interviewee was subject to the same moronic statement). And I seriously hope that the Critic's Choice Awards were not an indication of how this season is going to turn out. Honestly, I've been reading, speculating, watching and blogging to try and find my picks of the year and predict the outcomes of the award shows to come, but I was not expecting the crap they threw at me tonight.

I should have known, as Quintin Tarantino's ugly face popped up on my TV screen, that it was going to be a rough night. Even the usually charming Kristin Chenoweth fell flat with poor puns and lack luster musical numbers. And then it started to hit me that Inglorious Basterds was going to be the fan favorite of the night. As the camera continued to cut back to the cast and egotistical Tarantino, I watched as the poor excuse for a good "movie" eat up the publicity, nominations and occasionally awards. Now, don't get me wrong, Christoph Waltz's performance was rightly rewarded tonight, but other than that, it deserved nothing. Not even a nomination. I mean really? Best Original Screenplay? REALLY? I would put the film at the top of my "needs editing" list of the year. Basterd's screamed of self-indulgent writing, basking in superfluous dialogue and a painful run time.

But other than the atrocious number of awards and attention that Basterds received tonight (don't even get me started on that Best Ensemble award) was the disgusting fact that they had broken down into genre categories. "Best Action Movie" and "Best Comedy" made me sick. I mean, what is this, the MTV Movie Awards? Might as well be with the choice of network to air on. I guess I'm just baffled by the voting pool from which these votes are drawn from. Yes, I can see such genre convention coming from MTV, the People's Choice, etc., but the critics? So much about award season is built on the commercial nature of Hollywood and the circular system to award specific films, but I'd at least have thought that the toughest critics could be a little more selective. I mean if the critics can't be then who can? For once a scrupulous audience has the chance to showcase talent, but has instead reinforced the ever-present dominance of Hollywood and genre convention. The Oscars may be picked by the Hollywood community, producers, actors and industry people alike, but the power of journalism suggest stepping beyond. And I would argue that the Critic's Choice has rather taken steps back from the Oscars and has moved into a realm of popular consumerism.

"I see you"

I'll admit it. I just saw Avatar. And I will be the first to call myself culturally illiterate. So I obviously didn't fall into the hype of the film, or even muster enough energy to make it to the theater in those first few weeks. But i did manage to make it there finally, by the fourth week of sold out shows. By this point, I was of course, itching in my skin to see this film that had become a source of cultural bonding. Everyone and their mother had seen and loved this movie and I had yet to see it. Soon, nearly all my viewing companions had run out and I began to panic. Avatar was quickly becoming the major reference point for contemporary pop culture.

So I did it, I bit the bullet, shelled out nearly twenty bucks to do it properly (IMAX 3D) and sat through the three hour run time and tedious and inevitable line forming outside theaters across the nation. Now, to preface my final thoughts on the film I'd like to point out the curious nature of this Blockbuster Blow Out. The thing about Avatar that baffled me before my initial viewing was the homogeneous response to the film; everyone enjoys it. Now, being a pessimistic film student, this response immediately made me put my guards up. It's just not that easy to please a crowd this diverse. I mean, all of America? Really, James Cameron? This not only peeved me but put me on the defensive; i was determined to find fault.

So about two hours into the mother-fucker, I realized that my list of faults was highlighted by the typical slew of eye rolls and cringes at horrible dialogue and that I could probably go on and on about the problems with this bombastic spectacle, masking itself as cinema. But then I thought to myself that the biggest problem was that I was sitting there, thinking and watching the film and ultimately coming to a conclusion of apathy. I just didn't really give a shit by the time the nearly three hour run time ran out. Sure, it was beautifully computer generated, created an animated piece ripping its script from the pages of Disney's Pocahontas. But who cares? I guess the thing is, I can't generate enough emotion for this film to actually try to argue with people about why it was bad. I mean, sitting there, with my 3D goggles irritating the bridge of my nose, Avatar managed to wow me with economically backed visual spectacle, bore me to pieces as the inevitable and slow-mo'ed war ensued, and make me gag as alien love with sync human sound played out the love of two entirely fabricated and simply unbelievable beings. I get that I was supposed to be sucked in, and I'm sure most were, but nothing about the movie made me want to escape, so much about it just pointed towards typical Hollywood.

Maybe I'm just mad at the film for not even really generating hatred. I happened, and that's about all I can say other than, fuck you, Cameron for making me sit through it and creating an impossible film to argue to the masses about. But at the same time, whatever, it was lavish, bombastic and incredibly self-indulgent. Continue to feed your ego, Cameron, as long as you stay away for another decade.

Hits and Misses of 2009

Thought I've failed to make it through the mess of holiday films that have been thrust at us in the past few weeks, I'm still drawing the year to a close with a list of the best and worst films of 2009. The following films reflect a year of surprise, disappointment, expectation, marketing, form, content, art, commerce, excess, restraint, laughter, and a little joy.

Top 5 of 2009

1. Fantastic Mr. Fox

Cuss yeah this is my pick of the year! In a world where technology promises to continue to increase at an impressively rapid pace, Wes Anderson's carefully crafted work of art is a breath of fresh air. Forget Avatar, this film reminds us of the beauty of human craftsmanship, wry wit and power of details. Anderson transports us to a world in parallel to ours; utterly magical, playful and cinematic. You see the labor, love and craftsmanship in every image. It becomes film comprised of odd moments and disjointed puppet movement, brought together through pure childlike joy with just enough dry humor to keep generations entertained. This film is undoubtably Anderson's most successful and magical film. He has not only restored my faith in his filmmaking, but has reminded me of what animation can be in our Pixar-dominated world. Bravo, Wes.

2. Paranormal Activity

Sorry, I can't resist an independent film underdog story. I saw this film in one of the unpublicized thirteen screenings across the nation this last September. From that moment I fell in love. Sure, maybe I was swayed by the perfectly timed midnight screening and buttered up by free movie popcorn and soda, but this film was perfect in its simplicity. When it went head to head Saw VI and won, I was filled with joy. This film began as nothing, and by the power of our public, it was brought to the world. We can control this industry and Paranormal proves it. And yes, the film did scare the shit out of me, but that's not the point. In my jaded film studies world, this online movement gives me a glimmer of faith in our Hollywood-controlled audiences. We can demand the independent, the underdog and the low budget, and the internet just may be the answer.

3. (500) Days of Summer

Okay, I know. This film is just about the girliest, silliest most irresistibly engrossing things to hit the summer screens. But I'd like to argue for the artistic merit of the movie. I will admit, I was drawn in by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel's indi quirky chemistry and catchy soundtrack, but upon viewing the film, I was ultimately most creatively inspired by the post-modern romantic screenplay. Though it escalated to become 2009's Garden State with a strong serge from its film festival beginnings, Marc Webb's music video vibe and manages to play with the broken to story line to create a sweet visual realization of reality versus expectation. It may have gone mainstream but at least we were given a fresh version of the (anti)romantic comedy; cool, creative and fun.

4. District 9

I will say this was probably my most anticipated film of the year. The perfectly crafted trailer showed a new, gritty image of the action film. However, this marketing genius only set itself up for disappointment. So, while District 9 does win best trailer of the year, it didn't quite measure up (if it had, without a doubt it would take my number one spot). Neil Blomkamp's film begins with the nearly perfect composition of documentary, security camera and interview footage to compose an entirely believable world. Though this film fell short as it paid homage to it's Halo beginnings, the beginning's wit and artistry was enough to land it a spot. If anything, it was a beautiful introduction to my future relationship with Blomkamp. I'm looking forward to the future.

5. The Hangover

Funny, huh? But yes, it made it on my list. This may be due entirely to my surprise at the sheer genius of the ultimately stupid film. I walked in thinking it would be another grotesque, crude male bro film, but it wasn't. Composed of the simplest of concepts, The Hangover builds a shit show of chaos all bound by a cast of perfect chemistry. Sure, there were stupid moments, potty humor and useless nudity, but for once I kept laughing with them. The humor is ultimately relatable, subtle, quotable, and resonant. We hear the songs, quote the lines and all lose ourselves in the ridiculous escape of this movie. Can't help but keep laughin'.

Worst 5 of 2009

1. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Fuck Michael Bay and his fucking movies. It never ended, it visually assaulted me for nearly three hours and ultimately embodies all I hate about Hollywood. If these films didn't exist, we'd all be better off.

2. New Moon

Nothin to say other than: "Bella, you're bleeding." I can't watch these bad actors any more.

3. Post Grad

How does this shit get made?

4. The Time Travelers Wife

This two hour sap fest never failed to make me want to puke. All I saw was crying, patchy story lines and "destiny." vomit.

5. Nine

I think Fedrico Fellini is rolling in his grave. The lyrics were bad, the film lacked composition, and ultimately portrayed a horribly insulting image of women.

I could keep going with this list but I'll spare you.

Biggest Disappointments of 2009:

To name of few: Julie and Julia, Bruno, The Princess and the Frog, Inglorious Basterds, and New York, I Love You. Damn these trailers.

Best Trailers of 2009:

1. District 9

2. New York, I Love You

3. A Single Man

4. Where the Wild Things Are

5. The White Ribbon