2020 OSCARS: The Winners

The winners of the 92nd Annual Academy Awards were announced last night, and I correctly predicted 6 of 8 of the Top 8 categories, missing the big wins for "Parasite" in the Best Picture and Best Director categories, which I am quite happy about. Elsewhere I picked 17 of 24 categories correctly. Parasite ended with the most with 4 while both 1917, Once Upon a Time..in Hollywood and Ford v Ferrari ended with 3 Oscars each.

Best Picture
Parasite

Best Director
Parasite – Bong Joon-ho

Best International Feature
Parasite – South Korea

Best Actress
Renee Zellweger – Judy

Best Actor
Joaquin Phoenix – Joker

Best Supporting Actress
Laura Dern – Marriage Story

Best Supporting Actor
Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

Best Cinematography
1917 – Roger Deakins

Best Film Editing
Ford v Ferrari – Michael McCusker & Andrew Buckland

Best Original Screenplay
Parasite – Bong Joon Ho & Han Jin Won

Best Adapted Screenplay
Jojo Rabbit – Taika Waititi

Best Original Score
Joker – Hildur Guðnadóttir

Best Animated Feature
Toy Story 4

Best Documentary Feature
American Factory

Best Production Design
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood – Barbara Ling & Nancy Haigh

Best Costume Design
Little Women – Jacqueline Durran

Best Sound Editing
Ford v Ferrari – Donald Sylvester

Best Sound Mixing
1917 – Mark Taylor & Stuart Wilson

Best Visual Effects
1917 – Guillaume Rocheron, Greg Butler & Dominic Tuohy

Best Make-up and Hairstyling
Bombshell – Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan & Vivian Baker

Best Original Song
(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again – Rocketman (Elton John & Bernie Taupin)

Best Documentary Short
Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)

Best Animated Short
Hair Love

Best Live Action Short
The Neighbors’ Window

2020 OSCARS: My Predictions in the Top 8 Categories

Here is my annual prediction post for the 2020 Oscars, i.e. the 92nd Academy Awards. I really just consider the Top 8 categories on the blog but I play the Oscar prediction game like lots of other people (on other websites) where I think about all 24 categories. Last year I predicted 4 of 8 categories correctly and 12 of 24 overall. This year I have only seen a few of the nominated pictures.

Best Picture:

• “Ford v Ferrari” 
• “The Irishman” 
• “Jojo Rabbit” 
• “Joker” 
• “Little Women” 
• “Marriage Story” 
• “1917” 
• “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” 
• “Parasite” 

SHOULD WIN: Parasite.
WILL WIN: 1917.

Director:

• Martin Scorsese (“The Irishman”)
• Todd Phillips (“Joker”)
• Sam Mendes (“1917”)
• Quentin Tarantino (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”)
• Bong Joon Ho (“Parasite”)

SHOULD WIN: Bong Joon Ho, Parasite.

WILL WIN: Sam Mendes, 1917.

Lead Actor:

• Antonio Banderas (“Pain and Glory”)
• Leonardo DiCaprio (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”)
• Adam Driver (“Marriage Story”)
• Joaquin Phoenix (“Joker”)
• Jonathan Pryce (“The Two Popes”)

SHOULD WIN: Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory (Dolor y Gloria).

WILL WIN: Joaquin Phoenix, Joker.

Lead Actress:

• Cynthia Erivo (“Harriet”)
• Scarlett Johansson (“Marriage Story”)
• Saoirse Ronan (“Little Women”)
• Charlize Theron (“Bombshell”)
• Renee Zellweger (“Judy”)

SHOULD WIN: Renee Zellwegger, Judy.

WILL WIN: Renee Zellwegger, Judy.

Supporting Actor:

• Tom Hanks (“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”)
• Anthony Hopkins (“The Two Popes”)
• Al Pacino (“The Irishman”)
• Joe Pesci (“The Irishman”)
• Brad Pitt (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”)

SHOULD WIN: Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

WILL WIN: Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Supporting Actress:

• Kathy Bates, “Richard Jewell”
• Laura Dern (“Marriage Story”)
• Scarlett Johansson (“Jojo Rabbit”)
• Florence Pugh (“Little Women”)
• Margot Robbie (“Bombshell”)

SHOULD WIN: Laura Dern, Marriage Story.

WILL WIN: Laura Dern, Marriage Story.

Adapted Screenplay:

• Taika Waititi (“Jojo Rabbit”)
• Steve Zaillian (“The Irishman”)
• Anthony McCarten (“The Two Popes”)
• Greta Gerwig (“Little Women”)
• Todd Phillips and Scott Silver (“Joker”)

SHOULD WIN: Little Women

WILL WIN: Jojo Rabbit.

Original Screenplay:

• Rian Johnson (“Knives Out”)
• Noah Baumbach (“Marriage Story”)
• Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns (“1917”)
• Quentin Tarantino (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”)
• Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won (“Parasite”)

SHOULD WIN: Parasite.

WILL WIN: Parasite.

My Top 10 Favorite Films Seen in 2012

Below is a list of my Top 10 films that I saw in 2012. As it turns out, my favorite was actually released in 2011 and was honored with the 2012 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. I had thought about changing my list to include only films that were released in 2012, but that also seems artificial, since one can consume films in many different ways and often I may not have seen a film released in one year until much later (look at all the films I saw from the 1970s in 2012).

Anyway, here is my list of my favorite films seen in 2012

1. A Separation. This was the best film I saw all year. Even though it was technically a 2011 release and elegible for the 2012 Oscars, I still think it should be on the list. What's so amazing about the film is that it is about such a simple subject: the problems of how to take care of an elderly family by a working couple. The twist is that the movie is set in Tehran, Iran so we see what seems like a typical domestic situation played out in a completely foreign (to American eyes) landscape. The differences in religion, social mores, legal system do not detract from the universal themes that A Separation depicts.
2. Argo. Bizarrely, both of the top 2 films of 2012 that I saw are set in Iran. The 2013 Oscar for Best Picture deservedly went to Ben Affleck's third feature film, about the little-known true story set around the time of a foreign affairs crisis for the United States. It is an exceedingly well-directed and well-written movie. What comes to mind (and I have seen the film twice so far) is how suspenseful the film is despite the audience knowing how the story ends. I was on the edge of my seat both times I saw the film, which is a testament to the virtuouso level of film-making. And it is also quite funny, by the far the most enjoyable filmI watched all year long.
3. Bully. Bully is decidedly not an enjoyable film, but it is an important one. I saw it on a plane, not in a movie theater, which is why it is the one movie on the list which does not have an official blog review. However, it still left quite an impression. Bully is about the epidemic of violence, both emotional and physical which kids face in schools every day and tells the story of how the adults and institutions which surround them fail to protect them, often leading to heartbreaking results. The most prominent reasons for bullying are usually around gender expression/sexual orientation but the film makes it clear that the seeds of bullying are really about punishing any deviations from what is perceived as "normal" by the majority and the marginalization of the Other. It is a powerful, emotionally draining experience to watch.
4. Prometheus. This is a pre-quel to Aliens, one of the classic science fiction movies of all times, directed by the great Ridley Scott. It stars an incredible cast of Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, and Noomi Rapace and looks incredible (it was nominated for Best Visual Effects). Sadly, the emotional impact of the film is not as high as the other films in the Alien franchise, primarily due to a somewhat muddled and non-sensical script. Regardless, it is very watchable and the best sci-fi related visual entertainment of the year.
5. Django Unchained. The second movie in Tarantino's "Unspeakable" series of films (following on the heels of Inglourious Basterds about the Holocaust) has the audacity to deal with not only slavery, a difficult subject for a white artist to address, but does so using Tarntino's signature humor and over-the-top violence. Django Unchained had a somewhat mixed critical reaction, but audiences loved it (94% on rottentomatoes.com), especially black audiences. Even the Academy recognized the film with two Oscars in very important categories, Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Screenplay. And, hey, it features full-frontal nudity of Jamie Foxx, so what's not to like?
6. Cloud Atlas. This is another film in which the critics and myself had very different reactions to a film. Cloud Atlas is the latest film from the controversial Wachowski Siblings, the creative team behind The Matrix, and based on an award-winning novel. It is definitely not without flaws, but there are visual sequences in this film that will stick with me for years and again it features a celebrated cast, helmed by Oscar-winners Tom Hanks and Halle Berry in multiple, gender-bending roles.
7. Looper. It's always a delight when one goes to see a movie with low (or no) expectations and has them overwhelmingly exceeded. Looper is primarily the vision of one person, Rian Johnson, and is another one of those time-travelling brain twister. Most well-known for the curious make-up job inflicted upon Joseph Gordon-Levitt to make him believable look like Bruce Willis earlier self, Looper will definitely make you think and marvel how a creative and frugal director can tell a big story on a small budget.
8. Lincoln. Now Steve Spielberg is known for the Oscar history it made as the biggest Oscar loser of the year, one of the biggest of all time (10 losses out of 12 nominations) and for the historic third Best Actor statuette picked up by it's star Daniel Day-Lewis. It is a good movie, and a memorable one, but it is not an overly enjoyable one. There's something oddly off-putting about the film, which is something one does not usually say about a film directed by Spielberg, whose ability to manipulate his audience's emotions is legendary.
9. The Dark Knight Rises. My favorite filmmaker is Christopher Nolan, and I was very happy that he was able to follow one of the largest box-office successes of the last decade (The Dark Knight) with a sequel that completed the Batman trilogy on a high note. The main word that comes to mind with this film is "quality" or "top-notch." The cast is extraordinary: Marion Cotillard, Christin Bale, Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The opening sequence alone is worth the price of admission.
10. Life of Pi. Ang Lee's masterful film adaptation of an impossible-to-adapt Booker prize-winning novel was the most celebrated film at the 2013 Oscars, winning 4 out of 11 nominations. It is one of the most visually stunning films of the year, and the only reason it is so low on my list is that the overall message of the film, which is a somewhat convoluted argument for the existence of God is disappointing, but I can still appreciate the film as a beautiful and impressive work of art.

2012 was a pretty good for movies. I hope that 2013 turns out to be just as good!

FILM REVIEW: Django Unchained

Quentin Tarantino is an infamous bad boy of Hollywood, with an unconventional and hyper-violent style that suffuses his films. He usually writes and directs his films and appears in them as an actor as well. He won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Pulp Fiction in 1995 and Christoph Waltz won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2010 for Inglourious Basterds.

Tarantino is also well-known as a huge student of film and an aficionado of various (often obscure) movie genres, which he often likes to re-interpret and combine in his creations.  Inglourious Basterds is both a revenge fantasy, a Holocaust film and a comedy. (See my review here.)

Ever since it was announced that Tarantino would be following up Basterds with a film about slavery called Django Unchained, fans of his work (including myself) have been highly anticipating the result. Tarantino has long been unafraid to confront race in his films, and non-white actors have often played important roles in his films. There were various rumors about who would play the title role of the ex-slave who carries the film and becomes partners with a foreign-born white bounty hunter who kills American white slaveowners. Various names like Idris Elba (Prometheus, Stringer Bell on The Wire), Will Smith (Men in Black) and Michael K. Williams (Omar on The Wire) were considered but Django was eventually played by Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx and a particularly villainous slaveowner was played by Leo Dicaprio.

Also appearing in the film are a nearly unrecognizable Samuel L. Jackson as a "House Slave" who closely identifies with his slaveowner named Calvin J. Candie played by Dicaprio, Kerry Washington as Django's wife named Broomhilda and Waltz as the central character of the German bounty hunter named Dr. King Schultz.

The story is set in the antebellum South where a German-born dentist (played with relish by Waltz) is making a living as a bounty hunter finding fugitives who are wanted "dead or alive." Since he finds slavery distasteful and treats black people as people and not property, Shultz usually kills the white slaveowners he finds. He connects with Django at the beginning of the film and enlists the slave for assistance in identifying and killing a trio of slaveowners called the Brittle brothers. Django is amazed one can get paid for killing white people and enthusiastically accepts an offer to join forces with Shultz as a bounty hunter ("Kill white people and they pay you for it? What's not to like?")

After an amusing and deadly encounter with the Ku Klux Klan (who are led by the unlikely comedy duo of Jonah Hill and Don Johnson) the two bounty hunters spend a winter together tracking, finding and killing white slaveowners and then Django wants to go rescue his wife from the Mississippi planation called CandieLand where she is located. Shultz realizes how dangerous this is and agrees to accompany Django on his quest to rescue Broomhilda, especially once he learns that she speaks his native language of German, which he has not heard in years and greatly misses.

I don't want to reveal any more of the plot but to say that the film does become a typical Tarantino bloodbath and there are very disturbing depictions of the inhumanity of slavery, especially various punishments such as a Black man being torn apart by dogs, attempted castration (that includes a quite memorable scene of full frontal nudity featuring Jamie Foxx) and a woman locked naked in a "hot box" buried six feet underground.

(A quick note to the potential viewer of the film: the word "nigger" is used almost continuously through the film. I lost track of how many times it is uttered by both black and white characters after counting about 50 occurrences. One thing I did notice about the word is that when it is pronounced with a Southern accent it sounds exactly like the "nigga" that appears in many rap songs. The fact that Tarantino is white and the creative force behind a film suffused with racist acts and dialogue has been a source of controversy.)

Overall, I think Django Unchained is more effective and rewarding an experience than Inglourious Basterds, although that may have more to do with the more intense emotional resonance I have with slavery than with the Holocaust. Both films are over-the-top, blood-soaked pulpy entertainments, but I connect with Tarantino's desire to address sensitive topics through genre films and believe he has done an excellent job. I look forward to seeing what his next film in this series.

Title: Django Unchained.
Director: Quentin Tarantino.
Running Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes.
MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong graphic violence throughout, a vicious fight, language and some nudity.
Release Date: December 25, 2012.
Viewing Date: December 28, 2012.

Writing: A.
Acting: A-.
Visuals: A.
Impact: A+.

Overall Grade: A (4.0/4.0).

VIDEO REVIEW: Inglourious Basterds

I finally saw Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds on home video a few weeks ago. It was the first Blu-Ray movie I have seen from Netflix and I was very favorably impressed with the latest film from the man who brought the world Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs.

The film uses a similar conceit that was employed in Kill Bill, in that the story is split into chapters, which are basically filmed set pieces.

Of course, most films are actually structured as a series of filmed set pieces, but Tarantino writes and directs his film in such a way that the narrative backbone is immediately apparent to the viewer.

Although Inglourious Basterds was released in 2009, I didn't see it until the first few days of 2010, so although it would have definitely made my Top 10 (probably even the Top 5) list of best movies of 2009 and I want to be a stickler about the rules.

Inglourious Basterds has now been nominated for 8 Academy Awards: Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Sound, Sound Editing and Best Supporting Actor. In fact, Christoph Walz has won nearly every Best Supporting Actor award this year (Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, etc etc) and is considered a lock for the Oscar. He plays Cololnel Hans Landa, an urbane Nazi, more commonly known as "The Jew Hunter." It is a part which tears up the scenery, but I am not really that big a fan of the performance.

The film's plot contains typical Tarantino flourishes: sparkling dialogue, bloody violence, broad humor and strong female characters. The story has been described as a Jewish revenge fantasy, since it is about an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler (and most of the top leaders of the Third Reich). It also features Brad Pitt as Lieutenant Aldo Raine who recruits and leads a team of Jewish-American soldiers to kill and scalp Nazi soldiers. Aldo and his gang become so successful that even Hitler himself knows their name. I thought Brad Pitt was excellent in the part. Other standouts for me were Diane Kruger as Bridget von Hammersmarck and Michael Fassbender as Archie Hickox. Mike Myers has an amusing cameo as British general with a pitch perfect British accent.

Inglourious Basterds is Tarantino's most commercially successful film and is probably his best film to date (although I have a soft spot for the Kill Bill movies, but it really shouldn't take 4 hours and two movies to tell that tale).

Running Time: 2 hour, 33 minutes. MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong graphic violence, language and brief sexuality.

OVERALL GRADE: A/A-.

ACTING: A.
IMAGERY: A-.
PLOT: A.
IMPACT: A-.