The delicate art of documentaries

As a consumer of media, my tastes tend to lean towards fiction over nonfiction. I find this is true for both literature and film. If Freud were not deceased and somehow a buddy of mine, I'm sure he would have some psychological explanation for my preferences. This is not to say that I do not like documentaries or nonfiction novels at all. Quite the contrary, I believe they require a high amount of skill and precision in order to maintain my attention throughout.


For example, I finally dusted off Man on Wire from my Netflix cue as per the recommendation of my former professor and friend, Amy. The film looks back at the life of high-wire walker Phillipe Petit leading up to his illegal tight rope walk across the Twin Towers in 1974. Unlike most documentaries, the reenactments are extremely well-executed and despite knowing Phillipe survives, filmmakers are still able create tension throughout the entirety of the film.

Two other stunning examples come from HBO's Summer Documentary series. The first is Love, Marilyn. If you know me personally, you would know I admire, love and am a tiny bit obsessed with Marilyn Monroe. In my Stardom class in college, I wrote my thesis paper on her career trajectory and my favorite piece of writing throughout my time at AU. Therefore, after wading through copious amounts of research on the woman, I can say with some authority that this film gives the most authentic and robust portrayal of Marilyn/Norma Rae. I like the format of the doc, too; famous actresses read aloud her personal notes and letters along side interviews from friends.

The second HBO documentary was The Crash Reel, fifteen years of verite footage before and after professional snowboarder Kevin Pearce's half-pipe crash that left him with a traumatic brain injury only weeks prior to competing in the Vancouver Olympics. You expect the documentary to be a typical sports comeback tale; instead, its filled with familial complexities and discussions around the dangerous nature of extreme sports. The final photography, shot at night on the half-pipe with Shaun White is gorgeous, reminding the viewer why we enjoy watching the sport in the first place, despite the risks.

 Most importantly, what has helped re-spark my interest in great docs is learning about the fascinating people who have shaped history. I would be remiss if I did not end this post with a plea to help a Kickstarter project very close to my heart. Be Natural is the untold story of Alice Guy-Blache, the first female director. She wrote, directed or produced more than 1,000 films in the course of her 20 year film career and yet, you never hear of her in film classes. The campaign has four days left and still needs about $100k in order to hit their funding goal. I believe its imperative these filmmakers spread Alice's life story for both women's and film history. Even if you can only donate $1, do it and then tell your friends to do the same.

An ode to Sam Rockwell

Three month and a half months later...

The moral of my blogging story seems to be that I am a semi-unreliable narrator. Life caught up to me over the past three and a half months. I moved back to DC from New York, started a new job and have been settling down in my new apartment. It seems ironic and appropriate that my previous post ended with excitement over a Sam Rockwell film and I can open this one with excitement over another.

First, I am going to rewind to the Tribeca Film Festival and tell the funny tale of how I ended up at the North American premiere of A Single Shot. When I bought my tickets, I was blissfully unaware the screening I was attending would be any different from the two others I attended earlier in that week. The first sign I was not in Kansas any more was the line around the corner. The second were the people dressed in suits compared to my casual Friday wear and finally was the entrance:

I literally walked a red carpet, and the story only gets better. In the huge auditorium, I end up sitting four rows behind David Rosenthal, Sam Rockwell, Jeffrey Wright and Kelly Reilly. Needless to say, I totally geeked out. The film itself was also excellent and I highly recommend it. An Appalachian noir with amazing story structure and acting skills throughout. Unfortunately, about the fifth question in the Q&A following the film was about gun control which wasn't even important to the narrative. I really dislike anyone's want/need to be THAT GUY.

Returning to the present, I recently saw The Way, Way Back, written by Academy Award-winning screenwriters Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. The WWB is the right balance of comedy and drama, but the best part of the film is, as I have coyly been hinting, Sam Rockwell. My favorite scene shows young Duncan on his first day at the water park. Sam plays Owen with an energy that is both maniac and infectious. The only downside to the film is Sam's energy seemed to be restrained the rest of the film and you really, really wish it wasn't.

I'll close out this post a little differently than usual, with a Sam Rockwell retrospective. A few of my favorites for your Netflix/Amazon Prime/etc. cues include Moon, Choke, Matchstick Men and I'll throw in some Charlie's Angels, just to get a little bad boy Sam Rockwell in there. Which films do you like from Sam?

Saying goodbye to a legend

I slowly crawl my way back to movie-dom with a few very important happenings over the past few weeks helping me. First, I would be quite remiss as a film/pop culture fanatic if I did not mention the passing of film critic, Roger Ebert. While most great writers of his generation would have been overwhelmed by the social world, Ebert welcomed both the long and short forms with undeniable enthusiasm. In his last year, Ebert wrote 306 reviews at the Chicago Sun-Times, the most in his career, still ran his annual Ebertfest at the University of Illinois and filmed a bio-documentary about his life. I think Mia Farrow said it best this past week when she said on Twitter, "If cancer came to take me piece by piece, I hope I could summon even a fraction of the grace Roger Ebert showed us, in such abundance." If you are interested in reading more about his life and love of film, I highly suggest you read his memoir Life Itself.

Transitioning to Oscar-land, the Academy set the date for next year's ceremony, March 2nd. "Quite late!" you say. What an astute reader, you are! Due to the 2014 Winter Olympics, the Academy pushed back both the ceremony and nominations, to be announced on January 16th. This means 45 days of movie watching between nominations and ceremony, or one whole extra week. Does this make you super excited for January?! Me too!

In the meantime, it's festival season! More exclamation points!! Those of you in the NYC area would know this, but for those who do not, today marks the first day of the Tribeca Film Festival! I cannot express how excited, ecstatic and any other enthusiastic adjective you can fathom. I bought tickets to three different movies, three different nights at the end of next week. The first is Teenage, a documentary about the rise of teenage culture, with my now infamous blog reference, Kerry. The second is The Pretty One, a narrative fiction piece about a young woman who takes on her twin sister's personality after her death, with Stephanie, and the final is A Single Shot, another narrative fiction about a hunter who accidentally shoots a woman and the consequences when he tries to cover it up, by my lonesome. If Telluride Film Fest taught me anything, though, it was how to make friends while standing in film festival lines. I promise, fo' realz this time, to follow up this post on the weekend immediately following to give you my opinions on the films and overall scene at Tribeca.

Now, I bid you adieu with the usual fun: two versions of Hey Ho - the first from Jimmy Fallon with Nick Offerman, Blake Shelton and a random fourth person and the second by Lennon and Maisy Stella, the two little girls from Nashville. Bonus: check out their version of "Call Your Girlfriend." Not sure how I didn't know about this, but one of my favorite novels was adapted last year into an addictive web series called "The Lizzie Bennet Diaries", thank you PCHH! And finally, an obligatory Buzzfeed.

Update: Cannes Film Fest announced their lineup for 2013, including the 19 contenders for the Palme d'Or. I'm excited to hear reactions to the new Coen Brothers' film Inside Llewyn Davis and Iran's Asghar Farhadi's new film The Past. What do you think of the lineup, loyal readers?

"Flat? Just as God made me."

For the past few weeks/month, I've been going through a massive film detox. After so many movies, over so short a period of time, I needed a change of pace or should I say medium. At the suggestion of my coworker Sara, I tried out podcasts. I have to admit, I was skeptical at first. Listening to people talk sounded terribly boring and it can be if you don't find the great ones. Case and point: NPR's "Pop Culture Happy Hour", roundtable discussion on books, movies, television and obviously, whatever fabulous moment is happening in pop culture. The four main hosts have great chemistry and the producers do wonders in editing which make the show flow well and endlessly entertaining. The opposite is true, I am sad to say, for Entertainment Weekly's "Entertainment Geekly".

I've also gone through my detox by watching more television, made easy by the yearly tradition of studios dumping their horrible/unmarketable films into the month of March. I've started on old episodes of The West Wing, encouraged by both Netflix and my friend Kerry. Kerry has also pushed me to start on Friday Night Lights, not a hard sell given my love for Connie Britton. Then the Veronica Mars Kickstarter campaign happened.

Let me start my analysis by saying this: I am a massive fan of the show and am, in fact, one of over 64,000 contributors to the campaign. My first reaction to the campaign, utter glee. What could be better than having the power to help bring one of my favorite television shows and characters back? Then I kept hearing more about how other shows could do this: Firefly? Freaks and Geeks? While I wouldn't exactly be opposed to Freaks, what worries me most is that this will now be what studios expect. On top of $12 per ticket, am I now paying to produce the movie as well? Sure, having the power to choose is spectacular but at the same time, I eloquently add, what the hell? And what about decreasing potential for fresh ideas? Not the ones reproduced from previous decades or fairy tales, I'm looking directly at you, Jack the Giant Slayer.

The Veronica Mars model also calls into question, as many have posited over the past few weeks, where Rob Thomas' dedication to the fan-base will lead the film. Does that really matter? Should it matter? Will there be legal ramifications if the film does not please fans? Only 2014 can tell.

To close out my post/unanswered questions on VM, I'll leave you as always with a little Buzzfeed love, a little retrospective on The Real World from Vulture and something to make you sob giant tears for the end of good taste. To be fair, I should have most likely given up when they greenlit The Expendables 3.

"Close only counts in horse grenades"

It turns out I majorly jinxed myself yesterday. After being able to find and download all of the foreign nominated pictures, I thought I was golden for the remainder of my films. Of course, never underestimate the obscure nature of documentaries. I was unable to find Chasing Ice (nominated for Best Original Song) and The Gatekeepers (Best Documentary Feature). According to my friend Kerry though, if I listen to the nominated song for two hours straight, I am fine. Therefore, I am going to be one film short (but really two). A little bit of a let down since I am so close but I can't believe how close I actually got this year! Oh well, on with the festivities!

During the four hours of fashion, inevitable musical numbers and awards, I would suggest the always entertaining drinking games for those 21 and up. You can also see who is the most insightful Swami with their Oscar ballots or who has the best dumb luck with bingo.

Now for the food. I'll provide you with as many recipes as I actually have. Some I just come up with off the top of my head.

• For drinks, I'll be making Prosecco with a splash of pomegranate-blueberry juice and a few fresh blueberries tossed in as well. 
• Appetizers will consist of healthy spinach dip, brie and apple crescent rolls, Parmesan-tossed popcorn (self-explanatory), Lemon Sabra hummus with mini-pita rounds and prosciutto, goat cheese and honey crostinis (making this one up as I go). 
• Dessert will be my most pathetic effort: berry-topped, box-made brownies. I had all intentions of making tuxedo strawberries but according to my local grocery man, this week's batch of strawberries were no good due to the cold weather. 

I'll be sure to post pictures tomorrow to let everyone know how this turned out.

In the interest of space and your attention span, you can check out my final ballot here. This is based on who I think the academy will vote for but not necessarily my favorites. For anyone interested, I will also be live tweeting again, @paigehowarth, including snarky retweets from my friend Kerry and updates on the winners.

Thanks again for reading along with my this year. Fingers crossed for better luck next year!

Final score: 50 watched, 2 unwatched

The Final Countdown

It's been a while since I've post which you most likely thought that I had given up on my lofty quest. ALAS! You are quite mistaken. I actually only have nine films left as of this morning but haven't had the time/have been watching the movies/been too lazy to post. Mea culpa. Here are some of predictions for the categories that I've finished including how I think the Academy will vote and what I personally think should win:

Best Actor:
Academy and Myself - Is this really a question any more? Daniel Day Lewis will and should trot off the stage on Sunday night with his third statue for Lincoln, a first in Oscar history. Bradley Cooper was great in Silver Linings Playbook and I deeply encourage further non-fratboy acting on his part but DDL was perfection.

Best Supporting Actor:
Academy - This is a tough category but I think that it will go to Tommy Lee Jones for Lincoln. Christoph has won more recently so I think they'll hand it to Jones.
Myself - Doesn't mean I agree with that sentiment. I would choose Christoph Waltz for Django Unchained. The role was tailor-made for him and suits him very well. Plus Tommy Lee is a grumpy cat:

Best Documentary Short:
Academy - Inocente is the front-runner in this category. For those who don't feel like reading the synopsis, it deals with a young female artist who is homeless but keeps a generally optimistic outlook on life. The Academy loves their can-do attitudes!
Myself - While I did really like Inocente, I hysterically cried my way through Mondays at Racine, centered around two Long Island women who open up their beauty parlor one day a week to women going through chemotherapy.

Best Animated Short:
Academy and Myself - I would say that Pixar's Paperman has this one in the bag. If you still haven't seen this retro love story, it's still available on Hulu. The only other film that might sneak up on is Adam and Eve, a hand-drawn beauty about Adam's first pet and was made as a side projector from a Disney animator.

Best Live Action Short:
Academy and Myself - Let me start by saying that I think this is the toughest shorts category aka my guess could be completely off base. I've read several articles and I think that everyone has different feelings about the frontrunner. When I first watched the films, I thought Death of a Shadow not only had a unique story but amazing cinematography. That being said, Asad was made with all Somalian refugee cast (which reads as Oscar bait) and Curfew is both lighthearted but deals with extremely complex emotions. Definitely a rough category!

If you would like to completely immerse yourself in Oscar mania, here is Nate Silver's statistical analysis, complements of my lovely math-geek boyfriend, or a supercut of every Best Picture winner in 4 minutes.. Or you can also giggle by checking out which animals the nominees look like. Or the Between Two Ferns: Oscar Buzz Edition Part 1 and Part 2. Or my favorite activity in the whole wide world, make fun of Anne Hathaway.

Be back tomorrow with my final predictions for all the categories and hosting ideas for your party!

43 down, 9 to go!!

Can Twitter predict the Oscars?

I was going to do a Golden Globes recap but I had a crazy work week and moved into NYC! If you want some quick and dirty recaps, see here for how AMAZING Tina and Amy did, here for how awkwardly awesome Jennifer Lawrence is and here for the overall fashion of the night (my favs were Michelle Dockery and Claire Danes).

  

 

While I haven't completed any categories to guess the winners yet, my wonderful boyfriend Ben sent me a very interesting social media find. Topsy's Twitter Oscar Index is using social analytics to predict the winners of the five major categories. You can see the impact of specific days such as the Golden Globes or the Oscar nominations themselves through the timeline and sort by specific films. Looking at the current predictions though, I'm not necessarily sure its accurate but it is an intriguing idea.

18 down, 34 to go!

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

It's that most wonderful time of year again! The Golden Globes are on Sunday and the Oscar nominations came out on Thursday morning. I will begin once again my feeble attempt to watch all the nominated movies. You and Albert Einstein must be thinking, fat chance but I think, despite my lack of attendance at Telluride this year, I will be victorious. Here is my statistical breakdown of the nominees and what I hope will spell success for me this year:

• When I first looked at the entire list of nominees, it seemed that this year, more than any year prior, a fewer variety of films. It turns out I was right (virtual high five!). There are only 52 different films nominated, including short films, compared to 60 in 2012 and 58 in 2011. This may not seem like much but when each film could mean on average about 2 hours of my time, 6-8 films means 12-14 hours or about five nights of film watching.
• In past years, I saw 11 in 2011 and 19 in 2012 before the nominations came out and started my challenge. This year I've seen 10 so it would seem that I am likely to fare the same as previous years. Wrong again! 
• I'm moving to the Big Apple where I will have access to limited releases and Oscar Shorts' day-long experience of all 15 nominated short films. 
• There are also two films on Netflix streaming and six on DVD already.
• The majority of the films remaining are still in theaters.
• The one caveat and what I find to be most difficult every year without fail are the full-length documentary and foreign film categories. Crossing my fingers that I can find them illegally.

To keep up your excitement for the season, read this hilarious interview with two of my idols and Globes hosts, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. I worried about having such high expectations for their hosting abilities but after this, they were eased a bit. I'll be tweeting during the show on Sunday night, inputting snarky comments, mostly retweeting those from my friend Kerry. Love to hear everyone's comments on the "booziest" award show!

I'll also be posting about snubs and surprises within the next few days, anyone you were disappointed or delighted to see?

10 down, 42 to go!

"Early Monday morning to Friday at five, Man I work, work, work..."

Being a real person is hard. For those that do not know, I now have a wonderful job in New York City and commute from my humble abode in New Jersey. I travel two hours each way. Regardless to say, when I finally get home the only thing I really think about is going to sleep. Pathetic I know but like I said, it's hard being a real person. Another confession that I have failed my challenge, even more miserably than last year. I got about half way through, watching 30 films. Based on what I have been reading, below are my guesses for tonight's victors. Bold are who I believe will win while italicized will be the one I personally believe should win.

Happy Oscar watching to all and to all a good night!

Best Picture
The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse

Best Directing
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Best Actor
Demián Bichir, A Better Life
George Clooney, The Descendants
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Best Actress
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Max von Sydow, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Best Supporting Actress
Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help

Best Adapted Screenplay
The Descendants
Hugo
The Ides of March
Moneyball
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Best Original Screenplay
The Artist
Bridesmaids
Margin Call
Midnight in Paris
A Separation

Best Animated Feature
A Cat in Paris
Chico & Rita
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

Best Documentary Feature
Hell and Back Again
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Pina
Undefeated

Best Foreign Language Film
Bullhead (Belgium)
Footnote (Israel)
In Darkness (Poland)
Monsieur Lazhar (Canada)
A Separation (Iran)

Best Cinematography
The Artist
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
The Tree of Life War Horse

Best Film Editing
The Artist
The Descendants
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball

Best Art Direction
The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
War Horse

Best Costume Design
Anonymous
The Artist
Hugo
Jane Eyre
W.E.

Best Makeup
Albert Nobbs
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
The Iron Lady

Best Original Score
The Adventures of Tintin
The Artist
Hugo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse

Best Original Song
“Man or Muppet,” The Muppets
“Real in Rio,” Rio

Best Sound Mixing
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

Best Sound Editing
Drive
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

Best Visual Effects
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hugo
Real Steel
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Best Animated Short Film
Dimanche/Sunday
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life

Best Documentary Short Subject
The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement
God Is the Bigger Elvis
Incident in New Baghdad
Saving Face
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

Best Live-Action Short Film
Pentecost
Raju
The Shore
Time Freak
Tuba Atlantic

"How can I be satisfied when everything's so overrated..."

As I began looking more at my challenge this year, I have begun to believe that it's going to be a little more attainable than last year. I, reluctantly, reissued my Netflix membership only because of this year's nominees ten are already on DVD and two of the documentaries are on the instant option. Last year I also was unaware until it was too late of the option to watch the nominated shorts on iTunes or whenever Shorts International were distributing the shorts to theaters shortly before the ceremonies. I am hoping this will happen again, according to the website this appears to be so.

This year I will be discussing the films by category instead of by individual film and will choose probable winners vs. those that I predict would actually take over the prize. Recently I finished watching Midnight in Paris and The Descendants (overrated, hence the Less Than Jake reference) so I've rounded out quite a few of the categories in the competition already. See below for my reviews.

Best Director

 Should win: Michael Hazanavicius, The Artist- The first time Oscar nominee wowed audiences on the festival circuit this year with his bold take on the silent film genre now nominated ten times. This love note to the films of the past made with wit and humor I was lucky enough to see at Telluride. Hazanavicius's fresh vision has given something that general audiences and cinephiles can both appreciated and that should be appreciated

Will win: Michael Scorcese, Hugo- With his win for The Departed and five other nominations, the Oscar vet seems to have a slight edge in this competition only because he is Scorcese and people within the industry love him. Mea culpas for neglecting him in the past and voters wondering how many more Marty still has in him could also be a factor in his win. Scorcese's 3D win would also vouch for artistic use of the third dimension with other directors and making ticket sales more bankable, something studio heads would love as a result of this year's decreasing sales reports.

Best Original Screenplay

Should win: Asghar Farhadi, A Separation- Another film that I was fortunate about seeing at Telluride this year was this gem of an Iranian film. A foreign film with subtitles coming in at a little over two hours sounds like a good nap time but I was quite shocked by how taken I was with the film. The writing and story plot are suspenseful and keeps you second guessing who to trust within the context of the characters. I was standing ten feet away from Werner Herzog when I heard him tell Farhadi that the film was "the best he'd seen since The Bicycle Thief" so there must be something to this film.

Will win: Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris- The man has has 3 Oscar wins (2 for Annie Hall and 1 for Hannah and Her Sisters) but has been nominated 21 times. Let me repeat, TWENTY ONE. My parents hated the film but then again, you have to like Allen in order to understand and love this film. Audiences seemed to like it and the all-star cast are encouraging. Midnight being Allen's highest grossing film to date should snag him the Oscar and ratio of wins to nominations.

Best Editing

Should win and Will win: Thelma Schoonmaker, Hugo- Some of the categories I am not too familiar with the criteria on how they will be judged so for the most part I will be making blind guesses. I'm assuming that Hugo will win based on the fact that it is the only 3D movie on the list. I do think the film is a tad bit too long but the only real competitor would be The Artist.

Best Art Direction

Should win: Stuart Craig and Stephanie McMillian, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2- This is another instance of not knowing too much about the category but I would like to see a win for this film. Craig and McMillian have worked on all of the Harry Potters films and think they deserve something for their fantastic vision. 

Will win: Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo, Hugo- Nominated for nine Oscars with 2 wins, I think Ferretti and Lo Schiavo will take the win on this one. It also helps that the film overall has been nominated a ton.

More to come! 21 down, 39 to go

2012 Oscar Nominations - also known as "what the what?!"

This morning the gorgeous star of the upcoming Hunger Games films, Jennifer Lawrence, announced this year's long awaited 2012 Oscar nominations. There is a ton of backlash and there very well should be. First off, I think the most heinous of all would be the Best Picture nomination for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Rotten Tomatoes currently has this particular film at a 48% rating. Mathematically speaking, that means that a little more than half of the people that saw the film did not like it while the next lowest rated film was The Help at 76%, meaning three out of four people like the film.  It is completely irrational that a film that ranks so low is up for Best Picture of the year especially since the Academy changed their rules the year that gave the ten picks more flexibility. Five percent of the voters must vote for a film in order to be eligible for a Best Picture nomination. Therefore, five percent of people in the Academy are complete dumbasses, excuse my language.

Here are some of the snubs that have been cited over the course of the day by myself and a few other cinephiles.

1. Michael Fassbender in Shame, he showed a lot of... emotion in this film (nudity jokes always welcome!)
2. The Adventures of Tin Tin in the animated category despite the fact that it won the Golden Globe and is really awesome, 
3. Tilda Swinton in We Need To Talk About Kevin being neglected for Rooney Mara in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Noomi Rapace did it better, just saying)
4. Ryan Gosling was not recognized for three highly acclaimed roles (Drive, The Ides of March and Crazy, Stupid, Love)
5. I personally would like to say how disappointed I was in the lack of awards the last few years for the Harry Potter series. David Yates did a hell of a job helming the last four films and its a true shame that they never recognized it.
6. Albert Brooks as his dark turn in Drive also has been said to be a snub though I have yet to see the film

I am loving the Octavia Spencer and Melissa McCarthy poopy nominations for Best Supporting Actress as well as the recognition of Demian Bichir in A Better Life which I have yet to see but hear is wonderful. "La Luna" by Pixar is a truly wonderful short as well as the documentary Pina really shows off its 3D chops. I also agreed with giving A Separation a nomination for Original Screenplay.

This year there are 60 films nominated, only 2 more than last year and granted I can count correctly, and I have seen 19 of them including:
The Help, The Artist, Hugo, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, War Horse, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Iron Lady, Bridesmaids, Puss in Boots, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, Anonymous, Jane Eyre, Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, Pina, A Separation, The Adventures of Tin Tin, La Luna, and Margin Call.

Let it begin!

Golden Glob...zzz.....zzzz....zzzzz

I've waited to write about the Globes because I honestly didn't really know what to think about them this year. Firstly, I was incredibly bored. If they were going to reel in Ricky Gervais that much, they might as well have gotten a different host to make more people angry and thoroughly entertain us, the American public. DANCE MONKEYS DANCE. The most entertaining part of my night was seeing all of the hilarious tweets pop up on my Twitter feed. Shout out to a family friend Kerry for an incredibly laugh out loud series of tweets and text messages (little people jokes not excluded).

Secondly, no sweeps to keep me watching (3 wins for The Artists doesn't quantify as a sweep in my mind) and a lot of super safe bets as winners. I mean, come on, George Clooney? Though I haven't seen The Descendents yet, the buzz at Telluride was very mixed and the reviews are saying the same therefore I also don't understand the Best Drama win. I was also very confused about My Week With Marilyn being classified under the Comedy or Musical category. Seth Rogan even scoffed when announcing Michelle Williams' nomination for in "that hysterical comedy" My Week With Marilyn. As much as I love Marty Scorcese, I don't really think that Hugo should be considered the the Best Director winner either. Michel Hazanavicius or Woody Allen I would closer presume to be contenders in the Oscar race but we shall see in a little over a week.

Now, a small moment to divulge into the fashion. My favorites of the night would have to be Claire Danes, Emma Stone (not so secret girl crushes, thanks to Homeland and Easy A) and Helen Mirren (how I hope to look when I'm her age).

 

Fashion train wrecks? Madonna (ask Helen Mirren for some advice), Jessica Biel (looked like she was wearing my grandma's doily) and Amanda Peet (same as Jessica Biel). I am not even going to disgrace this post by posting the pictures. Check it out if you want to make yourself feel better about yourself.

Nine more days until the nominations! Gotta sign off now. Revenge is about to take over my attention span.

And so it begins....

One of my lovely Telluride Student Symposium-ites brought it to my attention that the SAG (Screen Actors Guild of AMURICAH) Award nominations came out yesterday. The ceremony which takes place on January 29th is one of the main indicators of what the Oscars will have in terms of the acting category. There are some surprises and some not so much. Megan McCarthy recognized in the supporting actresses category and the whole cast of Bridesmaid being recognized for Outstanding Cast. There is a Best Actor nod given to Carlos Galindo for A Better Life which  I have heard little to nothing about but based on the trailer it seems as though it could get some Oscar sympathies later on in the season. I'm going to assume that The Artist will clean up these awards though but we shall see.

Out this morning as well are the Golden Globes' nominations and this year they have further proved how much I think that it's not even worth my time. Somehow in the crazy universe that is the Globes, Megan McCarthy does not get a supporting actress nod and Jessica Chastain gets one for The Help? Can someone please explain this logic to me? I mean Jessica was good but it further proves how much award shows really don't appreciate comedy. No surprises with the Best Picture nominations in either category with the exception of switching out My Week with Marilyn for Crazy, Stupid, Love in the Best Comedy/Musical category. I'm also loving the double nominations for Ryan Gosling for Ides of March and Crazy, Stupid, Love (watch out Clooney!) and for Kate Winslet for both the TV mini series Mildred Pierce (quite possibly the most depressing thing I have ever seen) and Carnage.

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No Fincher nomination for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo which I have no problem with since Fincher seems like a complete jerk but I guess I shouldn't judge a director by his over inflamed ego.

I am also confused as to why Cars 2 got a nomination at all. Everyone knows that Pixar dropped the ball with this one, maybe to give others a chance at winning animation awards. I think it was a pity nomination on the part of the Globes and will definitely not be winning with other wonderfully made films such as Arthur Christmas and The Adventures of Tin Tin (Spielberg directed = surefire win).

Little to nothing for A Dangerous Method, thank god. Keira Knightly thoroughly crushed my love for her with that ridiculous Russian accent. My old apartment use to do Russian accents for kicks and giggles (an incredibly long and silly story) so seeing as our silly, non-trained accents sound similar if not better than Keira's means there is a problem. Cronenberg, where were you to rein her in?!

Recently saw War Horse another potential nominee and I am hoping to also catch Beginners and Midnight in Paris within the coming weeks.

I'm so STARSTRUCK

Within the last six months, I have met more "famous people" including actors, actresses, directors and writers than I could have ever even imagined possible. I was always the person that had their back turned as Michelle Obama walked through the American University campus until now. Luck has dealt me some pretty good hands.

My famous people streak started about six months back when I was helping out with a screening at Allied where the writers of a really fantastic film called Insidious was being touted as the next really great horror film. Much to my surprise Leigh Whannell, also known as the guy that created the original Saw, was to attend the screening and participate in a Q&A session after the film. The same happened whenever documentarian Morgan Spurlock came to DC to promote POM Wonderful's The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. He introduced himself to me after I was awkwardly smiling at him by saying "Hi, I'm Morgan". As if I didn't know, good sir!

Telluride obviously takes the cake on celebrity sitings. I got to personally talk to Wim Wenders, Werner Herzog, Lynne Ramsey, Ken Burns, George Clooney, Ty Burrell and last but most certainly not least, the GORGEOUS, smart, personable and most modest Tilda Swinton. When the leaders of my Student Symposium first began asking her questions, they started with "Ms Swinton..." to which she quickly replied "Oh please, call me Tilda". OH OKAY, Tilda.

The past week will go down in my personal history as the week that I not only met Patton Oswalt, comedian, TV side character and surprisingly wonderful dramatic actor, but also the wonderful MERYL STREEP. Yes, you read this correctly. I had the honor and privilege of meeting one of the most well respected and talented actresses in the business. Meryl was in town to promote her new Academy buzzed about film The Iron Lady, which somehow I keep inadvertently combining with War Horse making a completely new movie called The Iron Horse (unknown to me until .02 seconds ago that there was a movie in 1924 called The Iron Horse). Though she was in a frenzy after coming directly from a reception with senators and other DC elite, she took the time to say hello to myself and a few co-workers. I tried really hard not to let me jaw drop or freak out like a 13 year old girl seeing a boy band in concert.

You now may be wondering, where are the pictures? This is what happens when you see all these people in a professional atmosphere. No pictures. Only wonderful memories.

Adding to my list though of potential Academy nominees, I've now seen The Iron Lady, Young Adult and Tree of Life (what a disappointment! Thank you to the lovely Laura Castelli for sitting through dinosaurs with me)

It's beginning to feel a lot like AWARDS SEASON

During my break from my *gulp* last few weeks at American University, I am currently sitting on my lovely living room couch, finishing my third day's turkey dinner feast while watching the Indiana Jones marathon on USA (thankfully excluding the most recent and most disturbing of the Indy series). Simultaneously I begin flipping through my back issues of EW (I know you're thinking, how does she do it all? I don't because I didn't even notice that one Indy movie changed into a different one during this time. But honestly, there isn't much of a difference between the 2nd and 3rd with the exception of Sean Connery, of course. Ramble, ramble. Back to my point). As I read about their current Academy Award guesses for the ceremonies in February, it made me think about this funnily failed project of mine and decided that I am going to attempt this again and here is why:

1. I am graduating college and will actually have time to do it, or so I think.
2. I was lucky enough to be invited to attend the Telluride Film Festival as part of the Student Symposium. I feel that this has given me a bit of a leg up on last year.
3. My internship at Allied Integrated Marketing has also given me access to see some of the most buzzed about films.
4. I might be going slightly crazy.
5. Most importantly, my pride is hurt.

Here is a short list of films that I have already seen that will make it to some category within the awards, in my opinion: The Artist, Pina, The Adventures of Tin Tin, Hugo, The Help, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, Shame, We Need to Talk About Kevin, The Forgiveness of Blood, The Kid with the Bike, Le Havre, The Help, A Dangerous Method and last but certainly not least, Bridesmaids.

Seriously, can the Academy give a comedic actress the chance? Melissa  McCarthy, you are my hero.

January 24th gives way to the nominations for the February 26th ceremony. Can't wait to see this year's snubs!

Failure. I'm finally facing it.

Hello faithful followers,

I apologize for not having written earlier than this but the combination of Spring Break and school just being coo coo bananas as my dear friend Filley would say have prolonged this inevitable post.

I have failed my blog challenge. It is weird to say out loud, or should I say type out, but the people in my life that I know have already figured this out. The unfortunate inability to find some movies at all, lack of money and overall lack of time has caused my downfall. I feel truly terrible about it because I had made such a big deal about it to everyone and because I really wanted to do this.

For now, I will have to face the music and wait a whole year for the next set of nominations and awards. Since I will already have graduated, hopefully with a job, by the next annual Academy Awards, I anticipate a better effort on my part. Until then, this blog will be a weekly posting on industry updates and shockers. I won't overload this blog post and will write again tomorrow for all you interested in the lastest and greatest in entertainment.

Russians, Superheros, Princesses and Feisty Teenagers! Oh my!

I really should have checked my class work schedule before beginning this challenge seeing as I have a really big paper due two days after the ceremony but I promise that I will be trying my hardest to finish what I have started.

On another note, I realized while doing this project that I come in with lots of snobby film student-y assumptions about the films that I watch, sorry to subject you to them. It's just how I have been taught to think. Here are the most recent films that I have finished watching:

• Salt (Best Sound Mixing)

My same issue that I had with Nicole Kidman applies here. Angelina Jolie tends to play the same people over and over. The bad but totally self-righteous female lead who can also kick some serious butt. At least she plays the character well. The plot on the other hand was too convoluted and ridiculous for me. I'm not really that adept at the sound categories because though I sort of understand the difference between mixing and editing, I will more than likely not understand to the point of picking a correct answer. That being said, I don't think this really has that good of a shot since it generally goes to films in contention of the Best Picture prize. The exception of course being Pirates of the Caribbean 2 in which the film won both sound awards in 2007.

• Tangled (Best Original Song)

I genuinely thought that this was going to be another cheesy princess movie produced by Disney but honestly, I loved this. My roommate Laura was raving about it prior to me watching it and I can thoroughly see now why. It's really wholesome and amusing. Generally my issue with songs from animated films is that they really don't have anything to do with major plot points but "I See the Light" fits pretty well with the film. I also have an affinity for Mandy Moore ever since I fell in love with A Walk to Remember when I was about 9. Unfortunately though, the Academy recently has been moving away from giving the awards to animated features. Enchanted was nominated for three different songs and lost to a song from Once.

• Iron Man 2 (Best Visual Effects)

Any excuse to watch RDJ is a good one for me. Playboy superhero Tony Starks returns with a new enemy on his hands, Mickey Rourke's Whiplash. The visual effects in this film, like the first as well, are impressive but I do have to say a little overdone. I like my action movies to have some real looking content and the last half hour of the film is all CGI special effects business. Good for the kiddies and men that like to see stuff blown up but not particularly my cup of tea.

• Winter's Bone (Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor- John Hawkes, Best Actress- Jennifer Lawrence, Best Adapted Screenplay)

I will never ever in my life go to the Ozarks region. I'm not sure exactly where this was shot but for once, this shows that the people that live there are not just dumb poor hicks. The societal order of the poor community is astounding and truly terrifying. A very unique film with outstanding performances by both Lawrence and Hawkes, it really is no wonder why they both were nominated. Strong yet really vulnerable at the same time, Lawrence is relentless and moving in pursuit of her father and in keeping her family's land. I was really surprised how much I liked this film whenever I guiltily went in thinking that it was going to be Sundance Oscar bait film. With such heavy competition in all the categories, the only category it really seems to have a chance with is going to be Adapted Screenplay which isn't even fair seeing as it is in the same category as The Social Network.

25 down, 33 to go. 

Have You Missed Me?

Sorry for the delay on this post. For those of you who know me, I am in a sorority. Whenever you take a "little" or someone you mentor, you decorate their room for four days before you find out who they are. This takes up a crazy amount of time with crafting and what not. There was also the little thing called the Superbowl in which my PACKERS WON!! Wahoo!! Had to throw that in their and I hope that I am not alienating any of my readers that are Steelers fans.

That being said, there are no excuses for not making my deadline. I have watch four new movies and here are my thoughts on them:

•  Rabbit Hole- Best Actress Nicole Kidman

It is interesting to see the evolution of Nicole Kidman from a box office star to a indie star with the except of this week's release of Just Go With It. Though her acting is phenomenal as a woman who has lost her children in an accident, I feel as though I may have seen her in this part in a different movie. Kidman has gotten down how to play emotionally wrecked underneath the surface and the Academy seems to love just nominated her for it. This isn't to discredit those actors who play the parts they fit well like Katherine Hepburn whose whole career was built on her "character". Very emotionally charged movie with even better acting I would say from Aaron Eckhart but not the winner so far for this category in my opinion.

•  The Illusionist- Best Animated Feature Film

Sylvain Chomet and his animation team has master the art of three dimension in two dimensional films. It's films like this that make me truly love film. Though a French product with a few French phrases, the film for the most part does not have any dialogue. I haven't really read anything about the film prior to watching it and I was pleasantly surprised how much of a story we can infer by actions and facial expressions alone. This film proves the point that national cinema and language does not actually have to be a barrier. The animation was beautiful, giving real depth to an otherwise two dimensional film, as previously stated. Though Toy Story 3 seems to be the clear cut winner with a Best Picture nod as well, the Academy could hand the award to Chomet since he lost in 2003 to another Disney picture, Finding Nemo.

•   How To Train Your Dragon- Best Animated Feature

Poor DreamWorks. Every year they come out with a really delightful film that has to lose to a Disney film. Dragon is a film about a young Viking who befriends a dragon and convinces his village that dragons on the whole are not evil. Toothless is the most adorable creature and I would love to have him as a pet. The disappointed father to whom the main character must prove his worth to is a little overplayed but Jay Baruchel's delightful comedic turn on the character of Hiccup made the film very enjoyable. A great film for kids that will more than likely not walk away with the trophy at the end of the night.

• Tron: Legacy- Best Sound Editing

While I am a huge fan of the first movie, I was surprised that this got nominated at all seeing as it is a futuristic action movie. Not exactly Academy material. The first film was also nominated in this category as well as costume design though it did not win either award. I was even more surprised that it was nominated for something like Sound Editing and not Visual Effects. I thought the visuals were great especially seeing that they made Jeff Bridges look twenty-something again. Garrett Hedlund is extremely attractive and does a decent job for an action film. The same could be said for rising star Olivia Wilde. An enjoyable action film to watch but it more than likely will not win based on the favorites that are also nominated in this category.


Feeling the pressure a little bit now seeing as there are only 15 days until the ceremony but I will pull all-nighters if it means completely this....well not actually because I've never pulled one before and I tend to fall asleep watching movies. Ask my roommates or my parents or my boyfriend or basically anyone that knows me well.

21 down, 37 to go.

"Every crazy a-lister owns an island...

Nicolas Cage, Celine Dion, Charles Widmore. This is a whole new world in front of me, LL." 


Well said, 30 Rock.


Sorry to bring my TV obsession into this space again but if there is anything you should know about me it is my love of that show. Now back to the real deal.

• The King's Speech (nominated for Best Picture, Colin Firth for Best Actor, Helena Bonham Carter for Best Supporting Actress, Jeffrey Rush for Supporting Actor, Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Tom Hooper for Best Director, Film Editing, Original Score, Sound Mixing, Original Screenplay).

WOOF. That's such a long list that I gave it it's own paragraph. It definitely deserves it. Going into seeing The King's Speech I was honestly expecting this super uptight, normal British period piece but I am glad to say that I am highly mistaken. Though told in a classical narrative, the continued use of the wide-angled lens, off-centered shots for the majority of the film and fantastic wallpaper made this film extremely enjoyable. Colin Firth is amazing and all the buzz is very much needed. He is poised and well constructed. Jeffrey Rush is welcomed comic relief as well as Helena Bonham Carter as well though in frightfully smaller role than usual.

• True Grit (Best Picture, Best Actor- Jeff Bridges, Best Supporting Actress- Hailee Steinfeld, Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Coen Brothers for Best Director, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Adapted Screenplay), second most nominated film after The King's Speech.

I should fess up before I write this and say that I took a class on the Coens' last semester so obviously I am already enamored with their work. On the other hand, I don't believe that this is their best work (I am severely partial to O Brother). Ever a staple, their witty dialogue is well matched with both of the nominated figures this time around. Steinfeld's youth holds no barrier for her part. I do have to ask though I will not receive a response from them, what's it always with the hats?! Symbolism riddled throughout definitely make this an interesting film for their repertoire. I haven't had such a rough time understanding a male lead since Enis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain. Matt Damon is also a treat providing some of the comedic relief in a mostly serious film (can't wait for his return as Carol in 30 Rock!) Overall well executed but not their best.

• The Gruffalo (Best Animated Short Film)

BBC short film that was based off a children's book by Julia Donaldson. Very cute and entertaining for the younger set. Though it was told in the same fashion as a fable, I expected the end result of the story to have a moral but in the end, he is just a witty little mouse. The animation is very well done but definitely not my favorite in the category so far.

I would like to take this time to thank all of you for reading along. Special shout outs this week go to Zoe, Sarah and Laurie for seeing Blue Valentine with me, Ben for bringing me on a date to see The King's Speech, Sofija for passing along Mel's website for watching movies online and for all ye abroad who are reading, especially my sister Kelsey. I love you all!!

Keep checking back in! 17 down, 41 to go!

YouTube Woes

When I began this lofty quest, I had high hopes of the internet being my greatest resource in finding all the nominated shorts , documentaries and foreign films that I would not be able to see otherwise. Unfortunately since Google has made a lot of copyrighted material disappear, I am having a really rough time finding some of these items. If you are reading out and want to help out *in fake southern drawl* a poor, helpless gal like myself, please post me links on Facebook if you are my friend, Twitter or here. Your help would be most welcomed.

Since my last posting, I have watched the Live Action Short nominee The Confession. The Irish are funnier than I expected. Watch it below.

I also went and saw Blue Valentine, Michelle William's nomination for Best Actress, with a few friends. I cried hysterically for about the last ten minutes of the film but now I can also see why some people were up in arms about Ryan Gosling not getting nominated. He made my heartache. What a great turn for him. Wish he would have received some recognition.

I also watched Exit Through the Gift Shop, nominated for Best Feature Length Documentary. Where I started with the film was certainly not where I ever thought I would end in the film. If you have Netflix, which I do not understand why anyone would not, it is on instant. Scathing and unexpected, it is one of the best documentaries that I have seen in a while.

That's all for now. 14 down, 44 to go!