Tom Hooper can suck my delicious cheese balls

He can suck them long, and he can suck them hard.

That is all.

Eli

Tonight's the night...

Well, there you have it folks. Not much left to say about tonight's upcoming monstrous ceremony. So let's hope for lots of delicious upsets, fashion faux-pas, and ridiculous glitz and glam. This little project of mine has been mostly a pleasure, and in light of this...

I'd like to thank the Academy, for giving me this wonderful opportunity. You may not know who I am, but you're influence on my life has been immeasurable. I'd like to thank the guy behind the pop-corn stand - without your enabling behavior, I would never have been able to pack on those extra pounds that got me through this cold winter month. And lastly, I'd like to thank everyone who clicked on my links. Even if you didn't agree with me, or didn't even read the articles, your contribution to my blogger stats calculator has done wonders for my ego.

Good-bye for now, my little chick-lets.

Eli

The King's Speech

Royalty got it rough, yo.

Nominated for:
Best Actor - Colin Firth
Best Supporting Actor - Geoffrey Rush
Best Supporting Actress - Helena Bonham Carter
Cinematography - Danny Cohen
Directing - Tom Hooper
Best Picture
Original Screenplay - David Seidler

Also nominated for:
Art Direction
Costume Design - Jenny Beavan
Film Editing - Tariq Anwar
Sound Mixing
Original Score - Alexandre Desplat

This film has garnered 12 Academy Award nominations, and I have to ask myself - why? The cinematography is not particularly creative or innovative, the score is overly-produced and generic, the supporting characters are completely one-dimensional, and the narrative yo-yos all over the place.

But wait! Its about a materialistically wealthy dude making an unlikely friend who helps him overcome his personal obstacles and teaches him to believe in himself - epic cheering scene ensues! How could I not love this movie? It's certainly not a replica of every single Oscar-bait movie ever to come out of Hollywood!

Colin Firth gave a good performance, but its not like British upper class is a stretch for him. His performance in last year's A Single Man acts the pants off this stuttering, stuffy old royalty schtick. And don't even think of linking the film's value to the number of nominations it's received. You know what else got a lot of nominations? Shakespeare in Love (13). You know what else got a lot of nominations? Titanic (14).

Eli

Rating: 3 for innovation, 4 for emotions (because, ok, they did do a good job of visualizing his stutter...), and 2 for cohesiveness.

Biutiful

Javier Bardem Javier Bardem Javier Bardem Javier Bardem Javier Bardem

Nominated for:
Best Actor - Javier Bardem

Also Nominated for:
Foreign Language Film

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's latest is a goregeous addition to his canon of downer films. Set in Barcelona's not-so-petty crime underworld, we the audience are treated to a litany grimy images. Dingy alleyways, overcrowded basements, moldy apartments, crusty kitchens... All choc full of shady characters working like dogs just to get by.

Jarvier Bardem is masterful, as always, and I wouldn't be surprised if he causes an Oscar upset. This film is so heart-breakingly wonderful it makes me alliterate - Eli's essence is elated with this elegant endeavor's exquisite exposition of exuberant existence. Yeah!

Eli

Rating: 4 for innovation, 5 for emotion and 5 for cohesiveness.

Let's hear it for the Art Directors and Costume Supervisors!

Art Directors and Costume Designers are the folks responsible for creating and enhancing the spaces in which the film's action occurs. They fill their frames with all kinds of useful tidbits of information, which, when done correctly, enriches the film's thematic narrative to an exponential degree. Its like adding a twist of lime to a gin martini - it goes from adequate to awesome in NO TIME.

Take something like Wes Anderson's film, The Royal Tenenbaums. Each frame is packed to the brim with all sorts of information to help you understand what's going on inside the characters' heads. The spaces he creates, namely the family's house, is especially poignant in this case because it (the house) speaks volumes even though the characters refuse to speak to each other.

Terry Gilliam is someone who is notorious for over loading his images with Stuff. Flashing lights, trash, floral patterns, little people - all of these are things that will make an appearance in more than one scene of a Gilliam production. In Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, these wonky sets and costumes externalize the characters' inner turmoil, or makes the audience feel like they've taken mescalin. Either way, you leave the film feeling a bit queezy (which is a good thing, by the way).

Or (last one, I promise), how about indie-darling-turned-blockbuster Napoleon Dynamite? In this case, the costumes and sets are a key element to the film's comedy. Next time you sit down with this one, pay attention to the uniformity of the colours and shapes. This creates a kind of alternate reality, thus making the characters' bizaro behaviors comedic instead of confusing.

So, let's give props where props is due. When our Art Directors and Costume Designers do their jobs right, you can walk away from a film haunted for days by it's complex aesthetic. When these talented artists are replaced with assembly-line Hollywood robots, you end up with a vomit-inducingly-dull piece of junk.

Eli

Another Year

Getting old blows donkey balls

Nominated for:
Best Original Screenplay - Mike Leigh

If you ever feel the urge to remind yourself of what prolonged loneliness and alcohol consumption will do to a person, then this is the film for you! A great script worthy of its nomination, executed with grace by some great actors, and so devoid of excess it may as well be a play. No complaints here.

The cinematography and pacing of the film aren't much to brag about, but there is some lovely set composition that mimics the changing seasons in the story line. I would not recommend, however, watching this film back-to-back with Blue Valentine. This film centers around a very happily married couple, which directly conflicts with what goes on between my darling Michelle Williams and The Gos. Essentially, this has caused quite a distressing debate in my head, so I'm going to go watch Final Destination 1, 2, and 3. That should wipe out any philosophical lifetime discussions going on up there.

Eli

Rating: 3 for innovation, 4 for emotion and 3 for cohesiveness.

True Grit

Pollyanna goes hunting.

Nominated for:
Best Actor: Jeff Bridges
Best Supporting Actress: Hailee Steinfeld
Cinematography: Roger Deakins
Directing: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Best Picture
Best Adapted Screenplay: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Also nominated for:
Art Direction
Costume Design
Sound Editing
Sound Mixing

It's been almost two weeks since I saw this film and I still can't make up my mind about it. I was highly entertained by the antics of Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon, but I was highly annoyed by the young girl's plucky enthusiasm for vengeance. How can someone so hell bent on killing a man remind me so much of Pollyanna?!

Thinking about these things makes me worry my head will do this.

So I'm going to just call it even and pretend this film never existed. I guess it looks pretty and sounds great and all that business, but I can't get past the aforementioned conflict. If you like westerns, you'll probably enjoy the movie. If you like classic Cohen brothers, you probably won't.

Damn you, Ethan and Joel! Only you two could pull my poor, tortured head in such opposite directions.

Eli

Rating: 3 for innovation, 3 for emotional content, and 3 for cohesiveness.

Blue Valentine

Marriage is a beautiful thing... or not.

Nominated For:

Best Actress - Michelle Williams

Michelle Williams gives a heart-shattering performance, and Ryan Goseling is solid - why Jeremy Renner got nominated and he didn't beyond comprehension. In fact, why this film didn't get nominated for musical score, cinematography, or screenplay is kind of a travesty. But hey, its the Oscars. Why should I expect anything different?

Thank you, Blue Valentine, for bringing to life all my worst-case relationship scenarios, destroying any last residual romantic sentiments that may still be lurking in this cold, dark heart of mine, and hardening my resolve to avoid marriage at all costs.

Eli

Rating: 4 for innovation, 5+++++++++++ for emotion and 5 for cohesiveness

The Fighter

One's boxing career is one of many things that should not be combined with one's crack habit.

Nominated for:
Best Supporting Actor - Christian Bale
Best Supporting Actress - Melissa Leo and Amy Adams
Directing - David O. Russell
Best Picture
Best Original Screenplay - Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, Keith Dorringto

Also nominated for:
Film Editing - Pamela Martin

I had much ambivalence going in, but there are lots of bits about this film that are hard not to like. The opening sequence is quite well done, and incorporates an ironic use of this super-macho song which brings a smile to my face. This one is a pretty good example of a performance-based film that doesn't let the many other cinematic elements fall to the wayside. The long shots and minimal editing of dialog-based scenes combined with the hand-held cinematography push the overall documentary feel of the film, lending a lot of credibility to the characters' inner, and outer, conflicts.

That was basically a really convoluted and pretentious way of saying the film comes off as realistic, but there you have it. That's pretty much all I have to say. Plus, kudos to Amy Adams and Melissa Leo (and the wardrobe department) for pulling off Trashy without being Skanky.

As a dear friend pointed out upon exiting the theater - despite their differences, all the characters want the exact same thing, which not only drives the plot, but leads to some spectacular brawl's outside the boxing ring! A win!

Eli

Rating: 3 for innovation, 4 for emotional content, and 4 for cohesiveness.

Animal Kingdom

Jackie Weaver will fuck you up... with her MIND! Oh, and drugs are bad.

Nominated for:

Best Supporting Actress - Jackie Weaver

Despite the completely redundant voice over in the film's opener, this is a lovely addition to the large cannon of solid crime flicks. Well, lovely is probably the wrong word. Disturbing? Harrowing? Fucked? Yeah, those work. Fans of past greats like Mean Streets, Gomorrah, Sexy Beast, etc. will appreciate the understated anger that lingers in each frame, and practically vibrates off the screen. Fans of Guy Pearce will look past the honking great mustache stuck on his face and appreciate his amazing performance.

The scene stealer is most definitely Jackie Weaver herself. Her role is small, but not easily forgotten. Her smile has given me more than one nightmare since viewing this Australian gem.

In a word (or two) this film is quiet, and haunting.

Eli

Rating: 3 for innovation, 5 for emotional content, and 3 for cohesiveness (major points docked for ridonculous voice over)

What the heck is the difference between Sound Editing and Sound Mixing, and why should we care?

So, they seem redundant, right? Observe! For there is an important difference...

Sound Editing is the recording of individual ambient sounds, sound effects, or dialog. Ambient sounds can be things like footsteps, jingling house keys, crunching snow, etc... basically any sound that should be heard when something happens on screen. These are often recorded in a sound studio because the chaos on set prevents the microphones from picking up all the little sounds that we expect to hear. Sound effects are mostly sounds that need to be created, like explosions, the roar of a tyrannosaurus rex (combo of baby elephant, tiger, and alligator, FYI), or shifting mechanical gears that turn a car into a giant robot. Dialog too is often recorded post-production, especially for scenes where the characters are in a really noisy area.

Sound Mixing, on the other hand, is taking all those sounds and MIXING (get it?) them together with music, dialog, and each other. In other words, without a sound mixer, the t-rex roar remains a baby elephant/tiger/alligator. Mixing the right sounds together with the right timing adds an extra chill to a creepy movie (without that extra gnashing, gnawing zombie growl, would zombie movies still be as scary?), or makes a funny joke hilarious. (What's a giant foot squishing stuff without the accompanying fart sound?)

In short, proper soundscapes can turn something good into something extraordinary, hence the importance of talented sound editors and mixers. And though the Oscars tend to recognize loud action movies for sound awards (this year's nominations include classics like Salt and Unstoppable...), let's give props to the little sounds too, OK? The high-frequency buzz in The Wrestler before Mickey Rourke turns on his hearing aid, the hiss and pop of Anton Chigurh's cattle gun in No Country For Old Men... The elegant balance of newsroom bustle and anti-communist rhetoric in Good Night and Good Luck! All examples of subtleties essential to the entire experience of the film.

My love of a well-made sound-scape runs deep.

Eli

Winter's Bone

Meth is awesome, but the people who make meth are awesomer!

Nominated for:
Best Picture
Best Supporting Actor - John Hawkes
Best Actress - Jennifer Lawrence
Best Adapted Screenplay - Debra Granik & Anne Rosellin

Gripping, mesmerizing, and elegant.

This is by far the best film of the lot, though I doubt it will actually win any Oscars. Deadwood fans will be glad to spot some favourites - including best supporting actor nominee John Hawkes (A.K.A. Sol Star). Plus, newcomer Jennifer Lawrence has got a stare that'll bore a hole clean through your skull.

The most amazing part of this movie is the character development, especially that of the absentee father. Every moment, every fame, every word (the ones spoken and the ones left unspoken), packs a wallop of information that hits you in the brain and the gut simultaneously. And given that Jennifer Lawrence has already put a hole through your head, by the time this movie is over you've basically been reduced to a puddle of bloody goo.

Seriously. It's riveting. A must see.

Eli

Rating: 4 for innovation, 5+++ for emotional content, and 5 for cohesiveness.

Rabbit Hole

Nothing good comes from having children.

Nominated for:
Best Actress - Nicole Kidman

There isn't a whole lot of positives that stand out about this film, though it's definitely stronger than I'd expeced. The script and performances are simple and honest, and for the most part I was able to look past Nicole Kidman's botox face and Aaron Eckhrat's disturbing chin. Usually, I would count this as a win, EXCEPT...

Except despite the obvious attempts to treat this story with the levity such a subject matter demands, the filmmakers pipped in this whimsical, bittersweet, cutesy little piano/non-descript-wind-instrument score that seems to say "Oh, its OK that we're packing up a dead kid's wardrobe, because life is just funny that way!" Maybe they were trying to lighten the mood, and maybe they panicked in post-production and thought "Hey! This movie is really SERIOUS! No one wants to sit through a serious movie. We better add some happy music to trick the audience into thinking this is a happy story. Its not like its about a DEAD FOUR-YEAR OLD or anything." Argh.

Sometimes I just don't understand.

Eli


Rating: 2 for innovation, 3 for emotional content and 1 for cohesiveness because the music was STUPID.

Black Swan

A young woman learns all about masturbation, and then goes crazy.

Nominated for:
Best Actress - Natalie Portman
Cinematography - Matthew Libatique
Directing - Darren Aronofsky
Best Picture

Also nominated for:
Film Editing - Andrew Weisblum
Sound Mixing

As a big fan of Darren Aronofsky, it's basically impossible for me not to gush about the composition of this film. Known for his meticulous attention to detail, you can trust when watching this movie that every part of the set, every item of clothing, every cut, and every music cue has been carefully selected and placed just so, all for the purpose of backing and amplifying the themes and the narrative. In this respect, the film is a breath of fresh air amongst the run-of-the-mill Oscar-bait schlop.

This movie looks amazing, so much so that I'm a little surprised it didn't garner more technical awards (art direction, make-up, costume design, etc). Not that the film is flashy - far from it. The muted grays and faded pinks that make up most of Natalie Portman's wardrobe connect the stark black-and-white sets and costumes around her. The score mixes contemporary music with Swan Lake's classic score and amps up Portman's transformation into the black swan, or rather, her descent into madness. Simple, fluid camera work keep us balanced between the subjective and the somewhat-less subjective, while solid acting takes 2-dimensional-ish characters to a higher level.

My one issue doesn't have much to do with the actual film, but more with its contribution to a larger social dialog that links female sexuality with bat-shit insanity. Glenn Close in Fatal Attractions, Sisey Spacek in Carrie, Cameron Diaz in Vanilla Sky... Hell, how about even Ophelia from Hamlet? All these women struggle with their sexuality, which results in murder, madness, arson, suicide, and/or dead rabbits.

Ladies, when watching this movie, please remind yourselves that masturbation, or any kind of consensual sexual activity, does not, in anyway, (unless it leads to undiagnosed syphilis, which turns your brain into cottage cheese) make you go crazy. Natalie Portman's Golden Globe acceptance speech, however, may. (Crazy with adorableness, that is!).

Eli

Rating: 4 for innovation, 4 for emotional content, and 5 for cohesiveness.

Toy Story 3

Your toys are watching you...

Nominated for:
Best Picture
Adapted Screenplay - Michael Arndt

Also nominated for:
Animated Feature Film - Lee Unkrich
Sound Editing

I know a lot of people really love Toy Story, and aside from certain less-than-pleasant workplace experiences related to the franchise, I have pretty fond memories of the first two films. This one is a solid cap on the trilogy, but how it can be compared against fellow nominees The Social Network or 127 Hours is beyond me.

It's a kids movie. It cracks a lot of jokes at the expense of an effeminate Ken doll, which is pretty insensitive and not exactly a positive message for all those kids in the audience. It also resorts to a formulaic climax (*spoiler alert*) that makes the audience think everyone is about to die a horrible death, only to be saved miraculously at the last minute. I don't known why Disney feels like all its movies have to end this way - perhaps the Disney machine is fueled by child tears?

That said, the Sound Editing nomination is well deserved (just think of all those toy sounds they had to put together!). And Toy Story's version of an underground gambling den is pretty flippin' hilarious.

Eli

Rating: 3 for innovation, 4 for emotional content (because, yes, despite my best efforts, I did get choked up at the end) and 3 for cohesiveness.

The Social Network

Don't fuck with the geeks. They are smarter than you, and they will make more money than you.

Nominated for:
Best Actor - Jesse Eisenberg
Cinematography - Jeff Cronenweth
Directing - David Fincher
Best Picture
Adapted Screenplay - Aaron Sorkin

Also nominated for:
Film Editing - Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter
Music Original Score - Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Sound Mixing

The word that came to mind after watching this movie was "slick". It's a perfect example of how all those crazy personalities involved in one project come together to form something fantastic. Sorkin's magnificent script works in tandem with one of the most innovative musical scores to date, and both these elements slide into place thanks to some perfectly-paced film editing.

Since all these things work so well together, we must give kudos to the fabulous direction of David Fincher. He himself is not enough to sell me on a movie, since he can flop as much as he can rock (Se7en and Fight Club are great, just as Zodiac and Benjamin Button are sloppy), but he's bang on with this one. Everything is masterfully manipulated to drive home the clincher - the world's biggest social network was invented by a dude who couldn't socialize in the real world if his life depended on it.

"The tempo of the words..." - I found an amazing (but long) interview with Trent Reznor about composing this score. His description of his creative process only makes me love him more...

Eli

Rating: 5 for innovation (the score alone was enough for this), 4 for emotional content, and 5 for cohesiveness.

Why The Hell Should We Care About Film Editing?

Well, I'll tell you. Without a good editor, you may as well throw the celluloid in a trash can and set it alight, because your film won't be worth a damn in the end. It would be like if Patrick Swayze taught Baby to do the Macarena instead of all that dirty stuff; it would be awkward, annoying, and a waste of your time.

The most basic function of film editing is to imitate how we perceive interactions without letting on that we are watching a series of highly manipulated images - i.e. we don't notice the actual edits. Cuts are made to compress space (ex: shot A shows a dude pulling into his driveway, then cuts to shot B of dude walking into his home), to compress time (shot A shows the dude brushing his teeth at night, then shot B shows him waking up in the morning), or to highlight important plot elements (shot A shows the dude making dinner and reaching for the salt, then shot B cuts to a closeup of him grabbing rat poison instead - GASP!).

There are tons of rules that dictate how to do this unobtrusively, but editing gets really exciting when these rules are broken (i.e. the edits become noticable), often to highlight character development or key narrative points. Some films rely almost exclusively on the editing in order to successfully tell a narrative. Christopher Nolan has become notorious for this - take Memento or The Prestige. The order in which information is divulged to the audience is crucial to the plot, since any other order would risk giving away too much information or causing too much confusion.

The cut of a film also has a more subtle, but equally important function, and that is to set the pace of the film. The rhythm of a movie can often affect your heart rate and your breathing (think of all those quick cuts in high-speed action scenes that have you gripping the seat of your chair). A director like Sophia Coppola is known for her slow-paced films. Long, languid shots linger on small details, putting the audience into an almost meditative trance, and often reflecting the melancholy of her protagonists. And of course, the opposite is just as crucial. A lack of film edits can be incredibly tense and stressful - the relentless, circular Dunkirk evacuation scene in Atonement springs to mind.

So there you have it. Movies need proper editing like Patrick Swayze needs a proper heartbeat. Rest in peace, Swayze. Rest in peace.