TMI (2-24-12)

February 24, 2012

TMI (Today’s Movie Info)

February: Director’s Month

FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT (1932-1984) dropped out of high school in France to “self-educate”. His curriculum included watching 3 movies each day and reading 3 books each week. While still a teenager, he formed a movie club and became a film critic. At the Cannes Film Festival in 1959, he was presented as Best Director for The 400 Blows (1959).  It was quite an honor for a French director, especially for his first feature film.  He also received his first Oscar nomination for his work on the Screenplay.  The 400 Blows ushered in the French New Wave in cinema, which brought a wider audience to other French directors like Jean Luc Godard and Claude Chabrol. Truffaut’s third film, Jules and Jim (1962), received critical acclaim and remains a classic today.  In 1966, he wrote the screenplay (based on one of his favorite books) and directed his first English speaking film, Ray Bradbury’s Farenheit 451 (1966).  His 1973 film, Day for Night, brought Oscar nominations for Directing and Screenplay, and it won for Best Foreign Film.  Truffaut also acted in a few films, including playing a scientist in Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977).  His final film, Confidentially Yours (1983) was a tribute to his film idol, Alfred Hitchcock.  Truffaut was such a cinephile and lover of films that legend has it, he once kicked a hitch-hiker out of the car when he realized the man knew nothing of movies.  His troubles in the real world are clear from his famous quote: “I have always preferred the reflect of life to life itself.”

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Posted by David Ferguson

TMI (2-23-12)

February 23, 2012

TMI (Today’s Movie Info)

February: Director’s Month

 PRESTON STURGES (1898-1959) is known for writing and directing screwball comedies that feature rapid-fire, sometimes overlapping dialogue.  His best known films are The Lady Eve (1941), Sullivan’s Travels (1941), The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (1942).  He won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for The Great McGinty (1940).  Sturges is regarded as the first successful screenwriter who went on to a successful career directing Hollywood films.  As a young man in 1920, he invented a “kiss-proof” lipstick called Red-Red Rouge.  The lipstick was used in the films of the era, and had mass consumer appeal.  Sturges stated his golden rule for comedies: “A pretty girl is better than a plain one. A leg is better than an arm. A bedroom is better than a living room.  An arrival is better than a departure.  A birth is better than a death.  A chase is better than a chat.  A dog is better than a landscape.  A kitten is better than a dog.  A baby is better than a kitten.  A kiss is better than a baby.  A pratfall is better than anything.”

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Posted by David Ferguson

TMI (2-22-12)

February 22, 2012

TMI (Today’s Movie Info)

February: Director’s Month

 ROBERT WISE (1914-2005) got his start as a sound effects editor, and his big break (and first Oscar nomination) as Orson Welles’ editor on Citizen Kane (1941).  Wise also directed two of the most beloved film musicals: West Side Story (co-director with Jerome Robbins, 1961), The Sound of Music (1965).  Wise directed his first film at age 29 and his final (TV) film at age 86.  During that span, he was nominated for seven Academy Awards … winning for:  Best Picture and Best Director, West Side Story; and Best Picture and Best Director, The Sound of Music.  He is also remembered for directing The Body Snatcher (1945), which was based on a Robert Louis Stevenson short story and starred Boris Karloff and Bela Legosi;  the sci-fi thriller The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951); I Want to Live! (1958); The Sand Pebbles (1966, 7 Oscar nominations); The Andromeda Strain (1977); Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979).  Wise is one of the very few directors to have had success across so many film genres: drama, film noir, horror, musical, science fiction, war, westerns.

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Posted by David Ferguson

OSCAR PREDICTIONS (2012)

February 21, 2012

 Greetings again from the darkness.  It’s Oscar time again!  Ballots for the 84th Academy Awards were due today.  The only real question remaining is just how many gold statues The Artist will win.  It has ten nominations and some are predicting it could win as many as nine!  Me??? I mostly scratch my head at this fascinating juggernaut that appears to be unstoppable.  Don’t get me wrong, I found the movie to be quite entertaining and, being a cinephile, I appreciated the historical nod to early Hollywood … just wouldn’t be my choice as the Best Picture of the year. 
 
Every year, there are at least a couple of surprise winners, but unfortunately it doesn’t appear that The Help edging out The Artist will be one of them.  You will have to uncover those shockers in the lesser categories.
 
This week we learned that Academy voters average 62 years of age and are over 95% Caucasian.  That can be valuable data as you are filling out your Oscar ballots.  And in keeping with that theme, Billy Crystal is back as host of the ceremony and there will be a performance from Cirque du Soleil.  This is Academy’s response to the controversy surrounding the original team of host Eddie Murphy and director Brett Ratner. 
 
As is my tradition, you will find both my PREDICTION and my PREFERENCE for each of the 24 categories.  While there are a couple of “no brainer” picks this year, there are enough “two horse races” that I expect a final score of 17 or 18 would win most office contests.  When in doubt, pick The Artist!

BEST PICTURE

  PREDICTION: THE ARTIST.  One of the no-brainers I mentioned … it would be a shock if The Help could pull an upset.  The Descendants was an early favorite, but even Hawaii pales in comparison to the black & white artistry.

PREFERENCE: THE TREE OF LIFE.  The favorite movie for me and many critics.  It was the most moving cinematic experience of the year, but too divisive to actually win the award.

BEST DIRECTOR

 PREDICTION: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist.  The only chance for an upset comes from Martin Scorcese for Hugo, and his visionary use of 3D in an entirely new genre. 

PREFERENCE: Martin Scorcese

 

BEST ACTOR

 PREDICTION: Jean Dujardin, The Artist.  George Clooney (The Descendants) was the odds-on favorite until the juggernaut known as The Artist got rolling.  A win for Clooney would now be considered an upset.

PREFERENCE: Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. The consummate actor for so many years, his nuanced performance had me mesmerized during this intricate film.

BEST ACTRESS

 PREDICTION: Viola Davis, The Help.  She was the foundation of the film and never once over-played a scene.  Meryl Streep was stunning as Margaret Thatcher, but once again will probably have her performance taken for granted.

PREFERENCE: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady.  While I loved Viola Davis’ performance as part of an impressive ensemble, Streep was the epitome of a leading lady carrying a film and making it better than it would have been.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

 PREDICTION: Christopher Plummer, Beginners.  This is another of the no-brainers, and one of my favorite performances in one of my favorite movies of the year. Some think Max von Sydow can win for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, but the movie was just not well received.  Either would be the oldest Oscar winner in history.

PREFERENCE: Christopher Plummer, Beginners.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

 PREDICTION: Octavia Spencer, The Help. The number one no-brainer of the night. Her performance was funny, painful and insightful, and brought depth to what could have been a mess in less capable hands.

PREFERENCE: Octavia Spencer, The Help.

ANIMATED FEATURE

 PREDICTION: Rango.  The most complex and entertaining and oddball animated film of the year.

PREFERENCE: Rango.

 

 

DOCUMENTARY

PREDICTION: UNDEFEATED.  One of the toughest categories to call this year and the only one where all five nominees have a chance.

PREFERENCE: PINA. More tribute than documentary, it’s a fascinating look at the brilliant choreographer through the eyes and performances of her dance company.

BEST SCORE

PREDICTION: THE ARTIST. Hey, there were (almost) no words, so the music was vital … at least that’s the argument.  And I can’t wait to hear Kim Novak’s reaction should it win!

PREFERENCE: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.  Haunting, jazzy mood music in a film with almost as little dialogue as the juggernaut.

BEST SONG

 PREDICTION: “MAN OR MUPPET”, The Muppets, Bret McKenzie.  There are only two nominees so everyone has a 50-50 chance!

PREFERENCE: “Man or Muppet”, The Muppets, Bret McKenzie.  Are you kidding?  One of the “Flight of the Conchords” could win an Oscar?  That is so awesome!

CINEMATOGRAPHY

PREDICTION: Guillaume Schiffman, The Artist.  Getting more attention than (in my opinion) the far superior work by Emmanuel Lubezki in The Tree of Life

PREFERENCE: Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life

ART DIRECTION

PREDICTION: HUGO, Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo.  However it could be a victim of The Artist juggernaut

PREFERENCE: Hugo, Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo (a husband and wife team)

COSTUME DESIGN

PREDICTION: Mark Bridges, The Artist.  Outside shot for Hugo.

PREFERENCE: Michael O’Connor, Jane Eyre.  Underrated film with realistic costumes

FILM EDITING

PREDICTION: Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist.  This award usually goes to the Best Picture winner, though Thelma Schoonmaker is probably more deserving for Hugo.

PREFERENCE: Thelma Schoonmaker, Hugo

DOCUMENTARY SHORT

PREDICTION: GOD IS BIGGER THAN ELVIS.  Interesting story of the actress-turned-nun who gave Elvis his first on screen kiss.  Another tough category to predict, and it could go to The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom.

PREFERENCE: God is Bigger Than Elvis. 

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

PREDICTION: THE FANTASTIC FLYING BOOKS OF MR MORRIS LESSMORE.  Horrible title, great little film.  Close competition from A Morning Stroll

PREFERENCE: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore.  I really didn’t want to type it again, but it was clearly the best to me.

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

PREDICTION: PENTECOST.  Funny usually wins this category.

PREFERENCE: The Shore. Beautifully shot with a terrific script and top notch acting

MAKE-UP

 PREDICTION: The Iron Lady.  This could be the chance for the Academy to recognize the splendor of the Harry Potter franchise.

PREFERENCE: The Iron Lady.  Old person make-up that actually worked.

SOUND EDITING

PREDICTION: Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty, Hugo.  Could be a nod to Spielberg’s War Horse.

PREFERENCE: Hugo

SOUND MIXING

PREDICTION: Tom Fleishman and John Midgley, Hugo.  Could be a nod to Spielberg’s War Horse

PREFERENCE: Hugo

VISUAL EFFECTS

 PREDICTION: RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES.  With Hugo, it is the most deserving … but another category where Harry Potter could get rewarded.

PREFERENCE: Rise of the Planet of the Apes, but I would be happy with Hugo as well

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

PREDICTION: Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris.  Great dialogue in spite of Owen Wilson.  The Hemingway stuff alone is worth the price of admission.  Competition from The Artist, of course.

PREFERENCE: Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

PREDICTION: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, The Descendants. Competition from Academy favorite Aaron Sorkin for Moneyball

PREFERENCE: The Descendants

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

 PREDICTION: A SEPARATION.  One of the best films of the year … too bad I saw it after my “Best of” list was published.  In Darkness could surprise.

PREFERENCE: A Separation

If you missed my “Best of 2011”, here is the link:

https://moviereviewsfromthedark.wordpress.com/annual-bests-2/best-of-2011/

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Posted by David Ferguson

TMI (2-21-12)

February 21, 2012

TMI (Today’s Movie Info)

February: Director’s Month

 QUENTIN TARANTINO … his first full-length feature, Reservoir Dogs, received rave reviews at the Sundance Festival in 1992. Tarantino’s second feature exploded into Hollywood, as Pulp Fiction (1994) garnered Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director and winning for Best Screenplay. While it may seen that Tarantino is a cinematic fixture, he has actually only directed 7 full length features to date. His eighth film, Django Unchained, is due for release on Christmas Day 2012. Tarantino is known for his encyclopedic knowledge of film and TV history, and each of his films features a tribute or nod to a film, TV series and/or song that influenced his work.  He also writes his own movies, and has a small group of confidants that he allows to read his drafts. He is quoted as saying “When people ask me if I went to film school, I tell them, ‘no, I went to films’”.

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Posted by David Ferguson

THIS MEANS WAR

February 20, 2012

 Greetings again from the darkness. Well it’s mid-February and the hope is that this is the worst movie I will sit through all year. It’s a waste of talent and utterly senseless … which would be fine if it happened to be funny. Somehow the writers and director manage to mash-up a spy thriller, action film, buddy film, and romantic comedy into something that is none of those and a slap in the face of the viewers.

This one is directed by McG, whose first two theatrical films were Charlie’s Angels and Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, both of which had more and better action sequences than this (that says plenty). It stars three very attractive people in Chris Pine, Tom Hardy and Reese Witherspoon. Their job is to continue to look attractive, sparkly eyes and all, in each progressively more absurd scene. Chelsea Handler is tossed in as Witherspoon’s married friend, who doles out horrible and trashy dating advice in what sounds like a lousy stand-up comedy routine. Angela Bassett, a normally fine actress, is totally out of place in her couple of scenes as the always-angry boss. Til Schweiger (Inglourious Basterds) is totally wasted as the generic bad guy.

 The movie bookends two lackluster action sequences that make little sense and are not much to look at. In between, we have two best buddy co-worker spies competing for the affections of the same girl, who is taking advice from her nasty, jealous friend. All of that is done with little action, no suspense, minimal comedy and absolutely no logical sense. Did I mention that the three leads are all very attractive? One of the minor details that really irritated me was a scene in a giant video store where Pine and Witherspoon are debating the hierarchy of Hitchcock films. In and of itself, that would be fine. But this conversation takes place in front of a display of multiple copies of Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes. Multiple copies. In a video store. Probably more copies than Amazon has in stock. Throw in an escalating series of outlandish dates, a multi-million dollar bachelor pad for Pine (what is the salary for a 30 yr old spy?), buddy dialogue that makes Riggs & Murtaugh or Tango & Cash sound like Lincoln and Douglas.

This is evidently supposed to be an action flick for chicks. There is gunfire, muscles and childlike banter coming from two attractive spies who both love the attractive woman who is desperate to be loved. This means flop.

SEE THIS MOVIE IF: you don’t believe it could be this bad

SKIP THIS MOVIE IF: you prefer not to pay $9 for a nap

watch the trailer (knowing that these are the “good” parts):

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Posted by David Ferguson

TMI (2-19-12)

February 19, 2012

TMI (Today’s Movie Info)

February: Director’s Month

 PEDRO ALMODOVAR was born, raised and lives in Spain.  He was unable to attend Film School because Franco had closed them all during his regime. Instead, he saved his money and bought a Super 8 camera, and taught himself how to direct by making short films. Pedro is known for writing strong, complex female characters for his films and often casts his mother and/or brother in supporting roles.  He has admitted that much of his writing comes from personal experiences … though not actually autobiographical in nature.  Pedro has become the most influential director from Spain since Luis Bunuel, and he frequently works with his country’s best actors: Carmen Maura, Antonio Banderas, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, and Gael Garcia Bernal. His history with Academy Awards is a bit mystifying: Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (2002, nominated for Best Foreign Language Film), All About my Mother (1999, won for Best Foreign Language Film), Talk to Her (2002, won for Best Screenplay, nominated for Best Director).  At least two other Almodovar films probably deserved nominations. On his reasons for making movies he once said “Cinema can fill in the empty spaces of your life and your loneliness.”  He recently announced that his next film will be the 2013 comedy, Los amantes pasajeros.

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Posted by David Ferguson

TMI (2-18-12)

February 18, 2012

TMI (Today’s Movie Info)

February: Director’s Month

ORSON WELLES (1915-1985) directed what many consider to be the greatest film ever, Citizen Kane (1941). Amazingly, it was his first feature film and he was only 26 years old. He won the Oscar for Best Screenplay, but the Best Picture went to How Green Was My Valley … and not Citizen Kane, The Maltese Falcon or Suspicion.  Welles is one of the few writer/directors whose work has become more appreciated over time … many of his films were box office failures. He was also a prolific actor and radio personality, and is still remembered for his Halloween prank gone bad … the radio rendition of “The War of the Worlds”, in which many listening actually thought aliens had invaded earth.  Welles was also a talented musician, painter and magician. His other must-see film is Touch of Evil (1958). He turned down the offer to be the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars (James Earl Jones accepted).  Commenting on his early career success, he said “I started at the top and worked down.”  In the late 70’s and early 80’s, Welles became the commercial spokesperson for Paul Masson wine … his “we shall sell no wine before it’s time” became the stuff of advertising legend.  Watch one of the ads:

 

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Posted by David Ferguson

TMI (2-17-12)

February 17, 2012

TMI (Today’s Movie Info)

February: Director’s Month

 MEL BROOKS has directed only eleven feature films.  Both of his acknowledged classics were released in 1974: Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein.  Brooks got his start as a TV writer on such shows as “Your Show of Shows” and “Caesar’s Hour”. His career took off in 1965 as he created, produced, wrote and directed the hit TV series “Get Smart”.  He then transitioned into films with The Producers (1968) … his satire of Broadway, involving the scam to produce a sure fire flop called “Hitler in Springtime”. It won him an Oscar for Best Screenplay. Brooks later took the film to Broadway where it became a smash hit.  He once said “I’m the only Jew who ever made a buck offa Hitler.” His knack for parody and sense of humor is certainly not for everyone, but Brooks put together a very successful career to go with his 41 year marriage to actress Anne Bancroft. (Bancroft passed away in 2005, but will always be remembered as Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate).

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Posted by David Ferguson

TMI (2-16-12)

February 16, 2012

TMI (Today’s Movie Info)

February: Director’s Month

 CHRISTOPHER NOLAN is about to release his seventh full-length feature film: The Dark Knight Rises (July 2012). This will be the third film in his trilogy of the re-imagined Batman series.  The first two films (Batman Begins, 2005 and The Dark Knight, 2008) have grossed almost $1.4 billion worldwide. The success of those films, plus his 2010 masterpiece Inception ($825 million worldwide, and two Oscar nominations), have placed him among the most powerful people in Hollywood.  On the flipside, his first full-length feature film Memento (2000) garnered him an Oscar nomination and quite a cult following, so Nolan is one of the few to be hailed in the indie world and then also reach box office peaks with studio blockbusters. Insomnia (2002) is his only film in which he didn’t write the script. He often writes with his brother Jonathan Nolan (the creator of the TV series “Person of Interest”) … including next year’s Man of Steel (the next Superman movie).  When discussing his recent experience with filmmaking, Nolan said, “Superheroes fill a gap in the pop culture psyche, similar to the role of Greek mythology. There isn’t really anything else that does the job in modern terms.”

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Posted by David Ferguson

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