100 Performances Oscars Forgot – 4/20

RE-POST

As I browsed through the many suggestions for this Oscars 100 Non-Nominee list some of them still have me scratching my head to this day. Let’s get straight into the fourth 5 forgotten performers then, and give them the pat on the back they deserve.

Adele Exarchopoulos for Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013) – – – Robin Write @Filmotomy

Abdellatif Kechiche’s apparent heavy-handed direction of the sublime Adèle Exarchopoulos and ‎Léa Seydoux in Blue is the Warmest Color may, depending on your viewpoint, amount to a lack of ethics or a fuck-load of genius. Or both. So magnificent an on-screen partnership Exarchopoulos and Seydoux are, when the film took the Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival both actresses were invited to the stage to accept the prize with Kechiche – an unprecedented honor. But deserved, both are truly breath-taking here, the term wearing their hearts on their sleeves only covers a small fraction of the impact of these performances. Devouring the screen in the lead role from the opening to the closing frames, teenager Exarchopoulos acts right through her skin here. The camera sticks to her like glue, an adhesive surely effective in some strong part to the actress’ incredible allure. Adèle the character and Adèle the actress both seem to come-of-age here, a raw, beautiful depiction of the flourish of young, passionate love and eventually how the pain of its dissolve can suck you down to the bone. Involved in some enduring, sexually explicit scenes, Exarchopoulos’ courage and excellence shines through in the moments when her character’s emotions are laid bare, and shattered through snotty sobbing and frantic feelings. That, and how invested you become in Adèle’s blissful, exhilarated affections, that you practically fall in love with her yourself.

Léa Seydoux for Blue is the Warmest Color (2013) – – – Tobi Ogunyemi — @spaceliontobi @SpaceLioncs

When one thinks of Abdellatif Kechicke’s Palme d’Or coming of age epic, the centerpiece is of course of Adèle Exarchopoulos’ performance as the teenager who moves with such fluidity through the events and tribulations of life and love. The performance that is the heart of the film though, figuratively and literally, is crafted with such warmth by Seydoux’s Emma, the beautiful art student with temporary tussle of blue dyed hair. What makes Seydoux’s performance so exemplary is how she plays the older Emma to the younger Adèle, her allure is striking not to just Adèle but to the audience as well and how she appeals her experience to an inciting degree to her lover (when we first see crossing the street, in the bar, hanging out and talking on the bench in the park, etc). Within a story such as this, where the one main character is becoming their own person, there is usually the one character that is held in high regard, either someone to aspire towards, someone to love or more. Seydoux’s Emma is that and then some, showing a complex humanistic depth that wants to see the best for Adèle as she matures, but as with all lovers in relationship, she tries to craft her in own image, her own desires. The final scene Seydoux is in, in the restaurant with Adèle, shows the depiction of love itself towards someone that was once so close, but with the knowledge that time, the best thing for both is to walk away and move forward – that sensational love will always be there. The film was eligible for the Oscars but two things lead the way for it to garner zero nominations in its year; its success at Cannes and so emotionally subtle the film and its performances are. Not usually the Oscars trademark, but the mark that Seydoux’s performance leaves here is undeniable.

Robert Pattinson for Cosmopolis (2012) – – – Bailey Holden @BaileyHoldenM

Pattinson has in the past few years tried to prove his acting chops by working with some great art-house directors to try and get away from his tweenage past, Michôd, Herzog, Corbijn and of course, Cronenberg. Cosmopolis is a very strange movie, it’s Cronenberg’s first foray into writing since the 90’s and is perhaps his most political, showing the callousness, emptiness and some kind of benign stupidity in the ultra-rich, showing the inevitable fall of capitalism under the ever growing wealth gap. Pattinson is equally bizarre as 28 year old isolated billionaire Eric Packer, at first his performance is confusing, there is something not quite right about him. This become beyond clear in a scene where he is in a dinner, he stands out so much, it’s incredibly jarring. At that point all becomes clear, he is not playing a human being, Packer has never had human contact with the real world, only seeing it from the back of a limousine window, he is doing an impression of a human being. During the two sex scenes, Pattinson plays it the total opposite of the violent sexuality of most modern portrays of the ultra-rich, he sits totally still and almost doesn’t take part. Eric Packer is unlike the monsters of Cronenberg’s past, a normal exterior but truly nothing underneath and Pattinson is as hauntingly intelligent, perplexing and frustrating as the film is itself.

Colin Farrell for Saving Mr. Banks (2013) – – – Mike Austin @MuzakWeeWoo

When considering the Oscar nominations over the years, many came to mind, but only a few I’d be willing to fight over their prestige and lack of consideration. Not only did Colin Farrell deliver one of the most surprisingly cathartic performances of 2014 he managed to evoke emotions in those, who like me have had the tragedy of losing someone you love. I feel strongly that in a year that Jared Leto for Dallas Buyer’s Club swept the Best Supporting character category with ease, his one true combatant wasn’t even nominated in Farrell. With other actors like Cooper for American Hustle and Jonah Hill for Wolf, it infuriates me that Farrell went unnoticed and in turn was bested by these pedestrian and lack luster roles. Saving Mr. Banks had very few spots of adoration but Farrell gave the film body and a reason to love it. I hope that this little piece will either make you go watch and possibly re-watch for the beauty that is Colin Farrell’s portrayal of a troubled father fighting for the approval of his daughter.

Naomi Watts for Mulholland Drive (2001) – – – Asif Khan @KHAN2705

A star is born in the form of Naomi Watts in David Lynch’s astonishing masterpiece which has been puzzling and spellbinding audiences ever since. While Lynch did get nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards (I adore the directing branch sometimes), the film itself was ignored in other areas, especially Watts for giving arguably her career-best performance. Lynch is known for his surrealism, off-kilter sense of humor and a strong grasp of what he wants to explore in his films. He turns his camera onto the industry and the destructive power of rage, jealousy, failure and illusions vs reality. Watts plays an aspiring actress, Betty Elms who arrives in Los Angeles with twinkling eyes and a big smile on her face hoping to become a famous actress. She gets/looses more than she bargained for in a series of unconnected events that towards the end, reveals so much about the character(s) and the masks they put on each and every turn to hide a little more of themselves. Naive, hopeful, charming at first and psychotic, haunted hollow shell of a person in the end, Watts gives an immense, magnetic performance. Breathtaking and bold, so attuned to what Lynch tries to do or create. For any other newcomer, it must have been an overwhelming experience working with Lynch in a role like this but not Watts, who plays her part with a confidence so rarely seen in actors of her generation. A turn that is the very definition of ‘breakthrough’, ignored by the Academy (when they have previously nominated/awarded newcomers) for who knows what reason? Too dark? Too much? Watts has since then been part of good films, delivering strong performances but none so utterly devastating and unshakable as this. Oh Academy!

100 Performances Oscars Forgot – 3/20

RE-POST

There are a hundred and one reasons why an actor or actress may miss out on a nomination. We’ve been debating these very choices for many years. Here are 5 more to add to that.

Emily Blunt for The Devil Wears Prada (2004) – – – Robin Write @Filmotomy

You don’t require to be a glutton for bitchiness or be an avid follower of the fashion world to find something in The Devil Wears Prada that is for you. What magnetized me more than anything else was not the dominating presence of Meryl Streep or the ever-increasing-talent of Anne Hathaway, but rather the radiant, defiant, brilliant Emily Blunt. In the shadow of the “devil” Miranda, and part of the exclusive assistants club, Emily puts up and shuts up, unless it is to inflict her cold shoulder and cavalier views on others. This is how she wants to succeed, Paris Fashion Week-wise. She is fast-talking and no-nonsense – there’s a whiff of a Miranda in the making. Anywhere else we may well be forced to dislike the character, but Blunt has that sarcastic, hard look down to the letter, and somehow makes the character Emily glow through her passion and eventual vulnerabilities. Underneath the red hair and green eye-shadow warpaint, Blunt just about keeps the girl’s warmth hidden somewhat, but the talent here is letting us see just enough of her good grace to drag us closer. I was rooting for Emily’s success and redemption over any one else for the most part, and longed for her to return to the screen when she was absent. In the Supporting Actress category with Oscar that year I go against the grain with Jennifer Hudson in the forgettable Dreamgirls – just not for me at all. And though I could not argue with the Babel femmes (Blanchett was nominated for Notes on a Scandal) I have little doubt that Blunt was not only sinfully missing from the list, but would have made a very worthy winner. Easily welcome to join the company of former winning performances of equal demeanor, Olympia Dukakis, Mercedes Ruehl, or Dianne Wiest, to name just three. Perhaps here Meryl Streep’s stature over-shadowed Emily Blunt (though both could have made the cut) – dare I say, it ought to have been the other way around.

Nicole Kidman for To Die For (1995) – – – Steve Schweighofer @banjoonthecrag

In the wickedly funny black comedy, To Die For, Gus Van Sant directed Nicole Kidman to what, for my money, is her best screen performance. Her Suzanne Stone, weather-girl/cub reporter extraordinaire, has dreams of glory that she means to attain, even if she has to have her husband murdered to do it. Kidman is a playful, driven, sexy and uproariously delusional seductress – with a mean eye for fashion, I must add – as she recruits a kid from the local high school (Joaquin Phoenix, also amazingly good) and his buddy, Casey Affleck, to do away with the old ball-‘n-chain, played by Matt Dillon. Adorned with Buck Henry’s screenplay, Van Sant’s direction and an array of strong supporting performances, not the least of whom is co-Oscar robbee Illeana Douglas, Kidman should have been in the lead pack of Best Actress nominees that year, right next to Susan Sarandon and Emma Thompson, but it was a strong year for actresses and Oscar went with what was familiar. It’s a shame, really, that one of the best comedies of the 90s was ignored, and Kidman’s performance is the reason I revisit this gem on a regular basis. The last scene alone is worth multiple viewings. A very dark joy to behold.

Steve Buscemi for Reservoir Dogs (1992) – – – Robin Write @Filmotomy

An indie, violent breakthrough film like Quentin Tarantino’s debut Reservoir Dogs can hardly be expected to become a contender during awards season. Well, why the eff not? As performances go, the likes of Harvey Keitel and Tim Roth brought their A-game to this – the former had been doing that for decades already some would strongly argue. That said, and I suspect I am not alone here, Steve Buscemi’s incredulous, assertive Mr Pink is the stand-out performance here. Perhaps attributed with the snippier dialogue and true morals of the crime caper, Buscemi delivers with a gritty persuasion and an ample amount of cool. The versatile actor would go on and snatch many of the great supporting roles in cinema over the next decade or so, but his effortless brilliance sadly was unable to translate into that which the Academy deemed worthy. Not even Ghost World. With Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino gathered the hefty majority of the praise for its energy and adrenaline, but even he is not so self-aware to have not given huge acknowledgement to the ferocious display by Buscemi – without him this would simply not have packed as big a punch.

Leonardo DiCaprio for Titanic (1998) – – – Al Robinson @AlRob_MN

Leonardo DiCaprio was not nominated for Best Lead Actor at the 1998 Academy Awards, but he should have been (given the film’s record 14 nominations too). We don’t meet Jack Dawson until 24 minutes into Titanic, but after that he’s in almost every pivotal scene. DiCaprio was so great in Titanic that I think of him first, even before Kate Winslet, or the ship itself. He’s so iconic in the film with Jack’s romance with Rose – and that hair and smile. It was because of DiCaprio that so many teenagers went back to see it over and over again. It made Leo a mega-star and made Titanic the highest grossing film of all-time at that point with earnings of over $600m. DiCaprio was so naturalistic in his portrayal of Jack Dawson, the vagabond teenager, and he made the character so memorable. I think it stands up against the likes of Clark Gable’s performance as Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind. DiCaprio never overdid a line, and he always found the right tone for every key scene. In 1997, Leonardo DiCaprio truly was the “King of the World”.

Thelma Ritter for Rear Window (1954) – – – Robin Write @Filmotomy

Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window is a grand motion picture for so many different reasons – Thelma Ritter is certainly one of them. Her Stella, the home nurse to wheel-chair bound Jeffries (James Stewart), has a definite view on the world’s state of affairs, she speaks her mind, even if it means talking over Jeffries. She very much involves herself, like Lisa (Grace Kelly), in the intriguing events of the story. This further implies the physical and theoretical advice-and-action that Stella provides to the verbally critical, and temporarily immobile, Jeffries. Stella doesn’t mince her words, she wisecracks her influential outlook and opinions, not quite shoving them down your throat – but you are listening. Ritter’s natural comic delivery is not necessarily derived from humor itself, but the infliction of wisdom and common sense. Easily one of her finest characters and performances for me in Stella, Ritter plays a huge part in Hitchock’s masterpiece, as important as any other character, and as integral to Rear Window as the location and suspense. This would have deservedly marked a historic fifth Oscar nomination in a row for Ritter, after All About Eve, The Mating Season, Song in My Heart, and Pickup on South Street – why on Earth dear Academy would you stop there?

100 Performances Oscars Forgot – 2/20

RE-POST

We all have our favorite acting performances from the movies over the years that have not managed to make it as an Oscar nominee. They may not even be our favorite, but we recognize what we may well tag as snub anyway. Take a look at the next 5. 

Jack Nicholson for Batman (1989) — Robin Write @Filmotomy

Jack Nicholson is that breed of actor, of that incredible generation of actors like Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro who show up on screen and become contenders by default. With 3 Academy Award wins to his name among a record number of nominations, Nicholson has been lavished more than most of his peers. He was though ignored for his devilishly unforgettable take on The Joker in Tim Burton’s Batman. Don’t snigger. Sure, the whole super-hero, comic book pedigree can be perceived as a little too gimicky perhaps for the noble AMPAS voters (though they nominated Al Pacino for his Dick Tracy vibrant villain) – not to mention Nicholson over-acts the shit out of the role. And that’s what makes it so damn good. As Jack Napier, he has all the swarve and slyness we love about Nicholson, and as The Joker he is having the time of his life, delivering lines, rolling eyes, and performing actions like a new brand of exhilarating acting and screen presence is being taught to the world. To say this is absolutely perfect casting is an understatement, it was a genius move to give Nicholson with all his mischief and that smile the role of a lifetime. Decades later Heath Ledger would deservedly grab gold for also playing The Joker, albeit in a newer climate and vision, but this to me only emphasizes how stunning it was that Nicholson missed out for Batman, especially considering the phenomenal success of the movie.

Tilda Swinton for I Am Love (2010) — Tobi Ogunyemi @spaceliontobi @SpaceLioncs

The interesting thing with Swinton is two-fold; she has become so recognized for being an almost mythical creature, let alone one of the best chameleon-like actors working in the world today, that can do everything and might possibly be able to play (and just be) everyone. And two, Swinton actually has won the Oscar – back in 2007 for her performance in Tony Gilroy’s Michael Clayton – but for a performance that, while impressive in its own right, seems nearly slight. One performance that sticks out to mind that covers the near insurmountable scope of Swinton’s abilities comes from Luca Guadagnino’s I Am Love. Playing Emma Recchi, the matriarch of a rich and influential Italian business clan, the surface of Swinton’s surface qualities are impeccable right off the bat; she is a Scottish actor playing a Russian born character who married into an Italian family and speaks the language with the accent along with a base of Russian as well. Again, the woman can play everyone. But while the dialect alone is enough to throw awards at, what makes Swinton so notable here is an alchemy of a number of factors; a mother who is allowed to show how sexy she is while she engages in an affair with her doting son’s friend – Emma expresses so many different sides of the emotion of love throughout. When she experiences her lover Antonio’s cuisine for the first time, the subtle and barely contained erotic ecstasy that is captured exquisitely across her face, her motherly instinct to embrace and protect her daughter’s emerging homosexuality and also to be inspired by it. How sensual Emma’s time with Antonio is, being thrown head first into the Italian sun kissed fields but more prudent, to be reminded on what it feels like to be overtaken by love. Swinton’s performance embodies the film’s title – she becomes love. For being such a top shelf transformative actor that is she, one of her most impressive performances (in a year loaded with them) could be the one where she just seamlessly becomes a woman in love.

Harry Dean Stanton for Paris, Texas (1984) — Robin Write @Filmotomy

I did not give it too much thought, but it crossed my mind that we don’t talk about Harry Dean Stanton very often. Not enough in fact. His presence in movies is often casual, a quiet man we know little about as his characters go. I am generalizing of course, but it is these thoughts and the undeniable fact that Stanton is a remarkable actor, that makes the role of Travis Henderson in Paris, Texas all too perfect for him. And we, the audience get to marvel in it. Directed superbly by Wim Wenders, Stanton’s lost man in Paris, Texas, clutching at memories of the past and dragging them closer, walks off into the burning Texan landscape in search of his brother, and more directly his son and long-lost wife. His voyage is a long one, both in distance and time gone by, Travis is given an ambiguous, but deeply sympathetic, aura by Stanton. It is a performance that requires little strenuous action or extensive dialogue, but Wenders does not need this, the story is a simple and effecting one, and the acting is deeply emotive and heart-warming, exhaustively so. We join Travis on his journey and support his plight all the way.

Martin LaSalle for Pickpocket (1959) — Bailey Holden @BaileyHoldenM

This is a strange choice, I admit that, Bresson is a director who, although hugely well acclaimed, has quite a bit of dispute and controversy around the quality of his movies. The biggest point of contention is, yes, the performances. This one is no different, throughout the film LeSalle comes across wooden and flat and strangely disengaged. This seems like a put-down but it’s really not, firstly of note is the way Bresson directed him (and most every other actor who ever worked with him), he would make them repeat a scene over and over until they would act, in his own words, ‘without their minds taking part’. This may seem to be to the directors credit more-so than the actors to some of you, but I disagree, firstly any great performance is a collaboration between director and actor. But secondly, many actors in some of Bresson’s lesser film can’t pull this style off half as well as LeSalle (See Florence Delay in Procès De Jeanne D’Arc), he really embodies the sense of total spiritual emptiness, even his hand movements during the numerous pickpockets scenes are so coldly, he seems like a puppet being controlled by some force beyond him. This is all payed off in the deeply Catholic final moments where physical imprisonment comes with spiritual freedom.

Omar Sy for The Intouchables (2011) — Robin Write @Filmotomy

French film The Intouchables is a real crowd-pleaser for me. An easy to adore, warming motion picture giving both a comedic and dramatic take on the ever-relevant care-giving profession. François Cluzet is excellent as wealthy quadriplegic Philippe, who requires a companion to aid his every day life. When Driss (Omar Sy) turns up, from the wrong side of town and polar opposite in social stature, his is casual about the position, and likely not qualified in this field. His care-free, unconventional attitude to this and the potential glory of life, actually make Driss perfect for the role. The friendship between Philippe and Driss is immediate, though they do have to adapt to the differences in lifestyles, a bond somehow so comfortably likely given they are worlds apart. Sy lights up the screen with his blunt charm and go-getting outlook on life, showing Philippe a redeeming access to the brighter side of the world with his own unique bed-side manner. Driss’ compassionate influence on his new friend is even sweeter given the struggles he has in his own life. Sy is larger than life here, a terrific turn portraying a troubled man who puts that aside to show encouragement where needed. France loved him and the movie, winning the César Award for Best Actor, but unfortunately was unable to break through American audience hearts quite enough. Shame.

100 Performances Oscars Forgot – 1/20

RE-POST

As we get sucked into the awards season vacuum again, I grabbed hold of a few of my like-minded film-freaks (follow them on Twitter if you don’t already) to ask them about some of the acting performances over the years, and the responses came thick and fast. So with quite a number of my own, I ought to let them do the talking about Oscar absentees. Here are the first 5 of a fascinating list of 100 (enough to make you dizzy) men and women that the Academy let slip away.

James Stewart for Vertigo (1958) — Clarence Moye @chmoye

I come here to praise Jimmy Stewart’s un-nominated Vertigo performance, not bury those who were nominated in his place. Just looking at the list of nominees, Stewart’s spirit can rest easy that his towering performance in what is arguably Alfred Hitchcock’s most personal film has more than stood the test of time, far outlasting the reputation of the nominated performances. Stewart’s Scottie Ferguson initially emerges as the classically affable and pleasant Jimmy Stewart character. Hitchcock loved to saddle Stewart with some sort of disability (Rear Window’s broken leg), and, here, he suffers from vertigo, causing him to sit on the sidelines of his police detective job. But Stewart’s Scottie is a broken man inside, something Stewart gradually reveals over the course of the film, more obviously toward the middle and end but present in the beginning for sure. Here, we watch one of Hollywood’s most liked actors (the Tom Hanks of his era) deteriorate into something of an anti-hero. By the end, Stewart has completely subverted his own personality to give us a completely unique and unpleasant performance of obsession, control, and callousness – namely, the traits exhibited by most great directors. With such a dark underbelly writ large in Stewart’s Scottie, it is no great surprise the Academy ignored him. After all, in Vertigo, when that bell rings, it did not mean an angel got its wings. It meant someone died. I’m not sure the Academy wanted to embrace such a brilliantly dark turn of events.

Greta Gerwig for Frances Ha (2013) — Robin Write @Filmotomy

Maybe I haven’t talked about Noah Baumbach’s delightful Frances Ha enough just yet, as I and many, many others still wonder with shaking heads how the charming, cute-as-hell Greta Gerwig was not considered for the Best Actress Oscar. I’ve become accustomed to being in love with those that get left behind. You can’t win them all? Those of us that follow the somewhat eventual downer that is the Oscar race know that comedy has an extra struggle to get its foot in the door and, well, be taken seriously. And we know Frances Ha is a small film, and that Gerwig is sensational, but in a fleeting narrative. I could make excuses all day long as to why Gerwig was absent, but it is not the kind of torture I opt for in spite of my awards-critique endurance. The fact is, Gerwig gives one of the most energetic, amusing, and down-right real performances of the year. Of many a year. She brings a young woman floating gradually from a secure, successful life right back towards us, and makes us care and want to join her in her struggles. Gerwig (who co-wrote the film with partner Baumbach – a formidable duo right now) puts her whole heart and soul into the role of Frances, all the while making the acting look effortless, and giving the character an endearing charm impossible to resist. I fell in love right away.

Brie Larson for Short Term 12 (2013) — Robin Write @Filmotomy

I once described Brie Larson as a magnetic kind of chameleon actress as she turned up here and there on film and TV (Scott Pilgrim, Community, Greenberg for example) and I was drawn to her varying, sporadic activity immediately. She can turn her talented hands to anything it seems, she was proving it then and is doing it now. Larson is hard to forget, so when she turned up in the lead role of Short Term 12 as a young people’s support worker it was inevitable I guess that she would blow me away. Grace balances the tensions, highly-strung emotions of the troubled youngsters with her own insecurities not just to hold down her relationship but also accepting the potential responsibility of taking care of her own child. Oozing the vulnerability and passion of Grace as she ties herself in knots while trying to remain strong, Larson has the whole movie in the palm of her hand. Even while surrounded by characters with their own issues spilling out, we latch onto Grace, hoping that she keeps it together and finds the courage to follow her heart. It’s a subtle, almost devastating performance by Larson, easily one of the best of the year, as well as once again one of the most talked about actresses that year in regards to the Oscar nomination omission. Like that’s really important though, right? At only 27 now, brilliant Brie is an Oscar winner recently for Room, but no matter, we shall always beat a strong heart for Short Term 12.

Jake Gyllenhaal for Nightcrawler (2014) — Tim J. Krieg @FiveStarFlicks

I watched Birdman and Nightcrawler on the same day, both impressive in their own ways, but a few days later I was still only thinking about one thing: Jake Gyllenhaal. His gaunt, emaciated frame. His perfect mixture of Norman Bates naiveté with the loneliness of Travis Bickle. And those eyes, those terrifying eyes. A few months later, when the Oscar nominations rolled in, Birdman was showered with praise, including Michael Keaton, joined in the best actor race by Steve Carell, Bradley Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Eddie Redmayne, the eventual winner. It had to be a mistake, right? Where was Jake Gyllenhaal? Where was the man with that gung-ho spirit and can-do initiative, willing to do whatever it takes to get the shot and win the ratings? Where was God’s other lonely man? Towering above them all, Jake Gyllenhaal gave a masterful portrayal of Lou Bloom in Nightcrawler, a character and a film that perhaps fits better alongside the films of 1976 (Taxi Driver, All the President’s Men, Network) than 2014. Dark, menacing, meticulous, taut and intense, Gyllenhaal owns the screen, appearing in nearly every frame. He is down in the gutter, but he’s looking up at the stars. He’s an independent, hardworking, ambitious risk-taker, the embodiment of someone chasing the mythic American dream. He knows that “if you want to win the lottery, you have to make the money to buy a ticket”. He also realizes that oftentimes it’s easier to ignore the rules in order to get ahead. In the end what he shows us is that some of the most beautiful caterpillars turn into the ugliest moths, and sometimes the American dream is actually a nightmare.

Michael Fassbender for Hunger (2008) — Steve Schweighofer @banjoonthecrag

Hunger was the first feature film of artist-turned-director Steve McQueen and the first truly leading role of for actor Michael Fassbender – the results, for the few who first saw the film, were the career equivalent to the “big bang”. Fassbender’s portrayal of Irish activist Bobby Sands’ journey to self-destruction by way of a hunger strike that occurs within McQueen’s impressionistic portrait of the British-operated prison system leaves a series of indelible memories. One of those memories, a long scene between Fassbender and Liam Cunningham as Father Moran, should be viewed by anyone who appreciates brilliant screen acting. Done in mostly what is a single take with McQueen moving in with his camera so slowly it’s almost painful, Sands and Fr. Moran discuss the morality of Bobby’s intentions and we get a brief glimpse into Bobby’s past through an anecdote that breaks your heart. In one scene, this novice, Fassbender, gives a master class on screen acting. Not only did AMPAS take a pass on Fassbender in Hunger, arguably the best performance of the year, but they also ignored his next venture with McQueen, Shame, which was also the best performance of the year. Although he was finally nominated for his portrayal of a brutally unbalanced slave owner in 12 Years a Slave, Fassie was not to win. The latter two Academy mistakes are indeed worth shaking one’s head at, but you always remember your “first”. If you’ve never seen Hunger, do so.

Film Honors: 1963

My own personal choices for the year. They reflect not just necessarily what I think is the best or essential cinema, but perhaps resonate with me or inspire, both at the time, and still today. Subject to alter choices if new viewings are worthy enough. Other published Film Honors posts can be found at the menu at the top of the page.

Sound Design

The Birds
Cleopatra
Jason and the Argonauts
The Raven
The Sword in the Stone

Score Composing

Elmer Bernstein (The Great Escape)
Georges Delerue (Le Mépris)
Bernard Herrmann (Jason and the Argonauts)
Henry Mancini (The Pink Panther)
Alex North (Cleopatra)

Actor Support

Alain Delon (Il gattopardo)
Melvyn Douglas (Hud)
Hugh Griffith (Tom Jones)
John Huston (The Cardinal)
José Isbert (El verdugo)

Special Effects

The Birds
Cleopatra
From Russia with Love
Jason and the Argonauts
The Raven

Actress Support

Patricia Neal (Hud)
Suzanne Pleshette (The Birds)
Joyce Redman (Tom Jones)
Lilia Skala (Lilies of the Field)
Susannah York (Tom Jones)

Costume Design

8½
Cleopatra
Il gattopardo
Mikres Afrodites
Tom Jones

Screenwriting Adapted

Pasquale Festa Campanile, Enrico Medioli, Massimo Franciosa, Luchino Visconti, Suso Cecchi d’Amico (Il gattopardo)
Alekos Galanos (Ta Kokkina fanaria)
Norman Krasna (Sunday in New York)
Irving Ravetch, Harriet Frank Jr. (Hud)
Keith Waterhouse, Willis Hall (Billy Liar)

Set Design

8½
America America
Cleopatra
Il gattopardo
The Raven

Actor Lead

Tom Courtenay (Billy Liar)
Albert Finney (Tom Jones)
Marcello Mastroianni (8½)
Paul Newman (Hud)
Sidney Poitier (Lilies of the Field)

Picture Editing

8½
The Birds
The Great Escape
Il gattopardo
Le Petit Soldat

Screenwriting Original

Rafael Azcona (El verdugo)
Federico Fellini, Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli, Brunello Rondi (8½)
Jean-Luc Godard (Le Petit Soldat)
Maurice Richlin, Blake Edwards (The Pink Panther)
Arnold Schulman (Love with the Proper Stranger)

Cinematography

Raoul Coutard (Le Mépris)
Raoul Coutard (Le Petit Soldat)
Gianni Di Venanzo (8½)
Leon Shamroy (Cleopatra)
Giuseppe Rotunno (Il gattopardo)

Directing

Federico Fellini (8½)
Jean-Luc Godard (Le Mépris)
Jean-Luc Godard (Le Petit Soldat)
Alfred Hitchcock (The Birds)
Luchino Visconti (Il gattopardo)

Cast Ensemble

8½
The Great Escape
Il gattopardo
Ta Kokkina fanaria
Tom Jones

Actress

Brigitte Bardot (Le Mépris)
Tzeni Karezi (Ta Kokkina fanaria)
Anna Karina (Le Petit Soldat)
Shirley MacLaine (Irma la Douce)
Natalie Wood (Love with the Proper Stranger)

Motion Picture

8½ (Federico Fellini) Italy / France
Billy Liar (John Schlesinger) UK
The Birds (Alfred Hitchcock) USA
El verdugo (Luis García Berlanga) Spain / Italy
The Great Escape (John Sturges) USA
Il gattopardo (Luchino Visconti) Italy
Le Mépris (Jean-Luc Godard) France / Italy
Le Petit Soldat (Jean-Luc Godard) France
Nattvardsgästerna (Ingmar Bergman) Sweden
Ta Kokkina fanaria (Vasilis Georgiadis) Greece

The year of Claudia Cardinale. And of course the flourish of excellence in European cinema continues in fine style. Leave your comments below on your thoughts on the film year of 1963.

WANTED: Unpaid But Passionate Film Writers

I guess by now most of you are aware of the new name and layout of the site. A site that has been running since 2014, striving to shine bright lights across the alternative corners of the film world. And of course I want to keep building on that, this site really must greater than it already is. The re-branding / name change was a huge step, and will be following that momentum.

Who Am I Looking For?

Film writers.
Film lovers.
That are passionate, hard-working, creative.
That can commit to writing without a pay check.
With no limitations or contract to what or when you write.
The roles are flexible.

What Content?

Focus of Filmotomy has several strands, including:
female filmmakers
people of color
LGBT cinema
independent film
documentaries
short films
the vastness of world cinema.
What also is to be covered is the regular parts of cinema, like:
trailers
film news
awards announcements
reviews etc.

What Else Is Involved?

At times there’s be deadlines to meet.
But also, skills taught and / or utilized, including:
embedding videos
formatting articles
writing and editing text
adding images
scheduling posts.
More importantly perhaps, a high level of communication, as well as a deft hand with social media – primarily Twitter and Facebook.
Participating in larger projects, interviews, podcast episodes may be offered.

What Else Do You Want To Know?

Please comment below or get in touch via the Contact tab at the top of the page if you have any questions, ideas, general chit-chat, and of course want to help me grow this site by writing about what you love. Either you or someone you know. I’m also available for far too much time via Twitter @Filmotomy.

Reading, Writing, Arithmetic #34

What we have here are a fine set of entertainment links. Most are fairly recent, one advocates one of my favorite movies of the last year, an actress who has earned high praise over and over, as well as a couple of clicks away from a podcast with an Emmy winner, and the prospects of women directors heading into the Oscars race. So, seven links, check each one out right now.

Divines director Houda Benyamina: ‘It’s better to make a film than a bomb’ – Steve Rose, The Guardian

It’s Time To Give Mia Wasikowska The Recognition She Deserves – Sinead McCausland, Film School Rejects

Vague Visages Is FilmStruck: Jeremy Carr on François Truffaut’s ‘Shoot the Piano Player’ – Jeremy Carr, Vague Visages

Reed Morano on Directing the First Three Episodes of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ – Jennifer Vineyard, The New York Times

‘Awards Chatter’ Podcast — Elisabeth Moss (‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ – Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter

Oscarwatch: Six Women in the Best Director Race – Can Even One Make the Cut? – Sasha Stone, Awards Daily

A Brief History of Films More Frightening and Bizarre Than ‘Mother!’ – Adam Nayman, The Ringer

As always let’s hear your thoughts on these great links in the comments below.

Genre Blast: Period Films – It’s All in the Detail

There’s a clichéd image that immediately pops into mind when someone mentions “period” films, but there’s more to this genre than hoop skirts chandeliers and knick-knacks. Art directors and costume designers deservedly get immediate attention, but the goal of a worthy period film is to capture not only the sights and sounds of a bygone time, but to immerse one in the speech rhythms, morals and attitudes, as well as suggest the touch of a glove or the atmosphere of a room. One should be able to imagine all five senses at work, to be there, in another world, totally immersed and removed from modern life happening away from the screen.

It’s a challenge – avoiding anachronisms – including language and manners, capturing the way people might have interacted with each other. In addition, buildings that didn’t exist at the time the story takes place must be scrubbed along with making sure there are no antennas or sports cars parked in the background. The lighting has to be right, the food served epoch-appropriate, and societal hierarchy and protocol accurate.

There are some great films that translate their period perfectly simply because they were made during that period- those are not what I’m looking for here. To qualify, the creation must be of another time and place, always in the past (otherwise we’re heading into invalidated sci-fi territory), and do what films are supposed to do; that is, pluck us from our known reality and drop us into a detailed foreign era to experience life as it once was lived.

Here are five that succeed on every level, so faithful and detailed to the eras they portray that you feel that you’re there:

Age of Innocence – Martin Scorsese (1993)

Rigid does not begin to describe the traditional life of New York’s upper crust in the late 19^th Century. Scorsese envelopes us with detail, physical and moral, of all that is expected from inhabitants of the so-called Gilded Age. From the precision setting of a dining table at the opening of the film to the perceived chaos caused by an engaged lawyer’s infatuation with a divorced countess, the story unfolds through gossip, letters delivered, and social events attended. It’s an adjustment for iGen audiences who simply tweet what they think, but this was life in the pressure cooker of genteel living. It’s interesting to note that Scorsese’s Gangs of New York takes place around the same time and provides night and day contrast between the haves and have-nots. Hypnotic and surprisingly sexually charged.

Boogie Nights – Paul Thomas Anderson (1997)

Risking whiplash, we move to the Seventies where self-control went through the window, along with décor and fashion sense. PTA uses the porn industry to illustrate the hedonism that the age of peace and love morphed into, and it works perfectly. This was a period of flared pants (except at the constricting crotch), platform shoes, prolific drug use and XXX films playing in regular movie houses. Anderson captures the era perfectly in his pacing, soundtrack and “what the f**k does it look like I’m doin” attitude. Also consider the cast, mostly unknown except for “Marky Mark” in his screen lead debut as Dirk Diggler, who are now on the acting A-list. This makes viewing the film again all the more fun. By the way, Julianne Moore was robbed of a Supporting Oscar for her complex portrayal of porn queen, Amber Waves (love it).

Mon Oncle Antoine – Claude Jutra (1971)

This is rural Quebec in the throes of social change in 1949, known as the Quiet Revolution, when everything from the Church to politicians were scrutinized and summarily ignored in the attempt of cultural self-preservation. Jutra’s film portrays the event by way of a small town on the verge of a miner’s strike, and his skillful illustration of that microcosm is the reason his film consistently lands in the first position of the best of Canadian cinema. As a matter of fact, the environment onscreen is so authentic and effective, you may need to turn off the air conditioning and put on a jacket. Criterion wisely released a collector’s edition several years ago. Find it.

Barry Lyndon – Stanley Kubrick (1975)

When they told Kubrick that one could not film using just candlelight, he obviously thought, “Just watch me,” and the 18^th Century Europe never looked more authentic. Or sumptuous. His take on Thackeray’s satirical novel of an Irish hothead on the social climb for revenge is far more serious than the book, but I’m assuming Kubrick didn’t want to remake Tom Jones. What we have is visually and aurally heavenly. The film was under-appreciated during its initial release, but has since been cited increasingly as Kubrick’s most perfect film. As usual, his selections for the soundtrack, a huge hit all on its own at the time, are spot-on.

Far From Heaven – Todd Haynes (2002)

Todd Haynes scores a knockout with his Sirkian Fifties drama that addresses race, sexual orientation and gender inequality all wrapped–up in the Mid-Century Modern décor. The suburbs had just emerged as the ideal way to live and raise a family, but redesigning the clothing and furniture was an easier task than accepting more progressive and accepting ideals. Cathy Whitaker – Julianne Moore, yessir, robbed again of a Best Actress Oscar – and her husband, Frank (Dennis Quaid) have made it to the pinnacle of 50s successful living when a series of personal events shatters the local etiquette. It’s a stunning Fifties-style melodrama that seizes one like quicksand, and when we emerge at the end, we realize the matters of the heart that caused their downfall have, mostly, yet to be resolved completely to this day. Heavenly on the surface, but far from heaven, indeed.

Note to readers: I have about ten more genres upcoming, including Fantasy, Horror, LitFlicks and the Supernatural. If you have any suggestions on a topic you might want explored, please comment below. I’ll happily take on any challenge.

 

 

Darren Aronofsky’s Mother! Proves To Polarize With Its Ambiguity

So many things to say about Darren Aronofsky’s new film, Mother!. First, I want to express that I really liked it. It’s scary, intense, emotional, frenetic, and ambiguous, which I think might be its greatest strength. For most of the film, it has rising and falling tension, but never becomes more than what the average viewer can handle. But then it does… Let me explain.

The plot of Mother! is fairly simple and straightforward. It is about Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem, who live in an isolated house that has multiple floors with multiple areas in the house that play a part in the story. They seem like a happy couple, but we aren’t told much about them, other than they are married, he’s a writer who has writer’s block, and she’s fixing up the house.

Then one day a mysterious man shows up at their front door, a man played by Ed Harris. He’s there for an unknown reason, but we later learn that he is 1, a doctor, and 2, a big fan of Bardem’s writing. He makes Lawrence uncomfortable when he stays the night – especially when we see that he gets ill and Bardem has to take care of him in a reversal of roles.

The next day however he seems perfectly fine, and then suddenly another mysterious person shows up at their door. It is Harris’ wife, played by Michelle Pfeiffer, and she from moment one seems up to something. In the next 20 minutes, we don’t learn much about her, but we do see her really pry into Jennifer Lawrence’s relationship with her husband, and what may be really going on with why their having marital issues. These moments are really uncomfortable for all the right reasons, but later on seems like a harbinger for what’s coming.

All the while that Harris and Pfeiffer are there, Lawrence is seeing creepy things going on physically with the house. Almost like either a telepathy or some unexplained insight. She sees visions happening inside the walls. This will come around again.

So far I was very much enjoying the film’s narrative, but also trying to figure out what all of it means, and what is going to happen. What does happen is all the more intense and satisfying than what I was predicting. There is a fight between real life brothers Brian and Domhnall Gleeson which turns deadly. Then there is a bunch of guests that show up unannounced, and from Lawrence’s perspective, unwelcome. The bad part is that her husband Bardem is the one who IS welcoming and wanting them to stay, because in his words, it is helping him to be more creative – and also because he wants to bring life into the house.

After the gnarly party, she and her husband have it out and then have sex. The next morning, she realizes (already) that she’s pregnant, and he gets very excited and starts writing. His writer’s block is completely cured, and he doesn’t even bother to get dressed. This is the point, after this moment, when the shit really starts to hit the proverbial fan. Adoring fans mixed with some criminals and then the police start to riot inside the house, and at the center of all of it is Jennifer Lawrence trying to keep the house intact, and stop things from getting out of hand, to no avail. The last part of the story I will leave for you to think about if you are reading this and have not seen it. And even if you have.

I think the film is an allegory for several ideas. The idea of Motherhood is front and center, but also what Jennifer Lawrence is as a whole to her husband, her child, and lastly her house. But here is my other thought. The poem that her husband writes is what then happens after that leading all the way up to the end. Did it really happen, or was it all a fantasy?? Did ANY of the story really happen, or was it all made up in the mind of an unknown character? I do believe that no matter what, this film is fantasy, because so much of what happens doesn’t feel real and is meant not to be taken literally, but more as a meaning for life and the world we live in. I don’t know the mind of Darren Aronofsky, but he’s for sure getting at something with this film. I don’t think we’re meant to know fully, and I like that. The more ambiguous it is, the better.

One last thought I have is that right when the film ended, the people in the row sitting in front of me were pretty negative on it, and in fact, one person even said, “I didn’t get any of it. That was the worst film I have ever seen.”. I got pretty mad about this, and took it personally as a film lover that someone would be so lazy to just conclude that a film is bad because it wasn’t easily digestible. I think this film is completely meant to make a person think long after they see it, question what was going on, come up with some theories, and then form an opinion.

I have even seen people say they don’t recommend people go see it. I get frustrated by that. Why would you tell a person NOT to see a film?? Instead, tell them to go see it and then come back with an opinion. That is the whole reason besides pure enjoyability to go out and see films in the first place. We’re meant to share them with each other and to have a discourse about them. Dissect them and watch them again and again. Here ends my rant. Thank you for listening.

Podcast: Where Roommates Predict The Emmys And Review IT

The world of film takes a backseat for part of this podcast as roommates Al Robinson and Julia Lee Bertram give us their take on the main Emmys category predictions – and we can compare the choices with those over at ADTV. Al and Julia then discuss their recent viewing of IT.

What are your Emmys predictions? Have you seen IT yet? Comment below. 

Masterpiece Memo: Maya Deren’s Meshes Of The Afternoon

If I were female, Maya Deren would be my heroine for all time. Scratch that, the pioneer’s legacy in the film world is a landmark of inspiration and adoration for all, regardless of gender, of occupation, of time. Deren’s imprint on the history of cinema is likely too vast and layered to do it justice in a mere think piece. Analysis of the female filmmaker portion of cinema’s lifespan has to incorporate Miss Deren someplace or other. Her artistic, forward-thinking, deep-dwelling mind, intent, and raw skill, pretty much transcends the visual medium as much as it magnificently magnifies it.

 

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Born Eleanora Derenkowskaia on April 29th 1917, Maya Deren was a Russian-American film nut, who as a young, free spirit, spend her inheritance on a second-hand 16mm camera. With the help of that new contraption, she woud sore off into the headspace of celluloid, becoming one of the most instrumental American filmmakers. Ever. Experimental. A woman. An entrepreneur. Fast-baller of avant-garde movement at that time (1940s and so on). Wow, that’s a cluster of impressive mantels. Hold on, Deren was also a talented choreographer, a dancer, a life-long student of film, a teacher of film, a poet, a writer, a keen photographer, and a film director of course.

I’m not in denial, but a little reluctant to delve into Deren’s death at the ripe age of 44. Nor do I require an explanation for such a mournful milestonee. Medication, brain hemorrhage, seveere malnutrition, the fatal exploration of film’s endless possibilities. Deren is not really gone, she is very much still with us, the abstract marvel of her work lives on. Her longing for the liberation of independent cinema over the often compromising, political, money-mad landscape of Hollywood, is a vital message that rings very, very true today – over 75 years on.

 

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Deren’s most renowned film, and her debut I might add, Meshes of the Afternoon, a collaboration with then husband Alexander Hammid in 1943, even opens with a title card stating “Hollywood”. Take that as you will, a dedication, a setting, a great irony. Meshes of the Afternoon is a 14 minute splendor, a dream-like, nightmarish stream of consciousness. Just ask Luis Buñuel, or Jean Cocteau, or David Lynch, what they took from Deren’s artistry. Here she creates an experience (a primary focus for Deren) that is super-dynamic, as well as rather surreal and perceptual.

In Meshes of the Afternoon, Deren’s female protagonist is a rather anonymous figure, you, the audience, determine the iconic status somewhere in your deep, deep mind. The camera seems to keep her face from us for a noteworthy part of the short film, but Meshes of the Afternoon remains an exclusively female experience, whatever the visuals branch out at in your own interpretative scope. And when Deren does show her face, a striking visage with that big coiled hair, an extra dimension enters your psyche, as aesthetic, enigmatic appearance. Thus, the confrontation of identity results in varying and violent impulses, documenting a film noir, melodrama hybrid.

 

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There’s also the recurring silhouette of the woman, almost an entity in itself, and more direct self-aware moments, including when the woman is touching her body – a whiff of sensual redemption or at least recovery and self-appreciation. As Deren effortlessly merges the seemingly real with the dreamlike elements, filmmaking and story-telling boundaries are both pushed and invented. The visual language and sheer imagination are on the screen to see, and be in awe of. Stylistic bookmarks, like the disorientating staircase, or the feminine evocation of flowers (and masculine oppression), have been stamped to death in cinema, but still remain fresh here.

Themes of mortality, ambiguity, and identity are channeled also through the power of rhythmic movement. Deren herself was a dancer, and her elegant motions as she almost glides and bends with such poise and grace, are perfectly fitting with the eerie tone, and also the film’s abstract magnetism. Deren was one of the only female filmmakers working in the film industry at the time, and was instrumental in a kind of film technique handbook, a far-reaching cinematic innovation – albeit on the side of surrealism. The filmmaker’s clear sense of direction and purpose through artistic expression made her stand out among the [male] crowd.

 

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As Deren’s character gazes through the window, desperate to get a good look at the reaper figure dashing off, she is almost a spectator to the events. Message! The emergence of the multiple selves, as when there are three identical women sitting at the table, ignites even more overwhelming and confusing emotions and meaning. The sinister Deren, in a pair of bulbous glasses, is thoroughly chilling, swinging the picture into its gruesome end. Haunting the viewer with the culmination, Deren depicts a rich set of anxieties all the while rummaging through yours.

I will remain to be astonished by Meshes of the Afternoon with every viewing (I have lost count). The vivid cinematography, meticulous editing (and jump cuts), the experimenting with exposures, motion, and the capturing of discontinued space – the feet stepping onto sand, then grass, pavement, then rug is sheer brilliance. Deren, with this 14 minute masterpiece, demonstrates the ability to tap into the human mind, and realms of the unconscious, marking this as, among other things, simultaneously intense and gratifying. An essential chunk of cinema for all.

Film Honors: 1999

My own personal choices for the year. They reflect not just necessarily what I think is the best or essential cinema, but perhaps resonate with me or inspire, both at the time, and still today. Subject to alter choices if new viewings are worthy enough. Other published Film Honors posts can be found at the menu at the top of the page.

Screenwriting Original

Pedro Almodóvar (Todo sobre mi madre)
Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia)
Alan Ball (American Beauty)
Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich)
Lynne Ramsay (Ratcatcher)

Screenwriting Adapted

Atom Egoyan (Felicia’s Journey)
Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor (Election)
Eric Roth, Michael Mann (The Insider)
Patricia Rozema (Mansfield Park)
Jim Uhls (Fight Club)

Costume Designing

An Ideal Husband
Mansfield Park
Sleepy Hollow
Titus
Topsy-Turvy

Set Designing

An Ideal Husband
Mansfield Park
The Matrix
Sleepy Hollow
Topsy-Turvy

Actor Support

Michael Caine (The Cider House Rules)
Chris Cooper (American Beauty)
Tom Cruise (Magnolia)
John Malkovich (Being John Malkovich)
Bill Murray (Rushmore)

Sound Designing

Fight Club
The Matrix
Sleepy Hollow
Three Kings
Toy Story 2

Actress Support

Lara Belmont (The War Zone)
Cameron Diaz (Being John Malkovich)
Angelina Jolie (Girl, Interrupted)
Catherine Keener (Being John Malkovich)
Julianne Moore (Magnolia)

Score Composing

Jon Brion (Magnolia)
Lisa Gerrard, Pieter Bourke (The Insider)
Thomas Newman (American Beauty)
Thomas Newman (The Green Mile)
Rachel Portman (The Cider House Rules)

Directing

Pedro Almodóvar (Todo sobre mi madre)
Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia)
Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne (Rosetta)
David Fincher (Fight Club)
Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich)

Cinematography

Yorgos Arvanitis, Andreas Sinanos (Mia aioniotita kai mia mera)
Robert Elswit (Magnolia)
Conrad L. Hall (American Beauty)
Emmanuel Lubezki (Sleepy Hollow)
Dante Spinotti (The Insider)

Picture Editing

Fight Club
The Insider
The Matrix
Lola rennt
Todo sobre mi madre

Special Effects

The Matrix
The Mummy
The Phantom Menace
Sleepy Hollow
Stuart Little

Cast Ensemble

Eyes Wide Shut
Magnolia
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Three Kings
Toy Story 2

Actor Lead

Russell Crowe (The Insider)
Matt Damon (The Talented Mr. Ripley)
Edward Norton (Fight Club)
Kevin Spacey (American Beauty)
Denzel Washington (The Hurricane)

Actress Lead

Annette Bening (American Beauty)
Émilie Dequenne (Rosetta)
Cecilia Roth (Todo sobre mi madre)
Hilary Swank (Boys Don’t Cry)
Reese Witherspoon (Election)

Motion Picture

American Beauty (Sam Mendes) USA
Being John Malkovich (Spike Jonze) USA
Fight Club (David Fincher) USA / Germany
The Insider (Michael Mann) USA
Lola rennt (Tom Tykwer) Germany
Magnolia (Paul Thomas Anderson) USA
The Matrix (Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski) USA / Australia 
Mia aioniotita kai mia mera (Theodoros Angelopoulos) Greece
Rosetta (Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne) France / Belgium
Todo sobre mi madre (Pedro Almodóvar) Spain

A real mixed bag of movies to close out the century, and a much greater showing for English-language films – scroll to the comments section below and share your thoughts of 1999.

Film Honors: 1998

My own personal choices for the year. They reflect not just necessarily what I think is the best or essential cinema, but perhaps resonate with me or inspire, both at the time, and still today. Subject to alter choices if new viewings are worthy enough. Other published Film Honors posts can be found at the menu at the top of the page.

Picture Editing

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Out of Sight
Ringu
Saving Private Ryan
The Thin Red Line

Cast Ensemble

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Out of Sight
Saving Private Ryan
Shakespeare in Love
The Thin Red Line

Special Effects

Armageddon
Deep Impact
Godzilla
Ringu
What Dreams May Come

Actress Support

Brenda Blethyn (Little Voice)
Shim Eun-ha (Palwolui Keuriseumaseu)
Laura Linney (The Truman Show)
Julianne Moore (The Big Lebowski)
Lynn Redgrave (Gods and Monsters)

Actor Support

Michael Caine (Little Voice)
John Goodman (The Big Lebowski)
Ed Harris (The Truman Show)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (Happiness)
Billy Bob Thornton (A Simple Plan)

Cinematography

Remi Adefarasin (Elizabeth)
Ebrahim Ghafori (Sokout)
Janusz Kaminski (Saving Private Ryan)
John Lindley (Pleasantville)
John Toll (The Thin Red Line)

Score Composing

John Barry (Playing by Heart)
Randy Newman (Pleasantville)
Thomas Newman (The Horse Whisperer)
Thomas Newman (Meet Joe Black)
Hans Zimmer (The Thin Red Line)

Sound Designing

Armageddon
Deep Impact
Mulan
Saving Private Ryan
The Thin Red Line

Screenwriting Original

Hal Hartley (Henry Fool)
Andrew Niccol (The Truman Show)
Marc Norman, Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare in Love)
Guy Ritchie (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels)
Whit Stillman (The Last Days of Disco)

Screenwriting Adapted

Frank Cottrell Boyce (Hilary and Jackie)
Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters)
Scott Frank (Out of Sight)
Mark Herman (Little Voice)
Scott B. Smith (A Simple Plan)

Set Designing

Elizabeth
Hai shang hua
The Mask of Zorro
Saving Private Ryan
Shakespeare in Love

Costume Designing

Elizabeth
Hai shang hua
Oscar and Lucinda
Shakespeare in Love
Velvet Goldmine

Directing

Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line)
Mohsen Makhmalbaf (Sokout)
Samira Makhmalbaf (Sib)
Steven Spielberg (Saving Private Ryan)
Peter Weir (The Truman Show)

Actor Lead

Jim Carrey (The Truman Show)
Han Suk-kyu (Palwolui Keuriseumaseu)
Ian McKellen (Gods and Monsters)
Peter Mullan (My Name is Joe)
Edward Norton (American History X)

Actress Lead

Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth)
Élodie Bouchez (La vie rêvée des anges)
Jane Horrocks (Little Voice)
Fernanda Montenegro (Central Station)
Emily Watson (Hilary and Jackie)

Motion Picture

Central do Brasil (Walter Salles) Brazil / France
La vita è bella (Roberto Benigni) Italy
Out of Sight (Steven Soderbergh) USA
Palwolui Keuriseumaseu (Hur Jin-ho) South Korea
Saving Private Ryan (Steven Spielberg) USA
Sib (Samira Makhmalbaf) Iran
Sokout (Mohsen Makhmalbaf) Iran, Tajikistan, France
Ta’m e guilass (Abbas Kiarostami) Iran
The Thin Red Line (Terrence Malick) USA
The Truman Show (Peter Weir) USA

A diverse selection again, but even with the array of films from around the world, the English language movies dominated the wins. Comment below with your thoughts on 1998.

‘I’m Not Ashamed’ Review: Pandering For Jesus (And Columbine)

On April 20, 1999, two high school seniors, Eric Harris and Dyland Klebold, opened fire on the grounds of Columbine High School, killing twelve students and one teacher, in addition to injuring twenty-one students as a few tried to escape the chaos happening in real-time, before they turned the gun on themselves. The attack is widely considered to be the most horrific and deadly school shooting in the history of the U.S. (up until the mass shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2015) and spawned a vigorous and contentious debate revolving around a simple and difficult question in the months after the tragedy: why did they do it?

In the years after the event, we’re seen filmmakers try to tackle this distressing and disturbing material, as well as to try to ask this fundamental question, which is still up for debate, even to this very day. Late last year Pure Flix Entertainment decided to wade into this territory with their take on the tragedy with I’m Not Ashamed, dealing with the life of one of the first victims of the massacre: Rachel Joy Scott.

For those of you who aren’t familiar: Pure Flix is a studio devoted to making faith-based pictures, featuring actors and actresses you’ve probably forgotten about, from Kevin Sobro to Melissa Joan Hart. They’re also the studio that made two of the dumbest, most insufferable films of the last 15 years: one in the form of right-wing religious propaganda in God’s Not Dead; the other being an infuriating romance drama called Old Fashioned, the latter being so awful, I found it difficult to even make a review out of it. As someone who has experience in witnessing some of their works, I feared the absolute worst. Subtly, restraint and exploring complex themes are not tools in the studio’s toolbox, and I feel that’s what needs to be required in telling the sobering account of a dark day in American history.

Let’s just say, they actually surprised me in focusing on Rachel (Masey McLain) as a regular high school student – she had friends, went to parties, drank underage and smoked cigarettes, all while fretting about her identity and what she wants to do once she graduates. Rachel is a Christian in relapse, until she is sent to visit her aunt Bea (Koire Robertson – yes, from Duck Dynasty) on her farm, and becomes a born-again believer; much to the displeasure of her secularist friends and potential crush, Alex (Cameron McKendry), the more and more she becomes outspoken about her faith. This being a biopic on the short life of Scott, there’s much debate on the final moments where Eric asks her if she’s a Christian, her saying that she is, and then telling her to go be with him before he kills her. I don’t know if this part actually happened, and frankly, the only people who know what were said is the victim and her killer, but in the context of how the filmmakers present Rachel as something as a modern-day martyr who would not deny her faith at gunpoint, the effect comes off as one of the most exploitative and mildly tasteless biopics this side of the notorious John Belushi biopic Wired.

And yet…..I’m Not Ashamed isn’t fully the disaster I thought it would be, and I feel that’s in large part to the performance of McLain. She capture’s Rachel’s generosity, her kind-spirit and a desire to be a force for good in the world. You generally feel sadness that the life of such a beautiful & caring young woman was cut short by the actions of two extremely disturbed young men, and the naturalistic approach to her performance at times, negates the sledgehammer-like pounding the filmmakers harp on about how her faith is being tested. Another rarity in a Pure Flix movie (or any faith-heavy movie in general) is seeing a character of Christian faith who actually practices what the gospel preaches she does: she helps a homeless youth, shows kindness and compassion towards everyone, including her bullied peers, and doesn’t pass judgement on people she doesn’t know. As someone who’s sat through insulting, patronizing shite like God’s Not Dead and Last Ounce of Courage, it’s refreshing to see a character that doesn’t walk around with a persecution complex.

Despite a fine performance by Maisey McLain, as Rachel Joy Scott, the same can’t be said about how the film defines Eric and Dylan, or the lack of one. As I said before, there are numerous accounts – from the journals of the killers, to their acquaintances and friends, to professors in mental health – which attempt to uncover the motivations of the two shooters, but the filmmakers don’t take an interest is finding out what made them commit such a heinous act of violence, outside of the two enjoying playing violent video games and being interested in Hitler’s Mein Kampf and the belief of natural selection. I understand not wanting to glorify or condone the actions of Harris and Klebold, but blanketing their actions as under what they were reading, playing and not being religious is just as disingenuous and it highlights a lack of insight into the two disturbed gunmen who are just as pivotal in the tragedy of Columbine as Rachel herself was.

I’m Not Ashamed isn’t a good movie. It’s too sentimental, it foreshadows the looming tragedy like a brick to the face, and it preaches to it’s evangelical Christian demographic early and often; in addition, the film tries to paint its heroine as a martyr who died because she refused to forsake her beliefs in the face of adversity and in death, which I felt was spectacularly ill-advised in a film dealing with the Columbine massacre. Yet, the nuanced and graceful portrayal of Scott by its star occasionally raises the uneasy feeling that the filmmakers simply told this story to advance this victim complex narrative that Christians are under attack by secular forces. If you’re looking for insight on the tragedy, you’re better off watching Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine or the 2003 Palme d’Or winner Elephant, by Gus Van Sant, not this near exploitative pandering.

Woo L.A. Podcast # 8 – Goodbye Summer Cinema, Hello Fall Films

I sit out podcast number 8 with prior film-related engagements – and looks like I missed a 3 hour epic. The line-up itself is impressive, with regular host Al joined by his buddies Julia and Eric, with semi-regulars Jonathan, Joel, and Daniel along for the ride. It is a change of season of course, sun into wind, blockbusters into awards, and that’s whats on the table today. What really is the worst film so far this year? Is Get Out going into the critics awards with a winning run? Can Wonder Woman make the Best Picture 5? Let’s hear it.

The comments are open below for you to chat away about what you liked or disliked over the summer, and what you are excited about in the last chapter of the year. Also feel free to comment on the podcast itself.

 

Why It Is Important To Have A Femme Filmmakers Festival

I recently began writing my first screenplay. My story, which centers on a male protagonist, is not only something I love to tell, but I’ve never had more fun writing anything in my life… that was, until I started developing the main female protagonist. I approached her first scene-stealing moment filled with excitement, but almost immediately hit a road block. I remember blushing at her first real quip, scrolling back to the top of the screenplay for edits, and then walking away when I got back to her scene. I couldn’t figure it out at first, as I’ve loved this character ever since I first came up with her. After going on a binge-watching spree of female-centered films and TV shows, however, I finally understood.

Despite my hard-standing feminism, my pride (merited or not) in my writing, and dedication to multiculturalism, I’ve realized I’m still filled with a sense of panic when it is time to express my femininity, either through myself or a character I’m creating. In a way, I created an impasse in my script by imbuing it too much in my reality; that is, in real life, I’m used to being shamed or censured for asserting myself as a woman, but I was struggling to write a character who refused to let that be a barrier in her life in the manner that it is indisputably in mine.

The solution for my script was simple: either make the woman more conforming to a male-dominated society, or for lack of better phrase, “go off script” and make her even stronger. I’m happy to say I went with the second option, though not without some insecurity. After all, I can’t shake the fact that for all my feminism, I still started my first story feeling more comfortable focusing the movie on a conflicted man rather than a strong woman.

This is one of the many ways that female filmmaking is hard. There are countless external barriers – misogyny, sexist agendas, endless waves of sexual harassment, constricted social norms, double standards, and that gosh darn glass ceiling. There are also financial barriers, like the wage gap or myth that women can’t sell a movie. But before you even face those, you have to make women exist in cinema in the first place—you have to create women worth watching.

Every character is born on a blank page coming from the worldview of the person writing on it, and likely every woman’s worldview is impacted in some way by the aforementioned barriers. This creates internal barriers, like internalized sexism, fear of violating gender norms, and conflicting feelings on stale-yet-comfortable female archetypes.

So, when a great film involving fabulous femmes comes together, whether it is written by, directed by, or starring a woman in a leading role, it isn’t just an accomplishment of overcoming the external barriers, but of pushing through the internal ones – AKA all the wrong lessons gendered social norming pushes on women from the moment they embody their selected gender identity. My newfound experience in screenwriting thus far has shown me exactly how deep down those internal barriers can be.

This is what makes the Femme Filmmakers Festival that much more special – it celebrates exceptional film made by women, but it is also a celebration of female tenacity, bravery, and confidence. In a current Hollywood climate characterized by a shifting landscape of feminism in film, it is exciting to see what this festival will look like in the upcoming years. For now, I think everyone can say with confidence that Hollywood may be a “Man’s World,” but the females in it are both fiercer and fabulous.

 

Anna Kerrigan And Minhal Baig Dominate Roll Of Honor At Femme Filmmakers Festival

Well, the four other members of the jury and I debated over the eight short films in the ten categories as described in the prior post – and here are the announcements. The two big winners were Anna Kerrigan, who wrote and directed Hot Seat, and Minhal Baig, writer- director of Hala (Baig also had After Sophie in the official selection). “Hala is incredibly sensual and intimate.” one jury member praised. And another chipped in with “Hot Seat is all about flicking to the reactions at bang on the right moment.”. A special thanks to Justine, Hayley, Bailey, and Bee, who reveled in the choices rather than agonized. Here are the winners in full:

Outstanding Mixed Media & Visual Design
Neil Easton, Dean Frater, Peregrine McCafferty, Philippe Medina, Maïckel Pasta, Ricardo Thiele, Mario Ucci (Strange Beasts)

Outstanding Short Film Editing
Jarrah Gurrie (Hot Seat)

Outstanding Cinematography
Benji Dell (Hala)

Outstanding Short Film Writing
Anna Kerrigan (Hot Seat)

Outstanding Original Music
Ali Helnwein (After Sophie)

Outstanding Short Film Directing
Minhal Baig (Hala)

Outstanding Male Performance
Byron Quiros (Hot Seat)

Outstanding Female Performance
Tess Granfield (Hala)

Outstanding Short Film Grand Prize
Hot Seat (Anna Kerrigan)

The Maya Deren Innovation For Short Films Prize
Minhal Baig – for writing and directing two outstanding short films, Hala and After Sophie, with Pretext coming next. Baig also had a feature film, One Night, released in the last year. An extremely talented filmmaker on this evidence, we look forward to more.

Femme Filmmakers Festival 2017: Roll Of Honor

To close this magnificent #FemmeFilmFest I have assembled a small jury of film-lovers to honor a select few of these outstanding new short films. There are 5 of us in the jury, who will contest on the official selection and come to a (very difficult) decision as the top merit in each of the 10 categories. There’s no big ceremony in a swish theater (I don’t think), and no physical, gold plaque – just the immense admiration and gratitude of genuine loves of film.

Obviously not all films features at the Femme Filmmakers Festival are new releases, only those shorts from the last year (2016/17) are chosen for selection here – there 8 of them. I personally want to give a huge, huge shout out to those other short films, some true gems I will not forget, and will continue to scream about. Oscar winner Torill Kove, the unique talents of Mary Neely, Jennifer Reeder, Meghann Artes, Lisa Hammer, Billimarie Robinson, and showcasing today the brilliant Katina Mercadant and Chelsea Christer. And so many I haven’t mentioned. They all deserve a prize.

Here are the 8 short films in competition for the Femme Filmmakers Festival 2017:

Hala (2016) – Minhal Baig – 14 mins

Fangirl (2016) – Liza Mandelup – 5 mins

3-Way (Not Calling) (2016) – Molly McGlynn – 11 mins

Tinder Will Understand (2016) – Sofija Sztepanov – 5 mins

I Just Said That (2017) – Stefanie Davis – 3 mins

After Sophie (2017) – Minhal Baig – 9 mins

Hot Seat (2017) – Anna Kerrigan – 13 mins

Strange Beasts (2017) – Magali Barbe – 6 mins

Total running time: 66 mins

Here are the 10 categories (fiction, animation, non-fiction):

Outstanding Mixed Media & Visual Design
Outstanding Short Film Editing
Outstanding Cinematography
Outstanding Short Film Writing
Outstanding Original Music
Outstanding Short Film Directing
Outstanding Male Performance
Outstanding Female Performance
The Maya Deren Innovation For Short Films Prize
Outstanding Short Film Grand Prize

And finally, the jury is:

Robin Write – #FemmeFilmFest Founder and Film Writer

Justine Peres Smith – Freelance Film and Culture Writer

Hayley Moss – Film and TV Composer

Bailey HoldenBailey Holden – Filmmaker and Writer

Bee Garner – Feminist and Film Nut

Please comment below with your choices, we would be delighted to hear your thoughts. Results announced 10pm London time.

 

 

 

Femme Filmmakers Festival 2017: Day Ten Program

Femme Filmmakers Festival — Day Ten Program — Sunday 10th September 2017

And there we have it. The final day of the Femme Filmmakers Festival has arrived – too soon, like a brilliant holiday that is almost over. These female filmmakers and their movies have thrilled me during these ten days – and I know many of you have also indulged in the marvels.

Thank you very much to all the people involved – film lovers, bloggers, journalists, writers, and of course directors. The links of all 30 short films will be still available until the close of the festival, so I implore you to get watching. Here is the remaining line-up:

THE SHORTS

Five (2015) – Katina Mercadante – 5 mins

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Chinti (2012) – Natalia Mirzoyan – 8 mins

* * * * *

Sierra (2013) – Chelsea Christer – 18 mins

* * * * *

THE FEATURES

Selma (2014) – Ava DuVernay – 128 mins

YouTube — Google Play — iTunes — Amazon USA — Amazon UK

* * * * *

Toit ni Loi / Vagabond (1985) – Agnès Varda – 105 mins

YouTube — Google Play — Amazon UK

* * * * *

Use the comments below to give us your take on the festival overall. What did you see? What was your favorite? And finally, be sure to check out the pages over at Facebook and Twitter.

Reading, Writing, Arithmetic #33

Agnès Varda. A name synonymous with a film revolution still, astonishingly, under-recognized. A name that reminds us of rich, fluent, and oh-so varied cinema. Stayed tuned for the remainder of the Femme Filmmakers Festival, Vagabond closes the the whole affair Sunday. Anyway, I’m only rippling the surface with the following links, but click away all the same.

Agnès Varda’s Art of Being There – Richard Brody – The New Yorker

Agnes Varda, Street-Artist JR on Cannes Documentary ‘Visages Villages’ – Leo Barraclough – Variety

Meet the first female director to get an honorary Oscar – BBC Entertainment & Art

La Pointe Courte: How Agnès Varda “Invented” the New Wave – Ginette Vincendeau – Criterion

Agnès Varda: Walking Backwards Moving Forwards – Robert Barry – The Quietus

Matter, Time, and the Digital: Varda’s The Gleaners and I – Homay King – Bryn Mawr College

And to close, here is a custom made playlist, nearly 4 hours of Agnès Varda interviews and behind the scenes footage from various sources and decades.

Cleo From 5 to 7 is showing on Day Nine, and Vagabond is showing on Day Ten of the Femme Filmmakers Festival.