Here is my annual Oscar picks (2004) and they are earlier than usual because I am going from the gut and seeing how I fare. I have not had the pleasure of seeing some of the acting and writing and tech categories. Apologies for missing out on Vera Drake, Lemony Snicket, Being Julia, Closer, and a couple others. I did see what I think will cop most of the major awards. Here are my picks in BOLD for the major categories. Enjoy the show on Sunday!
PICTURE-MILLION DOLLAR BABY is my heartfelt pick. The Aviator is the prestige pick but I feel momentum swing emotionally.
DIRECTOR-CLINT EASTWOOD should win for moving our souls. Martin Scorsese is deserving for The Aviator but I don' t think this will be his year.
ACTRESS-HILLARY SWANK in Million Dollar Baby proves she is no fluke. I understand Annette Bening for Being Julia and Imelda Staunton for Vera Drake are great but they get edged out.
ACTOR-JAMIE FOXX for Ray, period.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS- CATE BLANCHETT in The Aviator was a key factor in that movie. Virginia Madsen in Sideways was also crucial for that film. There could be a surprise category winner.
SUPPORTING ACTOR-MORGAN FREEMAN gets his due. Thomas Haden Church in Sideways doesn't quite make it.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY-ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND was bold and daring. Hotel Rwanda and The Aviator are strong contenders too.
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY-SIDEWAYS was a model of excellence. No competition here.
FOREIGN -THE SEA INSIDE should beat out The Chorus. Where the heck is House of Flying Daggers and Bad Education?
ANIMATED-THE INCREDIBLES, period.
CINEMATOGRAPHY-A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT was breath taking although The Aviator has a good shot.
EDITING-AVIATOR may nudge Million Dollar Baby out.
COSTUME DESIGN-LEMONY SNICKET could win but The Aviator is a distinct possibility.
VISUAL EFFECTS-SPIDERMAN 2 was so good, it ought to win.
ORIGINAL SCORE-FINDING NEVERLAND may get its only award here.
DOCUMENTARY-BORN INTO BROTHELS has been getting kudos but Super Size Me could be the popular upset.
(MOST AWARDS COULD BE MILLION DOLLAR BABY WITH FOUR OSCARS with The Aviator trialing or tying with one major award and the rest technical ones.)
Vertigo
Vertigo
Monday, February 21, 2005
Thursday, February 17, 2005
The Sea Inside explores humanity
Ramon Sampedro (Javier Bardem) was a man who had his whole life in front of him until a freak accident transformed him into a bed ridden quadriplegic whose lasting wish is to die with dignity. So begins a true story of an exceptional individual whose mission in life is thwarted and aided at various turns in The Sea Inside.
After nearly three decades of living as a physically inept victim of a diving accident, Ramon meets a lawyer who he hopes will help him win a court judgment to allow him death. His only stipulation is that the lawyer be afflicted with a degenerative condition if only to understand his similar plight. The lawyer, Julia (Belen Rueda), is physically crippled, but that does not prevent her from trying to help Ramon. In fact, the married lawyer comes to know her client as an intelligent, witty soul whose only misfortune is his lame body. She grows to love him through conversation and his poetry which will figure prominently as time progresses. At the same time, a local, single mother, Rosa (Lola Duenas), is attracted to Ramon from watching his television interviews. The two women have their own affections for Ramon, and through him, they are enlightened and rediscover their own purpose and feelings. This is a man who wishes to die, but he is clearly in full control of his mental faculties. Ramon has been nursed for years by his brother, sister-in law, and nephew. This is a family that loves and cares for their helpless kin and is torn by the notion that he wants to end his life. As court battles are appealed to the highest level, Ramon must decide if he is to take matters in his own hands and with the help of loved ones.
Director Alejandro Amenabar (The Others) has tackled a story that could have been utterly depressing and claustrophobic in its setting, but, instead, has depicted a compassionate study in dignity and truth. The difficulties in dealing with a controversial subject like euthanasia are dealt with in a well written script by Amenabar and Mateo Gil. In fact, the screenplay addresses the subject by contrasting Ramon’s choice as being his individual right even though he does not begrudge others in similar conditions who wish to live. He does not judge them just as they should not judge him. He even has his own means of escaping his empty existence by living out fantasies that carry him by flight to the beach where his life changed forever. It is the sea that begins and ends the film appropriately enough. The sea took away his life, and it is the sea into which he retreats. In these dreams of fancy, he can walk and even romance an unafflicted Julia. Reality and fantasy meld in ethereal imagery. It is fascinating throughout the film to observe the contrast of his middle aged form with his former, strikingly handsome, younger man. The film utilizes flashback cuts to great effect as it connects these moments. One instant, he is dreaming and the next he is drowning.
Javier Bardem (Before Night Falls, Collateral) is proving to be a chameleon of an actor as he is utterly convincing in his portrayal even in mimicking the warped physical state of Ramon’s body and its gnarled limbs. In any other year, he would rate an Oscar nomination. In fact a case could easily be made in a year deep with great male lead performances that an alternate list of nominees could have included Bardem, Kevin Spacey, Kevin Bacon, Paul Giamatti, and Liam Neeson. As his two female admirers, actresses Rueda and Duenas are quite good.
Although the film can never quite escape the limited theatrical nature of the plot, it does a good job of opening up the scenery and allowing its characters to grow. One may wish to learn more about Julia’s relationship with her husband, and perhaps a little more background on Ramon’s brother would have filled out the story better. There is also the feeling of inevitability given the story’s premise.
Audiences may not agree with the movie’s themes, but the film certainly earns a good deal of respect for its point of view. While some may be turned off, those who are curious about the subject matter or want to understand more about this real life person will find this to be a good character study about a man of conviction and the love that surrounded him. The Sea Inside is in Spanish with English subtitles.
*** of **** stars
After nearly three decades of living as a physically inept victim of a diving accident, Ramon meets a lawyer who he hopes will help him win a court judgment to allow him death. His only stipulation is that the lawyer be afflicted with a degenerative condition if only to understand his similar plight. The lawyer, Julia (Belen Rueda), is physically crippled, but that does not prevent her from trying to help Ramon. In fact, the married lawyer comes to know her client as an intelligent, witty soul whose only misfortune is his lame body. She grows to love him through conversation and his poetry which will figure prominently as time progresses. At the same time, a local, single mother, Rosa (Lola Duenas), is attracted to Ramon from watching his television interviews. The two women have their own affections for Ramon, and through him, they are enlightened and rediscover their own purpose and feelings. This is a man who wishes to die, but he is clearly in full control of his mental faculties. Ramon has been nursed for years by his brother, sister-in law, and nephew. This is a family that loves and cares for their helpless kin and is torn by the notion that he wants to end his life. As court battles are appealed to the highest level, Ramon must decide if he is to take matters in his own hands and with the help of loved ones.
Director Alejandro Amenabar (The Others) has tackled a story that could have been utterly depressing and claustrophobic in its setting, but, instead, has depicted a compassionate study in dignity and truth. The difficulties in dealing with a controversial subject like euthanasia are dealt with in a well written script by Amenabar and Mateo Gil. In fact, the screenplay addresses the subject by contrasting Ramon’s choice as being his individual right even though he does not begrudge others in similar conditions who wish to live. He does not judge them just as they should not judge him. He even has his own means of escaping his empty existence by living out fantasies that carry him by flight to the beach where his life changed forever. It is the sea that begins and ends the film appropriately enough. The sea took away his life, and it is the sea into which he retreats. In these dreams of fancy, he can walk and even romance an unafflicted Julia. Reality and fantasy meld in ethereal imagery. It is fascinating throughout the film to observe the contrast of his middle aged form with his former, strikingly handsome, younger man. The film utilizes flashback cuts to great effect as it connects these moments. One instant, he is dreaming and the next he is drowning.
Javier Bardem (Before Night Falls, Collateral) is proving to be a chameleon of an actor as he is utterly convincing in his portrayal even in mimicking the warped physical state of Ramon’s body and its gnarled limbs. In any other year, he would rate an Oscar nomination. In fact a case could easily be made in a year deep with great male lead performances that an alternate list of nominees could have included Bardem, Kevin Spacey, Kevin Bacon, Paul Giamatti, and Liam Neeson. As his two female admirers, actresses Rueda and Duenas are quite good.
Although the film can never quite escape the limited theatrical nature of the plot, it does a good job of opening up the scenery and allowing its characters to grow. One may wish to learn more about Julia’s relationship with her husband, and perhaps a little more background on Ramon’s brother would have filled out the story better. There is also the feeling of inevitability given the story’s premise.
Audiences may not agree with the movie’s themes, but the film certainly earns a good deal of respect for its point of view. While some may be turned off, those who are curious about the subject matter or want to understand more about this real life person will find this to be a good character study about a man of conviction and the love that surrounded him. The Sea Inside is in Spanish with English subtitles.
*** of **** stars
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
House of Flying Daggers is a colorful adventure
Love is the basis for the visually stunning epic, House of Flying Daggers. This beautifully shot tale of warriors and lovers is the latest from Chinese director, Yimou Zhang (Hero).
Set in 7th Century China as the Tang Dynasty was fading and the leadership was weak, a rebel alliance, House of Flying Daggers, is battling the deputies of the government. Jin, one of those deputies, is sent by his fellow deputy, Leo, to investigate a local brothel for a connection to the traitors. There, he finds Mei, a blind songstress who has a remarkable talent with athleticism and even martial arts acumen. Mei is not who she appears to be, and upon her arrest, she escapes with Jin’s help. It seems that Jin is rebelling too and wants to help the House rebels. Pursued relentlessly by government troops, the pair fight side by side and begin to form a bond and even affection for each other. Mei displays an incredible ability to trade blows and swordplay with the enemy. It’s a pretty amazing feat for a blind woman. As the two are cornered in a bamboo forest by dozens of troops and certain death is about to be dealt, fate intervenes and the truth is revealed setting up a new set of plot dynamics.
Is Mei really the blind daughter of the former leader of the Flying Daggers? Then again, is Jin the real deal or merely pretending to be her ally? And does Mei have a former love whose identity is a secret? If this all sounds like a soap opera, then the storyline belies Zhang’s theatrical background and his penchant for dramas. The film plays like a Greek tragedy. In fact, much of the film has a staged feel to it which is not bad since this is keeping with the style of previous sword epics. The film’s strength lies in strong characters that are in constant emotional and physical conflict. Loyalty and honor are concurrent themes amid a time of turmoil and change.
Zhang paints such a vivid tapestry of cinematic dazzle with his deliberate color schemes; the colors take on a character unto themselves. In fact, the rich visuals seduce the audience into the story. The set design and costumes are brilliant while the camera work is gorgeous. It may be the most beautiful film of the year.
Ziyi Zhang (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) is very good as the blind girl, a role which requires good acting skills and athleticism. She is very credible in her performance, but it is her martial arts prowess that is phenomenal. Takeshi Kaneshiro as Jin lends a very magnetic male presence. He combines just the right mix of humor, angst and physical work to make his roguish warrior believable. Finally, veteran Andy Lau as the troubled Leo shows more acting range and just enough fighting technique. It is of note that veteran actress Anita Mui was to have a supporting role but died before she could start filming.
It is the action scenes that are the best part of this ambitious story. The highlight is certainly the bamboo forest sequence which melds expert fighting with stunt work, editing, and special effects. Don’t forget the film’s namesake, ‘daggers’, which figure at key junctures in the story with deadly accuracy. Just think of the daggers as a cross between knives and boomerangs and you get the idea.
Although the story falters toward the end, and some hokey acting seems out of place at the conclusion, the only glaring problem with the story is the lack of an overall perspective as to what happened when the House of Flying Daggers clashed with the government troops.
While not quite the perfect love story/action flick one would have hoped for, House of Flying Daggers is a distinct improvement on Zhang’s previous action film, Hero. It is a major accomplishment in telling a classical story with jaw-dropping spectacle.
***1/2 of **** stars
Set in 7th Century China as the Tang Dynasty was fading and the leadership was weak, a rebel alliance, House of Flying Daggers, is battling the deputies of the government. Jin, one of those deputies, is sent by his fellow deputy, Leo, to investigate a local brothel for a connection to the traitors. There, he finds Mei, a blind songstress who has a remarkable talent with athleticism and even martial arts acumen. Mei is not who she appears to be, and upon her arrest, she escapes with Jin’s help. It seems that Jin is rebelling too and wants to help the House rebels. Pursued relentlessly by government troops, the pair fight side by side and begin to form a bond and even affection for each other. Mei displays an incredible ability to trade blows and swordplay with the enemy. It’s a pretty amazing feat for a blind woman. As the two are cornered in a bamboo forest by dozens of troops and certain death is about to be dealt, fate intervenes and the truth is revealed setting up a new set of plot dynamics.
Is Mei really the blind daughter of the former leader of the Flying Daggers? Then again, is Jin the real deal or merely pretending to be her ally? And does Mei have a former love whose identity is a secret? If this all sounds like a soap opera, then the storyline belies Zhang’s theatrical background and his penchant for dramas. The film plays like a Greek tragedy. In fact, much of the film has a staged feel to it which is not bad since this is keeping with the style of previous sword epics. The film’s strength lies in strong characters that are in constant emotional and physical conflict. Loyalty and honor are concurrent themes amid a time of turmoil and change.
Zhang paints such a vivid tapestry of cinematic dazzle with his deliberate color schemes; the colors take on a character unto themselves. In fact, the rich visuals seduce the audience into the story. The set design and costumes are brilliant while the camera work is gorgeous. It may be the most beautiful film of the year.
Ziyi Zhang (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) is very good as the blind girl, a role which requires good acting skills and athleticism. She is very credible in her performance, but it is her martial arts prowess that is phenomenal. Takeshi Kaneshiro as Jin lends a very magnetic male presence. He combines just the right mix of humor, angst and physical work to make his roguish warrior believable. Finally, veteran Andy Lau as the troubled Leo shows more acting range and just enough fighting technique. It is of note that veteran actress Anita Mui was to have a supporting role but died before she could start filming.
It is the action scenes that are the best part of this ambitious story. The highlight is certainly the bamboo forest sequence which melds expert fighting with stunt work, editing, and special effects. Don’t forget the film’s namesake, ‘daggers’, which figure at key junctures in the story with deadly accuracy. Just think of the daggers as a cross between knives and boomerangs and you get the idea.
Although the story falters toward the end, and some hokey acting seems out of place at the conclusion, the only glaring problem with the story is the lack of an overall perspective as to what happened when the House of Flying Daggers clashed with the government troops.
While not quite the perfect love story/action flick one would have hoped for, House of Flying Daggers is a distinct improvement on Zhang’s previous action film, Hero. It is a major accomplishment in telling a classical story with jaw-dropping spectacle.
***1/2 of **** stars
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Million Dollar Baby is rich in emotion
20 January 2005
Clint Eastwood's latest directorial effort, Million Dollar Baby, is a drama that starts in the boxing ring and ends in the heart. It is a poignant tale about hope, failure, and old ghosts. It is also the best film Eastwood has ever made.Frankie Dunn is an aging owner of a boxing gym who trains a boxer to the brink of a title fight only to miss a timely opportunity. When an aspiring female boxer, Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank), approaches him for training, he rebuffs her as just a girl boxer and too old at 31 years. Maggie is a waitress whose desire to fight is her ultimate dream as she attempts to make something of her life that has been a rural, backwoods existence. Dunn's best friend, Eddie Dupris (Morgan Freeman), takes a liking to the boxer's heart and work ethic, and eventually the two win Frankie over. Frankie's rules are to never question him in training and to always protect oneself in the ring. A slow but gradual learning curve ensues as Maggie becomes a polished boxer who displays a stunning record of wins, mostly by knockouts. Meanwhile, Frankie takes a liking to his protégé and begins to become attached to her. Their relationship is a contrast to his personal demons. His soul struggles with doubt and guilt as he attends church with constant regularity and the letters he sends to his estranged daughter are always returned unopened.Maggie becomes the focal point of Frankie's world as she attracts boxing matches from top competition which leads to a possible championship in Las Vegas. It is at this point that the story takes a path that is unexpected and startling. It is here that two lives are changed forever and boxing seems trivial in light of subsequent events. And it is here that hard choices and decisions are made.Based on a group of stories by the late F. X. Toole, Paul Haggis's screenplay is a beauty, filled with memorable dialogue and a story arc that takes its audience on a journey of humanity. The leading cast makes the most of the material. The scenes between Eastwood and Freeman ring true and validate two characters that go way back. Most actors pale in comparison to these two consummate pros at the height of their powers. Morgan Freeman, whose character narrates the story much as he did in Shawshank Redemption, lends strong support. Hilary Swank, who won an Oscar in Boys Don't Cry, is outstanding in a role which required rigorous training while etching a vivid character whose life takes a dramatic shift. Eastwood has always been a solid director and producer. While his early films took advantage of his tough guy image and did not require much thespian range, he filled those roles quite successfully. In recent years, he has grown as director and as a performer by allowing himself some choice dramatic projects (Unforgiven and Bridges of Madison County). But this is without a doubt his greatest piece of acting. He has allowed himself to let go and get to his inner self, and the results are touching and impressive.As a director, Eastwood has proved with films like Unforgiven and Mystic River that he has a strong, disciplined vision. His work here is most assured and it is very evident that he has matched if not surpassed his previous highs. He is patient and methodical in how he adds layers upon layers of dialogue and scenes to develop his characters into full blooded people. When Maggie approaches Frankie at first, he has no interest in training her, but you know these two will somehow end up working together. Eastwood does not go for easy clichés as she tries to win him over with help from Eddie. Even when he uses tried and true formulas, he does them well. And when Frankie decides to give her a chance, the journey is earned believably. Eastwood's direction is economic and lean. In fact, the pacing is deliberate and there is really no extraneous material (as in earlier good efforts like The Outlaw Josie Wales) to cut or trim. It may be the best job of directing this past year.Technical categories are strong particularly in cinematography with the darkly lit scenes that add so much to the mood and texture of the moment, and the editing which lends much urgency to the fights and offers unique transitions in the dramatic scenes. (It is interesting that as Maggie ascends to bigger fight venues, the crowds are more affluent and better dressed by the costume department.) Eastwood does a pretty good job of composing some eloquent music. What a multitalented threat he is becoming! There is not much to quibble with this film. Sure, Maggie's white trash family is a bit too stereotypical and one dimensional. We don't get to the bottom of Frankie's family background as much as we'd like. Some of the fights are bloody and violent but not particularly gratuitous or self serving as in Raging Bull.What ostensibly starts out as a pretty darn good boxing story becomes transformed into a powerful human drama that eschews even its fighting pedigree. Boxing is just a pretext for a much larger canvas. There is the drama of individual struggle and achievement, yet the story aims much higher and raises the ante in tone and direction in ways the audience can't quite anticipate. Eastwood challenges himself and the audience with a story that is not easy and pat. It is a movie that dares to go to areas that are controversial and gut wrenching. While audiences may have a tough time sitting through Million Dollar Baby a second or third time, they sure as hell will be grateful they did just once.**** out of ****
Clint Eastwood's latest directorial effort, Million Dollar Baby, is a drama that starts in the boxing ring and ends in the heart. It is a poignant tale about hope, failure, and old ghosts. It is also the best film Eastwood has ever made.Frankie Dunn is an aging owner of a boxing gym who trains a boxer to the brink of a title fight only to miss a timely opportunity. When an aspiring female boxer, Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank), approaches him for training, he rebuffs her as just a girl boxer and too old at 31 years. Maggie is a waitress whose desire to fight is her ultimate dream as she attempts to make something of her life that has been a rural, backwoods existence. Dunn's best friend, Eddie Dupris (Morgan Freeman), takes a liking to the boxer's heart and work ethic, and eventually the two win Frankie over. Frankie's rules are to never question him in training and to always protect oneself in the ring. A slow but gradual learning curve ensues as Maggie becomes a polished boxer who displays a stunning record of wins, mostly by knockouts. Meanwhile, Frankie takes a liking to his protégé and begins to become attached to her. Their relationship is a contrast to his personal demons. His soul struggles with doubt and guilt as he attends church with constant regularity and the letters he sends to his estranged daughter are always returned unopened.Maggie becomes the focal point of Frankie's world as she attracts boxing matches from top competition which leads to a possible championship in Las Vegas. It is at this point that the story takes a path that is unexpected and startling. It is here that two lives are changed forever and boxing seems trivial in light of subsequent events. And it is here that hard choices and decisions are made.Based on a group of stories by the late F. X. Toole, Paul Haggis's screenplay is a beauty, filled with memorable dialogue and a story arc that takes its audience on a journey of humanity. The leading cast makes the most of the material. The scenes between Eastwood and Freeman ring true and validate two characters that go way back. Most actors pale in comparison to these two consummate pros at the height of their powers. Morgan Freeman, whose character narrates the story much as he did in Shawshank Redemption, lends strong support. Hilary Swank, who won an Oscar in Boys Don't Cry, is outstanding in a role which required rigorous training while etching a vivid character whose life takes a dramatic shift. Eastwood has always been a solid director and producer. While his early films took advantage of his tough guy image and did not require much thespian range, he filled those roles quite successfully. In recent years, he has grown as director and as a performer by allowing himself some choice dramatic projects (Unforgiven and Bridges of Madison County). But this is without a doubt his greatest piece of acting. He has allowed himself to let go and get to his inner self, and the results are touching and impressive.As a director, Eastwood has proved with films like Unforgiven and Mystic River that he has a strong, disciplined vision. His work here is most assured and it is very evident that he has matched if not surpassed his previous highs. He is patient and methodical in how he adds layers upon layers of dialogue and scenes to develop his characters into full blooded people. When Maggie approaches Frankie at first, he has no interest in training her, but you know these two will somehow end up working together. Eastwood does not go for easy clichés as she tries to win him over with help from Eddie. Even when he uses tried and true formulas, he does them well. And when Frankie decides to give her a chance, the journey is earned believably. Eastwood's direction is economic and lean. In fact, the pacing is deliberate and there is really no extraneous material (as in earlier good efforts like The Outlaw Josie Wales) to cut or trim. It may be the best job of directing this past year.Technical categories are strong particularly in cinematography with the darkly lit scenes that add so much to the mood and texture of the moment, and the editing which lends much urgency to the fights and offers unique transitions in the dramatic scenes. (It is interesting that as Maggie ascends to bigger fight venues, the crowds are more affluent and better dressed by the costume department.) Eastwood does a pretty good job of composing some eloquent music. What a multitalented threat he is becoming! There is not much to quibble with this film. Sure, Maggie's white trash family is a bit too stereotypical and one dimensional. We don't get to the bottom of Frankie's family background as much as we'd like. Some of the fights are bloody and violent but not particularly gratuitous or self serving as in Raging Bull.What ostensibly starts out as a pretty darn good boxing story becomes transformed into a powerful human drama that eschews even its fighting pedigree. Boxing is just a pretext for a much larger canvas. There is the drama of individual struggle and achievement, yet the story aims much higher and raises the ante in tone and direction in ways the audience can't quite anticipate. Eastwood challenges himself and the audience with a story that is not easy and pat. It is a movie that dares to go to areas that are controversial and gut wrenching. While audiences may have a tough time sitting through Million Dollar Baby a second or third time, they sure as hell will be grateful they did just once.**** out of ****
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