Oscar Pix Mix

The worst Oscar miscue in its history will overshadow the winners and losers to a degree. How such a thing could happen and not corrected for several minutes will haunt the TV crew but especially the accounting firm who blew it....I was a bit surprised when Moonlight won Best Picture over La La Land which was starting to gain steam with multiple awards especially Director and Actress for Emma Stone. The vote may have been close. (Moonlight as a film does linger in the mind an

d heart.) Casey Affleck winning was a tiny surprise after Denzel was gaining steam with SAG. Viola Davis' winning set things right and this won't be her last visit to the podium. Mahershala Ali was gracious in his win.

Jimmy Kimmel did a fine job moving things along and ad libbing moments with good effect. The tourists being brought to meet the Oscar front row was funny and the snacks from the ceiling in parachutes were a nice touch. No major political speeches although there were a few statements that made their point. Ah, 365 days til the next Oscars....

 

2017 OSCAR PREDICTIONS FOR 2016 FILMS

OK, I’ve seen all Best Picture nominees and a few other titles but not all. Enjoy.

PICTURE-La La Land

ACTOR-Denzel Washington for Fences who I love but Casey Affleck for Manchester by the Bay nailed it and this will be close

ACTRESS- Emma Stone for La La Land but Isabelle Huppert is a legit threat and Natalie Portman too

SUPPORTING ACTOR-Mahersala Ali in Moonlight made a big impression in his brief scenes but keep an eye for Dev Patel and even Jeff Bridges.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS-Viola Davis for Fences is long overdue

DIRECTOR-Damien Chazelle for La La Land

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY-Manchester by the Sea most deserved

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY-Moonlight for sure

ANIMATED FEATURE-Zootopia

FILM EDITING-La La Land with Arrival as possibility

CINEMATOGRAPHY-La La Land but Lion or Arrival have a chance

PRODUCTION DESIGN-La La Land

ORIGINAL SCORE-La La Land hands down

ORIGINAL SONG-City of Stars from La La Land

SOUND EDITING-Hacksaw Ridge typical action film choice

SOUND MIXING-La La Land typically a musical gets this

COSTUME DESIGN-Jackie unless La La Land sweeps the tech categories

MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING-Star Trek Beyond

VISUAL EFFECTS-The Jungle Book

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM- The Salesman and its political firestorm leaps ahead of Toni Erdmann

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE-O.J. Made in America

I skipped the shorts

Figure La La Land will garner the most awards maybe barely short of ten, still impressive. In recent years the awards were divided liberally but this might be one of those years where one film grabs the glory.  There is always a surprise during the awards but which category? For the first time in many years, no other films will win more than 2 Oscars. Rumor has it that a certain couple from a 50 year old classic will present Best Picture!

HACKSAW RIDGE and the Remarkable Pacifist

Mel Gibson has come back from personal controversy to reassert his directorial prowess in Hacksaw Ridge, the incredible, true story of a conscientious objector during World War II who wanted to enlist for his country but would not kill a human being.

When the war starts, Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) volunteers for active duty, but in basic training, Doss’ beliefs and refusal to pick up a rifle lead to a clash with his commanders and the contempt of his fellow soldiers. As an unarmed medic, Doss and his group participate in The Battle of Okinawa. As soldiers fall around him, amid the horror of ground warfare, Doss tries to save as many comrades as possible. When U.S. forces retreat from the ridge, what happens next is beyond belief as Doss, physically exhausted, refuses to let anyone perish and left behind as he rescues dozens on men single handedly amid Japanese fire.

Garfield is wonderful portraying Doss’ wide eyed innocence while conveying his deep faith and determination under fire; what shines through is the man’s simple decency.  There are strong parallels with Sergeant York whose war hero also objected to fighting in war.

He is surrounded by strong cast members including Theresa Palmer as his girlfriend, Hugo Weaving as his tortured father, Vince Vaughn, and Sam Worthington.

At times old fashioned and despite a bit of overkill in its graphic Saving Private Ryan type of violence, this is a well-paced, splendid war film that singles out the courage and conviction of a real life war hero whose wartime deeds and sacrifice carry quite the emotional impact and become overwhelming pathos in the end.

 ***1/2  of  **** stars

The Man Who Wrote About the Movies

Richard Schickel was a long time film critic who wrote for decades at Time Magazine as well as many books particularly biographies on major figures in motion pictures. He passed away at 84 and leaves a body of written work that examined the art of movies, a subject to which he devoted his life.   He also produced many documentaries on the subject especially an excellent series on PBS over forty years ago called The Men Who Made the Movies which explored some great directors including Hitchcock, Capra, Wellman, Minnelli, and Hawks among others. He was one of the respected voices that helped me determine if a film was worth my time. Others like Vincent Canby, Pauline Kael, Charles Champlin, Andrew Sarris and Schickel (before Siskel and Ebert became famous) were a beacon to what aligned with my taste in good movies.  There are some good critics now but few who have the insight and consummate devotion as Schickel.

The Simple Brilliance of HELL OR HIGH WATER

Actor/Writer Taylor Sheridan has found a career path with his screenplays Sicario and now Hell or High Water, a deceptively simple parable of brotherly love and life’s tough lessons amid a Texas landscape setting.  With echoes The Asphalt Jungle and particularly Bonnie and Clyde particularly in its depiction of economic hard times forming a somber background, two brothers stage a crime spree robbing bank after bank for an extremely personal reason and pursued by a determined Texas Ranger played winningly by Jeff Bridges.

Ben Foster and Chris Pine provide stark contrast as brothers (with an intense Foster that a maniacal Jeremy Renner would be proud.) Sheridan depicts his characters as neither totally good nor bad but rather with interesting shades of grey.

The script is lean and the interplay of dialogue is a thing of beauty especially in its fatalistic prescience of fate and destiny as the criminals and law are on a violent collision course and a memorable finale.

Beautifully photographed with a complementary soundtrack of vocals and instrumentals, it’s about breaking patterns of existence and altering a way of life despite formidable obstacles. It is a fascinating journey.

**** of **** stars

LION and the Power of Maternal Love

Based on a true story, Lion is an affecting chronicle that spans continents and decades as a boy’s personal loss is rekindled as an adult.  It is an engaging, emotional story that tugs at the heartstrings to its touching conclusion.

In 1986, in India, an impoverished five year old boy, Saroo, is separated from his family at a train station and is transported hundreds of miles away with no idea how to get back to his family.  Told from his point of view, Saroo is lost in a sea of humanity, but we never ever lose our compassion for his plight and seemingly hopeless search. We witness his innocence amid other homeless children and adult strangers who may or may not be friendly.  One day he is adopted by an Australian couple and transported across the ocean to another country which opens up a whole new world, and many years go by when the adult Sharoo (Dev Patel) has an epiphany that compels him to search for his birth mother. Haunted by memories of past life, his visions become an obsession and a mystery to be solved with modern technology.

A good cast is led by Patel and Nicole Kidman as the adoptive mother.  The story recalls such epic films as Empire of the Sun and A Boy Ten Feet Tall with a young boy challenged without his natural parents and traveling great distances for salvation. Beautifully shot, the locations here become a supporting character.  It is this long, emotional journey back to his beginnings, this self discovery that makes his journey ours as well.

***1/2 of **** stars

The Pleasures of LEGION

I saw the 1.5 hr pilot episode of FX's Legion, a very different Marvel adaptation with connective threads to X-Men. Written and directed by TV's Fargo show runner, Noah Hawley, it starts in a really wierd, psychoanalytical setting with a young man who may or may not be mentally disturbed or traumatized, OR BOTH! The fact he may have telekinetic powers is almost an afterthought. Imaginative, mesmerizing visuals (for TV) and bizarre characters and an intriguing script add up to a thoroughly engrossing and unusual spin to a superhuman, or metahuman, or mutant origin story. I love shows like The Flash, Gotham and Agents of SHIELD, and I have sampled and been quite impressed by the three Defenders so far to stream on Netflix, but anyone who thinks (I was one) that we are saturated by superheroes on tv and film, should sample this show. It is entirely original in its concept and execution. In fact it does not begin with any normal premise and challenges its audience. Some of it is dark and conspiracy laden,but what shines through are its lead characters well portrayed by Rachel Keller and Dan Stevens (of Downton Abbey!) under the masterful guidance of Hawley.  Oh, and there is a sweet love story to boot.

The Professor Emeritus

Professor Irwin Corey passed away. This comedian was a funny send up of intellegentsia and high minded establishment. He dressed like a wacky, old school teacher and spoke in gibberish. He was adorable. He came from vaudeville and worked stage through TV and movies. Described as an amalgam of Einstein and Chaplin, he worked with or appreared with legends like Lenny Bruce, Johnny Carson, Jackie Gleason, Steve Allen, Woody Allen, and many more through eight decades. He was also passionate for political causes and generous with the needy. I remember growing up seeing him on countless talk shows. What a silly man; what fond memories. The man was 102.