by Sam Juliano
The Oscars aired on Sunday night, and Lucille and I hosted our annual awards party at a local firehouse that brought together many friends who are seen too few times these days. As I am preparing this MMD well in advance of the show, I will expect the specifics to be discussed in some measure in the comment section of this post. The Oscars are a contentious concern at this site, with some professing annual fun watching the oft-embarrassing show biz parade, while others are advocating capital punishment for anyone who tunes in. At the end of the day, after we’ve broken bread and played catch up with all the events in our lives and tallied up the poll sheets, it’s goodbye until next year with at least some of the guests. But weeks from now the actual results are really an afterthought and only convenient for statistical queries. But this is part of the culture, and at least the Oscars don’t try to hide that they are a travesty. As expected Argo took the top prize, though Ang Lee’s win as Best Director was not quite expected by some. I am a huge fan of that film. Once again Christophe Waltz wins a Best Supporting Actor prize, again for Quentin Tarantino. Day-Lewis, Lawrence and Hathaway was all figured to win, and all came away with Oscars. The night’s biggest winner in total number of awards was The Life of Pi with 4. Both Les Miserables and Argo ended up with three, while Django Unchained, Lincoln and Skyfall nabbed two each. Tarantino’s two though were majors, for Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor.
Steve Carlson and Paul Clarke again did a fabulous job running the Muriel Awards, and the impressive results show again they have a bright and tasteful clientele. The tabulation appears in the post below.
Theological historians are gearing up for the week-end media rush after the former Joseph Ratzinger of Benedict XIV fame leaves the papacy on Thursday, and the political jockeying begins in advance of the coming papal conclave to choose his replacement. I say this knowing full well how many devout Catholics visit WitD. Ha!
Lucille and I only went out twice this week, to see:
Like Someone in Love **** (Friday night) Montclair Claridge
The Circus ***** (Sunday morning) Film Forum
Charles Chaplin’s THE CIRCUS was screened at the Film Forum on Sunday morning as part of their Film Forum Jr. series, and the sold-out throng that included many youngsters got to enjoy members from the ‘Clown Warehouse’ perform a deft juggling act ahead of the Silly Symphonies short “The Three Little Pigs” that preceded Chaplin’s 1928 masterpiece. Program Director Bruce Goldstein told the crowd that Chaplin’s film won a special Oscar for artistic achievement, a fact all ardent Academy Awards followers have long known! Ha! When the immortality of Charles Chaplin is broached, one will readily identify the uproarious ingenuity of the conveyor belt and winding gear sequences in Modern Times, the eating of the shoe and the dinner roll dance in The Gold Rush, or the continuing drunk vs. sober saga of the millionaire played by Harry Myers in City Lights. Likewise, cineastes will no doubt recollect Monsieur Verdoux’s continued failed attempts at murdering Arabella, the hysterical vocals inflections in The Great Dictator or the spirited slapstick in Shoulder Arms when the dough boy goes undercover dressed as a tree. All of these films have multiple moments of comic inspiration, and still others like One A.M., A Dog’s Life and The Kid would serve as springboard for further discussion. Since it first appeared in 1928 The Circus has steadfastly held down the dubious position as Chaplin’s most underrated film, and the one that has received short shrift in both summary assessment and in the unavoidable rankings of the master’s canon. Yet The Circus has been favorably re-evaluated in recent years, and is now being seen by many as one of the silent clown’s supreme masterpieces, a film that boasts the strongest first reel of any of his films, and one that includes some of the best set pieces.
World class Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami’s newest film LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE is likened as a thematic continuation of CERTIFIED COPY, but it’s different in many aspects, when you can actually feel TASTE OF CHERRY in some of it’s universal concerns. Kiarostami brings together two strangers for a few hours during which they re-imagine themselves, perhaps revealing their true natures, perhaps creating alternate personas. The director filmed his new film in Japan and in Japanese and he again examined disorientation and alienation, setting aside language and culture, and using the story within a story device. glass and mirrors are used effectively and the film seems to gain momentum after a sluggish start. I suspect this film will work better on repeat viewings.
Staying home allowed me to watch all but the final part of the stupendous Shakespearean collection THE HOLLOW CROWN, of which I took in Richard II, and Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2. I also watch Pedro Costa’s O Sangue (Blood) a Samuel Beckett-Bela Tarr hybrid that immediately takes it’s place among the best films of 1989. I hope to have more to say about these works on the thread.
As I prepare to leave the house to head up for the party I again am forced to re-post last week’s links. I have slowly been getting around to the blogs though, after a brief hiatus:
John Greco offers up a superlative piece on Hitchcock’s ‘Sabotage’ at Twenty Four Frames: http://twentyfourframes.wordpress.com/
Sachin Gandhi has posted an incredible presentation at Scribbles and Ramblings that examines not only 2012 and 2013 so far, but the best films of every year over the past decade. It’s a fascinating post for cinephiles: http://likhna.blogspot.com/2013/02/best-films-of-last-decade.html
At Filmacability Dean Treadway is leading up with an enthralling Top 25 for 2012: http://filmicability.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-25-best-movies-of-2012.html
Samuel Wilson has penned a spectacular review of Michael Haneke’s “Amour” at Mondo 70: http://mondo70.blogspot.com/2013/02/on-big-screen-amour-2012.html
In his newest post “Paper vs. Plastic” Joel Bocko presents a terrific photo essay and a link to insightful prose on David Fincher’s “The Social Network” at I Lost it at the Movies: http://thedancingimage.blogspot.com/2013/02/paper-or-plastic.html
Jaimie Grijalba features Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained” at Overlook’s Corridor in his best of the year list: http://overlookhotelfilm.wordpress.com/2013/02/18/no4-django-unchained-2012/
At Vermillion and One Nights the ever-talented Murderous Ink has posted the fifth and final installment of his monumental ‘Evangeline’ series: http://vermillionandonenights.blogspot.com/
Shubhajit Lahiri is leading up at Cinemascope with yet another superlative capsule, this time on Bunuel’s swan song “That Obscure Object of Desire”: http://cliched-monologues.blogspot.com/2013/02/that-obscure-object-of-desire-1977.html
Judy Geater is leading the way at Movie Classics with an enthralling post on the ‘My Favorite Film Actors of All-Time” that movie lovers simply must check out: http://movieclassics.wordpress.com
Jon Warner has written one of his great essays on David Lynch’s “Mullholland Drive” at Films Worth Watching: http://filmsworthwatching.blogspot.com/2013/02/mulholland-dr-2001-directed-by-david.html
At The Last Lullaby Jeffrey Goodman has posted a stupendous post on this ‘Best Films of 2012’ list: http://cahierspositif.blogspot.com/2013/01/my-top-10-or-so-films-for-2012.html
Laurie Buchanan offers up another wonderful post “Yoga Gone to the Dogs” at Speaking From The Heart and poses a pointed question: http://holessence.wordpress.com/2013/02/05/yoga-gone-to-the-dogs/
Tony d’Ambra is leading up at FilmsNoir.net with a fascinating post “Jean Valjean in the Shadows” that takes a look at the classic 1934 French film of Hugo’s novel: http://filmsnoir.net/film_noir/jean-valjean-in-the-shadows.html
R.D. Finch comprehensively covers 1969 and 70 in his focused look on the Oscar nominees of each of the two years in the main categories: http://themovieprojector.blogspot.com/2013/01/my-oscar-picks-1969-70.html
Dee Dee at Darkness Into Light has posted a terrific capsule of “Gun Crazy” with links to Marilyn Ferdinand’s interview with Peggy Cummins included:Marilyn Ferdinand interview with actress Peggy Cummins…”
Weeping Sam at The Listening Ear offers up some atmospheric prose and scenic photos of the two foot blizzard that struck his New England hometown: http://listeningear.blogspot.com/2013/02/snowy-snow.html
“Art Studio in Real Time” leads up at the always-ravishing Creativepotager’s blog: http://creativepotager.wordpress.com/2013/02/03/artist-studio-in-real-time/
David Schleicher at The Schleicher Spin has posted a terrific piece of Soderbergh’s “Side Effects”: http://theschleicherspin.com/2013/02/08/side-effects-may-include-smirks-butts-on-the-edges-of-seats-and-oh-no-she-didnts/
Roderick Heath has penned a quintessential and enthralling essay of Spielberg’s “Lincoln” at Ferdy-on-Films: Spielberg’s “Lincoln”
Ed Howard has posted an extraordinary essay of Ouseme Sembene’s “Xala” at Only The Cinema: http://seul-le-cinema.blogspot.com/2013/02/xala.html
Craig Kennedy’s newest installment of his beloved ‘Watercooler’ is leading the way at Living in Cinema: http://livingincinema.com/2013/02/10/31468/
At Patricia’s Wisdom, the wonderful proprietor offers up a tonic for negativity in the thousands: http://patriciaswisdom.com/2013/02/14000-things-to-be-happy-about-barbara-ann-kipfer/
At The Confidential Report Anubhavbist has posted a fantastic Top 10 of 2012 listing with superlative prose in defense: http://theconfidentialreport.wordpress.com/
Head over for a sip of ‘Twin Peaks Coffee’ at the incomparable Coffee Messiah’s blog: http://coffeemessiah.blogspot.com/2013/02/twin-peaks-coffee.html
J.D. LaFrance has posted a dazzling essay on “Hidalgo” at Radiator Heaven: http://rheaven.blogspot.com/2013/02/hidalgo.html
At Screen on Screen Paddy Mullholland has posted a terrific capsule review of “How to Survive a Plague”: http://screenonscreen.blogspot.com/2013/02/review-how-to-survive-plague.html
Just Another Film Buff has posted a terrific review of Mani Ratnam’s “Kadal” (The Sea) at The Seventh Art: http://theseventhart.info/2013/02/10/ellipsis-69/
Jason Bellamy has written a master class review of Kathryn Bigelow’s “Zero Dark Thirty” at The Cooler: http://coolercinema.blogspot.com/2013/01/everybody-breaks-bro-zero-dark-thirty.html
Drew McIntosh has posted a wonderful presentation of Maxwell Anderson’s “The Eve of St. Mark’s” at The Blue Vial: http://thebluevial.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-eve-of-st-mark.html
I watched Moonraker on Blu-ray instead, well, more or less.
I was tuning in and out of the show with the mute button. Hey, Moonraker may be one of the weaker installments of the franchise, but if it’s the choice between an absurdly pretentious Barbara Streisand using the memoriam segment to pedestal her “special appearance” or Bond in orbit with space-lasers …Bond and space-lasers, every time.
Anyways, I now realize I mostly only care about the technical awards, and was quite pleased with the following: Life of Pi for visual Effects, cinematography and original score; Lincoln for production design and Skyfall for best sound editing.
The acting categories didn’t interest me, save for DDL’s much deserved win and his gracious (and surprisingly funny) acceptance speech. Best Picture category has become increasingly bullshít over the years and I was never all that impressed with Argo to begin with. Sticking closer to the actual artistry of film, all I care about is Best Director. Ang Lee’s win was tops for me. I’m a big Spielberg fan and it would have been nice to see him become a three-time winner, but I simply didn’t enjoy his film as much. I couldn’t care less about all the musical stuff and was likewise indifferent to Macfarlane’s hosting gig, save for Captain Kirk showing up at the Oscars. Speaking of 007, the whole Bond tribute was lackluster to say the least; it was one of the only reasons I bothered watching in the first place. To be fair, I did enjoy Bassey singing ‘Goldfinger’. I guess maybe I was just expecting too much, what with having the six stars of the title character showing up together on stage. That sorta thing would probably never happen anywhere, and if it did happen at the Oscars, it would likely overshadow the whole event, at least for me.
But, yeah, Ang Lee winning Best Director was the highlight. Life of Pi was my favorite film of 2012, second only to Dredd …which should have won for Coolest Movie.
Cannon—
Thank you so much for leaving such a great comment at this thread, and welcome to you! MOONRAKER over the Oscars? Ha! I can’t blame you my friend, and you certainly looked at a blu-ray of one of my own favorites of the franchise. Yes, Barbara Streisand to me has always been one of the most ‘pretentious’ of celebrities. That word is a perfect fit.
Thrilled to hear that you considered Ang Lee’s win as the real highlight of the evening! Seems like just about everyone on this thread has glowingly mentioned this award, and I am with you all the way. THE LIFE OF PI was one of the year’s greatest films and was also my #2 of the year after THE TURIN HORSE. Hence, I also agree it well deserved to win in cinematography, musical score and visual effects. Agreed on Day-Lewis of course, though I was rooting for Riva, who gave the best performance in the Best Actress category. Agreed the Bond gig was lame, but Bassey did a great job. The Kirk lead-in wasn’t bad, just a bit too long.
Thanks again my friend!
Sam,
Well the Oscars have come and gone and I suppose now we can get past all the backlash/hype stuff and will be able to look back at 2012 with clearer heads in the future. I believe when all is said and done, Argo will go the way of the dust bin and ZDT and Lincoln will have long lives. I was particularly stunned by Waltz and Tarantino taking awards in which not only did Waltz reprieve his previous performance (and how on earth did he manage to win 2 awards in a short span?) and Tarantino won for a script that I thought was far less interesting than most of his work. Eh.
On the plus side, Miss Chastain looked fabulous and that was reason enough to watch for me. 😉
This last week was light on the movie front as we spent the last 3 days visiting my Grandpa in Iowa for his 90th birthday, complete with visiting with several family members I haven’t seen in awhile. It was a nice weekend and the girls were well behaved, which is a huge plus.
I did see The Perks of Being a Wallflower and liked it but didn’t think it was anything spectacular. Emma Watson was good, but Ezra Miller is such a godawful actor! I hated him in We Need to Talk About Kevin too! He over-acts so terribly. The next time I see him in a film will be too soon.
Up this week I will be re-visiting The Wizard of Oz, for the first time on Blu-Ray for me and will also check out Compliance. Hope you have a great week Sam!
Jon—-
Yes they has a long build up, but happily are now done. Even with my interesting in predicting and discussing them, they always manage to leave a sour taste in your mouth. Assessing the year’s best films is left in far better hands with the critics’ group awards, though the best of all is within yourself. Ha! Although I remain opposites sides with you on Waltz, DJANGO UNCHAINED and THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, and especially on Ezra Miller (wow, you think he’s ‘awful? Really? I think he’s a great young actor myself) I applaud you for being frank on this thread I do (of course) agree with you on ARGO -though I like the film well enough- and concur that LINCOLN and ZERO DARK THIRTY will be highly regarded din time as well. Same for LES MISERABLES and THE LIFE OF PI.
Sounds like a great trip to Iowa to visit you grandfather! I’m sure that was a get-together cherish by all. Your girls are always well-behaved! You have a beautiful family, my friend.
Shhhhh! I’ll keep your WIZARD OF admission secret. You know how touchy some of the WitD brass are when we talk of fantasy and uplift, especially anything in the popular vein. Ha! But do let me know indeed. Have a great week!
MacFarland’s humor was lame, especially the “boobs” number and the business about John Wilkes Booth getting into Lincoln’s head.
The big highlight was Ang Lee winning best director. He deserved that award.
David—
Like the actual show itself and like the very concept of the Oscars there are opinions from both sides of the fence. I thought the Lincoln/John Wilkes Booth quip was rather crass myself, but others felt after 150 years a joke wasn’t all that repugnant. Yes a number of women in the audience were not too thrilled with the books number.
It seems Ang Lee’s win has thrilled so many people at this site and everywhere else. THE LIFE OF PI was a magnificent film and well deserving of any award it won, especially Best Director.
Thanks for stopping by my friend!
I thought the host was over-the-top and the show took forever to start. Wonderful to hear the party went so well Sam.
Too bad Emmanuele Riva didn’t win Best Actress, but it’s the ‘babe’ factor again. I like Adele singing Skyfall.
I cannot agree with those who think Waltz’ performances was the same as the one he gave in Inglorious Basterds. He was terrific in ‘Django’ and was a worthy winner. Don’t think Argo will be remembered years from now.
Ang Lee was a fantastic choice as Best Director for the wonderful ‘Life of Pi.’
Frank—
The show did indeed take it’s time getting to the first award. The host seems to be getting a wide range of reactions. The ‘babe’ factor can never be underestimated with this group, and it intruded upon a deserved Riva win, sad to say. Adele did a great job with Skyfall for sure!
There are a few friends who visit WitD who also question of Waltz, but I completely disagree. I was absolutely terrific in DJANGO UNCHAINED and well deserving of the Best Supporting Actor prize he won, the second in four years.
Like you I am thinking ARGO will be seen as a weak choice down the road, but the film’s supporters think otherwise. There were at least five films of the nine to me were better than ARGO.
Yes, Lee was absolutely a fantastic choice.
Thanks as always my friend! Have a great week!
Hello Sam and everyone!
Well, hope that you had a grand time at the Oscar party and that everyone there had a blast! I was watching the Oscars as well, and I thought that Seth MacFarlane was really really funny in his jokes, but it was the rest of the hosts that did really really unfunny and poor jokes. I specially liked the Von Trapp skit and the whole thing with William Shatner, that I was smiling through.
Anyway, beyond that, I had a hard week at work with many shoots and recordings, as well as two outings in the weekend to see some family members on birthdays and all.
I was seeing some movies as well this week, not as much as I would’ve wanted, but hey that’s how it is, the writing of my 10 Days of Oscar was hard and endearing so I was writing reviews of the nominated movies almost overnight, so I thank you and Bob Clark for having your essays up for it.
So, my week movie wise:
– After Hours (1985, Martin Scorsese) ****1/2 Wow, I wasn’t really expecting much from this movie, specially after the opening 15 minutes or so, that were a bit dissapointing to me, I think I was a bit bored, but when the desperation and the real humour regarding really dark dark stuff, and the comedy of errors that ensues, and even if it finishes in a very silly silly line of comedy, it’s still oh so great to see Scorsese deal this material so greatly and with his own way of doing things.
– In the Realm of the Senses (1976, Nagisa Oshima) ****1/2 A wonderful film about obsession and a historical sexual figure in Japan, something that people have been obsessed over since the event happened, this is the story of Abe Sada, a scary and sexuallly hungry geisha that ends up marrying in secret with the man that she adores, just to have sex with him at every time that he can. There is a boldness to the graphic nature of the filmmaking here, as well as the insimulated acts portrayed here, something quite impressive for a japanese film and for actors. It surprised me and thrilled me.
– Broken City (2013, Allen Hughes) ***1/2 One of the first 2013 releases that I’ve seen, and it’s quite passable to say the least, nothing life changing nor turining nor award worthy, but surely it can kill a couple of hours by not being incompetent. The story about a corrupt politian, a corrupt cop turned private dick, photographs, a conspiracy and above all, a sense that all that is happening is quite real, possible and at the same time: communal, it makes it worth a watch.
– Dracula (1958, Terence Fisher) ****1/2 One of the best vampire films ever and one of my favorite incarnations of Dracula, Christopher Lee nails it, and this rewatch made me think of the influence that this particular movie had in the making of ‘Psycho’, specially when we have simmilarly structured films in terms of protagonists and events that take place, it would be interesting material for an essay.
– Juan of the Dead (2011, Alejandro Brugués) ***1/2 A zombie film made in Cuba, made very entertaining thanks to the dialogue and the visual gags, and while much of the satire is still quite relevant and at times funny regarding the actual state of Cuba, it’s still a bit hidden and difficult to see at all, maybe for them it’s better, but in the meantime, I guess this is a good step forward in terms of genre filmmaking that tries to go one step beyond.
– The Room (2003, Tommy Wiseau) * After many parodies and reviews, I had the balls to finally watch this crapsterpiece and cult phenomena, and it’s bad and all, it’s sometimes funny bad, but at the end is just infuriating and then boring at times, so that makes it unexcusable, it’s one of the worst films out there, now that I’ve done this I can do Birdemic?
Have a good week Sam!
Jaimie—
I did like the Shatner skit as well (I’m a long standing trekkie going back to the 60’s) but I did think it went on too long. The first award (Waltz’) didn’t get announced until about ten minutes to nine, and the show seemed to run hot and gold from that point on. Pat also liked MacFarlane (as did Pierre) but I have rather mixed feelings. Seems like he was roundly condemned for his ‘boobs’ song, and the business about John Wilkes Booth getting into Lincoln’s head. I am hearing he refuses to do any further Oscar shows. Of the eight BIG categories, I agreed with only 4. (Lee, Day-Lewis, Hathaway and Waltz) and really thought they missed the boat on BEST PICTURE. But most knew that was coming. Of the movies you watched this week I have only seern three (AFTER HOURS, THE HORROR OF DRACULA and IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES) and loved all three. The Hammer film remains the most celebrated of their output, and I’m looking forward to the blu-ray that is upcoming. You do a great job sizing each one up, and of the other I see only BROKEN CITY is worth seeing. Thanks as always my friend! Have a great week!
Sam, I see in the news that Argo won best foreign-language film at the Cesars, that mirror-universe award show where Amour won best film. The Argo part makes me wonder. It’s hard to believe that the politique d’Oscar extends across the Atlantic, and without knowing what other American or other non-French films the French have seen this year you have to ask what the Cesar people thought they were saying by honoring the Affleck film. Back home, the challenge will be to resist a temptation to denigrate Argo because of the “political” circumstances of its selection. But the fact remains that of the six nominated films I’ve seen, I’d rank Argo no better than fifth, and that when I bring in non-nominated films for a personal top list, it’d fall further back into the pack. The win leaves a bad taste in the mouth. In the past you could presume a judgment of merit even if the prevailing standard of merit was questionable, but here it really did seem to boil down to “We like Ben Affleck” or behind that, “We like George Clooney.” But is that how they feel in France? I suspect that whatever the French see in Argo is more likely to be the film’s real legacy than the awards it won last night.
The other thing I’ll say about the show is that Russell Crowe is a brave man, and I thought he sounded better live.
Watched a couple of 1980 films before voting this weekend. Truffaut’s Last Metro hardly seems like the work of a nouvelle vague pioneer but is an effective yarn. By today’s standards, I’d expect James Caan’s Hide in Plain Sight to be in Oscar competition for that year alongside Redford’s Ordinary People, and by my standards it was good enough for me to regret Caan not directing more. I also indulged a current odd interest in mercenary movies with a look at Andrew V. McLageln’s The Wild Geese but found it inferior overall to an early imitator, John Irvin’s The Dogs of War. My viewing highlight was something I picked up with a leftover gift card from the holidays: Kinoshita’s Ballad of Narayama, which will be the next review up on my blog. A quite different and equally valid interpretation of the legend alongside Shohei Imamura’s earthier film, and it’s hard to say now which I like better. Now there’s a contest!
Samuel—
ARGO did indeed win the Cesars for Best ‘Foreign Film’, but it also won Best Film at the BAFTAs. I like the film quite a bit, but like you I am perplexed at what appears to be a universal admiration. Some may be able to explain the reason why the film won the top Oscar as the result of that now infamous Best Director snub, but the similar reasons DO NOT explain the high regard in Britain and France. And it surely doesn’t explain why the film was one of the best reviewed of all 2012 releases. You have a good point there that the reaction in France may be a better barometer of the film’s legacy. Of the nine nominated films it’s maybe sixth for me, and it missed my own Top Ten list. It’s win last night left a bad taste in my mouth as well. Yep Crowe was brave indeed, and I’d agree he didn’t embarrass himself at all. You know of course I loved the LES MIZ number! My own copy of BALLAD OF NARAYAMA on blu-ray (Criterion) arrived here a few weeks ago, and I pretty much concur with you estimable regard! Will check out your review. Wasn’t that much of a fan of HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT, but it’s been a while since I saw it. THE LAST METRO is fine enough. Thanks again my friend! Have a great week!
Sam –
Hosting your annual awards party at a local firehouse – how FUN is that?!
You’re right about the all-encompassing brushstroke of emotions surrounding the event. From all-in-fun to “capital punishment,” and everything in-between — we saw all facets represented on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
Regardless, I’m THRILLED with Ang Lee’s win of Best Director!
Laurie—
This was actually the first year Lucille and I hosted the party in a location other than our own home. It turned out to be a great decision! We used the entire second floor, which contained a kitchen, a specious hall, meticulously-maintained rest rooms, a big screen television, two large couches, and a number of tables in the spacious hall. And yes, the Oscars attract varying opinions, as we have displayed here the last several days. I stand by the ‘harmless fun’ assessment, and this year was no different.
Ang Lee’s win was indeed the evening’s one irrefutable ‘applause’ moment! Thanks as always my friend. Have a great week!
Seeing Ang Lee win was nearly worth all the appalling humor and long gaps between awards.
Peter, you have indeed mentioned the one award that has delighted many serious movie fans. THE LIFE OF PI was my #2 film of the year, and the film’s direction was it’s most exceptional element. Thank you.
Sam –
Well another Oscar ceremony has come and gone. I quite enjoyed Seth MacFarlane’s as a host and I hope they invite him back. But I see, by perusing the web today, that MacFarlane was generally regarded as crass and misogynist. I suppose the ‘boobs’ song and a few of MacFarlane’s jokes were a bit on the laddish, misogynist side, but none of that offends me half so much as the continued hating on Anne Hathaway today (even after she gave a gracious and lovely acceptance speech, she is still vilified for daring to wonder to herself that “it really came true!” ) Ditto for the nastiness aimed at a scowling Kristin Stewart (who was on crutches on the red carpet, and I’m guessing a fair amount of pain – or at least major discomfort – which likely explains her less than glowing demeanor.) Will Paskin at Salon notes – and I wholeheartedly agree – that this continued, widespread insistence that young women behave according to a narrowly defined set of parameters, or else be torn to shreds in the media, isn’t something you can pin on Seth MacFarlane.
Anyway,we greatly enjoyed our annual Oscar-watching party with friends. I came in second in the guess-the-winners contest, while Marlon tied with another friend for first place. Our creative hosts bestowed prize on the top-scoring nine participants, each tied to a Best Picture nominee; I got a canister of Argo cornstarch, and Marlon won a “Django Unchained” bullwhip (!), in addition to a trophy. The two of us enjoyed an Oscar catch-up afternoon at the multiplex on Saturday, seeing SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (the second time for me, and I liked it even better than the first) and AMOUR. About the latter, I have only the greatest respect for Michael Haneke, Emanuelle Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant, but the film was extremely difficult for me to get through. My parents are well into their 80s now and – without going into details, let’s just say I’ve had plenty of reason to contemplate how the next few years are going to affect our whole family. (I can remember well what we went through with my grandmother some years back; unlike the Isabelle Huppert character in AMOUR, we were geographically and emotionally close to her, and around for the worst of it.) It was pretty painful to see that reality depicted so unsparingly onscreen. That was part of the point, I suppose – and I’m certainly not one to need escapism in every film I see – but I just couldn’t work up the enthusiasm that many have felt for this one. But yes, Haneke and his actors did define the true meaning of love.
Meanwhile I am looking forward to catching LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE through OnDemand, possibly as soon as this evening.
Have a great week!
I thought Macfarlane was horrible. He wasn’t funny either. And he laughs at his own jokes which makes him even more of an idiot. That’s my opinion.
As for Anne Hathaway, I think her biggest mistake was that dress! What was she thinking!? Not that I know anything about dresses but come on!
Jon – You’re certainly entitled to your opinion, and you certainly aren’t alone in your dislike of Seth MacFarlane. But I never know how to take it when someone definitively states that a person or film that made me laugh my head off is “NOT funny.!” A sense of humor is extremely personal and funny is in eye of the beholder. That’s my two cents. The “boobs” song was a low point, but frankly I liked the sock puppet version of FLIGHT way more than the real thing.
True….he wasn’t funny to me. And that’s all I can claim. I didn’t like Flight either so we agree on that!
Pat—
Happy to hear the ‘other side’ as far as MacFarland is concerned. I know some would like nothing better than to see him retired, but in all fairness he had his ups and downs. A few of the more controversial jokes have already been discussed here. I am frankly appalled that the anti-Hathaway brigade continue to hammer away, even though her Oscar win was nothing more than a reflection of the numerous other awards she has won. Yes she gave a wonderful acceptance speech, but typically she will be derided even for acknowledging her co-nominees. There’s a lot of negative energy on those boards, but like I always say a scathing review by anyone always tells you more about the person giving the review than about the film in question. Yep the same treatment of Stewart is rather reprehensible, and I also agree with the salon piece.
Congratulations on that second-place finish! You did a great job at your site, and expected to hear you were one of the top finishers. What it came down to is that anyone who had Lee and Waltz had a jump on everyone else. Our pool winner has 19 of 24 right, and Lee, Waltz and Lawrence were correctly called. Love those embellishments to the party too! Now that’s being creative! At some point I’ll give SILVER LININGS another look, but I’ll admit at this stage I am not as fond of the film as you are. But fair enough, it has many fans. Conversely I like AMOUR more than you do, even though it barely missed my Top Ten list. I can see why it’s a major downer, and your own feelings as applicable to a home scenario are telling. I can’t wait to hear what you think of LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE. Thanks as always for the terrific comment Pat, and the fascinating Oscar reflections!
Sam, I actually watched the Oscarcast from beginning to end for the first time EVER! For some (like me) the ceremony may cause medical conditions like dystonia or amnesia, and 90 minutes into it I’d already forgotten who won the Best Supporting Actor award. Seriously, I had to rack my brain for about 5 minutes until I remembered that it was Waltz (again), winning for the exoticism of his German-Austrian accent, I guess. The spectacle that really made me spazz out, though, was the James Bond tribute — NOT ONE mention of 007’s creator, Ian Fleming, not one! But then the costume designer, whose name I’ve already forgotten, neglected to thank Tolstoy when she accepted her trophy for ‘Anna Karenina’, though the N-word seems to be very poular with the Academy (after reading ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ I’ve become less enamored with ‘Django Unchained’ — hey, Tolstoy was a huge fan of Harriet Beecher Stowe, too, so in a way these awards have certain degrees of separation — and wasn’t that Spike Lee’s primal howl echoing in the distance when Tarantino won his screenplay award?
With hot tears in my eyes, I almost threw a champagne bottle through the TV set when Emmanuelle Riva lost the Best Actress award to stumblebum Jennifer Lawrence (didn’t Streisand trip on her way to the podium when she won for ‘Funny Girl’? — I’ve seen the photos and the see-through outfit, peekaboo outfit she wore that night). Babs was a funny girl, indeed.
And the winner is Arrrrrrrrggggggho, Charlie Brown! By then I was doing The Exorcist spider walk to the toilet.
Mark—
hahahahaha!!! I was in stitches reading this! I can’t say I blame you for going numb! The Oscars are always an exacerbating watch. One never comes away feeling justice is done, but then again that was never why the show entertained us in the first place. That said Mark, you have me amazed that you tuned in. Well, I do feel that Waltz gave an excellent performance myself in DJANGO UNCHAINED, but there are a few at WitD who thought his work in BASTERDS was similar. Hot tears eh? Well, I felt the same way (honestly!) when Lawrence was announced, as like you I wanted to see birthday lady Riva get a big thrill in her twilight years. My own top actress of the year wasn’t even nominated (Rachel Weisz) but of the five who were I was absolutely rooting for Riva, whom I incorrectly predicted in the interview. Would have loved to see you doing that ‘Exorcist spider walk to the toilet’ after ARGO won!!! Ha! That ‘n’ word screenplay for DJANGO was rather a surprise winner, but after the Globe win a good number of people were figuring it would triumph. Good point about the most vital omission of all in the Bond presentation! Thanks as always my friend!
Hey Sam. I steered clear of the Oscars as I usually do, and from any discussions -;)
Talking of circuses. Yesterday I watched Browning’s Freaks, after Ozu’s I Was Born But, a few days before. Both humanist masterpieces that have you thinking and in awe of their compassion and craft. The darkness of Freaks is a disturbing counterpoint though to Ozu’s upbeat resolution. (There is something in stretching out film viewing to let each work enter your psyche and resonate in your subconscious. This seems to me the essence of a true engagement with cinema.)
For instance, contrary to what most critics say, the ending of I Was Born But is delicately up-beat. The brothers not so much lose their innocence but rather gain in maturity and compassion. They are too young to see that their father’s silliness is a much lesser crime than the philandering of the boss, which while it is played for laughs, is there for the adults to see. The kid brother has to be one of the greatest childhood performances ever. Those poses, the cheekiness, the raspberries, and the mimicking of the older brother are glorious. Love that segue from the yawning office stiffs to the classroom… A fantastic example of the uplifting joy of cinema both in its wistful nostalgia and human pathos. Great performances, a wry script, and a beguiling rhythm had me hooked. The Ozu static shots and interludes with a low camera are there, but the the editing and ensemble scenes have a cheeky eloquence, like the camera panning before the character providing the perspective is shown, tracking shots with the camera like a little kid trying to keep up with the antics of the kids in the viewfinder, and the same camera stopping in front of an obstacle. The shots of trams crossing the frame insinuating the elemental pathos we are witnessing.
In contrast Freaks has you first appalled with a confronting directness that borders on exploitation, yet all the while Browning builds compassion and a criminal solidarity through empathy. He makes you complicit in terrible acts of revenge – not withstanding the tacked-on studio-imposed closed romantic ending, which perversely reinforces the darkness of the deeds by rewarding vengeance. Indeed the expressionist climax is as dark as any noir from ten years down the track.
Tony—-
You have offered up a brilliant analysis of both Ozu’s early masterpiece and Todd Browning’s disturbing but decidedly humanist FREAKS, a film that for some blurred the line separating compassion with exploitation. I happen to agree with you on the perception that I WAS BORN BUT ends on an upbeat note, At its heart this great work of the silent cinema is an elegy to the lost innocence of youth, that informs a clash between idealism with the more sobering realities of the adult world. This is a theme that Ozu examined throughout his career, but the stylistic template was set in this early film, with it’s eschewing of fade outs and fade ins, and a general simplification of the film grammar. His trademark low angle shots capturing the private scenes of domestic life, and the employment of the internal dynamics of the family unit to draw out broad generalizations about society as a whole are again brought to the table, and there’s a universal underpinning to the seeming innocuous youthful behavior on display here that in effect is a playing out of the life cycle. If it qualifies as soap opera, then it’s soap opera of an exceedingly profound level, that unearths a number of truths. This is one of the greatest films of the silent cinema, and the first truly great films by one of the greatest directors (and its foremost adherent of humanism) of all-time. You have peeled off the gauze here most impressively Tony. FREAKS is a towering expressionist work, a film that is far greater than the stagy and sometimes static DRACULA, even with the latter’s stupendous opening 20 minutes. Like the Ozu, Browning’s film is compellingly realist.
Thanks for the tremendous comment!
Sam, thanks so much for the great mention.
I’m completely with you on THE CIRCUS. It’s one that I only recently saw, as it does seem dwarfed reputation-wise by some of Chaplin’s other features. But as soon as I saw it, it quickly rose near the very top of my favorite Chaplin works.
Still pretty quiet here on the movie-watching front, although I did catch Keaton’s THE SCARECROW and Chaplin’s THE PILGRIM this past week. I enjoyed seeing both, if for nothing else than to get an early glimpse of the two masters.
Here’s to another awesome week, Sam. Thanks for bringing us and keeping us all together!
Jeffrey—
I do indeed remember your extreme fondness for THE CIRCUS after that fairly recent viewing. I agree that it should be considered one of Chaplin’s greatest masterworks, and time will enhance this conviction, methinks. I am a huge fan of THE PILGRIM and do like THE SCARECROW quite a bit. They are always great repeat viewings! I can’t thank you enough for your remarkable friendship and support, and I am deeply in your debt my friend!
Thanks for the mention Sam. And congrats for having the Oscar prediction video displayed on Awards Daily.
Ang Lee’s win was quite unexpected as I was certain that would never happen. Good to see a plesant surprize like that can still happen in a major category.
Nice to hear you got to meet a lot of friends for the Oscars. Certainly, a large gathering would help make watching the show a bit more interesting than it normally is. It has been a few years since I watched the entire event in one sitting and I don’t think I can watch it live, unless I was at a large gathering like the one you hosted 🙂
Like every year, I keep hoping that one day they host the show a lot earlier in the year, like end of Jan. Usually after Sundance/Rotterdam film festivals end, I start to think of films in the new year. But the Oscars manage to keep the previous year’s films in discussion & cinemas until March or so. Of course, some big named films only open in wide circulation in Jan or Feb. But it’s done and hopefully now many 2013 films can start flooding the screens.
And I can’t wait to see Like Someone in Love.
Sachin—
Thanks as always for the very kind works and glowing support! Like nearly everyone on this thread you mention Ang Lee’s Best Director win as a positive aspect of a show that always has way too many not-so-positive aspects! Ha! I know the Spielberg rooters weren’t happy, but LIFE OF PI was a director’s film, and Lee is such a fine, humble gentleman. It’s always the gathering that’s makes the night entertaining, and we had well over 30 in attendance. A few seem to have a few drinks too many though! I can well understand the difficulty for you to watch the show. In any case it’s our own lists, and the lists of major critic groups that rate far far ahead of the Oscars of course. I quite agree with you that the show should be staged much earlier. This is just too late to be assessing the previous year’s films. I am sure you will like SOMEONE IN LOVE quite a bit. Thanks as always my friend! Have a great week.
Thanks a lot Sam for the mention.
“The Oscars are a contentious concern at this site, with some professing annual fun watching the oft-embarrassing show biz parade, while others are advocating capital punishment for anyone who tunes in.” Haha, touche!!!
I’m not a big fan of the Oscars either, though I admit its difficult to completely avoid on account of its place in the pop culture. But, that said, I certainly do not advocate any punishment (capital or otherwise) for those who chose to tune in to it, even if my comment to the wonderful essay by Joel might seem on the stronger side 🙂
And yes, I saw your video blog the other day, and liked the dispassionate manner in which you, Dennis, and of course, young Sammy, analyzed the Oscars and predicted the winners, through a mix of understanding of awards (and particularly Oscars) politics and common sense. Loved the conversation, and I admit I should have gotten around to watching it much earlier.
Glad to know that you watched Kiarostami’s Like Someone in Love, and gladder still that you liked it. As I’d shared with you earlier, I’d liked it considerably, and had rated it amongs my best viewings in Calcutta Film Festival, along with Amour and Holy Motors.
Meanwhile I managed to watch just these 4 movies last week:
– Bergman’s brilliant psychological drama and grotesque gothic horror film, Hour of the Wolf
– The quirky and reasonably decent, even if undeniably cliched romantic comedy, Silver Linings Playbook
– Bela Tarr’s moody, noirish and, customarily, formally rigorous, The Man from London
– Tarkovsky’s masterful final film, The Sacrifice
Shubhajit—
Great to hear that you are on the side of mercy for anyone who indulges in the annual Oscar charade. As I have stated a number of times, few can or will remember very much about the show in a matter of weeks. Your original comment on Joel’s post was excellent I must say. Thanks for the kind words on the Oscar interview at the Boulevard Diner! We had a nice time that night, and young Sammy has indeed made his mark. Ha! I do well remember you love Kiarostami’s new film. That’s quite a comparative point with the likes of HOLY MOTORS and AMOUR. I am a huge fan of HOUR OF THE WOLF, THE MAN FROM LONDON and THE SACRIFICE, and there is obviously a thematic and stylistic kinship between Bergman, Tarr and Tarkovsky! Can’t argue either about SILVER LININGS, which I continue to believe is extremely overrated, but most people seem to love it. Thanks so very much my friend! Have a great week!
Sam,
Thanks again for the mention. THE CIRCUS is a fantastic film and glad to hear the Film Forum was packed for the showing. Managed to catch four films of diverse quality.
Stagecoach (*****) Classic Ford Western beautifully written, photographed with some truly wonderful performances. Ford’s camera practically makes love to John Wayne and Monument Valley.
North to Alaska (**) I just could not warm up to this film. Watched it once before years ago and it has not gotten better with age. The fight scenes are laughably bad, Fabian was most likely added to the cast to draw the teens of the day, like Rick Nelson was in “Rio Bravo” the year before. Sadly, Fabian can neither act nor sing. Looks like director Hathaway and his friend Wayne just got together to have some laughs. I hope they did, because I didn’t.
River’s Edge (****) A disturbing but engrossing film about, apathy, alienation and the misplaced loyalties of youth. Crispin Glover’s performance is exceptional, at times funny, yet frightfully unsettling. Dennis Hopper is memorable in another of his strange roles that he does so well.
Divorce, American Style (***1/2) Scathing dark comedy about the implications of divorce in America, at least in the 1960’s. The excellent screenplay by Norman Lear was way ahead of it time in 1967 even if now the film as whole seems a bit dated.
John—
The Film Forum has really struck pay dirt with the Film Forum Jr. Sunday morning series. The kids were delighted to have another chance to see THE CIRCUS, which that has previously seen a few years ago during the Chaplin Festival. I completely agree that STAGECOACH is a five-star masterpiece, and one of the greatest of all westerns. Great way to put it there about Ford “making love” to John Wayne and Monument Valley! I once owned NORTH TO ALASKA in the Fox widescreen laserdisc series back when widescreen video had just launched. I liked the use of the new ratio, but was not at all impressed with the film, so we are again in agreement. As far as RIVER’S EDGE and DIVORCE, I am just about where you are with the star ratings. RIVER’S EDGE is indeed about alienation (and the other themes you suggest) and both Glover and Hopper are excellent. A strange film indeed. Yes Lear’s screenplay is the vital component in DIVORCE. Thanks as always my friend! Have a great week!
I walked in to an Oscar thing only to see “Brave” and “Paperman” win. I knew it was going to be a rough night and start drinking heavily. Waltz winning shortly after that confirmed it. When Tarantino won I yelled “OH COME ON!” at the top of my lungs.
I should have listened to you guys. Outside of the “Django” related wins, there really weren’t any large surprises.
Oddly deflating, somehow.
The “Brave” win really disappointed me because it shows that, once again, Pixar can run roughshod over a film’s creator and original director, fire them, and then hand it to another director who can then win an award largely for somebody else’s work and everyone will think it’s cute because he’s wearing a kilt.
if you don’t like Tarantino you’re going to have trouble with me, boy.
Fassbin—
You would certainly have had a great time at the firehouse, as a few others had one drink too many! Ha! I was not happy that BRAVE won either (Burton’s FRANKENWEENIE and even WRECK IT RALPH were far better choices) but I was good with Waltz myself, even if I didn’t predicted him to win. Tarantino’s win was expected by some, but I was thinking and predicted they’d go with AMOUR. The show is ALWAYS deflating. You really picked the PERFECT word there my friend! Thanks for the great comment!
Bob, you and I are in complete agreement on BRAVE, which has no business winning that award. But, what else if new on that front?
Sam, I’d love to see ‘The Circus’ on the big screen – definitely one of my favourites out of the Chaplins I’ve seen so far. I’m amazed by how it packs in so many great sequences in such a short space.Your party sounds great, but must admit I didn’t see the Oscars – couldn’t stay up all night with work the next day, and it didn’t seem worth bothering after the event.
But I have seen a couple of great noirs at a local independent cinema this week, ‘Out of the Past’, which was a first viewing for me and I absolutely loved, and ‘Notorious’, which I’ve seen many times on TV/DVD but found a revelation on the big screen. At home, I watched an early Preston Sturges comedy, ‘Christmas in July’, which feels a bit like a Capra film (if less emotional) and is a lot of fun. I also finally finished watching season five of ‘Mad Men’ – I found this a bit patchier than the earlier seasons, but it was back on form for the last couple of episodes and I’m now eagerly awaiting the next season. Anyway, I hope everyone has a good week.
Judy—
THE CIRCUS is indeed a special thrill on a theater screen, as are all Chaplins. You are quite right about the film packing in so many great sequences in a short running time. Some of Chaplin’s most celebrated gags appear in that film. I completely agree with your decision to skip the Oscars, which are really just a guilty pleasure, even if I make them appear they are more than that! Ha! OUT OF THE PAST and NOTORIOUS are masterpieces and I completely agree with you in every sense. CHRISTMAS IN JULY is definitely Capraesque, and it was always a delight. One day I’ll get to MAD MEN! Thanks as always my friend for the great comment! Have a terrific week.
I am attempting to catch up on reading after starting the year 11 books behind and having a week long headache where I could not read. I watched nothing all week – not even Oscars.
I also did not watch PI movie because it was only in 3D and that looks like foggy green blurs to my eyes. I did read the book years ago and that was a good read.
I wonder if they will pick another GOOD POPE like JOHN? Have you read the book? That was a gem.
I read a great baseball YA fictional book for 3/4/2013 review includes a good mystery/secret and an interesting family with very authentic characters – and Babe Ruth! It is a coming of age story….and I think your kiddos might enjoy it both at school and at home…I thought it was a great read and I did not know so much about baseball…the publishers are giveaway a copy for a comment.
I was impressed with the Gun Violence protests here this last week…and the Sandy Hook folks that came to speak….
Then there are voting rights issues and Violence against women…and the closing of all the health care clinics…
March 1st is the opening of the documentary PLACE AT THE TABLE…pay for view is streaming and iTunes…I sure hope I can find a way to watch it? 50 million Americans – mostly children are starving in the USA (80% working families) and we fixed this problem in 1979…..We need as much public uprising particularly with the sequester nonsense coming up…firehouse parties…we have those too – except usually for sports not movies 🙂
Have a great week.
Patricia—
I am sorry to hear you have suffered from a headache this past week, and hope that as I write this you are feeling better. But it sounds like you will be doing quite a bit of reading over the coming months. I never read THE LIFE OF PI myself, but what you have said is pretty much what I have heard from others as well. The film can be seen in both 3D and the regular 2D, but I know most theaters offer far more screenings of the former because of the higher ticket prices. In any case I am certain you would like it. I haven’t read that pope book you speak of but I have read much about John, and know he was especially beloved among modern popes as is John Paul II. With the papal election upcoming I have been reading quite a bit about the conclave. This interests me from a historical and political perspective. The baseball book does sound great. We are Babe Ruth/Yankee fans in this house of course. The gun control talk/protests are most important, and I know parents of Sandy Hook victims have been passionately involved. Thanks for the tip on PLACE AT THE TABLE, which I will try and see – it’s obviously another that’s vitally important and deserving of a big public response, as does the matters where women are getting the short end of the stick. Thanks very much Patricia! Have a great week!
I do hope the Good POPE book arrived at your house since you won it off my site. A couple of the publishers are not good at delivering the goods and I like to know about that..
Thank you for the well wishes – I am feeling much better today – thank goodness