Movie of the Week! (2/24/13 to 3/2/13)

The Shawshank Redemption     Forrest Gump                 Pulp Fiction

In honor of today’s Academy Award ceremony, I have decided to change Movie of the Week up a bit. Every year around Oscar time discussions concerning past Academy Award winners being deserving or not and what film should of won come to light.  Google ‘Oscar snubs’ and countless articles and discussions can be found in the search results. If you flip through the entertainment channels on television right around this time of the year you are bound to find some kind of special concerning Academy Award snubs. Due to this, I thought it would be interesting to continue the ongoing debate of one particular Best Picture race right here on Shawgoes to the Movies.

Let’s go back 18 years. The 1994 Academy Award winner for Best Picture: Forrest Gump. The two movies that lost to Forrest Gump that have been argued as more deserving winners over the years: Pulp Fiction and The Shawshank Redemption. If you can take yourself back to the moment, you can start to understand why Forrest Gump was the winner at that point in time. It had just dominated at the box office, becoming the second highest grossing film of the year with The Lion King being the highest. It had a fun but compelling way to present American history. Most of all, it presented a character that could become instantly lovable with a star in the form of Tom Hanks that was already loved. Because of all this, how could the Academy go a different direction?

It is also important to note that Forrest Gump’s competition was not as strong at the time. No one had really heard of The Shawshank Redemption and everything from its title to it premise was eerie. Other than Morgan Freeman, Shawshank did not have heavy star power. Pulp Fiction had the star power but its subject matter is something that Academy has trouble swallowing.  Since their releases in 1994, both The Shawshank Redemption and Pulp Fiction’s have become well known, even acquiring a ‘cult classic’ status similar to Forrest Gump. This has led to the ongoing debate of what film actually should have won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

So let’s discuss. Was Forrest Gump the right choice? Should either The Shawshank Redemption or Pulp Fiction have won? What is the all around best film of the three? What film is the most ground breaking? If these same three films are released in 2013, what film wins? Nothing is off limits so refresh your memory of these films and come back and share your thoughts.   

Predicting The Oscars: The Locks, Safe Bets and Up For Grabs

AMPAS

With the 85^th annual Academy Award ceremony just hours away, my question is: do you have your predictions finalized? Every year there are three types of categories when it comes to how predictable one is. You have the categories that are locks. These are the ones that Oscar statues could already be engraved for, making them easy to predict.  Then you have the safe bet categories where the winner is not as clear but there is one nominee that will surprise nobody if they win, therefore making them the safe pick when predicating a winner. Finally, you have the up for grabs categories. These are the categories that there is no front runner, making them the hardest to predict but also the most interesting come Oscar night. As I am making my final set of predictions, I have noticed that this year is no different than the past as there are plenty of locks, safe bets and up for grabs categories.  Let’s take a closer look at the some of these categories. 

THE LOCKS

Best Picture: If there is any Oscar category that I wish was up for grabs, it is this one. Not because I think Argo is underserving but how exciting would it be if the last award given on Oscar night, Best Picture, was completely unpredictable? Unfortunately, just like the past several year, this will not be the case as Argo is a lock to win Best Picture.

When the nominations were announced on January 10^th, Lincoln looked like the front runner. I even said in my Oscar nomination write up that Best Picture appeared to be Lincolns to lose. Well, it didn’t even take 24 hours for Lincoln to start to lose positioning as Argo took home the Critic’s Choice Award for Best Picture. Argo continued its rise of to the top just a few days later on January 13^th when it won Best Picture for a Drama at The Golden Globes. It was not the clear cut Oscar winner just yet though as Silver Linings Playbook, Golden Globe winner for Best Comedy/Musical, looked to be the favorite for winning Best Ensemble Cast at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. The Screen Actors Guild Awards is an important determiner for the Oscars because unlike the Hollywood foreign press and the film critics, the screen actors are actually a voting branch for the Academy Awards. On top of that, it is the largest voting branch. Silver Linings Playbook however did not win Best Ensemble cast. The winner: Argo. This was the beginning of the end for any other Best Picture Nominee’s chances as the night before it won the Best Picture at the Producer’s Guild Awards. It then went on to win Best Director in the form of Ben Affleck at the Directors Guild Awards and Best Adapted Screenplay in the form of Chris Terrio at the Writers Guild Awards. So what do all of these wins equal: an Academy Award for Best Picture.

If any other nominated films have any kind of chance to beat Argo it is Lincoln and Silver Linings Playbook. If Steven Spielberg wins Best Director, Tony Kushner wins for Best Adapted Screenplay and Tommy Lee Jones wins Best Actor in a Supporting Role along with Daniel Day Lewis’s win for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Lincoln could be taking home the ceremony’s top prize. If David O. Russell happens to win Best Director and for Best Adapted Screenplay, Robert De Niro wins Best Actor in a Supporting Role along with Jennifer Lawrence winning for Best Actress in a Leading Role, it could appear that Harvey Weinstein has worked his magic once again and Silver Linings Playbook is the one walking away with Best Picture. As you probably already noticed with these scenarios, a lot of things have to happen which means Argo will become the 85^th film ever to be awarded an Academy Award for Best Picture.

Best Actor in a Leading Role: For the first time in Academy Award history, an acting category has just one nominee: Daniel Day Lewis. I’m kidding of course, but not about Daniel Day Lewis being in class of his own. He is unrecognizable in his performance as Abraham Lincoln but what makes him such a remarkable actor is that when he signed on to take on the role, we knew that he would be exactly that. If I was creative enough to think of another category that would be more than just a guaranteed win, this Oscar race would be in it. Daniel Day Lewis for not just the win but the historic win as he will become the first actor ever to win three Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role: No need to dream any longer Anne Hathaway, your performance in Les Miserables will win the Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Like Daniel Day Lewis, Hathaway has been unbeatable this awards season so there is no reason to think her winning streak will end on Sunday. Here is a thought: If you win an Oscar for a performance in a musical you should have to sing your acceptance speech.

Best Foreign Language Film: It has been 40 years since a film nominated for both Best Picture and Best Foreign Language Film has lost the latter of the two. The winning streak will continue this year as Amour will win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Why am I so sure? Amour’s Director and Writer, Michael Haneke is not only nominated in both of these categories but could even win one for his screenplay. It’s lead actress, Emmanuelle Riva is also a contender for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Due to all of this, I’m not even sure if Amour is allowed to lose so if a major upset does occur, it will hands down be the biggest surprise of the night.       

THE SAFE BETS

Best Actress in a Leading Role: Two weeks ago this would have been a lock with Jennifer Lawrence getting the win for Silver Linings Playbook. I’m sticking with Lawrence but this prediction is now a safe bet instead of the sure thing it once was. Maybe this has some to do with how this category played out last year. Viola Davis (The Help) won the Screen Actors Guild Award but lost to Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady) at the Oscars. Could Lawrence, the winner of the Screen Actors Award, be beaten by Zero Dark Thirty’s Jessica Chastain? Throughout awards season it has appeared that this category was just a two horse race but Amour’s Emmanuelle Riva has been becoming more and more a part of the conversation. Considering the subject matter of Amour when thinking about the average age of an Oscar voter, gives reason to believe that Riva has a chance to beat both Lawrence and Chastain. With her 86^th birthday also being today, an Oscar win would be a great birthday present but like I said, this is a safe bet category and the safe bet is Lawrence.        

Best Original Song: Even though this year this category can probably be considered more of a done deal than a safe bet, it is a category that has historically been hard to predict. This year’s winner will likely be Adele for her song “Skyfall” from Skyfall but if any other song were to win, it would be Les Miserables’ “Suddenly” by Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schonberg and Herbert Kretzmer. One thing that is certain though, is that if Adele does win, a memorable acceptance speech is sure to follow.

Best Animated Short Film: When I was setting in the theater waiting for Wreck-It-Ralph to start, Paperman was featured before the film and I remember being tremendously satisfied. I leaned over to the friend setting beside me and whispered “That is going to win an Oscar”. Well, almost four months later, it appears that Paperman is going to exactly that: win the academy award for Best Animated Short Film. With that said, it has strong competition with films such as Adam and Dog, Fresh Guacamole and Head Over Heels. Out of these three films, Adam and Dog looks to be the one that has the greatest chance to pull off the upset.

Best Director: This category is a tricky one because unlike several other category’s, there is nothing to go by. The winner of all the director related awards that have been handed out this year have went to Ben Affleck. So with Ben Affleck not even nominated for Best Director, this category is a little more open. It appears to be a three man race between Steven Spielberg, David O. Russell and Ang Lee. Since this category has been somewhat overshadowed by who was not nominated instead of who was and even though I can give plenty of reasons why Ben Affleck and Kathryn Bigelow deserved a nomination, it is also important to note that the three previously mentioned men are all deserving of the win. Only one can take home the Oscar though and that one will be Spielberg.

UP FOR GRABS                                                                                                                                               

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: One thing is for sure in this category: Alan Arkin (Argo) will not win. That leaves four other actors who all happen to already be in possession of the coveted statue. It seems that everyone has forgot that The Master even happened, so despite a Critics Choice Award, Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s chance at winning seems slim, or just slimmer than the next three men. Django Unchained’s Christoph Waltz appears to be a strong contender but the fact that he just won three years ago, the last time he was nominated, for another Quentin Tarrantino film makes me hesitant to predict him winning. Silver Linings Playbook’s Robert De Niro has Harvey Weinstein on his side giving him a boost but with not winning any other award this year, he may have to settle for 2^nd or 3^rd or maybe even fourth. Then there is Tommy Lee Jones for his performance in Men in Black 3. Alright, you got me; Lincoln was the film that featured the nominated performance by Jones. Jones took home Screen Actors Guild Award so I’m going with him for the Oscar win but like I said it’s an even playing field so it should be one of the more interesting announcements of the night.

Best Animated Film: If Brave was made by pre 2011 Pixar, this category would be far from up for grabs but that is not the case so Walt Disney Animated Studios is looking for its first ever win with Wreck-It-Ralph. This category is hard for me to predict because of  much more I liked Wreck-It-Ralph than Brave but I cannot let bias get in the way and have to look at the facts. Brave won the Golden Globe. Wreck-It Ralph won the Annie Award. The Globe winner has gone on to win the Oscar 66% of the time and the Annie Award winner has gone on to win 73% of the time. I know it’s close but I’m going with the Annie Award winner, Wreck-It-Ralph for the win and yes, I admit, there may have be a bit of bias involved in this decision. 

Review: 'Warm Bodies'

Summit Entertainment

There is always an initial interest level for a film established when first finding out its premise. After first hearing about the premise of Warm Bodies, my interest for the film was high. To me, it sounded like a fresh take on an apocalyptic zombie genre that, more often than not, offers a lot of the same. Even if it does nothing more, Warm Bodies is successful in offering something different within a genre that has gained a reputation opposite of this. Even with execution flaws, Warm Bodies still manages to literally add heart to a lifeless genre.                          

Warm Bodies tells the love story between a zombie, R (Nicholas Hoult), and a human, Julie (Teresa Palmer). The two first encounter each other when Julie, her boyfriend Perry (Dave Franco) and other humans are searching for supplies. R and a group of zombies, while searching for food (humans), come across the same human group. R is immediately drawn to Julie but is immediately shot by Perry which results in R killing him. It is here that R explains, through voice over, that if a zombie does not eat the brain, the human will turn into what is referred to as a corpse zombie but R goes on to explain that the brain is the best part to eat because a zombie can experience the memories of the person whose brain they are eating.

While eating Perry’s brain, R becomes even more interested in Julie so he saves her from being killed by other zombies and takes her back to a plane that he has made his home. Convinced by R that it is not safe to leave, Julie stays with him for several days which leads to a mutual attraction between the two. As R’s affection for Julie grows, he gradually becomes more human like. The other corpse zombies see this relationship between the two and also start to develop human qualities like dreams and heart beats. R and Julie now must convince the other humans, including her reluctant dad (John Malkvich) that these corpses zombies can become human again while also trying to stay clear of the other zombie race, Boneys, that will stop at nothing to kill them.

Warm Bodies appearance is definitely not where it differences from other apocalyptic zombie tales. There are the usual broken down establishments and vehicles along with the lack of color that add up to a ‘seen it all before’ back drop. During the opening credits, R explains that the zombies in the area inhabit what used to be an airport which makes for some cool shots during this opening sequence but after this, has nothing to do with the films plot. The Boney zombies also offer nothing new in term of aesthetic appeal. The Boneys are the zombies that are supposed to be feared but with poor design and choreographing, these characters hinder the intensity level that the films finale is aiming for.

At its core, Warm Bodies is a love story, making it all the more disappointing when this aspect of the film comes off as flat. With that said, it is important to note that I was not looking for a breathtaking romantic story but the lack of emotional investment between the films main characters and the development of their relationship makes it difficult to fully buy in to the fact that the film is a romantic comedy. R is turning human because he is falling for Julie but this is made hard to believe. This could be contributed to the lack of chemistry between Hoult and Palmer but dialogue and pacing is where the problem really lies. Billed as romantic, zombie comedy, this relationship would have been better off with much faster, heartfelt dialogue with the pacing to match. Instead a drawn out, choppy dialogue hurts the appeal of the relationship. I’m aware that zombies have difficulty speaking but with Hoult giving a respectable performance as a zombie, a chance for golden non-verbal dialogue from R’s side of things was missed out on.      

With that said though, Warm Bodies makes up for its unoriginal backdrop and slow pacing by its attempt to turn the tables. With most Zombie movies it is pretty straight forward. You have the good guys, humans, against the bad guys, zombies. Why are the humans killing the zombies? Because the zombies are trying to kill or eat them. In this regard, Warm Bodies is the same. It differences can be found in its way it dehumanizes the human’s and humanizes the zombies. As I mentioned in the description of the plot, R developing feelings for Julie causes for him to begin to turn human again. The humans, however, are hesitate to be around other humans who have been in contact with zombies. For example, Julie’s father does not hesitate to refuse let her, his own daughter, enter the human camp if she has been even slightly effected by a zombie. This lack of compassion and selfish motivation causes for the humans to appear as the heartless ones while the zombies are learning how to love again.

This aspect of the film is most impressive in the way that it is never explicitly said or spelled out and is subtle enough that this flipping of emotions is clear but not to the point that one side is rooted for more than the other. This is important because of the involvement of a third party, the Boneys. The Boneys may not put the fear God in you but are successful in providing a cause for the corpses and the humans to join forces.

Yes, Warm Bodies is another zombie movie. It looks like a zombie movie in every single way but does that mean it is just the same old thing when it’s story is dug into? No which makes it a film that can be widely recommended. If your fan of the zombie apocalypse genre, Warm Bodies is recommended due to its aesthetic appeal. If this genre is not your thing, you may find satisfaction in its attempt to switch the normal emotions given to zombies and humans. However, if it is a full out, romantic comedy you are looking for than Warm Bodies will likely keep you looking but how much can one complain about a lack of feeling and emotion? It is a zombie movie right?

Grade: B-

Movie of the Week! (2/17/13 - 2/23/13)

Oldboy (2003)

I want to get a disclaimer out of the way, Oldboy is a strange flick. I'm still shaking my head when thinking about some of the things I saw when I watched it on Saturday morning (2/16/13). Thoughts like, "did that just happen?" and "wow!" are prevalent throughout. Don't let those thoughts deter you from watching it though, because Oldboy is truly a movie that has to be seen. It's one of a kind. 

Oldboy is a Korean film about a man who has been imprisoned for 15 years without knowing the reason why. The search for truth and the quest for vengeance makes for an incredible journey with a finale you won't soon forget. There is an American version being released later in 2013 starring Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Brolin with Spike Lee at the helm. It will be interesting to see how faithful it plays to the original considering some of the themes. It's amazing how many things from Oldboy could lead to great discussion. Be sure to come by and talk about it.

Movie of the Week! (2/10/13-2/16/13)

Half Nelson (2006)                                                                                                                                                                    

For this week’s edition of Movie of the Week, I have decided to go with Half Nelson, a much grittier feature than last week s delightful selection by Joshua, The Giant Mechanical Man. As far as subject matter goes, I have not strayed too far from my last selection Trainspotting with Half Nelson focusing on Dan (Ryan Gosling), a teacher struggling to keep his drug habit from interfering with other aspects of his life. The teacher-student relationship is also put into focus, bringing up questions of right and wrong or the motives behind this type of relationship. Half Nelson’s look at culture and how it influences the choices one makes along with the viewing of one’s own future also makes for a film that is ripe for discussion.  Like all previous MotW selections, Half Nelson is available for instant streaming on Netflix.     

Review: 'Flight'

Paramount Pictures

How should a film present the subject matter of addiction? There are a handful of different options but first decisions have to be made concerning the character with the addiction. Should it be hammered home that this character is an addict with not a lot of character focus or should addiction be made clear but only used for one end of a charter arc? Flight attempts to present its lead character in both of these ways but never finds proper balance which causes for an emotionless story about addiction rather than an addict.            

Flight opens with airline captain William ‘Whip’ Whitaker (Denzel Washington) waking up in a hotel room with a flight attendant by his side. The hung over pilot snorts a line of cocaine and begins his day which includes piloting a plane from Orlando to Atlanta. It is during this flight that complications arise causing for Whip to land the plane upside down. Initially, Whip is viewed as a hero but this quickly changes when evidence is found concerning his alcohol dependency.

Films concerning addiction seem to usually have some kind hold on an audience. Maybe because it is often comparable to a train wreck or just the natural intrigue they have. Whatever the case may be, Flight is also a film concerning addiction that does not have trouble grabbing ones attention. Right off the bat, in the previously described opening scene, Whip is seen under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Of course it is too early to assume he has a substance abuse problem but it does gain the curiosity of audience. It is when he is on the plane that one can see that this character is most likely an alcoholic. Then there is the landing of the plane that gains the audience with its level of intensity while more is discovered about what kind of person Whip is. 

As Whip Whitaker, Denzel Washington also makes it hard not to be interested with his larger than life on screen presence, a quality beneficial to the character. With his performances in films such as Training Day and American Gangster, Washington has always been able to convincingly play an arrogant, unlikable character so given the persona of Whip,  Washington in this role works well. To Washington’s credit, Whip is a character that comes off as such a jerk that it becomes difficult to not only root against the character but also despise him. This can also be credited to screen writer John Gatins who offers up a very well written character. The dialogue given to Whip makes for a strong spoken character. The strong delivery style of Washington only helps as it meshes well with this dialogue.                

When Washington’s performance along with what he is given to say is looked passed and a slightly deeper examination into the character of Whip is applied, Flights major problems are found. The film wants to present an alcoholic character that changes but does so without any real character arc. Up until the final scene, Flight refuses to let the audience forget that Whip is heavily dependent on alcohol with scene after scene depicting this. Yes, these scenes may grab ones attention but when they start to pile up, they eventually hinder the effectiveness of Flight’s aim or what it ultimately wants to be.                                                                  

It would have been much more interesting and made for a much deeper character if the stressing of Whips addiction was put to the side at some point or toned down and the physiological and emotional aspects of the character were explored. Why is Whip the way he is? By not exploring this question at all, Whip comes off as an emotionless character that doesn’t want to change which makes the films conclusion feel very out of place and insincere. 

This void caused by this lack of emotion or character arc is filled with the idea that he can function with cocaine. One scene in particular that demonstrates this features Whip’s friend Harling (John Goodman) rushing into Whip’s hotel room to get him over his severe hangover and make him presentable for a hearing just moments away by giving him cocaine to snort all while the scene is accompanied by John Cocker’s ‘Feelin’ Alright’. This ever so tacky, anger evoking scene causes for a brief 180 degree genre switch that feels like one huge, bad joke which only makes for what is to follow feel even more unreal.            

With all of this said though, if one is simply looking for a film about alcoholism, Flight will fully satisfy. The film puts this condition in the lead which makes it easy to see some of the dangers of it. This is supported by quality technical craftsmanship, a strong performance by Washington and entertaining dialogue. The problem is that Flight actually wants to be about the alcoholic and not just alcoholism but with the mishandling of the journey or arc of its lead character, an unbelievable and outplace conclusion occurs.

Grade: C

Review: 'Zero Dark Thirty'

Columbia Pictures

With the tag line ‘The greatest man hunt in history’, Zero Dark Thirty could give the impression that it will take on the characteristics of a broad, drawn out epic. If this were the case, the result may be a film that misses the feelings and emotions that went to such a journey, setting up for a loss of the audience. Fortunately, in Zero Dark Thirty, director Kathryn Bigelow dramatizes the search for Osama bin Laden by focusing on one woman’s pursuit to find him causing for a depiction that explores just as much the human spirit involved as the procedural efforts of the search.    

 Zero Dark Thirty begins in 2003 with CIA officer, Maya (Jessica Chastain) arriving to the U.S. embassy in Pakistan. It is here that she accompanies Dan (Jason Clarke), a fellow CIA officer in his interrogations of individuals connected to Osama bin Laden. Soon after this, Dan is reassigned to Washington D.C., giving Maya a much larger role in the search for bin Laden.

Throughout the seven years that follow, Maya is involved in several frustrating interrogations, dead ends and false information acquired which leads her on a search that appears never ending. She is also witness to not only attempts for her own life but also the successful attempts for the life’s of her fellow CIA officers. It is not until May of 2011 that the location of bin Laden becomes nearly certain which leads to a forty minute finale of the SEALs invading the fortress that contains bin Laden.

The search for bin Laden being depicted through Maya’s personal journey is a decision by Bigelow and writer Mark Boal that allows for a personal story that features the human side of this search while fully exploring the procedural efforts of the CIA. The most impressive aspect of this though is that Maya’s journey is presented in a way that never takes away from the hunt for bin Laden or vice versa. 

Maya goes from a timid, young CIA operative who appears to be uncomfortable with the mission she has been given to a somewhat harden but fully determined leader. During this character arc (the first two hours of the film) Maya’s pursuit for bin Laden is only meant with disappointment which helps to show how grueling this search really was. If the much debated, controversial scenes that feature intense interrogation methods were not used, both Maya’s personnel growth and the emotionally tolling search may not have the same effect.  

 Also deserving plenty of praise is Jessica Chastain as she is flawlessly conveys the many emotions of Maya. In the grueling hunt for Osama bin Laden, Maya is seen has scared, angry, sad and joyous, to name just a few emotions, which are handled in such a way by Chastain that are subtle or not over the top but at the same time manage to get the point across that Bigelow and Boal want to make. The effectiveness of Maya’s character arc would not be on the same level if it in weren’t for this aspect of Chastain’s performance.

 It is important to note that the focus of this film is not the SEALs, despite marketing efforts. With that said though, the now historical SEALs team is a major part of Zero Dark Thirty’s extremely well crafted and unforgettable finale. Basically all shot through a night vision lens, this intense invasion lets suspense take over and even though the outcome is obvious, it becomes very difficult not to be fully attentive. Like she did in The Hurt Locker, Bigelow once again takes a very real situation and cinematically presents it as authentically as possible.

Zero Dark Thirty has received plenty of criticism for its images and presumed views but Bigelow’s refusal to tip toe around issues is something that can be admired. Even though it may not be the popular choice, her cinematic but raw depiction of controversial issues makes for engaging films that are certain to start plenty of conversation and debate, something that is desired out of a film experience. Because of this and its high quality craftsmanship, Zero Dark Thirty is a film that at the very least deserves a viewing where personal beliefs along with outside noise should be left at the door and original opinion and thought should be allowed to form.

Grade: A-   

Movie of the Week! (2/3/13 - 2/9/13)

The Giant Mechanical Man (2012)

In what I'm assuming to be a MotW first, I'm selecting a movie that I haven't seen yet. The Giant Mechanical Man is a 2012 romantic comedy starring the always wonderful Jenna Fischer and the extremely prolific Chris Messina. This movie looks to have a lot of things going for it, but we'll all have to watch it and find out. As with all of the past MotW, The Giant Mechanical Man is available on Netflix Watch Instantly. I can't wait to see it and discuss it.