I know I’m that last to report it at this point, but let’s have another round of applause for Ellen Page!
You know what, give yourselves a hand too: Perhaps the internet content I focus on is an echo chamber, but as far as I’ve seen, the reaction in the press and in the public has all been very positive. Lets hope that all this positivity counters the fear felt by countless others
I believe that every Ellen Page and Michael Sam with the courage to come out in the public eye, in the face of rampant industry sexism and bigotry, equals hundreds of regular people (non-celebrities) who become more comfortable to be who they are, publicly or privately. And that equal hundreds more becoming more comfortable with who their neighbors are, publicly or privately.
Here is Page’s full speech. It’s 8 1/2 minutes, and worth every second.
Every year Kris Tapley of In Contention counts down his Top 10 Shot of the Year. (There are many imitators, but he was the first.) What makes his articles so wonderful is that he gets to interview each cinematographer about the specific shots in question.
Point of definition: In film, a “shot” is any continuous footage or sequence without edits or cuts. It can last anywhere from a few frames to several minutes.
Check out this year’s list here: Part One (#10-6) Part Two (#5-1)
I won’t give anything away, except to say that one of the films in the first part shows up again in the second. And if you’ve seen #2 and #1, you’ll know instantly that they are the most obvious and perfect choices.
Happy Valentine’s Friday! In lieu of a card or teddy bear, I present you with this GrabBag of screen-related bon-bons…
Up first, The Onion’s “Starfix” gives us a behind-the-scenes look at Colin Farrell’s “lack of preparation” for this weekend’s big romantic release, Winter’s Tale…
Oscar’s telecastproducers urged winners to give speeches “from your heart, not from a list.” I can get behind that. Who cares about a list of agents and producers? The speeches we remember are those that take the opportunity to really say something.
This may be the least surprising news of the awards season, but it’s news nonetheless. Gravity pretty much swept the Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards at their ceremony Wednesday night.
The only award it could have won but didn’t went to The Hobbit for Animated Character in a Live Action Feature. And that makes sense: they animated Sandra Bullock for scenes that were impossible to shoot practically, but it may be a bit of a stretch to consider that an “animated character.” Smaug is more consistent with the intent of the category.
Elsewhere, Frozen took all four Animated Feature categories. And Game of Thrones took a trio of TV awards.
See below for the complete list of winners. (Check out the nominees here.)
MOTION PICTURES
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Motion Picture
“Gravity”
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Feature Motion Picture
“The Lone Ranger”
Outstanding Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
“Frozen”
Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” – Smaug
Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
“Frozen” – Bringing the Snow Queen to Life
Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
“Gravity” – Exterior
Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
“Frozen” – Elsa’s Ice Palace
Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
“Gravity”
Outstanding Models in a Feature Motion Picture
“Gravity” – ISS Exterior
Outstanding FX and Simulation Animation in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
“Gravity” – Parachute and ISS Destruction
Outstanding FX and Simulation Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
“Frozen” – Elsa’s Blizzard
Outstanding Compositing in a Feature Motion Picture
“Gravity”
TELEVISION AND COMMERCIALS
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Program
“Game of Thrones” – “Valar Dohaeris”
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial
PETA – “98% Human”
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Broadcast Program
“Banshee” – Pilot
Outstanding Animated Character in a Commercial or Broadcast Program
PETA – “98% Human”
Outstanding Created Environment in a Commercial or Broadcast Program
“Game of Thrones” – “The Climb”
Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Live Action Commercial or Broadcast Program
“The Crew”
Outstanding FX and Simulation Animation in a Commercial or Broadcast Program
PETA – “98% Human”
Outstanding Compositing in a Broadcast Program “Game of Thrones” – “The Climb”
Outstanding Compositing in a Commercial
“Call of Duty” – “Epic Night Out”
OTHER MEDIA
Outstanding Real-Time Visuals in a Video Game
“Call of Duty: Ghosts”
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project
“Space Shuttle Atlantis”
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project
“Rugbybugs”
It has just been confirmed: Karen O will perform her Oscar nominated “The Moon Song” from Her at this years awards. She marks the final piece of the puzzle, after recent announcements that her fellow nominees – U2 (“Ordinary Love” from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom), Pharrell Williams (“Happy” from Despicable Me 2), and Idina Menzel (“Let It Go” from Frozen) – will all perform live at the show.
(Scroll down for embedded videos of all 4 songs.)
In recent years, The Oscars have been a bit wishy-washy when it comes to performing the songs during the ceremony. This year will mark the first time all the song nominees have been performed live at the show since 2011.
Of course it helps that the worst, most embarrassing nominee was disqualified. And there are only four remaining to eat into the runtime. And those four are all excellent songs by popular performers.
“Let It Go” is still the prohibitive frontrunner, but it’s win is by no means as assured as it seemed a few months, or even weeks, ago. U2 picked up the Golden Globe, and they have the power of Bono and expert campaigner Harvey Weinstein behind them. Meanwhile, Pharrell Williams just picked up a handful of Grammys and has been campaigning super hard. “Happy” is practically everywhere these days.
Even Karen O has a few angles on the race: Voters could easily opt to show the movie some love in this category where competition might be stiffer elsewhere. As frontwoman for the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, she carries the full weight of the quirky/indie/hipster demographic. And if the more obvious choices split the vote, “The Moon Song” could easily slip in.
Still, “Let It Go” is the most likely. Not only is it actually the best of the nominees, it’s the kind of song the category was meant for: integral to both the film’s story and overall theme. Not to mention, it marks a triumphant return to form for Disney.
Here, for your listening pleasure, are all the songs…
If you believe the old adage that celebrity deaths come in threes, it appears Sid Caesar is our third in recent days (after Philip Seymour Hoffman and Shirley Temple Black). Caesar was a legend of Borscht Belt comedy. He worked extensively with Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Woody Allen, Neil Simon, et al. He has created a lasting legacy. Most importantly, he was fucking hilarious.
A couple days ago I posted my reviews of this year’s Oscar Nominees for Live Action Short Film. The animated ones overall were slightly underwhelming in comparison, but there were a couple a very bright spots – the very brightest of which didn’t even get nominated.
Wait… what? I’ll explain later. For now, here are my ranked reviews for the 2014 Oscar nominees for Best Animated Short…
5. Possessions (Japan/Japanese, 14 min)
A skilled handyman wandering through the woods in a storm seeks shelter in a seemingly abandoned shrine. The little hut is cluttered with various broken objects whose sprits haunt him until he fixes them. The premise is based on an old Japanese legend. Perhaps if I were more familiar with the legend or the culture from which it originated I would have gotten more out of this film. As it is the story seemed confusing and pointless. Many of the subtitles didn’t make much sense, and I can’t help but wonder if it was just a bad translation. Even so, the CGI was awkward and doesn’t blend well with the hand-drawn background. Overall, it just wasn’t that good. I quickly went from critical to bored.
4. Room on the Broom (UK/English, 26 min)
A witch and her cat ride around on their broom, stopping occasionally to take on more passengers, much to the cat’s increasing dismay. Like 2010 nominee, The Guffalo (and its not-nominated sequel The Gruffalo’s Child), this is a BBC production of a short children’s book, with a voice cast full of high profile names (Simon Pegg narrates). The problem with these films is they insist on using the original text, narrated word-for-word, with lots of pauses and dead space to fill out a half-hour TV slot. In doing so, they ruin the wonderful rhythm and rhyming scheme of that original text. The animation is skilled, and Broom in particular bests its formers with wonderful character work on the fantastically expressive cat. But the whole thing feels more like a glossy, expensive, yet over-long segment for Reading Rainbow.
3. Feral (USA/No dialogue, 12 min)
This is a beautiful hand-painted depiction of a feral child “rescued” from the woods and adopted by the hunter who found him. He is groomed for civilized life, but the grooming can only be skin deep. Though the story is clear enough, the telling is quite abstract. The screen is a series of gorgeous images that morph into one another, and each moment the imagery moves back and forth between concrete reality and symbolic dreamscape. The biggest potential pitfall with any work of abstract art is that it can have a tendency to sacrifice accessibility for expression. That’s somewhat the case here. The artistry that went into making this film is undeniable. But it wasn’t always entirely engaging or interesting.
2. Get a Horse! (USA/English, 6 min)
It was teased over a year ago as a long lost early Mickey Mouse cartoon. It turned out to be a new film blending traditional, grainy black and white animation with the most advanced and up to date 3D CGI. Mickey (voiced by some previously unused, archived recordings of Walt Disney himself) and his friends get into a chase that breaks through the screen and into the audience. Classic physics-bending cartoon hijinks ensue, with the help of modern technology to enable pranks the old Mickey would’ve never dreamed of. I loved this film when it screened in 3D before Frozen. In this program (and screeners sent to Oscar voters) it’s presented in 2D and loses a good deal of its technical appeal. Without that there’s not much of a story to prop it up (there never were in those old cartoons). Still, in 3D it’s a fantastic film.
1. Mr. Hublot (France/No dialogue, 12 min)
Mr. Hublot is fastidious shut-in with OCD, living in a fantastical steampunk/clockwork city populated by mechanical people. His world is turned upside-down when he rescues a stray robot dog that quickly grows too big and destructive for his perfectly ordered home. It’s an enormously sweet and touching little film. The characters are endearing and the design is stunningly beautiful. There are a couple times when a song comes in over a montage of events. The song is mixed a little too loud and feels a little distractingly out of place. But even so, it’s a sweet and enjoyable little ditty. This is my favorite of the animated nominees this year.
(It is not, however, my favorite of the year, as you’ll see below.)
HIGHLY COMMENDED – These programs often include a few other films that didn’t get nominated, in order to fill out a feature length slot. This year’s live action shorts were considerably longer on average, so that program stuck to the 5 nominees. But the animated program gave us a few others, including one that’s far and away better than everything else.
3-. A La Francaise (USA/No Dialogue, 7 min)
In 1700’s Versailles, all the rich, noble aristocracy are portrayed as hapless clucking chickens. It’s a pretty funny metaphor, but a simple one. There’s absolutely no depth here. Not much to say, really: reasonably enjoyable, and instantly forgettable.
3+.The Missing Scarf (Ireland/English, 7 min)
You’d be forgiven for thinking this is your standard children’s allegory about a cute little origami paper squirrel searching for his lost scarf, but you’d be oh so very wrong. In fact, it’s less of a story and more of a video essay on the nature of fear, with a final turn that’s surprisingly dark for adults, let alone any poor kids who might have been tricked into watching it. My mind kept thinking George Takei’s narration was going to rhyme or a least find a rhythm, but the fact that it never does only added to a certain level of discomfort that I’m pretty sure was intentional. It’s not a bad film at all, but watch at your own risk.
1+++!!!!!. The Blue Umbrella (USA/No Dialogue, 7 min)
Pixar is has been a staple in this category almost as often as it has in the Feature Animation. That the studio missed out on both this year is shocking and upsetting, but mostly for this one. It was paired with Monsters University in theaters, and while the latter was better than I expected, the former was the most wonderful thing on screen all night. In a photo-realistic city at night in the rain, a chance encounter between a blue and pink umbrella (the people carrying them are only seen by their matching galoshes) becomes a harrowing adventure, and ultimately a love story. Various objects in and around the street watch the proceedings with fantastic expressions created by ever so slightly bending already existing lines. The soundtrack is beautiful, and the story is incredibly touching. It’s the kind of film that’s so moving, so affecting, that I still get shivers up my spine even now, writing about it several days later. Despite whichever film wins the Oscar, this is in fact by far the Best Animated Short Film of the Year.
This year the Tivoli Theater in St Louis will turn 90 years old. Cinema St Louis is marking the occasion with a May 25th showing of Meet Me in St Louis (1944), which itself is turning 70.
I won’t be able to make it myself, as THAT’S THE DAY OF MY WEDDING!!! But to those St. Louisans who aren’t attending the biggest bash of the year, this might be the next best thing.
On May 24, 2014, the Tivoli officially turns 90 years old. Accordingly, on May 25th, 2014, they will celebrate this milestone in a cinematic way, by showing MEET ME IN ST LOUIS (1944; this year marks 70 since its release).
This film, being of special importance to the city of St. Louis (which turns 250 this year), was deemed the most appropriate film to play. Starring Judy Garland, Mary Astor, Margaret O’Brien and many others, the film centers on the 1904 World’s Fair held in St. Louis (this year also marks the 100th year since that landmark event). This special confluence of anniversaries is of sufficient import to warrant a huge event!
Come Celebrate the Tivoli! 90 years old never looked so good.
Event Info
What: MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944)
When: May 25, 2014 at 4:00pm
How much: $5 per ticket
Shirley Temple Black passed away Monday night at the age of 85. Long before adding her married name “Black”, she was arguably the most famous singing and dancing child star Hollywood has ever known – certainly one of the first. That precocious little kid grew up to become an accomplished ambassador and humanitarian. But social and political accomplishments aside, her legacy will always remain a major milestone in screen history.
A few years ago the Oscar nominated short films began releasing in theaters, in feature-length programs divided by category: Live Action, Animation, and Documentary. Ever since, I have made it a point to catch these often fantastic, under-appreciated little gems. The exception is the Doc Shorts which, to this day, still rarely make it outside of New York and LA. But if you’re lucky enough to live in a city with an independent theater, chances are you can catch the Live Action and Animated programs.
I recently sat down to both groups. Stay tuned later this week for my reviews of the animated films. Today I present my reviews, in ranked order, of the 5 films nominated for this year’s Oscar for Best Live Action Short.
(Note: “Short” film doesn’t necessarily necessitate “Short” reviews, but for ease of reading, I’ll keep these to a single paragraph each.)
5. Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me)(Spain/English & Spanish, 24 min)
A Spanish couple, doing aid work in an unnamed war-torn region of Africa, encounter a group of child soldiers and their warlord. Soon they find themselves targets used for indoctrinating the newest youngest recruits. Like a French film reviewed further below, this shines a light on an important topic too often overlooked by the public. Unfortunately the heavy-handed style suffers from a chronic case of just-too-muchness. The occasional flashes-forward to a lecture hall provide occasional respite from the violence, but don’t exactly add much to the proceedings beyond a slightly awkward framing device. Some of the special effects are distractingly bad, as well. That said, some aspects of the film are very good, and I can see it gaining votes based on its social importance – perhaps even winning the Oscar. But I was too turned-off by its problems to appreciate any value that might have remained.
4. Helium(Denmark/Danish, 23 min)
A hospital janitor befriends a young terminal patient and raises the boy’s spirits by regaling him with tales of a fantastical alt-heaven called “Helium.” It’s quite touching, and the special effects are gorgeous. But it’s just a little too sappy to overcome the central cliché.
3. The Voorman Problem(UK/English, 13 min)
Martin Freeman stars as a psychologist called in to evaluate a prisoner (Pirates of the Caribbean’s Tom Hollander) who “believes” he’s a god. Those quotation marks are crucial to the film’s central gimmick. And it is a gimmick. It’s hilarious and well acted, but it’s a one-note joke. That’s not always a bad thing; I enjoy lots of joke-y shorts, including the Finnish film below. But there’s a well known “rule of threes” in comedy and storytelling. This film delivered its big turn on the second beat and ended, leaving an unfinished and unsatisfied feeling. In my opinion, the “problem” of the title is that it feels like only half of a great movie.
2. Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)(Finland/Finnish, 7 min)
After oversleeping, a woman has to get her useless husband and kids ready to leave for a wedding. This fast-paced comedy piles on more complications every few seconds, to perfectly recreate that sense of frantic frustration that’s so familiar. Like The Voorman Problem this could be considered a one-note joke, but unlike that film this has the advantage of a clear beginning, middle and end, an endearing tone, and relatable characters. The film is light, some might even say slight, but it’s very enjoyable.
1. Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just Before Losing Everything)(France/French, 30 min)
A mother is desperate to leave town with her kids, but first they must stop at the supermarket where she works to make some final plans. I want to tell you what they are doing and why, but the film so expertly adds information piece by piece, steadily building tension and suspense, that I don’t want to give too much away. Suffice it to say, this is a powerful film, made by extremely talented women, about an important topic too often relegated to “women’s issues”, but whose audience is and should be universal. Everyone needs to watch this. The skill and artistry involved in every aspect of the production is absolutely top notch, and the script is as good as any in this year’s feature races. This is not only the best short film of this race; it may be the best live action short I’ve seen since I began paying attention to these races nearly a decade ago.
And there you have this year’s Live Action Short field. Needless to say, this ranking is my own opinion. I will make actual predictions for the Oscar races sometime over the next month. (Though my experience lately is the films I like the best actually often end up winning.) Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for the Animation reviews coming up!
The Screen Life 