High on Celluloid | Prescriptions for the Film Addict

OSCAR 2011 PREDICTIONS: Best Original Screenplay

2012-02-13T03:00:00.001-05:00

To be truthful I'm for the most part pleased with the nominations for Original Screenplay. I say "for the most part" on account of the unwelcome intrusion of "Margin Call". I never understood the enthusiasm that went towards that film instead of the far more deserving "Martha Marcy May Marlene". But outside that slight hiccup, there's a lot to like about the screenplays here. I'd never vouch for "Bridesmaids" on account of direction or as a corporeal film, but it is quite meticulously written by those who seem to understand the film more than it understands itself. It won't win, but it's a welcome addition.

I'm more than just happy to see "A Separation" make it in. Discounting the indifference that's often thrown the way of the Foreign Language category, as well as giving us dreamers something to root for desperately to no avail. But who are we kidding, really? This is between Woody Allen and Michel Hazanavicius, and it's more than likely that the Academy will go with the former in this case. After all, how good can a screenplay with too few spoken words be? Actually quite meticulous. From the dialogue that comes onscreen in captions, to the dialogue that we only ever see on the characters' mouths, to even the slightest gesture and movement, it's quite a brilliant script. It'll still probably go to "Midnight in Paris", for all its clever zingers, but they wouldn't be so clever if it weren't for the spot-on performances from its expansive ensemble.

Box Office Update: "Vow" for "Safe" "Journey", Despite "Menace"

2012-02-12T16:17:00.000-05:00

I didn't really hold strong hopes for this box office weekend, but it has fared about as well as the year for the whole part has so far. Last year was a long and drawn-out nightmare of a year in terms of the box office. There was simply nothing of real spectacle happening, so despite the mildly disappointing films the money's headed towards, it's still satisfying to see an invigoration towards the theatrical experience. I had worried that this weekend would pale in comparison to last year, when that Justin Bieber movie and "Just Go With It" ruled the box office. I guess I underestimated the Valentine's Day weekend draw of Channing Tatum, Denzel Washington, and... 3D, apparently.

"The Vow" clearly played to the right demographic this weekend, and as such reaped the majority of the weekend's winning. "Safe House" played more to the date-night-action-flick crowd, falling just a tad short of its competition. Both are likely to be frontloaded openings likely to fall immensely come next weekend. "Journey 2" and "Star Wars" managed to split the 3D winnings this weekend, so clearly the problem of not having enough 3D screens that we dealt with just two years ago isn't anything to worry about now. The weekend ended up a 31% increase upon last year, so this year is proving to be a pretty strong bounce-back from last year.

OSCAR 2011 PREDICTIONS: Original Score

2012-02-12T14:00:00.001-05:00

The Academy bias going on this year is simply overwhelming. I wouldn't believe you if you handed me the list of nominees, unassociated with the Oscars, and told me the choices were made by more than just one person. There's simply no diversity going on here anymore. It's to be expected that they would hand two nominations to John Williams for work that honestly isn't that emotion drumming. And of course they're going to hand nods to "The Artist" and "Hugo". It's perfunctory at this point to hand as many nominations to the films at the head of the race. I'm just glad that something as low key as "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" managed to actually make it in.

But I was honestly surprised not to see Alexandre Desplat not here for his expansively emotional work on "Deathly Hallows: Part 2". The film grabbed a couple of nominations this year, or at least enough for the Academy to consider it a sufficient sendoff. Score seemed like an automatic in, or I at least expected Desplat to get in for something. Maybe "Ides of March", since that had quite a prolific anthem to it. One wishes some edge made its way into proceedings with "Hanna" or "Dragon Tattoo", but not so. The voting bodies aren't ones for things that stretch the boundaries of music. They're more interested in dutiful towing of the line.

"The Bourne Legacy" Trailer

2012-02-11T11:23:00.000-05:00

I admit myself guilty. I watched it. I broke my rule so easily, and I watched the trailer for "The Bourne Legacy", but it wasn't for no reason. It's because this entry of the series is moored in trepidatious and uncertain waters. As somebody who thought the first three films absolutely kicked ass, the idea of somebody stepping on that territory with something "new" terrifies me. I really don't want to see them fuck this one up, and that's why I watched it. And you know what? I'm in. It looks pretty cool. I'm not sure how they'll make it necessary, but I'll bite.

"The Amazing Spider-Man" Trailer 2

2012-02-11T11:18:00.000-05:00

Wow, I really have been out of the loop. I need to get back in the way of posting things the moment they come along. One of the bigger trailers to come along this week was for Marc Webb's reboot of "The Amazing Spider-Man". I admit that I was and am still quite interested in whatever they're putting to work on this one, if only because I'd like to see what else they have to say about the character at this point. Tobey Maguire's depiction of the characters was kind of dopey; like a kid who thought he was cooler than other people thought he was, but he's not. This seems to be "Spider-Man" for the hipster generation, which I think is kind of cool.

OSCAR 2011 PREDICTIONS: Cinematography

2012-02-11T10:57:00.000-05:00

I'd rather like to think that this race isn't as up in the air as it actually is. I suppose any one of the films nominated could take it with good reason. Sure, "Tree of Life" has all the precursors going for it, and it probably should win in a decent world. Despite my reckless indifference to it, it is the most cinematographically sound film this year. But there's also the massive following on "Hugo" that could prove to sweep the crafts categories. There's buzz going for "The Artist", which as far as brilliant framing is concerned is the most deserving of the group. And some people may just think "War Horse" is just so pretty. To an obnoxious degree it is. There are two ways that this award SHOULD go, but as per usual, I'm not certain it will.

WILL WIN: "The Tree of Life"

COULD WIN: "Hugo"

SHOULD WIN: "The Artist"

SHOULD REALLY WIN: "Shame"

OSCAR 2011 PREDICTIONS: Art Direction

2012-02-10T15:00:00.000-05:00

I'm a proponent of specificity over style, at least in terms of Visual Effects, Art Direction, and such in terms of visual mediums. As such it massively pisses me off when films like "Hugo", "Harry Potter", and "War Horse" make it in because they're "pretty". I use pretty in quotations, because in most cases, it's a hollow beauty. I'm quite simply irritated by the fact that the unprecedented-this-year work behind "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" was ignored, but... forgive? No. Just adapt. Of the films here, the only ones I can say are rather good in terms of set design and such are "The Artist" and "Midnight in Paris". However, the latter didn't absolutely rock my socks off, so here's hoping that "Artist" goes for a sweep. It'll probably go to "Hugo", just because that's the obvious choice.

WILL WIN: "Hugo"

COULD/SHOULD WIN: "The Artist"

SHOULD REALLY WIN: "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy"

THEN AND NOW: Supporting Actor & Actress

2012-02-10T14:00:00.019-05:00

It's no secret, especially since the rather long leave of silence on the site, that I am just not loving this Oscar season anymore. I'm not sure if I ever was. Of course, there are some races that have me quite invested in the outcome, as always, but they are few. And I kept feeling like I had to explain why this year was a low point in the Academy history, though that should be perfectly obvious. The Academy has lost their teeth, which is no huge news, but even more than that, they've lost their sense of spontaneity. For the first time in a while, I am kind of wishing Brett Ratner and Eddie Murphy had stayed. Why? Because the moment they strolled off, this year became extremely safe. The quick choices of Brian Grazer and Billy Crystal to fill in was the first sign.

So it seems so fitting to compare this year to last year in terms of who made the cut for the nominations. This year, it doesn't really matter who the other four nominations are, as we all know it's going to be Christopher Plummer for Best Supporting Actor. I touched on this a bit a while back, but this year's slate of Supporting Actor competitors is extremely soft. I know everyone is pissed off that Jonah Hill made it, but he honestly isn't the worst of evils. In "Moneyball", he is admittedly kind of good. If nothing else, he has shown that he has a possible future in the way of dramatic roles. Does he deserve a nomination for just showing that he has potential. Absolutely not.

OSCAR 2011 PREDICTIONS: Supporting Actor

2012-02-03T17:12:00.000-05:00

Did anybody possibly imagine that the supporting actor race this year would be so completely dull and toothless as this? Perhaps, but I dearly hope nobody wanted it. Remember last year when we had Christian Bale's career best as an extreme druggie, John Hawkes' belated arrival, Jeremy Renner's heavy edge accomplice to Ben Affleck, and Mark Ruffalo being just plain awesome. Since when did the Academy just lose those cool points? The closest thing they have this year is Nick Nolte, who is perhaps the only one who really should be here, but the one who just made it in under the wire.

There's no debating that it's Christopher Plummer's to win. Don't get me wrong, because it's a nice performance, but I'm the one who was so much more impressed with the much smaller name Mary Page Keller's performance in "Beginners". I haven't yet, and am not liable to soon see either "Extremely Loud" or "My Week with Marilyn", but I've seen enough of an indication from the trailers to know that I'm not having it for either of the performances in this race. And then there is Academy Award nominee Jonah Hill... I can't. I just can't.

"The Hunger Games" Trailer 2

2012-02-02T13:42:00.000-05:00

And here is my first real challenge in terms of avoidance of trailers, as I rather liked the previous trailer for "The Hunger Games". On the other hand, it's not that hard to avoid this one, seeing as it's little more than a minute long, which makes me wonder, what is the point? Are they just attempting to eke out a little more material, bit by bit, till the point where their film ultimately become irrelevant. We saw precisely enough in the first trailer. None of the actual games. Nothing beyond the setup. That's all we needed. Anything else, to my eyes, is irrelevant. Still looking forward to seeing it, but please comment on your thoughts on this additional minute. Unnecessary or intriguing?

For Your Anticipation: Direct Influence

2012-02-02T13:13:00.000-05:00

I'm not really sure how this ended up my most anticipated film of this week. Frankly, I'm still just interested in seeing what the buzz around "The Grey" is all about. This week is a kind of anomaly, as there's nothing particularly awful, but still nothing motivating. "Chronicle" is an example, as something that's intriguing at best, but still a tried and overused concept. I just don't find it so interesting anymore at this point.

OSCAR 2011 PREDICTIONS: Costume Design

2012-02-01T11:04:00.000-05:00

Alright, let's get back to this grind of ours, shall we? The Academy branch sure likes it when there things are pretty to the point of making one gag. Is it ever to a purpose. I'd like to think that "Jane Eyre" being here is a show of good faith. If there's anything that isn't up for debate about that one, it's the wear of the characters. Unfortunately, I doubt that will happen. It could, and that's a very lively possibility. But then again, so is that "W.E." walks away with it, which I think we all believe is a worst case scenario. It would be a new low for them to award more towards "W.E." than they awarded towards... any film that got snubbed wrongfully this year.

Thankfully, I don't think that will happen. There are plenty others to steal the focus, even if they really shouldn't. "The Artist" and "Hugo" seem to be the two main contenders, as both are the main contenders for Best Picture, as of this moment anyway. If "Hugo" wins, everyone will inevitably start bandying about a "Hugo" night. If "The Artist" wins, things settle back into the way they were before. And if "Anonymous" wins... Oh, let's please be serious. There's no way in hell that is ever going to happen. It'd be cool, because those outfits are very flamboyant and obvious, but still very fun. At least they have a sense of humor.

For Your Anticipation: Creepy Dancing Monkey

2012-02-01T10:00:00.002-05:00

Daniel Radcliffe, I'd like to ask you an honest and concerned question. What the hell do you think you're doing? I'm speaking not of your decision to do a typical Victorian scare flick. I'm not speaking of your characters' inexplicable obsession with winding up creepy dolls. I'm speaking of you. What are you doing? I thought you were going to start challenging yourself with... things. When is that going to start? I mean, you got naked on stage, and that was cool. But I want to see you prove your talent as far away from "Harry Potter" as you possibly can. Like... do something... good? That'd be fantastic!

For Your Anticipation: Come On, Lady

2012-01-31T11:41:00.000-05:00

I know that "Dolphin Tale" wasn't really about whales, but... no, it actually is about whales. Is there any sense in "Big Miracle" being made at all? They're practically the same movie, be it with different casts who are only there to raise awareness about the plight of whales and dolphins. Except... neither of these films are about the plight of whales and dolphins. One is about a single dolphin's tail, and the other is about getting a family of whales back to see. Yeah, it's sweet, but it doesn't address the real problems. No, that would lose them their family audiences if they showed all those dolphin slaughters. They couldn't do that.

OSCAR 2011 PREDICTIONS: Best Makeup

2012-01-28T17:05:00.000-05:00

Another year goes by, and we get another slate of easy throwaways for the squandered makeup category. At this point, I don't really know what they're qualifying as strong makeup, or if they even have any knowledge towards such. I can get this out of the way in one paragraph. Somebody explain to me where the skill is in the useless and purposeless plastering on "The Iron Lady" or "Albert Nobbs". The former will win, almost certainly, but with no real reason for such. "Harry Potter" is there just as a little bit of merit for their series finale. It could win, as having the strongest work there, but it's too hard to care in a category with this little real skill.

Will Win: "The Iron Lady"

Should Win: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2"

Should Really Win: "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"

Films to See in 2012: February

2012-01-28T13:48:00.033-05:00

How did we get slammed with practically nothing for two months in a row? I mean, I'm sure that the media glut is going to be happy with the films coming out in February, and those of us who ask for something more will probably be busy indulging in the films heading for Oscar. Myself, I'm very easily bored and I kind of expected that the world would finally be able to keep me entertained. Not so. Second month in a row where I can't satisfy you with three films I'd suggest. First weekend, you get a movie about whales, as if we didn't have enough of those already. I was fine after "The Cove", which actually meant something. "Big Miracle" does not, beyond the inexplicable drive for audiences to see a movie about nature.

There's also the mockumentary superhero film, "Chronicle", which is just another mark crossed off on the we-haven't-done-a-found-footage-film-about-this list. Cap it off with "The Woman in Black", which is only mildly relevant as it's Daniel Radcliffe's first role outside "Harry Potter". Let's see how quickly he fades. Heading into the following week, we have the action-nothing "Safe House", the pointless romance "The Vow", 3D jizz-fest "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island", and the 3D re-release of "The Phantom Menace". Is anybody else already deeply pissed off that we're given a trilogy of some of the worst films ever made before we get to the original trilogy?

OSCAR 2011 PREDICTIONS: Visual Effects

2012-01-26T13:00:00.000-05:00

In spite of everyone's deep angers usually incurred by the Oscar nominations, mostly involving films that we didn't want to see and now must out of obligation, things still operate in a forward motion as we hurtle towards the eventually depressing ceremony. And what safer way to head into the predictions than with visual effects, which seems set predictably in stone months in advance. The fact that "The Tree of Life" isn't here clears up competition to a predictable fit for what it always has been. What are the flashiest, showiest, and most obnoxiously sparkly films in play? They don't really care about technique so much until they really have to make a decision.

The inclusion of "Hugo" just seems to be riding on a wave of buzz for it to clean up house entirely. I have considerable doubts about it, but it could very well take this and many others if it proves to be an inexplicable sweep. "Real Steel" is only here for flash points, and it does have some admittedly stylish moments, but they are amongst a great deal of nonsense going on. Even though the film would be nothing without it, it doesn't feel like they really fuel the film. It would go on without them, though not nearly as convincingly. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" is a mixed bag, as there are times when it is kind of pretty, but the rest of the time it just looks utterly stale and lifeless. It's not a manifestation of magic so much and computer engineering, and you can feel that.

For Your Anticipation: Tip the Numbers

2012-01-26T12:40:00.000-05:00

Isn't it just typical of us at this point to discount the action film that Liam Neeson stars in around this time of year? Is there a chance that "The Grey" is actually a good time? Well, yes. Though I would never in a million years call "Taken" or "Unknown" good movies, I'm not going to deny that they were pretty damn good times. And in fact "The Grey" seems to have some kind of atmosphere to it. Maybe not, but I think this stands a chance of actually working, but only a mild one.

OSCAR 2011: If I Chose the Nominees

2012-01-25T21:00:00.003-05:00

I've been fuming ever since the Oscar Nominations were announced just yesterday. I think we all have been, as we knew we'd be disappointed, but we had no idea exactly how disappointed we eventually would be. That's been the tone of the entire season, with very few things truly certain about the eventual endgame of the Oscars, the ceremony included. It is currently looking to be a dull and absolutely unmotivating affair, so why care? The films we loved all still exist, so why not celebrate them as they still lay. I had arrayed this list as my dream ballot for release before the nominations announcement, but it is just as appropriate now as it was then. So here are my nominations for 2011.

BEST PICTURE

"Certified Copy"
"Drive"
"Martha Marcy May Marlene"
"Meek's Cutoff"
"A Separation"
"Shame"
"Sleeping Beauty"
"Tomboy"
"Weekend"
"We Need to Talk About Kevin"

Further Thoughts: I dispatched with the Foreign Language Film and Animated Feature races for two reasons. One is that there aren't enough good toons out there this past year to warrant the latter, and secondly because there are three films that could be deemed Foreign Language in my Best Picture list. There is no way in hell any of my ten were going to be reciprocated by the Academy. "Martha Marcy May Marlene", "Meek's Cutoff", "Sleeping Beauty", and "Weekend" all skew too low key. "Shame", "Drive", and "We Need to Talk About Kevin" are all too hard edge for them. They'll constantly make excuses for why they don't belong, but none of them really hold up.

For Your Anticipation: Jumpers Jump

2012-01-25T10:07:00.000-05:00

I don't have the capacity to care about anything, I've deducted. I don't care enough to dig for a clip from "One for the Money", the aptly named comedy from Katherine Heigl. So now we get to this, "Man on a Ledge", with a title that couldn't be less imaginative, and speaks of the function of the film itself. The fact that he's on a ledge doesn't add tension to the situation. The only purpose of it is as a publicity stunt for some kind of heist situation, for some reason. I don't really care, though. I am willing to align my attention for something that might at least be fun. This isn't that.

OSCAR 2011: My Reaction to the Academy Nods

2012-01-24T21:39:00.000-05:00

Consider this your epic good-news-bad-news session, because a lot of people are salting their wounds with small nuggets of good tidings in this morning's Oscar nominations. We'll start from the bottom and work our way up to a crescendo of violence and anger, as per usual. As far as the shorts categories go, the only thing worth mentioning is that "La Luna", Pixar's latest short and sole nomination this year. It's nice to see that they haven't completely lost touch with their heart. However, I have no idea what got into the Doc branch's heads. I haven't even heard of most of them, and while I heard good things about "Pina", what dingus' gave the pass to "Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory"?

The Animated Feature nods embellished what I wouldn't have much of a problem catching up with, like films such as "Chico and Rita" and "A Cat in Paris". "The Adventures of Tintin" was the biggest surprise omission, as the Academy clearly doesn't consider it animation, nor should they. And I'd just like to give them a hand for not nominating "Cars 2". They could have gone wrong a great deal there, but they steered clear of that bullet. Unfortunately they also took a detour straight into a bomb. Nothing greater to report beyond "A Separation" in Foreign Language, as most worth mentioning were already discounted last week with the shortlist of nine.

AWARDS 2011: "Hugo" Leads the Oscar Nods

2012-01-24T11:47:00.000-05:00

Well, that could have gone a great deal better, couldn't it. I'm not happy about the Oscar nominations, but I'll save the endless rant till much later today. There's much work be done here. Until then, grind out your own grievances against this slate of nods while I go off in the corner and cry for an hour.

Best Picture

"The Artist"
"The Descendants"
"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"
"The Help"
"Hugo"
"Midnight in Paris"
"Moneyball"
"The Tree of Life"
"War Horse"

For Your Anticipation: Look at the Chocolates

2012-01-23T09:38:00.000-05:00

How do you determine what films looks the worst? Think of everything you like about a movie, and find the film that has absolutely none of that. I can confidently say that "Albert Nobbs" has absolutely nothing that I find good in a film. An unbelievable hack at the as-it-stands unbelievable premise, though one which was done to much greater skill with "Tomboy". Bland and old style British setting, with absolutely no flair or sense of wonder. Gross sentimentality, and all this along with the fact that you would never believe for a second that Glenn Close is a man. I simply could not be desiring this less, and I'm very glad decided against seeing it back at Telluride by the Sea.

AWARDS 2011: "Artist" & "Tintin" Share PGA Glory

2012-01-22T14:53:00.000-05:00

I can't say I'm truly excited for this awards season, or at least not yet. I don't have a single thing against "The Artist", but I don't feel nearly as much enthusiasm as I have in previous years. I suppose "The King's Speech" effectively snuffed that out when it pulled a dreaded sweep of the Guild and Academy Awards. Still, it's nice to see that I'm not in complete hatred of the film that's leading surge for the 2011-2012 awards season. It's less nice to see "The Adventures of Tintin" take the Animated honors away from films that are actually animated, such as the anyways superior "Rango". Nothing much enthusiastic, but what can you expect of a year like 2011?

Producer of the Year in Theatrical Motion Pictures: "The Artist"

Producer of the Year in Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures: "The Adventures of Tintin"

Producer of the Year in Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures: "Beats, Rhymes, and Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest"

Box Office Update: Surge from the "Underworld"

2012-01-22T12:55:00.000-05:00

This was a weekend of massive drops that somehow managed to keep up with the pace last weekend had set. The returning films undertook massive drops, as to be expected after a holiday weekend. The greater wealth was spread amongst the films on the opening slate. "Underworld: Awakening" was quite obviously the strongest debut, benefiting from the critics being away at Sundance, and therefore not coming in on a wave of hate. Same can be said for "Red Tails" as well, which did not fare well with critics, but did solidly with audiences. "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"s expansion yielded some small gains, but if the film fades out of mind by next week, don't be surprised. It could turn out to get a surprise heap of Oscar nods that push it to greater success, but don't count on it.