Oscars 2012 Outlook and Opinions

No way I’m even going to pretend that I can make an educated prognostication on every single category.  So I’ll just hit  the major ones and touch on a few minor ones as well.

Best Picture

My prediction: “The Artist”

My opinion: There are a number of films missing this year in this category, namely the best picture of 2011, “A Separation.”

Best Actor in a Leading Role

My prediction: Jean Dujardin “The Artist”

My opinion: Surprisingly, I saw all of the films represented in this category, and all nominees are well-deserved.  Of the five, I like Pitt in “Moneyball” the most.  But the best performance of 2011 belonged to Michael Fassbender in “Shame,” hands down.

Best Actress in a Leading Role

My prediction: Viola Davis “The Help”

My opinion: Surprisingly, I saw none of the films represented in this category.  I did see Charlize Theron in “Young Adult” and thought she should’ve gotten a nod, at least.  Everyone who’s seen Tilda Swinton in “We Need to Talk About Kevin” said her performance was unparalleled.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

My prediction: Christopher Plummer “Beginners”

My opinion: Haven’t seen it.  All the critics say he’s the one.  Why should I argue?  Because of Nick Nolte, that’s why!

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

My prediction: Octavia Spencer “The Help”

My opinion: Didn’t see “The Help.”  My wife said Spencer was good but Chastain was better.  I say there’s no way either of them are better than Bejo in “The Artist.”  Loved her.

Best Animated Feature Film

My prediction: Ummmmm…..”Rango.”  No!  “A Cat in Paris.”  No!  “Chico and Rita.”  No!  “Rango.”

My opinion: “The Transformers” from 1986 should be nominated every year just on general principle.

Best Cinematography

My prediction: “Tree of Life”

My opinion: I wish I would’ve watched it.  I’ve heard good things about its cinematography.

Best Directing

My prediction: Michael Hazanavicius “The Artist”

My opinion: If there’s an upset here, it’ll be from Alexander Payne for “The Descendants.”  Where is Steve McQueen for “Shame”?

Best Editing

My prediction: “The Artist”

My opinion: “The Artist” will do very well this year.

Best Foreign Language Film

My prediction: “A Separation”

My opinion: If “A Separation” didn’t exist, people would be hearing about “Bullhead.”

Best Original Score

My prediction: “The Artist”

My opinion: It’s a film with no audible dialogue.  The music better be great.

Best Visual Effects

My prediction: “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”

My opinion: This movie was surprisingly good, and Caesar the chimp was one of the best characters of the year.

Best Adapted Screenplay

My prediction: “The Descendants”

My opinion: No way the Academy lets a Clooney movie go without a statue.  I’m fine with that though.

Best Original Screenplay

My prediction: “Midnight in Paris”

My opinion: “A Separation” is in this category, and I think “Midnight” deservingly takes this.  That’s how good “Midnight” is.

Foreign Films for Those Foreign to Foreign Films

It dawned on me that I can’t very well expect those with a phobia of foreign film (or just find them too tedious to sit through) to develop a love and appreciation for them without offering up a few recommendations.  Now in no way am I saying that you’ll find all of the movies in this post to your liking.  What I am saying.  Scratch that.  What I’m guaranteeing is that there’s at least one film on this list that you may fall in love with, if it doesn’t knock you on your arse first.

For all intent and purposes here, I’ll define the label “foreign film” to include any that is made in a language other than English.  People have their own definition.  Some include those in English but originated outside of the U.S.  If that’s as exotic as you care to get at this point in your movie-watching life, then by all means check out the U.K.’s “In the Loop,” a satirical comedy about the U.K. and U.S. collectively pursuing an ill-advised war in the Middle East while key players in both attacking governments try to avoid a catastrophe.  Or Australia’s “Animal Kingdom” which tells the story of a young man who’s just lost his mother and now must adjust to life with his unfamiliar and criminal relatives.  Or Ireland’s modern-day musical drama “Once” which will assuredly change the way you look at musicals forever.  (Seriously, if you haven’t seen “Once” make that the very next thing you do.  After you finish this post of course.) 

Alas, the focus here will be on foreign language films, for I imagine it’s those that receive the majority of unwarranted criticism.  Let’s break down some barriers, shall we?

City of God (Brazil, 2002) I’m wasting no time here bringing out the heavy artillery.  City of God may be my favorite foreign flick of all-time.  If you like it gangster, then try it Rio de Janeiro style.  Two childhood friends grow up together on the streets of this notoriously dangerous city.  Over time their lives take dramatically different paths.  Rocket pursues his passion for photography.  Lil’ Ze becomes the city’s most feared drug dealer and one of the most memorable characters you’ll ever see on screen.

Waltz with Bashir (Israel, 2008) In this animated feature, director Ari Folman walks you through his personal testimony when he interviews fellow military colleagues about their invasion of Lebanon in 1982.  Folman remembers almost nothing about the ordeal but is convinced that a recurring nightmare in which he’s hunted by vicious dogs holds the key to unlocking his memory.  The story is authentic, original and will grip you from the get-go.  The animation will haunt you long after you’ve finished. 



Amores Perros (Mexico, 2000) Mexico’s version of the “Traffic”/”Crash” movie that intertwines multiple storylines in an entertaining and intellectually stimulating tour de film.  Where “Traffic” revolves around drug trafficking and “Crash” emphasizes race, “Amores Perros” concentrates on love and its potential to motivate us to do the unthinkable.  “Perros” may compare stylistically to the two popular American features, but dare I say it trumps them as an overall film.

Rabbit-Proof Fence (Australia 2002) An incredible true story about three Aboriginal girls ranging from ages 8-14 who were taken from their family by the government in order to be “domesticated.”  They escape the girls home where they were dropped off by government officials but must travel thousands of miles through the outback if they want to see their family again.  The film has a nice of balance of English and an Aboriginal language and managed to keep the attention of my 6^th grade class.  Yeah, I’d say that’s a good qualification.

Cinema Paradiso (Italy, 1988) A charming love letter to the movie-going experience, this Italian flick will warm the heart of any sucker for cinema.  It’s about movies, plain and simple.  Why we love them; why we need them.  How they provide an escape, a reprieve, an…….interlude.  How they inspire us and change us and hold up the mirror that allows us to look into our own lives, our own souls. 

OldBoy (South Korea, 2003) So, you like revenge films.  Bronson’s killing spree in “Death Wish.”  Denzel’s bone-breaking tactics in “Man on Fire.”  Uma’s Samurai shite storm in “Kill Bill.”  Oh Dae-Su was kidnapped and has spent the last fifteen years in a makeshift cell inside a hotel room.  Without explanation, he’s set free one day and given clues about his captor whom he still knows nothing about.  The twist carries the force of a hammer to the face (pun intended) and gives you plenty to mull over while you recuperate.

El Mariachi (USA, 1992) I’m kind of breaking my own rules by including this one.  Kind of.  Technically “Mariachi” is considered an American film, I suppose because director Robert Rodriguez hails from Texas.  Aside from that, this is a Mexican film.  The actors are Mexican.  It’s set in Mexico.  The entire movie’s in Spanish.  I had to include it.  I mean did you even know that “Desperado” and “Once Upon a Time in Mexico” were part of a trilogy?  This one’s the best of the three despite the fact that it was made for just over $200,000.  You heard me.  $200,000.

Paradise Now (Occupied Palestinian Territory, 2005) I was fascinated by the trailer.  Two childhood friends who grew up in the volatile city of Palestine are recruited by Muslim extremists for a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv.  As their mission draws nearer, the two begin to question their motives and the life-altering effects their actions will have.  The trailer includes some English, but the majority of the movie is in Arabic.  Religious fundamentalists beware.  This may not be the one for you.

A Prophet (France, 2009) If “A Prophet” was an American film, in twenty years it would be spoken of with the same esteem as we speak of “The Godfather” and “Goodfellas” today.  As it stands, it’s an absolutely phenomenal French gangster flick that unfortunately many people won’t have the opportunity to see.  It’s a travesty to say the least.  Malik is a no-name criminal starting a relatively modest prison sentence.  However, by the time he leaves, no one will ever forget him.  The final shot may be the best I ever saw.  Ever.

And because I love you and care about your movie-watching experience, here are the trailers to the three English speaking foreign films mentioned at the beginning of this post.  Now go and fall in love with a film from the other side of the tracks.

"A Separation" Review (and my plea to you on behalf of foreign films)

It’s no secret that Asghar Farhadi’s “A Separation” is the clear-cut favorite to run away with next week’s Academy Award for best foreign picture.  What’s not being said is that it may be the best film of 2011, regardless of its nationality. 

The title refers literally to the separation of Nader (Peyman Maadi) and Simin (Leila Hatami), a middle possibly upper middle-class married couple living in present-day Iran.  Simin desperately wants to move out of the country so that their daughter, eleven-year-old Termeh (Sarina Farhadi), may enjoy more opportunities for success.  Nader values his daughter’s future equally as much but refuses to leave behind his sick father who is suffering from Alzheimer’s.  Ultimately Simin moves out to stay with her mother in protest.

Nader is forced to hire a caretaker to look after his father while he is away at work and Termeh is at school.  Enter Razieh (Sareh Bayat), a mother of a four-year-old daughter herself.  Her husband is currently unemployed, so she discreetly takes the job despite the long commute in order to help with some of the finances.  (Because they are devout Muslims, her husband would never allow her to take a job in another man’s home without the wife of that man being present.) Oh, by the way, Razieh is four months pregnant with her second child.

   

The job proves to be incredibly stressful for Razieh who once even manages to lose the father while attending to a mess her little girl made on the steps outside the apartment door.  She later finds him down the street wondering aimlessly.  This leads Razieh to go so far as to tie the man to the bed one day when circumstances arise, circumstances she can neither help nor ignore, that force her to leave the apartment.  She returns to find a highly pissed son.  An argument ensues, push literally comes to shove, and from there, the lives of every single character I’ve mentioned seem to spin more and more out of control with each passing scene.  

There’s a small dispute to be resolved here (okay that’s severely understated), and we are not privy to all the facts.  This is where the “A Separation” becomes great and distinguishes itself from other films.  Because what follows is not a whodunit filled with the trite unfolding of events and plot reveals, but a fly-on-the-wall view of ordinary people forced into extraordinary circumstances and how they react. 

The film takes no sides, forcing us to just sit still and watch, unbiased.  One moment we question, or even become angered by the motives or actions or words of a character.  Then we sympathize with them the next.  I can only imagine how difficult that can be in today’s world of movie-making, to avoid the prototypical moustache-twirling villain and the knight in shining armor.  Farhadi makes it look effortless here.  And a big reason he’s able to do so should be credited to a cast with absolutely no weak links.  None.

The result is a complicated moral film that doesn’t ask for your participation, doesn’t ask for you to judge or witness.  It begs of you, nearly forces you, to exercise your understanding and own personal examination to limits you seldom explore in your own world. 

This is the power of foreign films.  They throw you into a world that is so alien to you; immerse you in languages and actions and idiosyncrasies that you would have otherwise maybe never been exposed to.  And then that beautiful moment occurs when you connect; you find something so familiar in such a foreign place: The revelation that your life relates to these people and places that once seemed so distant.  And you take a moment to consider the vast, immeasurable distance that your understanding just transcended, that this movie just transcended.  That.  That is the power of foreign films.

The Best Football Movies...Ever??? (Super Bowl Edition)

I considered postponing the debut of this blog for a couple of weeks, but there's no time like the present and I'm a little inspired right now.  So without further ado, I give you the top ten football movies ever made.  Hold on.  Let me revise that.  I give you my top ten football movies ever made.

Let me also spare some of you the suspense of seeing your favorite gridiron flick on this coveted list.  You won't see the likes of "Any Given Sunday" with its totally unbelievable team names and uniforms and its overdramatization of colossal, career-ending hits on every single play.  However, I'd include that before the cliche, feel-good movie of 2009 for white people that is "The Blind Side."  What you will get is some great titles that are to be expected along with a few unconventional picks that just may end up on your all-time list.

#10 The Best of Times (1986) There are really only two things you need to know about this movie.  #1 Kurt Russell.  #2 Robin Williams.  They're former high school football players living extraordinarily ordinary lives in the small town of Taft, California.  Jack Dundee (Williams), once a mediocre wide receiver in his glory days, spends his nights reliving the moment when he dropped the perfect and would-be game winning pass from quarterback Reno Hightower (What a great name for a QB!) played by Russell.  To make matters worse it was against the crosstown rivals, the perenial powerhouse from Bakersfield.  Eventually Jack convinces Reno, as well as the entire towns of Taft and Bakersfield, to replay the historic game.  As goofy as it sounds, the end result nearly works to perfection.  It's legendary stuff.

#9 Remember the Titans (2000) I'll save the synopsis here since I assume the vast majority of you have seen it.  This is sort of a guilty pleasure for me.  I recognize how cheesy it is, and it's bursting at the seams with it.  But that's what I like about it.  It has become a comedy for my wife and me.  When I view it that way, it's totally enjoyable.  Also, it's an absolute credit to Denzel to be surrounded by such shenanigans and still be great.  He escapes unscathed!

#8 All the Right Moves (1983) Possibly the most underrated film on the list.  C'mon, it's Tom Cruise playing high school football in a poor Pennsylvania steel town, trying desperately for that all-important, life changing college scholarship.  Not to mention, you have Craig. T. Nelson in his original coaching role.  This movie bleeds football, literally.

#7 Invincible (2006) Initially I was weary of this flick, being a Disney movie and all.  I guess I was a little fearful it would end up being another Remember the Titans (Yeah I know I just finished expressing my love for it, but it's a love that has taken some years to develop).  Needless to say Disney delivers thanks in lage part to the acting chops of Mark Wahlberg.  It has become par for the course for Marky Mark to deliver a show-stealing performance.  This one's no different.  I've probably seen this one the least out of all the ones on the list.  I probably need to revisit this ASAP. 

#6 Varsity Blues (1999) Everyone raves about Pacino's "Inches" speech, and for good reason.  But what about Jon Voight's "Never show weakness!"  or "Billy Bob gonna cry baby?"  Honestly if it weren't for Voight's uncompromising portrayal of Bud Kilmer (lol), this movie wouldn't even be on the list.  As it stands, it's number six.  I love the character that much.

#5 Jerry Maguire (1996) There's debate over whether this qualifies as a "football" movie, but given the fact that so much of it centers around the game, not to mention I was struggling to come up with ten movies, I'm counting it.  There are actually a number of films that are the subject of similar debates, all that could be considered football flicks and would be worthy of all-time lists.  The Last Boy Scout comes to mind.  I almost included this highly entertaining, even if over-the-top movie, but then I remembered the scene where Gooding Jr. embraces Cruise after the Monday night game, flushing out all of the emotions and stress and doubt and relief of the past months by way of his tear ducts, and I just couldn't bring myself to leave this one out.

#4  Friday Night Lights  (2004) I knew this was one of the greatest football movies ever as soon as I walked out of the theater.  This one's on a different level than most of the others on this list.  It takes itself seriously as well it should.  There are top notch performances by pretty much the entire cast including some standouts in the form of Billy Bob Thorton and Derek Luke.  Even Tim McGraw's really good.  It tells a true story like many other sports films do, but it does so without being cliche and sappy and cheesy, which is where most like-minded films go wrong.  An incredible score and music from Public Enemy is the icing on the cake.

#3 The Longest Yard (1974) First of all, shame on you if you thought I was talking about the Adam Sandler version.  Secondly, this movie's awesome!  The choreography of the final game between the inmates and guards is so well done.  This where I thought Any Given Sunday got it terribly wrong.  It's just not believable.  It kind of takes me out of a movie when I see an eyeball laying in the endzone.  I mean, when has that ever happened?  No mishaps here.  This movie gets it right.

#2 Johnny Be Good (1988) Anthony Michael Hall, Uma Thurman, and Robert Downey Jr.  If we saw that line-up in a film today, most of us would be thrilled.  Well go ahead and get excited.  This is as good as it would be if it were coming out this year.  It's a comical, yet all too real, look at the cut-throat and savage world of college football recruiting.  Hall is quarterback Johnny Walker, the nation's top high school prospect, and the darling of every college football program in the country from USC to his local state univeristy.  Thurman and Downey play Johhnny's girl and best bud and are more than willing to offer their opinions on where they think he should end up.  If you haven't seen this little talent, make it your top prospect.  Yep, that was awful.

#1 Rudy (1993) I give you the inspiration  for this list.  In honor of the Super Bowl, moviepilot.com released a similar list earlier today, on which this film was noticeably absent.  I can understand not putting it at number one, but not even on the list?  So I just made my own.  You don't have to be a fan of the Irish to be moved by this one.  Sean Austin is completly likeable, and again I note, the games' choreography is great keeping the viewer firmly planted in the events of the film.  I've seen it countless times and still get a few chills during the final twenty minutes.